Appleseed Ex Machina (2007)

'Ex Machina' is the continuation of the Appleseed story that got an update with 'Appleseed' in 2004. But to make things easier: you don't have to have seen the first iteration in order to be able to follow this one. The only thing you need to know is that Briareos and Deunan are partners and have been for a long time, and this is setup in the first five minutes with their matching watches. Simple.

They both are still members of ESWAT, the special forces unit that safeguards Olympus from domestic and foreign threats. Olympus officials want to unite the world's satellite system through some tech they received from massive conglomerate Poseidon. Yet, things are not all fine, as more and more people are equipped with something resembling a wireless earpiece called a Connexus that is very hackable and is actually used to stage riots and terrorist attacks. 

As if that alone wasn't enough, it turns out that a new model of Bioroid (specially bred and modified humans) exactly resembles Briareos before he had his body turned cyborg. Because Briareos is injured, this new version called Tereus is partnered with Deunan and that feels weird for everyone involved. Briareos also has spasm attacks, caused by the same hacking signal that turns people into violent puppets. Where does it all come from and why?

Again, there's a lot to take in. But compared to the previous film, this one is a lot more straightforward. Also, it is less brutal and bloody. The action scenes are more prominent, but as you might expect from a film directed by Shinji Aramaki and produced by John Woo, they feel like a form of aggressive ballet. They are shot gorgeously and it looks like an elaborate dance. You can lament the less philosophical turn the story takes, but it can be assumed that more people will enjoy this, because it doesn't require as much thought whilst watching. 

The animation looks even better than last time and the meshing of the different animation styles feels more coherent, as this is more CG, yet in the same vein. They also used motion capture for many of the scenes, which makes the movement of the characters more realistic. The downside is that during the more acrobatic action scenes, it does stick out that not all of the motions are as realistic, but that is a minor issue. 

The plot is one of the items that feels a little like a downgrade this time, though. There is a story of revenge, but exactly why and how it all needs to transpire boils down to a 'world domination'-plot with a little twist. But if you're expecting deeper ideas of what it means to be human or how much of your humanity is left, you won't find it this time. Sure, you get a human, a bioroid and a cyborg eventually working together to hammer home the idea that all three 'species' are complimentary, but it does feel forced. About as forced as the conflict by introducing Tereus, a carbon-copy of Briareos. The makers want you to see that Deunan has problems with this, as she loves Briareos but he isn't exactly human anymore, but that idea makes little sense and they soon abandon it anyway. 

What you are left with is an entertaining action animation with some cool characters, but without the deeper ideas, it sometimes feels a little flat. It can easily be enjoyed, but in the end it is more like an American action film and less like a truly Japanese anime about race and life.