Appleseed (1988)
Published:
A woman and a cyborg working at a special police unit try to stop a terrorist from destroying a utopian city. This instantly reminded me of Ghost in the Shell, but only after watching the film have I checked anything about it. The only thing I knew going in was that it is supposedly a cool cyberpunk film.
The author of Appleseed is no other than Masamune Shirow ie, the author of Ghost in the Shell (the manga).
The themes of Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell (the anime) are broadly similar. However, Appleseed is more of a straightforward story, and does not go as deep into the Ghost in the Shell-esque "what does it mean to be human?" philosphy (or is Blade Runner-esque?). I would still say it is a rather interesting film and is definitely worth watching.
I also wonder if Appleseed has the same "problem" as Ghost in the Shell. I am a big fan of the films and the anime, but cannot stand the manga version of Ghost in the Shell.
The Appleseed "keybord" layout
Besides more than a few cyberpunk tropes, the film also shows a curious keyboard layout:
I wonder how, in the beginning of the film, Deunan files her report. She works at the police department of the Olympus city, but there is no letter P on the keyboard.
Source of the cover image: IMDB
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