Cyborg and Bioroid Love After the Apocalypse

After a biological apocalypse, humanity's only hope is a city called Olympus, run by an AI named Gaia. Most of the city is inhabited by genetically-engineered, semi-tech Bioroids, creatures whose strong emotions have been bred out. Still, somebody has to keep the peace. That's why the human Deunan and cyborg Briarios have trained as warriors. But they are also lovers, and in a world of bio-engineered people that can get sticky — especially when the AI who runs your city decides to create a new Bioroid out of your cyborg boyfriend's DNA. Welcome to the world of Ex-Machina, the English-language sequel to Japanese cyberpunk anime classic Appleseed.

Appleseed started as a manga (comic book) and has been adapted into several Japanese TV miniseries as well as a feature film that came to the West in 2004 under the title Appleseed. Ex-Machina, coming is produced by John Woo, who is famous for his brilliant Hong Kong actioners like Hard Boiled, as well as stateside movies like Mission Impossible 3, Face/Off, and more. He's a master of action, and the Appleseed universe will be right up his alley.

What will thrill audiences about Appleseed is that it combines human emotional entanglements with its freaky post-human futurescape, making it work as a drama and an SF thriller. When Gaia's experimental new Bioroid Tereus comes on the scene, he looks just like the pre-cyborg Briarios and — in one of those DNA-as-destiny plots — he falls for Deunan the same way his DNA twin Briarios has. Love triangle plus genetic engineering! I'm there.

Exclusive Appleseed Clip [IGN]