Ergo Proxy

Ergo Proxy is a Japanese cyberpunk anime television series, produced by Manglobe, directed by Shūkō Murase and written by Dai Satō. The series ran for 23 episodes from February to August 2006 on the Wowow satellite 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.

Ergo Proxy
Cover of the limited edition DVD Set 1 released in 2012
Genre	Cyberpunk[1][2] Post-apocalyptic[3] Psychological thriller[3]
Created by	Manglobe
Anime television series
Directed by	Shūkō Murase
Produced by	Akio Matsuda Satoshi Fujii Hiroyuki Kitaura Takashi Kōchiyama
Written by	Dai Satō
Music by	Yoshihiro Ike
Studio	Manglobe
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] AUS: Universal/Sony UK: MVM Films
Original network	Wowow
English network	AU: ABC2 CA: G4techTV (Anime Current) US: Fuse, Funimation Channel ZA: Animax
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

The series, which is heavily influenced by philosophy and Gnosticism, features a combination of 2D digital cel animation, 3D computer modeling, and digital special effects. After its release in Japan, the anime was licensed for a DVD release by Geneon Entertainment, with a subsequent television broadcast on Fuse 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.

Synopsis

Setting

The series is set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian future. After an ecological 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 a bureaucracy 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".

Plot

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.

Characters

Re-l Mayer (リル・メイヤー, Riru meiyā)

Voiced by: Rie Saitō (Japanese); Karen Thompson (English)

Embodiment of the no-nonsense personality, 19-year-old (as shown on her profile shown in episode 7) Inspector Re-l Mayer of the Citizen Intelligence Bureau (市民情報局, Shimin Jōhōkyoku) is in charge of investigating a series of brutal murders apparently committed by AutoReivs infected with the Cogito Virus. She is also the granddaughter of Donov Mayer, the Regent of Romdeau. Given her privileged status, she demands respect from those around her (in the Japanese dub, she addresses Vincent as "o-mae"). Re-l eventually accompanies Vincent on his journey in order to learn more about the mysterious Proxies and why she feels so drawn to them. Re-l's signature appearance consists of dark clothes, black hair and blue eye-shadow.

Vincent Law (ビンセント・ロウ, Binsento rou)

Voiced by: Kōji Yusa (Japanese); Liam O'Brien (English)

An immigrant from Mosk working for Romdeau's AutoReiv Control Division (オートレイブ処理課) within the Temporary Immigrant Sector FG (暫定移民区域FG), set up to hunt and dispose of infected AutoReivs. In the first few episodes, Vincent's eyes remain closed, his hair is slicked down with a large cowlick, and he appears short and "dumpy." However, as the series progresses, he opens his bright green eyes more, stops styling his hair, and carries himself with more confidence and seriousness. He is originally driven to become a Model Citizen, but ultimately fails to suppress the burden of his traumatic past and flees from Romdeau. He has a romantic interest in Re-l Mayer.

Pino (ピノ)

Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (Japanese); Rachel Hirschfeld (English)

An infected Companion Type AutoReiv with the mind and body of a child. Pino was originally owned by Raul Creed and his wife, Samantha, whom Pino served as a surrogate child; she is shown to be musically talented as she was once seen playing the piano. It's implied that Raul-(who also plays the piano taught her how to play when she was still living with him and his wife Samantha or simply learned on her own from watching him). She was scheduled for decommissioning after the Creeds were granted a real baby son by the government, but the untimely deaths of Samantha and their infant son at the hands of Monad Proxy leaves Pino infected with the Cogito Virus. She becomes very attached to Vincent early in the series and accompanies him on his journey after running away from home. Pino possesses long purple hair-(which was briefly an ochre brown color in the first two episodes while wearing a long black dress), green eyes, a child-like physique and often wears a pink rabbit costume, which is significant as her role as the 'white rabbit' character in the series; when not wearing her costume, she wears a dark green jumpsuit. She is commonly seen playing a melodica. In the Japanese dub, Pino often refers to herself in the third person and refers to Re-l as "Re-l Re-l."

Iggy (イギー, Igī)

Voiced by: Kiyomitsu Mizuuchi (Japanese); Travis Willingham (English)

An Entourage AutoReiv belonging to Re-l Mayer-(having been at her side since she was a child), Iggy contracted a "weaponized" version of the Cogito Virus and grew to become enraged at Re-l's lack of regard for him. He despises Proxies and blames Vincent for taking Re-l - his sole Raison d'Être - away from him. He develops an unusual state of both loving (because she is his master and raison d'être) and hating (because she is selfish and arrogant) Re-l, and locks her up to "protect" her, while he attempts to kill Vincent. Re-l escapes after being attacked by an AutoReiv belonging to a Proxy she killed, and the AutoReiv pursues her. The AutoReiv goes into a self-detonation mode, and Iggy sacrifices himself to protect Re-l, leaving little more than his broken head behind (which leaves Iggy conscious to some extent). In the end, not wanting to see Iggy suffer due to the virus, Re-l shoots him and buries his head.

Raul Creed (ラウル・クリード, Rauru Kurīdo)

Voiced by: Hikaru Hanada (Japanese); Patrick Seitz (English)

The newly appointed Director-General of the Citizen Security Bureau (市民警備局, Shimin Keibikyoku), who reports directly to the Regent and acts as a secondary antagonist. He and his wife Samantha took Pino as a surrogate child prior to the beginning of the series. Initially loyal to the system, he comes to despise the ruling order responsible for the city's slow decay and lashes out destructively. His mentality also slowly degenerates, as he frequently has hallucinations of a smirking Vincent Law close by. He is quite skilled and accurate with a pistol (as shown in the beginning scenes of episode 17). He eventually ends up wounded when "Real" Mayer, a clone of the original Re-l, attacks him. Finally seeing the damage and feeling the guilt that his actions have caused, he returns home to his now dilapidated mansion where he comes across some drawings that Pino had created depicting herself, Re-l, and Vincent, including one particular drawing depicting Pino and Raul at the mall together; afterwards Raul goes searching for Pino, his only surviving loved one-(intending to take her back into his care), but during his search he is later knocked aside by an infected armed AutoReiv and falls onto a large shard of glass, implaling him through his abdomen. He eventually dies from his wound and is found by his Entourage, Kristeva.

Kristeva (クリステヴァ, Kurisuteva)

Voiced by: Hōko Kuwashima (Japanese); Kirsten Potter (English)

Raul Creed's Entourage AutoReiv, Kristeva carries out her duties to Raul loyally. She later takes up the role of being Pino's guardian, per Raul's request. It is strongly implied at the end of the series that she is infected with the Cogito Virus, though her new raison d'être, Pino, allows her to keep her sanity.

Daedalus Yumeno (デダルス・ユメノ, Dedarusu Yumeno)

Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi (Japanese); Yuri Lowenthal (English)

Chief physician leading the Proxy Research Team, Director of the Division of Health and Welfare (厚生局, Kōseikyoku), and Re-l Mayer's personal physician and childhood friend. Daedalus displays a strange obsession for Re-l Mayer. He has two Entourages, Deleuze and Guattari. In the final episodes, Daedalus has been revealed to have created a fake Re-l (named "Real" Mayer) from Monad Proxy's Amrita Cells as a replacement for the original Re-l and eventually gives her wings. Now mentally unstable, he no longer cares what happens to the world. The fake Re-l is taken over by Monad Proxy and leaves. Daedalus, concluding that Re-l has always left him behind, is crushed to death by falling rubble. He survives long enough to witness his clone Re-l be incinerated by sunlight. He is named after Daedalus, a figure from Greek mythology and father of Icarus.

Donov Mayer (ドノブ・メイヤー, Donobu Meiyā)

Berkeley: Voiced by: Yū Shimaka (Japanese); Doug Stone (English)

Derrida: Voiced by: Yōko Sōmi^[4] (Japanese); Melodee Spevack (English)

Husserl: Voiced by: Hidekatsu Shibata (Japanese); Michael McConnohie (English)

Lacan: Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese); Barbara Goodson (English)

The elderly debilitated Regent (執国, shikkoku) (also representative (代表, daihyō)) of Romdo City. He speaks by proxy through the voices of 4 Entourages in the form of stone statues (called, as a group, the Council, the Collective (総体, Sōtai) and the Administration Bureau (管理局, Kanrikyoku)) named after famous philosophers: Derrida, Lacan, Husserl and Berkeley. These AutoReivs appear as Michelangelo's statues from the Medici Chapel, two resting on either side of Donov's chamber. Donov is Re-l's grandfather. He is murdered in Episode 21 by Proxy One, and his Entourage presumably perishes when his house collapses.

Production

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 and Lacan and Husserl.

— Dai Satō^[5]

Ergo Proxy was directed by Shūkō Murase with Dai Satō serving as chief writer and Naoyuki Onda as character designer.^[6] The anime was originally announced at the MIP TV Trade Show in France as a 23-episode TV series.^[7] 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.^[8]

"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."^[8]

When asked about how he devised the title Ergo Proxy, Satō simply replied "[I]t sounds cool".^[9] 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 that René Descartes' phrase "cogito, ergo sum" was the inspiration for it. Satō stated that they originally did not want to explicitly express the concepts of Gnosticism 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.^[10]

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.^[8]

Media

Anime

Main article: List of Ergo Proxy episodes

In Japan, Ergo Proxy aired on pay-TV satellite broadcasting network WOWOW from 25 February 2006, concluding on August 12, 2006.^[11] Ergo Proxy was then released by Geneon Entertainment onto nine DVD volumes from May 25, 2006, to January 25, 2007.^[12][13] The series was licensed by Geneon Entertainment for Region 1 release, which began on November 21, 2006, and spanned six volumes. The English dub of Ergo Proxy premiered on pay-TV channel Fuse from June 9 to November 24, 2007, in the United States.^[14] 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 included Ergo Proxy.^[15] 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.^[16] Geneon also released a four-disc complete Blu-ray box collection on September 25, 2012,^[17] and two DVD box collection on September 25, 2012, and August 22, 2012, respectively.^[18][19]

In Australia and New Zealand, the Ergo Proxy DVDs were distributed by Madman Entertainment, the first volume released in March 2007. The first volume of Ergo Proxy was released in the United Kingdom by MVM Films on August 6, 2007. The English dub of Ergo Proxy aired on ABC2 (the national digital public television channel) from July 3 to December 4, 2007.^[20] In Canada, the English dub aired on pay-TV digital channel G4techTV's Anime Current programming block from July 26 to December 27, 2007.^[21][22]

Manga

A manga spin-off, titled Centzon 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 in Shogakukan's Monthly Sunday Gene-X from February 18 to November 18, 2006.^[b] Its chapters were collected in two tankōbon volumes, released on August 18, 2006,^[25] and February 19, 2007.^[26]

Soundtracks

Ergo Proxy OST opus01 and opus02
Soundtrack album by Yoshihiro Ike
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, titled Ergo Proxy OST opus01 and Ergo Proxy OST opus02, have been released by Geneon Entertainment in Japan on May 25, 2006 and August 25, 2006, respectively.^[27][28] Both soundtracks feature compositions of Yoshihiro Ike. The first soundtrack, opus01, contains several tracks including the opening and ending themes: "Kiri" (by Monoral) and "Paranoid Android" (by Radiohead). The second soundtrack, opus02, was initially packaged with a special edition of the first Region 1 DVD.^[29]

Ergo Proxy OST opus01 No. Title Length 1. "awakening" 1:46 2. "kiri" 1:46 3. "new pulse" 3:14 4. "No. 0724FGARK" 3:15 5. "prayer" 2:53 6. "raging pulse" 3:26 7. "autoreiv contagion" 2:33 8. "Romdo overshadows" 2:26 9. "RE-L124c41+" 2:55 10. "deal in blood" 3:13 11. "wasteland nostalgia" 4:02 12. "vital signs" 3:11 13. "written on clouds" 3:22 14. "WombSys" 3:22 15. "last exit to paradise" 3:38 16. "he the empty" 2:56 17. "Centzontotochtin" 2:59 18. "Fellow Citizens" 2:46 19. "Paranoid Android" (performed by Radiohead) 6:23

Ergo Proxy OST opus02 No. Title Length 1. "futu-risk" 2:45 2. "mazecity" 3:02 3. "bilbul" 3:20 4. "confession" 1:55 5. "wrong way home" 2:49 6. "busy doing nothing" 3:22 7. "cytotropism" 3:13 8. "angel's share" 3:15 9. "hideout" 3:01 10. "ophelia" 1:53 11. "domecoming" 3:33 12. "terra incognita" 3:22 13. "deus ex machina" 3:30 14. "eternal smile" 1:57 15. "life after god" 3:14 16. "Goodbye Vincent" 2:49 17. "shampoo planet" 2:28 18. "kiri" (performed by Monoral) 4:18

Reception

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".^[30] Newtype USA featured the first Ergo 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".^[31] Katherine Luther of About.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.^[32] Zac Bertschy of Anime 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"^[33] 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."^[34]

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 of Ergo 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".^[35] Another IGN columnist, Ramsley Isler, placed Ergo 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 a Nine Inch Nails or Lifehouse music video.^[36]

On June 12, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture announced that they had listed Ergo Proxy among 38 anime and manga titles banned in China.^[37]

Notes

1. In North America through Crunchyroll, LLC (formerly known as Funimation).
2. The manga was serialized from the March 2006 to the December 2006 issues (cover dates),^[23] released on February 18 and November 18, respectively, of the same year.^[24]