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Oct 11, 2012 11:49 AM
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Not as good as I hoped it would be. It's obviously trying to be a Ghost in the Shell or Minority Report kind of series, and I certainly applaud that, but there's just too much infodump going on in the first episode and the part with the victim just comes across as forced for the sake of making the newbie girl [who supposedly was the top of her class but for some reason needs the most basic facts of futuristic law-enforcement spelled out for her] decided between killing a victim that hasn't done anything wrong and shooting her "partner."

I'm not giving up on it, but this episode is much closer to a 3 than a 5.
Oct 11, 2012 11:51 AM
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Sep 2012
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bonifide said:
June93 said:
This into ep was fantastic, some great setting up for the dystopian world. Akane is definitely in the right for shooting Kou, as latency is directly proportional to stress level just talking the woman out of it saved her life instead of hooting her there and then. It's also great how criminals are actually made by the psycho-pass system as these latent criminals turn into real ones through social conditioning. I am so gonna root for Shogo as he's prob gonna be in the right for the entirety of the show. This is so freaking watched.


Dont be trying to justify that annoying bitch actions and you cant put logic in anime.
I wouldn't say it makes her annoying, I mean if she hadn't shot him I'd say the story would be worse off because we would have no moral compass except for what is most likely the main antagonist of the show (Shogo) and the cast would be a bunch of tools, moral conflicts among the group only make the characters more compelling especially with an Orwellian setting such as this. I personally can't wait to see how the individual members of the group react to Akane's actions in the next episode. The one thing that is ambiguos about the show now is Shogo, if they can manage to make him a compelling antagonist with a sympathetic view in this harsh world and not some Joker ripoff (wanting to see the world burn) then the show will be golden.
edit: Also it will be interesting to see the antagonist on what we see as the morally correct side in the grand scheme of things as he seems to detest the dystopian regime by his profile and the scan of him holding a copy of 1984.
ahncgj21Oct 11, 2012 11:55 AM
Oct 11, 2012 11:59 AM

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Apr 2007
5407
I would totally hate living in a world like this.

Ok start, not too different from what I expected. Well except the gun thing. That's neat. I just hope the story/characterization doesn't go in the most obvious direction. I've seen enough movies with similar systems and stuff. Surprise us, Urobuchi!

Kannei said:
i think that akira ishida isnt the right one too voice the red haired guy soome more anoying voice like kaiji (= shu) should had voiced him
NO.
Oct 11, 2012 12:11 PM

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Well, I already hate the world they live in after just one episode so I guess they did a good job. Not sure if I will keep watching, because I hate dystopias unless the protagonists are some kind of resistance/revolutionists.
Oct 11, 2012 12:12 PM

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Mar 2011
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I absolutly loved this, Im really liking the concept of this show. The only thing I disliked was Akane.
Oct 11, 2012 12:14 PM

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Feb 2012
618
Finally a mature anime.
I loved the world and technology they have. The background music really got my attention and liked it a lot!
I somehow got the feeling that this felt like watching a movie which is really surprising and positive! One of my favorite series from this season 5/5 loved it!
Oct 11, 2012 12:15 PM
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Sep 2012
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Reinou said:
Well, I already hate the world they live in after just one episode so I guess they did a good job. Not sure if I will keep watching, because I hate dystopias unless the protagonists are some kind of resistance/revolutionists.
I think the show is just about set up for something along those lines, with Akane momentarily going against the system and whatnot. Plus Shogo is most likely going to cause huge problems in opposition to the government. Seeing as this si Urobuchi however I wouldn't be surprised if some of the cast ended up going against the system by the end of the story and being totally crushed in a despair fileld ending with a spark of hope.
Oct 11, 2012 12:18 PM

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InfiniteDestiny said:
bonifide said:
I hope she dies.


This, show would be so much better without her.


Dude she's a rookie and it was her first case, suddenly being thrown into a mad world, what do you expect? Cold-blooded like those lethal criminals?

At least she saved a life which I thought the hostage would dead, so there's a glitch in this system as well. It's kinda unstable to exactly measure the mind of a human being ...

Wow I like this a lot, deep psychological stuff there.
Oct 11, 2012 12:18 PM

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The OP is fucking awesome.
"My tables-meet it is I set it down
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain."
Oct 11, 2012 12:20 PM

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Interesting series, for a bunch of reasons.

I know, judging from the comments so far, that there isn't a real high opinion of Akane so far. How does a little, naive girl end up being the top of her class at the academy and act this befuddled? It does seem odd, but this is the impression I get from it. Do any of you remember your first day at a new job, especially a job where you feel like you're under-qualified for? I guess the point I'm trying to make is Akane is being thrown into a situation that not most rookie officers are thrown into on their first case.

While a lot of people noticed "Akane", I loved the "psychology" behind this episode. Basically these officers are armed with weapons that take out their targets in a fashion that's deemed acceptable by a computer system that acts much like a judge. What made this episode interesting was that this program can only make determinations based on a person's psychological state and not take into consideration why that person is in such a state. The last 5 minutes of the episode was great! Here's a victim that was kidnapped, raped, and deceived into thinking that she's a criminal. Her kidnapper is essentially "blown up" right in front of her eyes by people with guns that are also pointing them at her. Naturally, she panics and figures the best way out would be to start a fire and kill herself on the spot. A horrible way to commit suicide due to the level of suffering you'd go through before you'd die, but a method nevertheless. Here's where it gets good. Shinya has the shot to take her out but Akane, despite panicked, understands the situation. She understands that the woman is only under an egregious amount of stress and is only acting in the moment. She shoots Shinya to stop him from taking the shot, knowing the gun will only paralyze him and follows up by calming the victim down so she'll drop the lighter. Another thing to keep in mind (and I'm not sure if Akane did this in her own brilliance or not) is if Shinya takes that shot, the woman drops the lighter and the whole place goes boom.

To see Akane in action was interesting because she rubs off as an incompetent, inexperienced police officer while, underneath it all, was the brightest mind in that entire situation.
Oct 11, 2012 12:22 PM

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Fun anime, the only thing i don't like tho is that the main girl's face is to flat.
Oct 11, 2012 12:26 PM

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June93 said:
Reinou said:
Well, I already hate the world they live in after just one episode so I guess they did a good job. Not sure if I will keep watching, because I hate dystopias unless the protagonists are some kind of resistance/revolutionists.
I think the show is just about set up for something along those lines, with Akane momentarily going against the system and whatnot. Plus Shogo is most likely going to cause huge problems in opposition to the government. Seeing as this si Urobuchi however I wouldn't be surprised if some of the cast ended up going against the system by the end of the story and being totally crushed in a despair fileld ending with a spark of hope.

Yeah, that wouldn't be bad actually. I guess I'm going to stay for at least a few more episodes to see how it turns out.
Oct 11, 2012 12:27 PM

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Takana_no_Hana said:
InfiniteDestiny said:
bonifide said:
I hope she dies.


This, show would be so much better without her.


Dude she's a rookie and it was her first case, suddenly being thrown into a mad world, what do you expect? Cold-blooded like those lethal criminals?

At least she saved a life which I thought the hostage would dead, so there's a glitch in this system as well. It's kinda unstable to exactly measure the mind of a human being ...

Wow I like this a lot, deep psychological stuff there.


I know I posted it after you (wrote it while you were commenting), but that's what I LOVED about the situation. Essentially the comments I made were that she rubs off as a useless character, but you have to look more closely at the situation. Her first day on the job where she's thrown into a bad situation due to understaffing, she not only saves a person's life, but prevents a fire that could've thrown the rest of their lives into peril. If Shinya takes the shot, the woman drops the lighter and the whole place burns up. Akane made a brilliant fucking move because she fully understood the situation whereas the enforcers like Shinya are only acting based on "taking the criminals out".

I found it to be psychologically brilliant!
Oct 11, 2012 12:30 PM
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Sep 2012
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Toucanbird said:
I know, judging from the comments so far, that there isn't a real high opinion of Akane so far. How does a little, naive girl end up being the top of her class at the academy and act this befuddled?


Thought: in Japan, "top of the class" is literally just "highest test scores." Maybe she's just a good test-taker.
Oct 11, 2012 12:33 PM
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Sep 2012
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addiemon said:
Toucanbird said:
I know, judging from the comments so far, that there isn't a real high opinion of Akane so far. How does a little, naive girl end up being the top of her class at the academy and act this befuddled?


Thought: in Japan, "top of the class" is literally just "highest test scores." Maybe she's just a good test-taker.
Exactly, she was just academically strong, doesn't mean she will have tough skin against the situations that she read about. I mean imagine if you did well in police academy, for some reason after you became a cop you were told to shoot someone during a riot (I use riot because these incude normally innocent people like the raped woman), you read about how to deal with this and wrote a thesis on it, can you still take the shot even if you feel it's not right?
Oct 11, 2012 12:34 PM

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Mar 2012
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addiemon said:
Toucanbird said:
I know, judging from the comments so far, that there isn't a real high opinion of Akane so far. How does a little, naive girl end up being the top of her class at the academy and act this befuddled?


Thought: in Japan, "top of the class" is literally just "highest test scores." Maybe she's just a good test-taker.


I'm not really the one asking that question. That's more or less a statement of how some of the prior posters feel about her. I offered my explanations about her.

I don't doubt you one bit it's based off test-scoring. Even the discussion between Akane and Tomomi (actually, it's more of a lecture than a discussion) showed light on the situation where he says "you're better off forgetting everything you learned there" kinda tells me he knows the only reason why she's out there in the field that day is due to being smart.
Oct 11, 2012 12:45 PM

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Sep 2012
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Takana_no_Hana said:

At least she saved a life which I thought the hostage would dead, so there's a glitch in this system as well. It's kinda unstable to exactly measure the mind of a human being ...


Actually, she didn't save anyone, Masaoka intended to paralyse the hostage just after the death of the criminal, but Akane prevented him from doing it, and because of that the hostage managed to flee. If it wasn't for this stupid intervention, the hostage would have been dealt exactly the same way and Akane wouldn't have to shoot Shinya.
Oct 11, 2012 12:47 PM

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I am just wondering who to enticed by Akane's smile in the following,

??? The classical TIGER SMILE!

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Oct 11, 2012 12:51 PM
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SetsukoHara said:
Takana_no_Hana said:

At least she saved a life which I thought the hostage would dead, so there's a glitch in this system as well. It's kinda unstable to exactly measure the mind of a human being ...


Actually, she didn't save anyone, Masaoka intended to paralyse the hostage just after the death of the criminal, but Akane prevented him from doing it, and because of that the hostage managed to flee. If it wasn't for this stupid intervention, the hostage would have been dealt exactly the same way and Akane wouldn't have to shoot Shinya.
For all we know Akane could have assumed at that moment that calming the hostage down would reduce her latency to a level in which there would be no need to be paralyzed. After the hostage is knocked out she would be taken into therapy and would most likely be told that she is a probable criminal, thus having her become a stigma to the rest of society. It's likely that once you are taken in you are to be branded as a criminal for life and are to experience the feeling of being an outcast among the "Innocent civilians". However, this is all an assumption i drew and I could be completely wrong by future episodes as we have't seen how the procedures with dealing with these kind of people (just stressed out) are dealt with exactly.
Oct 11, 2012 12:52 PM
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Why do I have the feeling that newbie is gonna mess things around?
Oct 11, 2012 12:57 PM

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Nasty001 said:




Why do I have the feeling that newbie is gonna mess things around?
Same here buddy and I suspect her nosing too much around.

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Oct 11, 2012 12:59 PM
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SetsukoHara said:
Actually, she didn't save anyone, Masaoka intended to paralyse the hostage just after the death of the criminal, but Akane prevented him from doing it, and because of that the hostage managed to flee. If it wasn't for this stupid intervention, the hostage would have been dealt exactly the same way and Akane wouldn't have to shoot Shinya.


This is true, but what she did showed how flawed this system is. Also if the rape victim was handled with care from the start instead of being paralyzed her criminality would have dropped even more. Akane probably acted on this assumption, and she wasn't wrong.
Oct 11, 2012 12:59 PM

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First day at work :D


Hmm... this could become pretty interesting I must say.

"A half moon, it has a dark half and a bright half, just like me…", Yuno Gasai
Oct 11, 2012 1:01 PM
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Nasty001 said:

Why do I have the feeling that newbie is gonna mess things around?


I think she's this show Madoka. Her "naive" world view willl probably end up saving the world at the end.
Oct 11, 2012 1:05 PM
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Lol i knew everyone would hate the girl...but I don't see why. This system is like 20 different types of flawed. It judges your criminality based on your mental state at that given moment...which is wrong since everyone has criminal thoughts at one time or another. The criminal in this episode is sort of a victim himself based on his little monologue about not doing anything but suddenly labeled a criminal.

1idd0kun said:

This is true, but what she did showed how flawed this system is. Also if the rape victim was handled with care from the start instead of being paralyzed her criminality would have dropped even more. Akane probably acted on this assumption, and she wasn't wrong.


This is pretty much what i was thinking. The most important part of the episode was how the gun changed from Lethal to non lethal mode after an exchange of words. System is black and white and we know things don't work that way.
JourdalOct 11, 2012 1:09 PM
Oct 11, 2012 1:08 PM

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June93 said:
For all we know Akane could have assumed at that moment that calming the hostage down would reduce her latency to a level in which there would be no need to be paralyzed. After the hostage is knocked out she would be taken into therapy and would most likely be told that she is a probable criminal, thus having her become a stigma to the rest of society. It's likely that once you are taken in you are to be branded as a criminal for life and are to experience the feeling of being an outcast among the "Innocent civilians". However, this is all an assumption i drew and I could be completely wrong by future episodes as we have't seen how the procedures with dealing with these kind of people (just stressed out) are dealt with exactly.


Well, we'll see. Tbh, I also think that she was right, and yeah the system is flawed, it's clear the hostage was a victim in this situation. But I was mostly talking about the consequences of Akane's action, in the end, two people were shot: the rape victime and Shinya.
Oct 11, 2012 1:08 PM
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Jourdal said:
Lol i knew everyone would hate the girl...but I don't see why. This system is like 20 different types of flawed. It judges your criminality based on your mental state at that given moment...which is wrong since everyone has criminal thoughts at one time or another. The criminal in this episode is sort of a victim himself based on his little monologue about not doing anything but suddenly labeled a criminal.


That's right, and when they chase a potential criminal, the stress of being hunted down makes them even more criminal.

The whole system is retarded as fuck. It's a pile of shit. I'm hoping protagonist girl will oppose this fucked up system.
Oct 11, 2012 1:09 PM

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Jul 2012
745
Pretty interesting love the new york environment feel also if there was a system where criminals work under the law with cool weapons everyone would want to be a criminal lol
That group is pretty messed up she was a victim all they had to do was calm her down not "oh look the gun says to kill her now soooo....um"
Oct 11, 2012 1:10 PM

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May 2012
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there is always at least one shit character to ruin a good anime. why is it always a dumb illogical/irrational bitch who just gets in the way *cough* sakura from naruto *cough*

Oct 11, 2012 1:12 PM
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jfizzl said:
there is always at least one shit character to ruin a good anime. why is it always a dumb illogical/irrational bitch who just gets in the way *cough* sakura from naruto *cough*


Even though she was probably (by human, not this worlds fucked up standards) the most logical/rational one.

I don't get it "lets paralyze and criminalize a rape/battery victim who just witnessed a brutal killing" is okay, but "hey don't shoot her she's pretty stressed and its affecting her mental state lets console her" is illogical and irrational.
JourdalOct 11, 2012 1:18 PM
Oct 11, 2012 1:17 PM

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Jourdal said:
jfizzl said:
there is always at least one shit character to ruin a good anime. why is it always a dumb illogical/irrational bitch who just gets in the way *cough* sakura from naruto *cough*


Even though she was probably (by human, not this worlds fucked up standards) the most logical/rational one.


main character is fine. she is suffering from overdramatizing and cluelessness. but she's pretty intelligent and has a good sense of reason. i'm sure she'll settle into the job eventually. she's unfortunately not as aass as i'd like...
Oct 11, 2012 1:17 PM
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1idd0kun said:
Jourdal said:
Lol i knew everyone would hate the girl...but I don't see why. This system is like 20 different types of flawed. It judges your criminality based on your mental state at that given moment...which is wrong since everyone has criminal thoughts at one time or another. The criminal in this episode is sort of a victim himself based on his little monologue about not doing anything but suddenly labeled a criminal.


That's right, and when they chase a potential criminal, the stress of being hunted down makes them even more criminal.

The whole system is retarded as fuck. It's a pile of shit. I'm hoping protagonist girl will oppose this fucked up system.
Indeed, the system is a product made by the current government officials to keep their power and wealth over the populace, as no one will want to oppose since even a little stress can land you into criminal status, and as it seems from what the criminal dude was saying earlier the populace seems to be brainwashed or conditioned into believing that people with a high enough latency to them shouldn't be associated with and casted out of society.
Oct 11, 2012 1:30 PM
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Can't expect anything less from Gen Urobuchi. Simply outstanding.
Oct 11, 2012 1:36 PM

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It's basically HanaKana narrating homolust of characters.
Flop of the year? Not really but compared to expectations...
Dark and edgy fans will love it.
Oct 11, 2012 1:40 PM

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May 2012
2364
What a mind bugging episode... really interesting but I think I will have a heart attack and trauma watching.. hehe.. but a really good one...
Oct 11, 2012 1:41 PM

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Jul 2012
1001
That intro was amazing @_@ it was like something out of a movie. The whold case they handled was quite... disturbing. A dark show indeed. And a gun that makes people explode.. Dang. Anyways, this show looks interesting.

If you really want to fit in, just put Legend of the Galactic Heroes in your top 5 and have it be the only 10-rated anime in your list.
Oct 11, 2012 1:42 PM
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It's not Akane's actions that bother me. It's more the overdramatic screaming and gun clutching that has me wincing.

But yeah overall good episode.
Oct 11, 2012 1:42 PM

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Apr 2012
1028
Urobutcher once again has exceed my expectations
Oct 11, 2012 1:43 PM

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1001
June93 said:
1idd0kun said:
Jourdal said:
Lol i knew everyone would hate the girl...but I don't see why. This system is like 20 different types of flawed. It judges your criminality based on your mental state at that given moment...which is wrong since everyone has criminal thoughts at one time or another. The criminal in this episode is sort of a victim himself based on his little monologue about not doing anything but suddenly labeled a criminal.


That's right, and when they chase a potential criminal, the stress of being hunted down makes them even more criminal.

The whole system is retarded as fuck. It's a pile of shit. I'm hoping protagonist girl will oppose this fucked up system.
Indeed, the system is a product made by the current government officials to keep their power and wealth over the populace, as no one will want to oppose since even a little stress can land you into criminal status, and as it seems from what the criminal dude was saying earlier the populace seems to be brainwashed or conditioned into believing that people with a high enough latency to them shouldn't be associated with and casted out of society.


My God, I can see the conspiracy unraveling already.

If you really want to fit in, just put Legend of the Galactic Heroes in your top 5 and have it be the only 10-rated anime in your list.
Oct 11, 2012 1:51 PM
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Sep 2012
563
QuiGonJon said:
June93 said:
1idd0kun said:
Jourdal said:
Lol i knew everyone would hate the girl...but I don't see why. This system is like 20 different types of flawed. It judges your criminality based on your mental state at that given moment...which is wrong since everyone has criminal thoughts at one time or another. The criminal in this episode is sort of a victim himself based on his little monologue about not doing anything but suddenly labeled a criminal.


That's right, and when they chase a potential criminal, the stress of being hunted down makes them even more criminal.

The whole system is retarded as fuck. It's a pile of shit. I'm hoping protagonist girl will oppose this fucked up system.
Indeed, the system is a product made by the current government officials to keep their power and wealth over the populace, as no one will want to oppose since even a little stress can land you into criminal status, and as it seems from what the criminal dude was saying earlier the populace seems to be brainwashed or conditioned into believing that people with a high enough latency to them shouldn't be associated with and casted out of society.


My God, I can see the conspiracy unraveling already.
Thats right man, the big twist will be that Shogo wasn't bad the bad guy but the government itself. The cast will realize they've been used as tools, etc.., revolt, death, Bam Urobuchi-styled ending. Shogo will appear before Shinya butt naked, sitting on the ruins of a govt building while reciting quotes from 1984, Believe.
Oct 11, 2012 1:51 PM

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Ah, looks like I'm late again. Different time zones, fffuuu. XD

I think there's too much futuristic anime nowdays, but this was still really cool, and I like Amano's art style.
Oct 11, 2012 2:02 PM

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SetsukoHara said:

Well, we'll see. Tbh, I also think that she was right, and yeah the system is flawed, it's clear the hostage was a victim in this situation. But I was mostly talking about the consequences of Akane's action, in the end, two people were shot: the rape victime and Shinya.


To be precised, 3pp were shot, 1 dead and 2 paralyzed.

I thought these enforcers were considered as dangerous beasts a.k.a lethal criminals but the gun didn't kill Shinya when he was shot.

And that system can only measure the state of mine of a human being at a single point of time, so it's not like it can predict how will they change, way too unstable ...
But for those criminals who committed serious crime like murder, rape, etc. Then yeah it's an absolute execution.
Takana_no_HanaOct 11, 2012 2:08 PM
Oct 11, 2012 2:04 PM

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I'm liking this series so far, but the Male MC seems like a typical dark 'n' edgy faggot.

4/5
Oct 11, 2012 2:04 PM
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Mar 2012
441
well, that was one helluva opening, it was like Chinatown + Sci-fi....the kind of a theme of the story which was filled with violence and home truth that was showcased was something i would expect from a gen urobochi anime (which is great), and the main character was surprisingly rough and relentless....though the girl character's mentality could turn out cliched a t times (i mean what was with her trying to save the woman!? should she not have known that the woman perhaps had perpetrated a crime she didn't know?).....but i guess the fact that she'll grow after looking at the truth about the world will be a part of her development...

all in all, this is probably the best anime of the season so far...sincerely looking forward to future episodes....
Oct 11, 2012 2:06 PM

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This was a terrific introductory episode that easily surpassed my expectations. I felt it was paced superbly, since it immediately introduces what's likely to be the primary conflict with the opening sequence, followed by an excellent immersion into the world and the technological system that strictly governs it's citizens. The gritty tone is quite refreshing, as the story revolves around a nihilistic, dystopic setting. I'm looking forward to the formation of the larger narrative, as the story's gradual development will likely prove extremely interesting and quite thought-provoking.

The introductory setup was rather simple, as Akane begins her first day on the job, and, although it was slightly unrealistic that she would suddenly be given such authority, this was essential in order to deliver the necessary world-building. Although the momentary rape was a slightly contrived development with which to show the cruelty of the world, I thought it was effectively portrayed. The criminal's death was particularly violent, but not nearly as brutal as the incredible sequence that followed, in which the Enforcers, along with Akane, chase after the victim due to the fact that her criminality level had risen. Due to the uncertainty displayed by Sibyl in the concluding sequence, the system seems inherently flawed, and this particular theme will likely be a recurring element to explore and eventually unravel as the story continues.

The premise is very intriguing, as citizen's psychological traits are detected and consequently assigned a numerical identity by Sibyl, a technological entity that regulates the world, and, depending on the severity of their potential criminality, these likely criminals are controlled, and occasionally killed, by the government. It will be interesting to see whether the inspectors, such as Akane, will be able to maintain order, since, even at the end of this episode, she, due to the ethical dilemma that presented itself, momentarily rebelled against the idea of executing a victim, eventually causing her to fire upon Shinya. This moment was great, as it illuminated a certain moral ambiguity that seems certain to play an ever-increasing role in Akane's development. The complexities surrounding this violently governed society are thoroughly compelling.

Although Akane seemed to be the sole lead in this episode, I definitely expect Shinya's focus to increase considerably as the story progresses. Tomomi was great throughout, particularly in how willing he was to explain to Akane the subtleties within the work she's required to administer and the violence she's ordered to prevent. The characterization was strong for an opening, allowing insight into Akane's naive perception, creating a noticeable contrast to the knowledgeable, unsympathetic mentality of her superiors and the Enforcers she supervises. It will be interesting to see what sort of consequences await her, due to her ill-timed disobedience. The development of these characters, particularly Shinya, is probably the most interesting aspect moving forward.

The visuals are fantastic, highlighted by the impressive manner with which they illuminate the grimy, violent darkness that permeates the world. The environmental backgrounds are highly impressive as well, since they're suffused with a stunning level of detail. These artistic elements combine to create a distinctly dystopian aesthetic. The animation was consistently good. There were some rather fantastic facial reactions, effectively displaying the subtle transitions in emotion, thus foreshadowing future actions. Although largely unnecessary, the CGI is surprisingly well-implemented, and considerably less jarring than I had initially expected. The character designs are likely the weakest element of the show, but they work much better in motion.

The direction was solid. There were a plethora of interesting camera angles that excellently depicted the deteriorated nature of the city. The music is great and suitably atmospheric, complementing the cyberpunk setting extremely well. The writing, for the most part, was really good, constructing an oppressively grim world of governmental control and a society that's littered with psychological flaws, while also maintaining a firm grasp on the necessity for disparate personalities and flawed characterizations. There were some minor contrivances in the story and a bit too much expository dialogue, but nothing that overtly distracted or seriously compromised the realistic, believable tone surrounding the various developments.

The ED song was excellent. Comparatively, the musical selection for the OP was less enjoyable, but still pretty great.

All in all, Psycho-Pass, so far, has proven to be well worth the hype. The first episode was very impressive and considerably satisfying. This is definitely one of the most promising shows of the season, due, in large part, to it's strong, compelling narrative and the dystopian setting it inhabits.
Oct 11, 2012 2:06 PM

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The anime of the season? At the very least, I'm gonna stake my money on that.

Can someone explain why the hostage girl was considered a target?
Oct 11, 2012 2:08 PM

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Jan 2009
214
I just wonder if the victim woman can take some rehabilitative care or something to decrease the number of her psycho-pass. Well, I guess she will.
Anyway, the fugitive criminal man proved that the system is reliable enough to find latent criminals by his own atrocious and selfish acting.
Oct 11, 2012 2:11 PM

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Jun 2011
2149
Hmm I really hope the the beginning wasn't really the end. It kinda caps this series potential, given that they showcased a pretty generic-seeming main villain :S Let's hope that there is an episode or two after that scene.

Anyways I liked the episode a lot and I'm really digging the idea of "psycho-pass". It presents a lot of ethical issues, case in point Akane's. But if it is not the absolute indicator, like the lady's psycho-pass, then I have no idea why killing on sight has been approved. Momentary lapses of madness can happen yanno.

Nevertheless,

First impressions: 7.8/10

Reminds me of Blade Runner, just without the replicants aha.
Oct 11, 2012 2:13 PM
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Sep 2012
563
Hana-kei said:
I just wonder if the victim woman can take some rehabilitative care or something to decrease the number of her psycho-pass. Well, I guess she will.
Anyway, the fugitive criminal man proved that the system is reliable enough to find latent criminals by his own atrocious and selfish acting.
But it was the system itself that turned the man into a criminal, he even said he was trying to live a peaceful life just like any other person, but the system basically said "You're a criminal, you will be treated like one", it's a completely unreliable system as the hostage went from innocent to criminal status from the stress of being raped and in danger. The system isn't put in place to keep people safe but to make sure no one will go against the orwellian government. Also we don't know as of yet what the "therapy sessions" entail, most likely they are brainwashing or behavioral conditioning sessions.
Oct 11, 2012 2:15 PM

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Aug 2010
5968
Wow, the victim is labeled as a criminal by the end of her horrible ordeal. That is awful.

Sort of reminds me of Judge Dredd with how strict the law enforcement was acting.
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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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