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アップルシード [Appleseed]
Appleseed: Hypernotes
World War III is over, but for nomad soldier Deunan Knute and her cyborg lover, Briareos, the greatest challenge lies ahead. Not in the abandoned cities and DMZs of a post-war battlefield, but on the streets of a new "utopia." Shirow Masamune's visionary Appleseed is widely regarded not only as one of the lynchpin works of graphic fiction, but one of the most influential science-fiction stories in recent memory, culminating in the astonishing 2005 animated adaptation. Appleseed: Hypernotes, never before collected in America, features an over eighty page Appleseed tale, plus reams of detailed information and art of the characters, machines, and weapons of Appleseed.
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
13 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Masamune Shirow
426 books499 followersMasamune Shirow is an internationally renowned manga
Masanori Ota, better known by his pen name Masamune Shirow (Japanese: 士郎正宗), is a Japanese manga artist renowned for his influential contributions to the cyberpunk genre. Born in Kobe in 1961, he studied oil painting at Osaka University of Arts, where he developed an interest in manga. His early work Black Magic led to the critically acclaimed Appleseed, which won the 1986 Seiun Award for Best Manga. Shirow achieved global recognition with Ghost in the Shell, a groundbreaking manga that inspired multiple anime films and series, a live-action Hollywood adaptation, and numerous video games. His stories are known for blending action with philosophical inquiries into AI, post-human existence, and the ethics of technology. He has collaborated with Production I.G on projects like Ghost Hound and Real Drive. Shirow’s distinctive style and thought-provoking narratives have left a lasting impact on manga, anime, and science fiction worldwide, influencing creators including the Wachowskis of The Matrix fame.
Masanori Ota, better known by his pen name Masamune Shirow (Japanese: 士郎正宗), is a Japanese manga artist renowned for his influential contributions to the cyberpunk genre. Born in Kobe in 1961, he studied oil painting at Osaka University of Arts, where he developed an interest in manga. His early work Black Magic led to the critically acclaimed Appleseed, which won the 1986 Seiun Award for Best Manga. Shirow achieved global recognition with Ghost in the Shell, a groundbreaking manga that inspired multiple anime films and series, a live-action Hollywood adaptation, and numerous video games. His stories are known for blending action with philosophical inquiries into AI, post-human existence, and the ethics of technology. He has collaborated with Production I.G on projects like Ghost Hound and Real Drive. Shirow’s distinctive style and thought-provoking narratives have left a lasting impact on manga, anime, and science fiction worldwide, influencing creators including the Wachowskis of The Matrix fame.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 22, 2025
Unfortunately I was not aware that this was not the first volume of Applesewd when I checked it out, so I was a little lost in the story, but I still enjoyed it.
The art is absolutely amazing in this, the attention to detail and even the movement the artist can get these mechs into is fantastic.
Overall will have to give this series a proper try soon.
The art is absolutely amazing in this, the attention to detail and even the movement the artist can get these mechs into is fantastic.
Overall will have to give this series a proper try soon.
November 12, 2020
Not as good as the main volumes obviously but a decent ending to a phenomenal series. Some of Shirow's original storyboards and military design can be found here as well, also an interview with him from 94. Can't wait to start rewatching all of the Appleseed based movies again!
January 2, 2023
(Review, Jan 2nd 2023)
While cartoonish in some parts (I especially like all the comments around the panels :)) this is a serious thriller. Deunan and Briareos start the story as usual-tuesday raid on the arms smuggling ship. But what happens here is that ship is just an initial step in much more serious investigation - Olympus hosts international negotiations and it seems that somebody is very much dedicated to make sure they fail in billows of smoke and thunderous explosions.
From embassy attack by the unknown cyborg to highly sophisticated terrorist group infiltration this book is very, very dynamic and movie-like.
Until it ends mid-flight...... and this was a bummer. I dont know why it was never finished......
Rest of the book are discussions with the author and presentations of various mecha and society in the Appleseed universe.
If there was a conclusion story wise it would be straight five stars. As it is, I give it 4.
Highly recommended to fans of mecha and action-adventure SF.
While cartoonish in some parts (I especially like all the comments around the panels :)) this is a serious thriller. Deunan and Briareos start the story as usual-tuesday raid on the arms smuggling ship. But what happens here is that ship is just an initial step in much more serious investigation - Olympus hosts international negotiations and it seems that somebody is very much dedicated to make sure they fail in billows of smoke and thunderous explosions.
From embassy attack by the unknown cyborg to highly sophisticated terrorist group infiltration this book is very, very dynamic and movie-like.
Until it ends mid-flight...... and this was a bummer. I dont know why it was never finished......
Rest of the book are discussions with the author and presentations of various mecha and society in the Appleseed universe.
If there was a conclusion story wise it would be straight five stars. As it is, I give it 4.
Highly recommended to fans of mecha and action-adventure SF.
March 4, 2019
Sci fi police procedural more concerned with worldbuilding and technology than character, plot, and theme. You may enjoy the endless footnotes, annotations, explanations and authorial intrusions from Shirow, but it's not my jam. The design elements are very nice, though.
April 30, 2024
Missing in Ink action…
Shirow’s art work is excellent as always. The story of ESWAT versus smugglers is a pretty good, but it’s even remotely finished. The rest is all text about technology of the future, there’s an artist interview if one wants to read it. Still and all, it’s good stuff.
Shirow’s art work is excellent as always. The story of ESWAT versus smugglers is a pretty good, but it’s even remotely finished. The rest is all text about technology of the future, there’s an artist interview if one wants to read it. Still and all, it’s good stuff.
July 31, 2023
So this is the 5th book in the series. The world is excellent as always, intriguing action, and this gives some 5o pages of notes on well, all kinds of stuff. Not a starting point. One for the fans.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews