Psycho Pass, an anime that I’ve known for a long time is very well liked, but I’d never given it the time it likely deserved. But now, I had a great reason to give it a watch, because this...
Psycho Pass, an anime that I’ve known for a long time is very well liked, but I’d never given it the time it likely deserved. But now, I had a great reason to give it a watch, because this is the “Sci-fi” entry in my anime genre review collection!
Synopsis
Japanese society has advanced to a point where a technological marvel called the Sibyl System exists, a system which is able to scan people and determine their mental stability and capability to do wrong. Thanks to this, the role of police has changed with a person’s Psycho-Pass tells all that the police investigators need to know. Or does it? Just as newly appointed Akane Tsunemori starts her life as an investigator, a new wave of crime strikes that brings everything into question.
Old vs. New
This is probably a common theme in many sci-fi stories, which is the weighing of new ways versus the old ways. And with sci-fi of course this is often brought on by technological advances, which is what we get here in Psycho-Pass. One of the central themes to the setting itself is this question of whether or not it’s moral and just to allow a system to govern and make decisions over the lives of people, to the point that it can judge them before they’ve even committed any crimes.
And while that may sound like a spoiler, it’s something that’s introduced right from the beginning of the story, and it’ll leave you deciding for yourself how you feel about the Sibyl System and how things operate in this future Japan.
This element also plays a role in policing and investigation of crimes. Is it safe to just allow the Sibyl System to make all the final decisions in regards to people’s guilt? How much human factor should be involved? You’ll encounter situations that tackle these issues throughout the series, and personally, I love the dilemmas that are introduced here.
You may think that questions such as these will be one-sided and easily answered, but they are not, and instead are presented in a complex manner with good arguments all around. Making it very interesting and fun to think about as the story unfolds.
Mystery?
I won’t spend too much time on this topic, but as this is a story that follows police investigators, you may wonder if there are any elements of a mystery here. Like, are we presented with facts and evidence and able to try and figure out the missing pieces ourselves? While I won’t say that there’s nothing, I will say that the story really isn’t presented in that way. You can try and guess at character’s motivations or how they’re going to approach something, but often, I don’t think there’s much more than that.
And that’s probably for the best, because there’s enough to think about and enough going on to keep you engaged in other ways. For example, there is quite a bit of intrigue, action, and other things which are more than interesting enough.
Sci-Fi
As always, I’ll try and tackle what I thought of the genre itself in the anime.
This time, the genre is more of a setting than it is a method of storytelling or aspect of the story. More similar to something like fantasy, which can take on a variety of forms from a mindless action, to a thought-provoking mystery drama or whatever.
And there’s no question that sci-fi is the key to this story. The premise of this anime, and underlying questions that the story poses, simply couldn’t exist in a fantasy or present-day setting. Technology and how it’s used in a futuristic setting are what makes Psycho-Pass so unique and intriguing. This isn’t just a typical cop drama (not that I’ve ever actually seen a cop drama), there are deep moral questions at play here.
In addition, due to the futuristic / sci-fi setting, we encounter various other problems and solutions that simply wouldn’t exist today, or in some other setting.
I don’t want to get too specific, but to sum it up, the sci-fi in this story is not only very interesting and exciting, but the story really dives deep into this potential future society and all of its implications. On all levels I think the story and it’s setting are brilliant.
Rating
Psycho-Pass is just an awesome story, start to finish.
I’m going to give it a 9 / 10.
It’s just a great story, the questions at play are very interesting, and the intrigue is awesome from start to finish. This is a society that just doesn’t fit into one box, for every potential flaw, there is a benefit of sorts. Very well done, and very well worth the watch in my opinion. I haven’t even touched upon the characters because I don’t feel like it’s necessary, they’re great, but the story and setting are what really make Psycho-Pass great in my opinion.
I enjoyed this one so much that I also watched the second and third seasons, including the ONA episodes to finish off the third season. And I’d love to get even more.
Have you dived into the world of Psycho Pass?
If not and it sounds like something you’d enjoy, I certainly encourage you to!
It’s well worth the watch.
Until next time,
Thanks for reading.