Dr. Mericus

    The wizened old scientist who made Sonnet a cyborg (after the escape of his prototype, the RX-606), he is opinionated, rude, and cruel. He is devoted to science to the exclusion of, apparently, all else, and works with Talon in order to make the world a scientific utopia. (This phrase, in his mind, seems to denote a place where scientists can study whatever they please, funding will be provided for all research, the right to knowledge shall not be infringed, and who gives a hoot about the rest of humanity?)

    He takes pride in Sonnet as his lifework; his Silmarils which he can never make again. Dr. Mericus seems to be fond of her as his creation, and is continually trying to improve her. The one fault of his cyborg system seems to be that emotional overload wreaks haywire with its operation; apparently the physical symptoms of excitement get in the way. He thus wishes to keep Sonnet as emotionless as possible, seeing in this an appropriate method of going through life (and one which he seems to use himself).

    As his name suggests (it may, of course, be a code name chosen for just this reason) he is very much an American, and has a low opinion of the Japanese which he does not bother to keep to himself.. He has obviously never studied How to Win Friends and Influence People.

    When he re-encounters his RX-606, his line "I look upon you as a son" is quite true: had he a son, he would have used him (and used him up, if 'necessary') in his experiments just the same.

    However, when he believes Sonnet to be dead, he is exceedingly torn up, to the point where he does not even try to muster his customary irascibility when being ordered about. He cares for her more than anyone, perhaps even he himself, knows.

He is voiced by Nagai Ichirou, well known for doing villains and old guys (especially for Cherry in Urusei Yatsura) and Mito in Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind.


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