苹果核战记

The second anime adaptation of Masamune Shirow's manga in 2004, this film also pushes the boundaries of animation to the extreme. Unlike Mamoru Oshii's "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence," which emphasizes a 2D style, "Appleseed" immerses the audience entirely into a vivid 3D world. Both works explore similar themes, but the latter clearly prioritizes entertainment and spares no effort in delivering a cool experience from the very beginning. In the year 2131, a non-nuclear war has turned Earth into a wasteland. Deunan has lost contact with the outside world and remains unaware that the war has ended, continuing to fight enemies in search of combat. During a battle, she is surrounded by enemy cyborgs, but in a critical moment, her ex-boyfriend Briareos suddenly appears. Before she can understand what is happening, Deunan is hit by a tranquilizer dart and loses consciousness. Briareos, along with the beautiful Hitomi, takes her to the mysterious utopia—Olympus. In reality, Briareos is no longer fully human. He explains to Deunan everything that happened to him: after suffering severe injuries on the North African front, he could only survive by replacing all the damaged parts of his body. In other words, the current Briareos is a cyborg, with 75% of his body composed of machinery. Deunan also discovers that Olympus has become the center of the new world, and this new ideal state is unstable due to a political vacuum. Deunan quickly becomes the newest member of this tranquil city, and Hitomi insists on showing her around to understand its layout. When Deunan sees the relaxed and content expressions of the citizens, she grows suspicious of the city's peace. However, this feeling is soon replaced by shock as Hitomi candidly reveals the truth behind the peace: most of the model residents living in Olympus are cloned bioroids, and Hitomi is one of them. The cloning system, "Bioroid," was created to benefit humanity and promote the stability of human society. When Hitomi and Deunan visit the legislative institution, they witness the city's operational mechanism: the Seven Elders control the direction of Olympus through dialogue with the supercomputer Gaia, issuing commands based on "will." Under this seemingly effective method, bioroids become the key to the nation's stability. The Seven Elders are carrying out a secret plan that will greatly impact humanity's fate. Meanwhile, a faction within the military opposing bioroids is rising, and Briareos appears to be assisting them in carrying out sabotage. Why has Briareos changed his perspective? Can the Bioroid system be trusted? Is Olympus an ideal or a nightmare? Can humans and bioroids coexist? Deunan must take up arms and rely on herself to find the answers.