Ergo Proxy is a Japanese cyberpunk anime television series produced by Manglobe, directed by Shūkō Murase, and written by Dai Satō. It aired for 23 episodes from February to August 2006 on the Wowow satellite network.
The series explores themes of post-apocalypticism, cyberpunk, existentialism, and features a complex narrative involving a series of murders in a domed city. The story follows Re-l Mayer, an inspector who investigates these murders involving androids and humans. As the narrative unfolds, it delves into the mysteries of self-aware humanoid robots known as Proxies, and Re-l uncovers a conspiracy involving the Cogito Virus and these enigmatic beings.
Storyline and Overview
Ergo Proxy takes place in an unspecified number of millennia into the future, after the world was devastated by a cataclysm thousands of years earlier, a refuge exists on this ruined Earth—a Domed City named “Romdeau.” Here, humans and their android servants, the AutoReivs, live in a state of controlled peace. This constructed paradise, home to its wealthy citizens and unfortunate immigrants, is ruled by a Regent and his governing council. They insist on maintaining complete order and servitude within Romdeau to keep chaos at bay. However, a string of horrifying murders soon disrupt this idyllic setting.
Re-L Mayer, a female inspector from the Citizen Information Bureau, along with her AutoReiv partner Iggy, is tasked with solving these murder cases. A mysterious creature, neither human nor AutoReiv, attacks Re-L as she and Iggy investigate the most recent crime scene. She begins to unravel the truth about the mysterious entities known as Proxies and their true nature.
The Setting
The series is set in a post-apocalyptic future of Earth, focusing on the aftermath of a global ecological disaster. Following a series of explosions in methane hydrate reserves, rapid climate change caused the disaster. Occurring during the second half of the 21st century, these explosions eradicated 85% of the planet’s human population.
To survive, the remnants of humanity created 300 Proxies through an initiative known as the Proxy Project, charging them with the creation of a new human race. These Proxies were to nurture this new race within Dome Cities they established, which included a birthing system known as the WombSys, as well as AutoReivs, to support and propagate the fledgling species. Once the Proxies completed their mission, the original humans left Earth for another planet, waiting until Earth was deemed safe for habitation by both human races. Upon completion of their purpose, the now obsolete Proxies were to have their immortal Amrita Cells destroyed by the sun’s deadly rays, rendering them unable to survive under blue skies and marking them as relics of the past.
However, the Proxies were an imperfect creation. The humans they produced inherited their creators’ flaws, resulting in a flawed species. This, among other factors, led to a continued decline in humanity’s population as Dome Cities lost their populations, and their Proxy guardians succumbed to sorrow, rage, and insanity.
Thousands of years later, the story of “Ergo Proxy” follows Re-L Mayer, Vincent Law, and Pino as they embark on a journey to uncover the lost truths about their world and themselves. By this time, Earth has further deteriorated; a plague known as the Cogito Virus spreads among the AutoReiv population, the remaining Dome Cities are failing, and Romdeau’s regent, Donov Mayer, is but a figurehead ruler.
