What strikes me is that the name Psycho-Pass distinctly sounds like a play on the word Psychopath, and that word clearly describes the emotional and psychological roller coaster that the viewer is subject to throughout the series.
This review will attempt to give an viewpoint which contains as little spoilers as possible, but for continuity's sake and when mentioning Psycho-Pass 2 and Psycho-Pass: The Movie, some plot details from the prequels may be discussed, although only very briefly and nothing major. So if you haven't watched the Psycho-Pass series, you can still read this review and decide for yourslef if you would like to pick up the series.
We will be discussing the shows in a chronological manner, but before that a broad overview on what the world of Psycho-Pass is like, and my thoughts before I watched this anime.
Having binge-watched the show Shinsekai yori (you can see my review here, its spoiler-free, don't worry), I wasn't too keen on watching something dark or psychological, but I decided to give it a shot, having heard amazing things about Psycho-Pass but being unable to discuss the subject matter due to my lack of exposure to the anime.
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| Psycho-Pass Season One |
It paints a seemingly peaceful and perfect utopia where undesirables are filtered out and only the peaceful remain. Watching this made me draw similarities with the movie Minority Report, the one where there is the concept of pre-crime enforcement. This is somewhat similar in Psycho-Pass, where the protaganist Tsunemori Akane has everything handed to her on a silver platter due to her aptitude as deemed by the Sybil System as superior, while her friends and those she meets may not have this privilege. Psycho-Pass is based on the Sybil System and its' analysis of people, giving them ratings known as a Psycho Pass to differentiate dangerous members of society to those that are co-operative and productive. It directly results in a more peaceful and harmonious society on the surface, although as will be discussed in the series, results in cracks due to this intentional suppression on individuality.
Psycho-Pass touches on the struggles of inequality, profiling and the inner psyche briefly while filling its 22 episodes with action-packed sequences and interesting conversations. While the antagonists' motives may seem to be unclear at first, the build-up where Akane discovers her own strengths and weaknesses through a series of cases link up to create a conclusion that is not only satisfying, but keeps you thinking about the idea of omnipotence and the concept behind artificial intelligence.
Character development in Psycho-Pass was adequate for the main characters Akane and Kougami Shinya, but what makes Psycho-Pass season one great is the development of the supporting cast. This plus point could be due to the longer run in the first season (22 episodes) as compared to other animes, but some episodes were dedicated to fleshing out the supporting cast, which further built on the world of Psycho-Pass and lent a realistic feel to the story.
One gripe that I had with Psycho-Pass season one was the way the antagonists were revealed and the minor crimes which served to push the story further. The reveal of these characters to the audience was too premature and removed the suspense behind each crime, although we got to see the inner workings and thought processes of these - for lack of a better word - psychopaths (pun intended).
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| Kogami and Akane: the Dynamic Duo |
Pros
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Cons
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Character development was detailed, especially
the supporting cast
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Futuristic setting was largely believable,
although specifics and technicalities were not addressed
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Riveting plotline where main antagonist’s
motive is not revealed until towards the end
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22 episodes were just right for Psycho-Pass, not too short like most
anime but every episode was utilized well to fit in either plot progression
or character development
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Minor antagonists’ motives and MO (Modus Operandi) were revealed too early;
lack of suspense and immersion
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Superficial discussion about real-world
issues, most arguments and plot points are based on the dystopian setting
· Violence and gore may be too gratuitous in some scenes, but most scenes are done well
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a
Moving on to the next installment, Psycho-Pass 2 picks off about a year and a half after the events of Psycho-Pass, with the roster of characters changing but with Tsunemori Akane remaining as the main protaganist. While only half the length of season 1, Psycho-Pass 2 builds upon the story left off at the end of the first season and introduces new antagonists with puzzling motives.
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Don't get me wrong, Psycho-Pass 2 is still a great anime and definitely worth watching especially since you grow attached to the characters in Psycho-Pass, but it doesn't live up to the initial expectation and bar set by the prequel. To use an analogy to describe Psycho-Pass 2 would be similar to comparing a set meal from MacDonalds (Psycho-Pass 1) with an a-la-carte McDonalds' burger (Psycho-Pass 2). Amazing, but leaves a taste of what could have been.
Psycho-Pass: The Movie is set after seasons 1 and 2 of Psycho-Pass, and while you could watch the movie right after season 1 (because there isn't any plot spoilers from season 2 in it), watching them chronologically helps to show the time distance between the plot of the movie and the first season.
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| Psycho-Pass: The Movie |
What I liked about the movie was that it managed to tell the story well within the 2 hour timeframe, although the pacing of the movie could have been improved as the first half of the movie was basically setting the stage while most of the revelations and action occurred mainly in the last 30 minutes of the movie.
Short, succinct and sharp would be the three words to describe Psycho-Pass: The Movie. It features what seems to be a Southeast Asian country (most likely either present-day Thailand, Myanmar or Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam) due to the cultural icons present in the movie but fails to really establish the motives of the antagonists clearly, painting them as clear bad guys rather than showing the grey line between good and evil, which the first 2 seasons of Psycho-Pass touched on. While restricted by the runtime of 2 hours, it felt like the creators were trying to squeeze in a season's worth of plot into effectively 4 episodes.
While I would definitely recommend Psycho-Pass: The Movie to Psycho-Pass fans, you can skip this movie and still not miss out on the main developments in the first two seasons as those are based in Japan. But the movie does offer interesting insight into the idea of peacekeeping in war-torn countries and while largely ignored in Psycho-Pass: The Movie, more could have been done to include a native character (of Southeast Asian culture) as a main supporting character rather than just using it as a setting. Otherwise, a breath of fresh air from metropolitan Tokyo featured in the first two seasons and done decently.
Final Thoughts
The Psycho-Pass series is a captivating and riveting anime which sends you on a thought train on the concept of violence, justice and governance and is depicted in digestible capsules which do not require a lot of processing to understand the ideas being relayed throughout the series, thus making it suitable for the casual viewer looking to dip their toes into psychological or darker anime.
While the first season was great in the direction and development, the lacklustre second season and confusing movie did not meet the high bar which the first season had set and while the sequel did come close, the movie felt more like fanservice with cameos rather than an actual stimulating plot.
However, this does not mean the sequel and movie is not worth watching, the world of Psycho-Pass is still overall a compelling one. Definitely in the top 20 anime series' in my opinion and worth the watch if you can binge them all at once!
Overall Ratings:
Psycho-Pass 8.75/10
Psycho-Pass 2 7.5/10
Psycho-Pass: The Movie 7.5/10
Until Next Time,
Endblade
