Appleseed

A dark, cyberpunk anime set far in the future. World War Three has plunged society into a state of anarchy. To try and resolve the problems created by war, the remaining governments band together to create Olympus, an experimental city designed as a sanctuary for the surviving humanity. However, this new paradise is also home to a new species, the Bio-Droid, a cyborg slave specifically created to administer the city. Some of the citizens are extremely unhappy with this brave new world, and long for liberty - at any price. After terrorists try to destroy the city, special SWAT teams are called in to try and neutralise the situation. Terrorist AJ Sebastian manages to escape from police custody by murdering an officer. Horrified by what has occurred, police offider Dunan Nats and her cyborg partner, Buliaros Hekatonecles, transfer to investigations in order to hunt down and arrest him, before he has the chance to destroy Olympus. A fast-paced anime, filled with heavy weaponry, fascinating mecha, and enough references to characters and places in Greek mythology for the viewer to get a clear sense of the underlying concerns of this animation. This film is based on an original story by Masamune Shirow, who published the first book in the Appleseed series “The Promethean Challenge”, in 1985. In 1986, the Appleseed books won him the Galaxy Award for the best sci-fi manga. In general, Shirow’s inspiration derives from reading extensively, particularly in the areas of science, medicine, the supernatural, military strategy, biology, nanotechnology, and mythology, which is particularly apparent in Appleseed.