is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated by

Masamune Shirow , better known by his pen name , is a Japanese manga artist. Shirow is best known for the manga ''Ghost in the Shell'', which has since been turned into three theatrical anime films, two anime television series, an anime television movie, an an ...

. The series follows the adventures of ESWAT members Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires in Olympus. Like much of Shirow's work, ''Appleseed'' merges elements of the

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyber ...

and

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...

genres with

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, and

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

. The series spans four

volume Volume is a measure of occupied three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). The de ...

s, released between 1985 and 1989. It has been adapted into an

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

, three

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

s, a 13-episode TV series, and two

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s. In 1986, ''Appleseed'' reserved the 17th

Seiun Award The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Nihon SF Taikai, Japan Science Fict ...

for Best Manga.

Plot

''Appleseed'' takes place in the 22nd century, after the non-nuclear

Third World War World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...

has led to the destruction of a majority of the Earth's people. While countries like

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

have difficulty maintaining order and power, international organizations like the "Sacred Republic of Munma" and "Poseidon" have been established in the aftermath. The main characters are Deunan Knute and

Briareos Hecatonchires is a character from Masamune Shirow's '' Appleseed'' manga and its adaptations in anime. He is one of the two protagonists of the series, the other being Deunan Knute. Briareos is a trained ESWAT officer, his point man is Deunan. They met in hi ...

, former

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

members of the

LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

. They are found in the desolated city and invited to join the prestigious ESWAT (Extra Special Weapons And Tactics)

organization An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

in the utopian city of Olympus, the new world's most powerful state. Roughly one half of Olympus's population are bionically augmented. The series follows Deunan and Briareos as they protect their new home from both foreign and domestic threats to its security.

Manga

Originally published in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in 1985, Book One ''Appleseed: The Promethean Challenge'' was published directly to paperback instead of being serialized, a rarity in the Japanese manga market.Appleseed.
Retrieved on May 13, 2008.

2009-10-25. This was soon followed by the publication of Book Two, ''Appleseed: Prometheus Unbound'', Book Three ''Appleseed: The Scales of Prometheus'' in 1987, and Book Four ''Appleseed: The Promethean Balance'' in 1989. The fifth volume was serialized in Seishinsha's ''Comic Gaia'' in 1991, but was suspended because, in Masamune Shirow's words, "this form of serialization still did not suit ''Appleseed''". Rumors of a possible Book Five still persist today, though Shirow had mentioned that he has no plans of pursuing it for the meantime. From 1988 to 1992, ''Appleseed'' was published in English by

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was ...

in comic book and volume format, packaged by

Studio Proteus Studio Proteus is a Japanese manga import, translation and lettering company, founded in 1986 by Toren Smith and based in San Francisco. Other staff included translators Dana Lewis, Alan Gleason, and Frederik Schodt, letterer Tom Orzechowski a ...

. The manga is currently published by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

. In 2004, a special edition compiling the first two volumes was released, under the title ''Appleseed 01&02''.

Adaptations

* '' Appleseed'' (1988), animated film directed by

Kazuyoshi Katayama is a Japanese animator and director who directed ''The Big O'' and the ''King of Thorn'' film. Filmography * Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie (1982) (animation) * Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) (assistant director and production ass ...

* '' Appleseed'' (2004), animated film directed by

Shinji Aramaki is a Japanese anime director and mechanical designer from Fukuoka Prefecture. He graduated from Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka High School and Okayama University. He was a member of Artmic and is currently the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) at SOLA ...

* ''

Appleseed Ex Machina ''Appleseed Ex Machina'', also known as in the original version, is a 2007 Japanese animated CG science fiction film and is the sequel to the 2004 ''Appleseed'' film, similarly directed by Shinji Aramaki, and was produced by Hong Kong director ...

'' (2007), animated film directed by

* ''

Appleseed XIII is a 2011 Japanese CGI anime adaptation of Masamune Shirow's science fiction manga series '' Appleseed''. Composed of 13 episodes, the series retold the exploits of E-S.W.A.T. member Deunan and her cyborg partner Briareos. The series was ...

'' (2011), animated series directed by

Takayuki Hamana is a Japanese animator and director known for directing ''The Prince of Tennis''. Career Upon graduating high school, Takayuki Hamana joined Ajia-do as an in-between animator for four years. Hamana left Ajia-do and joined I.G Tatsunoko, where ...

and Katsutaka Nanba * ''

Appleseed Alpha ''Appleseed Alpha'' (also styled as ''Appleseed α'') is a computer-animated military science fiction cyberpunk film. The English version's voice cast includes Luci Christian (Deunan Knute), David Matranga (Briareos) and Wendel Calvert (Two Horn ...

'' (2014), animated film directed by

Tie-in books

In November 1988

Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...

published ''Appleseed Reader: Shiro Masamune's Vsual World'' containing live-action depictions of Deunan and Briareos and various background information about world of ''Appleseed''. Shirow produced the ''Appleseed Databook'', a detailed look into the history, the people, and the technology found in the world of ''Appleseed'', published by Seishinsha in May 1990. The book includes the short story titled "Called Game". It was released in English by

in September 1995. Seishinsha re-released ''Appleseed Databook'' with additional art as ''Appleseed ID'' ("Illustration & Data") in July 2001 and Dark Horse published it in English in December 2007. ''Appleseed Hypernotes'' was serialized in ''Comic Gaia'', followed by a collected volume in 1996. The ''Hypernotes'' consist of a four chapter story followed by technical information about the world, mechs, and equipment much like ''Appleseed Databook''. An English language version of ''Appleseed Hypernotes'' was serialized in Dark Horse Comics' '' Super Manga Blast''. One of the terms for ''Hypernotes'' publication stated that ''Appleseed Hypernotes'' could not be released in English in collected format. The reason for this is because Shirow was unsatisfied with the work and wanted to fix it before releasing it as a complete book for English readers. Dark Horse eventually released an English trade paperback of ''Hypernotes'' in October 2007.

Anime

In 1988, the manga was adapted into an

original animated video , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

of the same name by

. It was produced by

Bandai Visual was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America. Most of the anime and ...

and licensed by Books Nippan(U.S. Rendentions in 1991, then in 1995 by

Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyro ...

. A CGI

was released in 2004 titled '' Appleseed'' and directed by

. The sequel to this film, ''

'', was released on October 20, 2007, in Japan with Aramaki again directing and

John Woo John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun fu ...

producing. In 2014, a reboot titled ''

'' was announced for a July 22, 2014, release on Blu-ray and DVD after a digital release on July 15, 2014. A cancelled anime television series known as was originally announced in 2005. The series was slated to be 26-episodes and scheduled to release in summer 2006. The TV series was officially unveiled at 2008 Tokyo International Anime Fair and was being produced by Radix Mobanimation anime studio. The TV series was being directed by Romanov Higa with Haruhiko Mikimoto as character design and

Romi Park Due to technical issues, Park's name is often written as due to the '' Hyōgaiji'' status of (which is the kan'on reading of the kanji). She has also been referred by 朴路美 and 朴王路美. is a Japanese actress and singer affiliated wi ...

as voice actress for Deunan Knute. On September 26, 2008, the Robix Mobanimation studio filed a lawsuit against Micott & Basara production company for halting the production without reason and not paying for the production costs. On July 14, 2009, Miccot & Basara countersued Robix Mobanimation studio claiming that there was no unpaid production costs and that Radix unilaterally ended their discussion about the production. On April 18, 2012, the two reached a settlement agreement. In 2011, a CGI-animated series ''

'' premiered, directed by

. It was released in Japan as a 13-episode

ONA Ona or ONA may refer to: Anthropology * Ona people, an indigenous people of southern Argentina and Chile ** Ona language, a language once spoken in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego * Ona, a pre-Aksumite culture in Sembel, Eritrea Geography * On ...

series and were compiled into two theatrical feature films. The first feature film titled, ''Appleseed XIII: Tartaros'' was released on June 13, 2011. The second titled, ''Appleseed XIII: Ouranos'' was released on October 24, 2011. During the release of the feature films, limited edition first Blu-ray volumes were being sold in theatres and the episodes were being streamed online.

Games

A box set for using an ''Appleseed'' setting with WARPS (Wild Adventure Role Play System) RPG was released by Tsukuda Hobby on October 19, 1988. An action

titled for the

Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...

was released on August 26, 1994, and was published by Visit. A

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

game titled ''Appleseed EX'' was developed by

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

and based on the 2004

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

. The game was released in February 2007, as well as the Limited Box set. An online game known as ''Appleseed the Online'' was released on October 20, 2005; however servers closed on November 13, 2006. A second online game known as ''Appleseed Tactics'' was released on October 29, 2009. Servers closed on July 15, 2010.

Reception

''Appleseed'' won the 17th

for Best Manga in 1986. Reviews of the manga series have been seen as positive. Manga Review noted that Shirow's works on ''Appleseed'' are both cool and functional. Anime.com points out that the manga's storyline does not detract despite the combination of both action and humor.

Helen McCarthy Helen McCarthy (born 27 February 1951) is the British author of such anime reference books as ''500 Manga Heroes and Villains'', ''Anime!'', ''The Anime Movie Guide'' and ''Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation''. She is the co-author of ...

in ''500 Essential Anime Movies'' stated that the manga "is packed with political, ecological, technical, and literary references and subtexts, but it's also an enjoyable science fiction adventure".

Legacy

Director

Neill Blomkamp Neill Blomkamp (; born 17 September 1979) is a South African filmmaker. He employs a documentary-style, Hand-held camera, hand-held, cinéma vérité technique, blending naturalistic and photo-realistic computer-generated imagery, computer-gene ...

has cited ''Appleseeds Briareos as an influence on the design of the eponymous character in his 2015 film, '' Chappie''. The French

FÉLIN FÉLIN (''Fantassin à Équipement et Liaisons Intégrés'', Integrated Infantryman Equipment and Communications) is the name for the French infantry combat system developed by Safran Electronics & Defense. It combines a modified FAMAS rifle w ...

(Fantassin à Équipement et Liaisons Intégrés – Integrated Infantryman Equipment and Communications, an infantry combat system) has a firing capability directly inspired by ''Appleseed''.

References

External links

*
''Appleseed'' at Takotech.net

Official ''Appleseed'' PS2 game website

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Appleseed (Manga) 1985 manga Appleseed (media franchise) Cyberpunk anime and manga Dark Horse Comics titles Kadokawa Dwango franchises Kodansha manga Seinen manga Comics set in the 22nd century