Psycho-Pass 2

TLDR: Inverted Parabola. Starts out all right, gets better towards the middle, crashes and burns at the end.

Psycho Pass made a huge splash in 2012 as a successful Urobutcher series. Its creativity, style, and execution flowed into an enjoyable and imaginative show - albeit with some missteps. Without Urobuchi at the helm, Psycho Pass 2 tries to take his universe and tell a unique story and, honestly, fails pretty hard.

If you've seen the first season, you probably wonder where the plot for this dystopian thriller could go. After all, much of the original Psycho Pass was an introspective exploration into the world it created. Where, ... given all the plot developments of the first seasons, could this new series explore?

Well, as it turns out, nowhere. Striking similarities to the first season become quickly apparent and there's an overlying feeling of deja vu throughout the entire series. The story revolves around the same conflict debated in the first series and doesn't add anything new. As the plot progresses further, it desperately tries to distinguish itself through forced and melodramatic plot twists that ultimately amount to a bizarre and nonsensical finale with a confusing, out-of-left-field take-home message.

Most annoying is the lack of continuity from the initial series in characters. In some ways, Psycho Pass 2 doesn't feel like a sequel so much as a parody of the first series. Development seems to only really carry over for Akane; she is the only one in the cast who feels right. Ginoza, the other main protagonist from the first series, takes a backseat role. No, not like the backseat of a car; if Psycho Pass 2 was a Boeing 747, Ginoza would be sitting in the rear flight attendant's area. His developments from the previous season are ignored and he receives something like...15 lines of dialogue?

Instead, Psycho Pass 2 introduces Shimotsuki, one of the most infuriating characters to watch on screen. Her backstory is left unexplained and viewers are left to decode the infinite mystery that is her decisionmaking logic. Tougane, on the other hand, exhibits the makings of a good character and is certainly the most entertaining aspect of Psycho Pass 2. Unfortunately, the last few episodes don't really capture the potential of his character, instead bogging him down in the far less interesting main story.

Kamui, the main antagonist, is a washed-up recycle of Makishima with essentially the same character traits and demeanor. These similarities make it incredibly difficult to appreciate him as a stand-alone character. While he may have had some distinguishing features, the resemblance to Makishima in both his methods and his goal detract from an otherwise decent antagonist. Psycho Pass 2 tries to throw in some twists to make him more interesting, but the show can't escape the shadow of the first season.

All in all, a much weaker cast than the original Psycho Pass, which wasn't even that great to begin with.

Of course, the animation and sound of Psycho Pass 2 reflect the budget. Animation more or less matches the original show - perhaps slightly better given an 11-episode length compared to 24-episodes. The soundtrack is good, but worse than the first season. Ling Tosite Sigure offers a serviceable opening; however, not nearly as catchy as their work in Psycho Pass's first OP and Tokyo Ghoul. The ending song is my easily favorite song of the show and accents the ending of each episode nicely. The removal of the "Dominator" insert song brings down the score a full point, however.

I really wouldn't recommend watching this show if you've seen the first season. Even if you haven't, just watch the first season instead and leave it at that. Episodes 1-6 build up suspense and anticipation that Psycho Pass 2 fails to deliver on. Everything you'll see about the Psycho Pass universe occurred in the first season; Psycho Pass 2 doesn't offer anything dramatically different. It's simply a less interesting version of the first season that leaves you with questions like:

"What the fuck is wrong with Shimotsuki?"

Story: 4/10
Character: 3/10
Art: 9/10
Sound: 7/10
Enjoyment: 5/10

I suspect that the writer for Psycho Pass 2 created the script after surfing through conspiracy theorist sites written by potheads, followed by using the most hackneyed checklist of what constitutes a ‘dark, edgy thriller’: Somewhat sympathetic villain. Devoted, eye-patch wearing female accomplice in a red cleavage-baring outfit. Innocent puppies being killed mercilessly. Mutilated human faces hanging on walls. People being burned alive while ‘Nessun Dorma’ plays in the background. (No, I am not joking about the last one.)

Psycho Pass 2 is a terrible sequel. By ‘terrible sequel’, I do not mean a mediocre sequel that paled in comparison to the original but served ... as a solid continuation of the story otherwise. I mean a sequel that ripped out all the things that made the first season interesting and shoved the pieces up its ass.

Let’s start with the distinguishing factor of the Psycho Pass universe: the Sibyl System. An utilitarian system that valued the collective happiness of everyone, viewing certain strong emotions as impediments to its ideals. Although it suppressed free will and denied space for self-actualization, it was successful in creating a stable society that escalated levels of happiness. It was not evil, it simply prioritized values differently - and this, interestingly, was what made it such an unsettling system. However, the Sibyl System in Psycho Pass 2 is clearly evil. Its once cold, calculating nature has been replaced with a comically wicked persona that involves itself in all sorts of conspiracies for selfish reasons. It might as well be a maniacal, moustache-stroking dictator plucking sandwich crumbs from his beard.

The writing decision to make the Sibyl System act too human ruptured the thematic axis built up by Season One. The original delivered a compelling critique of utilitarianism by highlighting the dark side of optimized rationality, but season two depicted a form of broken irrationality that didn't even resemble utilitarianism. The chaos did not stop there: the show abandoned its allegory on individual-society relationships and delved straight into a conspiracy thriller plot. The result was a mess of nonsensical conspiracies that ignored the rules established in the previous season. The writer seems to think that the more complicated the villain’s scheme, the better the story. The main villain, Kirito Kamui, is an expert programmer, hacking into several security systems, pulling convoluted tricks on the police, brainwashing people into becoming his cult followers, carrying out multiple organ transplants, and God knows what else. The twists and new details created too many logical gaps in the story to keep the viewer’s investment. It only got more pretentious towards the end with all the theories that have no substantial contribution towards the show’s themes.

As for the characters, the main Inspector Akane Tsunemori started off promising and confident. However, she displayed no real growth by the end of the series, even after all the tragedy she witnessed, after how Sybil System was revealed to be a corrupt dipshit. Her pacifist beliefs did not shake one bit, neither did she offer any new insight. The new characters were nothing interesting either, although Sakuya Tougane, the Enforcer with the highest Crime Coefficient ever recorded, had potential. Of course, he eventually descended into self-parody along with the show. There’s also Mika Shimotsuki, the new Inspector whom everyone wanted to electrocute since episode 1. It was obvious that the show was trying to make her a poster child of the Sibyl System, but her character was utilized very poorly. Lacking initiative, useless, with cow manure for brains, it is hard to imagine how she even qualified for the job. Even after witnessing violent accidents that were partially her fault, she did not come to any realizations, her behavior painted her more like a caricature than an actual person. Yet, the show continued to focus on her childishness, which only served to annoy the audience further instead of articulating any interesting points.

In regards to the art and music departments, the animation is passable, although it took a slight dip in quality compared to the first season. I’ll give extra props to the music department though, for giving us the comedic gold that was the ‘Nessun Dorma’ scene.

In conclusion, Psycho Pass 2 had me questioning if the writer paid any attention to the first season at all. In fact, the show seemed to undermine its audience’s intelligence with the sheer stupidity of its plot and made-up fictional details, every episode in the second half did a good job of destroying half of my brain cells. To put it straight: Psycho Pass 2 failed to add anything meaningful to the original. It tried too hard to be ‘deep and edgy’ by throwing in shock and violence, even though it lacked thematic resonance of any sort. It’s like trying to improve the taste of burnt buffalo wings by pouring a bucket of hot sauce on it: not only does it still taste terrible, you are probably going to end up with a bad case of diarrhea, idiot.

There’s no easy way to describe the Psycho Pass franchise. To put it together it simply, the story becomes a complex tale to tell in a dystopian world. Just think about it: imagine if you feel like being watched 24/7 in a Big Brother style surveillance society. How would you feel about that? Fearful? That should be a normal feeling considering every person is measured by a state of being known as ‘Psycho Pass’. It tells the limits of a person’s mental state and their probability to commit a crime. This may sound all cool and dandy but in reality is a system with so ... many possibilities. Psycho Pass 2 serves as the direct sequel of the first season to bring those possibilities into chaotic levels.

The second season revolves around several changes. Technical wise, Production I.G. is no longer in charge of the project (oddly enough, they are still involved with the movie production). Instead, we get Tatsunoko Production directed by Kiyotaka Suzuki. Secondly, the series only runs approximately half the length of the first season. That’s right. 11 episodes and apparently, the show is confident enough to craft a story based on the setup of the premise and what it has shown us from the first season. Make no mistake though, certain characters do make returns while new ones are added. Finally, there’s an absence of Shinya Kogami. There’s obvious reasons why he doesn’t appear in this sequel especially for fans who have seen the first season. In regards to these changes, this sequel brings a different picture to view.

From the start, the second season offers a story involving a new mysterious case. To end, it also adds a host of new characters as well as returning ones from the first season. Protagonist and inspector Akane Tsunemori returns after learning the truth about the Sybil System. Her choice is to obey the system by following a philosophy of doing the right thing is in her mind. Joining her includes Ginoza, Yayoi, and Shion as part of the new police unit. They also get some new helping hands including six new characters who plays a variety of roles in the second season. While the show still retains their state of duty, the season is left without Kagami, a man who dealt pivotal blows against the system. At the same time, the Sybil System itself reveals startling new revelations that may change the story forever. For Akane, this season is also about her own personal battle and against another mysterious individual. This can easily be seen at the conclusion of the first episode as we meet Kirito Kamui, a mysterious antagonist who tampers with the Sybil System.

Let’s get a few other things out of the way. The absence of certain characters is something that season 2 suffers from when it comes to expansive development. Fans who have become attached to Kogami will surely feel disappointed with his lack of presence. And to make it worse, we no longer have Makishima Shougo (for obvious reasons). He was a complex character with a dark personality and a difficult antagonist to replace. It’ll take time for people to get used to a guy like Kamui despite their similar dark personalities. Still, there’s also a mistake about the second season with the addition with Mika when it comes to her characterization. The first episode leaves no time to depict her character as someone who is literally a complainer desperately trying to defend the Sybil System. Her ignorance and opposition against her own boss Akane is something to that can be on the line of hair pulling annoyance. At some point of the show, it would come as no surprise if most viewers label Mika to be an idiot.

Despite the additions of such a foil character, the new season still has enough to keep fans involved and eagerly await each episode. I can say this with confidence as some episodes leaves off with thrilling cliffhangers after a built-up of events. It’s also easy to interpret the show that is shrouded in mystery with secrets and foreshadowing. There are also parts during the season as we witness Kamui commence with his plans in secret with hidden motives. It’s easy to tell that he is the type of man who is careful with his moves after he kidnaps and seemingly brainwashes Mizue Shisui, an inspector from Division 2. His smooth talking tells us that he is quite a manipulative character who uses words as his primary weapon to get people to join his side. Not only that but he seems to be personally interested in Akane, a contrast to Season 1’s Makishima Shougo where he is disappointed at her actions. Like I mentioned before, Akane fights on personal terms with her internal struggles as his friends, family, and comrades are put in danger. Season 2 exploits many points with twists of fate with a grim sense of purpose.

There are definitely some problems with the direction of the episodes in this season. In particular, one episode introduces a group of new characters from another unit; a direction that I feel as inappropriate with the lack of characterization already on the current roster. But let’s make this worse. This one particular episode turns into a sour blood fest after some choices are made based on the behavior of the Sybil System. And if you want to guess, Mika is as useless as ever while Akane herself does little to secure the problem. What we get in the end is nothing more than more exposition and graphic violence to add to the shock factor. There’s also the situational ‘cat and mouse’ gimmick that returns in this season as the new police unit begins to hunt down Kamui. Guess who is Tom and who is Jerry. Still, the main part of the show’s problem revolves with Kamui’s methods to manipulate people. A part of his past connects with events of the present that deconstructs the way the Sybil System work. Unlike season 1 that is focused on the flaws of the system, it now becomes a shallow writing with terribly mishandled concept. Honestly, if that is the method that Kamui uses to manipulate people, then this season is doomed. You’ll have to watch it yourself to discover the stone cold truth.

Character relationships are of minimal impact and nothing on par with Akane and Kagami’s development from season 1. There are also strange twists thrown in revolving around with Tougane as well as Mika learns of a terrible fact. Otherwise, most of the other new characters lacks any depth with their characterization. Even Ginoza becomes less interesting despite his initial impressive introduction in this season. I say this with a potential romance angle that was doomed from the very start. Finally, don’t forget about Mika. Or perhaps, I think it should be in best of interests to forget her as much as possible since she is so focused on her own ideology. (even after being exposed to the truth) It’s hard for anyone to feel sorry for her to be honest.

I’ll warn you right now. This show can be a bit of a pain to the stomach at times to watch. If you’re not used to gore and blood fests, then some of the episodes will not be suitable enough. For shock value and blatant attempts to illustrate the grim society of this show’s world, we get graphic violence. With total uncensored footage, there’s bodies exploding with blood raining down that makes this Fall Season’s Terra Formars’ violence look like a joke. On top of that, the show’s visuals downgrades a bit on some episodes with character expressions. You won’t notice it much since it’s not as explicit as the actual violence. Nonetheless, the artwork is only decent with the setting and character designs. I do give some praise to the action sequences though except some parts that are lazily coordinated.

Soundtrack is perhaps a stronger aspect of the sequel. While it doesn’t surpass season 1 in any way, there’s a good measure of coordinating the cryptic OP song to illustrate its themes. Not only that but the OST remains top notch during key moments in this season. Unfortunately, character voice mannerisms becomes a concern at times especially with people like Mika and Sho. The season’s soundtrack does rebound this back though with some of the expressive tones during climatic moments, usually thriller endings that makes the audience hunger for more.

By the end of this season, I scratch my head to wonder what went wrong with the second season. It had a good momentum from the beginning with the introduction of new characters and antagonists. We also found out more of the season’s motives especially involving Akane. Then somewhere down that road, the season decided to turn into bloated writing of its former self. It becomes a shameless example of how not to do a sequel. And in this case, the characters too follow down a road of deconstructing formulation. Now, this season isn’t garbage though especially when it comes to some action and technical features. The initial few episodes in the beginning had a solid momentum and almost every episode leaves with a feeling of thrills; to keep the audience in their seats to look forward to more. There are moments that makes me hunger for more but in the end, it still remains meh.

Truth be told, after Season 1, I am highly disappointed as of Episode 5. While I understand the aspect of mystery, most of events that take place in the anime and the story itself don't make a lot of sense.

Not only it goes against the logical nature of the first season of the show, it also overuses previous themes, such as the faults of the Sybil System, at the same time paying no respect to them... Because one of the faults of the system was its over-control of human life... control, that now somehow vanished, apparently for the sake of the plot.

The premise of the ... world itself was police investigating incidents in the world in which machines can read a person's mind and judge it. However, none of it is left. Instead, everyone focuses on some kind of "ghost" who uses abilities more akin to magic or at least methods working with magic-like efficiency.

Earlier, it was pure logic and psychology, with some action. MWPSB tried to discover the culprits behind crimes and hunt them down. To do that, they investigated crimes that occurred, looking for leads - something like this barely occurs now that the show focuses on a single mystery of a ghost, and every criminal is suddenly clean.

Changing someone's Crime Coefficient regardless of their thoughts, tendencies and motives is illogical ability - because Crime Coefficient itself was a measurement and judgment of thoughts, tendencies and motives. It's like changing a measurement on thermometer without changing temperature.
It's obvious it will be explained, but the execution of the idea is done rather badly, if instead of interest, it causes aversion to the writing.

The new season also seems to easily disregard some parts of the world we saw in the first season. For example, eye scanning was outdated technology in Season 1, but for some reason, it's used by Dominators to work in Season 2. Similarly, anti-hacking measures in drone factory were particularly tight, while nothing of it was reflected in latest, drone-related episode.

While the first season had criminals trying to work their way around the system, they were still fragile to it once found out. This new season however disregards ordered nature of the world completely, dumbing down its safety and security, while severely overpowering criminals and making them immune to most attempts of enforcement.

I really liked the first season of Psycho Pass. It had everything I wanted in a cyberpunk crime Anime, from the atmosphere to the characters to the setting. So, after the announcement of Season 2, I was really excited. But, after hearing it would be only 11 episodes, I was worried, since I thought it'd be rushed and would be of less quality than the first season. Unfortunately, I was right. I'll move on to my review.

... Story:-
This season takes place a couple of years after the events of Pyscho Pass. We are introduced to Akane's new team in the MWPSB, along with some familiar faces. After a brief introduction, we are thrust right into the action, where we at the end see the main antagonist of this season.

I'll be honest, as far as the story is concerned, it was disappointing. The story's really similar to the first season, but never as interesting. With the introduction of the new antagonist, Kamui Kirito, I expected something different. Story is the same old ''Person wrecks havoc in the city, MWPSB must stop him at all costs''. There are a few twists and turns throughout the series that legitimately surprise me, but those really didn't save the story from being a mess, with plot holes and nonsensical things happening just for the sake of progressing the plot. It's a shame, since it was really good in the beginning, building up the tension with each subsequent episode. The series reached its peak at Episode 6, which was really intense and even had me shaking in my boots. But, the Anime ended in a really bad way, which I didn't enjoy one bit. It left me with more questions than answers.

Art and Sound:-
Definitely the best part of Pyscho Pass 2. It's just as good as the previous season, if not better. Characters are designed brilliantly, though I still can't get used to Akane's odd eyelashes(they creep me out, man!). The detail in the city, lighting and other such intricate little things just make it better to look at. And as usual, the Dominators look badass no matter how many times I see them being used.

The sound department is also great. The Opening ''Enigmatic feeling'' though not as good as the Opening of Psycho Pass 1, is still great to hear. The ending ''Fallen'' is amazing though, best ED I've heard in a long time. It's even on my playlist now. The rest of the sounds for the Anime just get the job done and are nothing special.

Character:-
Out of the main cast, Akane is the only one who got a decent amount of character development. We see her troubled, on the brink of getting her crystal clear Psycho Pass getting coloured on a few occasions. Rest of the old cast hardly has any development, Ginoza in particular. Really was sad that he barely had anything to do in the Anime, considering he was one of my favourite characters in Psycho Pass 1.

We also have a few new characters. The new officer, Shimotsuki, who works alongside Akane. Bluntly put, she's a flat out bitch. I didn't liker her from the beginning. She thinks highly of herself and believes she is right all the time. She even looks down on Akane's methods to handling various situations, and she doesn't even have much of a backstory. There's also the new enforcer, Togane Sakuya. I liked him a lot. He provided the season's most entertaining aspects. Sadly, he wasn't used the way I would've liked, in the end.

As for the main antagonist Kamui Kirito, there really isn't much to say about him. He doesn't have the charisma or panache that Makishima possessed. He's just a plain old villain trying to destroy the Sibyl System. He had his moments, some of which were actually quite good, but in the end, he hardly left an impression on me, hence was forgettable.
Overall, the set of characters in this season are severely underwhelming and not memorable.

Enjoyment and Overall:-
It was an okay season. It had spectacular highs and excruciating lows. It's not close to as good as the first season of Psycho Pass. But it still warrants a watch, even if it's just for the sake of watching it in order to see the movie. I really hope the movie makes more sense and ties all the loose ends together.

Sequels have always been expected to fill the shoes of it's predecessors. And it should go without saying that a great deal of sequels fall short. Either because fans of the 1st season carry high expectations or elements of the 1st season is missing in its follow up.
Unfortunately Psycho-Pass 2 isn't an exception to the rule. It didn't quite live up to the success it garnered back in 2012/2013..

Story: 4/10

One of the most noticeable flaw starts with unresolved tension build up from season 1. Instead of following up on the friction between the collective entity of the Sibyl ... System and Akane, it places in on the back burner. Even going as far as making Sibyl passive as appose to the hands on approach the fans would have been used to. Instead we follow Akane as she investigates the new and rather bland antagonist who stirs up trouble in the system. the 11 episode runtime also further dampers the story, giving it less time to be fully fleshed out.
With a new writer behind the helm, PP2 feels rather alienated from it's predecessor. The absence of Gen Urobuchi's knack for chair gripping thrill rides is ever present. The new writer isn't bad per say, but lacks the flare for the dramatic that the Butcher is known for. This shift in tone makes the story of PP2 feel more like a run of the mill tv cop drama than a dystopian/cyberpunk neo noir experience.

Art: 7/10

Luckily the art for PP2 doesn't go through studio changes. Making the transition with no noticeable hickups. The color pallet also remains the same, which in turn gives the city and surroundings it's familiar atmosphere. But it isn't all well, as there's a obvious dip in aesthetics and cinematics. Some frame shots felt devoid of any substance. These problems won't be something apparent to the untrained eye and shouldn't ruin your experience.

sound: 6/10

The soundtrack is very forgettable. With none demanding any attention of the viewer, they simply play in the background for added effect. The voice actors retained their roles, so those familiar with them won't find any complaints. They also introduce 3 new parties to the cast line up but we'll talk about those later. The opening made for an enjoyable listen and keeps the pace set by the other 2 of season 1.

Characters: 4/10

This is where things go to shit. The new characters introduced range from being bland to borderline annoying (I'm looking at you Mika!).
Shou Hinakawa: smart shy guy
Sakuya Tougane: deranged lunatic
antagonist (unnamed for spoilers): no personality to speak of.
and then there's Mika Shimotsuki, ohhh God MIKA... for the sake of not going off on a tangent I'll leave it at that. Akane was also a disappointment, her unchangeable plot device "Psycho-Pass" holds her back from getting any development and because of that she remains stagnant throughout the show's duration.

Enjoyment: 5/10

Other than seeing the continuation of Psycho-Pass, season 2 dropped the ball. It lost all the charm that made the show great to begin with and I was left more disappointed than satisfied.


Overall: 4/10

From being a show I hold in high regards to one I won't bother acknowledging, Psycho-Pass 2 failed on many levels. If you were a fan of the series and have yet to watch this, I suggest you skip it and go on in ignorant bliss. A decision I wish I had follow for myself.

As a preface, this "review" focuses a lot more on the differences and relations between the first and second season, and not so much on this season as its own thing. At the same time, these are my thoughts on why I think a follow-up can never be as good as the first season (it's a long read).
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I want to start this off by saying that I absolutely love the original Psycho-Pass. The journey into the human psyche, the dark mood looming over the story itself, and the intense development seen in all the characters all contribute to what’s come to be one of my ... personal favorites of all time. In the same vein, Makishima is one of my favorite antagonists, because he feels like such a real character, especially when it comes to anime in general. His motivations are far beyond that of “just being evil”, and the sort of intelligent personality he presents is as enjoyable as ever. Then there is the society itself, or rather, Sibyl. As a concept, this is a really awesome sci-fi society, and even in execution, it works surprisingly well. This is, I think, largely because of how Sibyl interacts with Makishima.

If we momentarily remove Makishima (and any others like him) from the equation, what we’re left with would pretty much be an episodic detective-series, focusing on tracking down individual criminals. This is not necessarily bad, but it lacks the same overarching feeling of grandeur and darkness as with a mastermind connecting each case. However, it technically isn’t possible, because of the way Sibyl works. It could be interesting, and definitely gruesome, but ultimately, I feel like it’d severely lack in terms of writing.

Enter Makishima - the criminally asymptomatic. The entire system is now thrown into chaos. How do you deal with a problem like this, when you are so reliant on the system to do things for you? Should you circumvent the system to remove the threat, even if it means you may slip into darkness yourself? These are all questions asked by Psycho-Pass, and they make for very interesting story and characters.

Then comes Psycho-Pass 2, a sequel I think many of us wanted, because who doesn’t want more of their favorite series?, but at the same time something we dreaded, as a sequel would pose quite a few issues in terms of writing. The biggest one, and the one I’m focusing on here, is the fact that they’ve written themselves into a corner, of sorts. It’s not a corner in the sense that they need to do something drastic to get out, but rather that the only way forward is further into the same corner. To clarify, I’m talking about the fact that the original series leaves very little to work with in terms of a sequel.

When you create such a massive world in fiction, you place upon yourself a responsibility to stick to the rules that you have created. In Psycho-Pass, the highest “rule” of all is how Sibyl works, and what it does. If you really think about it, how many (good) scenarios can you come up with, that’s not too similar to that of the original series? Because Sibyl is nearly omnipotent, it creates this setting where only those unable to be judged, in one way or another, are able to act as worthwhile antagonists, which leaves little in terms of variation. What this means, is that we have to ask ourselves “are we okay with such a similar setup, or will it simply be too much of the same?”.

With Kamui being the antagonist in Psycho-Pass 2, they’ve succumbed to the fact that this is the only way, but have tried to change it up by changing the very way Kamui functions, in contrast to Makishima. Instead of being able to remain at a constantly low crime-coefficient, Kamui is outright unable to even be detected by the system itself. While this, together with the way he operates on his “missions”, still provides a good story, we’re once again forced to ask ourselves if continuing this series is truly a good idea.

When it comes to the story itself, I want to quote reddit user /u/Redcrimson who I feel really captured the feeling of this season, to an extent.

“It's grimdark for its own sake, with twists that undermine its own narrative, and exists just to be violent and shocking with no greater resonance with the thematic throughlines or characters established in S1.”

While my opinions on this season may not perfectly align with his, the points he makes are undeniably accurate. When watching this second season, you’ll quickly notice that there are a lot more (gory) deaths spread out everywhere in the show, and as a result, we viewers will (most likely) become sort of desensitized to the deaths of characters, because we simply see it way too much. This, I think, is a huge step back from the first season, where every death got, at least from me, almost the same “oh shit” reaction. The deformation, into the explosion, and the remaining characters taking their time to really take in what had just happened. It all felt really well done, and now that there’s death around every corner, it has simply lost that feeling.

Not only is this a bad thing because we don’t care as much about characters dying in general, but it also affects our view of characters directly. Notable mention of Kamui here. Having a character as calm and collected as Kamui, suddenly killing an entire room full of people (albeit not without reason) does not make me fear him as a character. I’m not on the edge of my seat in every one of his scenes, hoping he doesn’t snap and kill the others with him. I think, when a character makes every kill symbolic - actually meaningful in some way - it gives this almost fearful feeling towards that character. Not because he’s scary, but because it makes you fear for the others, I guess.

However, this season does offer a few new things, even if they don’t drastically impact the general gist of the story. Examples here are Tougane and his backstory, Shimotsuki’s rivalry with Akane going too far, and so on. These all add an extra level of tension to the writing, which I think is pretty needed, what with the aforementioned issues. In the same manner, I think the upcoming movie may end up good, since it supposedly doesn’t involve Sibyl in the same way. Though at the same time, it’s hard not to think that maybe that should’ve just been the second season to begin with.

In the end, I want to say that even with all this, I don’t really think this is a bad season. I definitely think it could’ve been skipped, in favor of the movie, which actually changes things up, and there are a lot of things I think they’ve done much worse (the overly tense writing, too dark for the sake of being dark, and some characters), and it’s not going to be anywhere near as good as the first season was, but if you’re a fan of Psycho-Pass as a whole, I think you’ll still very much enjoy the second season.

Psycho-Pass was undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the best, anime of the fall and winter season of 2012. So naturally, when a sequel was announced, people got really excited. They wanted to see more of the mind-games, more of the great characters, and more of the badass detective Kougami. And did this sequel deliver? Not at all.

Before I get into the review, I’d like to give a warning to those who haven’t seen season one of Psycho-Pass since this review will contain a few spoilers of the first season, also, go and watch the first season, like, right now. I’ll also say that, ... as much as I don’t want to, I will inevitably draw comparisons between both seasons.
Also, there’s a TL;DR at the end.


Story:- 5/10

Our story continues from about two years after where the last season ended. We see some familiar faces among our main cast, including Akane Tsunemori. We’re also introduced to two new enforcers(Tougane and Hinakawa) and one new inspector who was show at the end of the first season, Mika Shimotsuki(I’ll get into her character later). From there on, the show begins with a new antagonist, (whose name I cannot reveal, so I’ll just call him ‘K’ for the rest of the review.). The story then becomes a detective story of the police force chasing ‘K’.

The story of Psycho-Pass 2 is nowhere near as good as the first season. The reason for this comes from many different factors. The first, and in my opinion, the biggest contributing factor to the story’s lousiness, comes from the fact that this season is only 11 episodes long, half of the first season. That is the fundamental reason of why this story is flawed. 11 episodes is usually not enough time to create any detective story, let alone a complex one. This short length results in massive pacing problems which dampened my personal experience of the show.

The story aims to do too much in such a short span of time. In fact, it houses 4 arcs, in 11 episodes!
First there’s the obligatory introduction that took 2 episodes. Then there’s 3 other arcs, each of approximately 3 episodes(I won’t go into detail since, you know, spoilers)

The second reason as to why this story isn’t good, is the change of writers between both seasons. While I won’t blame the new writer for the bland story, I still think that keeping the same writers in both seasons would’ve been the better choice. For reference the writer for the first season was Gen Urobuchi, the man responsible behind such shows like, Fate/Zero and Madoka Magika, while the new writer (for the script) was Jun Kumagai, who definitely did not have the same acclaim as Urobuchi.

While I will say that the pacing and writing were bad, the story wasn’t terrible, it had a few positives along with the negatives, for example, a both of the arcs in the middle were pretty good, even if they were rushed.

Overall, the story had good promise, and it did fine, but the execution did not reach expectations. With 11 more episodes, and a better writer, this problem could’ve easily been avoided.


Art and Animation:- 9/10

The animation was something that I cannot complain about too much. The art style of the show remains relatively the same, following the saying the “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”

The animation feels very fluent in all the scenes, and in scenes that had some blood in them this show went all out, similar to the first season. All the action and gore heavy scenes were the main highlights in the show, and even in scenes where nothing was really happening, the animation was still good. The opening and ending animations are also very well done.

Although, I do have a few nitpicks. Sadly, the show still has the habit of making some human characters look stoned, mainly, Akane. Then there are the new character designs, which frankly, most of them look average to just bad. Even the main antagonist ‘K’ wasn’t very threatening at all, far from the brilliantly designed Makashima from the first season. Even the new enforcers, didn’t have that great of designs.

Another fault I find with the animation, is that the show rarely strays away from its comfort zone, meaning that the show doesn’t take a lot of risks with its animation at all, in fact I’d even go as far as to say that the animation did become a bit bland and tasteless at times.

But still these are mere nitpicks that aren’t too noticeable, so honestly, the animation of the show is great.


Sound:- 6/10

The soundtrack of Psycho-Pass 2, while bearable, did not rectify the flaws that the soundtrack of the first season had. While I still like the soundtrack for both seasons, they just don’t do that much for me. The soundtrack still lacks any track that I can listen to outside of the anime, excepting one or two tracks.

Although, while the soundtrack is a bit tasteless; the opening and ending for this season were not. Paired with some great animation, both the opening and ending are really good song that I rarely skipped over.

The voice actors also do their jobs pretty well, both in the dub (which is airing currently) and the sub. The main problem with the sub (or dub) was the distinct lack of any outstanding voice actor, the main reason for this being the absence of Kougami and Makashima in this season.

Overall, while the soundtrack was good, it wasn’t up to par. The opening and ending are both very well done, and the voice actors are good, but sometimes feel a bit bland.


Characters:- 3/10

This is the part where Psycho-Pass 2 lacked the most. The characters in the first season were all very well developed, and even the side characters had proper development. This season just threw that out the window and instead gave no development to any of the characters; aside from the one I hated the most.

A big fault I find with the show’s characters is that none of the side characters were given any respect by the writers. One of the main reasons I loved the first season is because of the side characters and their development, but this season just doesn’t do that.

But that’s not the biggest problem, far from it. The biggest problem this show’s characters have is the main characters, including the main antagonist ‘K’. The main characters comprise of ‘K’, Akane, the new enforcer Tougane, and the new inspector Mika. None of these characters are developed well, at all.

1. Akane Tsunemori:- Akane is the main character for both the first and second seasons of Psycho-Pass. Her character was first introduced (in the first season) as a young learning inspector. By the beginning of the second season, her character had matured, and she has learned to handle situations much more efficiently. But this leads to the problem in the second season. Her character had already developed to extreme heights. Thus, her development in the second season is practically non-existent.

2. Sakuya Tougane:- Tougane is the new enforcer in division 1 (Akane’s Division). His character acts as a “replacement” for the absence of Kougami. .. And that’s pretty much all I can reveal about him, mainly because most of the rest of his character is a gigantic spoiler. But even though he has a large role in the story, his character doesn’t change throughout the show. His character seems like more of a plot-device than an actual character.

3. ‘K’:- ‘K’ is the main antagonist that we learn more about as the show progresses. Now, without spoiling anything, the main criticism I have against him is his goal. His goal, to me, seems extremely basic, and at times I feel that it is uninspired.

4. Mika:- Now, for Mika. Mika is the absolute worst character in this show. By far. Her attitude to both enforcers and Akane herself is complete disrespect, and she believes that all that the Sybil decides is correct. Even to the extent that she would disobey her own superiors. But the most annoying thing about her character is that she was the only person who had potential to improve as a character, but she doesn’t. Her character could’ve easily matured in a way similar to how Akane’s character matured in the first season, and unfortunately, she doesn’t.

Overall, by the end of the show, none of the characters really developed well. The side characters weren’t given any development, and the main characters are either developed very little, or they aren’t developed at all. This lack of development could also be blamed on the short length of the show.


Enjoyment:- 8/10

While I did rag on the show a lot, I must admit that during my time watching it I really did have a good time. Even when the show ripped itself apart during the final arc, I did enjoy it, albeit, for the wrong reasons. The 2 major flaws that dampened my enjoyment, was the hilariously bad story, and the annoying piece of trash, that was Mika.


Pros:
-Brilliant setting
-Very good animation
-Decent soundtrack
-Enjoyable to a certain degree
-The 2 arcs in the middle were very good
-Good opening and ending
-Good Sub as well as Sub

Cons:
-Disappointment in comparison to the first season
-Bland and hastily written story
-The lack of Kougami could disappoint some people
-The main villain wasn’t good
-Character development is non-existent
-Terrible pacing


TL;DR Overall, the show was a huge let-down to people who liked the first season. It’s small number of episodes leads to the bad pacing, as well as the lack of character development. The main villain didn’t have a very interesting goal, and the side characters were completely ignored. For people who are expecting Kougami in this season don’t, he doesn’t even physically appear in the show. The animation of the show is great, and the soundtrack is decent. I enjoyed it while I was watching it, and I think most people will too. As long as you don’t think about it, you’ll at least enjoy it. Thus, this leads me to giving this show a rating of:-

OVERALL:- 6.2/10

The future dark Utopian premise we got introduced to on the hands of Psycho-pass gets one step further ahead and deeper into its incomprehensible beautiful display of human Morales , Psychology and life.



-PP introduced us to a world and the idea of humans getting judged and their fate was decided by a collection of algorithms through a complex competent brain circuit system called Sybil , where the only oddity in the system rises when people find out methods to escape rightful judgement and act freely with will based actions , things get interesting and we figure out sybil isnt as good as we expected it ... to be and would undoubtedly cause future dilemmas.


PP2 handles the oddities in the sybil system in a deeper form , it presents to us a new oddity which is '' what if an individual cannot be judged by Sibyl at all '' and not just finding ways to escape rightful judgement from sybil as season 1 presented it , and believe me you will not be disappointed , this is actually Thee shit.

The characters are quite interesting and due to the time gap we were locked in , we observe a completely different:
Akane, while she becomes a more stable ,competent , rational and powerful detective.
And Ginoza is less stressful and more fluent and easy going.
Other characters from the old season might not appear or are just simply the same.
The new crew of characters are what truly raises the bar of the second season , they enter the show with deep pasts and top notch relation to the story is observed.
The only drawback is that we never had the chance to see them develop clearly and elegantly.

The art is the same as season 1 , dark and edgy.

The sounds in Psycho-pass never fail to deliver the viewer eargasms , or at least for my style , The opening an ending song have suspenseful music and meaningful thoughtful lyrics regarding the show and are brilliantly meshed with the episodes , an episode might be ending having the ending song in the background brilliantly sweeping you away nicely from the show's episode.

I personally never thought PP2 would be as good as it actually turned out to be , i had low expectations and low hopes for it to succeed as its predecessor just based on the sole fact of that the quintessence of the show was brilliantly exhibited by the 1st season. But i was blown away by how the show advanced and i have no complaints whatsoever except i felt everything was rushed and contempt which made it more effective and meaningful but short.

Thank You

This second season of Psycho-Pass introduces a new villain in the form of Kamui who is trying to shake things up with the current society in place being ran by the Sibyl System much like Makishima did in the prior season. Akane has a mostly new team of Inspectors and Enforcers to assist her in this case as she tries to figure out Kamui's motives and origins as he manipulates others to join in his cause.

Unlike the first season, Psycho Pass 2 is quite a mess in terms of writing and the amount of time it has to explore things. The first season took its ... time with exploring the unique problems that plagued Japan with the Sibyl System running society, fleshing out its cast and unveiling the true nature and motives surrounding Makishima and the Sibyl System. The 22-episode count for it was enough time for you to think about and feel for the problems facing the major characters and those living within the so-called utopia that the Sibyl System provided.

For this second season though, the writing for the plot isn't as well thought out as a good number of the plot twists and revelations revealed regarding Kamui's origins and his plans in defying the Sibyl System are rushed through and the series relies on infodump expositions at points to fully reveal its story instead of fully showing you what happens. In addition, the majority of new characters introduced in this series either get little fleshing out or are so incompetent that you have to wonder why they were allowed to fill character space. Having this season at 11 episodes greatly limited the amount of time the series could have to explore its plot and characters. Plus unlike its first season, it didn't seem like this series had a clear focus on what it wanted to explore as subjects such as Akane's mental state and the Sibyl System running into some sort of omnipotence paradox are brought up yet either don't get properly developed or they get poorly elaborated on thanks to the show's rushed pace. It seemed like whomever was responsible for directing this season of Psycho-Pass was more focused on highlighting the spectacle of the series instead of the themes it explored from the first season.

About the only genuine praise I can give this second season to Psycho-Pass is its visual presentation. It isn't much different from the first season meaning the high quality animation is retained here with its highly detailed scenic shots and character designs, fluid and intense action scenes and nicely rendered CG animation used for patrol bots, vehicles and Dominators. For as much of a mess as the story was, Psycho-Pass 2 is still one of the year's best titles in terms of visual quality.

But putting aside its animation, Psycho-Pass 2 is still among one of this year's biggest disappointments as a follow-up to its excellent first season. Its storytelling was a mess and the 11-episode run of it limited how much time the series could get into with fleshing out its plot and characters without having to resort to info dumping. Will have to see if the upcoming movie for this will be any better than this pitiful sequel to it.

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**

Well, what started as a massive disappointment was able to somewhat redeem itself towards the end, thankfully, only to completely collapse yet again. I think it's hard to debate that at least the first half of the highly anticipated Psycho Pass 2 was a complete and utter failure; I referred to it as criminal, unbelievable, sickening and disgusting. An absolute butchering. Psycho Pass 2 was on pace to be the biggest disappointment I’ve ever had in my entire anime watching career, and still might be. Of course, I expected there to be some serious growing pains with the staff of this anime considering ... the mass exodus it had experienced since last time, with a massive number of previous team members leaving after the first season (including lead writer Gen Urobuchi). NOTHING, however, prepared me for THIS. The plot is clumsy and shallow, the characters are shadows of their original selves (or gone entirely), and the animation is laughably directed and significantly downgraded. This is the definition of a bad sequel. Ladies and Gentleman: Psycho Pass 2:

Synopsis: After learning “the truth”, Inspector Akane Tsunemori continues to try to maintain peace in her nameless utopian society, where a new threat has emerged: A man named Kamui threatens to tear down the Sibyl System once and for all and expose it for what it truly is by turning peace and order into complete chaos.

While I normally start a review by discussing the plot, I’m just going to get right to meat of the primary reason why Psycho Pass 2 is had such a different feel to the first which resulted in its inferiority: The characters. The original cast of Psycho Pass was loaded with memorable characters, such as Kougami, Makishima, Ginoza, Akane, and more. This was a legitimately interesting cast because all of them were treated with the time and attention necessary to properly flesh them out. Each had a personality, each had motivations, and each one added a lot the show. However, everything that the original did right, the sequel does very wrong. This anime fails not only to build upon the pieces it had in place, but it supremely fails to show us who any of the new characters are. Until very late. Psycho Pass 2 bombards us with a slew of new faces who we know nothing about, and doesn't cares to let us know who the hell those faces are until it's too late to give the time and attention necessary to make them good characters. This makes the way they think, why they think that way, what their motivations are, their identities, or anything else that we would need to know about a good character all feel half-assed. They feel completely soulless. Hell, the show doesn’t even have the courtesy to give some of them any personalities at all beyond the most basic stereotypes in anime! Now I know what you’re thinking: At least we still have Akane, Ginoza, and Kogami to fall back on, right? Hahaha… Wrong.

Shinya Kougami? Gone. He’s not even in the sequel at all for reasons I can’t even begin to fathom. However, to be honest, I wish Akane and Ginoza weren’t in the show either, because then at least I wouldn’t have to witness them be butchered right before my eyes. Akane Tsunemori, one my favorite female characters in anime, has been reduced to the most boring and uninteresting excuse for a thriller protagonist I’ve seen in my entire life (until very late, I suppose). She has been completely disconnected from the audience. She no longer shows any emotion what so ever and has a personality comparable to a ham sandwich. I know that she was supposed to become a colder character because of her development in the first season, but she has become so distant from the viewers that we simply have no clue what is even going through her head anymore, making it impossible to relate to her. Remember the intriguing inner monologues we got from her in season one that made her really likable and sympathizable? Gone. The only inner monologues she gets this time are plot related and exist only to spew exposition or explain plot events. Not ONCE does the show touch on her inner conflict and how she can’t decide what to make of the Sibbyl System! Let me repeat that using more clear phrasing: THE MOST VITAL ASPECT TO BOTH THE PLOT AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FROM THE FIRST SEASON IS GONE ENTIRELY. But hey, even worse than that is what the show does with Ginoza, or rather, what they fail to do with him. One of the most dynamic characters in the original might as well not be in this one at all; he has done nothing. Said nothing. Contributed nothing. If he didn’t exist at all, nothing about the show would be even remotely different. The character chemistry between all of the characters in season one? Gone as well. Ginoza and Akane both NEVER have a SINGLE conversation that’s not related to the plot or exposition; not a SINGLE one! Coming off the awesome chemistry between Akane and Kougami, as well as others, this is an unfathomable downgrade. How are we suppose to emotionally connect with anything that happens in the show is we know NOTHING about what the characters are thinking or feeling (again, until very late)? If the characters don’t care, neither does the audience. That’s story telling 101, and as far as we are concerned, the characters don’t care.

Oh hoho, but I’m STILL not done ripping this cast of characters new one. That’s right: THREE paragraphs dedicated to characters alone. That’s a new record. The one thing I haven’t talked about yet is the antagonist: Kamui. Stepping in for Shougo Makishima, one of the most compelling antagonists in recent memory, he had big shoes to fill. If you’re picking up on the trend that’s occurring here, you can probably guess that he doesn’t even come close to filling them. For more than half of the show, we don’t have the slightest clue who he is, what his motivations are, or even what his end goal is. This is literally the complete opposite of what we are used to; Makishima had clearly defined motivations and goals, making the show a matter of questioning whether or not he was justified. With Kamui, he's just a mystery box until all of his ideals and goals are spunrg upon like some sort of asspull. I don't think it's debatable that the method they used in season 1 was far, far superior. Kamui comes across for quite awhile as just a bad guy wrecking havoc for reasons that we can only guess, and for a show that is supposed to be about grey morality, that's not okay. Even though his motivations and goals are eventually reveled, nothing can change the fact that he was a blatantly awful antagonist for the majority of the anime. When it comes to characters, Psycho Pass 2 stands firmly as a major fuck up.

The plot has also seen a massive downgrade from what we are used to, as the once heart-throbbing thriller feels like nothing but a collection of random violence for the purposes of shock factor in the form of a perpetual attempt for the show to 1-up itself with each passing episode until the final stretch, all under the narrative of a carbon copy of season 1's exact same plotline. While the original Psycho Pass had a lot of time dedicated to world building and character development, the sequel says fuck all that, let’s blow shit up. We see tons of blood, guts, and gore go flying across the screen, this time in quantities exponentially higher than what we ever saw in season one. The problem? …Nobody cares. I find myself unable to give a damn about anything that’s happening on screen, simply because the people dying are a bunch of nobodies. When someone dies in an anime, it’s supposed to be a big deal! It’s supposed to drive the plot forward and seriously affect the characters! Here? Massive numbers of people dying is an every episode occurrence. It’s not shocking anymore, it’s not entertaining anymore, it’s not moving the plot forward, it’s not developing the characters, so WHY IS IT HAPPENING?! Granted, the show eventually does manage to cut this crap out and actually get to the point, but it just feels like too little too late. Honestly, it's almost so jarring when the show gets to the point that it doesn't even feel natural; it comes completely out of left field. This is especially a problem because season 2 tried to shift from a character driven show to a plot driven one, and when a plot driven show has a terrible plot, it can only devolve into a trainwreck. If you can stick it out, you are rewarded with a very solid series of episodes that actually touches upon character motivations and the morality of Sibbyl, y'know, what the ENTIRE show should have focussed on in the first place.

The last thing I have left to talk about is the animation. The original Psycho Pass had some of the most incredible animation I had seen in my entire life; certainly in my top 3 all time favorite uses of animation. With that in mind, you can imagine my surprise when Psycho Pass 2’s animation looked not better, not the same, but worse. Significantly worse. While it still looks GOOD, I suppose, it’s nowhere near what is used to be, which was GREAT. Whoever the new art director is for this show seriously fucked up. The first thing wrong with the animation is the drastic change in color pallet; it hardly looks like the same show anymore! The original show used a mix of bright blues/whites and blacks for the environments to create a beautiful contrast and really give off the aura of a futuristic, utopian society; it worked beautifully. The second season, on the other hand, is all over the damn place. Sometimes it uses reds and oranges (for some reason), sometimes it uses the old blues, sometimes it uses something completely different. There is no consistency what so ever! The sky will be one color is one shot, and then a completely different color in the next one. There is no attention to detail what so ever! The backgrounds, once bursting at the seams with objects and completely filled out, are now completely barren. It feels rushed, lazy, and passionless. In fact, the shot composition in general is absolutely terrible. So many poor decisions have been made about the angles, lighting, and settings that I couldn’t count them if I tried. Again, the animation is still good compared to other anime, but it is a shadow of its original self.

Well, there's no question that Psycho Pass 2 did not live up to the original. While I may have called this a travesty or a worse-case scenario at some point, it does manage to significantly improve. If you were a fan of season 1, I won't particularly recommend or NOT recommend watch the sequel; it's up to you. Just make sure you go in with low expectations. This anime could have been so much more, but we got we got I suppose. Such is life.

Somebody needs to tell these producers that it's not okay to replace character development and a real plotline with blood and brains spewing all over the place. Psycho-Pass 2 was literally gore galore, and I can't say I was too happy about it, either. Honestly, I saw more Lethal Dominator (ab)use in one episode than I did for practically the entirety of the first season, and the exploding heads and bodies things just kind of got lame after the first 30 times it happened...

So yeah, flying bloody body parts aside, I have to say that Psycho-Pass season 2 was a really big letdown for ... me. Was there a single aspect of the original series that didn't go wrong in this season? As it turns out, the answer is no.

The plot continues along the same vein of the first season, but struggles and ultimately fails to encompass new ideas about the Sibyl System. The way things were set up in the first season, I was actually expecting Akane to do something about Sibyl in this sequel. Instead of that, all we got were a bunch of strange paradoxical theories and conspiracies that really had no bearing on the show's themes anyway. Jouji's speeches were so confusing and so incredibly irrelevant to the point that I wanted to spew blood everywhere whenever he started talking.

Actually, I take that back. The only part of the show that actually got me seriously wanting to vomit blood was the cast. Half the characters were boring as hell, and the other half were just ... there.

Like, come on: Saiga Jouji makes his reappearance for half of the episodes but it's so obvious that he was just stuck into the story so he could make the plot move. You have Hinakawa, Kagari's completely inferior and practically useless replacement, whose only defining moment was the scene where he called Akane 'big sister'. You have Ginoza, who's a complete disconnect from his character in the first season. He lost his personality along with his glasses, and has a grand total of about 20 lines throughout the whole show. And then you have Shimotsuki Mika, the one character that everybody wanted to strangle to death within the first 10 minutes of episode 1, and really didn't do anything except crap her pants in front of Togane a couple of times and cry a lot.

Togane was actually pretty interesting, up until they butchered his backstory and dragged him down with that mockery of a season finale. I have to admit, I already was slightly peeved at him from the beginning because he was obviously Kougami's replacement (and what was with Kougami's smoke-spectre visiting Akane all the time, anyway?) but besides having the highest recorded Crime Coefficient in history, he didn't actually end up doing anything that interesting.

And lastly, let's talk about Akane. Out of all the characters, she was the biggest disappointment for me - her character was stale, predictable, and showed no development throughout the series. Even after seeing her grandmother's ear in a box and discovering just how screwed up Sibyl is, none of her previous beliefs were even slightly shaken. Yeah, I get that she's supposed to be grown-up and badass, but that doesn't mean that she also has to have the emotional range of a rock. I wanted to see her scream, lose her temper, do something besides act like some frigid, stereotypically perfect police officer poster child that is definitely not the Akane that I know and love from season one.

The art, animation and sound were all average. The OP was pretty cool, but all it did was get my hopes up for the season, especially after that one shot with Kougami tied to the chair. Not sure what relevance that had to the show, seeing as we never actually saw him. Hmm.

If you liked the first season of Psycho-Pass, I would not recommend watching the second one. Besides feeling clipped due to its 11 episode length and having the most melodramatic season finale I've ever seen for such a hyped-up sequel, the characters are not up to par and the plot is confusing and over-complicated. Unless watching people burn alive to the tune of opera music is your kind of thing, I would recommend steering clear of Psycho-Pass 2.

I'll try to keep it short and simple.

Story: 2/10.
The main antagonist Kamui's motives are never very interesting, and seeing as how that's the whole thing moving the story that is a huge problem. Not to mention that the ending makes the whole plot irrelevant. I can't go into more detail without spoiling it, but if Sibyl had just done some upkeep on itself and taken out the trash, Kamui would have never done any of the things he did. Sibyl is horrifically stupid in this series, reduced from a morally ambiguous but effective system in S1 to an evil and dumb-as-shit system ... in S2. There is nothing to care about except Akane, but we'll get to that in the Character section.

Art: 4/10.
Passable at best. While it never had the QUALITY art some of the later episodes of S1 had, it just felt uninspired. The cinematography was lacking and there was no decent animation of note whatsoever, save the OP. TatsuPro is clearly an inferior studio to I.G. in this department.

Sound: 4/10.
The OP is really great if you can enjoy that style of music. Great visuals and a fitting song to boot. And there's this one scene where opera music is playing and it's ridiculous how seriously the show's taking itself. But that's about it. There aren't any memorable tracks from the OST. At very best they just blend into the background. I guess the ED is okay too.

Character: 2/10.
Ginoza is listed as a "main character" on MAL's database here. What a joke. He has been neutered so much and matters so little to the story at all that they might as well have killed him off in episode 1 for some shock value. So Ginoza's bland, okay, that doesn't ruin the whole series. But when your main antagonist is also bland and boring that is problematic. In fact, there is not a single interesting character in this entire show except Akane. But Akane is not developed or played with in an interesting way, she's just likable because we got to know her in S1 and they didn't screw her up too badly. If the best thing you have to say about any one of a show's characters is "they maintained her status quo", then that's not great.

Enjoyment: 5/10.
At least it wasn't boring enough I wanted to turn it off. But I'm biased because I really like futuristic settings.

Overall: 4/10.
If the plot's crap and the characters are crap and the art's crap and the sound's crap there's not much left to watch for. If you want to watch the movie when it comes out (which is being done by Production I.G. and written by Urobuchi, unlike this garbage!) then just read a summary of this online to save your time. Not much even happened so you'll be fine.

Warning: This has some minor spoilers from the first season and this season. Be careful. You've been warned.

"What colour am I?"

Psycho Pass, One of my faviroute anime's of all time. I loved the first season and as you see on my list I gave the first season a straight 10! Now the show has returned but this time its not gonna be by Production I.G., the makers of the first which sucks. Instead by TOHO animation, the good news is that a movie is coming soon and thats by Production I.G. (Yay) This meant that the script and animation was gonna be different, which was ... bad but shockingly this turned out well... The story was as good and more fucked up whereas the animation....well it got dumbed down which was dissapointing. The characters and developements are good but some characters are left out. And the soundtrack is just amazing as usual.

Story and Characters: 8/10
I gotta hand it to TOHO at first this seemed like S1 with a few changes but instead later on the story progesses and gets more fucked up as we find out more. At first this just seemed like some special but as it progesses it just gets better, like trust me don"t drop this on its first episode 9(Not saying it was bad.)

This story takes place a year and a half later after the first one and this time Akane is more calm and has the behaviour like Kougami, it isn't boring in any way but she feels like this MC you can seriously trust. At times we might see glimpses of her either being her old clumsy-self when she started or she gets glimpses of Kougami which help calm her down. This is very intresting and shows that Akane hasn't fully changed.

So we have a new villain called Kirito and is he evil and loved to hate like Mikishama. Abso-fucking-lutely, He's a more screwed up version of Mikishima, he's not in anyway better but a good replacement. Kirito is a mysterious killer who's a master in drugs and knows ways of making people's psycho passes clear by using well drugs. Remember kids, winners don't do drugs *winks*, now back to Kirito, we later find out things about him that just make the story so much more tense, he's a smartass, he knows what he's doing and that is how he is as good as Mikishima.

So the gang has to take down this fool before he does more crazy shiz. This is a very intresting plot, We're also introduced to 3 new characters, I'll give some brief stuff about them, first off we have Sakuya, this guy is pretty much Kougami but the evil version, she wants to turn Akane into an enforcer and finds pretty smart ways of attempts of doing this. Then you have Mika, a bitch, she calls everyone either junior, dumb or just an enforcer whn she dosen't know what everyone has been through, she easily hatable and you want her to die badly. Then you have Hinkawa, shy but smart, he's only in the story to help out with the twists which makes him pretty dissapointing.

Art: 5/10
I'm dissapointed in the art here, in the first season we had BUUUTIFUL animation with so much detail, and now we have this meh and average animation, It's not a huge dissapointment but it just sucks that this was more bad.

Sound: 8/10
The soundtrack here is so well done and so memroble. The OP is just orgasms to your ears while the ED is this haunting tune. Easily some of the best openings and endings of this season.

Enjoyment: 8/10
The enjoyment here comes from the tense action scenes with a lot of killing, the plotwists here you will not see coming, like seriously, there are a bunch which will make you just drop your jaw.

Overall: 8/10
If you enjoyed the first season of this you'll definitly enjoy this. A movie is coming soon and a 3rd season? We're not really sure. The ending here is pretty good and wraps everything up in a nice little bowtie, it really makes it worth watching the show. This is probably my 3rd faviroute show this season.

Rating: My hue has turned pitch black from how tense this was.

TLDR; Solid show, does not live up to first season.

Psycho Pass 2 has me feeling conflicted. As much as I adored the first season, and still enjoyed this one, I'm feeling quite empty about it afterwards. I'm not left with that same feeling of shock and awe like after season 1, and the biggest issue for me is obvious: characters.

I loved the cast of season 1; Kogami (absent in PP2) and Akane were an excellent dynamic duo of complex characters. Instead, Akane doesn't truly have that same counterpart. The complexity of Shogo Makishima is replaced with a promising-but-falls-short Kirito Kamui, who, although seems to be ... an intriguing antagonist, can't find a proper place in the anime. The development of enforcers is completely lackluster as well; there is no new development in characters like Ginoza, and big bad Togane feels awfully tacked on as a surprise antagonist (as well as Misako). Enforcers like Sho Hinakawa show tremendous potential as character, but receive little to no screen time in each episode. They more serve as plot advancement devices instead of characters. Shimotsuki also feels awfully tacked on in the advancement of enforcer Togane. These reasons all tend to leave me feeling disconnected from the characters and therefore the show.

Everything else, in all honesty, is great to perfect. The unravelling of the grand scheme is excellent, although leaves more to be desired, particularly Sibyl's end resolutions feeling very rushed. Art is beautiful and sound is magnificent. "Enigmatic Feeling" is perhaps coming close in my favorite OPs, and the outro is well done as well. Characters and dominators look aesthetically stunning, animation is fluid, and character artwork is unique. The characters themselves, despite my enjoyment of Akane as a protagonist, are the downfall of this season.

Story: 8
Art: 9
Sound: 10
Character: 5
Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 7. PP2 features beautiful animation and intriguing story which is subsequently thrashed by severe voids in the characters. A fun, but somewhat less memorable installment, especially compared to its predecessor.

The first season of Psycho-Pass was a real treat for the eyes and the mind, as it encouraged its watcher to ponder questions of morality as well as who really was the "good guys". The follow up to the hit series is no longer penned by Urobuchi, but is the sequel still able to stand up on its own two feet? This is a mostly spoiler free review, and I will not talk much about the main antagonist due to the high spoiler content.


The series begins in a similar vein to the original just a year and a half later, it reintroduces the main ... characters and the rules of the Sibyl System as well as the Dominator, and shows us the new characters for this season. Right away we are introduced to the integral question of Psycho-Pass 2, "What Color?'. Anyone familiar with the Sibyl System knows that this a particularly intriguing question, as color is everything in this world. Those that lack the proper color are killed or are sent away to facilities to be rehabilitated, where they wish they were dead. This bleak overtone characterizes the Psycho-Pass series as a whole, and continues to the second season. This season also has a significant more amount of bloodshed, as in the first season it was a real treat to get to see someone active lethal eliminator mode, in the the sequel people are firing thar lazer every episode. The antagonist of this season is very similar to Makishima in his behind the scene operations as well as his "transparency". I wish they could have fleshed out another type of problem with the Sibyl system instead of going with a very similar plot. The secondary antagonist is actually much more interesting than the main "bad guy", and the reveal of what he truly is as well as his actions is kind of shocking to see. The second plot has an overarching theme of science and advancements that have gone too far, and that just because it may be possible to do something doesn't always mean it should be done, and the moral and physical consequences could be disastrous. The story was not as strong as the first and relied heavily on similar themes, but it had high notes specifically during the middle arc of the show where the action and the mystery really picked up.

The art of the series once again looks wonderful, but appears slightly more bleak this time, possibly to match the darker tone as well as the accompanying bloodshed. The art of the opening was kind of jarring to watch, and I found myself skipping the opening because its just images repeated over and over. A contrast from the first series, where i thoroughly enjoyed both openings and the endings.

The characters are Psycho Pass are quite good for the most part, with some exceptions. Akane is back as the lead protagonist, and its nice to see her grow without Kogami helping her out. She still clings to her clear hue and strong sense of morality and justice in the first season, still refusing to activate that Dominator when its in Lethal mode. She shows off her skills as a detective and is pushed to the breaking point several times, but always manages to keep her cool and work towards a morally right decision. She seems to be cracking a bit, as she has picked up a smoking habit, but otherwise its the a more mature Akane we saw at the end of the first series.
However her partner Shimotsuki, who fans of the original will recognize from an earlier arc and the final episode, does not fare as well. I'm going to be frank, she is one of the most annoying characters I've seen in a while. All she does is question Akane and whine for the whole series, and treats her enforcers like crap. She does have some great intuition about one of the villains, but in the end just manages getting herself drawn up into something she can't handle until Akane has to rescue her ungrateful ass. One of the new enforcers Togane is introduced as a competent enforcer who performs well in the field, and is trusted by Akane. It pains me to say that Ginoza's presence is greatly diminished, as his fall from grace in the first season made him an interesting character to watch, and I wanted to see more of his adjustment as an Enforcer.

I enjoyed watching the second season of Psycho Pass, but it was a very different mindset from the first, which seemed much more thought out and meticulous. I was put off by the first episode, but found that the season recovered and the middle arc was easily the best part of the show, as the ending was a little lackluster after the big reveal. Psycho Pass 2 is a solid series, but unfortunately does not hold a candle to its first series. Its a fun show to watch that will make you think and try to shock you with excessive imagery, both doesn't really try to break through the bar that was set by the first series

Psycho-Pass 2, like many other sequels, tries to top its predecessor with more blood, more torture and more revelations, only to ultimately forget why the audience enjoyed the original in the first place.

To say that Psycho-Pass 2 didn't have its high point would be false, as the series can still, at the very least, serve as an enjoyable sci-fi action series. However, because the story was constantly trying to shock the audience, many individual episodes didn't contribute much to the story. The early episodes are almost complete copies of those in the first Psycho-Pass, but on a broader scale. Perhaps the series was trying ... to re-immerse the audience in this "utopian" society, but as this series came out only a year and a half after the first Psycho-Pass, this seems highly redundant. It tries to make up for the lack of mystery encompassing the setting with new characters and higher stakes, but the gravity of the situation never feels earned.

These new characters are disappointingly hollow, with only Togane (and arguably Shimotsuki, but the less said about her the better) standing out; to make matters worse, old characters like Ginoza and Shion are side-lined. However, there is one major positive- Akane Tsunemori is now a strong, intelligent and believable heroine. Her actions, be they good or bad, normally feel quite natural, based on her past and present situation. She doesn't act pretentious or egotistic, and her likable character makes this lacklustre cast more bearable. Kamui doesn't approach Makishima in terms of presence, memorability or even intrigue. Lacking in charisma and having to rely on tasteless gore to stand-out, he isn't anything that hasn't been seen before.

Speaking of falling short of the original, the animation quality certainly isn't up to par, despite this series being half its length. Generally opting for generic backgrounds and over utilising CGI, this series is quite a disappointment production wise, particularly from the acclaimed Production I.G., though still slightly above average. The colour palette wasn't tasteful either, with an unusual amount of orange (which, as Aldnoah Zero viewers would know, is difficult to like) contrasting the stronger crimsons and blues applied in the first series.

The sound was appropriate, with the score generally suiting the scene. The application of bombastic classical music did unfortunately ruin one scene, though that scene's writing was so shoddy that Yoko Kanno probably couldn't have saved it. The opening wasn't too pleasant, with enough jarring repeat shots to induce an epileptic fit. The singer's voice definitely isn't to my taste, and I would have much preferred if "Nothing Carved in Stone" returned for the opening. The ending, however, was one of my favourites from 2014, though the lack of visually interesting material prevented it from rising to the level of Zankyo no Terror's ending.

Ultimately, this sequel was watchable. It had a couple of interesting characters, above-average animation and a fantastic ending song. Unfortunately, it squandered its potential with the poor utilisation of its cast, shoving unearned tragedy and gore in the audience's faces, and failing to capitalise on its predecessor's success. It isn't particularly memorable, or intelligent, but those looking for some light, R-Rated entertainment should walk away satisfied.

*Note: Review written under the assumption that readers have watched the original Psycho-Pass. If not, proceed with a spoiler warning*

In a world where an entity judges your mental condition, there ought to be a couple of problems. Psycho-Pass 2 investigates one in particular, how can you judge a group of individuals when you are the same type of group yourself? If you brand them negatively, doesn't that just mirror yourself?

Story - 6/10
The MWPSB are working on a case different from anyone they've encountered before. In fact it is a series of crimes all vandalized with the letters "WC?" or as we later learn not so ... far into the series, "What color?". The mystery intensifies as the perpetrators are all connected by one thing - Kamui. They mutter his name under their breath and attribute their crimes under his name. But who is Kamui? What does "What color" mean? Who are they asking it to? All questions are (kind of) resolved.

Story wise, not bad, but not strong either. The psycho-pass world is very interesting, and I felt that they didn't do it justice as well as they did in the first series. Of course, usually sequels are no match for the original, but this took that difference to a whole other level. The execution of this plot was really....confusing. I personally was not able to understand everything that was going on, and had to look up summaries online after each episode. Many can consider this as only a matter of personal comprehension, but talking to other fans of the series drew many of the same conclusions. Perhaps someone who is quick to understand will probably enjoy the plot itself a lot better than I did.

Art 8/10
As always, the art in Psycho-Pass 2 was near flawless. Key word "near". There were times (especially in the last episodes) where the animators obviously got a little lazy. But it didn't affect my watching of the show. I also noticed that the color of blood (of course there was going to be a vast amount of blood in this anime, what did you expect?) was changed in some scenes to make it seem less gory, which kind of did the trick. I'm not super sure on why some shows do this in general (to me, knowing the blood is not real is enough to make me not feel super queasy), but this minor change is understandable.

Honestly, the art was probably the best part of this show.

Sound 7/10
Not going to go super deep into this, but sound in general was fine. The background music wasn't really distinguishable but I could sit through it. The opening was definitely something of my tastes (Ling Tosite Sigure always maintaining that great vibe) and the closing was, dare I say, better than those of Psycho-Pass? Not too much to say about sound this time.

Character 6/10
Akane showed the most potential to show character development, and true she did develop some.
I liked how she used Kougami in her head to work out some of the cases (yes, I am a Kougami fangirl, I can't help it), but other than that, her personality was very flat, and only in the end did she show sparks of emotion. The fact that I can't even remember some of her appearances in episodes should say enough about my feelings as of this series towards Akane (note that I did really like her in PP1)

Togane. Oh, Togane. Togane is a new member of the group, and he is an enforcer. I really, really liked his backstory, but as a character himself, he remained pretty stoic until the end ( wow, I'm sensing a pattern here!). Although, he always did have an air of mystery around him that added to the suspense of the show, but other than that, I didn't see a purpose of him being there. I think the story could have flowed a little bit smoother if they got rid of his ultimate "goal", but not a major dent in the plot over all.

As for Kamui himself, I'm afraid I can't do a detailed character review without spoiling too much. Yes, you do get to see Kamui, but that is where my information stops. I actually think he is pretty interesting and an amazing plot device. Seems to be the only character that I was content with.

For the others, I'll summarize a bit. A little upset that Gino and Shion did not get a larger role in the series. I also did not like Shimotsuki, the new inspector we met at the end of PP1, but I think that was the point of her character. I did like Hinakawa and Saiga, although for Saiga I was a little confused on what exactly he was doing the entire time. But a little internet researching aided me.

Enjoyment 5/10
I really, really hate to say it, but I did not enjoy PP2 as much as I thought I would. I was easily bored through each episode, and I never became excited to see a new episode. It was like I was forcing myself to watch it.

*Another thing: Kougami*
If you are expecting to see Kougami in this series, don't bother. Sorry to break it to you, but honey, he doesn't come. I know, I know, I was sad too.

Overall 6/10

If you are expecting PP2 to be just like the first, you will be disappointed. But, I do recommend you still watch it, but just for the sake of saying you watched it. Not a bad show, but wasn't up to the standard I wanted it to be.

Thanks for taking the time for reading this review!

(This has been adapted from my reddit thread)

Society as we know it exists for one simple reason: law. The rules and regulations put in place are there not as containment, but as verifiable measures for how a person should behave and act on a daily basis. Breaking the rules metes out punishment. Following the law makes one a stand-up citizen. The entity that delivers the final justice is usually known as a government or a tribunal. In other words, a collective existence. Then the important question arises: who judges the judger? In Psycho-Pass 2, the sequel to the very popular Psycho-Pass, explores the answer.

STORY

Psycho-Pass 2 ... begins more or less where the original ended. After a few months, Akane Tsunemori leads a new group of Enforcers with rookie Inspector Shimotsuki. During one mission, an ominous name and question is asked, sparking a wild series of events.

The original Psycho-Pass accomplished essentially three things: developing the world, unveiling the secret, and investigating the idea of morality versus law. To expand further on the latter, the first season explored what it means to do the right action versus the lawful action. This puts the second season in a particular situation. The world does not need any building; we've had that and then some from the first season. There is no huge secret to shock us with; it already happened. This leaves the final portion. That is, what does Psycho-Pass 2 try to do?

What the anime does is tackle the notion of a "perfect judge." An entity so all-knowing and powerful that it is capable of dishing out the correct amount of justice, every time, without fail. Like the original Psycho-Pass, it's an interesting theme that has connections to reality. Looking at the United States, its a country "of the people, for the people, and by the people." The U.S. government judges its citizens, but we in turn judge the government: elections, voting, and impeachment are common practices. Sybil, the "government" of Psycho-Pass, is different. Their conclusions are final, and there is no affecting their decisions...until this season.

In order to go about this, the show incorporates a "mistake," an anomaly in the system that causes those in play to think about just how perfect everything seems. Its a rather interesting situation if only because it creates a paradoxical outcome in which the answer is quite clear.

But there are two large obstacles that impede along the way. First, is the subplot involving numerous members of the cast. Its inclusion doesn't do much of anything except deter from the prominent theme that the show was investigating. It contained a half-baked attempt at a "twist" that wasn't trying to mirror the first season, but was at least trying to emulate it to an extent. For now, the sub-plot served little purpose. Little because its effects on one particular character should become important with the final movie. But for now, we are left scratching our heads as to why such mindless events were taken in the first place.

Speaking of mindless, the violence throughout the anime is very distracting. Now, Psycho-Pass is known for being quite bloody, there is no denying that. But here, the violence is portrayed differently. The first season had violence as a byproduct of the goals in mind. Here in the second season, violence wasn't the byproduct and instead became the goal. Each and every encounter involves massive casualties, body parts, and gruesome acts that don't contribute to the narrative. Rather, they merely take away from the story Psycho-Pass 2 was attempting to weave.

ANIMATION

Following in its predecessor's footsteps, Psycho-Pass 2 maintains the same art style. The characters are normally deathly pale, the city is dark and dangerous, and the Dominators are CG animated. It's a familiarity that is welcome to see, bringing fans of the series right back into the thick of things from the get-go.

Actual animation is tougher to critique, mainly because Psycho-Pass is generally dialogue heavy. The characters, therefore, are usually found sitting or standing around, talking with one another about the upcoming mission or the leads and facts found from an investigation. It does have its moments: while the violence is distracting, it is quite detailed, shootouts involve rogue robots, etc. When it can, the show does what it can to show that it's more than just a bunch of people chatting.

CHARACTERS

Psycho-Pass is known for its unfortunately weak protagonists. This time around, it's definitely more of a mixed bag. Let's focus on who I consider the most important.

Akane started out as a shy and timid young woman looking to find her place within the system. After the events of the first season, she has become a stalwart defender of society, looking to bring about the justice that she deems adequate. She's kind to her subordinates, but extremely determined when it comes to matters of the law. Her instincts are often right, making her the perfect Inspector. The evolution she receives over the course of the first season, thanks to the antagonist and a friendly Enforcer, was interesting to see. This season, Akane actually doesn't see much development at all. She starts hardened and clear and ends with the same convictions she's maintained all along. The focus appears to be on Akane, as the rather poor sub-plot revolves around her, but she's not. Instead, it's Shimotsuki. We'll get to her a little bit later.

A new Enforcer in the squad, Tougane embodies the "three C's": calm, cool, and collected. But like most men with a sinister face, scraggly hair, and jet-black clothing, there hides a more devilish side. His motivations do not become evident until later on. And what motivations they are. What drives him is simple compassion, but what he does, what he was "designed" to do, isn't enlightening like the other Psycho-Pass antagonists. Rather, it's just evil. And that's unfortunate, because the first season's villain is often regarded as one of the best.

Where Makishima questioned the law, Kamui, Psycho-Pass 2's bad guy, questions the core system itself. His existence is a stain on to Sybil; their inability to adequately judge him reveals their incompetency while simultaneously proving that there is indeed room for improvement. The majority of his actions are shrouded in mystery for a vast majority of the anime, with his final few cards being played in the last few minutes or so. Initially, he seemed like a carbon copy of Makishima, providing little insight or intrigue into the world we were presented with. But as the pieces were slowly put together, his initial question proved to be more worthwhile than at first perceived.

The strongest character from the anime is the infamous Shimotsuki. She acts as the foil to Akane; Akane does what is right whereas Shimotsuki does what is lawful. The anime utilizes what the first season explored. In this way, instead of learning the truth as Akane does, we instead get to see someone on the outside, someone who cannot or will not bend the rules. This is where her rather abrasive and hostile attitude is created. She isn't "bitchy" by nature, she is simply following the rules to a fault. Her personality is dictated by society, and therefore Sybil. As such, her development over the course of the season was interesting to watch. Starting high and mighty, generating thoughts of doubt, immense collapse, and eventual delusion make her an intricate character that is perhaps only rivaled by Makishima.

SOUND

The OP is rather spooky. Relying heavily on the visuals, its constant repetition, drum beat, and vocals portray a feeling of hopelessness that coincide with the feelings of the characters within the show.

Comparatively, the ED is better than the OP. It's a rather catchy tune. It builds and builds until it can't contain itself any longer. The main vocalist mixes well with both the background singers and the very fast tempo, creating a pleasant tune to bob one's head.

The soundtrack has some good pieces. My favorite is the more orchestral, with the quick violin and resounding flourishes.

Voice acting wise, everyone involved gave at least average to above average performances, with no outstanding roles to be had.

ENJOYMENT

If I'm being honest, I actually wasn't liking the second season at first. The villain wasn't fascinating enough (comparatively) and the show didn't seem to have the same feeling of something being "off" that the first one exuded. This is alleviated somewhat the more the show progresses, but it doesn't execute anything as well as what was already done. If anything, their new inclusions, like a purely evil antagonist or the overdone violence, showcase how much it was trying to be like the initial season, rather than being its own self.

That being said, it can get pretty tense during certain moments. The show is by nature a psychological drama that aims to test preconceived notions of society as a whole. So seeing things devolve into a chaotic manner are the norm. The series has and never will be for the feint of heart, nor even for those who cannot interpret or try to understand different perspectives. Its an adult show that highlights what anime can do when taken seriously.

Psycho-Pass 2 did what it had to do, and that was provide a meaningful experience that could be looked at as a continuation of the series. While not as impactful or important as the first season, its atmosphere and world provide viewers with an Orwellian society rife with important questions. With one movie to wrap everything up, I'm excited to see where Akane, Shimotsuki, and the rest ultimately go.

SUMMARY

Story: Fine, interesting idea at play distracted by poor sub-plot and overuse of violence

Animation: Good, familiar art style, nice detail, animated nicely where needed

Characters: Fine, Tougane is bad, Akane and Kamui are okay, Shimotsuki is great

Sound: Good, good OP and ED, nice soundtrack, okay VA work

Enjoyment: Fine, serves its purpose

Final Score: 6/10

Psycho Pass 2 feels like a cheap reboot. In episode 1 we get another introduction to how dominators work, how enforcers are expendable, how some inspectors follow the rules while others think for themselves, how Sibyl can change its mind on lethal force, etc. After the first episode it's like they skip to the 2nd half of Psycho-Pass 1 where instead of hunting Makishima they go after this guy named Kamui. I’ll leave it up to you to stumble through this mess of a sequel but it suffices to say that Kamui is no Makishima—in no small part due to the series’ lack of a ... Shinya equivalent to act as a foil Kamui.

But it almost doesn’t even matter because ask yourself, do we really need another Makishima? Remember, the great mystery Season 1 (evident from the first episode) wasn’t the evil master plan of Makishima, it was the true ‘nature’ of the Sibyl System. Makishima was a tool for revealing these creepy revelations (which I won’t spoil) to the audience and Akane. With that in mind, in Season 2 you can’t just insert a new, watered-down Makishima to fuck shit up and expect that to suffice. That’s like making bank robbers the main villains of a super hero movie sequel. I’m way more interested in Sibyl.

This brings me to Akane. I loved her character in Season 1 because she broke away from the hero/heroine tradition of blindly following childish idealism. She demonstrated an ability to work within the system and make compromises when necessary for the greater good. Starting the sequel, I had really hoped her comfort with this moral grey zone would be explored and tested. How far would she support a corrupt system? What's her breaking point? How is she able to reconcile her duty with what she knows about Sibyl?

Sadly, Season 2 never addresses these questions and Akane largely behaves as if she never learned the truth about Sibyl to begin with. She lacks the fire she had in Season 1 and seems almost blasé when witnessing Sibyl-sanctioned atrocities. Even in her private thoughts, she doesn't reflect much on the lessons learned in the first season. This is not just problematic for character development but also for the plot, as Akane and many characters who directly witnessed Makishima manipulate crime coefficients (helmets) in Season 1 are baffled by this concept in Season 2. For some reason the old cast still treats Sibyl as infallible despite demonstrable proof to the contrary.

The characters are either predictable to the point of boring or unpredictable to the point of irrational. The only unifying theme amongst the cast is that they are all universally forgettable. What started off as a bizarre and intriguing dystopian (or utopian depending on perspective) society in the first season has evolved into a silly, fucked up Disneyland. Sibyl and all of its instruments come across as inept, brittle and feeble. It seems like every episode the police or the military get hacked and lose control of a secure network or automated system. With so many vulnerabilities and blind spots, it begs the question why the chaotic events unfolding in Season 2 never happened sooner. The awe of Sibyl is just gone.
Expect plot holes galore. It’s too convoluted to go into great detail but just prepare to be disappointed.

Season 2 keeps the same gritty feel from the first season. The blood and gore content go up a notch and the death scenes are a hard 17+.
In Season 1, a single murder was a really big deal. I alluded to this concept in my Code Geass review but briefly, different animes place different value on human life. For example, Ein from Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom can be depicted killing 20 nameless soldiers without any moral implications whereas human death in Full Metal Alchemist is less gratuitous and treated with more reverence.
Anyway, In Season 2’s ham-handed effort to satisfy its viewers’ bloodlust, it clumsily altered the value of life in the Psycho Pass universe. Now we can have 10 detectives get blown away without anyone giving a shit. Atrocities, mass casualties, piles of dead civilians? No big deal. Your friend got murdered last episode? Who cares! Out of all of the flaws in this 11 episode waste of time, this was the worst. Not only did it trivialize everything about the new plot, but it changed the conscience of the characters I grew to like in the first season. Fuck you Season 2.

Season 2 is a violent, low IQ detective story rather than a psychological thriller or critique on human nature like the first season. Maybe if you go into it with reduced expectations then you’ll get something out of it. Personally, I could have dropped it by episode 4 and not missed much.