Film

Appleseed

Name: Appleseed
Genre: Crime, Animation, Science Fiction
Released: 1988
Cast: Masako Katsuki, Yoshisada Sakaguchi, Toshio Furukawa, Norio Wakamoto, Toshiko Sawada

Other titles called Appleseed: the 2004 film.

A 1988 anime about cyborg cops in a utopian city rebuilt after nuclear war. Visually stunning and genuinely weird, blending hard sci-fi philosophy with pulpy action. Made for people who want their anime ambitious, unsettling, and willing to ask uncomfortable questions about artificial life and control.

TMDb rating

3.2

If you liked this

Ghost in the Shell1995

The spiritual successor to Appleseed, equally obsessed with what it means to be human when consciousness can be copied. Koji Morimoto's animation is transcendent. This is the one that changed anime forever.

But Deliberately slow and philosophical; long stretches without action. The plot is abstract enough that some find it impenetrable.

Blade Runner1982

The DNA of both films. A jaded investigator hunting artificial beings in a neon megacity, forced to question whether the things he's hunting deserve protection. Ridley Scott's definitive take on robot souls.

But Feels deliberately paced now, almost glacial. The plot takes a backseat to mood and metaphor throughout.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners2022

A modern anime that captures Appleseed's spirit: gorgeous ultraviolent cyberpunk aesthetics, real stakes, themes about losing your humanity to corporate machinery. Studio Trigger's animation is phenomenal.

But Only ten episodes before it ends tragically; feels rushed and leaves you wanting more just as you're invested.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Appleseed

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Serial Experiments Lain1998

Both interrogate what we lose and gain when humanity merges with technology; both suggest that consciousness itself might be a kind of simulation or illusion we can't escape.

Shares Appleseed's obsession with artificial consciousness and technological transcendence, but goes inside the mind of someone fragmenting across networked realities. Utterly hypnotic and deeply strange. More about texture than plot.

But Genuinely incomprehensible in places; rewatching is almost mandatory. The atmosphere is deliberately alienating and bleak—not comforting.

Alita: Battle Angel2019

A cyborg with a human heart in a dystopian sprawl, fighting for those who can't. Robert Rodriguez brings manga energy to live action. Genuinely inventive action sequences and a protagonist you root for completely.

But The plot is fairly straightforward; it doesn't reach for Appleseed's philosophical depths. Some of the dialogue is clunky.

Perfect Blue1998

Satoshi Kon's masterpiece about identity fracturing in a technological world. Experimental, unsettling, visually daring in ways most anime doesn't dare attempt. An absolute statement of artistic intent.

But Deliberately disorienting and hard to follow; the reality keeps slipping. Genuinely distressing in places—not an easy watch.

Ergo Proxy2006

Post-apocalyptic anime that values mood and mystery over plot clarity. A woman and a thinking machine travel a dead world asking what consciousness really is. Genuinely haunting and unlike anything else.

But Glacially paced and intentionally cryptic; many episodes feel like atmosphere over narrative. Easy to lose patience with.

RoboCop1987

A cop turned into a machine grappling with what he's lost and what he's gained. Darkly funny, brutally violent, and surprisingly tender about identity and corporate evil. Verhoeven at his sharpest.

But The satire is very '80s corporate; some of it doesn't land. The body horror can be genuinely grotesque.

Akira1988

Anime's breakthrough moment. Tokyo after nuclear catastrophe, corrupt power structures, and kids with god-like abilities. The animation alone justifies watching. Revolutionary when it landed, still genuinely thrilling.

But The plot gets genuinely confusing; characters aren't always well-developed. Some find the ending abstract to the point of frustration.