Getting into anime in the late 2000's, there were certain seminal anime shows that true fans simply had to watch. Most of these were edgy, violent, or steeped in science-fiction. Shows like "Serial Experiments Lain," "Hellsing Ultimate," "Black Lagoon," or "Samurai Champloo," for example. These were just outside the realm of popular hardcore anime (like "Fullmetal Alchemist" or "Death Note"), but still considered modern classics (at least, at the time). I distinctly remember "Ergo Proxy" being one of these shows. Another commonality between some of these legendary shows was that they were licensed by Geneon in North America, who would go bankrupt, leaving most of the shows unavailable. Being able to watch them, let alone own them, was a great privilege. Years later, Funimation would eventually rescue and re-release almost everything. "Finally" the teenage me thought when I bought the DVD for "Ergo Proxy": "I can see what all the fuss was about!" And I can say with reasonable confidence that "Ergo Proxy" was overhyped, but even so, it's a unique show that I haven't really seem anywhere else.A screenshot for "Ergo Proxy" would appear in the dictionary next to the phrase "edgy cyberpunk." Set in the far future, the story starts in the city of Romdo, a grey and brown city built on technology and order. Re-I Mayer is a detective, dressed in black, with pale skin and blue eyeliner, a typical serious goth character. Her latest investigation is on a secret robotic lifeform called a "proxy" that poses a violent threat to society, a sort of boogieman the police need to hunt down. This quickly leads her to Vincent Law, the second lead in the show: a mysterious stranger with seemingly little memories or certain motivations, he seems directly tied to the proxy... is he the proxy himself? Fairly quickly, both Vincent (and Re-l, first following, and them accompanying him) escape Romdeau, exploring the wastelands beyond the protected and orderly dome. Clearly, "Ergo Proxy" wants to be thought-provoking. It wants to convince you that it is thought provoking. However, it isn't hard to see through the cracks: "Ergo Proxy" doesn't have a great story, and the core mystery is mostly superficial. Even the production values were hyped beyond their value. I'm not sure where I heard of "Ergo Proxy" being "one of the first true HD shows on broadcast television," but it isn't a significantly sharp show. I'll discuss the visual style in more detail later, but it isn't hard to notice several animation shots being reused in different episodes, and a heavy reliance on camera filters for dramatic effect is a bit over-used. Regarding the story, it does have some merits as the series progresses. Generally, world-building of the original (if strereotypical) setting is effective and compelling. Most of the show takes place outside of the main city, where glimpses of a darker, more difficult world are portrayed. In handful of episodes late in the second half, the show gives in to more abstract ideas, in the vein of "Serial Experiements Lain" or "Kino's Journey." Here, the episodes are stand-alone, and bizarre to the point of sometimes being comical. It's a shame the series didn't lean into that type of short-story material for long, or earlier, since that's where the show REALLY got interesting. But otherwise, I think sci-fi lovers will still find enough to appreciate in the show, regardless of the mystery driving the plot, or the seemingly slow and directionless pacing. Vincent in particular is the star character, more interesting than the poster girl with her eyeliner.
Visually, "Ergo Proxy" makes use of a lot of computer-effects, from basic 3D CGI for cars or buildings, to motion blur and camera overlays. It's a bit agressive, but effective. Character designs are solid and original, loosely inspired by things like "Blade Runner" or Victorian Lovecraftian horror. Even more impressive is the production design for the city and robots, which at times rivals the best designs in those hallmark genre-defining works. The show could have used a bit more color... brown and black aren't pleasent to watch for 23 episodes, and some scenes are so dark in lighting that it can be difficult to see what's happening. While certain shortcuts where definitely used in animation, Studio Manglobe was still generally a great anime studio, and character motion is smooth when it needs to be, and detailed during subtle things, like when doing push-ups. The English dub is good (Vincent in particular gets the best performance), and the music is haunting, led by a English slow-rock opening that could have been a top-10 charter in the early 2000's. While production values have gotten much better in the years to follow, "Ergo Proxy" was an impressive production in 2006, and still holds up fairly well today.Maybe I'm being a little too forgiving with "Ergo Proxy," but there aren't many shows as ambitious as it was, trying to portray this type of story and this type of setting. It came out a few years later than it's peak opportunity; if you listened to Avril Lavigne, Linkin Park or Evanescence at their peak popularity in the early 2000's,"Ergo Proxy" could be your favorite anime. It isn't as good as I hoped it would be, but it's still one of the more memorable shows from that era of anime, and worthy of seeking out to watch, regardless of its flaws.