Ergo Proxy is a science-fiction series with a healthy dose of mystery and action. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world, in which the regular earth has become uninhabitable. The only places where people can live is in certain air-tight domes. This story begins in one of these domes: Romdeau. It’s a highly controlled society, which believes that each citizen should get as less freedom as possible, in order to become the perfect citizen.
Ergo Proxy definitely is an incredibly unique series. This mostly lies in the way the plot is written. Especially the middle episodes really play games with your mind. Complex dialogues and monologues occur often, with awesome effects. Some episodes definitely are huge roller-coaster rides, almost without any slow moments. These kinds of episodes really were great to see, and I definitely recommend them. They were also very thought-provoking, dealing with issues as philosophy and psychology.
The show also has a cast of very interesting characters. Ranging from a tough, realistic woman to a small, “android” (or Autorave, as they call it in the anime) girl. The anime starts out full of mysteries and vague references. don’t expect to understand anything of the story for the first three episodes. Then, the pacing dies down a bit, and things can get a bit explained. After that point, things pick up again, and the series starts to become episodic, featuring a fight between two characters on every episode. The great thing is that these characters don’t fight the standard way. Each clash between characters is full of originality. Most of them prefer to use mind games, and we even have one character who kills his victims off by using a fully fledged game-show.
The mystery-part works very well in the early episodes. For almost every episode, new questions get introduced. Still, as the series progresses it makes the mistake to introduce more questions than it can take, resulting in a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the series. I’ve finished this series now, and almost half of the mysteries of this show still remain mysteries. The episodic nature of the second half of the show also takes its toll, especially on the later episodes. For some reason, these seem to have lost the extra touch that the first two thirds of the anime did have. The first half of this series definitely was the better half.
The graphics are also a feast for the eyes. The animations is so incredibly fluid, the character designs look very appealing, though not over the top, the CG has been very well integrated with the rest of the graphics and the background music also delivers.
Overall, Ergo Proxy has been incredibly fun to watch. It’s got its flaws, though the brilliant plotwriting definitely made up for it. If you’re looking for a series which will make you think, this is the one you should go for.
is there going to be other episodes?
There were some episodes in this series I enjoyed. However, the “mind-games” just made me frustrated with the show overall. It felt like watching the second half of “End of Evangelion.”
That is, I suspect that it tries too hard to be profound towards the end and fails miserably. I’m sure there’s all sorts of clever references to philosophy and psychology riddled throughout, but I can’t be bothered with it.
I thought this anime was FANTASTIC, absolutely FANTASTIC, from the action to the story to the “mind games,” and I enjoy your blogs, well more like I just come and watch the anime with high ratings, to see if i like it, and its a good way to find new anime to watch ^_^
I really like this show. I asked tons of people if they have seen this awesome show “Ergo Proxy” and they’re like, “Ergo whatty?” Oh my GOD if they only knew. This show, I beleive, has one awesome story line, and it keeps me wanting to watch it more. Can’t wait to see all of it! 🙂
Its good to see that Funimation is picking this up,and helping Geneon get it back on store shelves,as Ebay sellers are really over charging for it right now.150 is fine,but 300 to 500 per boxset !?!?!
I only paid 130 USD for my LE set,and it was well worth it.
I loved this anime. I am a big fan of the post apocalyptic genre and this show has that and much much more, I also love the fact that it makes you stop and think about what is happening.
Probably one of the worst anime series ever made – no I lie in retrospect I’ll reserve that Shangri-La
This series was bad only because it had wasted POTENTIAL (which is a euphemism for failure) with an utterly empty ending.
Essentially “very pretty” but “ultimately lacking content” failed by inconsistent writing, inconsistent animation, inconsistent quality all round.
The story for a majority of it is slow-paced and a clinical, detached approach to characterisation with no real apparent direction where the series is going: all the clues are there to tell us what its all about but essentially it could have done with less of the sanctimonius, self-aggrandizing, philosophical diatribe faster pacing and more straight forward approach.
If you like philosophical masturbation in cartoon form existentialism vs fatalistic solipsism and the questions about the absolute truth of existence: ‘cogito ergo sum’; but by the end it the series the dialogue decended into pretentious twaddle: it’s like watching an emo with a knife, in the end it commits suicide.
Sometimes I would like to know what exactly you expect from a series, honestly (and without sarcasm).
What is, for you, a good anime series?
It’s Rohm Dome (Romdo for short)
Re-l is an imperfect clone of Monad proxy (Made by Daedalus)
Vincent is a perfect clone of Proxy One (Made by Proxy One)
The proxy who assaults Re-l is Proxy One, Not vincent.
The voiceover when vincent crased the bike is Proxy One explaining his motive.
“Mind Games” is proxy one manipulating vincent.
Thought this might help.
Later
Full of spoilers here (and inexact too, just make up your own opinion).
Sorry for posting twice… wasnt thinking ahead.
Keep in mind that Vincent cant remember his past because he doesnt have one. That’s also why he doesn’t love Monad… He’s never met her before.
Later.
Great series. In the middle part the pace is a bit off though the chapters get really good and full of quality since chapter 15 till the end. Really recommendable (even 7 years after).
Great anime. The Walt Disney ep wasn’t my cup of tea… though the references in there were ok. Over all nice story and not really that confusing if you actually follow the plot.
Didn’t bother to read a summary before I watched it, so was judging from the name, expecting a cyberpunk anime… However I’m glad I watched it and it certainly was entertaining.
And to the whole emo committing suicide argument in regards to the set and setting of the series: Get over yourself, and realize that the fundamental laws of emotional behavior, can be something else than oversensitive teenagers with asperger syndrome, waddling around in autism and spaghetti.
The celebration of the wide spectrum of human emotion is a theme well worth while working with, whether you’re an emotional individual or not. And in a series, that might not end as clever as it started, but yet succeed in postulating interesting thoughts about the duality of self-centered creationism and the development of tech contra genome evolutionary processing, it is completely frustrating to hear such statements uttered.
If you wanna see a shitty emo committing suicide / pretentious and over the top stagnate / stupid series, go watch Death Note.
I support this comment.
Enjoyed this series, felt it lost it a bit towards the end after a great start. As far as philosophical sci-fi anime’s go, I preferred Texhnolyze over this.
Only just discovering the Star Crossed Anime Blog and really look forward to reading many of your entries. I’ve been enjoying Ergo Proxy myself. Take care. sff