Appleseed

Nagato21 · Wed May 30, 2007 4:08 am

Has anyone read Appleseed: Scales of prometheus?
I have the four books for about six years now ( in French)
I brought the movie last year. While it was good I felt a little disapointed because it had almost no relation with the Manga.
Anyway what do you think of the story in general and its debate about the idea of human society control by machines in order to avoid extinction and promote a lasting utopia and the whole concept of misued technology leading to disaster.

Ryujin · Wed May 30, 2007 5:00 am

Read all of it, including the databook, etc. with the timeline for what should have been 10 books in all.

Too bad Shirow doesn't have any interest in continuing it for now.

Antares · Wed May 30, 2007 6:56 am

I saw the anime movie, which has one butt-kicking beginning. But it isn't anything really special. I can't remember the exact setting of the society there, but maybe I should rewatch... especially seeing how many anime series feature a very dystopian future world (or at least serious elements that can be considered dystopian).

Hyakushiki · Wed May 30, 2007 7:58 am

I've only read one of the books unfortunately, and seen the movie. I liked the movie despite the fact it was a little light weight compared to the manga but I think that was by design, to allow a audience unfamiliar with the source material to keep up with the story. For the most part, I was intrigued by the issues and concepts it raises anything Shirow creates intrigues me. Humans have a talent for creating technology that harms us, so what happens when you create something that protects us from ourselves?

Nagato21 · Wed May 30, 2007 9:42 am

Hyakushiki wrote: Humans have a talent for creating technology that harms us, so what happens when you create something that protects us from ourselves?

In the manga it is one of the major question concerning Olympus and it is never resolve, is Olympus really benefiting mankind or is it a factory converting humans into machine?

Ryujin wrote: Too bad Shirow doesn't have any interest in continuing it for now.

I had heard recently that Shirow wished to finish Appleseed, something about not happy with the ending.

Ryujin · Thu May 31, 2007 4:53 am

Nagato21 wrote:I had heard recently that Shirow wished to finish Appleseed, something about not happy with the ending.

More like there wasn't any actual conclusion in the first place, with unresolved issues hanging in the air everywhere. At the time he stopped, he felt that the message he wanted to deliver would be better expressed in GitS. He already did a significant portion of Book 5, and it's about time he did the rest.

Deacon Blues · Thu May 31, 2007 11:38 am

Ryujin wrote:Read all of it, including the databook, etc. with the timeline for what should have been 10 books in all.

Too bad Shirow doesn't have any interest in continuing it for now.

They may not have an interest in the books, but they sure are working hard on the second movie (yes I say they because Shirow isn't a single person for those who didn't know).

Nagato21 · Thu May 31, 2007 3:05 pm

Deacon Blues wrote: They may not have an interest in the books, but they sure are working hard on the second movie (yes I say they because Shirow isn't a single person for those who didn't know).

What do you mean by isn't a single person?

I checked the japanese website for the second movie, it looks promising.
But its too bad they changed Dunan character. In the manga she was such a badass and Briareos was the one always keeping her in check.
The movie makes her look like the perfect soldier, while in the manga she is criticized for being too impulsive or not by the book.
It seems everytime Shirow introduces a female badass in a manga the anime directors have to make her either into a mysterious female (Motoko from ghost in the shell) or an immature brat (Leona Tank Police).
What's up with that?

Deacon Blues · Thu May 31, 2007 3:52 pm

Well, back in the days when I was on the Production IG forums, I learned that Masamune Shirow was a collective of individuals, not a sole entity... I haven't even seen a picture of the artist ever since I became aware of the name... *shrugs*

Hyakushiki · Thu May 31, 2007 5:26 pm

Deacon Blues wrote:Well, back in the days when I was on the Production IG forums, I learned that Masamune Shirow was a collective of individuals, not a sole entity... I haven't even seen a picture of the artist ever since I became aware of the name... *shrugs*

I was aware that the name was a pseudonym he uses for his work and everything I read on the guy said he was real person unlike "Hajime Yatate".
Apparently, he doesn't allow photos of himself to be taken, rarely grants interviews or makes public appearances.

As far as characters like Motoko are concerned she was always mysterious, even in the manga the only background we get is that she is a female government assassin even her name may be an alias. At least in SAC they go a little into her past such as how she acquired her cyberbody and met most of her comrades in Section 9. I would like to see a manga set in that timeframe just to learn how she became known as The Major.

Nagato21 · Thu May 31, 2007 5:37 pm

Deacon Blues wrote:Well, back in the days when I was on the Production IG forums, I learned that Masamune Shirow was a collective of individuals, not a sole entity... I haven't even seen a picture of the artist ever since I became aware of the name... *shrugs*

I never knew about that

Sounds like a case of Stand Alone Complex.
Now that I think about it I never even seen any picture of his face, just caricatures.
Ok now this is freaky

Bangdoll · Fri Jun 01, 2007 10:11 am

Eh, all that I've read points to Shirow as an individual. From articles in books, interviews, drawing style, painting style etc. Yes, "Masamune Shirow" is his pen-name, and he does not allow his pictures taken while being associated with that name. He even mentioned he worked as a illustration teacher once.

So, until there is actual proof that "Shirow" is a collection of individuals, I'd chalk that up to rumors and hearsay.

Scyron · Fri Jun 01, 2007 8:15 pm

I wasn't aware of this, seems odd since I've always thought of Shirow as a person, one I liked since he always had female bad ass protagonists.

So yeah, I have all 4 mangas, the movie and ova. I always liked the ova a lot more, the music also isn't annoying (

boom boom satellite ).

Nagato21 · Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:45 am

I've never seen the OVA but I heard that some of the characters are suppose to appear in the second movie such as Scar the bad guy from the OVA.
Is it really good? If so where can I obtain it?

Ryujin · Sat Jun 02, 2007 4:23 am

Bangdoll wrote:Eh, all that I've read points to Shirow as an individual. From articles in books, interviews, drawing style, painting style etc. Yes, "Masamune Shirow" is his pen-name, and he does not allow his pictures taken while being associated with that name. He even mentioned he worked as a illustration teacher once.

So, until there is actual proof that "Shirow" is a collection of individuals, I'd chalk that up to rumors and hearsay.

Various sources make the claim that Shirow's real name is Masanori Ota, born November 23, 1961 in the Hyogo Prefecture of Kyoto.

I highly doubt that Shirow's some sort of gestalt; there's simply no supporting evidence, and he wouldn't have needed assistants to do his ziptones if 'he' was a 'they.'

They may not have an interest in the books, but they sure are working hard on the second movie (yes I say they because Shirow isn't a single person for those who didn't know).

I have doubts that Shirow is any more involved with this second movie, seeing as how he hasn't really involved himself with animation ever since what he felt was his very embarrassing work on Black Magic M-66, with the exception of some SAC episodes and that facepalm moment known as Gundress.