Rating: 9.5/10
Episodes: 22
Source: Original
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Police, Psychological, Thriller
Premiered: Fall 2012
Hello!
Wondering why I am suddenly releasing a review after 6 months after my last one? Well, the announcement of the 10th year anniversary and the new project/movie set to release sometime in the future!
The Name being! Psycho Pass: Providence
There are rumours that every cast member (except the dead ones obvs) will be returning for this movie and I can’t be more excited!
And with that announcement out of the way, let’s get started, shall we
Review
Psycho Pass is an original anime produced by Production I.G studios, who are responsible for others such as (Yuukoku no Moriarty and Kuroko no Basket).
Psycho Pass was released in 2012.
Synopsis
Justice, and the enforcement of it, has changed. In the 22nd century, Japan enforces the Sibyl System, an objective means of determining the threat level of each citizen by examining their mental state for signs of criminal intent, known as their Psycho-Pass. Inspectors uphold the law by subjugating, often with lethal force, anyone harboring the slightest ill-will; alongside them are Enforcers, jaded Inspectors that have become latent criminals, granted relative freedom in exchange for carrying out the Inspectors’ dirty work.
Into this world steps Akane Tsunemori, a young woman with an honest desire to uphold justice. However, as she works alongside veteran Enforcer Shinya Kougami, she soon learns that the Sibyl System’s judgments are not as perfect as her fellow Inspectors assume. With everything she has known turned on its head, Akane wrestles with the question of what justice truly is, and whether it can be upheld through the use of a system that may already be corrupt.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Opening and Ending
Opening
“abnormalize” by Ling Tosite Sigure (凛として時雨) (eps 1-11)
“Out of Control” by Nothing’s Carved in Stone (eps 12-22)
Ending
“Namae no nai Kaibutsu (名前のない怪物)” by EGOIST (eps 1-11)
“All Alone With You” by EGOIST (eps 12-22)
Back in the day, these songs were my absolute favourite and I have been a massive fan of all of these artists, I still can belt out the words without fail, and they play a big part in the anime’s dynamic nature.
Review Continues
The animation of Psycho Pass always surprised me from start to end, from the battle sequences, pursuit scenes, and the gory things that made the show even better, sometimes I wouldn’t even peel my eyes away from the screen because I was just too involved. Back in the day, I thought this was the coolest shit ever, and I still do 7 years later. The narrative was highly innovative for an original animation, but it never achieved the level that Ghost in the Shell accomplished.
It always made me think I was transported to the future.
Nothing made sense from the start of the series as they just threw us into the world of psycho pass meeting Akane and her first mission on the job, her sense of justice and how she didn’t like the fact that the Sybil system isn’t the almighty power it’s supposed to be. This for me made the show more interesting and mysterious, and it was really what drew me in. As the episodes continued, we meet Shougo Makishima who we learn to be the true villain of season 1.
I have watched a good deal of anime that have a complex way of explaining things, Psycho Pass is one of them and even now, the complexity doesn’t make sense but that’s just me, my way of thinking, someone else watching this anime might pick up so much easier than I have, when I don’t understand something, I have to look it over and over again until I understand.
A man who killing without raising his psycho pass, manipulating people to kill and change the way they perceive the world, acting on impulse without changing their psycho passes in the process, this gives Akane reasonable doubt when she joins the Public Safety Bureau, this doubt keeps you watching until you get to the end, you want answers and that’s why I love crime anime, shows, movies etc.
Another reason why this anime is always on my list to give people when they first start out watching anime, because of the character development, especially between Akane and Kogami (which i hope to see more in the future 😉 ) even though at the end of this season, things change.
Characters
Public Safety Bureau
At the moment of her enlistment, Akane seems timid, innocent, and incredibly idealistic. She struggles with the meaning of her existence, which is unusual for the other characters. But as time goes on, Tsunemori establishes herself as an Inspector who is wise, perceptive, patient, and kind. She may be typically kind and considerate, but she may also be obstinate, getting offended or furious when someone does something she doesn’t agree with.
I always thought Akane was very naive but as the show went on, she began to challenge the way things were done, especially the way inspectors interacted with enforcers, she thinks of them as equals, which her partner Ginzoa didn’t agree with, as she learns the truth she decides to keep it up since she understands that the existing society cannot function happily without it. She puts up with it because she thinks the system will be shut down eventually.
Kogami is a talented investigator, and Division 01—his original assignment—has benefited greatly from his ability to crack cases swiftly. He reports to Nobuchika Ginoza, his childhood best friend who is an Inspector and head cop, as an Enforcer. Although they frequently appear to disagree, the two appreciate one another’s expertise in police work. Kogami works a case with keen intuition and insight into the criminal psyche, while remaining composed and objective. Even the greatest Enforcers are amazed and horrified by the manner he handles investigations, since he frequently employs dangerous techniques to get solutions.
Meeting Kogami as an enforcer, he is ravaged by the past and unable to move on, but despite this, Kogami still manages to find humour in things like mocking Akane’s childish behaviour at the beginning of the season. Kogami has his own sense of justice, and even though I believe this show treated him unfairly, the future does seem to be improving for him.
In division One there are 7 people in total, I have expressed in the past, I hate anime’s with such a big cast members but for this anime I allow it because of the nature of the show that Inspectors look after the enforcers, each character plays their part, expressing their own skills within the team.
Villain
Shogo Makishima is a criminally asymptomatic person whose claimed mission is to free Japanese society from the Sibyl System because he thinks it is transforming its people into mindless automatons rather than free-thinking individuals.
He is a humanist who embraces the worst sides of human nature and has no qualms about observing or contributing to the pain of others. With his exceptional charm and genuine skill for persuasion, he can persuade others to do what he wants. He has no qualms about using his own hands or those of his minions to execute individuals who get in his way or of whom he has grown weary.
I suggest you give psycho pass a watch if you like surprises and a little amount of horror
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