Ergo Proxy was the first anime I ever watched, the one that made me rethink my preconceptions of what "anime" was, awakened my love for dark, atmospheric, psychological stories, and ignited my undying love for post-apocalyptic cyberpunk dystopias. That was five or six years ago now, and now for the past few months I've been itching to revisit this show. If anybody would like to join me, I'd love to make this my first hosted rewatch.A quick summary: The story opens in Romdo, one of many domed cities scattered across the face of the earth. Outside the dome is nothing but a barren wasteland. Inside the dome is a society on the brink of collapse. Humanoid robots called autoreivs, invented to help humans as everything from administrative assistants to weapons of war to surrogate children, are being infected with a mysterious code called the Cogito Virus, which grants them sentience and threatens to upturn the delicate social balance in Romdo. Re-L Mayer, our main character and the granddaughter of Romdo's regent, is tasked with investigating the origin of the Cogito Virus, but her mission becomes more complicated when she encounters two strange entities: Vincent Law, a recent immigrant to Romdo who is having difficulty adjusting to his new life and is fascinated by Re-L, and a bizarre, murderous monster known only as the Proxy. Events rapidly escalate out of control, until Re-L and Vincent are driven into a desperate flight for their lives and a search for the truths behind the Cogito Virus, the Proxy, the domes, and the Pulse of the Awakening.Some reasons to watch:Incredible atmosphere. The only adjective I can think of to describe Ergo Proxy's setting is "desolate." Between oppressive dystopias, inhospitable wastelands, and crumbling ruins, this show hits all the right notes to make you feel like everything around is truly dead or dying.A badass female protagonists along the lines of Motoko Kusanagi, Akane Tsunemori, and Ryougi Shiki.Pino, the cutest character ever and only joyful light in this depressing world.If you liked Shinsekai Yori: Ergo Proxy shares a similarly engrossing atmosphere, a taste for horrific tragedy, and a search for truth within a world that has been apocalyptically devastated. It trades in SSY's magic, primitive rural setting and coming-of-age themes for a killer cyberpunk aesthetic and questions about why life matters and what it means to be human.If you liked Texhnolyze: Ergo Proxy feels very much like a homage to this classic. It imitates the atmosphere and tone, the crumbling cyberpunk city, the beautiful character design style, and the existential themes, but with less soul-crushing nihilism and more unbelievable mindfuckery.And there you have it! If all goes according to plan and I can find some people to join me, I'd like to start in about a month, in the latter half of May. http://ift.tt/1N0YzNF
