Ergo Proxy

Plot synopsis:
=== Story ===
The story begins in a futuristic domed city called Romdeau, built to protect its citizens after a global ecological disaster thousands of years prior. In this utopia, humans and androids known as AutoReivs coexist peacefully under a total management system. A series of murders committed by robots and AutoReivs infected with the Cogito virus (which causes them to become self-aware) begins to threaten the delicate balance of Romdeau's social order. Behind the scenes, the government has been conducting secret experiments on a mysterious humanoid life form called a "Proxy." The Proxy beings (described as almighty, god-like, immortal, omnipotent) are believed to hold the very key to the survival of humanity.
Re-L (pronounced /riːˈɛl/ or "Ree-EL"; also represented by the spelling "R.E.A.L." in the Romdeau citizen database) Mayer is assigned to investigate some of the murders with her AutoReiv partner, Iggy. She encounters two unknown and highly powerful creatures. She later learns that a Proxy was involved. The other central character, an immigrant named Vincent Law, is revealed to be connected in some ways with this Proxy. After being hunted down, Vincent lives in a commune on the outside of the dome for a while. During the massacre of the commune by Raul Creed of the Security Bureau, Vincent leaves the area for Mosk, his birthplace, in an attempt to recover his memories. Re-L later rejoins him to try to discover the truth behind the Proxies and the domes. It is revealed among other things that domes are all created by Proxies as well as the people inhabiting them who are created in special incubators.
In the Romdeau arcology, the government is divided between several entities: the Intelligence Bureau, the Health & Welfare Bureau, and the Security Bureau, are named in the series, all under the control of an Administrator who is referred to as the "Regent" and grandfather of "R.E.A.L."
The primary AutoReiv types are referred to as either 'Companion' or 'Entourage,' depending on their role. There are others designed for leisure or combat functions; AutoReivs seem to be constructed of varying degrees of cybernetic complexity, as witnessed by AutoReivs on occasion producing blood splatter when shot and killed.
The humans in the city are grown in artificial wombs but are still biologically related to their ancestors. Numerous times throughout the series it is stated that the humans living in the domes have no capacity to reproduce naturally, or at least that's what they have been told. Likewise, when a new person is grown, they are done so to fulfill a specific purpose, thus ensuring that person's future-place in society through a "raison d'être" (i.e., a "reason for existence").
=== Characters ===
A number of characters in the supporting cast are named after various figures taken from both history as well as mythology. Most notably, names of significant profiles in philosophical and psychological sciences appear throughout the series. The Proxies could almost be supporting characters, since they play such a vital role in the series. Though it is stated that there are many Proxies, about 300 as the Quiz revealed, only a few have been named: Monad, Senex, Kazkis and Ergo Proxies, as well as Proxy One, MCQ and Will B. Good. A sixth which Re-L sends back to Romdeau with Iggy, is never named.
Re-l Mayer (リル·メイヤー, Riru Meiyā)
Voiced by: Rie Saitō (Japanese); Megan Hollingshead (English)
An inspector of the Citizen Intelligence Bureau (市民情報局, Shimin Jōhōkyoku). She is in charge of investigating a series of brutal murders apparently committed by AutoReivs infected with the Cogito virus. She is also the granddaughter of Donov Mayer, the Regent of Romdeau. Given her privileged status, she expects respect from people around her, and speaks as such (she addresses Vincent as "o-mae"). Re-l accompanies Vincent on his journey in order to learn more about the mysterious Proxies.
Vincent Law (ビンセント・ロウ, Binsento Rō)
Voiced by: Kōji Yusa (Japanese); Liam O'Brien (English)
An immigrant from Mosk dome working for Romdeau's AutoReiv Control Division (オートレイブ処理課) within the Temporary Immigrant Sector FG (暫定移民区域FG), set up to hunt and dispose of infected AutoReivs. Vincent appears driven to become a Fellow Citizen, but ultimately fails to suppress the burden of his traumatic past and flees from Romdeau. He seems to have a deep connection to the second Proxy, having left his necklace at the scene of the first Proxy site.
Pino (ピノ)
Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (Japanese); Rachel Hirschfeld (English)
An infected Companion type AutoReiv owned by Raul Creed and Samantha Ross, Pino served as a surrogate child to the couple. She was scheduled for decommissioning after the Creeds were granted a real baby son by the government, but the untimely deaths of Samantha and her new son prompted Pino to flee Romdeau. She accompanies Vincent on his journey.

Tags: good versus evil, dark, mystery, murder, flashback

Review:
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
*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.
At least find a picture online to appreciate the character design and artwork but I strongly advise you watch at least one episode!
The series starts off with cyberpunk dystopian overtones and fades into dark fantasy as episodes go by.
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.
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.
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.
A True Masterpiece of Modern Art. This anime is one of the best series that I have watched within the past couple of years.
Ergo Proxy is the story of a Utopian society, a futuristic self-contained city where humanity seemingly thrives in perfect harmony.
In the process the viewer is led to wonder about the value of human life, the possible existence of the soul, the capabilities of artificial life, and the propensity of humanity for self-destruction.The style of art utilized in Ergo Proxy is a seamless fusion of CG and hand drawn cells.
Everything within the framework of the anime from the grand panoramas to the facial expression of the characters shows a painstaking attention to detail that, quite frankly, is sadly lacking in many other anime.Ergo Proxy is a little slow to pick up the pace and reveal its major plot points.
If you are one of the many people who are merely looking for a formulaic action/adventure superhuman anime series, do yourself a favor and go watch Dragon Ball Z.
Unfortunately, the series peaks right around this same time and it is a long, slow, boring decline for the next 20 episodes.This anime commits one of the cardinal sins in storytelling.
And if the heavy amount of exposition isn't bad enough, we are also forced to endure tedious one-off episodes that are of, at best, questionable value to the rest of the plot.Then there are the characters.
The art and animation is also good for the most part but is of inconsistent quality and suffers overall as the story progresses.
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.
Ergo proxy is probably one of the best anime of all time, really.
And to make a statement, the best overall ending was the original Evangelion ending, not the movies (although the were good).I would recommend watching this series if you like that sort of movies, because it is very dark, and I think it doesn't quite have that humoristic appeal typically seen in other anime series.
I watched the English dubbed version and it has one of the worst lip sync and dialogs ever written for an anime.I don't know the reason for the series having such a high rating as I felt it's one of the worst stuff I have seen..
Some of the reviewers here have said the first few episodes are confusing but I think seeing the first episode was enough to see what it was truly like!Just not a fan, that's all I'll say to this anime.....
Ergo Proxy is one of those things (including everything in the world) that will make you go "What the f**k?" I want to say this at the very beginning: This show isn't for everyone.
If you are a fan of Naruto/Bleach and like mostly action based anime with some or none major questions, you are best far away from Ergo Proxy.
Ergo Proxy is a wonderful masterpiece - from the art, characters, sound and the very story, everything fits extremely well.
Despite of its dark nature, gloomy appearance and particularly anguishing revelations, Ergo Proxy brings forth dozes of questions about life, society and the very human nature.
I'm not gonna talk about it so much but I want you to know this : Ergo Proxy will definitely be the perfect experience for anybody who loves to feel stupid!!
At first, I thought it won't be that good as any other anime series of japan.
Ergo Proxy deserves a place in my top 20 anime series of all time..
This series is CLEAN.What Ergo Proxy does give you is a complex layered story filled with terms and concepts that, by design, hearken to philosophical, intellectual, and literary tenets for which I can only describe the creators as being perfectly ARTISTIC Ivory Tower Snobs.The saving grace from the snobbery is the fact that the creators were totally skilled in the ability to layer the story in such a way that the unfolding of the story reveals the connections.
And these connections go beyond the up-front mysteries of: WHAT happened to the Earth and What ARE Proxies?Re-L and Vincent Law -- (Note the allusions already?) -- are traveling from RomDo to another failed city to find answers to what Vincent is.
So watch it and enjoy.Oh-- and this Anime series IS a Deadly Girlfriend Test.
A thing I liked and I didn't really see in other animes is a little reference at the end of each show with the symbols used.
Some shows try to highlight the inherent ideas so much that it starts seeming superficial at some point, but not with Ergo Proxy; the deep psychological episodes in the story are not only necessary, but elements that adds to the enjoyment.The anime starts in distant future, in a "dome city" called Romdeau, populated by citizens and androids in human form called "AutoReivs" who are encouraged to waste more.
Re-l Mayer, granddaughter of the highest authoritative figure in the city, is investigating a series of crimes apparently carried out by AutoReivs infected with a virus called "Cogito", which imbues them with self awareness.
Before I could start the last episode, it was time for me to go out to work, and the only thought that kept rolling in my head was, if I were to die outside, I won't be able to finish it, and that will be the only thing I'll regret about my whole life!.
Ergo Proxy was an animated TV series that had the 23 episodes and was televised on the WOWWOW satellite network between February and August in 2006.
The characters, various themes that are taken up in each episode, and above all things, the screenplay and the background concepts, go above and beyond their intended purposes, and each permeate into the plot enhancing the themes explored in the anime.
One day, a virus plaguing androids called "Cogito" flourishes in Romdo, and then the infected AutoReiv get out of control burning up or harbouring a human-like emotion.
Whilst Re-l, the granddaughter of Donov Mayer who is the Regent of Romdo, investigates the AutoReiv infected by "Cogito" virus, she comes across a mysterious monster, the "Proxy", in her room like an abandoned building.Vincent Law, an immigrant coming from Mosk, travels with Pino, an infected companion type AutoReiv, after he saved her from being scrapped due to her infection by "Cogito".
The illusory journey to look for the existential reason of "Proxy" and Vincent starts...An unexpected ending is led by pursuing, "What is Proxy","What is the pulse of awakening", and "the psychological, philosophical, ideal and mythological keywords which are accumulatively imprinted over the episodes".The screenplay is stupendously provocative with the great scenario.
Ergo Proxy is an animated, cyberpunk, Japanese, Sci-Fi TV series (which was created by Manglobe Productions in 2006).Set 1000 years (??) in the future (in the domed city of Romdo) - Ergo Proxy's bleak, creepy, sinister story (where pale, ghostly citizens abound) tells the tale of humans coexisting with robots.An unknown virus called "Cogito" soon infects the robots which (guess what?) gives them self-awareness and, with that, they inevitably resort to murderous violence.
(natch)Mixing 2-D cel-animation with 3-D computer modelling - "Ergo Proxy" was, overall, fairly entertaining, though its story-lines did tend to be somewhat uneven and pretty predictable in the clichéd realm of Sci-Fi..
Also the way this anime 'describes' the characters are so well-thought that I thought about stopping to watch it.
Ergo Proxy meets all the requirements for a classic dystopian story: a character separate from the mechanizations of world in which the destructive tendencies of our own are amplified into a horror.
It is arguable whether Re-l is the main character, but there have been others like her.Stylisticly, your enjoyment of this series will probably depend on whether or not you give up on something when you can't understand it.
The underlined theme of this anime is "cogito ergo sum" I think, therefore I am.
Just after Vincent comes to Romdo, the secret of the dome escapes a proxy.
Later Vincent is accused of the attack and begins to flee the dome and ends up getting chased by a proxy.
Little did I know then what I was about to experience.In the end, when I finished watching I just couldn't believe what I had just seen.
If you firmly believe that there is a fantasy element revolving around the proxies, just watch episode 15 again, closely this time.
Simply try to figure out what or who the creator (or creators, hint hint) mentioned in later episodes is/are.Apart from this, Ergo Proxy is really a vengeance story if you understand the above.
And things are not what you think they are.For conceiving such a concept, and realising it in such an outstanding way, and for all the dementia thrown inside, I give Ergo Proxy a pure 10/10 something I never imagined I would do again for an anime series after Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Like almost any good show, Ergo Proxy is fundamentally about the characters, and watching Re-l is, in the end, more interesting than the story.
The episode that I like the most has no story at all, and concentrates entirely on character interaction within a somewhat confined space.
:)Why I think so highly about this anime is because the float of everything and the mysterious feeling of the series, and nothing is what it seems to be.
It makes you really feel that the world has gone to hell when you watch, and I love the parts were some newer CG animations have been added (dont know if it is newer or just another type of CG)And now for the little spoiler: Thank god that Vince came back down to R-el and Pino :)I am waiting for another season, hope it will be out soon..
While investigating she comes across a powerful creature that she learns is called a 'Proxy'; determined to discover what it is she follows immigrant Vincent Law as he leaves the domed city of Romdo.
He has lost his memories but believes he can find out about his past if he goes to his old home; another domed city so he heads there along with Re-L and an infected auto-riev called Pino.If you are looking for a fast paced action packed series then this is not it; the pace is slow but this serves to allow the viewer to soak up the atmosphere and get immersed into the story.
As the series progresses we gradually learn more about the world we are watching; from the different nature of humanity to the mysterious Proxies.
Overall I'd say if you like your anime dark and dystopian you should love this.These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles..
With the help of an infected little-girl android named Pino, Vincent escapes the dome, and finds the outside world is not as unsurvivable as he had been led to believe.
Re-L eventually sets out to find Vincent and subsequently begins to discover the dark secrets behind Romdo, the Proxies, the androids and even Vincent himself.The series transitions from a fairly standard detective/noir story into a grim and melancholy take on epic fantasy, enveloping those viewers who are willing and patient deep into a world of existential angst.
Despite it's intellectual bent, the series finale has a reasonably satisfying emotional payoff.Ergo Proxy's animation is atypical for anime.
Sometimes, the series feels overreaching and a little pretentious but it has it's heart in the right place.If you are willing to take the time and invest in this series, Ergo Proxy will reward you.