Appleseed has always been one of those series that flies well under the radar for most anime fans. It’s like a less popular Ghost in the Shell, with which it shares a creator, in that it paints a technologically advanced and technologically divided dystopian world, but doesn’t exactly have the same sort of hooks to it. Furthermore, it was also an early adapter of CGI when CGI technology was, well, not so good.
While its looks definitely served as a bar for entry, Appleseed actually does have quite an interesting story if you are willing to get past it looks and bad luck streak its had with production. Of course, its other problem is a not-so-intuitive naming scheme which makes it difficult to determine which series to actually watch first.
How to Watch Appleseed in Order
Appleseed Release Order
Following the release order of Appleseed, or any series, is a fine way to get into it. However, Appleseed is a series rife with complicated production that makes some of the series seem kind of scattered due to the planned production falling through.
- Appleseed (1988) (OVA)
- Appleseed (2004) (Movie)
- Appleseed Ex Machina (Movie)
- Appleseed XIII (TV)
- Appleseed XIII Remix Movie 1: Yuigon (Recap movie, optional)
- Appleseed XIII Remix Movie 2: Yogen (Recap movie, optional)
- Appleseed Alpha (Movie)
Appleseed Chronological Order
Typically, chronological watch orders are more for fans who have already seen the series in its release order so they can catch extra continuity tidbits. However, for Appleseed, I’d actually recommend the chronological order first in that it starts with the better looking Alpha, a standalone story from the rest of the series, so you don’t need to start with the wonky CGI. It then moves into the original OVA which followed the original manga quite faithfully to introduce you to the story proper.
- Appleseed Alpha
- Appleseed (1988)
- Appleseed (2004)
- Appleseed Ex Machina
- Appleseed XIII
- Appleseed XIII Remix Movie 1: Yuigon
- Appleseed XIII Remix Movie 2: Yogen
Appleseed Series Considerations
I’ll be really real with you here, Appleseed, as an animated series, is a hot mess.
The 1988 OVA is old, but good. It follows the original manga diligently so you get a good taste of the story.
The Appleseed 2004 movie and Ex Machina sequel were meant to be a trilogy, but that fell through in the end. The movies were high budget for the time, told the story in a nice way, but look notoriously strange due to the CG.
The XIII series is a reboot of the failed movie trilogy, but it is aimed at a younger audience. To this day, it remains a more divisive entry into the series. Furthermore, its movies are recap movies, so no need to watch them.
Finally, we have Alpha. It tells a standalone story that canonically happens before the OVA. It is yet unclear as to whether this is yet another reboot or not.
