Ergo Proxy
Encyclopedia
is a science fiction
suspense anime
television series, produced by Manglobe
, which premiered across Japan on 25 February 2006 on the WOWOW
satellite
network. It is directed by Shukō Murase
, with screenplay by Dai Satō
et al.. Ergo Proxy has been described as dark science fiction mystery with philosophical underpinnings. It features a combination of 2D digital cel animation, 3D computer modeling, and digital special effects.
called Romdeau, built to protect its citizens after a global ecological disaster thousands of years prior. In this utopia, humans and AutoReivs (androids) coexist peacefully under a total management system. A series of murders committed by robots and 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 a "Proxy". The Proxy beings (described as God-like and Immortal) are believed to hold the key to the survival of mankind.
Re-l Mayer is assigned to investigate some of the murders with her AutoReiv partner, Iggy. She encounters a Cogito virus-infected AutoReiv and a fast and flexible monster. She later learns that the monster was a Proxy. The other central character, an immigrant named Vincent Law, is revealed to be connected in some ways with this Proxy. After being hunted down, Vincent lives for a while 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 domes are all created by Proxies as well as the people inhabiting them who are created in special incubators.
In the Romdeau arcology, the government is divided between several entities: the Intelligence Bureau, the Health & Welfare Bureau, and the Security Bureau, are named in the series, all under the control of an Administrator who is referred to as the grandfather of "REAL".
The primary AutoReiv types are referred to as either 'Companion' or 'Entourage', depending on their role. There are others designed for leisure or combat functions; AutoReivs seem to be constructed of varying degrees of cybernetic complexity, as witnessed by AutoReivs on occasion producing blood splatter when shot and killed.
The humans in the city are grown in artificial wombs but are still related to their ancestors. Numerous times throughout the series it is stated that the humans living in the domes have no capacity to reproduce naturally, or at least that's what they have been told. Likewise, when a new person is grown, they are done so to fulfill a specific purpose, thus ensuring that person's future place in society through a "raison d'être" (i.e., a "reason for being").
Vincent Law
Pino
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.
In an interview, Dai Satō
describes the project:
Asked about how he devised the title Ergo Proxy, Sato replied "It's cool."
, Ergo Proxy aired on pay-TV satellite broadcasting network WOWOW
from 25 February 2006, concluding on 12 August 2006. Ergo Proxy was then released on DVD from 25 May 2006 to 25 January 2007, spanning nine volumes.
The series was licensed by Geneon Entertainment USA for Region 1 release, which began on 21 November 2006 and spanned six volumes. The English dub
of Ergo Proxy premiered on Fuse TV
on 9 June 2007 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.
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 UK
by MVM Films
on the 6th of August 2007. The English dub of Ergo Proxy aired on ABC2
(the national digital public television channel) from 3 July 2007 to 4 December 2007. In Canada
, the English dub aired as part of Anime Current
, an Anime Television block, on pay-TV digital channel G4 Canada from 26 July 2007 to 27 December 2007.
spinoff called was written by Manglobe
and illustrated by Yumiko Harao. The manga was serialized in Shogakukan
's Monthly Sunday Gene-X, beginning in March 2006. It was later released in two tankōbon
format, the first in August 2006 and the second on 19 February 2007.
Ergo Proxy CD Soundtrack: Opus 01
Ergo Proxy CD Soundtrack: Opus 02
said, "We're even more 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. With its tremendous supporting cast and carefully woven plot..." 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". 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"
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
suspense anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series, produced by Manglobe
Manglobe
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It was formed on February 7, 2002 by Sunrise producers Shinichirō Kobayashi and Takashi Kochiyama.-Works:*Trip Trek *Samurai Champloo...
, which premiered across Japan on 25 February 2006 on the WOWOW
WOWOW
WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo...
satellite
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
network. It is directed by Shukō Murase
Shuko Murase
is an anime director and animator.A member of the renowned studio Sunrise, he is noted for contributing the character designs and key animation to New Mobile Report Gundam Wing and Argento Soma. In 2000, he contributed the main character designs to Final Fantasy IX...
, with screenplay by Dai Satō
Dai Sato
is a Japanese screenwriter and musician.Having begun scriptwriting at a young age and writing scripts for various companies, Satō later focused his attention on writing for anime series...
et al.. Ergo Proxy has been described as dark science fiction mystery with philosophical underpinnings. It features a combination of 2D digital cel animation, 3D computer modeling, and digital special effects.
Plot
The story begins in a futuristic domed cityDomed city
A domed city is a kind of theoretical or fictional structure that encloses a large urban area under a single roof. In most descriptions, the dome is airtight and pressurized, creating a habitat that can be controlled for air temperature and quality...
called Romdeau, built to protect its citizens after a global ecological disaster thousands of years prior. In this utopia, humans and AutoReivs (androids) coexist peacefully under a total management system. A series of murders committed by robots and 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 a "Proxy". The Proxy beings (described as God-like and Immortal) are believed to hold the key to the survival of mankind.
Re-l Mayer is assigned to investigate some of the murders with her AutoReiv partner, Iggy. She encounters a Cogito virus-infected AutoReiv and a fast and flexible monster. She later learns that the monster was a Proxy. The other central character, an immigrant named Vincent Law, is revealed to be connected in some ways with this Proxy. After being hunted down, Vincent lives for a while 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 domes are all created by Proxies as well as the people inhabiting them who are created in special incubators.
In the Romdeau arcology, the government is divided between several entities: the Intelligence Bureau, the Health & Welfare Bureau, and the Security Bureau, are named in the series, all under the control of an Administrator who is referred to as the grandfather of "REAL".
The primary AutoReiv types are referred to as either 'Companion' or 'Entourage', depending on their role. There are others designed for leisure or combat functions; AutoReivs seem to be constructed of varying degrees of cybernetic complexity, as witnessed by AutoReivs on occasion producing blood splatter when shot and killed.
The humans in the city are grown in artificial wombs but are still related to their ancestors. Numerous times throughout the series it is stated that the humans living in the domes have no capacity to reproduce naturally, or at least that's what they have been told. Likewise, when a new person is grown, they are done so to fulfill a specific purpose, thus ensuring that person's future place in society through a "raison d'être" (i.e., a "reason for being").
Characters
A number of characters in the supporting cast are named after various figures taken from both history as well as mythology. Most notably, names of significant profiles in philosophical and psychological sciences appear throughout the series. The Proxies could almost be supporting characters, since they play such a vital role in the series. Though it is stated that there are many Proxies, only a few have been named: Monad, Senex, Kazkis and Ergo Proxies, as well as Proxy One, MCQ and Will B. Good. A sixth which Re-l sends back to Romdo with Iggy, is never named.Main characters
Re-l Mayer- (credited as Karen Thompson)
- Inspector Re-l Mayer of the 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 Romdo. Given her privileged status, she expects respect from people around her, and speaks as such (she addresses Vincent as "o-mae"). Re-l accompanies Vincent on his journey in order to learn more about the mysterious Proxies.
Vincent Law
- An immigrant from Mosk working for Romdo's within the , set up to hunt and dispose infected AutoReivs. Vincent appears driven to become a Model Citizen, but ultimately fails to suppress the burden of his traumatic past and flees from Romdo. He seems to have a deep connection to the second Proxy, having left his necklace at the scene of the first Proxy site.
Pino
- An infected Companion type AutoReiv owned by Raul Creed and Samantha Ross, Pino served as a surrogate child to the couple. She was scheduled for decommissioning after the Creeds were granted a real baby son by the government, but the untimely deaths of Samantha and her new son prompted Pino to flee Romdo. She accompanies Vincent on his journey. The character of Pino was given this name as a reference to PinocchioPinocchioThe Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
, and Pinoko from Osamu TezukaOsamu Tezukawas a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
's Black JackBlack Jack (manga)is a manga written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka in the 1970s, dealing with the medical adventures of the title character, doctor Black Jack....
. and also to the painter Pino Daeni.
Production
Manglobe initially approached Shukou 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.
"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."
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.
In an interview, Dai Satō
Dai Sato
is a Japanese screenwriter and musician.Having begun scriptwriting at a young age and writing scripts for various companies, Satō later focused his attention on writing for anime series...
describes the project:
Asked about how he devised the title Ergo Proxy, Sato replied "It's cool."
Anime
In JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Ergo Proxy aired on pay-TV satellite broadcasting network WOWOW
WOWOW
WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo...
from 25 February 2006, concluding on 12 August 2006. Ergo Proxy was then released on DVD from 25 May 2006 to 25 January 2007, spanning nine volumes.
The series was licensed by Geneon Entertainment USA for Region 1 release, which began on 21 November 2006 and spanned six volumes. The English dub
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
of Ergo Proxy premiered on Fuse TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
on 9 June 2007 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.
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, the Ergo Proxy DVDs were distributed by Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
, the first volume released in March 2007. The first volume of Ergo Proxy was released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by MVM Films
MVM Films
MVM Films is a British distributor of Japanese animation. The company sublicenses anime titles from US Anime companies such as Media Blasters, Geneon, Nozomi Entertainment, Urban Vision, AnimEigo, and US Manga Corps, which do not have a UK presence, and releases them on Region 2 DVD...
on the 6th of August 2007. The English dub of Ergo Proxy aired on ABC2
ABC2
ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
(the national digital public television channel) from 3 July 2007 to 4 December 2007. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the English dub aired as part of Anime Current
Anime Current
Anime Current is an Anime Television block running on G4techTV Canada, in which one series is broadcast from beginning to end. It is similar to Anime Unleashed, a former programming block on the American G4 that broadcast Anime. Anime Current started on November 6, 2006 with R.O.D The TV...
, an Anime Television block, on pay-TV digital channel G4 Canada from 26 July 2007 to 27 December 2007.
Manga
A mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
spinoff called was written by Manglobe
Manglobe
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It was formed on February 7, 2002 by Sunrise producers Shinichirō Kobayashi and Takashi Kochiyama.-Works:*Trip Trek *Samurai Champloo...
and illustrated by Yumiko Harao. The manga was serialized in Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
's Monthly Sunday Gene-X, beginning in March 2006. It was later released in two tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
format, the first in August 2006 and the second on 19 February 2007.
Soundtracks
Two soundtracks, featuring the compositions of Yoshihiro Ike, have been released in Japan; the second, Opus 02, was also licensed by Geneon and packaged with a special edition of the first Region 1 DVD.Ergo Proxy CD Soundtrack: Opus 01
Ergo Proxy CD Soundtrack: Opus 02
- futu-risk
- mazecity
- bilbul
- confession
- wrong way home
- busy doing nothing
- cytotropism
- angel's share
- hideout
- ophelia
- domecoming
- terra incognita
- deus ex machina
- eternal smile
- life after god
- Goodbye Vincent
- shampoo planet
- kiri (full version)
Theme music
Anime opening sequences |
||
| Title | Artist | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Kiri | Monoral Monoral Monoral is a Japanese rock band signed to Sony Music Japan. The band consists of Anis Shimada on lead vocals and guitar and Ali Morizumi on bass and guitar.-Members:... |
03-23 |
Anime ending sequences |
||
| Title | Artist | Episodes |
| Paranoid Android Paranoid Android "Paranoid Android" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead, featured on their 1997 third studio album OK Computer. The lyrics of the darkly humorous song were written primarily by singer Thom Yorke, following an unpleasant experience in a Los Angeles bar... |
Radiohead Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992... |
01-23 |
Reception
NewType USANewtype (magazine)
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga . It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country...
said, "We're even more 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. With its tremendous supporting cast and carefully woven plot..." Katherine Luther of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
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". 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"