Appleseed XIII: Tartaros

The first part of an Appleseed compilation film. Since I don't watch many series anymore, films like these are very convenient to keep up with franchise material I wouldn't otherwise have seen. The flip side of these compilation films is that they never really hit the quality levels of a stand alone feature film. As such, Appleseed XIII isn't quite as good as its peers, but for fans of the Appleseed franchise it's still worth a watch.

The story is pretty basic for an Appleseed film. Deunan and Briareos are taking on a new mission, where they'll be pitted against a small, secret faction of the Human Liberation Front, a group who doesn't like that bioroids are taking over, believing the world belongs to pure humans. Little is known about this faction, except that they operate from an elusive fortress.

The animation style is pretty interesting, especially for a CG film, but the limited budget doesn't do it justice. The plot on the other hand is rather mediocre, feeling more like filler ep material, though maybe the second film is going to set things straight. As it stands, Tartaros is fun enough, just not really at the level where I expect an Appleseed production to be.