AKA: アップルシード

Genre: Futuristic sci-fi action

Length: OAV, 60 minutes

Distributor: Currently licensed by Discotek Media.

Content Rating: 13+ (violence, suicide)

Related Series: Appleseed (movie), Appleseed EX Machina (movie 2), Appleseed XIII (2011 TV series), Appleseed Alpha (movie)

Also Recommended: Black Magic M66, Ghost in the Shell; for more lighthearted fare: You're Under Arrest

Notes: Loosely based on the manga by Masamune Shirow. This review is based off the British release from Manga Video.

Rating:

Appleseed

Synopsis

After WW3, the world gathered under the leadership of a newly appointed government of scientifically created bioroids residing in the new main capital, Olympus.

Of course, there are human beings that won't accept this kind of life, being controlled and monitored close to 24/7. This terrorist group plans to destroy Gaia, the main computer system in control of the city.

Review

I really, really don't like this anime. And here's why: I love the manga. And I'm gonna tell you right now; this is one hell of a slapdash adaptation of said manga, barely touching a few of the many issues raised in the manga itself and smearing together those who are into a messy smudge.

I won't blame the art and animation for this, because those are both decent, if not great. The characters look somewhat like their manga selves. The animation, like I said, is decent enough to make me enjoy some of the sequences where the action takes precedence over the story, like the giant battle-robot testing ground and the run-and-cover-shoot sequence near the end.

No, my main beef lies with the sloppily written and transcripted story. It's like they took the deep stories of the manga and tossed them out the window, replacing them with your typical action fare. Woman throws herself to the death in the beginning. Husband, who is also in the forces, plots his semi-revenge in a "I've had enough of this" manner. No soliloquies, almost no personal interaction -- even from our beloved main couple Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires. And speaking of their names....

Who the hell came up with the idea of rewriting their names like that? I mean... Dunan Nats? Or even worse; Buliaros Hekatonecles? BULIAROS?! People should NOT rewrite and translate scripts while in a drunken stupor, I tell you. He sounds like a rough habitual drinker or a food product. I mean, for the love of..... he's part human, part sophisticated machinery, you nitwits!

I guess my conclusion is that if you like Masamune Shirow's work, go buy the manga. Don't waste your time on this far too short and sloppily transcribed anime with poor characterizations and a plot that would be dismissed by the most ardent Schwarzenegger fan (of which I'm one).

Bleh!

Again, not a TOTAL catastrophe like Violence Jack or MD Geist. But for heaven's sake... — Stig Høgset

Recommended Audience: Teens to adults. There's quite obviously lots of shooting and deaths here. Some even somewhat graphic. But, yet again, this is NO Violence Jack or MD Geist.