| Ergo Proxy | |
 Cover of the limited edition DVD Set 1 released in 2012 | |
| Genre | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Manglobe |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Shūkō Murase |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Dai Satō |
| Music by | Yoshihiro Ike |
| Studio | Manglobe |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | Wowow |
| English network | |
| Original run | February 25, 2006 – August 12, 2006 |
| Episodes | 23(List of episodes) |
| Manga | |
| Centzon Hitchers and Undertaker | |
| Written by | Yumiko Harao |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| Imprint | Sunday GX Comics |
| Magazine | Monthly Sunday Gene-X |
| Original run | February 18, 2006 –November 18, 2006 |
| Volumes | 2 |
 Anime and manga portal | |
Ergo Proxy is aJapanese cyberpunkanime television series, produced byManglobe, directed byShūkō Murase and written byDai Satō. The series ran for 23 episodes from February to August 2006 on theWowowsatellite network. It is set in a post-apocalyptic future where humans and AutoReiv androids coexist peacefully until a virus gives the androids self-awareness, causing them to commit a series of murders. Inspector Re-L Mayer is assigned to investigate, discovering a more complicated plot behind it that involves a humanoid species known as "Proxy" who are the subject of secret government experiments.
The series, which is heavily influenced byphilosophy andGnosticism, features a combination of 2D digitalcel animation,3D computer modeling, and digital special effects. After its release in Japan, the anime was licensed for a DVD release byGeneon Entertainment, with a subsequent television broadcast onFuse in the United States. The show was also distributed to Australian, British and Canadian anime markets. Since its release,Ergo Proxy has received mostly favorable reviews which praised its visuals and themes.
The series is set in apost-apocalyptic,dystopian future. After anecological disaster thousands of years prior rendered the outside world inhospitable towards life, domed cities were built as safe havens for the population. Inside these domes, one of which is the city of Romdeau (where the series takes place), humans and androids called AutoReivs coexist peacefully. Romdeau's city government adopted abureaucracy system, in which the government is divided between several entities such as the Intelligence Bureau, the Information Bureau, the Health & Welfare Bureau, and the Security Bureau, all under the control of the Administration Bureau led by an Administrator referred to as the "Regent".
The primary AutoReiv types are referred to as either "Companion"—(AutoReivs who physically possess a human-like appearance)—or "Entourage"—(AutoReivs with a robotic appearance)—depending on their role. There are others designed for leisure or combat. AutoReivs seem to be constructed of varying degrees of bio-cybernetic complexity to fit their specific functions. The humans in the city are grown in artificial wombs but are still biologically related to their ancestors. Throughout the series, it is shown that the humans living in the domes believe they cannot reproduce naturally. Likewise, when a new person is grown, they are done so to fulfill a specific purpose, thus ensuring that person's role in society through a "raison d'être".
A series of murders committed by 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 "Proxy"; these beings (often described as god-like and immortal) are said 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, the Regent's granddaughter, is assigned to investigate the murders with her AutoReiv partner, Iggy. She encounters two unknown and highly powerful humanoids. She later learns that these humanoids are the Proxies. The other central character, an immigrant named Vincent Law, is revealed to be connected in some ways with the Proxies. After being hunted down, Vincent temporarily lives in a commune on the outside of the dome. 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 the domes are all created by Proxies and cannot function without their presence within the domes.
It is set in the future. A group of robots become infected with something called the Kojiro [sic] virus, and become aware of their own existence. So these robots, which had been tools of humans, decide to go on an adventure to search for themselves. They have to decide whether the virus that infected them created their identity, or whether they gained their identity through their travels. This question is meant to represent our own debate over whether we become who we are because of our environment, or because of things that are inherent in us. The robots are all named after philosophers:Derrida andLacan andHusserl.
Ergo Proxy was directed byShūkō Murase with Dai Satō serving as chief writer and Naoyuki Onda as character designer.[5] The anime was originally announced at the MIP TV Trade Show in France as a 23-episode TV series.[6] Manglobe initially approached Shūkō Murase with a bare-bones vision for a futuristic detective thriller, which included the title, a plot outline for episodes 1–3 and a design concept for Romdeau. Beyond that they let him develop the idea towards a more existentialist slant.[7]
"There was almost too much freedom", he laughs. "A show slated to be on a commercial network carries restrictions according to the time slot", he explains. "Sponsors often have requests intended to help propel the work to hit status; and merchandising entails another set of requirements altogether. By comparison, all Ergo Proxy had to deal with was a DVD release and a TV broadcast over a pay satellite channel."[7]
When asked about how he devised the titleErgo Proxy, Satō simply replied "[I]t sounds cool".[8] Murase explained he originally wanted to use the concept of everyone having another self inside of themselves: the idea that there are two personalities inside a person and noted thatRené Descartes' phrase "cogito, ergo sum" was the inspiration for it. Satō stated that they originally did not want to explicitly express the concepts ofGnosticism in the anime. However, their personal beliefs ended up reflecting the ideas of Gnosticism and they realized how well these terms fit and decided to use them.[9]
At first they intended to have Vincent as the leading protagonist and Re-l as a supporting character; however, as they fleshed out her character, she became a much stronger character and began to steal the spotlight from Vincent. This gave them the opportunity to split the narrative between the two characters instead of having a single protagonist lead the story.[7]
InJapan,Ergo Proxy aired on pay-TV satellite broadcasting networkWOWOW from 25 February 2006, concluding on August 12, 2006.[10]Ergo Proxy was then released byGeneon Entertainment onto nine DVD volumes from May 25, 2006, to January 25, 2007.[11][12] The series was licensed by Geneon Entertainment forRegion 1 release, which began on November 21, 2006, and spanned six volumes. TheEnglish dub ofErgo Proxy premiered on pay-TV channelFuse from June 9 to November 24, 2007, in the United States.[13] and a complete DVD collection was later released in December 2008.
On July 3, 2008, Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced an agreement to distribute select titles in North America. While Geneon Entertainment still retains the license, Funimation Entertainment assumed exclusive rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales, and distribution of select titles which includedErgo Proxy.[14] As of March 29, 2012, the series has been fully licensed by Funimation and re-released the series under their Anime Classics label on July 3, 2012.[15] Geneon also released a four-disc completeBlu-ray box collection on September 25, 2012,[16] and two DVD box collection on September 25, 2012, and August 22, 2012, respectively.[17][18]
In Australia and New Zealand, theErgo Proxy DVDs were distributed byMadman Entertainment, the first volume released in March 2007. The first volume ofErgo Proxy was released in the United Kingdom byMVM Films on August 6, 2007. The English dub ofErgo Proxy aired onABC2 (the national digital public television channel) from July 3 to December 4, 2007.[19] In Canada, the English dub aired on pay-TV digital channelG4techTV'sAnime Current programming block from July 26 to December 27, 2007.[20][21]
Amanga spin-off, titledCentzon Hitchers and Undertaker (センツォン・ヒッチャーズ&アンダーテイカー,Sentson Hitchāzu & Andāteikā), by Yumiko Harao, was serialized inShogakukan'sMonthly Sunday Gene-X from February 18 to November 18, 2006.[b] Its chapters were collected in twotankōbon volumes, released on August 18, 2006,[24] and February 19, 2007.[25]
| Ergo Proxy OST opus01 and opus02 | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | May 25, 2006 (opus01) August 25, 2006 (opus02) |
| Genre | Anime Soundtrack |
| Length | 57:00 (opus01) 53:46 (opus02) |
Two soundtracks of the anime series, titledErgo Proxy OST opus01 andErgo Proxy OST opus02, have been released by Geneon Entertainment in Japan on May 25, 2006 and August 25, 2006, respectively.[26][27] Both soundtracks feature compositions of Yoshihiro Ike. The first soundtrack,opus01, contains several tracks including the opening and ending themes: "Kiri" (byMonoral) and "Paranoid Android" (byRadiohead). The second soundtrack,opus02, was initially packaged with a special edition of the first Region 1 DVD.[28]
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Ergo Proxy received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the series for its intricate visuals, cyberpunk aesthetic and intellectual themes; while criticizing the uneven narrative and its over reliance on philosophical references.Newtype USA stated that they were "excited by the premise of the show, which features complex drama surrounding the strikingly beautiful crime investigator Re-l Mayer, and an intricate sci-fi setting, incorporating robots, living in human society and a grotesque array of unique monsters".Newtype went on to praise the "tremendous supporting cast and carefully woven plot".[29]Newtype USA featured the firstErgo Proxy DVD in their "DVD of the Month", describing it as a "show that rewards viewers with a deep, believable, and above all thoughtful sci-fi story instead of simply bashing robots together".[30] Katherine Luther ofAbout.com praised it for its cyberpunk themes and mix of 2D and 3D animation as well as its deep psychological storyline, calling it creepy, intense and "edge-of-your-seat-delightful".[1]
THEM Anime Reviews praised the visuals and pacing of the plot while noting that the greatest flaw in the series is that the designs can be inconsistent at times.[31] Zac Bertschy ofAnime News Network gave it an overall score of B+ and criticized the characters, stating "It's an unfortunate stain on an otherwise excellent series." However, he praised the animation stating "The backgrounds in particular are breathtakingly detailed and beautiful, which is a surprise given the bleak, dystopian surroundings"[32] Carlo Santos, also from Anime News Network, criticized the middle and ending of the anime, stating "Some of the middle episodes fall back on experimental gimmicks and fail to advance the story, while the finale becomes a towering mess as it desperately tries to resolve every single plot point. Even the animation has embarrassing moments of inconsistency." However, Santos continued to state "for trying so hard to scale the heights of a difficult genre,Ergo Proxy still deserves credit. It accomplishes more than most other anime series ever hope to, flaws and all."[33]
IGN contributor D. F. Smith reviewed the series DVD box set in 2008, giving the series a 7.0 out of a possible score of 10. Smith overall found the visuals, music and voice acting ofErgo Proxy to be exceptional, but stated that the overall story was too complex and relied too heavily on philosophical references rather than a strong narrative. In conclusion, D. F. Smith wrote "Ergo Proxy isn't without its share of disappointments, but even so, it has a heck of a lot going for it. What it lacks in the way of a truly gripping, involving story, it makes up for in part with a powerful soundtrack, some powerful visuals, and the occasional powerful insight. If those are the sort of things you go to Japanese animation looking for, you might not find this series disappointing at all".[34] Another IGN columnist, Ramsley Isler, placedErgo Proxy's opening as the 10th greatest anime opening. Isler praised the opening's use of dark visuals juxtaposed with the opening theme song's optimistic tone, comparing it to aNine Inch Nails orLifehouse music video.[35]
On June 12, 2015, theChinese Ministry of Culture announced that they had listedErgo Proxy among 38 anime and manga titles banned in China.[36]
What begins as a bleak dystopian noir thriller mutates not just once but several times over—through post-apocalyptic action, psychological-thriller territory, and finally a climactic orgy of destruction.
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