Fridae

The Japanime Appleseed was something of a watershed for Japanese animation. Combining hyper-realistic 3D background with 2D drawn characters in an action-packed sci-fi storyline, Appleseed has become a cult classic among animation fans.

Vexille is the latest film by the makers of Appleseed. Set in 2077, the sci-fi story begins with Japan closing its doors to the world community after being reprimanded by the United Nations for carrying out illegal robotics research. For years, Japan has successfully sealed itself off from the rest of the world with an electromagnetic field with the acronym RACE.

But the outside world is determined to find out what Japan is up to, so it has sent a squad of special soldiers led by Vexille (voiced by Meisa Kuroki) to penetrate the electromagnetic field and investigate the matter. When Vexille arrives, she discovers there is much more to the research than Japan had revealed...

The animation in Vexille is undoubtedly superb. The staging for the action-packed sequences are particularly impressive. All in all, however, Vexille is not a particularly engaging Japanime. The plot feels trite and hackneyed, while the characters feel one-dimensional. Anime fans may flock to this film regardless of what its critics may say, but ordinary moviegoers are advised to skip this and get a copy of Appleseed instead.