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Appleseed
Promotional poster for Appleseed
Directed by	Shinji Aramaki
Produced by	Fumihiko Sori Hidenori Ueki Naoko Watanabe
Written by	Haruka Handa Tsutomu Kamishiro
Starring	Ai Kobayashi Jurota Kosugi Yuki Matsuoka
Distributed by	Toho (theatrical), Geneon (DVD)
Release date(s)	2004 January 14, 2005
Running time	105 min.
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Followed by	Appleseed EX Machina
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

For other uses, see Appleseed.

Appleseed (アップルシ－ド, Appurushīdo^?) is an anime film, directed by Shinji Aramaki and originally released in Japan on May 17, 2004. It is based on the characters created by Masamune Shirow in the original Appleseed manga series that was published in 1985. Although it shares some characters with the original series, this film's storyline is not connected to it. It is not to be confused with the 1988 OVA also based on the manga.

Contents 1 Plot outline 2 Characters 2.1 Deunan Knute 2.2 Briareos Hecatonchires 2.3 Athena Areios 2.4 Nike 2.5 Hitomi 2.6 Yoshitsune Miyamoto 2.7 Edward Uranus III 2.8 Hades 2.9 Kudoh 2.10 Dr. Gilliam 3 Music 4 Sequel 5 References 6 External links

Set in 2131 AD, Appleseed stars Deunan Knute, a young, legendary female soldier and a survivor of the Third World War, which brought Earth to the brink of destruction. Alongside her former lover and comrade Briareos, who is now a cyborg, Deunan is brought to a Utopian city called Olympus, also inhabited by a genetically-engineered species called Bioroids. There, she integrates into the prestigious ESWAT organization to serve as the city's guardian. But what she discovers is not the promised land of peace, but rather a deadlier, more elusive battlefield than before.

Bioroids have a lifespan much shorter than those of humans due to the suppression of their reproductive capabilities. When the facilities that were used in the Bioroid's life extension processes are destroyed by a secret faction of the Olympus Regular Army in a terrorist attack as part of its demonstration of fear and hatred for the Bioroids, a crisis which requires immediate resolution is formed, and the Appleseed data is revealed to still exist, even though most thought it destroyed.

Under the surface, Olympus is plagued by conflicting factions. Some believe that Bioroids are a threat to the future advancement of mankind, whilst others believe that humans themselves are the threat. The ultimate question is over everyone's right to life, and whether or not one group deserves life more than the other. At the center of this battle is Appleseed, the data that is able to extend Bioroid life.

The daughter of Carl Knute and Dr. Gilliam, Deunan, who is considered as a beautiful and highly skilled warrior, has spent almost her entire life fighting in a war that was, for the most part, over. It was not until she was rescued by an E.S.W.A.T. (Extra Special Weapons And Tactics) team, led by Hitomi and her former lover Briareos, in the middle of a ruined city just after Deunan had a short but fierce battle with unidentified enemies, that she was finally evacuated from the Badlands. When she arrived in Olympus, the change of environment was severe, but it was a greater shock to her when she found that Briareos had lost over 75% of his original body during the last Global War and was now a cyborg.

The day after she was brought to the city of Olympus, Deunan learned that over half of the population of the city was composed of artificial humans called Bioroids and that her new friend, Hitomi, was one herself. Deunan also discovers that other people are looking for her, mostly because she possesses, without knowing it, the secret of "Appleseed". That interest will become extremely important when Hitomi's life will be at risk and the "Appleseed Data" will be needed to save her and the entire Bioroid population of Olympus. But the discovery of the "Appleseed Data" could condemn the human population to extinction without Deunan knowing about this detail. But that would mean defying the powerful Olympus Regular Army (O.R.A.), composed entirely of humans and under the command of General Edward Uranus III and Colonel Hades.

Voiced by: Ai Kobayashi (Japanese), Jessica Straus (English), Xóchitl Ugarte (Spanish)

At one time, Briareos was Deunan Knute's lover, as well as a comrade-in-arms in battle. During two years of hard separation for both of them, he was severely injured on the North African front. When Hitomi and the Elders saved him, he had over seventy-five percent of his body replaced by state-of-the-art mechanical components, making him a highly advanced cyborg. During Deunan's stay in Olympus he is assigned by his ES.W.A.T. superiors to protect her and also begins to search for the "Appleseed Data." In the original story, Briareos was a black man who lived in the mediterranean who served under Colonel Carl Knute, Deunan's father. In the original manga, Briareos and Deunan are not separated, and she is well aware of his cyborg body replacement.

Voiced by: Jūrōta Kosugi (Japanese), Jamieson Price (English), José Lavat (Spanish)

Prime Minister of Olympus, Athena Areios is a first-generation Bioroid created by Deunan's mother, Dr. Gilliam Knute, and served as her lab assistant until Dr. Knute's death. Because Athena is a first-generation Bioroid, she doesn't have the emotional limitations the second-generation has, so she has greater latitude to use "extraordinary" methods to try to find Deunan. Of course, she also runs the risk that either the Council of Elders or General Uranus would find out and take action against her, so she, along with her chief-of staff Nike, have to be very careful.

Voiced by: Mami Koyama (Japanese), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (English), Romy Mendoza (Spanish)

Nike is Athena Areios's chief-of-staff, as well as being commander-in-chief of ES.W.A.T. Although she is a second-generation Bioroid, and being such having her emotions controlled, she is fiercely loyal to Athena, not to mention the Bioroids' prime purpose: the salvation of humanity.

Voiced by: Miho Yamada (Japanese), Mimi Woods (English), Isabel Martiñon (Spanish)

A second-generation Bioroid, Hitomi is charged with recruiting new members of ES.W.A.T.. She had led the rescue mission of Deunan Knute in the Badlands, as well as aiding her getting settled in Olympus. Although her emotions are regulated, she has interest in the emotion of love, and is disturbed by hate, as expressed by the human soldiers of the O.R.A, especially towards the Bioroids.

Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka (Japanese), Karen Strassman (English), Ana Lucia Ramos (Spanish)

Also a second-generation Bioroid, Yoshitsune Miyamoto... or "Yoshi" as he is referred to, is ES.W.A.T.'s chief mechanic and Land Strider designer. He also would like to further examine Briareos' cybernetic armor more closely, if Briareos would allow it. His knowledge of mechanical workings would become useful later in the film. Yoshi seems to care for Hitomi.

It should be noted that in the bonus disc of the North American Director's Edition Yoshitsune Miyamoto is described as a human.

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), Dave Wittenberg (English), Raúl Aldana (Spanish)

Supreme commander of the O.R.A., General Edward Uranus III has a great distrust of the Bioroids, and wishes to either control them or totally eliminate them. But unlike his subordinate Hades, he is not given to irrationality. A friend of both Carl Knute and Dr, Gilliam, Uranus deeply regrets the death of Dr. Gilliam and wants to persuade Deunan to help him in his quest.

However, when General Uranus was made aware of the Council of Elder's plans to replace humans with Bioroids, then sterilize the humans using the "D-tank", he voluntarily surrendered, rather than be used as a pawn in the Council's plans.

Voiced by: Yuzuru Fujimoto (Japanese), Michael McConnohie (English), Blas García (Spanish)

Colonel Hades is Gen. Uranus's subordinate. Like Uranus, he has a great distrust of the Bioroids. However, his distrust has evolved into an irrational, all-consuming hatred, and wishes to see the Bioroids destroyed.

Originally, Hades served under Carl Knute, Deunan's father, in Los Angeles' S.W.A.T., but was thrown out by Carl because of his extreme methods. He held a grudge with Carl, and is furious that Carl's D.N.A. is in all the Bioroids.

In the end, he is killed by Deunan's pistol, which was her father's.

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Jack Aubree (English), Rolando de Castro (Spanish)

Kudoh is one of the top members of ES.W.A.T. He participates in some training sessions with Deunan and eventually earns her respect. When she and Briareos head to Dr. Gilliam Knute's old lab, Kudoh comes along. After they are betrayed by a fellow ES.W.A.T. member who is sympathetic towards the O.R.A., Kudoh stays behind, keeping his gun trained on Hades so that Deunan and Briareos can escape.

Shortly after this, Kudoh is gunned down by numerous O.R.A. soldiers and collapses dead against the wall of a hallway. Deunan expresses great distress over his death, but Briareos drags her away reluctantly, the O.R.A. hot on their trail.

Voiced by: Tadahisa Saizen (Japanese), Jack Aubree (English), Mario Filio (Spanish)

Dr. Gilliam was the scientist that created the Bioroids, as well as the "D-tank" virus, which is capable to rendering normal humans sterile. It was during the creation of the first generation that she realized that the Council of Elders planned to use the Bioroids to replace normal humanity altogether, with normal humans rendered sterile by the "D-tank" virus. Therefore, she arranged that the Bioroids would not be able to reproduce but kept and encoded the formula to activate their reproductive systems - codenamed "Appleseed" - in a pendant, which after she had her assistant Athena evacuated, she had given to her young daughter Deunan, with the promise to give it to Athena if she asked. Dr. Knute was later captured by the military - and mistakenly killed by a soldier in front of Deunan.

Voiced by: Emi Shinohara (Japanese), Mia Bradly (English), Laura Ayala (Spanish)

The original soundtrack and music to the series features an electronic, techno and trance theme, with the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Basement Jaxx, Boom Boom Satellites, Akufen, Carl Craig, T. Raumschmiere and Ryuichi Sakamoto handling the music.

Director Shinji Aramaki will also be directing the sequel to the 2004 movie, titled Appleseed EX Machina, which is set to be released in fall 2007 in Japan. The movie will once again feature animated computer-generated imagery and John Woo is fully involved in the production.

• IMDB's Appleseed article

• Official Website
• Appleseed at MetaCritic
• Appleseed at Rotten Tomatoes
• Appurushîdo (2004) at the Internet Movie Database
• Appleseed (Movie) (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia

Appleseed view • talk • edit
Manga:	Appleseed
Films:	Appleseed • EX Machina
Television & OAV:	Appleseed TV • Appleseed (OVA)
Video games:	Appleseed • Appleseed EX • Appleseed the Online
Characters:	Briareos Hecatonchires • Deunan Knute
Technology:	Bioroid • Landmate • Seburo Arms
Other:	Masamune Shirow