When they set their mind to it, there really is no topping Geneon. Being a Japanese movie production firm themselves, it's no surprise that they take the utmost care with their region 1 DVDs, and this disc is a prime example. All across the board this release is excellent, from an outstanding video presentation, to a flawless audio mix, and then topped off with a wealth of extras to keep fans of the movie happy.

One's hat must go off for Geneon's efforts here. This is really a remarkable video transfer, with everything falling perfectly into place. High marks are really deserved all around as the colors are vivid, there are no apparent digital inconsistencies, and the print used in the transfer is flawless with a sharp range of detail, which is really no surprise given that they used a "High Definition" master.

Appleseed is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is Anamorphic for widescreen TVs.

No complaints to be had here. In total there are three audio tracks present, all done in 5.1 surround. Two of them are Dolby Digital supported, which includes a Japanese track and the English dub, while the last one is formatted for DTS sound systems. Overall, the tracks sound fantastic, with a rich array of depth to the speaker distinction, while everything comes through crystal clear without any distortion.

The audio can be accompanied by, removable, English subtitles that correspond to the Japanese track.

This set has been packed with extras. Everything found in the regular one disc set is present here, which includes: the Director and Producer commentary, the five music cues, the staff profiles, and the previews (excluding ones for Appleseed).

The second disc features another load of extras, each exclusive to the Limited Edition set. The main attraction here is the thorough behind the scenes look called "Birth of 3D Live Anime". The 36 minute feature displays a lot of background information on what went into the production, such as designs. It also documents some aspects of the motion capture technology that was utilized for the film. The extra is in Japanese and comes with, removable, English subtitles.

The other supplemental content on the second disc, while not as lustrous, is more than worth looking over. The design archives, for example, is another great feature that has tons of small videos that will document how something went from the concept art stage to full CGI. The image gallery is also another nice extra, that has many multi-angle views of the characters and mechs from the film. There is also a nice text based "encyclopedia" type feature that provides some limited, about a paragraph for each, background into the characters, mechs, and weapons. Rounding out the disc is a small 3 minute music video of Boom Boom Satellites' "Dive for You" song.

Bottom line, both the Limited Collector's Edition and the regular edition, simply called Appleseed, are excellent releases. In regards to which is the better buy, it all comes down to preference. If one only has a passing interest in the film, then the regular edition is a better suited purchase, while fans of the movie will likely enjoy the wealth of incite provided by the more expensive two disc set.