Appleseed

Publisher
Optimum
Director
Shinji Aramaki
Production
TBS, Genon Entertainment, Digital Frontier, Toho
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Film
Running time
105 mins
Year
2004

Appleseed

By John Huxley
13th Oct 05

I’d love to write this review without once mentioning the fact that Appleseed’s animation is entirely computer generated. I mean, in an ideal world it shouldn’t really matter, right? The quality of the animation should always place a distant third behind story and characters and probably some other stuff.

Or so we keep reminding ourselves. Let’s be honest about this; if Appleseed looked like a five year old’s crayola scribble, would you even be remotely interested in it (comedy factor aside)? As much as we’d like to maintain the pretence that content is king, we’re naturally shallow individuals who tend to place aesthetics in high regard. Which is why, although your conscious might be telling you otherwise, it’s perfectly acceptable to be intrigued when an unusual animation like Appleseed comes along.

So why not get straight to it?

From start to finish, Appleseed is rendered using lush CG imagery. Even the characters are entirely computer generated, although they resemble traditional cel drawings thanks to a technique dubbed ‘toon shading’ (which you probably remember from Sega’s pioneering Jet Set/Grind Radio). To be honest all this technology this is something of a double-edged sword. At its best, Appleseed undoubtedly looks absolutely gorgeous with some extremely detailed backgrounds and impossibly smooth animation (few limitations of manpower here...but more on that later). Moreover, the ambience created by the computer’s carefully calculated and beautifully rendered lighting really brings Olympus’ giant structures to life with a sense of scale and majesty that just isn’t possible with traditional cel animation. In a way, it brings Appleseed’s tremendous backdrop - the bustling city of Olympus (an important part of the story in its own right) - to life.

Yet the real benefit of all this computer generated imagery comes when everything starts moving. Previously most anime was produced on a restrictive budget which limited expensive and labour-intensive sequences (such as complex action scenes) to a bare minimum. Only the biggest projects were afforded the kind of budget that would allow for genuine 1:1 animation (where each frame on the TV is accompanied by an individual cel - obviously an incredibly costly and time consuming technique). Of course, working within such limitations had hidden benefits and forced the directors and staff to channel their creativity into other areas, so it’s not all bad...

...anyway, getting way off track here. Basically, by eliminating the manpower and cost associated with traditional cel animation, Appleseed’s computer generated trickery finally makes 1:1 anime a reality (for a sustained period of time at least). The results speak for themselves - beautiful, pinpoint accurate animation that would simply be unthinkable using traditional techniques. And with everything calculated by the computer, this even allows for motion-capture technology to make the characters’ movements even more life-like. Which is great.

But (you knew this was coming) there are limitations. Currently the technology they’re using - while it’s capable of wonderfully smooth and realistic animation - can occasionally end up looking a little stiff and unnatural under close inspection, especially in tricky areas such as the hands and mouth. And although the cel shading technique they employ to create the illusion of hand-drawn characters is very effective, there’s a certain amount of style that’s somehow lost in translation. The simplicity of design, the deftness of line and the kind of exaggerated expressions and movements that mark anime apart are all represented (to a lesser or greater degree) in Appleseed’s characters, yet it never quite manages to capture the essence that makes anime what it is.

Like I said, a double-edged sword. It looks great but somehow it isn’t quite anime...yet. That said, it’s bound to improve and I very much look forward to the next project that utilises this technology.

Now, I may have spent half the review jabbering on about the visuals, so you’ll probably be surprised to learn that Appleseed is more than just a pretty face. I’ll say this right away - if you’re a Shirow fan looking for some long overdue Appleseed action, this is the definitive animation version of the classic cyberpunk comic. It may not be perfect, but it’s a damn sight better than the alternatives. Give it a try.

The story doesn’t adhere to any one particular Appleseed book (of which there were four, plus one ‘data book’), preferring instead to create its own story based around the familiar universe. Much like the older animated version of Appleseed, many of the characters and events remain true to the comic, yet there are also plenty of new elements added to the story which help set it apart. From new scenes to slightly altered characterisations right through to completely fresh characters, the changes aren’t entirely extensive but they do cover a wide range of things. Although a few hardcore fans may not be best pleased with these deviations, most will appreciate them for adding a new twist to an otherwise familiar story. And besides, they’re no way near the kind of drastic changes that really divided opinion of the earlier Appleseed OVA. Despite everything, it’s still the same old Appleseed.

Well, I say ‘same old’, but the sad fact is that many viewers probably won’t be familiar with Shirow’s magnum opus. Unlike Ghost in the Shell, which has been the target for two high profile feature length movies, several videogames and a couple of popular TV series, while Appleseed has remained relatively untouched. There was a spout of merchandising around the time the comic first surfaced (including a videogame and the aforementioned OVA), but very little since. Which is a shame, because I really think Appleseed is the superior of the two. It may not be as inventive or as expansive as his Ghost in the Shell universe, yet its story and characters are far more engaging in my view.

The relationship between the highly strung Deunan Knute and level-headed android (yes, I know he’s not actually an android...it’s just easier to explain it this way) Briareos forms the central focus of Appleseed, as the two ex-soliders are plucked from a war-torn wasteland and whisked away to the suspiciously peaceful utopia of Olympus (...the Greek mythology references don’t stop there!). Of course it’s not really a utopia, as all sorts of political wrangling and social unrest hide behind the dubiously 80's polished shopping mall facade. Soon Deunan discovers that many of Olympus’ inhabitants are in fact bioroids; almost perfect human replicas designed to keep the human race from inevitable self-destruction. Yet the action-fuelled finale will tell you that there’s something rotten deep down in the core of Olympus’ meticulously planned designs...

Despite the difference between comic and animation, this deals with many of the same themes and topics as Shirow’s original. And in many ways it reaches the same conclusions (considering that Shirow never actually bought Appleseed to a close). However, Appleseed doesn’t shove these thought-provoking topics right in front of your face and demand you give them your full attention in the same way that Ghost in the Shell did, making this much the more accessible experience. If you’ve come to simply enjoy some good action and marvel at Shirow’s intricate designs, this is the place to be. And yet there is more substance somewhere down there if you’re willing to scratch beneath the surface.

Although, to be honest, you’ll probably find yourself too distracted by all the pretty action to really notice anything deep and meaningful when you’re watching Appleseed. The benefits of CGI animation really begin to show here; the impossibly smooth animation and realistic motion-captured movements of the characters create a level of complexity and intricacy that really puts most anime to shame. And yet, even with all this technology at their disposal, it would mean nothing if the directors weren’t up to the job. With a few exceptions, the action scenes are generally very exciting and entertaining as you’d expect, although some may find the Matrix-heavy influence (which was ironically inspired in part by Ghost in the Shell, another Shirow adaptation) a little too cheesy for their tastes. There’s also an argument - a very credible argument - that says such detailed action leaves nothing to the imagination and really lacks the style and panache that gives anime much of its flavour. This is certainly true in some respects, yet it’s hard to agree when faced with such impressive results. You be the judge.

Outside of the action, Appleseed meets with mixed results. Though the overall story arch is a solid one, Appleseed suffers the same fate as many manga-to-anime movie adaptations - a lack of pacing. Expectedly, at least within the tight constraints of the running time, everything moves at an extraordinary rate of knots while still attempting to accommodate the story’s more relaxed, scene-setting moments. It’s a tight fit, and one that doesn’t appear to be entirely comfortable.

That said, generally the effect wasn’t too noticeable when I was actually watching Appleseed.; only when the end credits were rolling did I feel that certain characters and aspects of the story were left sadly underdeveloped. On the plus side, there are very few loose-ends to consider which does help create a more rounded and satisfactory experience.

Appleseed is a film I can recommend, albeit with a few reservations. Fans of Shirow’s work should lap it up straight away, although the more cautious viewers would do well to consider their purchase a little more carefully. But it does have enough quality to make this something more than a simple experiment in CGI anime, which is reason enough to take notice. Have a look and judge for yourself.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: Audio commentary by director and producer, featurette ‘The Birth of 3D Live Anime’ 35 min, image archive, staff profiles, trailers

Release information: UK: Optimum, 19/09/05

Notes: Appleseed is a two-disc presentation, with the feature housed on the first disc and the second reserved exclusively for extras. Unfortunately the extras disc wasn’t ready at the time of writing, so I’ll just have to assume it’s full of revealing featurettes and so forth. I’ll update you when I can...

-- John Huxley 13th Oct 05

Appleseed Images