I was honestly very unsure as to whether I could write an "intellectual" review that Ergo Proxy deserves, so I have to apologise beforehand if my analysis is lacking in depth and understanding of this anime. Having debated between rating this an eight or a seven for about ten minutes after finishing the last episode, I finally settled on the latter purely based on my own biases. The skepticism about this show is understandable – it is an engaging, thought-provoking show which reminded me why I love this medium of entertainment (cyberpunk mysteries, not just tsundere cat girls, unnatural hair colours, or child soldiers in a post-apocalyptic setting).
Yet at the same time Ergo Proxy is disjointed, doubtable, and, most of the time, downright weird. Many reviews on MAL has already broken down the anime nicely, so I will just discuss primarily my main concern with this show, which was the execution of events. Some episodic events were done to engage the audience with a backstory told completely differently from the norm (i.e. almost "breaking their own 4th wall", in a sense). However, while diverging from clichés of anime has a healthy tick of approval from me, I acknowledge that I, as an individual, have an average intelligence, and found it difficult to grasp the fundamental basics of half the dialogue the characters engaged in. Most philosophical questions asked seemed repetitive and said solely for the purpose of sounding "deep" – for example, "Cogito, Ergo Sum" (I think, therefore I am) is the basis and said dominant philosophical debate for the entirety of the show – but I fear the primary fault lies with the English subtitles, which may have lacked the intellect to express the colourful language of Japanese spoken.
I find the plot itself questionable. The show is very experimental, indulging in many different kinds of genres which they pull off surprisingly effortlessly. However, I must point out a plot hole with the robots ("the AutoReivs"), more so with the ones that are infected with a virus that gives them a "soul", allowing them to experience emotions. This is neither explained nor fully explored in detail: the explanation is vague, and inconsistent with scientific reasoning.
It was rather incomprehensible to follow their thought and logic, constantly asking myself questions such as "How is it possible for a man-made machine to suddenly posses a 'soul'? Where does it come from?" When one watches Ergo Proxy, one must remember that this show also falls under the category "sic-fi", i.e. Science Fiction. Therefore, I must also point out that I am one person: my argument is not a theory or proven but an opinion, rather than truth.
The characters, simply put, are brilliant. Not perfect, of course, but brilliant nonetheless. That does not necessarily mean you will like them straight of the bat. Re-L (Lil is a fansub mistake), is one badass female lead, but spoilt by her social status and is seemingly detached from experiencing emotions. Vincent Law appears to be a disappointment for a male lead – a faceless, generic man with a submissive personality. However, both undergo major character development, which is actually shown to the audience rather than done off screen (i.e. they do not somehow miraculously become formidably impressive persons in the middle of the series for no particular reasons).
The plot itself is very unique, and as mentioned before, unrealistic for our generation but thought-inspiring. As for music: one does not simply skip the OP of Ergo Proxy (it's sung in English and I didn't skip over it once during all 23 episodes).
Personal note: I highly recommend solely shoujo/harem/shounen/ecchi genre watchers (and the like) to stray away from this. You may not necessarily like it nor understand it, and I myself admit this is not an anime for everyone, including myself. Despite being a fan of the likes of cyberpunk/psychological/dark fantasy genres, I found that for the majority of the time I was feeling "dafuq" or "hahahahhaahha ok ¿¿¿" and alas, did not come to fully embrace this hidden gem in the anime world, Ergo Proxy. But if you find the first episode engaging, then please stick with it to the bitter end – it is simply one hell of a ride.
