“Post-apocalyptic 22nd century: ex-SWAT duo joins Olympus's elite ESWAT to defend utopian city-state amid global power shifts.”
Appleseed
アップルシ-ド
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Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
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Synopsis
Post-apocalyptic 22nd century: ex-SWAT duo joins Olympus's elite ESWAT to defend utopian city-state amid global power shifts.
It is the 22nd Century, the Third World War (2099-2126) has decimated a large part of Earth even though nuclear weapons have not been employed during the conflict. Old nations such as England, France and China have survived but have difficulty restoring their power. On the other hand, new nations and organizations such as the Sacred Republique of Mumna and the Poseidon Organization have been born on the ashes of the world resulting from the Third World War. In this bleak future, we are introduced to ex-L.A. SWAT members Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires. Having survived the world conflict and living in a desolated city, they are found by a young woman called Hitomi who proposes them to follow her to the utopian city of Olympus which has become the world's most powerful organization and which registers the new relations in terms of politics, economics and military between new and old nations/organizations. In Olympus, they are integrated in the prestigious ESWAT (Extra Special Weapons And Tactics) organization, whose main mission is to protect Olympus from terrorist attacks and Olympus's interests in the world. From here on, the two main protagonists encounter a great number of other characters and organizations who will be implicated in international plots that target Olympus.
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 7 sampled reviews
What 7 readers settled on.
Polarized
σ 2.64 · split reception
5.3 pts
Recommenders 8.3 · others 3.0
↓ 2.14
Running avg · Dec 2009 → May 2025
- 10 “Masamune Shirow's artwork is stunning as always. Meticulously detailed and beautiful. Of all his work, the Appleseed manga is by far my favorite. Although Shirow clearly enjoys drawing cute girls,...”
- 7 “Appleseed is a step up from Masamune's previous work, Black Magic, but still suffers from many of the same exposition/dialogue heavy philosophy that doesn't really serve any purpose in the building...”
- 7 “The art is the best part of the comic and the cyborg technology on display. The story and characters start off pretty interesting but lose track halfway through. Morality is all over the place,...”
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A Manga Publication
- Format 25 × 4 ch × vol
- Total read 3h 20m approx
- Published Feb 1985 – Mar 1989
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M0635 catalog