This film follows Sis, a young woman in an exercise of a training matrix on a human ship. She is transported back to feudal Japan and must fight against Samurai warriors on horseback. Among her attacker is Duo, her trainer who also happens to be her lover. While Sis manages to wipe out the opposing force, Duo drops his own bombshell on her – that he wants to be reinserted into the Matrix, and he wants her to come with him. In order to do so, he must betray their cause.

Told as a stand-alone story, “Program” is an interesting look into the minds of the warriors against the machines, and what can tempt them. Part of the beauty of this universe is that literally anything can happen. However, even with this blank slate of choices, this film focuses on the human side – the emotions Sis feels. It also asks the question that was posed in the original film: “Is ignorance bliss?”

There were several obvious moments of overdone melodrama and forced emotion that is common throughout a lot of anime, but overall the film does give us an interesting view into the minds of the characters. Plus, the animation looks great and achieves the visual camera motif established in the original film while blurring the line between traditional animation and CGI.

So far, “The Animatrix” is shaping up to be a neat series, staying true to the comic book inspirations that first sparked in the minds of Andy and Larry Wachowski.

Read the reviews for Final Flight of the Osiris and Second Renaissance Part I>>>