Anime Anyone watch Ergo Proxy???

[JamesMay]

I was wondering if ergo proxy was any good?? thinking about making it the next series I watch.

[Shinmaru]

Personally, I am not a fan. Spends too much of its time on inane bullshit and not enough time weaving those philosophical themes into the narrative in a way that is both coherent and strengthens the story. It's all philosophical masturbation to me.

[JamesMay]

Thanks fro the warning shin. Think im gonna have to pass on it then.

[The Tentacle]

He's right.  Ergo Proxy was more cerebral than what I'm used to.  Plus I found it to be morbidly depressing.  There was only a hint of the backstory supplied so it was very easy to get confused unless you were paying close attention the whole time.

[Pleiades Rising]

Ignore the heathens, for they know not what they say!

Actually, yeah, it can get pretty darn convoluted and obscure at times. However, I was one of the few who actually liked the series. I never really got hung up on the painfully obvious philosophical references (dropping the names Derrida, Husserl, Turing, etc.), which I admit, were quite clumsy and amounted to little more than name dropping. Trying to follow those thinkers and then tie them into [i]Ergo Proxy[/i] would be misleading, but I suspect many have tried to do it (probably with very little success). In short: watch it if you want to, but don't be mislead by the blatant philosophy service.

What I found compelling was that whole existential core they explored throughout the series, with vary degrees of success: Existence precedes essence, become who you are, and simply, who am I? The latter should be given special emphasis, since it really seems to be the question from which the others follow. And in this series, we see many characters struggling with this basic question, each in his or her or its own way. Of course, this is a dark and moody series, so if that's not your thing, take a pass. It can be full of moments where brooding introspection is the norm, followed by crazy philosophical themes. But it's not all like that: there's monsters on par with gods, and machines with consciousness, to boot! Plus, it's one of the rare anime series that actually seamlessly blends cel-style art with CGI animation, without one overwhelming the other.

So yeah, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but for those who did like it - they found something special about it.

[JamesMay]

i "like" dark philosophical anime... not love. The thing that initially drew me to ergo proxy was the art.. it looks fantastic. I can handle the dark, moody, philosophical stuff as long as its occasionally broken up with some comic relief and explosions! hahaha... are there breaks in the critical thinking aspect of this anime?? or is it just 100% "philosophical masturbation"? (Thank you shinmaru for that term!. its genius)

[Pleiades Rising]

Yeah, there are breaks in it, and most of the surface-philosophy is easily discarded once you realize it doesn't do anything, really. If you can manage to get past that stuff, then that whole dark stuff will appeal to you - [i]and it's oozing with mood and angst.[/i] Is there humor? Not much, but it's expected when dealing with a dystopian society where everyone is paranoid and unsure of...everything. There are a couple of "lighter" episodes, and one of them kinda falls flat. Maybe the contrast with those lighter episodes was a bit too jarring and incongruent with the rest of the series' tone, but at least they try and have some laughs.

And yes, there are explosions. When it reaches towards the final episodes, that's when the pacing picks up some steam. The last episode is kind of like a little film of its own, actually. I don't want to say too much, but it does have action and intrigue. Again, it's very moody and dense, but it's not [i]completely [/i]so. (Plus, Pino is so adorable!) Seeing godlike beings fight can be pretty cool, I'd say. Edited December 19, 2010 by Pleiades Rising

[JamesMay]

ill give it a try.

[The Tentacle]

The biggest draw for me, and what ultimately made Ergo Proxy worth watching, was the concept of a manmade being such as an android becoming not only self-aware but also gaining the equivalent of a soul.  This is a pretty big existential theory that I like to wrap my brain around every so often and Ergo Proxy did a lot to mirror my own thoughts on the matter.  

[JamesMay]

Just finished watching the first episode of ergo proxy... Im definitely going to give this series a chance. The story seems cool and the mood is great. reminds me of the matrix in many ways. The sound track is great and the english dialogue is more than decent. The main thing I like about ergo proxy is the main character Re-L. In my opinion she is one of the hottest anime babes out there. She reminds me of the girl from evanescence. Im a clean-cut wholesome kinda guy, but im attracted to more edgy women I guess.

[Maully]

[color="#2E8B57"]I love Ergo Proxy, it's one of my favorites. All the nay saying is not unfounded, but I find it to be 1) gorgeous 2) thought invoking 3) depressing (which, strangely, is not a negative point for me).

I love the art style of the show. I think that, whether intentional or not, everyone but Re-Al has an ordinary face and looks like they are drawn to look like they are in the background. She is striking and strong but I like that they movie the story away from her. I love her and she annoys me. It's a strange dichotomy.

The character growth and development is really drawn out, especially with the two main characters, and arguably one of the most frustrating points. It's good development, but it drags. Pino is my favorite character by far. and the darkness and depressing element in the story is necessary in anything post-apocalyptic. It does shove it's points down your throat though. It's not subtle.[/color]

[mpg13]

Great anime! Beautiful images and an interesting story.

[Lilt]

[b]There were a couple of episodes that seemed like they were unnecessary to me, but on the whole I enjoyed Ergo Proxy. Well, the end confused me to no end but I'm probably the only one.

However, there were a few must see episodes in there so I would say it's worth watching. Also, the details on the characters is amazing and for the main characters at least, they really grow as people. (For the most part.)

So I would definitely recommend that you finish Ergo Proxy if you haven't, JM.

And if anyone else was thinking of giving it a try, I say go for it.[/b]