First Look At Appleseed Sequel

[Hikuro]

Dunno how you could confuse it with the sequal movie when it says PS2 right there.

[Zinjo]

To be honest, they should've hired Ang Lee instead of John Woo.

John Woo is great, but Ang Lee is that much better. He does kick-ass fighting*, but even better - he does much, much better characters and pathos!

* "Hulk" was ok. I'm mostly referring to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

John Woo is a much more recogizable name in North America than Ang Lee (who didn't choreograph the fight sequences in CTHD it was Yuen Wo-ping) and since "Ex Machina" is also going to be targetting the Western market Woo is the better choice of a name to attach to the film.

Here is a relatively recent update for anyone interested.

http://www.animenewsservice.com/archives/exmachina.htm

[terry the lone wolf]

I can't wait for this!!!!!

[EXO]

everything is too clean and new... the manga always had the look of wear and tear and a lot of athmosphere. This shiny look makes everything too cg. And all the characters except for the cyborgs have dead eyes syndrome. Wish they woulda stuck to traditional animation with the characters. PLUS John Woo sucks.

[chrono]

At least it's not drawn by Adam Warren.

Is there actually a difference anymore!

Can't say that I'll being waiting for any more, even semi-decent, Shirow material.

[Zinjo]

everything is too clean and new... the manga always had the look of wear and tear and a lot of athmosphere. This shiny look makes everything too cg. And all the characters except for the cyborgs have dead eyes syndrome. Wish they woulda stuck to traditional animation with the characters. PLUS John Woo sucks.

To each their own...

[wolfx]

Ok....i know this is not Masamune Shirow's Appleseed...but dayum I like what I see.

http://anime.ign.com/articles/834/834615p1.html

English trailer at the bottom of article.

[Radd]

The CG looks much better. It appears they're dropping the "CG that tries to look like cel" angle and simply going in a nice, highly stylized unabashedly CG direction. There still appears to be some issues with animation, character moving with that clumsy, wooden marionette look. Speaking of wooden, the facial expressions still seem to be fairly rigid, but not nearly so awkward as in the first movie. Overall, huge visual improvement.

Storywise...well, no use in trying to discern that much from a trailer. I have to admit, after just how awful the storytelling and plot in the first movie was, I do not have high hopes.

I do agree with >EXO< on how everything looks too clean. I had the same issue with the first Appleseed movie, even GitS:SAC to be honest. Shirow's comic work has always had this gritty, organic feel to it that has been entirely absent from all of the animated versions of his work since at least the 80's. This isn't a technical limitation, either.

Edited November 15, 2007 by Radd

[eugimon]

I liked it. I do think the CGI looks better than the first one and I do agree that everything looks too clean. My big complaint is with how the clothes move (or don't) on the bodies. Swaying trenchcoats are cool and all, but when the sleeves fold like they're made out plastic when the arm bends at the elbow it really drops me out of moment.

plenty of john woo moments for people to giggle about as well.

[bsu legato]

I do agree with >EXO< on how everything looks too clean. I had the same issue with the first Appleseed movie, even GitS:SAC to be honest.

Bullshit. Stand Alone Complex's Section 9's HQ may have been spotless, but the remainder of the shows locations were suitably "lived in." Hell, almost the entirety of 2nd Gig is spent in the shelled, worn-torn refugee sector, which was every bit as destroyed looking as anything Shirow ever put on paper.

[eugimon]

Bullshit. Stand Alone Complex's Section 9's HQ may have been spotless, but the remainder of the shows locations were suitably "lived in." Hell, almost the entirety of 2nd Gig is spent in the shelled, worn-torn refugee sector, which was every bit as destroyed looking as anything Shirow ever put on paper.

the background plates and 2D stuff look grungy and lived in, but the CGI stuff looks shiny and new.. well, until they get shot up.

[Mowe]

The CG (especially the figure modeling) is still very Play Station - I want to see a movie, not a computer game....looks like another disappointment for Shirow's fans...

[wolfx]

The CG (especially the figure modeling) is still very Play Station - I want to see a movie, not a computer game....looks like another disappointment for Shirow's fans...

Well.....why didn't you say so? Here you go (courtesy of gerwalk25 in the hate thread)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=14...85184&hl=en

[Radd]

Bullshit. Stand Alone Complex's Section 9's HQ may have been spotless, but the remainder of the shows locations were suitably "lived in." Hell, almost the entirety of 2nd Gig is spent in the shelled, worn-torn refugee sector, which was every bit as destroyed looking as anything Shirow ever put on paper.

Bullshit? Hardly.

I do see your point, GitS:SAC was hardly as clean looking as the Appleseed movie and so much of today's CG, a lot of the background art and whatnot was suitably gritty for the world they were depicting (as opposed to the overly clean CG backgrounds shown in the Appleseed movie), but that world was much closer to today's world than that depicted in your typical Shirow manga, which had many very organic designs in the building, mecha, outfits, etcetera. A lot of the workshops and maintenance areas had the look of a greasy, well used garage much moreso than a sterile medical environment as such places were depicted in GitS:SAC.

Though a part of it is style and artistic direction, I have the same issue with a lot of digitally done 2D animation for the reason that no matter the scenes they'tr trying to depict, it often looks too clean simply due to the colours being so flat and perfect, as well as the American tendency to amp up sharpness and colour saturation for North American releases. Simply put, no one takes the time to add imperfections to digital work, whether it is 2D or 3D. This mostly applies to the characters and 3D CG work in GitS:SAC, as again the backgrounds had a rather painterly look much of the time, and looked suitably grungy for the more contemporary world the show's creators were aiming for.