Release: 2012
Category: Cyberpunk, Dystopia, Thriller
Tired of sexism, clichés, stereotypes, and copy and paste storylines ruining your love for anime?
Psycho-Pass is an anime from last year that pretty much flew under the radar. It explores a dystopia in which people are regulated based on brainwave patterns that predict deviant behavior before it is committed. The main character, Akane Tsunamori, (a female in her early 20’s) is on an elite police team designated to hunt down criminals and capture or kill based on how far gone they are on a number scale read by detecting brain waves. Basically, if you’re crazy enough, they kill you.
I can’t begin to recommend this series enough. While it may not be for everyone, it’s dark and thought provoking. Twenty two episodes long, this series ran into early 2013 and there are rumors that a second season is in the works.
Before you dive into Psycho-Pass I’d like to explain three things.
1) The music is TERRIBLE. Not the background music, but the opening themes (there are two) are just atrocious, especially the first one. And the second opening theme… Sounds unmistakably like it was sung by the youtube flash video creator Weebl…
2) The premise is fabulous. It will remind you of ‘Brave New World’ and pretty much every other dystopia book you read in high school.
3) I’m so happy to see a heroine who is strongly written and non-sexualized. Her character is maybe the best part of this series. She and much of the rest of the cast show character growth as the series goes on.
Animation: 8/10
Yeah, not much to say here.
Music: 5/10
The background music is generally strong but the terrible opening/closing themes really drag it down… I’m serious: that first opening is a must see, merely because it’s so bad.
Story: 8/10
Psycho-Pass does have its problems, but they don’t take away from the general story or the enjoyment very much. But you may find yourself asking questions like “Why is this 99-floor government building completely unoccupied under ANY circumstances?” BUT I’M SERIOUS, YOU SHOULD STILL WATCH IT.
Characters: 8/10
Yep, I love the cast.
Premise: 10/10
I point this out because even if Psycho-Pass isn’t an epic classic that will rock the anime world, or even one of my favorite anime of all time, it is still the best effort I have seen in attempting something new I’ve seen in a VERY LONG TIME. Yeah, everyone should watch this, if only to encourage the writing and production of more series like this one.
Need another excuse to watch? The anime licensing company Funimation, which has perhaps the best PR department in the industry, is streaming the entire Psycho-Pass anime for free on their website via Hulu. Fuck yeah.
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