Title: Psycho-Pass season 1

Directors: Katsuyuki Motohiro & Naoshi Shitani

Writer: Gen Urobuchi

Music: Yugo Kanno

Studio: Production I. G.

U. S. Distributor: FUNimation

U. S. Release Date: march 11th, 2014

Format: DVD/ Blu-ray / 22 episodes / 550 Minutes

Genre: Crime Drama, Cyberpunk, Sci Fi

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Synopsis:

Welcome to a world where just thinking about a crime is enough to enough to make you guilty. Bad intentions can no longer be hidden, and the police know exactly which tainted minds are about to cross over to the wrong side of the law. The great equalizer in the war on thugs is the Dominator, a futuristic weapon that can read minds and assess the risk that a citizen will turn criminal.

Cops work in teams made up of Enforcers and Inspectors. Enforcers take out the bad guys, Inspectors stop their partners from going rogue, and the all-powerful Sibyl System keeps a watchful eye on us all. Society is paralyzed by its deepest, darkest desires, and trial by jury has been replaced by the wrath of the Dominator. Welcome to the future. How guilty are you?

Commentary:

The much awaited release of Psycho-Pass is here and the hyper drama is full of action and unbridled, over the top dramatic posing. Yes, if you are looking for a series that doesn’t understand the meaning of dramatic restraint then Psycho-Pass is for you. Within the first 30 seconds I felt like I was being bashed on the head with  hyper dramatic posturing. I guess that the writers wanted to either hook you or push you away early on in the series. I can see why this series will be a hit with younger views, but I have a feeling that the fan base that can afford it just might stay at home and watch a dramatic series like Jormungand for a solid crime drama.

Not everything about Psycho-Pass is over the top. Many of the characters are well developed and come across as real people with very believable personas. I think that most of the Police team is very believable, it is just that the main male character and to main protagonist don’t seem to have believable characters and so far they are just hard to watch.

The real strength of the series is with the concepts and world that is created. The very concept that humanity has given it freewill over to a computer that is able to read your mind and state wether you are going to become a criminal or not. This is very reminiscent of Minority Report and in the end the systems that make these premonitions are somewhat similar. This computer overlord is one vision of our future and can be easily understood and is much anticipated. This also reminds me of the 50’s and early 60’s where it was believed that autonomous robots would take over and control us, now the great fear is technology. This also was explored in a older film, Colossus: The Forbin Project, and it too felt like our future just might be doomed by our own wish to become God and then find out that our flaws will subject us to a future of a genuine lack of free will.

Overall Grade: B-

Even though I was disappointed with the dramatic posturing I also found the series interesting because of the concepts behind the story. As a true lover of Sci Fi I can say that I enjoyed the first season of Psycho-Pass for what it could be, not for what it is. The animation style is perfect for the story and Production I. G. came across with their usual high production values and understanding for the subject. A dystopia world with a visual look similar to Blade Runner is very appropriate and with the introduction of true cybernetics and life extension also stands out as a commentary on who just might be the first to use the technology. Humanity’s dark side  has a way of rising to the top just to prove that maybe our progress isn’t progress.

I know that Psycho-Pass will have a strong following and that there are plenty of people who will think it is great and worthy of much praise. All I would recommend is to think about how good it could be without all of the hyper romantic posturing.