Animation: 9/10 (great but sometimes too dark to see anything) Story: 8/10 (would be 10/10 but gets too confusing towards the end) Characters: 8/10
Ergo proxy is set in a world wich was nearly destroyed, and the only way to servive to to live in the Domes. The world inside the domes is considered a utopia, but people don't have many freedoms and are completely controlled by the government to the point that they, the humans are made in tubes to controll the population. Each person in the domes gets their own autoreiv (robot) as a companion to help them, but everything they say and do is monitered about by the government.
The story starts with the police researching the "cogito virus" that infects the autoreivs and gives them souls. But some of the infected robots are murdering people, and Re-l Mayer is put in charge of the investigation (Re-l sounds like Real). While on the case she is attacked by a "monster" in her own home, and the government takes her off the case accusing her not to be metally stable from the attack yet (who they claim was just a violent stalker). Re-l Knows what she saw and becomes determined to find out the truths behind the secrets in her city no matter what.
While this is all happening to Re-l, another character, Vincent Law is having his own problems. Vicent is an immigrant to Romdo (the dome), and origenally came from Moscow. His goal in life is to be the exemporarty "good citicizen". He is an Autoreiv machanic and the have him inspecting ones that may be infected. Unfortunatly he was doing a job near where Re-l was attacked and was detained by the police under suspicion that he was the one who attacked Re-l. He ends up being forced to flee the dome to escape, but while doing so he is chased by the monster, who while following him kills many in the crowd, including a mother and child (Pino's family~), and eventually Re-l chases after him becuase she beleives that he may have some connection to the monster she saw.
A major theme of this anime is "raison d'etre" or the reason to be~ I guesse life's purpose. This is so hard to find out thats why some of the autoreivs start loosing it when the get the cogito virus and get a soul. (on A side note Cogito means "i think" as in Cogito ergo sum= I think therefor I am...).
Characters:
Vincent Law: The main character of the story. Besides what was previously stated about him being an immigrant and an autoreiv mechanic not much is know of his past (eventually comes to realize he has amnesia). He knows deep down he has a dark past, and eventually realizes his conection to the "monsters" later revealed to be called Proxies. On his voyage he is accompanied by Pino, a child type autoreiv. He has a crush on Re-l Mayor. (on a completely side note while Re-l looks ok with the massive blue paint on her eyes... his orange jump suit he wears the entire show bothers me...but at least since the animation is dark its better, or he'd look as bad as certain orange jumpsuit wearing ninjas...)
Re-l Mayor: Not only is she on the investigation Bureau, but she is also the daughter of the mayor of Romdo. She has a pretty cold personality and is known for getting in trouble. Her autoreiv's name is iggy, and they seem to be good friends. She has a weird sense of style... so much blue makupXD
Pino: She was a stand-in child to a rich family who weren't aloud to have children yet, but instead addopted a child type autoreiv. When they finally did have a child they were about to decomission her, but her mother and the baby were killed by the Proxy. Pino acquires the cognito virus and acquires a soul, so she follows Vincent when he flees the dome. She is his traveling companion the entire time, and for the most part is just cute comic releef. (she looks so cute in the bunny outfit she wears the whole timeXD)
Besides that there aren't any real interesting characters besides some goverment people, talking nude statues that dictate the government, radom peasants, and a doctor (who looks like he's 12 years old), that has such a freaky obsession with Re-l he clones her so she'll never leave his side. Also if you pay attention, most of the characters outside of the main ones are named after famous philosophers, scientists, aztec/greek gods, and other mythological stuff.
Overall this anime is a little dark for my taste>.<, but well made. It has a good story and great animation. There are few random episodes thrown in that make absolutely no sense and give you the same feal as the last few episodes of evangelion, except slightly less trippy, and a better animation budget. If your into thinking this is the anime for you.
(on a side note, this anime feels a lot like the matrix... I'm almost sure they do the freeze frame action at somepointXD)
