Many people say that sequels are doomed to become total failures, but I should disagree since there is such a marvelous work as Appleseed Ex Machina. It is a sort of twice sequel because it originates from 1985 year anime Appleseed, and follows 2004 feature film Appleseed (2004).  In my opinion, it is a worthy work which incorporates old traditions and new technologies.
For me sequels are stupid attempts to raise funds (with a few exceptions). One of such pleasant exceptions is Appleseed Ex Machina, GC anime released in 2007 in Japan and in 2008 worldwide. Of course, I watched all three films, starting with Appleseed. I even got to write essays on this anime. The first film is a colorful action which you are watching with bated breath. Computer technology, however, enabled filmmakers of 2007%u2019s sequel to go further and make the characters more real. In some paper formatting I read that Appleseed Ex Machina was a great success in many countries of the world. However, I do not think the film became that popular due to outstanding graphics only.  The plot of this anime perfectly fits the previous films. Moreover, it extends the boundaries of previous stories to certain extent. Appleseed Ex Machina raises quite urgent issues concerning power. What do people do to get it? How to be really free from any influence? Thus, Appleseed Ex Machina is not just a good story depicted in an exciting way, but it is a philosophic work.