The story follows the life of Akane Tsunemori,a genius and bright graduate with top grades,who decides to go against the Sibyl system's suggestion for her best job aptitude and joins Unit One, a police unit from the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division, as an Inspector.She is then introduced to the Enforcers,her sub-ordinates,who are seemingly prospect criminals whose talents are used by the System to enforce its will on the masses and condemn latent criminals.They are the Enforcers,the Hunting Dogs.What follows is how she deciphers the reality of the Sibyl system and uncovers its true form.Should humanity be controlled by a self-righteous machine which decides whether one is guilty or not based on only a cymatic scan and often eliminates them even when they are innocent but simply possess a clouded mind?
Can a human's emotions be measured by the narrow parameters of a cymatic scan?Is crime really something that one can foretell and what is 'Crime' to begin with?Does anyone or anything have the right to judge another? These are the essential questions laid down in the series.
Story:
In this forte,Psycho-Pass is a masterpiece.Not that it does not have some flaws but the interesting and catchy story makes up for it all.It is a science-fiction anime and a gem in the genre because of the simple reason that the story never loses focus.You don't get the feeling of a loose end at any point.A machine that utilizes humans only to suppress them,that is actually trying to convert humans into mindless puppets of the law with its mechanical analysis of a person's Crime Coefficient(a number which indicates one's probability to commit a crime obtained by scanning their brain) constitutes a fairly solid and gripping story line.
The story progresses in a nice manner and gives just the right space to connect all the dots.When Akane and her Enforcer,Kogami, face adverse situations,a tension builds up as one tries to predict whether their ideals will match or clash which contributes to the story's growth The cat and mice hide-and-seek game between Kogami and his colleagues and Shogo Makishima,the criminal mastermind,two factions having opposing ideals is intriguing and does not fade out in the long run.There are ample twists and shocks throughout to keep one engaged.
The ending is quite clear and open leaving ample issues for a second season.The second season can be and hopefully,should be a continuation rather than a new story with a new cast as a good deal of questions remain unanswered.What happens to Kogami after he achieves his goal?Does the Sibyl system get its way in the end?How does Akane and the Inspector-turned-enforcer Ginoza change in the future and what path do they follow? It also remains to be seen that the ever-doubting Akane who challenges Sibyl's authourity at every step,fights back or not.Moreover,there is a lesbian love scene between Shion and Kunizuka at the very end whose significance needs to be explored.These issues need to be adressed. Overall,the story line is thrilling and modern and thought-provoking enough to be value for money and time.
Animation:
Animation is fluid and satisfying and the futuristic gadgets and city-styled landscapes are well-portrayed.Art work is quite good as you will be able to see when you look at the characters.The Dominator design and other such things are especially good.
Sound:
The voice-actors have done a good job and are able able to covey the emotions seamlessly.The Honourable Mention goes to Ling for his uber cool techno opening theme song 'Abnormalize'.The song connects intimately with the theme of the series and after you have watched the first few eps,you will be at a high chance of falling in love with it.Its unique and catchy and innovative.
The second opening by 'Nothing's Carved in Stone' is an okay deal.
Egoist's ending theme songs are nice but as usual all of Eogist's songs sound nearly the same,even the tune but they are soulful regardless.
Character:
Character development is the one of the strongest points of the anime.Right from the start you can feel Akane and Kogami's character gradually evolving with their backgrounds being revealed in an enjoyable pace.Even amidst all the frenzy,you never lose sight of how the character grows as a person and how societal influences end up shaping him.The slight breeze of love(mixed with admiration) between Kogami and Tsunemori touches the heart.Even the relation between Ginoza and father is very unique,more so because Ginoza himself meets the same fate as his father and finally learns to respect him.With the progress of the story,each of the characters have veen nicely sketched and can be picturized vividly.You can feel what's going on in their minds.Characters are more than just virtual avatars here.
Enjoyment:
It delivers high on this point.Right from the beginning,the catchy storyline grasps you and you can feel a suspense build up and sense that something interesting is about to happen.The plus point is that it doesn't bore at any point and keeps you addicted.There is loads of action for the battle lovers,tons of futuristic techs for the gizmo freaks and for the avid thinker,there are lots of moral questions and phisolosophical tunes that arise which sets you thinking and questioning the basic definitions of 'good' and 'bad','right' and 'wrong'.So,even if you don't like it,whatever be the reason,you won't complain of boredom or repetativeness.
Conclusion:
Psycho-Pass is a gem in the science fiction genre.It is an enjoyable watch right from the start and though the ending is kind of vague(we can only hope for a sequel to explain the rest),the total package that it provides in such a short series definitely puts it up for recommendation and applaud.If you are looking for something with an original and good story and at the same time catchy and adrelanine-pumping,go for this one.Even if it doesn't become a favourite,it will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression.
