|
|
Home
|
R2 DVD Reviews
|
|
Written by maehara
|
|
Sunday, 03 February 2008 16:00 |
 Ergo Proxy takes a turn towards the strange, as Vincent is confronted with his true nature and Re-l returns to the wasteland in search of the truth about the Proxy; while back in Romdo, Raul and Daedalus attempt to use each other for their own benefit...
9 - Angel's Share / Shards of Brilliance
Vincent awakes to find himself in a place he doesn't recognise - a tower, owned by a man calling himself Kazkis Hauer, and replete with all the luxuries of life. A far cry from Charos, where he last remembers being. Apparently, Hauer rescued him & Pino from the ruins of the base, and there were no other survivors. His reason for doing that? None, other than his claimed feeling that anyone brave or foolish enough to be in this part of the world is brave or foolish enough to be considered his friend. While Vincent seems happy to accept Hauer's hospitality, though, Pino's not - especially after she finds a hall full of the fighting machines they'd encountered around Charos. When Vincent tackles Hauer about his use of the machines, he finds he doesn't like the answers...
10 - Cytotropism / Existence
Back at Romdo, Daedelus has been stripped of his responsibilities and is being a good, quiet, and uninvolved citizen - with a discrete level of observation arranged by Raul to make sure he stays that way. The deaths of Re-l and the Proxy are causing Raul problems, though, and he's beginning to feel the pressure of his position - especially as there have been increasing problems with Romdo's power supplies that could threaten the city. He suspects sabotage - but why, and by whom? His investigations soon lead him to the source of the problems, and the realisation that Re-l is still alive - and planning to leave the city, in search of Vincent...
11 - Anamunesisu / In the White Darkness
The City Lights Bookstore - not exactly what you'd expect to find in the wastelands far away from anywhere, but that's what Vincent finds while wandering through a thick fog, trying to find Pino and his way back to the Rabbit. The lights are on, and the shopkeeper is home - an old man who speaks in riddles and never directly answers questions. Trying to get away from inane conversation, Vincent goes looking through the stacks. When the first book he finds is one with his own name on the cover, he realises this is no ordinary bookstore. Every other book is the same - the story of Vincent Law - and the shopkeeper? A Proxy, well aware of Vincent's true nature and seemingly determined to help him remember what he seems to have forgotten...
12 - Hideout / When You're Smiling
Reunited with Re-l, Vincent continues his journey towards Mosk - he's told Re-l about his being a Proxy, but as yet she doesn't believe him - the thought of that is just too much for her to handle, too far beyond her own experiences. She can accept that the Proxy only appears around him and that he's calling it somehow - but not that he actually is it. To be fair, Vincent himself still has more questions about that than answers - but he's not going to get those answers just yet, as when camping in a secluded valley the group are interrupted by a young thief...
It had originally seemed to me that Vincent’s journey across the wasteland was a necessary interlude in his journey to reach Mosk. Now it seems that the journey itself is going to be the key to the story, and for Vincent it’s a real journey of discovery – or of rediscovery, as he learns about his past, and who he really is. All of that had been suppressed beneath his desire to become a fellow citizen back in Romdo, but now that’s no longer an option it’s all coming back to the surface, and is presented to the viewer in some decidedly surreal ways. The good side of this is that it gives the viewer something to get their teeth into – there’s definitely some great viewing to be had. The downside is that it destroys a lot of the atmosphere that had been built up around the wasteland in the previous volumes, as it’s gone from a place of death and nothing, to somewhere where Vincent seems to find a new oasis of life every episode. Yes, you could interpret a lot of what happens as being solely in his head, and not in the “real” world – but you can equally interpret it as revealing that the wasteland isn’t so dead after all, and that spoils the whole feel of the show a little. There’s a common thread in the type of life that Vicent keeps finding, though, that may be a pointer towards the future.
Vicent’s story isn’t the only side of this tale, though – back in Romdo, there’s the small matter of Re-l’s apparent death to deal with, which has had repercussions for both Daedelus and Raul. Re-l’s reappearance probably shouldn’t surprise anyone – there aren’t many series that will write out a lead character after just 2 volumes – and the way that it’s done points out the problems and conspiracies that are beginning to threaten Romdo’s existence. There’s a growing sense that Re-l and Daedelus believe that the Proxy – and by connection, Vincent – are the key to securing humanity’s future, but as yet it’s difficult to see how that’s going to play out. I could also be barking up the wrong tree – but the possibility is definitely intriguing.
This volume of Ergo Proxy didn’t grab me quite as much as the previous volumes did, but there’s not much in it and this release is still rarely short of completely engrossing. The series is also starting to explain itself – there are gaps in the story, but they’re being filled in and the nature of the world than Re-l and Vincent find themselves in is slowly becoming clearer. Personally, I can’t wait to see more, and this is one series that is easy for me to recommend.
|
|
