The highly-anticipated and visually dazzling 13-episode CGI anime adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s revolutionary sci-fi manga comes to Blu-ray and DVD.

Original anime creator Masamune Shirow (Ghost In The Shell).

Director Takayuki Hamana (The Prince Of Tennis).

Writer Junichi Fujisaku (Blood: The Last Vampire; Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex).

Following a global conflict that resulted in the extermination of half the world’s population, a utopian city nation has risen from the ashes and ruins of the war. Olympus is a shining beacon of human civilization, governed by a near-omnipotent computer known as Gaia and maintained and managed by a majority population of artificially created half-human, half-robot Biodroids whose duty is to ensure the wellbeing of the minority human populace. But there is unrest within this seemingly perfect paradise. Racial, religious and political differences continue to cause unrest amongst the people and a terrorist group known as the Human Liberation Front threatens to destroy Gaia and the Bioroids in the name of human “freedom”.

Helping to ensure security in Olympus and to combat the HLF threat is an elite Special Forces organisation, ES.W.A.T. Amongst its team members are Deunan, a young female agent, and her cyborg partner and lover, Briareos. As they continue to deal with the complications of their own relationship while together having to confront terrorism, government conspiracies, corrupt corporations and the ongoing development of deadly military technology, their story and their search for their own Eden becomes the true story of Olympus.

This latest animated adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s seminal manga is probably the most ambitious to date and perfectly captures the scope of its source material, both visually and thematically. Refreshingly character driven, it also features more than enough explosive action sequences to keep things moving along at a breakneck pace. All thirteen episodes of the series (significantly, each one produced by a different prominent Japanese animation studio) are here, spread over two discs, while a third bonus disc provides a remarkable insight into the show’s production with 13 behind-the-scenes visits to each of the studios responsible for the respective episodes. It all adds up to a must-see collection for anime (and manga) fans.

“Visuals are awash in incredible detail on armour and armaments, trippy scenes involving broken statues and stained glass window depictions of myths, and CG wonders.” – Anima News Network.

“Spectacular actions scenes, excellent musical score, some interesting uses of symbolism and quality individual episodes.” – Anime News Network.

“A remarkably compelling plot… that builds emotional weight over time. Backgrounds, mecha, and environments all look superb.” – About.com.

“An evocative and atmospheric slice of dystopian, futuristic anime that is pertinent to today. It looks gorgeous and is sure to please many fans of this genre of anime.” – Blu-rayDefinition.com.

BD Disc 1:
Episodes 1-10

Extra: Episode 7 Commentary with Mike McFarland, Ian Sinclair & Monika Rial (English)

BD Disc 2:
Episodes 11-13

Extras:
The Inside 1-13 (Behind The Scenes of each episode of Appleseed XIII, Japanese with English subtitles.)
Episode 12 Commentary with Colleen Clinkerbeard & David Matranga (English)
U.S. Trailer
Clean Opening Theme
Clean Closing Theme

About Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay Entertainment is a leading home entertainment company. Anchor Bay acquires and distributes feature films, original television programming including STARZ Original series, children's entertainment, anime (Manga Entertainment), fitness (Anchor Bay Fitness), sports, and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray™ formats. The company has long term distribution agreements in place for select programming with AMC Networks, RADiUS, and The Weinstein Company. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Anchor Bay Entertainment (www.anchorbayentertainment.com) is a Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) business, www.starz.com.