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:

Artificial Intelligence | Human Android Relationship | Clone | Female Warrior | Machine Gun

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)
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)
Kirsty Pape	...	Hitomi (voice: English version) (as Mia Bradly)
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)
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:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Germany:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Philippines:G | Australia:M | South Korea:12 | Spain:13 | 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: When Deunan follows Briareos into the locker room all of the locker doors are closed. After Briareos exits, she roundhouse kicks a now open locker door.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Anime: Drawing the Revolution (2007) (TV)

Outstanding

I fought so hard to get tickets to see the World Sneak Preview to Appleseed in London on 4th March 2004 - and the effort paid off. I won a pair in a website competition 2.5 hours before the start of the movie. The event was a media soirée with plenty of media hacks and a few minor celebs swanning around as they dished out free beer and sushi.

Having not seen the original Appleseed I had no concept of the plot or the scenario at all, so i was grateful when the producer gave us an overview lecture (with a flip chart and everything) as it is a little complex.

The second the film started i knew we were witnessing something special. The animation is outstanding. This film has the production values and attention to detail present in films like The Matrix. My jaw hit the floor just as hard with Appleseed as it did with Trinity's opening fight scene in the first Matrix.

The soundtrack is exceptionally well put together with contributions from Basement Jaxx, Paul Okenfold and the awesome Boom Boom Satellites who also performed a live set after the preview.

Often, when you build yourself up too much to see a movie, the reality can do nothing but disappoint. The opposite was true with Appleseed. I went in expecting 10/10... I got 11.

This movie has boldly raised the bar for animation and set a bold new standard by which i believe other animations will be judged in the future. Truly a masterpiece, the highest complements are deserved by everyone involved in this production. Roll on next year's Academy awards!!!