I’m going to be honest here. Sci-fi which mixes the ramifications of AI, cyborg enhancements, and a highly policed state ticks most of my boxes. Psycho-Pass, is an example of such a show. Combining the future crimes prevention of Minority Report, the heavy technological themes of Ghost in the Shell, and a dab of Blade Runner’s moody cyberpunk cityscape, Psycho-Pass manages to unsurprisingly be one of the special ones. I say unsurprisingly because when you have the likes of studio Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell) backing the writing of Gen Urobuchi (Madoka Magica) it’s no wonder things turned out so well.
Standing at the core is the question of free will versus happiness. Japan, in the year of 2113, has reached a level of domestic peace never seen before, thanks to the Sibyl System. While similar to other dystopian aptitude tests and mass security systems, it doesn’t merely restrict. The true purpose is to empower the individual with the ability to live a happy life while making a valuable contribution to society. The most intriguing aspect, and the namesake of the show, is the psycho-pass. Through country-wide surveillance, Sybil can scan the psyche of a human with incredible accuracy. Depending on the level of an individual's “crime coefficient” Sybil then determines the proper course of action. When too high, the police are dispatched in order to arrest or potentially kill the “latent criminal.” Effectively, Sibyl has created a society with such low crime-rates that the fear of being a victim is an irrational one.
What I appreciate most about the worldbuilding though isn’t this core conceit alone. The best fictional environments work with the background details. Little touches like a cyborg politician meeting the skepticism of an interviewer on the subject of full-body conversion fleshes out a cyberpunk Japan without shoving it down the viewer’s throat. Such a detail holds little relevance in the core plot, but it makes for a believable advancement of technology and societal reactions. So often these types of settings hang their hat on a lone advancement, when in reality there should be numerous. Casually slipping in VR chat rooms which share commonalities to present day social media like Twitter or YouTube creates not only depth, but organic believability. When such a backdrop exists it become a character of its own, permitting tangible humanity to the cast.
Now, occasionally some reactions are jarring, mostly in regards to the masses. Then again, you have to take into account how different their world is from ours. Seeing someone being beaten in the streets is certainly not an act we’d call unbelievable. But to the Tokyo of 2113, those types of things don’t happen. In an odd sort of way, conveying the world of Psycho-Pass is almost like trying to picture the concept of nothingness. It’s really, really difficult and I’m willing to mostly forgive the times where things fall flat because of the shear alien nature of the concept.
The good news is, most of these moments take place away from the rather strong core cast.
Through each and every episode I couldn't shake off the feeling I got from the secondary lead, Shinya Kogami. As part of the enforcers, he does the dirty work for the police so that they can continue to be investigators with as minimal risk to their psycho-pass as possible. As the narrative progress so grows the similarities which had me comparing Kogami to Trigun’s Vash the Stampede or Cowboy Bebop’s Spike Spiegel. Not in zaniness, or sly badassery, but very much in the whole internally troubled hero. There’s a desire to uphold Sybil’s justice, but there’s also a powerful urge to do what he thinks is best. Pulling him in either direction are the protagonist, Akane Tsunemori, and antagonist Shogo Makishima. While each and every character can be loosely tied to tropes of the anime medium, you’d be hard pressed to label any a caricature. Akane initially comes off as scared little girl who solely relies on her belief that Sybil works as a system, but in time evolves in intriguing ways. Shogo, at first, seems to be the stereotypical genius villain, but by the end I found myself sympathizing with many of his views. He’s brutal, but not for the sole reason of being an oh-so-maniacal murderer.
There’s a scene where he’s discussing books with an underling and goes on to describe how he uses entertainment as a mood modifier. Media can affect us, despite what either side of the debate may claim, and it’s nothing to be scoffed at. Instances like that help to shape not only an excellent villain, but in some disturbing ways, an admirable one.
No crime-drama is complete without a mystery and there is most certainly a large one at play. Again, it’s not so prototypical you’ll figure the whole thing out well before the major reveal. Themes such as how Sybil and free will do or don’t co-exist are brought into question and reflect not only the characters but our world as well. Few episodes don't advance the cloak and dagger outside of a mid-season break which takes a slightly hamfisted approach to revealing a character's background.
It’s no secret that anime isn’t the mainstream success in the west that it is in Japan. As an advocate of the medium, I take pride in converting the non-believers. Psycho-Pass makes my task all the easier. The initial half-dozen episodes are akin to procedural crime-dramas such as Law and Order or The X-Files. The difference is, episodes aren’t just one and done. Their villains and their actions have a lasting impact upon the overarching narrative. Of course, western filmic and literary influences bring a presentation and tone which feels more familiar to said audience.
There isn't a whole lot I can lay against Psycho-Pass. While there are a few issues, they're minor and never manifest in any sort of malignant mass. Dialogue trip ups and the rare off-beat animation are certainly irksome, but I’d be lying if I said the presentation feels amateurish. If you're generally unfamiliar with the medium or unhappy with the number of teen romances, Psycho-Pass is a show I'm more than happy to recommend. If you’re just looking for something worth watching, again, Psycho-Pass it is.
9/10
