Ergo Proxy

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

This series is wonderful. Though I cannot explain the storyline, for it is very intricate and I do not completely understand it myself, I can recommend it. If my word is not enough, consider that it is done by the same team which did "Cowboy Bebop", "Wolf's Rain", and "Samurai Champloo" - all wonderful shows. The characters are quite developed and it contains a rich plot. I do warn that if you are not a fan of having to think about something you watch, this is not the show for you; it can be very confusing at times and requires a deal of brain power to understand. If you do not take the time to attempt to understand it, by the first few episodes you will be lost, just a few more before you'll want to give up on the series. But, if you are one who enjoys thought-provoking works, I'm sure you would enjoy this.

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.

Ergo proxy is probably one of the best anime of all time, really. I love it's empirical nature, too few anime require a functional brain to understand, but this, this made me happy. The plot, the characters, the depth... absolutely genius. And this isn't praising it, it's just how it is, plain and simple. If I were to go into detail I would need to take a break for a few weeks to write a book about it.

One of my all time favorites, this piece cannot be described in words. The complex situations and the reasons behind them are sometimes almost out of reach of the rational mind, it's exhilarating, you're given a piece of the puzzle and you have to fill the rest. I understand why some couldn't get past this idea and gave up trying to understand.

If you watch Ergo Proxy only for the action then you might as well not be watching it at all. This isn't for everyone, it isn't even trying to be and I appreciate that. The author of this story simply let his imagination free of any constraints and created a masterpiece, one to remember.

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.