Appurushîdo (2004)

Director:

Shinji Aramaki

Writers:

Masamune Shirow (comic)
Haruka Handa (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 April 2004 (Japan)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Action | Animation

Tagline:

Humanity's last chance for survival.

Plot:

In a utopian society created at the end of the third world war, a female warrior who has been plucked from the badlands begins to see cracks in this new facade. And what does this community have planned for the rest of humankind? |

Plot Keywords:

Female Warrior | Computer Animation | Clone | CGI | Based On Comic Book

Cast

Ai Kobayashi	...	Deunan (voice)
Jûrôta Kosugi	...	Briareos (voice)
Yuki Matsuoka	...	Hitomi (voice)
Asumi Miwa	...	Deunan (motion actor)
Akimoto Tsubasa	...	Deunan (motion actor)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Aubree	...	(voice: English version)
William Bassett	...	(voice: English version) (as Frederick Bloggs)
Deborah Sale Butler	...	(voice: English version)
Michael Forest	...	(voice: English version) (as Russell Thor)
Yuzuru Fujimoto	...	Uranus (voice)
Kara Greenberg	...	Gilliam (voice)
Tomoko Kawakami	...	Young Deunan (voice)
William Knight	...	(voice: English version) (as William Frederick)
Mami Koyama	...	Athena (voice)
Takehito Koyasu	...	Hades (voice)
Steve Kramer	...	(voice: English version)
Michael McConnohie	...	(voice: English version)
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn	...	(voice: English version) (as Melissa Williamson)
Toshiyuki Morikawa	...	Yoshitsune (voice)
Ryûji Nakagi	...	1st Elder Electryon (voice)
Ikuo Nishikawa	...	Seven Old Men (voice)
Liam O'Brien	...	(voice: English version) (as William Markham)
Bob Papenbrook	...	(voice: English version) (as John Smallberries)
Jamieson Price	...	Briareos (voice: English version) (as James Lyon)
Mike Reynolds	...	(voice: English version) (as Ray Michaels)
Cindy Robinson	...	(voice: English version)
Lee Rush	...	(voice: English version)
Emi Shinohara	...	(voice)
Michael Sorich	...	(voice: English version)
Doug Stone	...	(voice: English version)
Karen Strassman	...	Hitomi (voice: English version) (as Mia Bradly)
Kim Strauss	...	(voice: English version)
Amanda Winn Lee	...	Deunan Knute (voice: English version) (as Jennifer Proud)
Dave Wittenberg	...	(voice: English version) (as David Lelyveld)
Miho Yamada	...	Nike (voice)

Also Known As:

Appleseed (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence.

Runtime:

105 min | Sweden:103 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Philippines:G | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:M | Spain:13 | South Korea:12 | Canada:14A | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:R | UK:12A | UK:12 (video rating)

Company:

Appleseed Film Partners

Trivia:

The tattoo on Briareos' left upper arm says "Cogito Ergo Sum", which is Latin for "I think, there for I am." It also has the dates 2096-2122, which are Briareos' date of birth and date of his "death" when he became a cyborg.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Briareos' weapon is sliced into pieces, he throws the weapon to the ground in one piece.

Quotes:

Deunan: We have to believe that life is what we make of it!

Movie Connections:

Version of Appurushîdo (1988) (V)

Soundtrack:

Skidoos

Clichéd, slow and melodramatic, but worth it when it gets going

Appleseed simultaneously suffers from the worst Anime has to offer and benefits from the best animation and production a modern production can have. If you are a hardcore Manga fan (or just occasionally fond of it like me) you'll be aware of the most typical clichés, most of which make up the bulk of the Appleseed story.

So...we have a world set after WWIII, in which a Utopian Society has finally found peace. But there are still some people who cannot help but let their anger and bigotry take hold. Android/Clones with suppressed emotions help balance out Utopia and some even want to be fully-fledged humans. There are humans who hate these Androids and wish them to all die out. And there are some Android who hate humans and wish them to all die out. And finally, there is a big computer who runs everything.

Nothing there you haven't seen before huh? It also takes a while to build up momentum. Though when it does, the plot twists and turns and action scenes are truly exhilarating. The animation quality is breath-taking with seamless blending of hand-drawn, motion capture, CGI and 3D images. Style and plot-wise it is very, very similar to Sky Blue/Wonderful Days. But since they were in production at the same time one cannot accuse the other of plagiarism.

The sheer amount of technology and hardware in the movie will make you drool. There are loads of cool devices, futuristic inventions and awesome weaponry. There is also loads of atmosphere with gorgeous, gorgeous sunsets, storm-lashed oil rigs and wonderfully blue-sky-ed cityscapes with an environmentally friendly amount of trees everywhere.

The Matrix 'inspired' action can be a bit annoying sometimes. We've seen people diving through the air in slow motion will taking out supposedly highly-trained soldiers? And the music is kinda uninspiring. With contributions from Basement Jaxx and Paul Oakenfold one expected it to be a lot better.

When you take the good with the bad, Appleseed still comes out as worthwhile and enjoyable. If your new to Anime then you can forgive the clichés, if your a big fan then you'll be awe-struck by the impressive production values.