Ergo Proxy

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 rare case of an anime that successfully blends a series of genre clichés with its own originality and spirit, has very interesting writing quality (including rather good dialogues and surprising plot turns - that do not steer the series away from its focus), shifts very quickly from action to introspection and interpersonal relation - and doing so relies both on content, cinematographic quality, onirism.

the series is not completely accomplished: the last episodes somewhat feel not fully coherent and the dialogue writing seems to be slightly worse, making understanding appear harder of how it really is. but these are minor faults.

somebody has compared these last episodes with the last eps from evangelion, but this can become misleading: here there's no quirkiness-as-fan-service, no futile conceptual aggressivity towards the audience. what takes place here is an attempt (sometimes a bit too "innocent") to provide the watchers with a series of starting points for personal thinking.

i'm tempted to say that this TV series is on par with oshii and kon best works in the animation movies, clearly better than what i saw (not much) from gits sac, and incredibly better than the average anime production.

the story and the psychological and philosophical exploration seems not finished, and the "ending" feels not completely satisfactory. thus, dear manglobe, we would appreciate another series; thanks.

highly recommended.

So here we go again with another piece of Japanese animation (Anime') that serves a purpose as a total mind-f**k experience. I just got done watching the Japanese Anime' series "Ergo Proxy" yesterday and I'm up right now, at 7:00 A.M. writing about it, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around some things.

First of all, it goes without saying that this is a very intelligent Anime', produced by the studio Manglobe, and skillfully written by Dai Sato and a team of other writers, and directed by Shukuo Murase. When watching "Ergo Proxy," it helps for the viewer to abandon all known concepts of reality and straightforward storytelling to focus on a confusing (but intelligent, wow-oh-wow) storyline. (Can't think of many Anime' pieces that don't have some sort of absolute gosh-wow factor.)

With accompanying beginning and ending theme songs by Monoral ("Kiri") and Radiohead ("Paranoid Android"), respectively, and an out-there creepy sci-fi soundtrack by Yoshihiro Ike, "Ergo Proxy" is set some time in the distant future, when planet Earth has become so uninhabitable because of a worldwide ecological disaster that human beings are forced to live in massive domed cities. One of these domed cities is Romdo, where inspector Re-L Mayer is investigating murders committed by auto-reivs (robots built by humans to help with everyday tasks) infected by an out-of-control virus called the "Cogito Virus," which causes machines to become self-aware. Since machines aware of their own existence are seen as a threat capable of upsetting Romdo's delicate social balance and order, disposal units are given the tasks of destroying any and all infected auto-reivs.

In the course of her investigation, Re-L is attacked by a hideous, deformed humanoid monster in her apartment, after the creature had scrawled a cryptic message on her mirror. In searching for answers, she learns that the creature, called a "proxy," may have escaped from a government facility where it was being experimented on because it is believed that this being holds the key to the survival of mankind. Re-L later finds herself (along with her Entourage auto-reiv Iggy), by events too complicated to reveal here, linked to the mysterious Vincent Law and the Cogito-infected Companion auto-reiv Pino, and on a journey outside the city's walls into the wastelands of planet Earth.

Just to get pretenses out of the way, "Ergo Proxy" is a visually astounding Anime', mixing two-dimensional cell animation with computer-generated imagery and special effects. The plot-line is even more astounding, with a number of deep philosophical undertones meant to question the role memory plays in developing individual identity. There are plenty of moments when you sit back and say, "What the f**k?" - just as characters often find themselves questioning who they are in long, drawn-out soliloquies (like those in any play you can think of written by Shakespeare).

I've been watching the "Ergo Proxy" series for almost a year now and I still find it to be uniquely entertaining stuff. The series at first appears to be another typical Anime' with humans and androids living together and an inevitable conflict arising from their tensions of coexistence, but then a curve ball (more like, curve balls) comes at you fast from left field, catapulting you somewhere you didn't expect to be. Tensions can rise between the viewer and the confusing storytelling narrative, with a number of episodes that seem sporadic and out-of-place (such as the characters appearing as contestants on a life-or-death game show, or Vincent Law experiencing a bunch of random flashbacks in one of the most confusing episodes of the series). But upon closer inspection (more like, deep meditation) of those "questionable" episodes, I've found that they serve a purpose just as the main storyline does, perhaps, sometimes, even more a greater purpose than the general episodes.

All of this adds up to a "What the f**k" mind-blowing experience and what some may call a rather cheap and confusing ending. But what "Ergo Proxy" has going for it is a deep and intelligent narrative, properly fleshed out because of Dai Sato and his legion of skilled and thoughtful screenwriters.

10/10

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!

My favourite anime/series/movie rarely changes. Happens around once in 7 years if so, but Ergo proxy did just that. Without any hesitation I can proclaim this as the most complex, beautiful, psychologically and philosophically profound, and thus the most Perfect anime I have ever seen. Definitely not something for the masses, but just perfect for a very specific niche of individuals.

Hat off to the creators. Truly left me speechless!