Studio: Manglobe
Released: 2006
Episodes: 23
Ergo Proxy doesn’t so much as throw you in at the deep end, rather it pulls back the curtain to reveal that you were already treading water.
The setting will be familiar enough to anime fans, set very much in the post-apocalypse, the air has been polluted to the point where it is uninhabitable, forcing humankind to seek refuge in some form of sterilised citadel. The gathering place of this tale is Romdeau, a colossal dome raised above the wastelands and sealed off from the contaminated air, enabling human life to exist within it. However, as is so often the case, it becomes apparent that Romdeau isn’t the perfect haven it seems to be, in fact it is rather more dystopian, with all-controlling Bureaus overlooking the goings on of the dome a la 1984.
The city is also filled with subservient androids, or Autoreivs, that come in a number of varieties, such as the high-level and highly skilled Entourage autoreivs that assist Bureau operatives, the Law-enforcing Armed autoreivs that keep people in order, and the highly-suggestive Companion autoreivs that, well, keep people company.
The story follows a number of characters, the main players being: Re-l Mayer, an Information Bureau operative decked out in blue eye-shadow, skin-tight nu-goth attire and a seemingly perpetual impassive glare; and Vincent Law, an immigrant worker grafting away in order to become a ‘Model Citizen’. Also in the limelight is stony badass Raul Creed, Chief of the Security Bureau, and also, obsessive bishounen Dr Daedalus Yumeno, Chief Physician and Head of Research.
The other main player is Pino, a companion autoreiv infected with the Cogito virus that’s troubling Romdeau. The Cogito virus in essence does exactly what it says on its Latin tin, enabling infected autoreivs to think, allowing them to disobey humans and essentially listen to their emotions. This progression is displayed brilliantly using the melodica-playing child-autoreiv Pino, in no small part due to a brilliant and nuanced performance by seiyuu Yajima Akiko.
The series catalogues the journeys of these characters, with each one of them progressing and changing hugely. The main through-line is each characters search, or perhaps quest, for their raison d’être, or ‘reason for being’. It is hardly surprising that it is philosophical searching and existential quandaries that abound in Ergo Proxy, as even the language it uses is steeped in philosophy, both the title of the series and the virus within it borrowing from Descartes’ ‘Cogito Ergo Sum’. The characters, in their own way, are escaping from the authoritarian 'Don't Think Just Do' rule of the system, which is perhaps summed up by the reprimand: “Preaching generalizations is for those who do not practise business”.
The dystopian feel of the story is very much in sync with the style of the animation, with much of the settings being shadowy, brooding and unsettling, though this is contrasted by the brightness of other areas. Contrast is perhaps one of the themes of the series, with the main visual example of this being the ruin and darkness of the outside world compared with the sterilised false glow of Romdeau.
There is also much contrast in the pacing of the series, with the slow, thoughtful nature of the characters developments being interjected by delicious mind-boggling episodes, which are both surreal and disconcerting, and also viciously sidelined by bouts of severe violence.
The series isn’t tastelessly violent, inasmuch as you aren’t flooded by it at every turn. However, when these scenes do crop up, they are unreservedly sadistic and filled with enough animated blood to seriously upset a Viking. Or alternatively, to drown one in. For violence devotees this will be good news, but it is also worth noting that these action scenes are also visually arresting, the fighting is furtive and nervous, but also slick and smooth. It is disturbing when a series has very little remorse early on, and Ergo Proxy follows in the footsteps of Elfen Lied as it casually brutalises its way through a number of characters that seem as though they could be integral parts of the plot, only to be so much fodder mere moments later.
This seemingly uncaring attitude towards certain characters is, again, misleading, as more often than not these characters are not forgotten, and attain far more importance as the series progresses. Contrast is, again, apparent as the series can not only present horrific suffering blatantly, it is also able to bring a deftness to bear, with more subtle, suggestive scenes evoking poignancy, rather than out-and-out shock, such as showing two body-bags, one adult sized, the other the size of a child, rather than spelling this out with blood. Although if spelling things out with blood was a competition, this series is certainly in with a chance of winning, and, to be fair, it brought an enormous pen.
When watching the series, it feels less like a story that is travelling on a linear path, and more like a picture that you are slowly being allowed a fuller view of. What may seem at first glance a sci-fi blood-fest is in reality a suspenseful mystery / psychological thriller, with tinges of both steam and cyberpunk.
The series is also coloured by delightful and, more importantly, unique character design, with designs that are interesting, arresting and memorable. The characters fit brilliantly within the visual ethos of the world created in the story, with some reflecting the futuristic sterility of Romdeau (Re-l), and others the grittiness of the wasteland (Vincent). The technology is also tastefully unique, from the sleek minimalism of the autoreivs, to the distinctiveness of Vincent’s gun, which looks like a malicious Pez dispenser. In terms of sheer style, there is a frankly inspired, and for me, iconic scene featuring a helicopter which goes in my ‘wide-eyed, open-mouthed and dribbling’ scrapbook.
On a complete side-note I would suggest that viewers keep an eye out for a very minor character sporting a toothbrush moustache, more commonly known, perhaps, as a Hitler moustache.
On the downside, some of the more surreal episodes are slightly difficult to follow, though a challenge is always welcome, and they all help to round out the world and the characters, not falling prey to the lazy filler episode trap. There are also sporadic sequences of, non-gratuitous, near-fan-service, from the scowling Underworld-era Kate Beckinsale lookalike Re-l, though not frequent nor overt enough to put off those of you that may have a dislike fan-service. It’s quite tasteful actually, if you must know, now stop badgering me *cough*.
For me the icing on the cake of a good series, or even the icing on the turd of a bad one, is the music chosen for the opening and ending themes. The track which opens the show is Kiri by Monoral, which is a fittingly bleak track, the sound of which is similar to what I imagine would happen if you injected U2 with Oasis (the band not the drink). It is fitting then that the ending music is not a Japanese band with the sound of an alternative British rock band but a bone fide alternative British rock band with the sound of, well, of an alternative British rock band. The track is Paranoid Android by the legendary Radiohead. Despite their legendary status I am unfamiliar with them, and I am therefore unable to assess whether I am for or against, and therefore there is no witty Radiohead-based quip here. The track itself is well suited to the feel of the anime, which is the most important aspect of a theme (in my opinion). I think it is very easy indeed to scupper a good series with inappropriate music.
The series as a whole, then, is very well paced, choosing to take a lull in the middle for some surreal episodes, rather than plough on at breakneck speed. The characters are all very well rounded, where you will come to understand them, and their motives, over the length of the series. It is astoundingly polished in all aspects, with the sound, look and feel of the series being just right throughout. The story itself is masterfully completed, being told adroitly, with all loose ends drawn together at the end, though without it feeling forced or contrived.
Ergo Proxy is very much a series I would watch again, and one I would highly recommend.
Similar: Post-apocalyptic Dystopia: Appleseed, Sky Blue
Mystery, Intrigue, Killings: Death Note
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