Psycho-Pass boasts of an engaging sci-fi plot with ample action and suspense. Let me warn you, this is not for the faint-hearted as it has its own share of gore and violence (imagine exploding and vaporizing human body parts). Nevertheless, if you are a fan of the thriller genre, this one is a must watch.

Genre: Science fiction, action, mystery
Episodes: 22

Plot

The story is set in 22nd century Japan and revolves around the SIBYL system, which is a unique law enforcement entity. It is a highly complex system that analyzes the criminal tendencies, behavioral patterns, aptitude (it can even predict what career will make you most successful) of all the population of the country. Every citizen owns a Psycho-Pass which is an assessment of an individual’s brain and gives indicators like crime coefficient and stress levels.

Throughout the series, the Inspectors and Enforcers of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Welfare Public Safety Bureau, (a.k.a MWPSB) are involved in solving various crimes. We get to see a thrilling cat and mouse race between them and the main antagonist. The police use special guns called Dominators, which when pointed at a person can determine the person’s crime coefficient by connecting to the SIBYL system. It then decides whether to just paralyze the person or kill the person or do nothing.

The anime also draws upon the viewers some cool technologies like holograms, drones, and cybernetics. I especially liked the episode with Commufield avatars (kind of a virtual gaming world).

Characters

The main protagonists in the anime are Akane Tsunemori and Shinya Kogami and the antagonist is Shogo Makishima. Akane Tsunemori is an inspector in the Public Safety Bureau and is also the narrator of the series. She is not the type of strong female lead that you usually see in anime but has more of a calm and innocent demeanor. As the anime progresses, we get to see her evolve to a competent detective with determination and willpower. Kogami is a badass enforcer and a brilliant detective. Throughout the series, he is chasing Makishima, who is a criminal mastermind, skilled in manipulating people to commit various heinous activities.

Makishima has the goal of bringing down the SIBYL system, to free citizens from being just blind followers of the system to individuals with freedom of thoughts and no constraints. Makishima is a strong and charismatic antagonist and his perspective makes you wonder at times if he should be the hero. But again, his atrocities and resort to violence is nothing less than absolute villainy.

Other characters like Nobuchika Ginoza, Tomomi Masaoka, Shusei Kagari are worth mentioning too. You will definitely feel close to the characters and may even tear up watching them in despair.

Verdict

In short, I really enjoyed the anime for its unique and mature plot. All the characters are well portrayed and their moral conflicts are depicted proficiently. The anime exhibits the dispute between blindly believing in a system and believing in one’s own will. It keeps you glued to it without any dull or monotonous moments. The animation, dialogues, and voice acting are decent.