Psycho-Pass (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese cyberpunk psychological thriller anime television series produced by Production I.G. It was co-directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani and Katsuyuki Motohiro and written by Gen Urobuchi, with character designs by Akira Amano and featuring music by Yugo Kanno. The series aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block between October 2012 and March 2013. Set in a dystopia of Sibyl System's governance of Japan, the plot follows the young woman Akane Tsunemori. She is introduced as a novice Inspector assigned to Division One of the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division, in charge of solving crimes with latent criminals, Enforcers. Psycho-Pass originated from Production I.G.'s interest in making a successor to Mamoru Oshii's achievements. Chief director Katsuyuki Motohiro aimed to explore psychological themes in society's youth using dystopian storylines. Multiple books and movies influenced Psycho-Pass, the most notable being the 1982 American science fiction film Blade Runner. The series was licensed by Funimation in North America. Several manga and novels, including an adaptation and prequels to the original story, have been published. An episodic video game adaptation called Chimi Chara Psycho-Pass was developed by Nitroplus staffers in collaboration with Production I.G. New novels and another manga were serialized in 2014. The first season of the anime garnered critical acclaim in both Japan and the West, with critics praising the characters' roles and interactions set within the dystopian environment. The animation has also been praised despite issues in latter episodes which required fixing in the DVD volumes of the series. A second season aired between October and December 2014, with a feature film titled, Psycho-Pass: The Movie released in January 2015. In 2019, Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System premiered between January and March. A third season aired between October and December 2019, with a sequel film, Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector, released in March 2020. A new anime film titled Psycho-Pass Providence was released in May 2023. All of the stories take place in an authoritarian future dystopia where omnipresent public sensors continuously scan the mental states of every passing citizen in order to determine their criminal propensity.
Synopsis
Setting Psycho-Pass is set in a futuristic Japan governed by the Sibyl System (シビュラシステム, Shibyura Shisutemu), a powerful biomechatronic computer network which continually monitors the psychological traits of Japanese citizens using a "cymatic scan." The resulting psychometric assessment is called a Psycho-Pass (サイコパス, Saikopasu), which includes a numeric Crime Coefficient (犯罪係数, Hanzaikeisū) index, revealing the citizen's criminality potential, and a color-coded Hue, alerting law enforcement to other data, as well as the improvement (clearing) or decline (clouding) of said Psycho-Pass. When a targeted individual's Crime Coefficient index exceeds the accepted threshold (100), they are pursued, apprehended, and either arrested or killed by the field officers of the Crime Investigation Department of the Ministry of Welfare's Public Safety Bureau. Elite officers known as Inspectors research and evaluate crime scenes, including all personnel involved, with the assistance of Enforcers. Enforcers are latent criminals charged with protecting the Inspectors, adding their expertise and carrying out Inspectors' instructions. Both are equipped with personally activated hand-held weapons called "Dominators" whose integrated scanners provide the target's immediate Psycho-Pass. The gun-like weapon can only fire when approved by the Sibyl System and triggered by its owner. Inspectors and Enforcers work as a team, though Inspectors have jurisdiction to fire their Dominators on the Enforcers should they pose a danger to the public or the Inspectors themselves.
Plot
Psycho-Pass is seen through the eyes of Akane Tsunemori, a rookie Inspector within Unit One (aka Division One) of the Ministry of Welfare Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Department. Shinya Kogami is an Enforcer under her watch during her first mission. When she judges him a threat to an apprehended criminal's life, she uses her Dominator to prevent him from decomposing the criminal. Initially ashamed of her action, Kogami thanks her for preventing what could be perceived as murder, an opinion which influences Tsunemori to stay on the force. The unit uncovers the crimes of Shogo Makishima, a prolific criminal mastermind. Makishima is Criminally Asymptomatic (免罪体質, Menzai Taishitsu) – a person persistently assessed by the Sibyl System as having a low crime coefficient despite all actions and attitudes, thus protecting him from Dominator harm. Tsunemori is accompanied by veteran Inspector Nobuchika Ginoza, a strict man who looks down on Enforcers; Tomomi Masaoka, a middle-aged Enforcer who used to be a detective; Shusei Kagari, a carefree young man who was marked as a latent criminal in childhood; and Yayoi Kunizuka, a former musician turned into a latent criminal stemming from a relationship with a terrorist. The unit starts hunting Makishima, but it is Kogami who is most invested, having lost a friend at the hands of the villain. Meanwhile, Makishima is invited by Joshu Kasei, the android form of Sibyl, to join their ranks. He refuses and flees. Realizing this, Kogami leaves Unit One to find and kill him. The Sibyl System orders Tsunemori to capture Makishima and execute Kogami, but she agrees only on the condition that they withdraw the execution order for Kogami. Unit One now searches for both men with Kogami learning that Makishima plans to make biological terrorism and sends the data to his data. Upon finding him, Makishima attacks Masaoka and kills him when attempting to murder his son, Ginoza, with dynamite. Kogami spots and wounds Makishima but he is stopped by Tsunemori. He agrees to work together but when Makishima attempts to kill Tsunemori, Kogami uses Masaoka's gun to kill Makishima. In the epilogue, Ginoza has become an Enforcer after experiencing his father's death with Tsunemori becoming the new leader as she welcomes Inspector Mika Shimotsuki. Meanwhile, Kogami is last seen on a ship.
Production
Development
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
