Re-L Mayer

Re-L Mayer
	;
Gender:	Female
Race:	Human
Place of Birth:	Romdo
Date of birth:	April 22nd, 284 AI
Age:	19
Occupation:	Intelligence Bureau Inspector
Height	5'4" or more (163 cm or more)
Weight	Perhaps around 120 lbs (perhaps around 54.4 kg)

Re-L Mayer is one of the main characters of Ergo Proxy. As an investigator for the Intelligence Bureau in Romdo, she is attacked by two monsters and drawn into the mystery of the Proxies. She eventually joins Vincent Law and Pino on their quest for answers.

History

At the start of the show, Re-L Mayer is shown as not quite a rebel but more so an oddball of Romdo society; she has less of a regard for rules and regulations than the ideal fellow citizen who "always [obeys]" and believes that "questioning the system is bad." In the first episode, Re-L reveals that she finds Romdo and its perfect fellow citizen "boring." She expresses disdain for Vincent at first because of his servile willingness to fit in as the ideal fellow citizen, but wonders whether it is herself that is the unnecessary element in a society like Romdo, indicating the fact that Re-L is aware that she is different. However, it is her "intense encounter" with Ergo Proxy that marks the major turning point in her while, as it fills her with a burning need to solve the mystery of the Proxies, driving her to disregard even more rules of society than ever before, and it was then she began to demonstrate selfish tendencies. She was willing to do whatever necessary to discover more information on the Proxies despite many of the consequences not involving her own state of health. Often times she would come to regret her decisions after her curiosity is satisfied. Not necessarily because of the effect it had on the people around her, so much as herself. It is implied that Re-L's natural ability to bend rules and disregard regulations is partly due to the fact that she was genetically engineered to have the maximum amount of curiosity that a fellow citizen could have. She is hinted to "take after" someone, which could refer to Donov Mayer, her grandfather and Regent of Romdo. However, her probing gets her in constant trouble with Donov, particularly when Re-L begins to make too much headway into the mystery of the Proxy.

Re-L's position in Romdo seems to be one of some privilege. It is suggested that Re-L projects an image of a "career woman" in the Intelligence Bureau. Her Entourage, Iggy, teasingly refers to her as the "Princess" of Romdo, while others below her station, such as the immigrant district's head, Petro Seller, refer to her as "your excellency" out of profound respect. Re-L also seems to have some political clout because of her grandfather. In episode 3, she believes that she can intercede on Vincent's behalf to clear him from all charges.

Re-L Mayer(Child) — Re-l when she was a little girl

Concerning Re-L's childhood, not much is known about her early life, except through clips of her at a young age that Daedalus owns. As a child, Re-L seemed to be much less aloof than her current serious persona.

Personality

"But perhaps I, who look at the others from below, am the useless element."

— Re-l Mayer, episode 1, awakening.

Re-L goes through a large personality shift over the course of the series.

At first impact, Re-l appears as a detached, cold, insensitive and almost apathetic girl; as every Romdo citizen has been trained since childhood to a rigid emotional control system to maintain impassivity, but in fact the meeting with the proxy has marked her more than she would like to show, so much so that the only occasions where you see her in tears are in the memory of that event.

Little sociable and extremely haughty, Re-l behaves with others feigning disinterest and superiority, fact perhaps derived from her social position as the granddaughter of the Regent; although she does not like to be called "excellence". Her rank has led her, over the years, to be spoiled at times, so much so that, infected by the Cogito, Iggy himself calls Re-l "much more inept than she believes"; it is implied that she’s not used to comb herself alone, is unable to cook, has made a career relying heavily on the entourage and has little capacity to adapt to situations; which makes her easily subject to nervousness.

And because of her paramilitary training, Re-l is a perfectionist control freak and an obsession for order, even in foreign residences; a feature that, under stress, makes her hysterical even for the slightest defect. In addition, she appears to be a slave of the rigid routine of the alarm, the exercise, and the hours of the meals she self-imposed and records on the same notebook in which she transcribes her observations about the cases.

Many of the episodes are narrated from her point of view through introspective monologues that show the psychological evolution and maturity of her relationship with other characters: if initially the only people she showed affection for was her grandfather, her entourage and her childhood friend Daedalus; in the course of the series, especially during the journey to Moscow, she also relies on the small Pino and Vincent, learning to coexist and showing more and more empathy and kindness to them, especially with the latter.

Also, like Vincent, while traveling through the restored Earth considerably, she considerably progresses on a personal level, becoming more ingenious and practical, and finding the courage to face the ghosts behind Romdo, first of all her grandfather, and to get to bottom of the mystery of his own creation.

She has a great passion for ginger ale and, a cliché that distinguishes her, she’s always crossing the left leg over to the right.

Abilities

Relationships

Speculation

It is believed Re-L may be an imperfect clone of Monad Proxy. Re-L in her youth appeared carefree like Real Mayer, Monad's perfect clone. Re-L and Real also greatly resemble each other. So it's safe to assume they are both clones of Monad.

Appearances

Trivia

Although unconfirmed, Re-L has a uncanny resemblance to Amy Lee from Evanescence.