Vexille Movie Review

Directed by Fumihiko Sori

I was highly looking forward to this for several reasons. First off it is directed by the director of the very underrated Ping Pong. Also it was by the producers of Appleseed which is an awesome cgi/anime movie series. Im not a huge fan of anime but I do like stand alone movies. I dont feel like telling you what its about so I found this awesome synopsis.

Ten years after Japan withdrew from the U.N., cut their ties with all the nations of the Earth, and built an impenetrable electromagnetic field to prevent any outsiders from entering their borders, a high-tech American commando unit is dispatched on an unofficial mission to penetrate the shield surrounding the country and gather information about their highly advanced robotics program. The year is 2077, and Japan has been accused of conducting illegal robotics research. As a result, the leaders of Japan have decided to construct a massive electromagnetic field known as RACE to prevent any further meddling in their domestic affairs. Meanwhile, back in the United States, an elite commando unit dubbed SWORD launches a surprise attack on a powerful Nipponese conglomerate known as Daiwa Heavy Industries and nearly captures primary android Saito (voice of Akio Otsuka). The leader of SWORD is fearless commando Vexille (voice of Meisa Kuroki), and though she may have failed to capture Saito Vexille is determined to succeed at her team's next mission. American intelligence has gathered that Daiwa has recently made substantial advancements in the realm of robotics, and despite the difficulty of breaching Japan's borders they are determined to learn these valuable trade secrets. In order to make this happen, Vexille and her boyfriend Leon (voice of Shosuke Tanihara) will have seventy-two hours to lead their team into Japan, gather the information on Daiwa's robotics program, and get out. It's a secret mission that hasn't been officially sanctioned by the U.S. government, but could benefit that current leaders and politicians greatly. But once in Japan Vexille is separated from the group, and quickly discovers that Saito has been awaiting their arrival. Upon awakening in a barrio-like district that was once the capital of Japan, Vexille quickly teams with resistance fighter Maria (voice of Yasuko Matsuyuki) - a former girlfriend of Leon's who also harbors a growing grudge against Daiwa. Later, after Vexille gathers the necessary resources and locates the rest of her team, she, Leon, and Maria lead a daring attack on Daiwa's artificial, offshore fortress. - Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The animation is of course fantastic. The visuals aren't quite as beautiful as Appleseed 2 but they are almost equally impressive in a different way. The style is a cgi/cel shaded look which is pretty unique. The movie does bog down a little in the middle once Vexille first gets to Japan but then picks up for a cool finale. This is one of the first animes that Ive seen that I could actually picture it making a cool live action movie. It is one of the few animes that ive seen thats not ultra complicated plot and had a solid story line. Theres not a whole lot of actions scenes but the ones they have are pretty awesome. Definitely recommended for fans of these movies. On a scale of 1-10 I give this a razor blade in mouth 8.0 out of 10.

Trailer