Skip to main content

Psycho-Pass


I watched this Japanese anime show on Netflix called Psycho-Pass, and I have to say, I think it’s my favorite one so far. The story premise is a futuristic, isolated Japan which is ruled by the Sybil system, which is a massive computer that can scan and calculate a person’s potential to commit crimes. People who have a high criminal potential become second-class citizens because of their psychological imbalance, called “latent criminals.”

But some latent criminals with a good aptitude become secondary detectives in the police force. Their sociopathy comes in handy when apprehending other criminals in society who have already committed crimes. It enables their inspector superiors to keep their criminal potential lower since the latent criminals are the ones who do most of the violent work in capturing or eliminating the criminals.

The Sybil system has created a utopian society that has not been exposed to much violence or crime, but this lack of moderate stress in their lives makes them especially sensitive when crime does occur. Often victims in a crime will have their psychological criminal potential rise until they themselves become latent criminals. It’s a paradoxical system.

I guess I really like it because of the psychological issues raised in the storylines and also the socio-political themes that run throughout the show. It’s more than just a commentary on society or on psychology. Like typical Japanese shows, the ending isn’t quite as pat and final as American movies—there’s ambiguity and a socio-political question raised that doesn’t seem to be intended to be fully answered by the show, but to be pondered over by the viewers.

The show can be incredibly violent, but it doesn’t have the sexual overtones (called “fan service” by anime viewers) that a lot of other anime shows have. On a tangential note, I’ve stopped watching several anime shows because of the fan service, because I find it degrading to women. I also think that it indicates the mindset of how women are viewed and objectified in Japanese society, in a different way than in American society.

Anyway, Psycho-Pass doesn’t have that kind of fan service, which is a relief because it would have just detracted from the excellent writing and characterization. The heroine was a bit weak in the first episode or two, but I really saw her growth as the show progressed until I was incredibly impressed by her by the middle of the season. The changes in the other characters was also very well done.

I enjoyed Psycho-Pass so much that I bought season 1 (extended edition) and also season 2 on iTunes—they have the original Japanese version with subtitles, which I prefer. I enjoyed season 2 as much as, if not a tiny bit more, than season 1, even though the main male character in season 1, Kogami, is mostly absent from season 2. I think it’s because I really enjoy the main female lead, who is deceptively small and feminine but with a strong psychological core that makes her sympathetic, and the parts where Kogami appears are really quite good.

I think I want to read the book, The Minority Report, because it has a similar story premise, just to compare it. I already saw the movie but now I’m interested in the book the movie was based on.

Did any of you read The Minority Report? What did you think of it? I haven’t read anything from Phillip K. Dick.

Comments

FredTownWard said…
Sounds like an anime I'll have to check out though I haven't seen it yet.

Have you seen the Japanese anime "Girls und Panzer" or the American anime "RWBY" I recommended to you yet? If so, what did you think of them?

I've recently started reading an interesting manga "Arpegio of Blue Steel".
Camy Tang said…
No not yet, although they're on my Crunchyroll queue! I loved Arpeggio of Blue Steel! The manga, at least. The anime show is ... okay. Not as good as the manga!

Popular Posts

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

I sold to Steeple Hill!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Remember that romantic suspense proposal I blogged about earlier? Well, it just sold to Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line! I am so jazzed! I am beyond jazzed! The story’s working title is Sinister Spa The story's title is Deadly Intent and here’s a blurb (but it’s probably not what will appear on the back of the book): Massage therapist Naomi Grant could use a massage herself. With her father at home recovering from a stroke, Naomi is put in charge of the family’s elite day spa in Sonoma county. The new responsibilities sit awkwardly on her shoulders, and things only get worse when handsome Dr. Devon Knightley breezes into the spa, demanding to see one of the female clients. And the woman is found dead in Naomi’s massage room. Suddenly, Naomi is a suspect and her family’s spa is shut down. How could God let this awful thing happen? Devon only needed to see his ex-wife about a family necklace she still hadn’t returned, but when she dies and...

Excerpt - A HUNDRED YEARS OF HAPPINESS by Nicole Seitz

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.05.2009 Update: Sorry, this giveaway is closed. A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz A beautiful young woman. An American soldier. A war-torn country. Nearly forty years of silence. Now, two daughters search for the truth they hope will set them free and the elusive peace their parents have never found. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, a young mother named Katherine Ann is struggling to help her tempestuous father, by plunging into a world of secrets he never talks about. A fry cook named Lisa is trying desperately to reach her grieving Vietnamese mother, who has never fully adjusted to life in the States. And somewhere far away, a lost soul named Ernest is drifting, treading water, searching for what he lost on a long-ago mountain. They're all longing for connection. For the war that touched them to finally end. For their hundred years of happiness at long last to begin. From the beloved author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass...