Wolfe reporting.
Ah, Ergo Proxy. I tried to get through this anime once before, but didn't have the patience for it. Having gone through it successfully now, I'm able to review it. Ergo Proxy fascinates me in so many ways, but know this-- this isn't something easily categorized. My closest description would be if George Orwell helped orchestrate an anime-- dystopian, existential, post-apocalyptic. Take this as you will; I, a huge fan or Orwellian stuff, loved it.
I've been watching Another today, which is why this post might come later than usual. Just finished the 12-episode set, and am highly interested in looking into the visual novel. However, that's another post; despite the way my mind is moving right now, I shall force it to stay as on-topic as possible.
When it comes to the Japanese, Ergo Proxy is an interesting use. The Japanese is エルゴプラクシー ("Erugopurakushi"), which appears to be a phonetic spelling. Our English understanding of "Ergo Proxy" is likely how the creators desired it to be pronounced. I've heard something about it being a reference to "cogito ergo sum" (Latin, by Descartes)-- the classic "I think, therefore I am" quote. However, I'm unable to validate this. I will note, however, that Ergo is (roughly) "therefore" in Latin. Side note: I am improving with my Japanese, though I still have a long, long way to go.
There are 23 episodes for Ergo Proxy, each being roughly the standard 24-minute length. As 23 is a number that terrifies me, I enjoy it; I also enjoy it because it seems nonstandard in this way.
Personal/Subjective Opinion: 9.5 / 14 (=67.9%)!
Score Without Edges: 9.5 / 14 (=67.9%)!
Objective Opinion: 3 / 5 (=60%)!
Average Score: 22 / 33 (=66.6%)!
Concept: The concept is tough to talk about, because that's what you as the viewer are trying to figure out for the entirety of the anime. I could talk about the actual concept and spoil everything, but I don't think that's very exciting. Instead, I'll talk about the understood concept as the anime begins.
There is a dystopian in existence. It is in the dome, a dome, whatever. People rely on Autoreivs (advanced humanoid machines) for a lot of things. The government encourages waste and discourages anything that isn't "suitable for the ideal citizen". Also: the cognito virus has been spreading in the city. This virus (a clever Latin use meaning "learning", "awareness", or "discovery") can only infect Autoreivs, making them sentient and giving them true emotion. When this occurs, with their independence, they generally kill and/or escape their master[s], and try to escape the city/dome.
That's barely scratching the surface of the true "concept", but that's all I'll say for now.
Introduction Sequence: 1 / 2. Okay, don't get me wrong, the introduction sequence is nice. BUT, I have a bone to pick. Firstly: it feels way, way too long. It's only 1:45, but I feel like I've aged a year or two every time I watch it. I skipped the introduction pretty much every single time after the first two showings. No spoilers, though, and it's pretty cool. Just too long, really. Watch it if you want a taste of the show without really watching it: Link to the Ergo Proxy Introduction Sequence.
Animation Style: 1 / 1. I loved this animation style, even though I felt as if it was continuously draining away all the colour from my soul/world. By this, I mean that almost everything is monochrome. Not many vibrant colours present here except for maybe Re-l's dark purple eyeshadow. I thought it added greatly to the anime!
Examples:
Music: 1 / 1. The music for this is really good! I think it set the tone perfectly. I just wish the music was present more often-- oftentimes, the quiet, monochrome shots would seep the life from this shell. I enjoyed that, though I can understand why others wouldn't ^_- Anyways, here's the Link to Ergo Proxy OST!
Plot: 3 / 3. I give the plot the rating I do for various reasons, reasons that I consider to be up-sides. However, they could also be viewed as down-sides. depending on one's view. In my tastes, multiple plot arcs was a very appealing aspect; if you're looking for consistency, though, this anime is not for you. There were also a few different mood-changes. Some episodes were practically non-serious, others seemed lighthearted but were seriously dark, and some were dark. Many episodes in the middle arcs were very monochrome when it came to moods. Not much eye candy, not much action, just a lot of questions and no answers. I've rewatched scenes in Ergo Proxy after I finished in the hopes of achieving a greater understanding, but only increased my confusion. Definitely a deep anime.
Multiple and different arcs + dark + deep + confusion = 3/3.
Characters: 1.5 / 3. Eh, I'm leaving the characters at the point ratio it starts with. There's not much to the characters, and they don't really evolve. I'm thinking they were put into the plot, rather than a plot built around characters. I didn't dislike them, but there wasn't really anything going for them, either.
1.5 + 0 - 0 = 1.5/3.
Combat: 1 / 1. The combat in Ergo Proxy is pretty cool. There's a lot of man-grunting in some fights, so if you were just listening to the combat, it wouldn't sound like anything well-done. But what little combat there is is actually nicely done.
Power Balance: 0 / 1. "As much as I love the anime, the power balance is absolutely terrible." There is a "PROXY" that is outrageously stronger than the others, even when weakened.
Addictability: 0 / 1. I was finally able to watch through all of it, but the monochrome and lulls and confusion doesn't exactly entice one to keep watching.
Darkness and Bloodiness: 1 / 1. While this isn't blood-filled, there's some blood, and I love this blood. This anime is also quite dark, though more of a dystopian-dark. There's a constant undertone of despair and misery/lamentation that I found, as well as the post-apocalyptic atmosphere adding a grim overtone. I wish there was more blood, but don't I always?
Believability: The over-arching concept, once fully discovered, is actually quite believable. There are just some scenes with inconsistencies or events that fit better into the pages of a book than onto a screen. At one point, Vincent Law finds himself part of a game show. No explanation is given as to how he got there or how he got away... or, if it was a dream, a delusion... or if the others remembered it happening... etc.
Philosophy: There was some seriously deep philosophy here. There's the classic "mankind was wasteful and destroyed the world" message, as well as the really deeply-ingrained "raison d'etre" question (French; roughly translated: reason for being/existing). There was probably more that would take me a few rewatches to untangle.
Pros and Cons: Pros: plot! Cons: addictability.
Objective Opinion: 3 / 5. Animation style was the opposite of gorgeous (0), music did stand out well alone (1), reality was represented well {though futuristic and dystopian} (1), introduction sequence accurately portrayed anime (1), and there wasn't good character development {if any} (0).
Wallpapers:
AMV's:
Switchback (Celldweller) - As a lover of Celldweller, I liked this one. It's also well-cut (mostly). Some nice effects present, definitely.
However, this was the only nice one I found. For this reason, I am now producing my own Ergo Proxy AMV. Look forward to it!
Next time: I'll probably want to post my K (K-Project) review before I forget my points on it. Or I might skip to Another, which I really want to review. You'll have to wait and see. (You might even see me on Saturday with a Steins;Gate manga review!)
Wolfe out.
Ah, Ergo Proxy. I tried to get through this anime once before, but didn't have the patience for it. Having gone through it successfully now, I'm able to review it. Ergo Proxy fascinates me in so many ways, but know this-- this isn't something easily categorized. My closest description would be if George Orwell helped orchestrate an anime-- dystopian, existential, post-apocalyptic. Take this as you will; I, a huge fan or Orwellian stuff, loved it.
I've been watching Another today, which is why this post might come later than usual. Just finished the 12-episode set, and am highly interested in looking into the visual novel. However, that's another post; despite the way my mind is moving right now, I shall force it to stay as on-topic as possible.
 |
| Logo! Source. |
When it comes to the Japanese, Ergo Proxy is an interesting use. The Japanese is エルゴプラクシー ("Erugopurakushi"), which appears to be a phonetic spelling. Our English understanding of "Ergo Proxy" is likely how the creators desired it to be pronounced. I've heard something about it being a reference to "cogito ergo sum" (Latin, by Descartes)-- the classic "I think, therefore I am" quote. However, I'm unable to validate this. I will note, however, that Ergo is (roughly) "therefore" in Latin. Side note: I am improving with my Japanese, though I still have a long, long way to go.
There are 23 episodes for Ergo Proxy, each being roughly the standard 24-minute length. As 23 is a number that terrifies me, I enjoy it; I also enjoy it because it seems nonstandard in this way.
Personal/Subjective Opinion: 9.5 / 14 (=67.9%)!
Score Without Edges: 9.5 / 14 (=67.9%)!
Objective Opinion: 3 / 5 (=60%)!
Average Score: 22 / 33 (=66.6%)!
Concept: The concept is tough to talk about, because that's what you as the viewer are trying to figure out for the entirety of the anime. I could talk about the actual concept and spoil everything, but I don't think that's very exciting. Instead, I'll talk about the understood concept as the anime begins.
There is a dystopian in existence. It is in the dome, a dome, whatever. People rely on Autoreivs (advanced humanoid machines) for a lot of things. The government encourages waste and discourages anything that isn't "suitable for the ideal citizen". Also: the cognito virus has been spreading in the city. This virus (a clever Latin use meaning "learning", "awareness", or "discovery") can only infect Autoreivs, making them sentient and giving them true emotion. When this occurs, with their independence, they generally kill and/or escape their master[s], and try to escape the city/dome.
That's barely scratching the surface of the true "concept", but that's all I'll say for now.
Introduction Sequence: 1 / 2. Okay, don't get me wrong, the introduction sequence is nice. BUT, I have a bone to pick. Firstly: it feels way, way too long. It's only 1:45, but I feel like I've aged a year or two every time I watch it. I skipped the introduction pretty much every single time after the first two showings. No spoilers, though, and it's pretty cool. Just too long, really. Watch it if you want a taste of the show without really watching it: Link to the Ergo Proxy Introduction Sequence.
Animation Style: 1 / 1. I loved this animation style, even though I felt as if it was continuously draining away all the colour from my soul/world. By this, I mean that almost everything is monochrome. Not many vibrant colours present here except for maybe Re-l's dark purple eyeshadow. I thought it added greatly to the anime!
Examples:
 |
| Average art style. (Pictured: Chief of Security and Pino). Source. |
 |
| There's blood too! Not much, though what there is is good. Source: me! |
 |
| Laboratory No.8799B. Source: me! |
Music: 1 / 1. The music for this is really good! I think it set the tone perfectly. I just wish the music was present more often-- oftentimes, the quiet, monochrome shots would seep the life from this shell. I enjoyed that, though I can understand why others wouldn't ^_- Anyways, here's the Link to Ergo Proxy OST!
Plot: 3 / 3. I give the plot the rating I do for various reasons, reasons that I consider to be up-sides. However, they could also be viewed as down-sides. depending on one's view. In my tastes, multiple plot arcs was a very appealing aspect; if you're looking for consistency, though, this anime is not for you. There were also a few different mood-changes. Some episodes were practically non-serious, others seemed lighthearted but were seriously dark, and some were dark. Many episodes in the middle arcs were very monochrome when it came to moods. Not much eye candy, not much action, just a lot of questions and no answers. I've rewatched scenes in Ergo Proxy after I finished in the hopes of achieving a greater understanding, but only increased my confusion. Definitely a deep anime.
Multiple and different arcs + dark + deep + confusion = 3/3.
Characters: 1.5 / 3. Eh, I'm leaving the characters at the point ratio it starts with. There's not much to the characters, and they don't really evolve. I'm thinking they were put into the plot, rather than a plot built around characters. I didn't dislike them, but there wasn't really anything going for them, either.
1.5 + 0 - 0 = 1.5/3.
Combat: 1 / 1. The combat in Ergo Proxy is pretty cool. There's a lot of man-grunting in some fights, so if you were just listening to the combat, it wouldn't sound like anything well-done. But what little combat there is is actually nicely done.
Power Balance: 0 / 1. "As much as I love the anime, the power balance is absolutely terrible." There is a "PROXY" that is outrageously stronger than the others, even when weakened.
Addictability: 0 / 1. I was finally able to watch through all of it, but the monochrome and lulls and confusion doesn't exactly entice one to keep watching.
Darkness and Bloodiness: 1 / 1. While this isn't blood-filled, there's some blood, and I love this blood. This anime is also quite dark, though more of a dystopian-dark. There's a constant undertone of despair and misery/lamentation that I found, as well as the post-apocalyptic atmosphere adding a grim overtone. I wish there was more blood, but don't I always?
Believability: The over-arching concept, once fully discovered, is actually quite believable. There are just some scenes with inconsistencies or events that fit better into the pages of a book than onto a screen. At one point, Vincent Law finds himself part of a game show. No explanation is given as to how he got there or how he got away... or, if it was a dream, a delusion... or if the others remembered it happening... etc.
Philosophy: There was some seriously deep philosophy here. There's the classic "mankind was wasteful and destroyed the world" message, as well as the really deeply-ingrained "raison d'etre" question (French; roughly translated: reason for being/existing). There was probably more that would take me a few rewatches to untangle.
Pros and Cons: Pros: plot! Cons: addictability.
Objective Opinion: 3 / 5. Animation style was the opposite of gorgeous (0), music did stand out well alone (1), reality was represented well {though futuristic and dystopian} (1), introduction sequence accurately portrayed anime (1), and there wasn't good character development {if any} (0).
Wallpapers:
 |
| Things and stuff (profound). Source. |
 |
| Colourful, unlike the anime. Source. |
 |
| Despair! Source. |
 |
| Fear is good... well... Source. |
AMV's:
Switchback (Celldweller) - As a lover of Celldweller, I liked this one. It's also well-cut (mostly). Some nice effects present, definitely.
However, this was the only nice one I found. For this reason, I am now producing my own Ergo Proxy AMV. Look forward to it!
Next time: I'll probably want to post my K (K-Project) review before I forget my points on it. Or I might skip to Another, which I really want to review. You'll have to wait and see. (You might even see me on Saturday with a Steins;Gate manga review!)
Wolfe out.
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