I watched the hell out of this in college when I was bored (well when I had time to be bored that is.). It came out around 1998. The beginning of a divide in anime that we see nowadays with large amounts of CGI. Don't get me wrong the new stuff has come along way and looks real. But you are seeing more and more creators going back to the traditional hand drawn feel. Spriggan was one that had the right balance, kinda the same feel as Ghost in the Shell and Akira (Both master pieces in my opinion!). In this movie, you follow Yu Ominae a 17-year old kid from Japan that was drafted into a secret super soldier program when he was much younger and given advanced military training. This program created Spriggans elite super soldiers that go into combat with powerful armour that not only protects them but boosts their strength!
So scientists find Noah's Ark. An alien monolith said to give the holder the power of God. So an organization named ARCAM sets out to secure the artifact. Mean while another organization from the US, COSMOS (Children Of Soldiers Machine Organic System) has other ideas and plan to take it for themselves. The real kicker is Yu Ominae has served with them before and knows them personally. This group is comprised of half-human and half-machine cyborgs with powerful augmentations!
The action is fast paced and over the top! Given both groups are performing much higher than any normal human could ever hope to achieve. The battle royal that takes place at the Ark site is amazing! The emotion put into the characters makes the struggle seem all the more real.
Another reason I chose this piece is to do with where we are heading as a world today. China cloning genetically enhanced dog for war. With rumoured plans to apply this to humans. The US planning to put microchips in the brains of soldiers meant to help with mental stability. The rumours for this being to remove emotion and possible augmentations. It's scary stuff! One of the biggest topics covered in anime is people trying to play God. This is one of the main reasons I love anime, it makes you stop and think about the possibilities. With anime that are endless!!!! The connection you get with anime to me is much deeper than with a book or movie. With movies, they seem too short and you don't get to connect with the characters as well. With books, you have the tendency to image things that you are familiar to you or comfortable with. Anime pulls you out of that comfortable space an into someone else imagination!!
Hopefully, people stuck around long enough for the little rant at the end! I am 39 and still love my anime! Right now I am sharing this world with my 2 daughters for them to enjoy. So keep watching out there, and shame on those who think anime to be just another cartoon!...lol
PS: Feel free to share your thoughts or feels!