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REVIEW: Ergo Proxy DVD 3

Although his story has become quite interesting, Vincent Law just doesn't have the charisma, personality, or sex appeal to carry the plot weight on his own

Quote:

Although his story has become quite interesting, Vincent Law just doesn't have the charisma, personality, or sex appeal to carry the plot weight on his own

Well, I'm going to have to disagree with that.

Cowboy Cadenza wrote:

Quote: Although his story has become quite interesting, Vincent Law just doesn't have the charisma, personality, or sex appeal to carry the plot weight on his own Well, I'm going to have to disagree with that.

Me too. IMO, Vincent is the most interesting character in the show. And when he opens his eyes he's pretty sexy .

Thus Re-l is back, and who is actually disappointed about that, anyway?

Episode 11, by comparison, quickly turns into nothing more than the symbolic, introspective mind trip episode which seems to have become obligatory in all of the more classy sci-fi series these days, and contrary to the steady plot development so far it merely reiterates and reinforces revelations we've already had. To call it a filler episode would not be a major stretch.

Pino offers the float necessary to keep a viewer from drowning in the moroseness of it all, a lesson apparently wisely learned from the overwhelmingly dreary Texhnolyze...

Unfortunately the glimmer of quality control problems first seen in volume 2 becomes a full-blown issue in volume 3, as episode 10 in particular shows a decidedly lower level of consistency and quality in the rendering of characters, especially in scenes involving Re-l.

And watch the inscriptions on the gravestones carefully for a not-so-hidden homage.

I'm currently on the last disc of Technolyze which I tried to watch before but couldn't manage to finish. Ergo Proxy is indeed a superior series. It has far more character development than Tech or GITS which seem to fall a tad short in that department.

I can't think of a better script or execution for current series and really can't think of anything they could have done to make it better.

Sadly, the pretentiousness shall see an eventual return, and the overuse of homages (the bookstore in the episode is based on a real one) aren't going away anytime soon. But, for the most part, after this ridiculous episode, Ergo Proxy reaches its peak in actual literary merit with the stretch of episodic stories.
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I disagree somewhat here, because one of strengths of Texhnolyze is that it doesn't have to rely on cutesy gimmicks like EP does. The former doesn't follow conventions and just about completely goes against the conventions to tell a dangerous yet moving tale about the different states of humanity from a technological (yet it doesn't focus on it anywhere as much as typical cyberpunk tales), theological (Buddhist symbolism is here in an insane amount), and just straight out emotional viewpoints (it's the only genuinely intelligent anime that springs to mind where I know that people have actually cried at it). In contrast, the latter is more like an amalgamation of different ideas that, in spite of the generic clichés, would've been absolutely excellent were it not for the fact that Dai Sato had to make it seem as though he's an intelligent person with so many obscure references that just serve to stylize the story rather than add substance and weight to it.

That doesn't discount from the obvious fact that Pino is utterly adorable and is probably my favorite characters in the series. She's so kewt~~~!

I love going to the real City Light bookshop, and thought it was really awesome that one of my favorite used bookshops was featured here!

How many others have read (or even know about) Hugo Gernsback's Ralph 124C?

The only in joke that made me wince was Dai Sato's gravestone, but overall I think that most of the references are almost too subtle.

Honestly, what you're saying here about Dai Sato is partly what I thought about Texhnolyze: Abe...

was trying so hard to use the series to make various statements and bits of symbolism that he lost sight of actually making an entertaining story.

I did finish that one, and was happy when I was done with it because it was just too depressing and downbeat.

(Think Arnold Schwarzeneggar's End of Days for a live-action comparison.)

Cuteness certainly isn't required, but something in it that showed a spark of life would have been appreciated.

spoiler[So what do we take from this series?

It is easy to see the tragic nature of the tale being told and find it moving yet also depressing. After all the story is literally about the absolute failiure of humanity to find a way to overcome it's own failings and thrive. But the stories core protagonist, Ichise, does exactly that. He changes from an entirely self absorbed and angry individual into someone who has selflessly tried to save another being's pain, namely Ran whom he wanted to bring to the surface world so that her precognative abilities wouldn't trouble her with such violent premonitions. Even at the end as he realises he has doomed himself while also being unable to help Ran at all he performs one last act of respect and gives Ran a proper burial - so that she might gain rest in the next life. He is a profoundly changed man from grief stricken individualist we saw at the start of the series.]

The best thing about the series was ADV's alternate dialogue ottakes in the Extras.

And you say people have actually cried at that one? I am enough of a sentimentalist that occasionally an anime can get to me, but I can't see how this one could be so emotionally affecting.

Oh, yes. Figuring out a legitimate way to work in a character like that was a touch of genius.

The best thing about the series was ADV's alternate dialogue ottakes in the Extras.

Actually it was Geneon who released the series. They've handled all of the anime that ABe has associated with.

True, but the alternate takes were all my idea. Geneon just released them on the DVD.

Regards,

JK