The following review contains storyline spoilers, so if you do not want the plot of this anime revealed, please refrain from reading.
'Utopia' and 'dystopia' are disturbingly interchangeable terms that require a lot of scrutinization to comprehend even slightly. When is a civilisation considered civilised? Who makes this judgment? When does modern invention become sociological necessity? How can technology affect us so that its existence is considered the ethical, sociocultural standard? When the phrase 'modern dystopia' is heard by the average citizen, they may picture a deserted, dark city with crumbling edifices and a handful of those that society wants not; hearing 'modern utopia', perhaps
...
what they conceptualise is in fact the very world in which they live, exist, grow.
It is a hereditary misfortune that the verb 'function' is not included in that list of things that an ordinary person considers when describing their current society.
Psycho-Pass, a twenty-two episode length anime produced by studio Production I.G, attempts to convey these concepts to its viewers through both a brilliant storyline and great characterisation. Filed under the Action, Sci-Fi and Police genres of this website, it easily satisfies all requirements for these categories and then some, but why it isn't at least somewhat considered to be a Psychological anime, I will never know. Psycho-Pass features main character Detective Akane Tsunemori, Enforcer Shinya Kougami and antagonist Shougo Makishima, and, as mentioned, tackles a heavily philosophical subject with both barrels.
Set some time in the future, when a system called the Sibyl system fundamentally governs every citizens' lives, the MWPSB police department recruits young Akane, and her subordinates, the Enforcers, of which include male main character Shinya Kougami, comprise the main supporting cast in this anime. Their firearm weapons, the Dominators, are programmed using the Sibyl system, and are automatically set to a varying level of force when shot based on a person's Psycho-Pass. A Psycho-Pass is, in its most basic form, a record of a person's mental stability, and determines the possibility of criminal intent in a person. Later on in the series, the main antagonist Shougo Makishima is introduced as an individual who can control his Psycho-Pass at will, and as such bypasses all analysis of the Sibyl system; utilising this, he aims to create anarchy to bring life back to a blind, dead society. Now that the formalities are complete, for convenience sake, I will skip retelling the plot and start giving my opinion on it and the characters.
I will state this clearly, ladies and gentlemen: I have never disliked an old fashioned conspiracy story, and Psycho-Pass's is no exception. A character such as Shougo Makishima rarely appears in a Action/Sci-Fi anime; in Psycho-Pass, he embodies what others would call a disturbed mind, and what he would call justice. This is an absolutely classic plot device for such a 'utopian dystopia' theme, and he fulfills the role adequately.
I feel that if I were to analyse this anime further, I would like it even more because there is so much about the plot that is centered around the theoretical government of perception and sociology, which can be so intriguing. Later, the Sibyl system's 'true identity' is revealed to be a collection of neural networks that collectively exist to improve the Sibyl system's government of society through developing technology and understanding psychology. How interesting it was to watch as a technology aiming to be perfect was actually perpetrated by the personalities of those from the society they went on to govern. Shinya Kougami, wanting to rid the world of Makishima, later kills him with a normal handgun, drawing full circle the theme of will in an automatically structured society. I love theories and thinking theoretically, so I concede that perhaps I am biased towards Psycho-Pass's plot. However, I will say that, much like Steins;Gate, it didn't really quite become interesting until a little before halfway through. This is understandable, though: no anime gets anywhere positive without some context and a preliminary snapshot of what it has to offer.
The characters, like I've been trying to draw attention to, are really quite integral in Psycho-Pass as well. The aforementioned excellent characterization is shown not only through the antagonist, but also heavily in Akane Tsunemori. Her progress of evolving from a timid rookie to a hardened detective was both constant and brilliant to watch every week - the scene in the final episode of her as the senior employee of the MWPSB informing a later rookie was applaudably nostalgic and felt very well rounded. Shinya Kougami is not to be overlooked. Kougami's misifit persona, solitary personality makes for a very good link between Akane and Makishima, and basically every other character - the simple, circular metal of a diamond studded ring. Various deaths - executions, rather - amongst those of the supporting cast make for elementary examples of this anime's theme of societal government, which can be somewhat of a dictatorship to those who can't - or won't - see beyond the reality they were initially provided with. In short, Psycho-Pass does a very credible job of exaggerating its dark themes using primarily a fitting storyline and necessary characters roles.
To make an obligatory mention: the soundtrack was intense, and as such really very fitting of Psycho-Pass. Even the lyrics, produced by the excellent ryo, are suitable:
"God, where did you go?
But there's no answer; it's always like this,
Are you still here?"
Quite a beautiful sequence of existential poetry that, like everything else does in this anime, ties in with the themes. And as for the artwork, it was great at best, average at worst. Literally quite dark in some scenes, but thus, again, befitting. The only negative thing I have to comment on about this anime is that I gathered traces of Neon Genesis Evangelion's psychological theme (specifically, you know, Episodes 25 and 26) that frankly did not suit this series in the slightest. I tend to worry about this occurring in the anime that I watched, but Psycho-Pass didn't exhibit it nearly enough to make me disappointed.
If you've watched anime such as Mirai Nikki and Death Note, then it's almost guaranteed that you will find Psycho-Pass at least appealing to you in some aspect. Give it some time to become the excellent story that it truly is, and enjoy the great characters. It's another great anime that I personally can say I'm glad I invested time in watching.
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Mar 22, 2013
Psycho-Pass
(Anime)
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The following review contains storyline spoilers, so if you do not want the plot of this anime revealed, please refrain from reading.
'Utopia' and 'dystopia' are disturbingly interchangeable terms that require a lot of scrutinization to comprehend even slightly. When is a civilisation considered civilised? Who makes this judgment? When does modern invention become sociological necessity? How can technology affect us so that its existence is considered the ethical, sociocultural standard? When the phrase 'modern dystopia' is heard by the average citizen, they may picture a deserted, dark city with crumbling edifices and a handful of those that society wants not; hearing 'modern utopia', perhaps ... |
