Piaroh

Opening Remarks - If you've seen the preceding movie, Appleseed (2004), you'll know exactly what to expect here. Pretty much more of the same with niftier visual effects.

Story - Blah blah blah mad terrorist group tries to take over the world using some mind control device blah blah.

Also, blah blah blah blah, good guys win.

Animation - Sure it's all CGI, but that doesn't mean it doesn't rock. It's seriously good stuff, better than Advent Children, or .hack//G.U., or any other CGI movie that might come to mind. At least animation-wise. The lighting and backgrounds are drop-dead gorgeous, the mannerisms and actions of individual characters fluidly displayed and the action splendidly portrayed. This is one of those works where you watch just to enjoy the visual effects alone, so I'll suggest it to anyone with 90 minutes to burn and no mood to work their minds. The costumes and general character art is fantastic as well, and gravity-defying hair is kept to an absolute minimum.

One complaint though, would be that the facial expressions look a bit, well, plastic at times. Especially when they're trying to express feeling down, or depressed. Joy, anger, they do just fine. Sadness, not so much. And there's a shot near the end where a guy climbs to his feet after collapsing on the ground. You might notice that his hair stays perfectly in place throughout as though plastered against his scalp. Doesn't even drift or sway a tiny bit. But that's nitpicking.

Sound - I don't think much of the music soundtrack, and a good deal of the time it seems out of step with the action on the screen. Its predecessor, Appleseed (2004), was better in this category.

But voice acting was well-cast overall, and satisfactorily expressive, even if the dialogue was sadly limited and not very imaginative. Fine enough on its own, could had been better nevertheless.

Characters - This is one of those anime where the cast is female-dominated (and no one complains because they're all drop-dead gorgeous). In any case, they're all paper characters and show very little depth. Even the plotline that has a cyborg trying to deal with his artificial clone, not to mention his ex-lover/partner caught between them both - didn't quite cut it for character development. I'll go so far as to say that only the PM of the city appeared to have force of personality, and it's credit to her that I don't drop this score even lower.

Closing Remarks - Despite not giving it very high marks, I'd like to offer a prediction that this movie will soon see a surge in popularity. Why? Well, if I'm not wrong, an anime TV series is scheduled for release in 2011, so fingers crossed they do a better job there than they have here.