is a
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
suspense
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
television series, produced by
Manglobeis a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It was formed on February 7 2002 by Sunrise producers Shinichirō Kobayashi and Takashi Kochiyama.-Works:*Trip Trek *Samurai Champloo...
, which premiered across Japan on 25 February 2006 on the
WOWOWWOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It began analog broadcasting on April 1 1991. Digital broadcasting began on December 1 2000...
satelliteSatellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial or cable providers.-History:The...
network. It is directed by
Shukō Muraseis an anime director and animator.A member of the renowned studio Sunrise, he is noted for contributing the character designs and key animation to New Mobile Report Gundam Wing and Argento Soma. In 2000, he contributed the main character designs to Final Fantasy IX...
, with screenplay by
Dai Satōis a Japanese screenwriter and musician. He is a graduate of Musahino Art University.Having begun scriptwriting at a young age and writing scripts for various companies, Satō later focused his attention on writing for anime series...
et al..
Ergo Proxy features a combination of 2D digital cel animation, 3D computer modeling and digital special effects. The series has both
steampunkSteampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either...
and postcyberpunk elements and focuses heavily on the psychology and mentality of its
protagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, video game, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to share the most empathy...
s.
The story begins in a futuristic
domed cityA domed city is a kind of fictional structure that encloses a large urban area under a single roof. In most descriptions, the dome is airtight and pressurized, creating a habitat that can be controlled for air temperature and quality...
called Romdo, built to protect its citizens after a global ecological disaster.
is a
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
suspense
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
television series, produced by
Manglobeis a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It was formed on February 7 2002 by Sunrise producers Shinichirō Kobayashi and Takashi Kochiyama.-Works:*Trip Trek *Samurai Champloo...
, which premiered across Japan on 25 February 2006 on the
WOWOWWOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It began analog broadcasting on April 1 1991. Digital broadcasting began on December 1 2000...
satelliteSatellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial or cable providers.-History:The...
network. It is directed by
Shukō Muraseis an anime director and animator.A member of the renowned studio Sunrise, he is noted for contributing the character designs and key animation to New Mobile Report Gundam Wing and Argento Soma. In 2000, he contributed the main character designs to Final Fantasy IX...
, with screenplay by
Dai Satōis a Japanese screenwriter and musician. He is a graduate of Musahino Art University.Having begun scriptwriting at a young age and writing scripts for various companies, Satō later focused his attention on writing for anime series...
et al..
Ergo Proxy features a combination of 2D digital cel animation, 3D computer modeling and digital special effects. The series has both
steampunkSteampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either...
and postcyberpunk elements and focuses heavily on the psychology and mentality of its
protagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, video game, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to share the most empathy...
s.
Story
The story begins in a futuristic
domed cityA domed city is a kind of fictional structure that encloses a large urban area under a single roof. In most descriptions, the dome is airtight and pressurized, creating a habitat that can be controlled for air temperature and quality...
called Romdo, built to protect its citizens after a global ecological disaster. In this utopia, humans and AutoReivs (androids) coexist with each other peacefully under a total management system. A series of murders committed by robots and AutoReivs infected with the Cogito virus (which causes them to become self-aware) begins to threaten the delicate balance of Romdo's delicate social order. Behind the scenes, the government has been conducting secret experiments on a mysterious humanoid lifeform called a "Proxy". The Proxy beings (described as God-like and Immortal) are believed to hold the key to the survival of mankind.
Re-l (pronounced "Rielle", also represented by the spelling, "REAL", in the Romdo citizen database) Mayer is assigned to investigate some of the murders with her AutoReiv partner Iggy. She encounters a Cogito virus-infected AutoReiv and a fast and flexible monster. She later learns that the monster was a Proxy. The other central character, an immigrant named Vincent Law, is revealed as being the eponymous proxy, but his memories of his time in his native dome of Mosque are suppressed, or perhaps he suppresses them. After being hunted down, Vincent and Re-l leave Romdo, only to discover the truth behind the Proxies and the domes.
In the domed city of Romdo (and possible in other domed cities) various sections of the 'government' are referred to as Bureaux - the Intelligence Bureau, the Health & Welfare Bureau and the Security Bureau among others.
The AutoReivs are referred to as either 'companions' or 'entourage' depending on their role.
Similar to films such as The Matrix, it appears that the humans in the city are somehow created and birthed by grossly swollen Autoreivs, and each assumes a purpose. This purpose, referred to as a "raison d'etre", consumes each character throughout the series. For example, Autoreiv's raisons d'etre are to serve the humans, and Daedalus' purpose is to serve and protect Re-l.
In an interview,
Dai Satōis a Japanese screenwriter and musician. He is a graduate of Musahino Art University.Having begun scriptwriting at a young age and writing scripts for various companies, Satō later focused his attention on writing for anime series...
describes the project:
Note that this paragraph only touches one of the supporting themes of the series and may have been extracted from an earlier draft or from the original idea that sparked the project and falls quite short of properly describing the whole story.
Cast & characters
A number of characters in the supporting cast are named after various figures taken from both history as well as mythology. Most notably, names of significant profiles in philosophical and psychological sciences appear throughout the series.
The Proxies could almost be supporting characters, since they play such a vital role in the series. Though it is stated that there are many Proxies, only a few have been named: Monad, Senex, Kazkis and Ergo Proxies, as well as Proxy One, MCQ and Will B. Good. A sixth which Re-l sends back to Romdo with Iggy, is never named.
Main characters
- (credited as Karen Thompson)
- Inspector Re-l Mayer of the is in charge of investigating a series of brutal murders apparently committed by AutoReivs infected with the Cogito virus. She is also the granddaughter of Donov Mayer, the Regent of Romdo. Given her privileged status, she expects respect from people around her, and speaks as such (she addresses Vincent as "o-mae"). Re-l accompanies Vincent on his journey in order to learn more about the mysterious Proxies, but having been living in comfortable conditions and being spoilt by Iggy all her life, she finds the "outdoor hiking" experience increasingly unbearable, and throws tantrums at both of them (often with comical effects). During the period that they get stranded without wind, she passes time by taking the both of them as study subjects. Her narration reveals her to be a very analytical person. Re-l is a young woman who wears black clothes, has black hair and is known for her blue eyeshadow. She eventually comes to share Vincent's feelings, but shows it subtly. In the sub-titled version of the show (sub-titled by anime-kraze) the name "Lil Mayer" is used in place of Re-l
- An immigrant from Mosko working for Romdo's within the , set up to hunt and dispose infected AutoReivs. Vincent appears driven to become a Model Citizen, but ultimately fails to suppress the burden of his traumatic past and flees from Romdo. He seems to have a deep connection to the second Proxy, having left his necklace at the scene of the first Proxy site.
- An infected Companion type AutoReiv owned by Raul Creed and Samantha Ross, Pino served as a surrogate child to the couple. She was scheduled for decommissioning after the Creeds were granted a real baby son by the government, but the untimely deaths of Samantha and her new son prompted Pino to flee Romdo. She accompanies Vincent on his journey. The character of Pino was given this name as a reference to Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an animated marionette, and...
, and Pinoko from Osamu Tezukawas a Japanese manga artist, animator, producer and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. He is often credited as the "Godfather of Anime", and is often considered the Japanese...
's Black Jackis a manga written by Osamu Tezuka in the 1970s, dealing with the medical adventures of the eponymous doctor Black Jack.Black Jack consists of hundreds of short, self-contained episodes that are typically about 20 pages long. Black Jack has also been animated into an OVA, two television series and...
. and also to the painter Pino Daeni
- Iggy is Re-l's Entourage type AutoReiv. Programmed to have the muscle and the analytic capabilities to aid Re-l in her job but also to tenderly cater to her more feminine needs like shopping or romantic possibilities (though this usually only gets on her nerves). Iggy shows an undeterred devotion for Re-l.
Theme songs
The series' opening theme song is "Kiri" by rock group
MonoralMonoral is a Japanese band, signed to Sony Music Japan. The band consists of Anis Shimada on lead vocals and guitar and Ali Morizumi on bass and guitar.-Members:...
and is first shown in episode 3. The ending theme song is "
Paranoid Android"Paranoid Android" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead, featured on their 1997 third studio album OK Computer. The lyrics of the bleak but intentionally humorous song were written primarily by singer Thom Yorke, following an unpleasant experience in a Los Angeles bar...
", a famous song by English alternative rock band
RadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their first single, "Creep", in 1992...
, although the preview version of the first episode did not feature it.
Staff
- Director: Shukou Murase
- Chief Writer: Dai Satō
is a Japanese screenwriter and musician. He is a graduate of Musahino Art University.Having begun scriptwriting at a young age and writing scripts for various companies, Satō later focused his attention on writing for anime series...
- Script: Dai Satō
is a Japanese screenwriter and musician. He is a graduate of Musahino Art University.Having begun scriptwriting at a young age and writing scripts for various companies, Satō later focused his attention on writing for anime series...
, Yuko Kawabe (Office Crescendo), Seiko Takagi, Yusuke Asayama, Naruki Nagakawa, Jun'ichi Matsumoto
- Character Design: Naoyuki Onda
- Music: Yoshihiro Ike
- Sound: Keiichi Momose
- Production Committee: Manglobe
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It was formed on February 7 2002 by Sunrise producers Shinichirō Kobayashi and Takashi Kochiyama.-Works:*Trip Trek *Samurai Champloo...
, Geneon Entertainment, WOWOWWOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It began analog broadcasting on April 1 1991. Digital broadcasting began on December 1 2000...
, Geneon Entertainment USA
Distribution
- In Japan
is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Ergo Proxy aired on pay-TV satellite broadcasting network WOWOWWOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It began analog broadcasting on April 1 1991. Digital broadcasting began on December 1 2000...
at 19:00pm from 25 February 2006, concluding on 12 August 2006.
- In the United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the English dubDubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting schedule. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who...
of Ergo Proxy premiered on Fuse TVFuse TV is a music video-oriented television channel owned by Cablevision through its subsidiary Madison Square Garden, L.P.. The network began as MuchUSA, in 1994 simulcasting Canada's MuchMusic as a partnership between its current owners Cablevision and MuchMusic's then owner CHUM Limited...
on 9 June 2007, playing every Saturday morning at midnight.
- In Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, the English dubDubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting schedule. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who...
of Ergo Proxy first commenced airing on free-to-air-TV on ABC2ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
(the national digital public television channel) at 21:00pm on Tuesday 3 July 2007 and concluded 21:00pm on Tuesday 4 December 2007 . Repeats commenced at 01:10am on Friday 06 July 2007 and concluded 00:40am on Friday 7 December 2007 . The series has repeated several times, most recently commencing from 23:30pm Monday 29 June 2009 and continuing at time of writing.
- In Canada
Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the English dubDubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting schedule. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who...
aired as part of Anime CurrentAnime Current is an Anime Television block running on G4techTV Canada, in which one series is broadcast from beginning to end. It is similar to Anime Unleashed, a former programming block on the American G4 that broadcast Anime. Anime Current started on November 6, 2006 with R.O.D The TV...
(an Anime Television block) on pay-TV digital channel G4 Canada commencing Thursday at 20:00pm on 26 July 2007, and concluding on 27 December 2007.
DVD release
Ergo Proxy was released on DVD in Japan from 25 May 2006 to 25 January 2007, spanning nine volumes. The series was licensed by Geneon Entertainment USA for Region 1 release, which began on 21 November 2006 and spanned six volumes. On July 3, 2008, Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced an agreement to distribute select titles in North America. While Geneon Entertainment will still retain the license, Funimation Entertainment will assume exclusive rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of select titles.
Ergo Proxy was one of several titles involved in the deal.
In
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
,
Ergo Proxy DVDs are being released by
Madman EntertainmentMadman Entertainment is an Australian company which specialises in the distribution of Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by the ASX listed Funtastic Limited and Madman Entertainment is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia, along with Warner...
; the first volume was released in March 2007. The first volume of
Ergo Proxy was released in the UK by
MVM FilmsMVM Films is a British distributor of Japanese animation. The company sublicenses anime titles from US Anime companies such as Geneon and US Manga Corps, which do not have a UK presence, and releases them on Region 2 DVD. It is part of the MVM Group, which also has wholesale and retail arms, and...
on the 6th of August 2007. Currently 5 volumes of the series have been released.
In
MéxicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
"Ergo Proxy" DVD's are being released by Alter Films S.A de C.V. under México Video Home License; The first volume DVD (chapters 1-4) was released en july 2008. The second (chapters 5-8) and third (chapters 9-12) DVD's was released agust 2008. Currently 3 volumes, 12 chapters have been released. Each DVD with Japanese 2.0/English 2.0 audio, English/Spanish subtitles, NTSC Fullscreen Color, Region 1 and 4.
Soundtrack
Two soundtracks, featuring the compositions of Yoshihiro Ike, have been released in Japan; the second,
Opus 02, was also licensed by Geneon and packaged with a special edition of the first Region 1 DVD.
Manga
A
mangaManga consist of comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century...
spinoff, called and illustrated by Yumiko Harao, was serialized in
Shogakukanis a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
's Monthly Sunday Gene-X, beginning in March 2006. It was later released in two
graphic novel compilations, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series, though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
, the first in August 2006 and the second on 19 February 2007.
Trivia
- In episode 10, one of the tombstones shown before the introduction song has "Chief Writer: Dai Sato" written on it.
- In the first episode, when Vincent's cereal overflows with milk, the word "awakening" can be formed out of the letters that float to the top.
- Re-l's pistol, which first makes an appearance in episode 10, bares a striking resemblance to Rick Deckard
Rick Deckard is the protagonist in Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? as well as the 1982 film adaptation Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott...
's own pistol from the movie Blade RunnerBlade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick...
.
- The following characters are all named after philosophers: Husserl, Kristeva, Derrida, Berkeley
George Berkeley , also known as Bishop Berkeley, was an Anglo-Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism" . This theory contends that individuals can only know directly sensations and ideas of objects, not abstractions such as "matter"...
, Lacan, Deleuze and Guattari.
- The society can be based on Plato's ideal guardian society with philosopher rulers and information control.
- Monad Proxy's name comes from the word 'monad
Monad may refer to:In philosophy:*Monad a term used by ancient philosophers Pythagoras, Parmenides, Xenophanes, Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus as a term for God or the first being, or the totality of all being....
' (Greek Monada, Μονάδα) as being the first origin of all things and in gnosticism, refers to the "god which begets lesser gods"
- The character Pino and her name is thought to be a play-on of the story of Pinocchio - her experiences with Re-l and Vincent are similar to Pinocchio's journey to become a real person. It also pays homage to Pinoco from the manga Blackjack. Pino's character was partially inspired by Pinoco.
- The Cogito Virus refers to Descartes
René Descartes , , also known as Renatus Cartesius , was a French philosopher, mathematician, physicist, and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic...
' "Cogito ergo sum"'" , sometimes misquoted as , is a philosophical statement in Latin used by , which became a foundational element of Western philosophy...
," which means "I think, therefore I am." Each episode is also called a "meditation" as a further reference to Descartes whose most famous work, Meditations on First PhilosophyMeditations on First Philosophy is a philosophical treatise written by René Descartes first published in Latin in 1641. The French translation was made by the Duke of Luynes with the supervision of Descartes and was published in 1647 with the title Méditations Metaphysiques...
is a series of meditations on various philosophical ideas.
- Inside Regent Donov Mayer's chamber, the statue of two reclining figures on the right is based on Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer...
's Night and Day statue placed above Giuliano di Piero de' MediciGiuliano de' Medici was the second son of Piero de' Medici and Lucrezia Tornabuoni. As co-ruler of Florence, with his brother Lorenzo the Magnificent, he complemented his brother's image as the "patron of the arts" with his own image as the handsome, sporting, "golden boy."As the opening stroke...
's sarcophagus in Medici ChapelThe Medici Chapels in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence comprise two structures added to Brunelleschi's original design, each intended to celebrate the power of the Medici as Grand Dukes of Tuscany. One is the Sagrestia Nuova, the "New Sacristy", designed by Michelangelo...
, Florence. In the show, the female figure (Night) represents the voice of LacanJacques-Marie-Émile Lacan was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who made prominent contributions to psychoanalysis, philosophy, and literary theory. He gave yearly seminars, in Paris, from 1953 to 1981, mostly influencing France's intellectuals in the 1960s and the 1970s, especially the...
and the male figure (Day) the voice of HusserlEdmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl was a philosopher who is deemed the founder of phenomenology...
. The statue on the left is based on Michelangelo's Twilight and Dawn stature placed above the sarcophagus of Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici in Medici Chapel. In the show, the female figure (Dawn) represents the voice of DerridaJacques Derrida was a French philosopher born in Algeria, who is known as the founder of deconstruction. His voluminous work had a profound impact upon literary theory and continental philosophy...
and the male figure (Twilight) the voice of BerkeleyGeorge Berkeley , also known as Bishop Berkeley, was an Anglo-Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism" . This theory contends that individuals can only know directly sensations and ideas of objects, not abstractions such as "matter"...
.
- The robots (AutoReivs) in the show are installed with a Turing Application program that can be switched on and off, allowing normal human-like conversation between humans and robots. This is named after Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was influential in the development of computer science and provided an influential formalisation of the concept of the algorithm and computation with the Turing machine...
, who proposed the Turing testThe Turing test is a proposal for a test of a machine's ability to demonstrate intelligence. It proceeds as follows: a human judge engages in a natural language conversation with one human and one machine, each of which tries to appear human. All participants are placed in isolated locations...
as a test of AI sentience.
- Daedalus and the death of Re-l 2 refer to the Greek myth of Daedalus and his son Icarus
In Greek mythology, Daedalus was a most skillful architect, or artificer, or craftsman, so skillful that he was said to have invented images that seemed to move about. Daedalus had two sons: Icarus and Iapyx, along with a nephew, whose name varies...
, who died after he had flown too close to the sun. Other references to the mythology of Daedalus also exist. In one episode, a Minoan dolphin is seen swimming across Daedalus' aquarium screensaver on his computer. A ball of red yarn also makes a few appearances towards the end of the show. Although this yarn is thought to reference the threads of fate that bind lovers together, it may also be a reference to the ball of yarn that helped Theseus find his way through the labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur. It had been Daedalus who had built the labyrinth in the first place, as punishment for his helping Minos' queen to procreate with a bull (who was actually Zeus in disguise). It was the same labyrinth that Daedalus and Icarus were escaping from using wings that Daedalus himself had constructed.
- The relation between Daedalus and Re-L can be also interpreted as analogy to the myth of Pygmalion who fell in love with his own masterpiece sculpture.
Introduction text
There are three different resources identified and used for the snippets of text shown in the introduction/opening sequence that starts on episode 3:
- The poem introduced in the beginning of the series, written by Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer...
.
- Several pieces of text and graphics taken from the ancient text called Landnámabók
Landnámabók is a medieval Icelandic manuscript describing in considerable detail the settlement of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th century A.D. It begins with Ingólfur Arnarson's original settlement in Reykjavík and his claims on land to the north, west, east and south...
(mostly from the title page).
- A piece of text word-for-word from the Opening Sequence as:
This was possibly pieced together from text flashed during the introduction of each episode from episode 3 onward. "Metanhaidorad" is probably a Japanese phonetic rendering of methane hydrate, also called methane clathrate or methane ice.
External links