The Gist:
In a futuristic world, robots have been created to serve humans but are suddenly plagued with a strange virus that makes them self-aware. At the same time, a string of grisly murders occurs and an investigator wonders if the two are connected.The History:
Ergo Proxy was produced by Manglobe and premiered in Japan on February 25, 2006, with 23 episodes. It was later released on DVD in nine volumes on May 25, 2006. Geneon Entertainment acquired North American distribution rights in November of 2006 and released volume 1 on November 26 of the same year. Geneon has since entered an agreement with FUNimation, who will now assume all manufacturing, marketing and distribution of the series.A manga spinoff was serialized in March of 2006 in Japan, titled Centzon Hitchers & Undertaker. It was then released in two graphic novels in August 2006 and February 2007 respectively.
Manga vs. Anime:
A manga spinoff was serialized in March of 2006 in Japan, titled Centzon Hitchers & Undertaker. It was then released in two graphic novels in Japan in August 2006 and February 2007 respectively.How to Watch:
Ergo Proxy is available on DVD. Most recently, a complete series box set was released on October 7, 2008.Genres:
Adventure, drama, horror, mystery, psychological, sci-fi, supernaturalThemes: Cyperpunk, post-apocalyptic Learn more about anime genres and themes
Studios:
Manglobe, Inc., Geneon Entertainment, FUNimation EntertainmentRating:
16+ Learn more about anime and manga age ratings
The Review:
Ergo Proxy is a supernatural, sci-fi thriller series that is kind of an anime version of the I,Robot story with a slight Matrix twist to it. The story takes place in a fictional city called Romdo. Romdo is a domed city, built to provide a sustainable environment after the world as they knew it was destroyed in an ecological disaster. Inside the city of Romdo, humans and robots called "AutoReivs" live together in total harmony until some of the robots are plagued by a strange virus called Cogito, which causes the robots to become self-aware.
No longer content to serve the humans, the afflicted robots take off on their own.
At the same time, a string of murders has the city on edge and an investigator named Re-l Mayer is assigned to the case along with her AutoReiv partner, Iggy. When Re-l comes across Vincent, a mysterious humanoid known as a "Proxy", he leaves the domed city of Romdo and she decides to tag along to discover the secrets of the virus, the proxies and the domed cities.
As you can tell, the storyline is quite complex and there are a number of subtle references to real-life "big picture questions". For example, the afflicted robots struggle with the question of whether the virus that gave them self-awareness is the cause of their identity or that they gained their identity because of their travels. In an interview, screenplay writer Dai Sato said that this question was meant to "represent our own debate over whether we become who we are because of our environment or because of things that are inherent to us."
Yes, this anime really does go "deep".
In addition to the psychological storyline, the entire series has a cyberpunk air to it, well represented by the mix of 2D animation and 3D CGI. Its creepy, its intense and its edge-of-your-seat-delightful.
For more Ergo Proxy, visit FUNimation's official website.
