Ergo Proxy

This is not just another anime series. The primary female, Re-L or Real Mayer, has a touch of reality you can't find in live-action actors. The story progresses at the right pace to keep intrigue and yet each episode has a character of its own. There are many levels in this show too, philosophical being the one they were aiming to pin down (existentialism abounds), but many allegorical and moral level as well, including the issue of self-aware AI-beings. None of these are nailed-in too hard, just presented subtly as they are embedded in the tantalizing story. Once seeing it once, you'll want to watch it again with a whole new understanding and appreciation.

I would say that the plot is rather intricate, but confusing would not be the right adjective. You have to pay attention to names, but don't get caught up reading too much into things. If you have any faith in the writers you know that they will make everything clear in time. Don't get worried about missing something. You don't have to play detective, just play the audience! After all, if you could guess the ending to the show from the first five episodes this would be like almost every other anime out there.

My only real complaint is that the in-between artwork really starts to diminish in quality from episode six onward. The first six episodes look brilliant, but they start to look more like the old episodes of "Aeon Flux" than "Ghost in the Shell" or "Cowboy Bebop" like they did at first.

A while back, as I was scouring through the Internet, I came across some beautiful artwork from some anime series I had not come across before. Upon further research I found this series to be none other than Ergo Proxy . Intrigued, I went out and found the full series, purely out of interest in the art, and the desire for something new to watch.

Starting off, the series is somewhat confusing. You are given very little background on any of the characters or the strange world they inhabit. All you find out is that the story begins in the Utopian city of Romdo (also seen as Romadeu in some adaptations). You are quickly introduced to one of the main characters, Re-l (also seen as Real) Mayer, an investigator with the city's Intelligence Bureau, along with her AutoReiv Iggy. AutoReivs are androids created to aid, serve and protect the humans of Romdo. However, Romdo faces the issue of the Cogito Virus (a reference to René Descartes statement "Congito, ergo sum" which translates to "I think, therefore I am"), which causes these AutoReivs to become self-aware. Some of them, in their desire to find their raison d'être, or reason to be, attack the human inhabitants of Romdo. Re-l is in charge of investigating these AutoReivs. Not too long after meeting Re-l and Iggy, we are introduced to Vincent Law, an immigrant that recently arrived from the city of Mosko (also seen as Mosque) who is working for the AutoReiv Control Division, hoping to be made into a full citizen. His duty is to find and dispose of AutoReivs infected with Cogito. The peace and order of Romdo is soon disturbed shortly after Re-l is attacked by a mysterious humanoid creature during one of her investigations. Another one of these creatures attacks her in her home, and the other joins it. Re-l later learns these creatures are called Proxy and her curiosity soon begins to drive her to discover more about the mysterious Proxy. She will soon find that there is a connection between her, Vincent Law and the two Proxy that attacked her home which will lead her on a long and difficult journey for the truth, whatever it may be.

As the story unfolds, many new characters are introduced, such as Pino, a Cogito infected AutoReiv, who then takes on innocence and curiosity of a young child (and is also thought to be loosely based on Pinocchio). She is probably one of the more beloved characters of this series, with her constant positive outlook and adorable appearance (she spends a nice portion of the series a pink bunny snowsuit). The series also makes references to several famous philosophers and historical figures, as well as having a deep meaning behind these names for the characters. The stone AutoReivs that help rule Romdo are all named after famous philosophers and one psychoanalyst: Lacan, Husserl, Derrida and Berkeley. Then there is the character Daedalus Yumeno, who is a reference to the tale of Daedalus and Icarus. The series has many other references to various people, places and ideas from history. The series attempts to address many issues concerning society, our desire for answers and the truth as well our own raison d'être.

I, personally, thoroughly enjoyed this series. It took the typical dysfunctional utopia idea and shed a new light on it, showing a new perspective on what it means to be human, on religion, and one's sense of self. It had its fair share of action, but also causes you to think about various issues. Some episodes heavily focused on battles, others on various ideologies and philosophies. I enjoyed all the characters and their unique personalities, especially Pino. She made some of the heavy scenes tolerable, acting as a bit of comic relief, but also made the deaths of a few of the characters all the more saddening. Re-l bothered me at first, seemingly a cold-hearted, self-centred woman set only on finding the truth, as the series carried on, a more humane side of her either emerged or developed. Vincent was a character easily to identify with for those who try to fit in but never quite seem to be able to find a way to. It had a great choice of music as well as literary and artistic references in it, such as the stone AutoReivs that were mention earlier being based off Michelangelo's Night and Day and Twilight and Dawn statues. The series flowed very well too, considering it didn't always travel in a linear storyline, but rather played with the notion that reality is not always what a person perceives it to be. However, not everyone enjoys this sort of plot line, since at times it can be a bit confusing, jumping around and not entirely clear about everything. Some things are later explained, however there are many thing in the series that are left up to the viewer to discern on their own. There is also a rather dark tone to the series, with a majority of the characters dying during the series, as well as some rather graphic and bloody action sequences. The effects of these on how you enjoy the series are all a matter of preference. However, I encourage everyone to at least give the series a try, for it provides a great deal of food for thought.

The series starts off with cyberpunk dystopian overtones and fades into dark fantasy as episodes go by. It is really character driven, so the emphasis is on the main protagonists' personal evolution as the world around them changes, the two main points being finding one's self and madness as a reaction to those changes. Unfortunately, the plot somewhat suffers from that; it gets really confusing in the last few episodes and requires multiple views to really understand what's going on. On the other hand, that leaves quite a bit to the imagination of the viewer, so it's kind of an open story with many statements and less interpretation. Some interesting subplot stories aren't developed, which is a shame because the ideas are really interesting. It also sometimes feels like the writers have thrown in allegories and spiritual or philosophical imagery just for the sake of it, without really expanding or incorporating them into the main storyline. In spite of that it's still one of the better anime shows out there, and has the feel of a graphic and futuristic essay on the self and the relationship of the self with the world.

The information provided is not a spoiler, it is the same information you can find on the back of the box, on the brief show description you can find all over the place. That part contained information I knew BEFORE I watched the show. Thanks. *DO NOT let other reviews calling it CONFUSING turn you away from this unique seductively dark and beautifully touching and sometimes sad show;as long as you watch with 100% of your attention; like at night-dark, no distractions, maybe laying down. I was obsessed with this show before i watched-still am! The plot is phenomenal as is the art, character design, music(One song by Radiohead-famous and popular US and UK band)and brilliant voice actors. It takes place in the future where there is a domed city/a utopia that keeps out anyone and an anything that does not meet the standards of the utopia/those who rule it. A "detective" Real Mayer has an encounter with a strange, unknown creature called Erogo Proxy. It escaped from a hidden facility where is was being experimented on, that is one of many dark secrets hidden beneath the sterile outer walls of utopia, which Real suddenly comes face to face with all because of the proxy that might have done something to her without her knowledge. In this society there are people and Autoreiv's which are very human-like androids that have many roles and relationships, Real's Autoreiv is Iggy, who is her partner, protector, and friend. Each time the plot unfolds you are pulled in another direction just as Real is in the show, this makes you feel like you're a part of it, like you can feel what Real is going through, the confusion she has every time she learns another horrifying secret, and the pain when she looses a friend or desperately doesn't know what to do/when no one believes her, when her life is at stake. At least find a picture online to appreciate the character design and artwork but I strongly advise you watch at least one episode! Enjoy!