SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THIS REVIEW ID RECOMMEND READING THE MANGA AND WATCHING THE SERIES though watch the series first of course BEFORE READING THIS REVIEW: The Narrative: So Centzon Hitchers and Undertaker is a sidestory or rather what Id call a companion piece to the anime since it takes place between Episodes 3 4 of the anime after Vincent and Pino escape from Romdeau and are with Hoody and everyone in the Commune and is a past tale told from Hoody to Pino about a story that happens within the past with a very special kind of Autoreiv. Thats the summary Im giving cause Im not trying to violate the Review Guidelines any further. So the story is fairly simple starting out but Id say much like the series it grows in scale as it progresses and it works pretty well in its favor. Were even given some foreshadowing to things that happen in the series itself which you wont get if you dont watch and finish the entire anime first before reading this which is pretty neat for someone like me who finished watching the series not that long ago. Its wellpaced for a pretty short tenchapterlong manga and I think they do a good job expanding on the lore of the universe while also giving us a glimpse into what life was like back before the series took place which frankly isnt all THAT different but theres certainly more people seen outside of Romdeau and the domes compared to the anime. I think its length is pretty good and they dont waste the readers time by padding it out with anything unnecessary the story is pretty straight to the point once you realize by the end what its going for an origin story things like the Commune and the Centzon Vince and everyone else rides during the anime. A overall if only for things SOMETIMES seemingly just kinda...happening out of nowhere at times. The Characters: Well the Ergo Proxy anime has some PHENOMENAL characters both in their visual design and writing so how does THIS manga stack up to its bigger brother anime? Well...its...pretty good Not as good as the animes cast for sure but far from bad. The characters who ARENT Vincent Pino and Hoody are all original and they all fit pretty well into the universe. Once the main characters are rounded up youve got Leon an astronomer Heart a mercenary and Dorothy the special autoreiv that is easily the most iconic thing about this manga so its a nice diverse cast. Once theyre together they honestly work like a family much like Vincent Rel and Pino did in THEIR own time together so I guess Leons Three Amigos are in a way predecessors to them. The characters are likable albeit a little bit more wisecracking than anyone from the anime theres some gags and stuff in this manga that just straightup dont exist in the anime and it both benefits and hurts this manga in its tone if Im to be frank. I enjoyed watching how they all overcame everything that was thrown at them and seeing Leon especially go from being an absolute jerk to Dorothy to genuinely caring about her almost like a child was quite sweet to see. This sections honestly probably the best part about this manga and probably where Ill have the most to say about anything here so A only for some instances where the characters feel a little too cartoonish at times and it hurts the tone of the story. The Visuals: Probably the section I dont have all that much to talk about frankly. The environments are nicely drawn and look how youd expect an Ergo Proxy manga to look. Characters both original and from the anime also look pretty onpoint and really only Dorothy I would say is the outlier because shes made to be the main character in a way though its only because of her outfit. The parts where they show stars were probably my favorite parts visually of the manga since they contrast so much with everything else and its the only time where I personally feel the manga pops outside of some parts towards the end with some admittedly nicelooking pages and panels. I personally wish we couldve gotten at least a glimpse at Romdeau though I suppose they didnt want to end up having to write more stuff especially since theyd probably have to include Raul Creed and Kristeva which makes me wonder what they wouldve even done with them or Rel here so maybe thats why. Anywho its a solid A effort for a single mangaka who did BOTH the writing AND art. The Conclusion: Overall as a companion piece to Ergo Proxy an already obscure anime its no surprise that nobodys really reviewed this or anything its good for what it is and serves as extra material for fans to dive into if they loved Ergo Proxy and wanted a little more of it like me. If you can find an English Translation of it somewhere or can somehow track a physical copy of somehow out in the wild Id give it a read if you enjoyed the anime. Thats all Ive really got to say at this time honestly. With such a straighttothepoint manga thats small like this I guess you cant expect me to have much to say on it its just a decent sidemanga for a pretty peak underrated series.