Note: Despite how it may appear, the roman numerals in the titles of the Armitage III anime do not refer to them being from the third Armitage series, but rather to Armitage’s nature as a Third-series robot. It should be read as “Armitage the Third”, not “Armitage 3”. There is no Armitage I or II.
In
the year 2179, in the city of St. Lowell on an independent Mars, robots
are used for many menial tasks. The object of hatred and prejudice for
‘stealing the livelihood’ from humans, these Second-type robots have human
shape but are easily identified by on/off switches on their temples. By
being so easily identifiable, the Seconds give the humans of Mars a feeling
of control- after all, robots are sub-human, so all Seconds can be treated
however humans wish, or so the humans believe. This all changes, however,
with the murder of several prominent people and the revelation that they
were actually Third-type robots- able to pass for and hide as humans.
This is where Martian Police Department detectives Ross Sylibus and Naomi Armitage enter the picture. Ross is a new arrival from Earth, and Armitage is secretly a robot. When the pair are assigned the Thirds case, their discoveries lead them to discover more about who each is as an individual and as a member of a society. When politicians become involved, the search becomes even more dangerous, as the Martian and Earth governments fight to keep Ross and Armitage from revealing what they know.
Like many cyberpunk-style anime, Armitage III draws on Ridley
Scott’s 1982 film classic Blade Runner for inspiration. The parallels between
the films are more numerous than is common, however, as all deal with the
idea that robots can be created to be as human as any human being, begging
the question- what makes a being human? The cities of Mars in Armitage
III also bear a marked resemblance to the Los Angeles of Blade Runner,
filled with unfeeling concrete, skyscrapers that loom like ominous dark
towers, and a sense of despair and grime that won’t wash off. Not to say
that Armitage III is a rip-off of Blade Runner--far from
it. A more accurate description, perhaps, would be to call it an extension,
carrying some of the basic ideas of Blade Runner down a new and
interesting path and adding other themes along the way.
Armitage III: Poly-Matrix is not your standard robot anime. There is plenty of action, things explode, and people fight, but unlike the usual fare, these take the back seat to intriguing issues and social commentary. Humans have historically reacted poorly when outsiders ‘took’ their jobs and tried to make a place for themselves in the community. How much worse would they react if the outsiders were not even human, and were in fact artificial life? And if some of those outsiders were created to be able to feel, how would they react in turn to persecution?
The focus of Poly-Matrix is not which robot can destroy the other, but rather do sophisticated robots deserve to be treated as simple tools or as something more? What separates a human and a robot with the capacity to think and feel, and even to bear children? Can a human society ever accept that something they created could be their equal, or will the fear and anger that accompany a perceived threat always win out? And, finally, if humans as a whole cannot move past being threatened, who is truly more evolved- robots or humanity?
Armitage III: Poly-Matrix is not actually a story about robots after all--it is a story about humanity, with robots as the guides.
For a more detailed overview and analysis of Poly-Matrix, click
here. (Contains lots of spoliers!)
Unlike Poly-Matrix, which focused mainly on Armitage’s search for who she was and her place in the world, Dual-Matrix is a film about the ties that bind a family. Can Armitage truly be happy as a domestic housewife? Has she actually made peace with herself, or simply buried her doubts to come surging back later? Or is the true Armitage someone made up of both fighting machine and peaceful wife and mother, a person with many facets just like a human being?
Dual-Matrix is a film about Armitage’s search for herself after all--just seen from a new angle. Both Dual-Matrix and Poly-Matrix have a common theme--Armitage’s growth as a person. The Armitage III films are together a robotic coming of age tale, unfolding Armitage’s story from emotional youth to adulthood. The brash and angry Armitage who first meets Ross in Poly-Matrix is certainly not the same Armitage who bakes a cake for her daughter, or who offers up her life to protect her family. By watching the films, we get to see Armitage grow up in many ways, and that is what makes the anime so interesting, and seem so real. Robot or not- Armitage is a person.
For a more detailed overview and analysis for Dual-Matrix, click here. (Contains lots of spoilers!)
Many of the cut scenes provide details about the characters and places they visit that are not vital to the overall plot. They are still, however, quite interesting and informative, as well as visually stunning. If you can find them, the OAVs are highly suggested viewing, even if you have already seen Poly-Matrix.
To read about differences between Poly-Matrix and the OVAs, particularly the lost scenes, click here.