ARMITAGE III: POLY-MATRIX
Cyberpunk anime has always been somewhat of a shadow of american movies, in my opinion. Bubblegum Crisis is a good example: it's plot is very much taken from Blade Runner. Even the prequel, A.D. Police Files, has influence from Robocop.
But this does not mean that cyberpunk anime has nothing new to offer the genre of cyberpunk. Masamune Shirow's anime's are some of the most powerful animes around. Even Bubblegum Crisis is different because of it's flashy, superhero-esque style unique to cyberpunk.
And now there is Armitage. Originally a video miniseries of 4, it was recently compilled into 1 movie titled "Armitage III: Poly-Matrix"
Armitage is another thrilling cyberpunk addition, it's unique tale of Mars and the androids called "Thirds" is definently classic. It's got all of the right stuff: Androids trying to be human, cyber police, crazed criminals, and thought provoking, social themes.
An excellent twist is how this film deals with the humanity, and shows that while the "Third" Androids find humanity in them, many humans (by persecuting the robots) seem to be losing their own. Another interesting transition is the case of Detective Ross Sylabus, who starts out as any other bigoted human, except he might have a reason to be as such. Over the film, he ends up losing more and more of his human body, and he seems to gain more and more understanding of what it's like to be an android. He finds his humanity by the end of the film also.
The most impressive sceen in the whole anime is the final battle. We don't see the battle just for action sake, (like a typical anime battle).
As Armitage and Ross fight for there lives, we see glimpses of the battle as seen through the eyes of the citizens of Mars, particularly the androids. They seem to be witnessing the closing of a chapter in Martian society. When combined with the strangely, sad music, the scene leaves an impact upon the viewer; you feel you were really there, watching the transition of this strange society. This battle was done as art, not as entertainment. And that's what sets it apart.
Another thing that sets this anime apart is that the movie was made taking the animation from the Japanese studio, but creating all of the sound and voices in America! The film was formatted for a Japanese theatrical release, and starred the voices of Keifer Sutherland and Elizabeth Berkley. The film version is somewhat inferior then the mini-series format. While the mini-series moved along at a nice pace, the film seemed rushed and edited poorly. Keifer Sutherland's voice was strictly monotone, with no emotion put in whatsoever, and while the new animation was nice, the different ending finished way to abruptly.
The reason for producing the movie in America was that it was thought that the film needed a Hollywood touch for it's release in Japanese theaters. It would appear that cyberpunk anime still can't escape American influence.
*** stars....**** for the original miniseries.
Links!
Another Armitage the III page!
An Armitage the III Shrine!
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