Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Psychopath Japanese: サイコパス
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 22
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 12, 2012 to Mar 22, 2013
Duration:
23 min. per episode Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.521 (scored by 36309 users)
Ranked: #762
Popularity: #153
Members: 76,210
Favorites: 2,124 1 indicates a weighted score
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SynopsisThe series takes place in the near future, when it is possible to instantaneously measure and quantify a person's state of mind and personality. This information is recorded and processed, and the term "Psycho-Pass" refers to a standard used to measure an individual's being. The story centers around the "enforcement officer" Shinya Kougami, who is tasked with managing crime in such a world.
In the future, it is possible to quantitatively measure a person's emotions, desires, and every inclination. In this way, it is also possible to measure a person's criminal tendency factor, which is used to judge criminals.
This is the story of a team of policemen dedicated to maintaining public order. Some of them work in the Enforcement Division, responsible for the apprehension of criminals, while others belong to the Supervisory Division which oversees their colleagues in Enforcement.
(Source: translated and adapted from official site by Cranston) |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Kanshikan Tsunemori Akane
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Catsrcutest
12 of 14 people found this review helpful
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22 of 22 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
After watching this series twice within a short amount of time (a month or so) and still enjoying it to the fullest, I felt compelled to finally write my first MAL review.
I will not bother writing a plot summary, you can read the essentials a little further above. I will, however, try to rate the plot. Psycho Pass will sometimes be referred to as PP.
Plot: 9.5/10:
The series is most of all a police-sci-fi set in near future. This sounds rather cliché put Psycho Pass manages to mix in a variety of genres in a non-confusing way. The near-future/sci-fi is at all time present, whereas the police-element is sometimes very prominent, making the series almost a crimi/detectives series, and at other times more in the background, the series then focusing on either characters or the way the PP world functions. Likewise is it with the action, coming more in small bumps rather than being all-time present. The series offer only a limited amount of humour as well as a discreet hint of romance, but you can find these things in the series. However, if you're searching for romantic comedy PP is not it. Drama is often quite intense, sometimes even heartbreaking, this making it easier to both relate to the characters and understand the more complicated parts of the story.
The plot of PP consists of smaller arcs focused around the same villain. All of these arcs are quite flawlessly done and come together in the end in an almost perfect way. PP is a series with a masterful plot (imo nearly as good and well-written as Death Note). In PP things seem to happen for a reason, not just randomly. A few times it might get boring, but generally PP has a good mixture of genres in the right amount. PP is also a series where you, when watching, will have to focus. The story is definitely complicated and does, as every other really good series, leave you thinking. I sat all the time thinking 'would I want society to be like this?'. Your definition of justice is also something you might reconsider after watching PP.
All in all amazing plot, one boring ep. draws down, making it 9.5/10 for me.
Art: 9/10
Art is something I have a really hard time rating. For the character design itself is a matter of opinion, not fact. Therefore an anime's art must mainly be rated on scenery and the flow of the animation.
The scenery in PP is very beautiful. Buildings, parks, light, everything is done really great. The visuals will often leave you stunned. But even if it's very good, I have seen better (but not often in a series with such a good plot as well), therefore the scenery can only get somewhere between 8 and 9 from me.
The animation flow, on the other hand, is quite simply outstanding. Maybe I've not seen the right animes but never before have I seen as good 3D-look-a-like animation as in PP. Square objects are animated in a way that almost make them look 3D, coming out of the screen. Also the way it's sometimes insignificant everyday objects that are animated flawlessly, is both peculiar and perfect. Honestly, I found the animation breathtaking.
Another thing I noted, watching PP a second time, was the light reflection. Oh, it was beautiful. Often in the ending we see light hitting water, looking almost like a blazing sea. But it was not this that had me spellbound. It was the way the light reflected in the Characters' eyes. The light sometimes even changed he eye colour, giving the animation a very realistic touch.
Really, PP has some dazzling art if you look at the details.
Now on to the sound (what a huge review I'm making xD): 9.5/10
With openings and endings can be said the same as with character design, value is based on personal opinion, and therefore OP/END cannot be rated. I can, however, rate the lyrics and fitingness of the music, which I'll try to do.
Whether you like the songs or not, the openings and endings can objectively be said as to fitting perfectly with the series. Especially the first OP and END which I think is the most well-fitting pair of songs I've ever seen/heard in an anime. The lyrics were probably made for this series. I mean, seriously, they're just too well-fitting. In the first op the question of society, which is also asked throughout the whole series, is brought up. In the ending we get a song most well fitting for one of the characters.The fast pace these two songs also fits the action of the series, building up even more tension.
The next set of songs are good as well, but take on a more quiet, romantic turn, which I do not find fitting for the series.
Next up is the background-music. Generally the tracks are both good and well-fitting. There's one which is a bit out of place, and this definitely draws down on my sound-score.
Last is the voice-actor cast. Actually I don't really feel skilled enough to rate this, so I'll just say, that I was generally satisfied. I think most voice-actors delivered a great performance and the voices fit the characters. I will say, with my limited skill, that Makshimas' actor did a greeeat job. His voice was a perfect fit.
A last remark on sound is another bonus: something rarely seen, the ending-video not being the same each time, but not only that - different parts of the song were chosen to make the most perfect fit - and also - talking in-between two parts of the ending song. What I'm trying to say; the video and song was each time composed to fit the plot flawlessly. That also means: Watch the ending EVERY time, there might be important plot in the middle of it.
Last up is characters: 9/10:
The protagonist of this series is the young female inspector, Akane Tsunemori. Akane seems to be the standard cry-baby, full-of-justice, irrational, emotional, very annoying character. But I can tell you, she's not. Akane is a human, who acts very human. Who, for instance, is affected by stressed situations, and, who sometimes lets emotion cloud her judgement. Akane is bright, and has a strong believe of what is justice. She's a genuinely good person, who believes in this world, and for that, I don't think she should be punished. She is a newbie, who has to learn, and she does. The development of her character is different from what I usually see - and different from what I'd expected. She is not flawless, and yes, she's (as a character) a little cliché, but she's not stupid and her development is rather original.
The male hero of the story is probably Shinya Kougami, a subordinate of Akane and a latent criminal. Even if the story focuses on Akane, the real plot unfolds around Kougami; thus making him almost more of a main character than Akane. Kougami is on first sight, our typical strong, badass, grumpy male-hero. But like Akane, Kougami surprises. I will not say there's much development to his character, it's just us getting to know him. Kougami quickly turns out to be quite the genius, who is certainly skilled at his work but his life is solely focused on his own agenda. Kougami is hard to understand, and even harder to declare as good or bad. His decisions will leave you wondering about the very nature of his character. Even after watching PP twice, I'm still not sure whether I should call him villain or hero. But certainly, for most people, he is a very likeable character.
And then to the villain, Makishima:
I cannot say much about him without spoiling all of the plot. What I can and will say is that he fights for his own sense of justice, and therefore - as with Kougami - it becomes hard to declare him good or bad. He and Kougami are in some ways very a like. Makishima is a bright, interesting and also annoyingly likeable villain - he can maybe be compared a bit to Light ( of Death Note).
The rest of the characters are supports, and I will not write about them individually. As a whole the supports are, as usually, very different of personality. Therefore there is a character for almost anyone to like - and also the characters supplement each other nicely. Kagari, for instance, creates the bit of humour PP has got. I also think there is an appropriate amount of supports, enough to make the story coherent and few enough to not make the story confusing.
The characters have a few seen-before elements, but are all in all both likeable, sensible and make the story move forward = 9/10.
I will not put enjoyment as part of my rating, but I will say that I enjoyed the series a lot. Psycho Pass has become one of my fave series and is definitely worth a watch.
Thank you if you took the time to read this abnormally large review :), I apologize for any clerical/grammatical errors, I am not english XDD. read more
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animelambie
209 of 266 people found this review helpful
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22 of 22 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
I feel so sorry for anybody who missed out on this anime this year because it was absolutely brilliant. Likewise, I also feel sorry for anybody who didn’t, because Urobuchi Gen ripped their hearts out.
The series is set in the near future in which it is possible to instantaneously quantify a person’s state of mind, personality, and probability of committing a crime, all recorded on an individual’s “Psycho-Pass”. When their “Crime Coefficient” index becomes too high, they are pursued and apprehended by police officers known as Inspectors, and their ‘hunting dogs’ the Enforcers; in this way, order is maintained. Unit One of the Public Safety Bureau’s division of criminal investigation, navigate the system to uphold justice in their seemingly Utopian society.
Before anything else, let’s address some reasons the show received heavy criticism early on, and was subsequently written off because of it.
Inspector Tsunemori Akane: As a frequenter of tumblr, I saw so many people dismiss the protagonist of the series immediately after episode 1, and to that I say shame on you. She got a lot of flack for being naive and idealistic, but that was the whole point of her character development. Even more egregious was how much hate she got because of her design, and again, shame on you. Both the director and the writer explicitly stated that “moe” would be completely omitted from Psycho-Pass; there’s a lot of back and forth between whether Akane is or isn’t moe (though the pink jellyfish comes close), but you don’t hate on a character because of their haircut. And personally, I think she’s cute.
Too slow: I understand, the series does take it’s time in the beginning. Psycho-Pass doesn’t really reach the heart of its story until about episode 10. However, everything before this is time spent establishing the cyberpunk setting, the relationships between the characters, and setting up for an unbelievable payoff later. Every reveal in the series speaks to something that was established earlier (yes, even the HyperOats) because the writer is a master at foreshadowing and bringing his stories full circle. It is well worth wading through the cases in the beginning to reach the core of the story later.
Psycho-Pass is a ripoff of Minority Report: a 2002 film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise based off a short story of the same name written by legendary science fiction author, Philip K. Dick. And honestly, to this I have to say… so what? Having only seen the trailer, I could just as easily say that Pacific Rim is a rip off of Evangelion, but that doesn’t say anything about its merit on any level. So even if the series is derivative (and what material isn’t these days?), the two focus on different themes and tell totally separate stories; Minority Report is a commentary on human free will and choice where Psycho-Pass is a revenge story at its core and an examination of justice, taking place in the same kind of setting.
And the joke is on you, because Philip K. Dick’s work is actually mentioned in the series. It’s obvious, to the point of near literary pretentiousness, how the series pays homage to the themes and philosophies found in great written works. I can see how consistently name dropping George Orwell or Jonathan Swift might be annoying, but as a total classic literature nerd, it made me excited to pick up what they were alluding to in the books I have read, and inspired to hunt down the rest so I could understand the series even better (hard copies— because e-books lack character). Besides, an image of Heart of Darkness conveys just as much as a long-winded discourse about the descent into darkness and the true nature of humanity would. It isn’t always subtle, but it is challenging and elevates the show to more than just another crime thriller anime.
Before I continue lauding it, let me clarify: Psycho-Pass is bloody, violent, and disturbing, and not for the weak-hearted. This anime has cruel scenes, both physically and mentally, and the director joked that he wanted the kids in the audience to sustain trauma for life after watching. O_O But that is not why your heart will be ripped out.
Your heart will be ripped out because Urobuchi Gen helmed this.
Urobuchi-san (Fate/Zero & Puella Magi Madoka Magica) is known for writing dark, nihilistic themes and tragic plot twists into his stories, earning him the affectionate nickname “The Uro-BUTCHER”. Back when I wrote my original Madoka review, I had no idea who this man was or what he would do to my emotions. Lobotomizing yourself with a spoon would be less painful. If only I had known then…
The reason Urobuchi-san is capable of writing compelling stories is not because he’s heavy handed with the nihilism or because he shies away from current trends in the anime industry. There are two very good reasons.
1. He knows how to write people— realistic, human characters with attributes and flaws and personal motivations and incredible development (see: Ginoza Nobuchika). The audience doesn’t suffer because tragic events happen, but because they happen to these characters, whom you have grown to know and love and sympathize with (see: Ginoza Nobuchika).
2. He never writes standard black and white conflicts. The system in place which monitors people’s mental states for the sake of safety arguably takes way their free will, but without it the society plunges into chaos. The Enforcer seeks to bring down the main antagonist for personal revenge, not for the sake of justice; and yet if the anarchist wins, in theory, people’s wills are restored as long as they survive the crumbling of the system. As you watch his series, you might not know who you want to win, or whether they should, and it makes for deeply thought provoking entertainment. (The “Psycho-Scan” aspect of the series alone is provocative when you put it into the context of how mental health is approached in Japan.)
There’s a lot of commentary on human nature, the natures of societies, law and governance, good and evil. There’s tons of brain-candy to chew on here; Psycho-Pass is not a series to watch if you travel into anime to escape or like to keep your mind turned off. Although it shares similar themes and story telling elements as something like Madoka Magica, the complexity, the science fiction crime mystery genre, and integration of philosophy and literature makes it less universal in appeal, but all the more appealing for someone like me.
Knowing Urobuchi’s previous work had me worried. Hearing that the entire staff cried over the final episode had me very worried. But even with his bloody reputation preceding him, Psycho-Pass has proved that Urobuchi-san is master storyteller capable of being twisted and incredibly emotional, as well as demonstrating diversity and restraint. His name is one I’m sure to be following from now on.
Oh, and it also looked great. And sounded great. Production I.G.’s work here is wonderful, and they’re generally a top notch studio. Production knew when to hold back, so they could really deliver where it mattered later (the dog hunting scene was very dark and difficult to see, but “The Gates of Judgement”? that three something minute fight scene was unbelievable). The backgrounds were incredibly detailed and the series has a great look, managing to be extremely colorful and yet very dark. The integration of CG was also very impressive, and I’m glad to see they pulled it off so successfully since technology is a major motif in this 22nd century world. I might just be drawn to the style, but all of Amano Akira’s character designs look great (yes, even Akane-chan’s).
*jumps onto the soapbox* Episode 18, “Promises Written in Water”, came out totally derpy-looking because of scheduling issues. Even the director apologized, saying that in order to get the episode out on time, it would air incomplete. This is not just an acceptable drop in animation quality like we typically see from Gainax or Gonzo, just an honest to goodness time issue. Production on the episode will be finished in time for the home media releases and it will be just as quality as the rest of the series. *hops off the soapbox*
The score was varied, very synthy and they played around with different types of sounds to add in, but fitting with the futuristic setting and dark tone of the anime. There are some standout pieces on the OST, I’m rather fond of the main theme and a very pretty and somber piano piece reserved for the quieter moments. Psycho-Pass is guilty of playing Bach, stealing a leaf out of Evangelion’s book, but at least the high-brow pretentiousness makes more sense here. All the OPs and EDs were similarly successful, sporting beautiful animation (and a bit of foreshadowing), not to mention that many of the songs were written for the specific characters. “abnormalize” speaks to Kogami’s character, where “Namae no nai Kaibutsu” should be listened to with Makishima in mind. Also, I don’t think the fanbase will ever get tired of “cause I feeeeeeeellll” or “your never walk alonee” and neither will I.
In general, I struggle watching shows week to week because I prefer marathoning my anime and when I really get into it, I am incapable of doing anything else while waiting in between episodes (should have seen me after Ep. 19, it was baad). And I haven’t done this with any other anime of 2012, so it speaks to how stellar Psycho-Pass really was when I say it was the highlight of my week, every week, until the end. I’m going to go out and buy Proust right now. What an incredible ride.
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Recommendations
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The series have the same showcase of "Law versus Crime", the only difference is the themes. In terms of characters Death Note revolves around two Genius students with different personality and the anti-hero holding a handy-dandy Reaper Notebook while Psycho-Pass revolves between Cops using Advance Techno weapon that has full duplex psychological inspection that switches the gear from a Neurological paralyze r to Anti-matter shooting bullet and Masterminds that have odd different assassination fetish.
Both anime are dark, deal with crime, and have detectives attempting to catch the criminals committing them.
Society Problems + deaths + mysteries + people using deduction + Police + totally unpredictable .................
* Both have action and criminal scenes.
* Both have genius enemies.
* Both have characters how fight to change the state of the world.
* Both are unpredictable as the next chapters.
* Both have a character how rejects the state of the society.
Similar gritty tone with several shared themes. Psycho-Pass places a heavier emphasis on action but, much like Death Note, does not rely on action to progress the story.
Killing criminals. The best way to eradicates evilness throughout the whole. Psycho-Pass and Death Note definitely shares the same mindset.
Another anime that features the opposition of two geniuses. But these time both, unlike Light and L, the main hero and the main villain BOTH have criminal psychology which essentially makes them similar rather than different.
What makes these two anime's linked is their story, and how society works in regards to crime. Death Note takes place in modern times, while Psycho-Pass is in the future, but both have the same core themes. In the end, it's about corruption and judgement. Who is fit to judge society, and how do we determine such judgement? If you enjoy such themes, and strong story lines, then you'll enjoy this anime.
Two master minds battling each other..
Another tries to captura another to become GOD.
This series is just brilliant investigating, failures, victories, sadness, shinigamis, evil vs good set up.. But what really is evil to become god and what cost?
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Both are procedural crime shows and set in a future version of Japan. Both shows are very focused on sci fi and each has their own interesting gallery of gadgets and systems. Both follow the attempts of a law enforcement agencies attempts to capture an enigmatic criminal who's always several steps ahead. Ghost in the Shell is more episodic and the underlying plot is visited in standalone episodes throughout the season. Psycho Pass is more focused on the main plot. I've heard Psycho Pass get called at best inspired by and at worst a rip off of GitS but I think it's its own show and I'll recommend it as such. If you like detective stories, Sci-fi, and character driven drama you'll like this
Both are set in a plausible futuristic setting focused on some police authority. Action scenes litter throughout both series, and when done, they're brilliantly choreographed. Like any two great sci-fi, both looks critically into the social implications of technology, the ethical considerations, and any significant impact of change in lifestyle. Easily two of the best sci-fi anime has to offer, utmost care was put into both in developing a world that feels real and the characters themselves behave accordingly to the circumstances given.
First of all in both cases we have the police as the main characters. Secondly we could say the time period is not too distant cyberpunk style future.
Psycho - pass seems to have some interesting philosophical views on this kind of future... It's the kind of anime which actually needs you to think when watching it.
Ghost in the shell has multiple story arcs, while Psycho Pass has a single arc which connects it all together.
Both of these story lines fall deep into the future with technology that can better mankind but also still have the same amount of crime. Characters are a bit different than ghost in a shell however you will learn about the characters in this anime at different episodes just like ghost in a shell.
Both series shares similar themes involving dealing with criminals in a world with powerful technology. In fact, these traces of technology can be traced with cyperpunk themes. Thus, both series has a similar feeling.
Both series' characters works with a superior organization to deal with the criminals using their skills.
Production I.G. is also involved with both series hence similar animation artwork and visuals.
Both series has action, drama, police, and great dialogue usage in many scenes.
Both amines have a similar feel to their story telling as well as both being worlds in a not too distant future. Both can also be classified as science fiction and each follow a form of law enforcement.
Both animes feature an advanced technological society that despite the cutting edge technology suffers from both existential and criminal issues. Both animes feature cybercrime and a lot of action. Both animes focus on police and investigations.
Both are in the future, have to deal in a sci-fi genre and deal with aspects of philosophy. Specifically, they deal with the philosophy of current life and future life. Both also have great, almost similar artwork (minus characters).
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Opening Theme#1: "abnormalize" by Ling Tosite Sigure (凛として時雨) (eps 1-11)
#2: "Out of Control" by Nothing's Carved in Stone (eps 12-22)
Ending Theme#1: "Namae no nai Kaibutsu (名前のない怪物)" by EGOIST (eps 1-11)
#2: "All Alone With You" by EGOIST (eps 12-22)
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