Ergo Proxy Ep. 14 Review

Episode fourteen opens with a particularly striking thought from our main girl Lil, 'When I was small, I thought the world would disappear if I died.' This resonated with memories of my own childish egotism and helped to suggest a time when Lil wasn't the callous bitch she is today. Of course, she readily dismisses this as childhood delusion and swiftly falls back into her Ice Queen persona, but it was a curiously sweet moment while it lasted. It also nicely sets tone for the coming twenty minutes, suitably existential and fraudulent as they are. 

The opening scenes of this episode are what truly rile my desperation to see Ergo Proxy in full, DVD-quality glory. The visuals are stunning. As Lil's face dips in and out of the water my eyes felt the special kind of love only decent anime can provide. And happily the quality is upheld throughout the ep. This is helped by a particularly brilliant bit of directing, with fewer opportunities to put the characters in scenes where their faces are warped/drawn strangely. Everything aesthetic I love about the show was here in spades: the colour scheme, the gorgeous backgrounds, the character designs (when they're honoured properly). All lush and beautifully produced. Certainly a show I'd rate up  there (but not quite equal to) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex & 2nd Gig.

And man, the direction is one very important part of a larger whole. This episode is a head fuck. A proper, non-linier, repetitious head fuck. Vince, Lil and Pino arrive at an unidentified dome and discover it to be entirely abandoned in a similar fashion to the last dome Lil visited. As the trio stock up on supplies in the pristine, untouched supermarket, a number of bizarre events occur. Scenes happen, interchange and repeat with no discernable pattern and cause the three (well, just Lil and Vince) to doubt the reality of what they experience. This isn't helped by a new Proxy imitating the form of both Lil and Vince and manipulating the originals to do as it pleases. Obviously, Pino is well aware of what is happening, conforming to the Ergo Proxy maxim of Pino Knows, and this ultimately helps Vince and Lil find the truth.

Not until we get some seriously meaty pretence to deal with first, of course. I hate to do this again, but the parallels to Evangelion are difficult to ignore. Specifically, when Rei confronts the soul of the Angel trying to merge with her before she supukus herself and it out of existence in episode twenty-four (I think). And, of course, the numerous Shinji-on-the-train introspective moments where he confronts his inner turmoil. Ergo Proxy, however, has moved forward with these basic principles set up by Eva and managed to use them in more concise, definitive ways. The new Proxy attempts to play on Vince's insecurity of being isolated from the rest of the world as a Proxy and his uncertainty of the future.

Wow. Another utterly fantastic episode of Ergo Proxy to follow thirteen's brilliance. And I say that purely out of awe for the effortless ease manglobe & co created such a complicated but equally brief piece of plotting. It doesn't necessarily have the weight or impact of episode thirteen, but what it aims to do it does particularly well. A lot of the wankery is cut away and we get the bare essential of plot and character explanation. Granted, this economic method means a lot of questions are undermined before they get a chance to properly develop, such as the obvious 'What happened to this obnoxious Proxy causing all the stress?' but it doesn't matter. Part of me is actually relieved the creators avoided the obvious structure of Proxy Introduction > Drama > Conflict > Final Battle.

Pino's suggestion of there being two Lils ('Real-Real' she names the original) also kicked up a lot of personal theories over who or what Lil is. I'm still inclined to think she's some kind of Proxy, or denomination of Proxy, but the show is being characteristically tight-lipped. She doesn't go through the same degree of soul-searching Vince is forced to face, but the fact that Pino points out there's two doubles is quite an interesting point. I'm not sure how this factors in with the loneliness this dupe Proxy feels, because surely if there were two of them it wouldn't have a reason to feel lonely. A niggling intuition suggests this might not be over and that the final, happy scene might be something of a red-herring. I'll be upset if it is - that's almost too much of a mind fuck - but the lack of solid closure (as in, a dead/defeated enemy Proxy) is too apparent to ignore. The fact that the episode ends almost exactly as it begins, with the three on the deck of the Rabbit with the same clothes on, suggests an even grander hoodwink. But then how do you explain the ginger ale and the references Lil makes to the previous events? Fuck, my head is spinning . . . time for rewatch, I think!

Conclusion
Fanboyism is a beautiful thing. Sometimes it blinds you to the obvious flaws in the object of affection, and sometimes it elevates its strong points to biblical levels. For me, it takes a number of watches and a slow burning realisation before I accept I love something at that level. I'm not the type to instantly spout OMGSPOOGE and bend over, even if I'm immediately impressed/moved/whatever by what I see. It takes time and consideration before I can firmly admit to something being a favourite. Ergo Proxy - with all its evident faults - is well on its way. This episode was beautifully made on every account and written with the kind of focus its spiritual predecessor Evangelion lacked. The budget is shithot too, if we're honest. I want to see how the show develops and ultimately concludes before I make any bold, definitive statements, but so far the journey has been challenging, memorably and constantly exciting. Not much more you can ask from good telly, is there?

Comments

[Boulayman]

As far as I am concerned, ergo proxy is the most disapointing show of the season. I have nothing against 'philosophical' anime, on the contrary. But this show takes itself FAR too seriously.

The references are all over the place. Which could be a good thing if those references were nothing more than slight winks aimed at the audience. But when those references are given more weight than the main storyline, it is ,I believe, poor writing.

The doestoievskian introspection of the main character is far too heavily handled and poorly rendered. He is but a difform mix between the tortured soul of some secondary character in an epic russian novel and the looser anime stereotype. And according to me, this is one mix that just doesn't work. Plus, the attempts made by the anime makers at showing admiration for Asimov or Dick are getting on the way of the flow of the show.

Yet, the art direction and technical rendering of this show remains superb. This and the wonderful first 4/5 episodes of the series are the only reason I keep downloading this series. Hopefully, the rythm will pick up soon. But I am starting to loose hope. I am glad you enjoy the show, you seem to be seeing something in it that I am unable to comprehend.

Ps: I apologize for my poor english, it is not my first language :(

[Hige]

Boulayman (it's gonna be a biiig reply!):

"The references are all over the place. Which could be a good thing if those references were nothing more than slight winks aimed at the audience. But when those references are given more weight than the main storyline, it is ,I believe, poor writing."

Fair point. With this episode especially the whole Ophelia painting reference wasn't much more than a brief visual influence. But then I think Ergo Proxy doesn't solely rely on the audiences' knowledge of these things to make the point, which IS good writing. You can watch the show in total ignorance to what it alludes to and still enjoy its majority. It is pretentious and unnecessary, I'd agree, but that's why I like EP so much! :3 You rarely seem to get this kind of thing (done well, in my opinion) in anime these days. Plus, I enjoy being introduced to stuff I haven't heard of before.

"The doestoievskian introspection of the main character is far too heavily handled and poorly rendered. He is but a difform mix between the tortured soul of some secondary character in an epic russian novel and the looser anime stereotype. And according to me, this is one mix that just doesn't work."

Again, I'll give you that, but I'm inclined to give it some leeway personally. When considering the limitations of a 26-episode run I think you have to be heavy-handed to make the point and fit in everything else you might want to say. EP is the kind of show that has a whole shitload of points to make and the time constraints must be a huge barrier for expressing them. Also, EP (again imo) isn't specifically about the characterisation - or at least at this point. It is there and occasionally the show dedicates more time to the development, but overall EP isn't a character-driven show in the same way Eva or Rahxephon was. I agree that Vincent's series of introspective moments are 'going through the motions' in a grander scheme of things. It's for this reason that they don't bother me so much.

"Plus, the attempts made by the anime makers at showing admiration for Asimov or Dick are getting on the way of the flow of the show."

After watching the first and second episode I had *exactly* the same opinion. Now, after fourteen episodes, it doesn't grate at all for me. It feels like they've settled down into their own little (albeit unoriginal) niche and utilised the influences to suit their own means.

"Yet, the art direction and technical rendering of this show remains superb."

Definitely. I won't deny there has been a quality drop in the middle episodes, but this one shows how beautiful EP can be. Sometimes I wonder if perhaps the beautiful visuals might be blindsiding my critical brain to the plot/character problems. But eh, it's anime. I'm happy being a superficial fool. :D

"Ps: I apologize for my poor english,"

Not at all! Perfectly understandable and articulate. Probably one of the best comments I've had so far. Thank you! :3

[Sang Nguyen]

Couple of comments -

Ergo Proxy is only 23 episodes, not 26.

Lil should be Real. It makes a lot more sense, is what they actually pronounce (let's just ignore the limitations of engrish for a sec), and will probably play a key role in the rest of the series. It lso fits with the naming scheme with Vincent 'Law' that the counterpart be 'Real' Mayers.

Beyond that, nice review and summary.

[Hige]

Sang: Cheers for the correction on the episode count & the compliment. As for Lil's name, I use 'Lil' as a nickname for Real as I use 'Vince' for Vincent. I know she's called Real officially. I assumed the same principle applies to how 'Lil' is used in the anime... though the Engrish factor might be why fansubbers make the mistake!

[Matte]

My take on the intro scene is that the episode starts with the ending, and the rest is just a flashback on how they came to where they are now.

The scene where Pino points out there are two Real's had me react in the same way. So many thought spinning around but the only clear one I have is that Pino somehow sees things as they really are.

Boylaman - I'm not sure I agree with you that the references overshadow the story itself. I know nothing of the references they make in the episodes (as the uncultural slob I am) and I still enjoy each and every episode tremendously. I guess I'm biased in my opinion though since I want shows to take themselves super seriously (if they're not comedies). :)

[bob]

hmm... Lil sounds best, but on the offical J-website it says Re-l is her name...

[Kino]

My favorite part about this series, actually, ARE some of the really obscure references. Although we know the water scene was directed at Ophelia's drowning, I would also wager that perhaps the director took some art ideas from Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais as seen here: http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/775/opheliamillais3bt.jpg

[Hige]

Kino: Yeah, the fansub I saw (possibly Shinsen's?) had a wee explanation of that after the episode finished. Obscure references are great for introducing you to other things. My obsession with Jung probably wouldn't exist if Evangelion didn't make a passing reference to his work.

It may seem pretentious to some, acting as an attempt to beef up the credibility of their work, but I enjoy it if it's done properly. And EP hasn't been painfully awkward with it yet.