Psycho-Pass

"Ghost In The Shell," "Innocence," or "Blade Runner" fans, those who seek thought-provoking realities into a story, or people who like watching stories that make you think about technology and humanity. Then, you may also like to watch "Psycho-Pass."

Technological advancement and lack of humanity is an open question all- time throughout the history. While we are seeking to enrich our lives by using gadgets and machines, we may lose something important as human beings. What if we are born in a safe society where criminals and even potential criminals are managed and isolated from the society in order not to harm other good citizens, and they are guaranteed to live in the society with given happiness. We may not even have questions about morality.

In the story, a person's mental state is simultaneously measured, and the value is determined whether the person is potentially a criminal and is killed depending on the state level. The police officers use a gun, but the gun is only fired if the targeting person's mental state is measured as dangerous, seemingly it also helps them avoid shooting the wrong person. Akane Tsunemori is a novice officer who is in charge of solving crimes with other members.

One of the things that astonishes me is the dialogues where characters talk, referring to quotes from famous authors such as Philip K. Dick, George Orwell, Gulliver Travels, Wiliam Gibson, Macbeth, Humlet, etc. The lines that characters speak casts philosophical questions as to what is justice and what is an ideal society.

I really like the story in which it depicts a different aspect of the technological world from Ghost In the Shell or Blade Runner, yet somehow it reminds me of those epic anime and films.

I enjoyed both the seasons, well made, very cleaver in using paradox's to build up the superb plots. The mind game between the police and criminals along with the justice theme reminds me of Death Note, just instead of magic we have technology this time around. The series is based on a future where technology has progressed so much that by a Psycho scan the state of mind of an individual can be predicted and action can be taken to prevent them from becoming criminals. Further to maintain the sanity of the detectives, they are encouraged not to do the killings, instead latent criminals who are already considered to be criminals do it for dirty work and are called enforcers. Psyco Pass got a lot of philosophy with deep meaning underlining the plots. Philip K. Dick, George Orwell and Jonathan Swift work are mentioned and discussed. The series start slow, building up pace gradually as it moves forward and by the end we are entertained with an excellent plot, realistic characters and gruesome scenes.

I've been doing a marathon for this series for the last couple of days and I had to take a pause for a second and write a review.

The Animation, the writing, the voice acting (ok, for Japanese version) are all top notch. Production IG, the animation studio that made this, is at the top of their game, and I knew them from watching Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex (I highly recommend as well). The writing is superb if not genius, and before I knew it, I was attached to all the characters (on both sides). Although the main theme have been done to death (future worlds where AI's run things and judge us, and so on) the show definitely made it feel fresh and had me diving in episode after episode. I'm actually on episode 19.. I can't express how excited I am finishing this!

Watch it!

This is an anime that will undoubtedly be among the best of the best in the near future with its excellent plot, character development and intelligence. It is expected by the viewer that he/she has a certain knowledge of classic literature like 1984 and Gulliver's Travels in order to fully appreciate the story. GITS SOC brings to the table the question about AI, Robotics and social disruption/cohesion. This delves much deeper into the issues about what is the absolute best political/social order? Is it like in Foucault's panoptican where you have as few guardians as possible who watch from their watchtower the entire prison/society? Or Weber's thought on the political elites who must be the most unbiased in the society in order to lessen corruption as much as possible?

This series will be appreciated by the viewer who searches for depth, suspense and action.

You like Blade Runner, GITS SOC, Neon Genesis? Then DON'T rob yourself of this.

This anime is brilliant! Psycho-Pass is a very smart series that deeply analizes freewill and whether or not a person's "hue", when cloudy, can determine if they will become a threat to society. Using a special weapon known as "The Dominator", detectives are able to continuously read and send psychological data to determine a persons crime coefficient. Depending on how clouded a persons "hue" is, they will either receive mandatory rehabilitation, or an execution on the spot.

At first I was not going to give this anime a chance, but I am thrilled I did! I love the dark, mysterious, and serious atmosphere of this anime. Additionally, the logical questions postulated regarding aspects of freewill and whether or not a person can be judged before they commit a crime were magnificent! Furthermore, every character added a significant element that made them both likable and unforgettable. Finally, the animation was beautiful, and the music significantly heightened every situation. In many ways I would say this series is already comparable to a series like "Cowboy Bebop".

In short, Psycho-Pass is a juicy sophisticated anime that will appeal to many mystery/sci-fi fans. It is animated craftsmanship and definitely worth the watch.