Wakaranai

Washi

—-
Rating: A+
—-

I apologise for this review coming in a little late, I kind of just watched Ergo Proxy and then proceeded to forget that I needed to blog it! Last week was disappointing for some, including me, mainly due to less than perfect production values, but at the same time it was still very good. Despite the imperfect animation dampening the thrills of the action sequences, and demeaning the overall polish of the show, the plot began to thicken nicely, and the tension started to rise, fleshing out the characters as it did so. This episode did not have the same flaws as episode two, or at least they did not jump out at me this time, but it was less exciting than I’d imagined. It’s hard to complain about the show, because even though I’m unhappy with the way an episode turned out, it just means that I expected to be left in awe, or at least fascination, after each episode. I loved the way the episode ended, bringing some sense of closure instead of leaving the audience hanging, but overall the episode did not maintain the tension and intrigue of last week, and the pace seemed slower.

The reason the episode wasn’t as enthralling as episode 1 or 2, could well be because it focused on a character I did not care for, and who remained bland and uninspired to the very end, putting Lil’s position on the backburner temporarily. Without characters I care about being in dangerous or stressful situations, I don’t derive excitement from proceedings, unless it’s very cleverly produced, which, in this case, it wasn’t. The character we followed this week was Vincent Law, who is now being targeted by the various agencies trying to silence him, for his knowledge of the loose monster. There seems to be something special about him, and I found his dream at the start to be very interesting, if not a rather obtuse hint at the plot. His position in all of this is probably the thing that’s most confusing right now. He’s a very dry character, the only emotions expressed by him being fear and confusion, and the episode, being predominantly from his perspective is of a similar feel. The dark, sewer-like setting of the city’s underground didn’t help. I understand that the show is not meant to be vibrant and colourful, but I love the look of the sleek blues often seen, it’s an attractive, but minimalist contrast to the blacks and greys of the show.

We were lucky Pino was there to add a welcome touch of character to those scenes with Vincent. She’s no Al from last Exile, but she’s pretty damn adorable, especially in those pyjamas! Her voice is sweet too, and her drowsy personality. We did get to see enough of Lil Mayer, for her presence to be felt, and to see that she’s more passionate about this case than ever. The way in which she presses Vincent for answers, with anger and frustration, shows the ‘case’ is really going to her head. I can see it becoming a major obsession of hers, not that it looks like she’ll be able to avoid involvement. Moreover, we got to see that she does care for people, and despite being (at least inwardly), a non-ideal citizen, she’s still emotionally connected to people. This was shown by her trying to stop Vincent from entering the world outside. I really loved that moment, as it captured the themes of the show and presented them through Vincent. I loved the meaning in him opening his eyes, proper understanding only garnered from his first act of real freedom, of going against the enforced norms and expectations placed on him by the state.

The animation was not at episode 1 quality, but it was consistent within the episode, and the flaws were not obvious. That said, there was no real action sequence to put the production values to the test. The music is still very good, especially the ED and the newly introduced OP, which is really quite a strong, emotive rock song. I love it, and the beautiful visuals that accompany it. The characters are slowly becoming more interesting, and while the plot remains shrouded in mystery, it looks like it has the potential to be really great and original. The best thing about this show remains its fantastic atmosphere, generated by a dark palette, some fantastic directing, and lighting. This was very true for this episode. The staging of the final scene was memorable itself. The worst thing about the show is the previews!

A+