Appleseed XIII: The Complete Series

This 13-part series continues the anime adaptations of Masamune Shirow's popular sci-fi manga franchise. Set in a dystopian future in the city of Olympus, which functions as the unofficial capital of what remains of the world after a non-nuclear global war, Appleseed XIII revolves around a pair of elite SWAT members—human Deunan Knute and her cyborg partner Briareos—who appear to be the only law enforcement authorities able to establish order in this chaotic environment. The novelty here is that each episode's plot is matched against the mythological Labors of Hercules as our heroes fight a mysterious terrorist group known as the Argonauts. While the love-hate relationship between Deunan and Briareos is fun, the 3D CGI animation here is oddly uninspiring and the narrative itself quickly becomes monotonous, with mindless violence offered in lieu of intelligent storytelling. One can debate whether this is a mere aberration or a sign of a well-oiled franchise losing steam, but the resulting effort is likely to be a major disappointment to Appleseed fans and a confusing introduction for those new to the series. Compiling all 13 episodes on a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-14, extras include an extensive behind-the-scenes documentary, and episode commentaries. Completists will want to add, but this is not a necessary purchase elsewhere. (P. Hall)