Category: Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense

xxxHolic – 15 – Confidence, and the lack of it

by psgels, posted in xxxHolic



The new ED seriously rocks. It’s still on my mind. Anyway, the episode was great once more. The previous one introduced the problem, while this one solved it. And it was indeed more than just telling the older twin to “always look on the bright side of life”. The younger twin proved to be much more of a problem. She not only had more confidence and was more cheerful, she also kept believing that her older sister indeed was worthless. Even worse: she kept reminding the older sister of it. Believe me, it isn’t good if you keep getting told that you’re not good at anything.

Words are a bit theme during this episode. It doesn’t focus at something supernatural, just something mental. Overall, it was great. The interesting thing is that Watanuki has the same problem as the older sister, though a bit less extreme. When he’s in front of Himawari, he too gets too scared to say anything. It seems that he still doesn’t have this courage, after Yuuko gets evil at the end of the episode. Things are going better, though.

xxxHolic – 14 – Twins and Vibrations

by psgels, posted in xxxHolic



First of all, this episode comes with a new ED, and it totally ROCKS. Seeing Maru and Moro on the air guitar like that, and Mokona on air drums, without overdoing it is so incredibly awesome. The song really fits the dark moods of the show as well. Two thumbs up for the creators.

About the episode: it shows that we can have two-episode arcs as well. I think xxxHolic will now be turning into that direction. The first two-arc story, in any case, is great. We have these twins, and they’re the total opposite of each other. One is cheerful and laid-back, while the other is gloomy. The cheerful one always takes the initiative, and the gloomy one kindof tags along. The gloomy sister feels that she’s being held back by her twin. And this starts to get to her. In the end, she ends up with a bloody forehead inside a cinema. This one really is getting exciting. Especially as I can relate to the gloomy sister a bit. Not because of twins, but because of other things.

The fact that this episode reminded me of Jigoku Shoujo 16 also made this one better. Watanuki, Himawari and Domeki’s antics were great to see once more. Yuuko, meanwhile discovered that she has a hidden talent for juggling while Maru and Moro ran arond with a couple of rugs. And call me crazy, but I begin to like the tall character design even more.

xxxHolic – 13 – Pidgeons

by psgels, posted in xxxHolic



xxxHolic returns with a normal case again, this episode. This time, we have a fallen angel. It’s a strange creature who can attach itself to a person who wants to be stronger so badly, that he doesn’t care if he loses control of himself. The fallen angel then lives as a parasite on its host, while this host loses its mind’s ability of self-control. In exchange, the host is freed from any burdens it suffers from. When the fallen angel has done its work, it detaches from its host, leaving it behind as an empty shell, and just goes and searches for a new host to leech from. The previous host has lost all critical thinking at that time. Only through active nurturing, the host body can be able to recover.

This time, the host body belonged to a girl named Rie. Everyone sees her as a very nice and quiet girl. Though when the fallen angel chooses to reside in her body, it seems that she’s been acting that way. She probably felt incomplete, she probably wanted to be free (hence the pigeons who kept flying across the screen during the episode). I alos like the fact that we never know what happened to her in the end, or whether she got saved or not.

Apart from that, some further information about Maru and Moro is given. Watanuki tries to invite the two of them to a festival, but then their cheery self disappears, and they explain that they can’t ever leave Yuuko’s shop. They’re both soulless bodies, only able to live inside. When they go outside, they wouldn’t survive. I loved the way the pipe fox broke the tension in this. ^^

It could also have been me, but Watanuki and Himawari seemed much closer than before. The two of them talk much more to each other than at the beginning of the scene. Even with Domeki near. I think that this is supposed to be a subtle hint for the relationship between the two of them. Either that, or Watanuki’s mind’s playing tricks on him again.

Surprisingly, Domeki didn’t choose for art class, while Watanuki and Himawari did. Still, that doesn’t mean that Watanuki hasn’t got enough time to yell at him. The two of them have (Watanuki’s) lunch together (At this point, Watanuki’s given up on trying to stop him), and they walk homewards together as well. Another interesting fact is that Domeki got some nasty cuts in his hands while he tried to save Watanuki from being stabbed by a small knife. I also loved how Domeki and Watanuki ended up together at the fishing game during the festival. ^^

There wasn’t any tension in this episode. The climax was badly deus ex machina-ed away by the pipe fox. Yuuko also was a bit too serious for her own good. Normally, she’s much more playful. And why did she go out? I was also a bit disappointed when the creators decided not to show Watanuki’s and Himawari’s self portraits. I’d like to have seen what they managed to draw.

The art style also was extra messy this episode, and I loved it. I can really appreciate it when an anime differs from the standard art style.

(On a side-note: you would think that the creators would do something about the number thirteen in this episode, but then again, this is japanese animation, not european).

Ergo Proxy – 14 – Pino = God

by psgels, posted in Ergo Proxy



This episode was totally messed up. Not in terms of quality, but in terms of storytelling. We have this Proxy who can change his appearance at will, and he keeps bothering Real, Vincent and Pino with this ability. Pino probably featured her best performance up till now. ^_^

The episode begins with a teaser of what happens at the end of the episode. Real phylosophizes a bit. She believes that the world doesn’t end once she dies, though she used to believe this as a child. She’s a true realist, though I’m dying to see her as a child. Then it seems that Vincent seems to have done something stupid, though he seems to blame Real and Pino for this. Then they approach the dome, which probably will be Moscow, Vincent’s homeland.

We then switch to a lake, in which a dead Real is floating, with Vincent and Pino standing right next to her. At this time, I was beginning to scratch my head, and then to think that that only was the beginning.

The OP rolls, and we switch to Pino and Vincent doing some groceries. It seems that they ran into another abandoned city. This time, not even robots or autoraves are active. Real walks around a bit, and gets some visions of Iggy. The city has a strange shape. Much like a huge crater, entirely populated with houses and with a small lake and lots of trees in the middle. She walks around a bit, takes a look at the ship they traveled with and then she arrives at the lake. At that time, she could’ve sworn she saw something. That’s the first clue we get of the Proxy.

Real then goes back to the supermarket, at which Vincent and Pino just finished shopping. While Pino has fun with cans, Real’s as cold as usual. Vincent wants to stay for a while, though Real scolds him, for not being determined. Then, Pino gets cuter than ever when she tries to present her own assembled meal to her. It looks absolutely disgusting. Real immediately turns this down and leaves, with the excuse of keeping a lookout. Vincent, however, doesn’t. Seeing Pino smile like that was just absolutely hilarious. She’s an autorave, so she doesn’t have the slightest ideas about taste. I don’t think the Proxy was at this scene. Both characters acted natural and said things that an outsider wasn’t supposed to know. (Like Real who drinks a lot of Ginger Ale and Vincent’s goal to reach Moscow) Though it would have been too funny if he actually was pretending to be one of them. ^^

We then switch to Real, complaining about how Vincent and Pino bring her in a bad mood. Back to Vincent, he’s packing and runs into the Proxy, pretenting to be Real, eating the pea soup from before. When he tells her to hurry, she tells him that she’s eating at the moment. Vincent gives her some ginger ale and then goes to get some water, along with Pino (she looked too awesome carrying that big can like that ^^).

Back to Real, the fake proxy gives her a visit, pretending to be Vincent. He brings her the same ginger ale as he just got from the real Vincent. He then suggests to stay here for a while. When you see this, and don’t know about the Proxy, the scene turns hilarious: first, Real tells Vincent to pack things up and leave as soon as possible. Vincent packs, but then he sees Real, taking it easy. Then Vincent comes back to Real, and he is the one again to suggest to stay and Real is the one to suggest to leave fast. Still, when you know about the Proxy, this scene makes perfect sense. The Proxy is lonely, and he hopes for the two of them to stay.

In any case, when the face Vincent set up an incredibly fake speech, asking Real in a very sad tone whether she didn’t love him anymore, I began to suspect something. These feelings only got confirmed when the real Real pushed the fake Vincent off the roof of the supermarket, only to disappear into nothingness afterwards. The fact remains that the Proxy didn’t know about the two of them. He just thought that they were a couple with a child. He also thought they were still lovey-dovey, so that’s why he set up the act he did. He also let himself get pushed off, in order to try and test how Real would react to this.

Vincent, meanwhile managed to get enough water. Then he runs into the fake Real. She sets up an angry voice, and she asks for the autorave. Then she attempts to kill Pino and Vincent locks her in a storage room. When he hears her reasons, it appears that Pino wanted to kill her. Vincent doubts this, of course, though he still asks Pino in a very kind way. Out of her explanation, it seems that Vincent believes that this was because of the food that Pino made. He indeed reckons that Real overexaggerated a bit. What follows is the fake Real, falling off the roof of the supermarket, right in front of Vincent’s eyes. He then sees a figure on top of the roof, and heads there. While he does, he notices that the storage room from before is open again.

When he gets to the top of the roof, the fake Real is gone, only to appear behind him. She then asks him a few questions, which Vincent can’t answer and runs away. Pino, meanwhile, gets visited by the fake Vincent, carrying the real Real’s unconcious body. They head for the lake, and the fake Vincent drops the body of the real Real in the lake. It sinks, only to rise again. Pino then thinks that Real has died.

When the real Vincent, meanwhile checks up on the Centzon (the ship they came with) he notices that it’s gone. He then thinks that Real and Pino left without him. And that he’s alone again. He then notices that something’s happening at the lake. Back to Pino, she totally manages to pwn the Proxy when she unmasks him. She also mentions something very interesting: there are two real Reals. Does the other Real mean the Proxy, pretending to be Real, or does this mean that Real’s got another appearance? Then, the fake Vincent attempts to strangle Pino, but then he sees that she’s an autorave, who can’t be strangled. Still, when he acted as Real, he did mention the fact that Pino was an autorave. What’s up with that?

The real Vincent meanwhile arrives at the lake, and then he sees the fake Real, sinking into the lake. Vincent dives after her, and manages to save her. She then opens her eyes, and attempts to drown him. This looked pretty amusing. ^^

Pino meanwhile managed to save the real Real from drowning. The two of them realize that both of them aren’t the proxy, though Real realizes that something’s happening. What follows is Vincent and the Proxy, floating in the depths of the lake and finding out about the facts that they both are Proxy. The Proxy then tells Vincent about his loneliness. Everywhere he appeared, people fled. Nobody acknowledged him. He then killed everyone in the city, in the hope of disappearing, though it didn’t work. He hopes to eliminate himself, along with Vincent. He then tries to break Vincents mind, in tricking him to die along with him.

Vincent then surfaces, only to see the fake Real standing before him. She yells at him, and he realizes that she’s the fake one. This scene repeats for a while. During this, the fake Vincent also shows the bodies of all of the former citizens he killed, stored in the middle of the lake. I think this all happens in the head of the Proxy, as Vincent then sees the same scene of Real standing on the shore. He decides to go extreme by strangling her. Though then Pino comes to her. This makes Vincent think that he really killed the real Real, while in fact, they’re just standing on the other side of the lake, watching the two Vincents talk to each other. Real noted exceptionally well that the fake Vincent didn’t have a reflection in the water.

Then, both of the Vincents sink again. Then, Vincent surfaces yet again, as yet again the same scene happens. though this time, the fake real is the real real. We then switch to the ship again, where the episode started. Apparently, Vincent caught a cold after being in the lake for so long (you’d wonder why Real didn’t, as she also was dumped into the lake). The Proxy probably cut the ropes which were holding the Centzon at its place, so it drifed off. Vincent then managed to recover it. Vincent then relates himself to the Proxy. They were both lonely. Though Pino and Real managed to save him. They managed to give his life meaning. We also see Real smile for one of the first times in the series.

Each Proxy’s ability and way of thinking is entirely different from the others. Some of them have a human form, like Ergo and Kazkiz, while others don’t, like the one from episode 12 and Senekis. Some Proxy can really think for themselves, like Kazkiz, Ergo and the one from this episode, while others are just killing machines, like Senekis and others are just savage beasts like the one from episode 12. Some Proxy have two minds, like Ergo, while others have just one mind, like Kazkiz. Some use their hair as weapon, others like to change their appearance to confuse the enemy, others just use their hands in combat. And I can keep going on like that for a while.

Overall, I just love the mind games that this anime is playing. I wonder what’ll happen when the characters reach Moscow.

xxxHolic – 12 – Asking for help

by psgels, posted in xxxHolic



This episode was a special one. It was specifically aimed at the relationship between Watanuki’s relationship with Hinata and Domeki. To top everything, the creators tried to implement some really scary scenes, combined with some awesome comedy. Guess what? It actually worked. This episode was probably one of the best yet.

We start with Yuuko, Watanuki, Domeki and Himawari arriving at a beach house. Meanwhile, Watanuki continues rambling to Domeki, and a ghost keeps writing blue letters on a wall. One thing I really can appreciate in anime is when all kinds of things happen in the background. It shows that the creators really have been planning. Watanuki was just too great. He really hates Domeki with passion.

They enter the house, and a creepy tune keeps playing. Watanuki checks out the kitchen, and notices a strange vase with a blue flower. Lots of Watanukis getting giddly over Himawari and bickering towards Domeki later (too funny, by the way), evening falls and all of the characters go to sleep. Watanuki then wakes up, in the middle of the night because he hears some scratching on the walls, coming from the room next to him. The only problem is, the corridor shows no sign of a room being there. He checks out more carefully, and then notices that the wall on the corridor was a fake one. He then sees a door, and walks into the room. What then follows is a great attempt at a scary scene. It had great backgrounds, and Watanuki really made me believe that something really scary was going on.

This episode also had just a perfect build-up. Even though the ghost appeared to be just Mokona, the preparation was just perfect. During the entire episode, letters kept appearing on the wall, a very creepy tune played, and Watanuki’s ramblings were enough to make the viewer not notice about the small details which might have given this away (for example, the cardboard wall). The blue vase at the end, of course, was a standard thing with ghost stories. People are pulling a prank about some kind of ghost, they make the main character believe that there really is one by dropping lots of clues. But one of these clues doesn’t belong to them, and actually is a real ghost. Still, this episode had something which most of the other shows who attempt this don’t have: the fact that ghosts are common. Watanuki sees them everyday. Most other shows just use ghosts once, without a real explanation. Another thing is Watanuki’s reaction to this. He became scared at the moment when he saw the real ghost. Really scared. This was an aweosme sight.

These things may have been awesome. The ghost story was probably one of the best in xxxHolic yet, and Watanuki and Domeki were just too funny at times (you’d think that jokes like these would bore after a while, but surprisingly, they don’t. Seeing Domeki making use of Watanuki’s imaginary merry-go-round was just hilarous), the truly awesome part lies in Himawari, and Watanuki’s reluctance to call to Domeki for help. Himawari actually felt sorry for Watanuki, as he wasn’t able to swim because the sea seemed like a very popular place for spirits. So she thought she’d do something for him, which involved getting Watanuki to call Domeki for help. If he managed to do that, Yuuko would lift Watanuki’s curse for one full day, so that he could go swimming with Himawari. (Watanuki’s right about one thing: Himawari’s just too cute)

Watanuki, however, was not able to call for help. He still hates Domeki for the things he did, and he doesn’t realize that he actually likes being with him (just refer to any episode at which the two of them were together and had to solve a mystery. Watanuki’s mind was just too occupied with the thing which were happening, that he took Domeki’s existance for granted). Though when it comes to calling for help, Watanuki’s mind interferes too much for him to be able to say it. Despite the fact that Domeki’s saved his life many times before (heck, he even stood in the rain for ten hours in order to save him).

Overall, I loved this episode. Himawari was just too cute, not per se because of her looks, but because of the plan she had.The ghost story really made a good attempt at being scary. This really was xxxHolic at its best.

Ergo Proxy – 13 – Iggy

by psgels, posted in Ergo Proxy



How cool, an Iggy-episode. It seems that he was infected with cogito after all. This, in combination with both Real, the infected autorave from the previous episode and a little bit of Pino turned this episode yet again into an incredible one.

As predicted, Iggy doesn’t return to Romdeau, but the cogito-virus drives him crazy. He only wants to live for Real, so he’s planning to kill the bastard who drove her away, and keep Real only for himself. In extreme ways. He locks her up inside the same sort of container that the Proxy from the previous episode was put in. (Claustrophobia, anyone?) All of this is inspired by the infected autorave from the previous episode, who, in her turn also gets inspired by Iggy in order to kill the one who took her raison d’être away. The girl then begins to chase Real, Iggy attempts to kill Vincent, which obviously doesn’t go too well. The four persons meet up with each other, the autorave attempts to self-destruct though Iggy sacrifices himself in order to save Real.

In essence, this is just the same formula as good guy turns bad, attempts to kill main character, climax, good guy turned bad gets the idea that it wasn’t such a good plan to leave the other good guys and kills himself in order to protect the other good guys from certain death. But this episode manages to delve so much deeper in the minds of the characters involved, that it makes up for everything. Both the girl autorave as Iggy as Real get so much character development. Everyone’s reasons are so full of details. I just loved it.

Take Real for example, the was so getting used to Iggy being with her that she took his existance for granted, up to the point at which she started ordering around, and stopped caring. When Iggy is away, as in the beginning of the episode, she really didn’t know what to do, and started ordering Pino around. Of course, this really didn’t help, so she sought help in Vincent. Then Iggy confronts her with this. And only then she starts to realize. Combine this with the fact that she’s just been betrayed, she’s locked up inside an extremely tight container and the fact that Iggy’s yelling at her, and it makes for some incredible moments.

It’s also great that Iggy just continued to serve Real, even though he was infected. He just acted normally, despite the cogito-virus. Only when he begins to think about his own raison d’être, and starts noticing how Real doesn’t notice him, it goes wrong. Pino, on the other hand, managed end up just fine. She’s being treated like a normal human, even though she’s an autorave, and just look at how playful she became. The fact remains that Iggy remained just Iggy. You can’t say that the Iggy from the past died, because he kept acting the way he did, even though he was infected. The way Iggy brings this to Real is just amazing.

Also, the dying speach-scene. The one in which one of the characters is about to die, and talks his last words, who’ll probably be some inspiring words, lots of drama and the person dying completely forgiving everyone and apologizing for the bad things he did. Still, Iggy is an autorave, a machine, still infected with the cogito-virus. During that scene, he kept switching from normal-mode to cogito-mode, so in the middle of his speech, he suddenly started screaming at Real, accusing her of being the source of all his suffering, and at the same time apologizing. The effect that this had was extremely interesting to see.

I’m not too sure about the relationship between Real and Vincent. Please, don’t let Real be a tsundere! Only now with Tsuyokiss and Zero no Tukaima, I’m beginning to realize how much I hate tsunderes. Still, I do have to admit that Vincent looked too cute in his attempts to win Real’s heart. He’s got no social skills at all, so he has to try in his own ways.

Pino was once again amazing. It’s great to see that she still has her bunny-suit, and puts that on from time to time. At the end of the episode, we also see that she has learned from the past, and knows what sadness looks like. Still, she hasn’t managed to fully understand it. She also was great when she replied to Real that she’d rather want to know that feeling. Oh, and let’s not forget Vincent looking for firewood, when Pino comes running to him with a couple of mushy mushrooms. ^^;

Overall, this episode was great. Especially the conflict between Iggy and Real, when he bashed her completely into the ground with his arguments. He was right about everything, and Real realizing her own mistakes was amazing to see. This anime’s just turning better and better by the minute. I can’t wait for the next episode.

xxxHolic – 11 – Mokona’s So Cool!

by psgels, posted in xxxHolic



This episode continued the awesomeness that xxxHolic managed to start in the previous episodes. Both in terms of comedy as in terms of stories. I just love seeing Yuuko, Maru, Moro and Mokona getting giddly over just about everything, and this episode was no exception. The scenes which happened in the air treated the viewer with some great choreography. Especially when Watanuki fell from the sky, I really noticed how great that scene looked.

It’s great to see that characters are actually returning. In fact, it seems that the sprites will be playing some kind of role, later in the anime. The fact that the rain sprite appears in two episodes, and gets mentioned in another one has to say something. Especially if you include the fact that both this episode as the seventh one were the only ones who got featured in the OP.

Mokona was just utter coolness. Just try to compare such a cute and fluffy animal with the enormous bird it was riding. I also just love it when the Watanuki and Mokona are alone on some kind of mission. Mokona’s playful character really helps Watanuki get through trials like these. Even though he doesn’t like it. ^^;

The Vestal Sprite was too cute, by the way. At first, it’s obvious that she doesn’t want to talk to Watanuki. Though as the episode progresses, I really believed that she wasn’t interested in neither Watanuki or Doumeki. That made the end of the episode turn into a small surprise after all. I really liked her character art, especially if you combine it with these firefly-esque lighty thingies.

We also get to see the five unidentified flying objects which were haunting around the OP. I kept wondering what they were. Well, they appear to be Karasu Tengu, or bird-like servants of the Vestal Sprite. And rather short tempered ones as well. I just loved their squeaky little voice-acting and the way they yelled towards Watanuki. i loved them even more at the end of the episode, when they were chased by Mokana in the background. It’s a little detail, but I can really appreciate such subtle details. Especially when Mokona just kept chasing those guys until Watanuki told him (her?) to stop. ^^;

You can say that Watanuki’s relationship with Himawari is annoying. And yes, at times it is. Though Doumeki manages to play for an adequate rival in order to spice up this relationship a bit. That’s again something that this episode displays, as Doumeki manages to steal the lunch that Watanuki had prepared for Himawari. ^^; I also loved the fact that Himawari actually sent a letter to Yuuko, in order for her to give it to Watanuki. Did she have any specific reason to do that?

Overall, xxxHolic is just a great anime. Ranging from Yuuko, Maru, Moro and Mokona trying to get on Watanuki’s nerves as much as possible to Doumeki’s sarcastical comments to the very interesting stories told at each episode, along with the themes and characters that come with it. I don’t care if the art is low-quality. It looks great, and that’s what matters, no?

Ergo Proxy – 12 – Pino’s innocence

by psgels, posted in Ergo Proxy



Interesting developments. Very interesting developments. The episode itself wasn’t that exiting, though I like the way at which this anime is going. Still, I did love the little details.

Pino finally had a great role again. She’s getting more and more open, she dares to do more things on her own, though she still doesn’t lose her habit to copy others. She also gets scared for the very first time, and she openly turns Real into a “scary woman”. Still, an interesting fact is that she realizes that a proxy is evil, though she doesn’t realize an infected autorave who steals from the Usagi is evil. She still needs a bit of time to understand this.

The most interesting development certainly came from Real and Vincent. Even though it’s nothing special, it’s nicely excecuted. Especially the fact that Real actually tricks Vincent who’s in love with her, and actually KISSES him, in order to not let Vincent see that she was actually planning to shoot him. That’s what I love about Real, she’s a very strong woman, though she’s not an uber-mensch. She has her moments of weakness. In any case, Vincent’s days of immortality are over, and he’ll probably run into another fight at which his memories of Real slow him down, making him almost lose. Ah well, it does explain why he parted with his memories. I believe that he had the same when he was in love with Monad Proxy.

I’m wondering about Iggy, Pino, and the mysterious autorave. It would be awesome if the three of them would wind up together, though the latter will probably infect the former with the Cogito, with the middle one to witness it. I also love the way that Real was so cold towards Iggy, by the way. Including the fact that autoraves can just be turned off. It makes you think how many humanity was put into these machines.

Still, even though many things are going into the right way, I so hope that Ergo Proxy has a few more tricks up his sleave. His transformation sequence begins to get a bit boring right now.

xxxHolic – 10 – Mokona’s super suction power!

by psgels, posted in xxxHolic



Watanuki’s face when he found out that Yuuko was planning to do something to make him and Himawari get closer together was just priceless. The episode itself also was just great. Ghost stories, who doesn’t love them? Basically, Yuuko had a 100 Tales of Horror in mind. Or at least a shortened version. It’s basically a ritual, which the japanese used in order to tell ghost stories.

To Watanuki’s displeasure, Domeki’s invited as well. The four of them prepare a bit, and then each of them tells a story. Himawari begins, and her story is the best in my opinion. Domeki makes use of a standard story with a fast climax. Watanuki tells about something that actually happened to him, while Yuuko invites some actual spirits to tell their own story.

Himawari’s may have been the best, Watanuki’s strory was also pretty interesting. As it was something that really happened to him, there is no climax. As a kid, he walked to some place, and at a crossing, he saw a very weird guy cross the streets, wearing an expensive suit, a top hat and an umbrella. At the next crossing, the guy appeared again, and once more at the third crossing. Yuuko then mentions the fact that if Watanuki continued one more time, things would’ve become nasty, as the number four equals the number six or thirteen in western culture. This is of course, logical as four is spoken as Shi, which means the same thing as death. This does make you wonder, however. What were the guys who invented the japanese thinking when they gave these the same meaning?

Interesting note: Mokona eating a watermelon was just too cute. Another interesting note: same with its suction power. Yet another interesting note: Himawari and Domeki were able to see the spirits this time. One more interesting side-note: Himawari does get worried about Watanuki at one point (*wink, wink*). One final interesting note: remember the movie? That also happened during the summer holidays, so at one point, somewhere before this episode, the movie took place.

It’s also typical that Watanuki really does not have the guts to be with Himawari alone, and that he always ends up being together with Domeki for some reason. I like this about him: his dependance on others. Yuuko’s evil personality also is just wonderful. You really know that she’ll show up with plans that Watanuki absolutely does not look forward to. Overall, I really liked this episode. But then again, how can someone who’s a big fan of stories like that not like it? ^^

Ergo Proxy – 11 – Yay for Phylosophy :)

by psgels, posted in Ergo Proxy



Ergo Proxy = Love. Seriously, my last post about .Hack//Roots really made me think about clever anime, what they are, and what they look like. This episode was so utterly incredible that it gave me such a new insight on this matter. Most people will probably dislike this episode, as it just features Vincent talking to himself for twenty whole minutes. But I totally loved it. So many references were made, so many metaphors were used, and the dialogue was just totally incredible. This episode truly can not be summarized, and I won’t even attempt to do that. So many small things mattered.

First of all, what does define a clever anime? I’d like to think of an anime which really makes me think. And not just a bit, as in a small note which comes to my mind, but an anime who manages to send all kinds of thoughts rambling through my head, like there’s nothing to stop them, something like a fierce mountain river which lasts for kilometres and kilometres. .Hack//Sign was the first example of this. Right now, the only anime I’m watching who accomplishes the same tasks is Ergo Proxy, with Higurashi no Naku Koro no and Mushishi getting very close as a second and third. Higurashi features very carefully written plot and mystery, while Ergo Proxy’s dialogue manages to hit me time and time again and Mushishi’s themes also make you think about the issues they introduce. Apart from these four mentioned, the only other near-clever anime I managed to run into were Fantastic Children, Utena and Fruits Basket, with xxxHolic having very small potential of becoming one. Fantastic Children had its great theme of reincarnation, Utena had its great use of symbols, while Fruits Basket delved deep into the minds of each of the characters.

Each of these anime are extremely well written, and each of them is written in its own way. It’s not just the themes, it’s how the creators make use of it. I’ve also noticed that most of them make good use of phylosophy. Especially Ergo Proxy and .Hack//Sign, and I must admit, I am a sucker for anything phylosophy-related. But still, the fact that phylosophy is used, means that there isn’t just one right answer, and one wrong answer. So many different opinions are possible, and each of them bears some hidden truth.

Anyway, back to the episode, I just loved it. Remember the sentence Raoul said in the previous episode? (I think, therefore I …, leaving the last word open on purpose). This sentence comes back, though slightly altered. It’s not “I think therefore I am”, it’s “I think, therefore YOU are”. Basically, humans are able to create their own world. They do exist, and they make others exist, inside their world. It’s also interesting that Vincent ends up in a bookstore. In there, he finds all kinds of books, and all of them have his name written on their cover. When he looks at the pages, they’re empty. At the beginning of the episode, the books keep increasing. Then Vincent comes at a point at which he begins to recite his own memories, of the things he knows. This makes some of the books disappear. At the end of the episode, Pino ends up at the Usagi again, and even there lies one of these books. Though this time, the books don’t vanish, they only lose their inscription of Vincent on their cover. This probably means that Vincent finally found himself, and accepted the fact that he IS a Proxy. (Interesting note: along with Vincent’s name, this book also featured a butterfly on its cover. This butterfly also vanished along with the name. Would that mean anything?).

Another interesting fact is that there’s the same discussion being held, twice. Once at the beginning of the episode, and once at the ending of the episode. Each of them have different outcomes, showing Vincent what he learned. Vincent lost his way at the beginning of the episode, and decided to go to the bookstore in order to ask for directions. Meanwhile, a fog started coming up, and he lost Pino. He wanted to know all these things at once. At the end of the episode, he finally realizes this. And the bookstore. For some reason, Vincent’s head turned this into a gigantic maze, but for some other reason, the maze formed a perfect circle, with Vincent in the middle. This points at the struggles that Vincent is currently in. Brilliantly found.

This episode certianly played with the minds of the viewers, as we don’t exactly know what happened in Vincent’s head, and what didn’t. For starters: was the bookstore even real, or was this a figment of Vincent’s imagination as well? Everything looked realistic and all, except for the fact that there’s a bookstore in the middle of nowhere. When Pino was walking in the Usagi, you could see one of the books bearing Vincent’s name. Was that because of Vincent’s power as a Proxy? And still, in the end, Vincent did end up getting directions. Is that really something that can form inside your head? What about the fact that at one point, Ergo and the old man were arguing with each other? Can things like these really happen, even inside your head? And if the old man did exist in reality, what part of him was real, and what part wasn’t? After all, he was the only one who didn’t end up with an Ergo Proxy mask. Ergo Proxy uses this opportunity to talk to Vincent, but the two of them indeed seemed to not have the same opinion. In fact, Ergo was just trying to make clear to Vincent that he was is a Proxy, and that the two of them are the same. But does the fact that they share the same body, mean that the two of them are also the same? I mean, Vincent is Vincent, and when Vincent loses control, Vincent blacks out and Ergo appears.

It’s also interesting that Vincent takes a trip along his memories of the past, with each person appearing with an Ergo Proxy-mask (this was, by the way, a scary sight on Pino and other little children). Ergo comes with a nice statement. At the moment, he’s only observing the world, while not being any part of it. Is that what Proxy are able to do? Messengers sent from a higher level? It’s also interesting that near the end of the episode, Real gets to be the one who loses her mask. She disappears afterwards, of course, but then, Ergo sets the mask on fire, while asking Vincent which Proxy he is. I guess he wanted to see how Vincent reacted when the Ergo-mask was to be destroyed. It’s interesting to see Vincent clinging to that mask at such a cornered moment. Afterwards, Vincent becomes surrounded by mirrors, in Ergo-mode, only strenthening this effect.

Okay, I hope that that was understandable… Anyway, overall, this episode was just totally incredible. It SO messes with the viewer’s mind. At least, it did with mine. The Ergo inside Vincent is planning something, but before he does that, he needs Vincent to realize that the two of them are the same. The episode ends with Real catching up with Vincent. You’d wonder how she managed to find him. After all, Vincent was lost. How do you find someone who’s lost? I guess she’s special after all. But in what way?

On a side-note: What is the memory guardian? Could it be the thing that prevents Vincent from remembering what he does as Ergo? And why was the old man against unlocking it?
On a side-note2: I’ve recently managed to get my hands on the Ergo Proxy OST, and it’s amazing. I really recommend it.