Appleseed (OVA)

Saved from the wastelands created by World War III, Deunan Nute and Briareos Hecantochires make a new life in the experimental city of Olympus where life is run by artificial humans called Bioroids. However, some people are struggling to adjust!

Appleseed (OVA)

What did you watch?

When I came across a show that I wanted to watch but couldn’t find available anywhere to stream, I decided to start collecting physical copies again. I used to have a large library before I moved from England to New Zealand and sold them all. Since then, I’d been reluctant to start again since everything seemed to be making the move to streaming services. Now, I’m starting to notice that some shows are being left behind. Of course, I couldn’t begin collecting anime once more without trying to find some of the shows that started me on this crazy journey. Appleseed was one of the shows that I credited with getting me into anime. Luckily, I was able to find a copy so here we are. If you’re curious, here’s my post about My Introduction to Anime.

What happened?

In the aftermath of World War III, the General Management Control Office created an experimental city called Olympus. It was to be a sanctuary for humanity’s survivors. All of its processes would be performed by a new sub-species: half-human, half-robot beings called Bioroids. Regular trips were made to the outside world to bring in humans. However, getting used to life in this new world was not always easy. For some, it felt more like a cage than the paradise it went to be. Duenan Nute and Briareos Hecantochires had recently been integrated and were working for the police force. They were exceptional at their jobs but the transition to normal citizens of Olympus was more challenging.

So, when a terrorist escaped from a recent raid, suspicion fell onto Duenan and Briareos. However, with the death of several officers, they were more determined than ever to catch the man responsible. Little did they know that another officer was actually the one behind the terrorists’ plot to unsettle the city of Olympus and ensure that humans would govern themselves. A new prototype weapon had been developed by Olympus, which would make it impossible to stand against them once in full production. The terrorists hoped to use that to fight back, however, they would need to find a way to deactivate Gaia, the supercomputer that monitored everything in Olympus.

What did you think?

I’ve read some of the manga and was instantly pulled into the world. The anime does a great job of capturing the ideas of the manga, however, it could have done with more time. I still love this OVA and reminisce fondly of the time when OVAs were the norm and season the oddity. There was a lot more experimentation back then as a studio could put together a forty-five-minute OVA and stick it out there. There’s lots of variety today, but there’s also a lot of very similar stories being told. Appleseed doesn’t have that problem. It feels unique and refreshing. Even rewatching it today didn’t change anything.

Sure, the animation doesn’t hold up too well and the obviously eighties soundtrack may not be to everyone’s tastes, but the story is solid even if it’s undercooked. Ironically, I think a full season dedicated to Appleseed would deliver something truly incredible. I know there have been several CGI movies released since then, and while they are enjoyable, they don’t quite capture the essence of this story the way this OVA does. There definitely isn’t enough science fiction-based anime that raises questions or makes you think in the same way.

What was your favourite moment?

I think my favourite thing about Appleseed is that it makes you think about society and how living has changed from the times when we were “free”. Of course, that freedom came with an increased likelihood of dying since others were free to come and take whatever they wanted. It’s a very simplistic idea to look at like in an organised society and complain about being trapped in a cage. However, I don’t think the feeling is as crazy as the reality. It’s not uncommon to feel trapped in a situation that you can’t control. There are some similarities between Appleseed and the Matrix movies. What does it truly mean to be free?

In Appleseed, Charon’s wife Freia killed herself because she felt trapped, however, I think she was just suffering from depression. She was an artist who clearly had the freedom to pursue her art however she wanted. I’d imagine that they were free to leave Olympus at any time too. The world may suck outside of the city, but it’s ultimately their choice. But, like I said, it’s not hard to understand that feeling of being trapped. We need money to pay for stuff, we need to work to earn money. Then, we don’t have time to enjoy the stuff. It can feel like we’re trapped in an endless cycle that we can’t break free from. Is that living? Great science fiction makes us question the norms that we may take for granted. That’s what makes Appleseed so fascinating.

What was your least favourite moment?

As I’ve already mentioned, Appleseed isn’t given enough time to really explore these ideas beyond planting the seed in our minds. I would have loved to see the story developed to flesh out the characters and explore their experiences with this new world. It would have been nice to see some differences in opinions as this would have given us more chances to understand each side. I would like to explore Olympus more and also the world outside of Olympus. We’re given such a short glimpse of life in this world that there really isn’t enough time to expand on things.

It didn’t really explore the relationship between Deunan and Briareos. They appeared to live together, but were they a couple or not? Basically, I wanted more. Almost every scene left me wondering about something. The manga is twenty-five chapters long which is easily enough for a full anime season based on current trends. As much as I love the original, and partly because of what it means to me, I would love to see it given the treatment it deserves.

Who was your favourite character?

Deunan is absolutely one of the founding images when I think of anime tom-boy characters, along with Kei from Dirty Pair. She is an absolute badass, but there’s also a softer side to her as well. Of course, I would have loved to have seen more of her and don’t mean that shower scene tease that didn’t go where every anime watcher was thinking. I wanted to see her life before they came to Olympus and how she adjusted to her new life. I wanted to know more about her and Briareos. I wanted to see what made her tick. That’s the downside of the OVA format – we get to explore lots of new ideas but rarely get to really dive into them. It’s the same with characters.

Who was your least favourite character?

That would be Charon Mautholos. Sure, we saw that they invaded the privacy of his own mind to look at his memories while investigating the death of his wife, but to then blame society for that was a bit of a jump. He could have been a wonderful villain as he was quite the opposite of what you might expect. He was handsome and softly spoken. He seemed calm and thoughtful. There was some implication that he manipulated Hitomi too, which would have been nice to see in full and not just hinted at. It feels like the same criticism over and over again. It just didn’t have enough time.

Would you like some more?

I think I may have already answered this one… I absolutely want more. I’m going to rewatch the newer movies as a filler for now, however, I would really love to read the manga from start to finish, and I also hope that one day it gets a full anime adaptation. I mean why wouldn’t you want to make more anime based on Masamune Shirow’s work?

What have you learned?

This OVA reminded me of my love for science fiction short stories. I have several anthologies that I like to pick up every now and then because I know I can read an entire story in one sitting and have it leave me feeling quite thoughtful. It just goes to show that you can achieve wonderful things without getting too bogged down with the details. However, as I discovered with Appleseed, if you do too good of a job people are going to want more. They are going to want those details that only exist in the author’s head, so be prepared to follow up with more. Fans wanting more would be a wonderful problem to have!

Series Information

English Title	Appleseed
Japanese Title	Appleseed
Genres	Action, Mecha, Military, Science Fiction

Anime

OVA

Season	Appleseed
Released	Spring 1988
Animation Studios	Gainax
Length	1 hour 7 minutes

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