APPLESEED ⅩⅢ Testament #3/Movie 1 - In-depth review and rating

"Appleseed XIII Testament" - Masamune Shirow's worldview depicted with new CG technology

"Appleseed XIII: The Testament" was released on June 13, 2011 as the first movie in the new series "Appleseed XIII," based on Masamune Shirow's masterpiece manga "Appleseed." This work has attracted attention as a new type of animation that makes full use of CG technology, and is a must-see for fans of the original work.

story

The setting of "Appleseed XIII: The Testament" is the gigantic artificial city of Olympus, run by the General Administration, which has unified a world devastated by a non-nuclear war. This city is a utopia run by "bioroids," hybrid human clones made from superior human genes. Deunan Nutt, a former member of the Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team, and Briareos, a multi-functional cyborg, are scouted by Olympus and spend their days fighting terrorists as members of the special forces unit ES.WAT.

As the "Ark Project" progresses, entrusting the future of humanity to bioroids, the shadow of Al-Cades, hero of the terrorist group "Argonauts," looms behind the "Human Liberation Front" that is turning its fangs on Olympus. However, he was supposed to have died in an attack by the technological nation Poseidon 20 years ago. To solve this mystery, Deunan and Briareos throw themselves into the fight.

Commentary

"Appleseed XIII" is a comic-style CG animation that fans of the original work cannot miss. Previously released in theaters, "Appleseed" (2004) and "Ex Machina - APPLESEED SAGA -" (2007) attracted attention as innovative anime works that made full use of CG technology. "Appleseed XIII" took on the challenge of expressing a "moving comic" using CG technology, and for the first time in the history of Appleseed, we aimed to create a new type of animation that is closest to the characters in Masamune Shirow's original comic and focuses on the texture of intricate drawings.

The film is directed by Hamana Takayuki, known for "Library Wars" (2008) and "Erin, the Beast Player" (2009), and the script and setting are handled by Production IG, the studio behind the "Ghost in the Shell" series. Staff members with deep knowledge of Masamune Shirow's work have come together to create a completely original story. In addition, CG production is led by Genie's Animation Studio, which made a big splash with the Disney original animation "Fireball," with 13 CG studios each in charge of a different episode, and the unique features of each of the 13 studios that can be seen in each episode are sure to catch your attention.

cast

The voice actors for the main characters are an all-star cast, including Maaya Sakamoto as Dunan, Koichi Yamadera as Briareos, Naoya Uchida as Rance, Jouji Nakata as Magus, Masashi Sugawara as Baxter, Kanji Suzumori as Ries, Ami Koshimizu as Gina, Kenjiro Tsuda as Grigg, Sakiko Tamagawa as Athena, Mayumi Yanagisawa as Nike, Mikako Takahashi as Hitomi, Hiro Shimono as Yoshitsune, Naomi Shindo as Dia, and Ryutaro Okiayu as Archeides.

Main Staff

The film is based on Masamune Shirow's "Appleseed" (published by Seishinsha), directed by Takayuki Hamana, series composition by Junichi Fujisaki, scripts by Junichi Fujisaki, Keiki Sakurai, Daishiro Tanimura, Kosei Okamoto, and Eiji Umehara, assistant director by Kazuki Fusegi, CG director by Akihito Watanabe, original character design by Masamune Shirow, character design by Takayuki Goto, mechanical design by Atsushi Takeuchi, art director by Masanobu Nomura, technical director Bungo Iwai, editor Junichi Uematsu, art background by Miho, prop design by Ryo Hirata, theme song and music by Conisch, music production by Starchild Records, sound director by Yota Tsuruoka, sound production by Rakuonsha, production by Genies Animation Studio, production cooperation by Production IG, and production by the "Appleseed XIII" Production Committee.

Main Characters

Dunan Knott is a member of the SWAT Special Forces and was born in 2105. She is a former LA Police Department SWAT officer who was scouted by Olympus while surviving in the wilderness with Briareos. Her father, Carl Knott, is a famous man with many heroic tales in this world, and the fighting techniques he taught her have made her a high-performance fighting machine. She often partners up with Briareos in operations, and she also has a side to her that relies too much on Briareos both in public and private.

Briareos Hecatonchires is a member of the ES.WAT special forces, born in 2096. He has survived in a devastated world together with Dunan, the daughter of his mentor, Carl Nutt. After a bombing incident that turned him into a full-body cyborg, he has undergone repeated modifications to become what he is today. He is equipped with the rare cyber-brain Hecatonchires in this world, and is one of the few cyborgs who can use it. His high-performance abilities and careful personality have earned him the trust of his fellow corps members. In private, he and Dunan are lovers and best friends, but on missions they become comrades in arms.

Lance is the captain of ES.WAT's special forces, but has no family, so details about him are unknown. He is highly trusted by the Ministry of the Interior, and is thought to have ample combat experience. To the special forces, he is a nagging old man, but also a trustworthy commander. Although he prioritizes the mission, he also seems to aim for the survival of each and every member of his team, so the training he instructs is often hard. For this reason, he has a reputation for being more painful than death.

Magus, whose real name and other details are unknown, is an ace of the ES.WAT special forces. There are many mysterious aspects about him, such as his past history. He seems to be a light-hearted man who cracks jokes during operations, but he is trusted and respected by Lance and his fellow soldiers. Although he has above-average abilities, he doesn't excel in any particular area. However, he has the ability to be in the right place when needed and take the right action. He's also a womanizer.

Ricardo Ries is a member of the ES.WAT special forces and a former US DEA agent. During his downtime from undercover operations, he also served as a close-combat instructor at a tactical training facility. He specializes in jiu-jitsu and armored combat, an anti-protector fighting technique, and has a habit of wanting to teach his colleagues fighting techniques in his free time. He is particularly fond of Dunan's talents, but Dunan does not seem interested in doing so. He is a member of the team who does exactly what he needs to do on a mission.

Reginald Baxter is a 31-year-old member of the ES.WAT special forces. He was seriously injured in the upper left side of his body during a mission and became a cyborg. He served as an instructor at the ES.WAT training center for a while, but returned to the field shortly before Dunant and the others joined. He once crossed the Mediterranean Sea to join the French Foreign Legion, and while fighting in East Africa, he met a British officer in the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces and transferred to the British Army. He was then headhunted by Olympus and joined ES.WAT. He is quiet and does not seem very sociable, but he has an affinity with cyborgs like Briareos and Grigg, and he is also comforted by the way Briareos seems to be having fun with Dunant.

Gina (Regina) Garcia is a member of the ES.WAT special forces. She was once stabbed in the left side by a child terrorist who had gotten mixed up during a refugee relocation mission. Since then, she has come to believe that "killing terrorists will increase the number of terrorists" and has a strong sense of human rights. After that incident, she was transferred to the military police and then recruited by ES.WAT. She mainly works in the execution unit, providing rear support, analyzing information transmissions and transmitting them to Lance. Dunant has the impression that she is a "strict, nagging, good-student older sister," but she is neither "incompetent" nor "sarcastic," and is a member of the team who can complete the mission.

Alan Grigg Decatoncheires is a cyborg and a member of the ES.WAT special forces. He has a strong sense of elitism and is extremely confident in his own performance, which is achieved by generously installing the Decatoncheires, the highest performance computer in general, the latest muscle actuators, and heat dissipation materials. He was originally the son of a wealthy businessman in the arms industry, but became a fully armored cyborg after an accident while driving a sports car while ignoring the turbulent world. Part of the surface armor has been optically treated. Hecatoncheires is a dangerous defective computer that not everyone can use, but he has complicated feelings that can be described as jealousy and admiration for Briareos, who uses it. He is a narcissist and speaks in a unisex manner.

Athena is a bioroid and the Chief Administrator of the Olympus Administrative Council. She is the highest authority in the administration of Olympus, and the police organization is also under her control. She is always thinking about the future of Olympus, humans, and bioroids.

Nike is a bioroid who is Athena's right-hand man and Minister of the Interior. She is also the Chief of Staff and ES.WAT is her direct executive agency.

Hitomi is a bioroid born in 2074, and is an important character who possesses DNA information that allows her to communicate with Gaia, the main computer of Olympus, but she is unaware of this. She is also the landlord of the apartment where Dunan and Dia live.

Dia is a researcher sent by Poseidon to work on bioroids, but due to an accident, most of her body has been turned into a cyborg. She lives in the same apartment as Dunan, and is becoming like a mother or an older sister to him.

Euris is a bioroid researcher and the creator of the "Ark Project", which holds the future of bioroids in its hands. He is a bioroid.

Al-Kadesu is a terrorist whose death was confirmed 20 years ago, who used the mobile fortress Argonaut as his hideout to carry out terrorist activities against Poseidon, but was killed in an airstrike when Poseidon incapacitated the Argonaut with an airstrike. However, it has been confirmed that a terrorist calling himself Al-Kadesu is behind the terrorist acts of the Human Liberation Front operating in Olympus.

Professor Leon is a Landmate engineer assisting Al Cadez and is an internationally wanted man.

Related Titles

A work related to "Appleseed XIII Testament" is "Appleseed XIII Prophecy." As part of the "Appleseed XIII" series, these works allow you to enjoy stories that delve deeply into Masamune Shirow's worldview.

Ratings and Recommendations

"Appleseed XIII: The Testament" is a work that faithfully reproduces the original manga by Masamune Shirow while using new CG technology to create visual expression. In particular, the character designs that reproduce the texture of the original manga and the detailed drawings are not to be missed by fans. In addition, the storytelling by the stellar cast and staff is also superb, and the story of the fight against terrorists and the future of bioroids has the power to draw viewers in.

This work is recommended not only for fans of Masamune Shirow, but also for those who are interested in CG animation and those who want to enjoy sci-fi action. In particular, fans of the "Appleseed" series will enjoy the story told from a new perspective. Also, by watching the entire series, you can gain a deeper understanding of the world view and feel the growth and changes of the characters.

"Appleseed XIII: The Testament" is a film that offers a dense story and beautiful images in a compact 85-minute length. Please enjoy it as a theatrical version and follow the entire series to get a deeper feel for Masamune Shirow's worldview.