Hi there! Well, so far I’ve been putting out my reviews at a relatively consistent pace. It looks like (Right now, at least) I’ll be meeting my schedule of finishing these reviews by September. The only bump in the road that I do see coming is in July around the weekend of Connecticon, and possibly my relatives from down south coming up in a couple weeks might make another bump, but I’m not sure. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at another cyberpunk classic, and delve into the world of Appleseed.
Story/Setup
Taken from the Wikipedia page:
“After World War 3 the General Management Control Office constructs an experimental city known as Olympus. It is inhabited by humans, cyborgs, and bioroids. Bioroids are genetically engineered beings created to serve Mankind. They oversee all the administration duties of Olympus. Olympus was meant to be a utopian society, but for some, it feels more like a cage. Calon Mautholos, an Olympus city police officer, is one of the many who feel that way.
Calon secretly conspires with a terrorist, A. J. Sebastian, to destroy Gaia, a super computer that runs the various utilities and networks of Olympus. Out to stop them are Olympus City ESWAT (Enhanced SWAT) team members Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires. Deunan and Briareos are determined to stop the terrorist plot by any means necessary.”
I will say this about Appleseed’s story: it’s both original, yet cheesy & cliched at the same time. It’s original in it’s idea, cheesy because of basing it on a hypothetical post WW3 scenario, and chiched because this type of story has been done numerous ways before.
Setting
Appleseed’s setting is a two-sided coin. On the one hand, we see the nicer sides of Olympus City: it’s clean, pristine, and not a trace of grime in sight. You can see that those who are privileged and/or have wealth are living quite comfortably. On the other had, we see the darker side of Olympus City as well: it’s dark, gritty, and full of despair. It’s a place where you can tell that the less desirables are put here so they aren’t seen by the more polite crowd. These two distinct side create an interesting setting that somehow doesn’t feel stale & cliched, yet is original as well.
Characters *
Although there are only 8 main characters, the small cast of Appleseed adds flavor to the movie. The duo of this OVA, Deunan & Briareos, take up most of the screen time, and thus we come to know them more. Deunan is the no-nonsense team member: when the bad guys threaten her friends/allies and home, she takes up arms in the typical action hero way, and raises all kinds of hell. Briareos, on the other hand, is part tough-guy/part comedic relief. Because of his unique head/helmet, we don’t have a typical face to look at it. Instead, the only way we can examine his emotions is by the tone of his voice, and by the movement of his antennae-ears. Despite their differences, the two work very well together when the bad guys come.
Animation
Given it’s release date of 1988, you’d think that it wouldn’t look good, and not hold up. Wrong! Appleseed has managed to hold up incredibly well, and I swear to the anime gods above, that this movie looks relatively similar to Dominion Tank Police. It has that show’s color palate, feel, and the character look similar to those within DTP as well. There’s times where it shows it’s age, but for the most part Appleseed is still a relatively good looking movie.
Voice Acting
The voice acting in Appleseed has also managed to hold up surprisingly well also. It’s always fun to here someone try and hide their original accent (If any), and it’s very apparent that many of the voice actors in this movie are doing so. Having said that, the dub isn’t half bad, and most of the voice actors seem to cover up their accent quite nicely. One little comment: Deunan’s friend/ally Briareos, I swear for the life of me, sounds like he was voiced by the guy that voiced Mad Bull. If anyone knows otherwise, please notify me when you can.
Episodes & Episode Length
Unlike the shows I’ve reviewed so far, Appleseed is a single, self-contained movie. Running at about an hour and 7 minutes, this OVA is perfect to watch on a afternoon, whether it’s by yourself, or with a friend or two. I should point out that the allotted time of this OVA fits perfectly with the story, yet there’s room for expansion into the world that Appleseed created.
Availability & Pricing
Despite being released over a decade, Appleseed can be found with quite some frequency online. Over on Amazon, two particular copies can still be found: the 2001 release by Manga Entertainment, and the 2007 Manga Entertainment (Known as Essence of Anime: Appleseed). Their prices are incredibly fair as well, the 2001 release starts at $5.98, and the 2007 release starts at $2.49. I’m quite tempted to buy both copies, if only to see what the differences between the two releases are.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
General Impression & Rating
Appleseed is a fun movie. Even if you’re not a fan of action and/or cyberpunk, it’s a great film from an earlier time, when older anime was more in the spotlight than it was now. Only some tiny things mar Appleseed’s otherwise perfect image. My advice: buy a copy, sit down with a couple friends, and watch a classic film.
Appleseed gets a 8.5 to 9 out of 10.
See you all later this week, when we’ll look at a rather bland film. Until then, stay Otaku!
* For a better look at (some) of the characters, click on the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appleseed_%28OVA%29
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