SPOILER-FREE™
In early 22nd century Japan, it has become possible to analyze a human mind with a startling degree of accuracy using a network of scanners and an incredibly powerful supercomputer known as the SIByL System. To this end, the judicial system is no longer required for law enforcement. Police use the SIByL System’s abilities to judge a person’s mental state and depending on the situation, either arrest them so that they can undergo therapy, or carry out executions on the spot. Into this world is thrust the brilliant but inexperienced Inspector Tsunemori Akane. We follow the inspector and the rest of the Public Safety Bureau as they investigate the tenacious shadow of crime that haunts Japan, and learn more about the truth behind their “paradise.”
One thing that caught me off guard, which viewers should be aware of is that despite being an anime about police detectives, it is most definitely NOT a mystery. The pawns and masterminds of crime are made known to the audience quickly (read: in the intro). This is a fast-paced action anime much more than it is a mystery. An action anime that is quite dark and violent at times. Although Psycho-Pass does not thrive on gratuitous gore for shock value, it’s definitely way too much for younger audiences or those with a weak stomach.
The first thing you will notice about Psycho-Pass is that the story is served up on a silver platter of fluid animation and solid, yet disquieting music. Psycho-Pass’s presentation of the future transitions between sleek and gritty, but never boring. Be it the character designs or some high-tech contraption, there is always something pretty to look at. It’s no secret that Production I.G has a lot of money, and they obviously dropped big bucks to make this title look good. Unfortunately, Production I.G has acquired a nasty habit in recent times: making some parts of anime dazzling (especially the beginning) and hiding some less-than-outstanding work throughout the series as it goes on. This creates the perception that an anime is gorgeous, and once people have that impression in their minds the studio is free to be a little lazier when nobody’s looking. You can see this habit at work in other anime like Suisei no Gargantia and Shingeki no Kyojin. I noticed several conspicuously still backgrounds and simple designs especially in the middle-late part of the anime. These are the sorts of things I would consider run-of-the-mill in a typical anime, but it is precisely because Psycho-Pass is such an attractive anime that these lapses are so irritating.
But the substance behind the style is what really makes, and breaks, this anime. The setting of this anime is particularly excellent. The society we see at the beginning is safe, happy and free. But as Psycho-Pass continues, we learn that the pillars holding these values are actually rather fragile. Social problems, isolationism, unreliable technology and oppression lurk in the unilluminated shadows. This dystopia is definitely authoritarian, to the point of dictating possible jobs to people based on their abilities. But there are several examples of how it is not an Orwellian “Big Brother” society. The citizens are happy, without being brainwashed, quite reminiscent of Philip K. Dick.
Therein lies the problem, Psycho-Pass is the world of Philip K. Dick, if they didn’t flat-out admit it in the anime they might almost be accused of plagiarism. Psycho-Pass is brazenly derivative of several other works, even anime. More than once I had to ask myself if I wasn’t watching Ghost in the Shell or reading Gulliver’s Travels. Psycho-Pass doesn’t even care if you know, in fact it wants you to know; it’s positively stolid.
The setting may be a little stale, but Urobuchi makes it work, the real point is what goes on in that setting. The Public Security Bureau may be the sword-arm of SIByL, but they do their job because they care about protecting people. As they are faced with a string of brutal crimes, it gradually becomes as obvious to them as it is to the audience that there is a connection. The focus of Psycho-Pass is not so much what is behind these crimes, but why. At first, it seems the only motivation is the sadism and insanity of distasteful malcontents, but the more complex picture is gradually revealed. In this sense, the story is very well put-together. Forced storytelling is nowhere in sight; I was fully expecting one of the detectives to produce a totally rectally-derived solution to an investigation, but to my delight, it never happened. There are no plot holes and the elements of the story come together strongly as nobody is “right” or “wrong.”
The characters are flawed and very compelling, compounded by excellent voice acting across the cast. Even side characters have believable thoughts and motivations. The three main characters are all superb. Tsunemori’s development can be a little jerky and opaque at times, but she shows tremendous, yet believable, strength of character. She is presented with several difficult decisions and her reactions are all reasonable, earning her praise and scorn from others. Kougami struggles with his ideals against his feelings and past, which is satisfactorily explored without being too excessive. He has little faith in the society that shuns him, but embittered though he is, he tries to do the right thing.
Makishima is a spectacular villain. At first it seems he is merely an evil psychopath, which he most definitely is. However, his motivations and methods reveal an intricate character, almost noble in some ways. Some viewers may even root for him at some points, and not just those who support the bad guy to be edgy.
One of the biggest problems with Psycho-Pass is the sometimes incomprehensible rationale behind it. The science (often pseudoscience) of the show is extremely confusing at times. The technology is especially baffling, particularly the Dominator weapon system. I will refrain from spoilers, only I think that it must be designed expressly with storytelling potential in mind, with any practical concerns neatly cast away. There are also a few times when the characters are equally obtuse. I recall a small squad of police bursting in on an injured and unarmed criminal and shooting him without hesitation. One character promptly wonders aloud who the criminal was talking to and whether he was working alone. Apparently it never once occurred to him that he might get that information from the man himself. This infuriating quirk only gets worse as the anime goes on.
Psycho-Pass is very pretentious at times. It asks some moderately philosophical questions, but like the setting, nothing even approaches originality. It wants to provide dumbed-down action without sacrificing its air of deepness. Psycho-Pass isn’t a “bad” anime by any stretch of the word, in fact it is quite entertaining. But it isn’t nearly as intelligent as it thinks it is.
