Spidersecu
Don't Believe the Hype
Intcatinfo
A Masterpiece!
Deanna
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
siderite
I can't really badmouth the film, since it is made in 1988, I mean, My Neighbor Totoro and Dragon Ball Z come to mind from that time. But the animation is in the old school Japanese drawing style that looked so much like bad Disney, the sci-fi concepts are outdated and the story itself is nothing more than a cop story set in the future. It is not easy to find anything good that stands out, even if in itself is not a bad movie. It is just so boringly average that it becomes instantly forgettable.It does explore some aspects of humanity, as the story revolves around a fictional future city in which people are happy, but without choice. However it is difficult to buy into the story when terrorists and average people have guns and often turn to a life of crime. I mean, you have no choice, but you can buy a military robot suit and start killing people with high powered guns?The more recent reinventions of Appleseed are more watchable than this, I have to say. Perhaps there is a reason why the 1988 version is so difficult to find.
wataru-7
Appleseed is an anime based on Masamune Shirows manga of the same name before he became famous with Ghost in the Shell in the mid nineties. Being released just before Akira it got unfavorably compared with the latter and could never hope to reach the bar that was set so high by Katsuhiro Otomo's creation.This is in fact the first installment of the Appleseed franchise although there is a gap of 16 years between this OVA and the 2004 movie.Although this 1 hour OVA never covers the entire manga, in terms of plot and story it still does a good job albeit the story being kept rather simple. Nevertheless the philosophical and political tropes of Shirow are well dealt with albeit not so deep as in Ghost in the Shell or in the two later Appleseed-installments.Animation-wise it is clearly a product of an era before Akira gave anime that huge boost.If you like cyberpunk anime from the 1980s and early nineties and if you enjoyed Shirows earlier work from the same era, like Black Magic M-66 (1987) or Dominion Tank Police (1988), then you will surely like Appleseed the OVA.
jackstarr777
Before you watch this film, I suggest you read the manga first, or at least get a good idea what it's about, otherwise you'll probably be lost. Though the plot between the original comics and this adaptation differs, the characters and setting stay the same and it's a good start to get an idea of what it's about.Also, another recommendation: watch it in Japanese with the subtitles on if possible. In my time I've heard some pretty bad dubs, but 'Appleseed''s English dub is just appalling.At least in my point of view, this was a very enjoyable film. During action sequences and chatter between characters I laughed and smiled constantly. I don't think there was a point in it where I felt bored, it's pretty entertaining the whole way through.But the main thing I loved was the music and animation style. It really reminds you of old 80s cartoons, and I loved the nostalgia. The music, a kind of synthy, jazzy-type score, was constantly engaging and enlightening. I really loved that too.The story, too, may seem a bit silly, but it had a few interesting twists, and was often engaging too.A lot of other reviews have compared 'Appleseed' to "watching from a weird CCTV camera". I have not got a clue where that criticism has come from, other than a poor quality VHS release. But the DVD version I have looks brilliant, the animation was way above the standard for the time it was made.Fans of the manga will love it like I did, and for anime fans it's a must, but it probably isn't for everyone.Overall: 9.7/10
Nitefly
Being an avid reader of manga and very interested in the fascinating genre that is animé, I have always enjoyed the work of the masterful Shirow Masamune. The original manga behind this movie is far more complex and a lot of the suspense has been left out during its transition to animation, but a lot of the character interaction and stylish action remains.Very accessible for all viewers with really great backgrounds and scenery throughout the movie, not as spectacular as e.g. 'Ghost in the Shell', but definately pleasing to the eye.
