Anime Reviews
ANIME MARK
Psycho-Pass takes place in the future (2113), where it's possible to instantly judge a person's state of mind and predisposed personality. The system named 'Sibyl', is the law enforcement endeavour run in conjunction with the government, to ensure safe social construct with no crime while maintaining order. The anime is set in Japan where the Sibyl System analyses criminal disposition and probability among the populace and gives a rating, known as a 'Crime Coefficient'. A rating over 100 will have a person labelled as a 'latent criminal' and is grounds for arrest.
The story follows a young rookie, Akane Tsunemori, immediatly after her placement into team 1 of the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division (PSBCID). She is an inspector who is in charge of a team of 'latent criminals' (Enforcers) that now work for the PSBCID to help them solve crimes. With insight into the criminal minds, the Enforcers are critical to help with detective work. Each person on the team is armed with a Dominator (handgun that is locked until a person's crime coefficient is above 100).
There are many things that Psycho-Pass does really well. The first is the idea of a future where mental stability or splendour are as sought after as physical beauty. A refreshing idea to say the least and gives the grounding for an exciting crime solving anime. The anime is perfectly paced and compact (22 episodes), all the while solidifying main events and characters along the way. The art and animation are of the finest quality and the English voice actors fit the roles perfectly. Everything is well executed and intelligent at the same time. But I'll move into why Psycho-Pass really hits home....
It's ability to confront political philosophy, and issues of safety and freedom among society, are by far its strongest trait. We have the police that are judging people as criminals using a system that they know very little about and thus creating an evil dystopian society. A society where people don't know how to react in the face of crime or immoral activity due to due to such things being stopped before they even occur. When compared to current reality and society, it isn't far from the truth. Without delving too much into it, Psycho-Pass isn't too far from our own social and criminal constructs.
Conclusion
The animation is fantastic and characters equally awesome. Everything about the show is well made, pure and simple. Psycho-Pass is reminiscent of where society may be heading. It's ability to create morally questionable methods for law enforcement is unique and intriguing. If I was being overly critical, I would say that it could have further explored the unique ideas and questions it presented. Nonetheless, the entertainment value is undeniable.
Pro's
- Animation and art quality
- Voice actors
- Ability to question our own reality
Con's
- Could have worked more with unique ideas it presented
Final Rating: 8.4/10
Psycho-Pass
20th of October 2015
Name: Psycho-Pass
Episodes: 22
Air Date: October 12, 2012
Episode Length: 23 minutes
Produced By: Production I.G
Rating: 17+ (Nudity and Violence)