User reviews

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.

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 am primarily taking the time to review this, as while the only other review here at the time of writing, makes good points, I disagree on it's quality, and the issues are fresh in my mind, as the last episode is presently still on my screen.

I was extremely pleased to learn the series had continued, I felt the first Psycho Pass was a surprising hit, which attempted to add to the GITS, Deus Ex or cyberpunk societal dystopia type anime, which is among the most interesting style of anime entertainment, IMO.

I do not believe Psycho Pass managed to reach '9/10' heights, but it did pose interesting questions and I did want more.

For Psycho Pass 2... the assistant inspector character is simply so illogically blind to the obviousness of the truths around here, from the beginning, that it is somewhat immersion breaking.

The previous reviewer seemed to feel that was explainable by only fools being chosen to be police officers. I'm seeing a bit of disconnect there however. Perhaps that is how this series chose to present the situation, but I didn't get that vibe from the original series, and it's just too ridiculous. The 'hounds' are far more capable thinkers, as were the officers originally. That is poor writing, bending the reality of the world they created to serve their point.

(Which better writing could've avoided)

Additionally there are, IMO, several aspects that are poorly written justifications for scenarios.

Although overall, I am still pleased there was more of this world to watch, I enjoyed the literary and historical references and the overall warnings the show presents.

I would simply argue that Psycho Pass '1' was the superior work.

I don't think anything plot or characterisation wise was better done here, and of course, Psycho Pass 1 was great, because it was better than many other things, not because it was actually an amazingly cerebral work of art, to the standards of GITS.

There are too many 'plot sheep', but I suppose there are in life as well.

However unlike our reality, the evils of society, are extremely obvious, unchanging and clear cut. IMO, more black and white, than a show discussing these themes should have - and far moreso than Psycho Pass 1 - but then this IS a continuation.

Still worth watching!

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.

In a dystopian Japan, the so-called "Sybil System", an autarkic omnipresent surveillance framework, controls the lives of the country's population in the pursuit of optimal happiness. It monitors aptitude, potential, and psychic health of its inhabitants. By means of the Psycho-Pass, an individual psychological fingerprint, stress levels are measured and preemptive measures are taken, should a citizen display anomalous behavior such as depression or the intent/latency to commit a crime. The latter finds expression in a number called the "Crime Coefficient", a characteristic showing the latent criminal potential of a person. Once this number surpasses a certain threshold, this person is branded since there is virtually no chance of reducing this number again. Set against this background, a crime unit investigates into a series of murders that set the stage for what I find to be one the most compelling and complex Anime series in recent years.

What begins as a well-executed alteration of Orwell and Dick, soon turns out to touch so many additional topics that I was actually surprised and happy to see that the shear audacity to put all this into one show did neither ruin the flow nor the arc of suspense. On the contrary, all the references to literature, the philosophical discourse, the sociological aspects are woven astoundingly well into the plot. Name it, it's there: Kantian ethics, Max Weber's sociology of domination, Sartre's existentialism, Foucault, etc. All this is combined with contemporary phenomena such as the loss of privacy, alienation in urban areas, and the boundlessness of human beings that are overwhelmed by an overly complex reality.

The show is action-packed and VERY graphic, has brilliant character development and is emotionally very demanding to say the least.

Watch it and be blown away!

It's rare I love something so much I have to write a review about it, but that's just how I feel about Psycho-Pass

I'm still relatively new to the anime world, and I finished this series quite a while ago, but it is absolutely amazing.

the storyline is intelligent, creative, and is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. every character has so much depth and their stories are explored with so much care that you feel like you really know them. the ending is so beautifully well done and wraps up the story perfectly.

I will admit I found it hard to watch the second season (I have yet to get very far in it) but the first is and probably always will be one of my favorite shows.

"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.

If you're on the fence about pursuing this endeavor don't be, it's such a well thought out anime. It's almost as good as Erased, combining action and mystery seamlessly. I am saddened that I didn't get to it until 2018 but better late than never.

Well little to say here except that this series is by far the best of 2012(anime).

The plot is: In the near future, it is possible to instantaneously measure a person's mental state, personality, and the probability that a person will commit crimes with a device installed on each citizen's body called the Psycho-Pass. When this probability, measured by the "Crime Coefficient" index, is too high in some individuals those individuals are pursued and apprehended—with lethal force, if necessary. This task is performed by a special team of potential criminals called Enforcers, who are supervised by police officers known as Inspectors; the Inspectors ensure that Enforcers perform their duties within the constraints of the law. Enforcers and Inspectors employ special weapons called "Dominators" that are designed to fire only on those with a higher than normal Crime Coefficient. The story follows Unit One of the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division.

I give it a 10/10 for story/animation/characters/and even soundtrack. I recommend this show to all of those people that liked animes like death note.

The story line is good but it all ends up being anti climatic. It doesn't make you care or feel connected to the characters. Thinking about the plot it makes perfect sense to have the characters do what they do but watching it.. It all seems so boring. Which is weird considering the good plot and story line it has. The character Akane Tsunemori is the only one you can feel a connection with everyone else just feels like an background noise or a means to an end. Sybil is alright as a character but it too seems anti climatic.

Overall it is a visually beautiful with a good story line but that's as far as it goes.

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!

I really enjoyed this anime and the unique concept. I loved the idea of a futuristic society obsessed with maintaining peace and order and how we saw the characters question the legitimacy of the Sibyl system. I thoroughly enjoyed season one, and was shocked that I enjoyed season two as much as I did as a significant character was no longer present. But season three was completely unnecessary. All of the original characters were pretty much removed from the show without a trace and it failed to answer the questions I would've thought would have been answered in the final season. It was a real shame as I would've rated the anime much higher if the third season didn't exist. Personally, I would recommend still watching season 1 and 2, but I'd skip 3 unless you're okay with your experience being ruined.

I dropped this after 2 episodes, which was being generous. I can tell a mile off when a writer can't let a story speak for itself and feels characters have to explain too much.

The appalling dialogue and character writing is what finally got me, along with an obnoxious and annoying MC. Every 3/4 minutes I was groaning from the cliche's and blatantly lazy approaches to introduce characters. And wether your show is sci-fi, kitchen sink, or a kids story about magic frogs: your characters have to feel human. What I got is a bunch of cardboard-cut-outs written by someone who can't find interesting ways to introduce or progress them - which tells me this won't get better.

I love slow-burners, but this was utterly boring too. For such an interesting set up and thought-proboking world, the episodes meandered by and never brought and excitment.

If you like it then I'm jelous, as I was really looking forward to this. But I can see when a show is all tell and no show, and I'm not going to waste anymore time on it.

Imagine a world where we are watched and accept the judgment of a system that has been developed to dictate your life, your job and if it is determined that you might commit a crime based on your state of mind even be prosecuted for a possible future crime. This is the basis of this wonderful anime.

With some of the most thought provoking questions put forward in brilliant animation with some horrific depictions of true human nature, and the narrative accompanying it will make you question whether you would accept total resignation of your perceived free will.

This is a must watch!

I love anime that put my brain into gear such as: Serial Experiments Lain, Ghost in the Shell... even though most of the time I don't understand the hidden meaning behind the anime it still left a deep impression on me so it no surprise that after discovering Psycho-Pass a few days later I managed to marathon the hell out of the series and now it has become one of my favorite anime series of all time. There 2 season, each one deal with a different anti protagonist and each one ask the character and the audience a good question about what is right and wrong in our beliefs but in my opinion season 1 is superior because the main villain Shougo Makishima honestly is the best anime villain I've seen in a long time while Kirito Kamui of season 2 is just okay. I also don't flat out hate the main character Akane despite her self-righteous personality got herself and the team into big trouble because after all she is the one us audience supposed to be related the most but to see her make the same mistakes over and over kind of annoying not gonna lie

Psychopass is most definitely a top quality anime. Futuristic, Guns, Violence, Psyche.

Avoid if very faint of heart or young children as the anime definitely has some dark undertones. There is violence and gore in many scenes, think a slightly more twisted and gruesome death note.

The plot and art is top notch, beautiful and scary all at the same time.

This anime will make you think and question our society and could mess with your mind.

This anime is highly recommended! Sit back and enjoy!

1st season: absolutely excellent, interesting plot 2nd season: good but not at the level of the first season 3rd season: useless and boring, they have ruined an originally beautiful anime.

The show is remarkably well made. I personally felt that season 1 was more enjoyable had very fleshed out characters and I felt for each character. So when it comes to season one I would rate it 8.5/10 but when it comes or season 2 it all kind of felt off the antagonist was not as convincing and the whole plot felt kind of boring. When actually shows that Shinya Kogami was very important character to the show and because of Shinya Kogami not being part of season 2 they were no interesting characters in the show. Season 2 was more of like a 6.5/10z

Season 1 is very good, the second is losing coherence and quality. Yes, the second season has one of the best scenes in the series (The pharmacy and the hostages) but I'm not sure it makes up for everything that went wrong in the second.

Go for the first season. The second do not expect the same quality.

If the premise of this series seems vaguely familiar to you, you have probably read or seen The Minority Report by Phillip K Dick. Having said that, this series takes the original concepts and runs to places with them that even PKD didn't go. Extremely well-thought out ideas abound about the future of the web, everyday hologram use, future criminal behavior, intelligent weapons and the ultimate uses of wearable tech are both ever-present and scattered everywhere in this series like easter eggs, and if you are interested in the direction our interactions with politics, technology, surveillance and the internet are going, this is required viewing.

The characters do stick, by and large, to traditional Japanese animation conventions, but I found that in this particular series they were more in line with Western expectations for a crime drama and were fascinating and believable once you adjust to the usual subtitle issues. This anime could be remade tomorrow as a western TV show or film and I believe it would do well (even after we censored the crap out of it); this is very accessible, emotional, and beautiful film making. The problems they face are solved in believable ways and that alone is extraordinary for an anime series. The violence is very adult and I would not let a child or even a weak stomached adult watch this. It's simply far too bloody and the situations are both adult and emotionally difficult. Throw in the serious questions this series poses about human behavior, the government's place in shaping it and government oversight, and it's a tough brew to process all at once.

Much of what this series has to say are things we really need to be thinking about right now: The effect of violence on both victims and the police who choose to protect them, the undue focus and prejudice of the police, press and society on minorities and the poor, and the ability of corporations and the wealthy to ignore or shield themselves from the law and the massive injustices that this ultimately causes are all issues touched on by this VERY adult series.

As far as anime goes, this is a 10. As entertainment in general it is an easy 9.