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

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

Lady Wynwood paperbacks Black Friday sale

All paperbacks in the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series on sale for Black Friday weekend! Click here to purchase on Amazon.

Jane Austen sweepstakes

Win a Library of 30 Historical Romance Novels + Jane Austen Swag Worth $250! This is a delightful surprise I've been eager to share! Join me and 30 extraordinary authors in an enchanting giveaway where we're gifting a vast array of historical romance novels to two fortunate winners! And the cherry on top: The Grand Prize winner will be treated to an exclusive Jane Austen swag pack, worth an impressive $250! You'll get the chance to win a copy of my book, Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer, as well as novels from renowned authors like Laura Beers and Kasey Stockton. (Please be aware that not all the historical novels in this giveaway are Christian or sweet.) To enter, simply click the magical link below. Wishing you the best of luck and a journey filled with delightful reads! Join Our Giveaway

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci

Christmas Historical Romance Sale

I’m participating in the promo above. Click on the graphic to check out all the sweet/clean romance books available and stuff your eBook reader!

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

Preorder ONCE UPON A COURTSHIP and get a free ebook every month!

My novella, Lissa and the Spy , will first be released in the multi-author box set Once Upon a Courtship: A Sweet Historical Romance Collection , and if you preorder now, you’ll be able to subscribe to a special Reader Club Newsletter. Every month from now until October 2024, you’ll get a free Historical Romance ebook from one of the authors in the box set. 1) Preorder Once Upon a Courtship 2) Fill out this form with your order number 3) Get the secret link and SUBSCRIBE to the Once Upon a Courtship Reader Club Newsletter 4) Get your first free book The sooner you preorder, the more free books you’ll get! You’ll also be alerted when the Once Upon a Courtship box set is available to read. The newsletter will end October 2024 and you will NOT be automatically subscribed to the authors’ individual newsletters. You can sign up for their newsletters yourself if you wish. Preorder Once Upon a Courtship

"Let Me Hold You" Crossbody Bag Knitting Pattern

My novel, The Lone Rice Ball , is in the multi-author box set, Once Upon a Starry Night , a Christian contemporary romance collection. Also in the box set is my friend Jan Thompson’s novel, Let Me Hold You . I made this pattern for her to celebrate our box set being released. It’s the crossbody bag worn by Jan’s character Maggie. You can download a free PDF of the pattern here (no email necessary). See this pattern in Ravelry. If you are savvy with a sewing machine, you can make a cloth lining and sew it to the inside. If you use a stretchy fabric, you can take advantage of the stretchy nature of the bag. If you leave it unlined, you can take this bag to the beach and easily shake the sand out of it. I happened to have a D-ring and buckle, which I used to make the strap adjustable, but you don’t need these to make this bag. You can simply sew the end of the strap to the bag rather than using the D-ring. If you have a D-ring but not a buckle, you can do a (YO, k2tog) in the

A visit to Zondervan

Whew! After being offline for two weeks, I finished a book, read the Twilight series, and visited my editors at Zondervan! And I have pics! Isn't this nice of them? This was at the front door. This is the lobby area. This is my macro editor, Becky Philpott! This is my senior editor, Sue Brower! This is editorial assistant Bridgette Brooks. On the side, she teaches voice lessons and she gave me a cool pointer about supporting my breath. :) I didn't catch her at her desk, but this is the desk area of my Marketing Director, Alicia Mey! I love her wall. Some of you may know, Zondervan moved its distribution to a centralized location run by their parent company, Harper Collins. So we visited the ghostly warehouse. We thought about throwing a few paper airplanes in the space.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! May your day be stuffed (haha) with good food, great company, and a nap or two!