Anime Review: Ergo Proxy

English Title: Ergo Proxy

Japanese Title: エルゴプラクシー

Director(s): Murase Shukou

Screenwriter(s): Sato Dai

Studio: Manglobe

Released: 2006–2007

Runtime: 23 episodes, ~25m each.

Starring: Saitou Rie, Mizuuchi Kiyomitsu, Yusa Kouji, Yajima Akiko

Set in a post-apocalyptic world presumably in the distant future, people live in domed cities alongside androids known as “AutoReivs”. In a particular city, a few murders believed to be committed by AutoReivs that have been infected with a virus draw the attention of the authorities. The regent’s granddaughter, Re-l, is assigned to investigate with her AutoReiv servant/partner, Iggy.

Re-l is in effect the “rich and spoiled bored chick” with the goth-emo look (Evanescence’s Fallen cover photo?). She is there because she is the regent’s granddaughter, not because she is a brilliant detective.

Re-l’s investigation leads her to those called “Proxy” (which hints at a larger secret), a mysterious fugitive named Vincent and an infected AutoReiv named Pino. She even has to leave the dome and brave the environment outside.

The series starts strongly. The premise is recognizably dark cyberpunk and even if the themes of identity, self-awareness and memory are hardly original, it is still an intriguing hook.

Visually, it is generally excellent. Setting aside some inconsistencies that one tends to encounter in any series that isn’t short, it achieves the dark tone effectively. It has a grittiness that some Madhouse productions have, but it also tempers that with smoother coloring and shading as well as a glow effect to give a sense of surrealism.

Unfortunately, neither the plot nor the themes go anywhere particularly interesting, let alone mindblowing. The series is intended to be what some might call “slow burn” but, either way, is too slow.

To put it differently, it tries too hard to be a complex and cerebral psychological work. Whilst it starts in a balanced manner—that is, sufficiently apparent but still has some subtlety—the themes end up being in-your-face and the plot just drags. By the end, a thinking audience is likely to think Is that all? since it is predictable and not that interesting.

As a comparison, Blade Runner (1982) works because it is not in-your-face. I am not suggesting Ergo Proxy is trying to replicate the film, but given some common themes, I use the modern classic as a reference.

Blade Runner is simple on the surface, the plot follows the detective going after the suspects. The plot doesn’t have much going on but it is obvious there are themes beneath the surface. If anything, the themes can be clearer but at least it’s not in-your-face. Either way, it is over in about two hours.

Ergo Proxy has the detective noir inspiration too but drags on for 23 episodes and tries to spell it out (without being clear enough anyway). In this regard, it is bloated and tiresome. The themes are the usual ones: identity, self-awareness, free will and the distinction between the objective and subjective, amongst others.

The series would be not bad if reduced to 13 episodes, if it just told the story and let the themes speak for themselves. This would have also freed up some budget for the production.

It is not a bad effort, it is not as pretentious and nonsensical as the modernist philosophizing that was The Matrix Reloaded (2003) nor is one presented with an ending like Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995), but from the writer who worked on Ghost in the Shell: SAC (2002) and the director who has worked on multiple Mobile Suit Gundam series, one expects better.

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