Deus Ex Machina and Visa Versa

The Count Down

Chaos. I think that's the word that sums up my world during the past few weeks, as everything in my new apartment has either broken or been broken by my landlord. Though in the final count down that is the end of the summer vacation, things seem to be winding down to a calm to much of my delight. And Drained, drained is the word that's probably describes how I feel at the moment. And there was no better timing than these weeks to watch the now three year old Anime series, Ergo Proxy.

Ergo Proxy: The Downfall of Man

Exaggeration. Defiantly something I am fond of and is something I use too often, but this is most certainly not needed to describe Ergo Proxy; it is without my doubt a masterpiece in literature. It is not the best Anime ever made, its certainly beautiful and highly captivating, but its not perfect. Though in a round about way, it is precisely this that poetically justifies Ergo Proxy. In a world that is a devastated by mankind's neglect, Earth is a barren and harsh environment (which pretty much described my apartment once). All that now exists however is one city, one pseudo utopia that cradles the last of "humanity" in a totalitarian and religious state. If this isn't bleak enough for you, maybe the lack of music, lack of a "protagonist" and the pessimistic outlook of man's future that is the storyline helps. If not then maybe the thoughts of your own suicide can only beat what is evoked. Though this is certainly far from a emo's whiny outlook on life. The integration of pretty much all the important works in philsophy such as Nietzsche, Plato and Kant make this the most educated Anime ever made. But dont dismay, you don't really need a degree in literature, philosophy or psychology to understand this Anime. And this is the wounder of such media as video. Instead it all can, as has, been conveyed though the music (or lack of it), the images and narrative. As is indeed the narrative is the most complex used for an Anime, it defiantly is not the best in telling a story. So much so its hard to begin to understand what is actually happening in some episodes until an episode or two after. Its hard to like, even I hated it until I realized it's importance in conveying some of the the ultimate question's in western philosophy concerning individualism and the protagonist's own confusion. Its difficult to describe in a blog post how excellent all of this is put together without making an English essay of it, suffice to say its a show to watch to not only entertain but to also educate. It is a defiant recommendation for those who want to learn more about literature, philosophy or psychology as the elements used in the Anime can be applied to any 19th or 20th Century western literature. Indeed if this was not an Anime, it could be mistaken for 19th century western literature. It has all things bleak, the emphasis being from religious texts in Catholicism and Hinduism. Yes, it even mixes both Western and Eastern philosophies well. Particularly when highlighting the conflict between individualism and collectivism that differs in the West and East. Watch Episode 1 Now. For once as well the intro music is relevant! And in English!