SummaryHumans and androids called Autoreivs live together in a Utopian society devoid of emotion, within a giant domed city known as Romdo. A mysterious virus called Cogito, which infects the Autoreiv inhabitants, causes them to exhibit emotions and personalities, which wreaks havoc on the idyllic and peaceful society. Police inspectors Re-l Ma...
SummaryHumans and androids called Autoreivs live together in a Utopian society devoid of emotion, within a giant domed city known as Romdo. A mysterious virus called Cogito, which infects the Autoreiv inhabitants, causes them to exhibit emotions and personalities, which wreaks havoc on the idyllic and peaceful society. Police inspectors Re-l Ma...
Ergo proxy ist ein mystery science fiction anime serie. Es geht darum das ein so genannter proxy aus einer Forschung Anstalt aus bricht und eine Geheimagentin Re-I Mayer untersucht gerade einen mysteriösen Mordfall und dabei wird sie vom Proxy angegriffen und so nehmen die Dinge ihren lauf.
Ergo Proxy is a drama science-fiction anime series that contains as its main theme philosophical reflection. Situated in a distant future dystopic civilization characterized by the cyberpunk principles of low level of life and high level of technology, we are introduced to a very well thought setting were all circumstances are given for imminent collapse. This is the very trama of the series, that is composed by numerous narrations and situations that describe different philosophical questions wrapped around the psychological evolution of the principal characters. The main idea of the series is simply excellent, yet it is not for everyone. Many of those who watch series or movies are looking for action or romance, which we can find inside these episodes but that do not constitute their central dynamic. With very deep themes that are the nucleus of the brilliant reflections seen in this series, we can also appreciate a very interesting development throughout this anime that is constructed by several expositions of existential discourses expressed by each of the character from their own point of view manifested through their behavior and way of thinking. Along with the ideological postures given by the characters, the central pedestal of this production are the ideas and questions brought up by the dysfunctional and dehumanizing environment they find themselves in and are forced to live with. For those who are thirsty of reality-questioning and the meaning of life discussions, this is the perfect way of exploring very different ideas over these topics. The plot, on the other hand, is also admirable. The blind society, the corrupt government, among other factors are evidence that the saying ignorance is bliss is clearly one of the guiding principles this world was built upon. This, combined with the skeptical and remarkably intelligent Lil Mayer have as a result an overwhelming search for the truth and the discovery of the unseen madness that hides behind this disguised paradise city. A very intriguing storyline that will take all of your emotions to the verge of insanity with an extremely interesting and disturbed sequence of events, going through mind blowing revelations that will leave you breathless. An absolutely altering series, Ergo Proxy will challenge your mind to the furthest extreme with a dark and mysterious story that you will never forget.
First off, this is a somewhat slow to start anime. But in no way does this mean it is bad. The story mainly centers first around Re-l Meyer and her obsession to the creatures known as Proxies. Another main character, Vincent Law, is gradually introduced in the first few episodes as an immigrant from another city trying to earn his citizenship in his new city. Without giving away all of the plot, both characters live in the dome city of Romdeau, one of the last vestiges of human survival on post-apocalyptic earth. This is great for people who enjoyed Ghost in the Shell and darker anime shows.
Ergo Proxy is one of the rare projects where every facet of production seems worthy of note and praise, unavoidable nit-picks here and there aside. The animation is gorgeous in all departments down to (and including) the background paintings; the setting shifts between utopian civilizations (or at least they appear to be) and a dystopian landscape seamlessly, realizing the potential of both atmospheres; the plot lays out a nice ratio of questions to answers, aware of what mysteries need explanations and which are more interesting without; and the music is intricate - shifting between only a few moods, yet resisting the common trend of making that a bad thing by recycling the melodies. The characters are just as well-crafted as the artwork - though in the beginning they act uniformly, controlled, and bland (as one would expect in a systematic utopian society), as the story progresses and characters gain and lose control of various situations, their true nature slowly seeps to the surface until they become blinding representations of the philosophies that drive them. These differing philosophies (and subtle references to them) are cleverly inlaid directly into the story arc, dialogue, and even scenery. Whether you initially give it a chance for the cyberpunk theme, the dark art, or the deep story, there's a good chance you'll end up appreciating it all as a whole.
It is a unique experience and a masterpiece but with a bold decision that can ruin the experience for some. The story is told in a narrative that the viewer has to make deductions. A lot is not told like in other shows. You have to think, make the connections from observations and connect the dots to get all out of the story. While I guessed a lot correctly I missed some things too. For example I was only sure that I guessed mayor points correct with the last statement from a main character at the end of the last episode (This is not a joke or even an exaggeration). Some people even made the statement that the great story is buried deep down in the show and I agree. You have a lot of hits in Google with “Ergo Proxy story explained” or similar request. A recommendation is to read these explanations and then rewatch the whole show again. For many this narrative or way of story telling is unacceptable and gets this show low reviews. To be fair even I as a fan of the show cant argue against this as I fully see the validity of the argument. However for me it was a fascinating experience with depth, interesting characters and a world setting unlike anything I have seen before. Lets continue with a story set up: It is set in a post apocalyptic future. An ecological catastrophe from a longtime ago has made the world uninhabitable outside of domed cities. Technology is however still advanced and robots (or androids?) called AutoReivs are a crucial part of society. The story starts in the city Romdeau which has a huge problem with a virus that give infected AutoReivs self-awareness which made them dangerous. The main character Re-I who is the city regents granddaughter is investigating this problem. Meanwhile a strange life-form with incredible abilities appears called Proxy which is somehow in connection with the other main character the immigrant Vincent Law. With this the story starts. It is hard to rate the story when it is also so hard to connect everything. It is a masterpiece that is buried and you have to dig it out yourself (or read an explanation). I repeat that this is a make or break point. Characters: I think this show has a lot of good characters. Both main characters Re-I and Vincent are interesting and enjoyable. Both go through a lot of developments and make discoveries that will shatter all their expectations. For the additional characters I fully enjoyed Pino who is maybe the hidden star of the show, Raul who is far more than it seems, Kristeva his AutoReiv and a few character I can not spoil. Character wise the show makes no mistakes and their stories, struggles and developments kept me easily going. Presentation: The show looked amazing. It has a style between dystopian future, gothic and science fiction garnered with a bit cyberpunk. Even today I will say it still looks good. The soundtrack was sneakily awesome. I did not notice how good it was and how much it enhanced the atmosphere until late in the show (Shame on me). Overall this is a hit or miss show. You can love or hate it with passion or even quit it because the narrative is messed up. All the former points are valid and I would not argue against any of them. For me it worked well enough but I cant made a recommendation as it is to unique for this or better said a special case.