The anime really is something else. Although it starts off as rather fast-paced, it truly compensates for it by letting you make up your own mind on the issues depicted instead of having them dished on a silver platter. The viewer is introduced to a world, where every person is scanned for their Psycho-Pass, a 'hue' that reflects their current affinity towards crimes.
Law enforcement is based on the Sibyl system (calculating these crime coefficients) in the people and directing the 'police' towards those with very clouded hues (reaching crime coefficients above 100). The 'police' consists of investigators (detectives) and enforcers (former detectives whose hues have permanently clouded or potentially criminal individuals with useful abilities) and they incapacitate (for mandatory rehabilitation) or eliminate the criminals according to their Psycho-Pass, which can be scanned by aiming a specialized weapon at the target. The investigators and enforcers each must synch with their weapon beforehand and the target can only be shot when their crime coefficient reaches a critical value, which means that investigators or enforcers cannot act without the permission of the Sybil system.
At first glance it seems a little outlandish and the concept of such a Psycho-Pass is debatable. But as we follow a newly assigned female investigator on her quest to fulfill her duty, one realizes that the anime is much, much darker than anticipated and it raises several central questions about how far humanity should go to enforce order and harmony, how much personal freedom a given individual should be allowed and whether or not that freedom is more important than safety.
The conversations throughout the anime are intelligent, well constructed and not over the top. The protagonists are likable, capable and each of them is in his/her own way unique and relevant. Even the villain is a highly intriguing, interesting and well-read individual. There is character development in all the protagonists and the action scenes are amazing and thrilling. Some scenes are deeply disturbing and although not overly gory, still quite violent in nature. There is no boring minute in this anime and the mysterious tone just adds to the suspense of it all.
I therefore recommend it to anyone who's an attentive watcher, has a passion for thrillers and likes to think about deeper questions regarding human nature and the ideal society.
Law enforcement is based on the Sibyl system (calculating these crime coefficients) in the people and directing the 'police' towards those with very clouded hues (reaching crime coefficients above 100). The 'police' consists of investigators (detectives) and enforcers (former detectives whose hues have permanently clouded or potentially criminal individuals with useful abilities) and they incapacitate (for mandatory rehabilitation) or eliminate the criminals according to their Psycho-Pass, which can be scanned by aiming a specialized weapon at the target. The investigators and enforcers each must synch with their weapon beforehand and the target can only be shot when their crime coefficient reaches a critical value, which means that investigators or enforcers cannot act without the permission of the Sybil system.
At first glance it seems a little outlandish and the concept of such a Psycho-Pass is debatable. But as we follow a newly assigned female investigator on her quest to fulfill her duty, one realizes that the anime is much, much darker than anticipated and it raises several central questions about how far humanity should go to enforce order and harmony, how much personal freedom a given individual should be allowed and whether or not that freedom is more important than safety.
The conversations throughout the anime are intelligent, well constructed and not over the top. The protagonists are likable, capable and each of them is in his/her own way unique and relevant. Even the villain is a highly intriguing, interesting and well-read individual. There is character development in all the protagonists and the action scenes are amazing and thrilling. Some scenes are deeply disturbing and although not overly gory, still quite violent in nature. There is no boring minute in this anime and the mysterious tone just adds to the suspense of it all.
I therefore recommend it to anyone who's an attentive watcher, has a passion for thrillers and likes to think about deeper questions regarding human nature and the ideal society.