“Style over substance”, as criticism could easily be applied to “Ergo

Proxy”. But when the style is so outstanding, who needs substance?

“Ergo Proxy” does have a story of sorts, I think, but you are never sure

at the end. Dark, gloomy, cyber-punk, post-apocalyptic, eats depression

for breakfast, and paints some of the most beautiful darknesses. Who knew

that black could come in many colors? As you might guess, the style alone

is massively impressive here. With a fantastic sound and music track,

by Monoral and Radiohead. You are in a world destroyed by man, where

only three types of beings persist, humans who live in domes and are

grown in capsules, sentient robots, and Proxies plus other minor deviant

forms such as Alex Trebek of Jeopardy, Lawrence Ferlinghetti of City

Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, and even Walt Disney, and these are

the monsters! Only the Proxies are totally mysterious, and remain so.

Ergo is a world of complete falsehoods where everyone lies and no one

knows the Truth. And the very lethal Re-L, whose smoldering almost erotic

anger!, killing as an act of love? And fear as an orgiastic ritual?

She is something of a complete bitch and others are there to serve her

needs. She constantly threatens to kill Vincent Law who she may actually

love, in her weird way. Vincent, as the fraidy-cat, milquetoast, who

loves Re-L, and has a mysterious past. Pino short for Pinocchio, a

little girl robot slowly becoming a real, live little girl. Pino is the

shinning sun of pure innocence, the only one who always tells the truth,

the only one who questions the morality of those around her. She loves

Vincent, and because Vincent loves Re-L, Pino loves Re-L. Because Ergo

is so dark, and Pino so bright, she steals every scene she is in, and

she is actually is some way, the real protagonist of this story. Style

over substance? Well yes, when the style is this great. Highly

recommended for stable minds only (because you will not be at the end).