Fall 2012 anime (Year of plenty): Part 2

[MangaRocks!]

...Well, with blkmage's excellent original Fall 2012 anime thread unfortunately missing at the moment , I figured it would be a good idea to restart it to continue discussing the Fall anime that don't have their own watch threads. Hope that's okay with you all (especially blkmage ).



Psycho-Pass episode 9: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Aw, I'm glad Ginoza apologized to Kogami.

Oh man, though, insane hunting dude is a whole-body cyborg? (And ugh, the revelation of what he makes his pipes out of {and why}... )

Ah, so *that's* how Makishima got into the place as a teacher-- I was wondering.

And speaking of teachers, Sherlock-Holmes-y profiling guy was quite interesting.

Finally, the argument that Akane and Ginoza had at the end there was pretty excellent, too-- I loved how strongly Akane stood up for herself and set Ginoza in his place. Plus it was also a good lead-in to getting some insight into Ginoza's background and why he feels the way he does.


And Robotics;Notes episode 9: Oh gosh, Frau (and Geji!)... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And that little Jun x Subaru moment was hilarious.

Also, I figured something wasn't going to work with the test. At least it wasn't a complete failure, though.

[Neane]

I'm rather surprised that Girls Und Panzer is the top selling anime of the entire season.

[MangaRocks!]

Psycho-Pass episode 10: Man, I'm loving this. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ha, so crazy cyborg dude was actually planning on the hunt being inescapable, but because Makishima's actually toying with and testing both of them at once, he gave Kogami a good chance to win.

Wow, though, at Gino's attitude at the end there-- he definitely deserved what he got from Masaoka for that.

And great tension throughout the episode-- plus, fantastic cliffhanger!

Can't wait for next week!


(EDIT:) Also, Robotics;Notes episode 10: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: That monopole. And excellent points by Subaru + a good idea from Jun, too-- I'm glad Akiho accepted it.

...Whoa, though-- what was up with that request at the end?

[MangaRocks!]

Psycho-Pass episode 11: Holy crap that was intense!! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And oh crud... the more criminally-minded Makishima gets the LOWER his crime coefficient number appears...?! That was really chilling.

And that end... wow. All I can say is that was pretty darn traumatizing...

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Psycho Pass was pretty bad this week. I've generally enjoyed the more procedural investigative elements and the concept of the show is pretty interesting but the villains have all been pretty awful. This main one, especially, pales when I think about how fantastic The Laughing Man from Stand Alone Complex was in comparison. I'll still be watching, but let's hope this new Urobuchi show in Spring is as awesome and Xam'd-y as I'm hoping it will be.

[Neane]

So I've been watching Robotics;Notes and SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I honestly can't believe they're actually having it turn out the the illuminati is trying to destroy the world, and that a small group of five kids who literally have nothing going for them except some weird disorder and an AI, will somehow stop it.

It's been pretty disappointing thus far.

C;H enraged me for wasting so many good concepts in a messy plot full of stereotypes and cop-out battles.
- S;G excited me for having so many lively characters and an interesting blend of mystery and science fiction
- R;N making me … feel nothing. Really. There is nothing in it.

[MangaRocks!]

^ LOL, yikes-- what's with the negativity in here all of a sudden? (...And here I personally thought that both PP and R;N episodes this week were excellent... )

Er, so, yeah , about Robotics;Notes episode 11: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Frau really is fantastic, LOL. And I love how each report's flag-clearing tasks are getting more and more ridiculous. Either that scientist dude was *really* eccentric, or he had one wicked sense of humor.

Holy crap, though, that committee is really going all-out-- they're going to try to directly interfere with the sun (which I'm not sure is even possible , quite frankly, no matter how big your laser is -- but this *is* sci-fi, so okay, I'll roll with it for now) to do the population-culling?!

Also, wow, so those top-ranked players were already dead months before... curious as to who (or what) was using their names, then.

Plus, great tying-together of all the different plot threads there at the end.


...Also, Neane, in regards to what you mentioned in the spoiler, I'm not really seeing how it's that much different than S;G, to be honest. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I mean, Okabe and company were basically just a small number of kids themselves (all but a couple were 18 or younger), and there they just had Okabe's "Reading Steiner" condition + some time-travel to stop the illuminati from controlling the world. So, this time it's a small number of kids with just some speed-up/slo-mo perception conditions + robots/AI to stop the illuminati from decimating the population/world and *then* controlling (what's left of) it. Not finding much of a difference there (aside from scale, on the part of the baddies).

[blkmage]

quick robono speculah re: top ranked players
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Given how they've suspected the top-ranked players of cheating and that it's robotics;notes, I'm almost entirely sure those will turn out to be AIs for use in that robot army.

[skreyola]

blkmage: Seems less like speculation and more like you noticed all the breadcrumbs. Good job spotting that. Nothing in this episode was particularly surprising to me. But I wonder if SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Airi/Geiji was the one who posted the final episode, or if there's another shadowy player on the stage.

Neane: The whole thing has been heading in this direction from the start. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: We knew someone killed Kimijima, and there were hints of conspiracy in the first note. The only surprising thing about this, in my opinion, is the size of the conspiracy's aims.

MangaRocks: Regarding lasers and the sun, you might find XKCD's discussion of laser pointers and the moon interesting, and maybe instructive. I won't link here, because given where it is, there's a chance the page contains some bad language. I don't remember from when I actually read the page (it's pretty long), and I don't have time right now to check it again, but if you want to risk it, searching for "XKCD laser moon" should get you there. The important thing to remember is that the sun is a lot bigger and thus, probably, more resistant to changes in its status quo... but IANAS.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

^ LOL, yikes-- what's with the negativity in here all of a sudden? (...And here I personally thought that both PP and R;N episodes this week were excellent... )

Okay, so after a week I figure I should post my reasoning for why Psycho-Pass isn't a particularly good show.

Basically, Urobuchi's new show talks a ton. It doesn't want to shut up about the things in it. Every episode we hear all the time about people's Psycho-Passes and they do x because of their Psycho-Pass and don't do y because they're afraid to raise their Psycho-Pass. This person did z because of their Psycho-Pass. Everything in the show revolves around this concept that Urobuchi created for the show.

This isn't bad, if occasionally irritating because it's not like people in the real world talk about a single concept so much all the time. The problem Psycho-Pass has is that for all the endless talk, it doesn't really have anything to say. We've encountered multiple villains who have had their motive based on their Psycho-Pass, right? But what exactly is the show trying to say about this. It hasn't tried to look at the morality of punishment based on thought-crime since the first episode. All of the villains have been crazy people that enjoy killing people in absurdly brutal ways. The new main villain is pretty obviously evil but can't be killed by a Dominator because his Psycho-Pass is low, so, okay? The show has been compared to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex before it even aired for obvious reasons but it's pretty clearly inferior to that show in every way.

While that's the main problem, there's also stuff like the main villain telling Akane to use a shotgun to shoot him to save the hostage.

[Neane]

^ LOL, yikes-- what's with the negativity in here all of a sudden? (...And here I personally thought that both PP and R;N episodes this week were excellent... )

Okay, so after a week I figure I should post my reasoning for why Psycho-Pass isn't a particularly good show.

Basically, Urobuchi's new show talks a ton. It doesn't want to shut up about the things in it. Every episode we hear all the time about people's Psycho-Passes and they do x because of their Psycho-Pass and don't do y because they're afraid to raise their Psycho-Pass. This person did z because of their Psycho-Pass. Everything in the show revolves around this concept that Urobuchi created for the show.

This isn't bad, if occasionally irritating because it's not like people in the real world talk about a single concept so much all the time. The problem Psycho-Pass has is that for all the endless talk, it doesn't really have anything to say. We've encountered multiple villains who have had their motive based on their Psycho-Pass, right? But what exactly is the show trying to say about this. It hasn't tried to look at the morality of punishment based on thought-crime since the first episode. All of the villains have been crazy people that enjoy killing people in absurdly brutal ways. The new main villain is pretty obviously evil but can't be killed by a Dominator because his Psycho-Pass is low, so, okay? The show has been compared to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex before it even aired for obvious reasons but it's pretty clearly inferior to that show in every way.

While that's the main problem, there's also stuff like the main villain telling Akane to use a shotgun to shoot him to save the hostage.

You may be right, but to play Devil's Advocate, maybe all the useless talk is intentional, and Urobutcher's planning to surprise the characters by making them learn exactly how Sybil works. I don't have very strong expectations from this show either way and I will agree that currently it is very inferior to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex,



And:

it's not like people in the real world talk about a single concept so much all the time

Except their job revolves around it.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Except it's not just the pseudo-Section 9 talking about it. We've got the factory, Akane's friends, the news, the school, and pretty much everyone else going "We did this to help people's Psycho-Passes" or "Psycho-Passes have resulted in this." The world is actually pretty interesting when it takes a rare moment to explore stuff that isn't related to the Sybil System, like how people keep informed with news media.

This really sticks out because I have no idea what the show is trying to say other than that the Sybil System is BAD AND MAKES EVERYTHING TERRIBLE. Like, so what if Makishima's Psycho-Pass isn't killable? So the system obviously doesn't work given that society is entirely based around this (to the point where we have generations of Inspectors) I'm pretty sure this should have come up by now. Are there interesting moral dilemmas that can be looked at with the idea of law-enforcement based on the possibility of crime? Definitely, considering it's been done before by Minority Report (which I've never actually seen but I guess people like it?) Instead, we get hunter guy with robodogs killing people with his shotgun and bear traps to show that Sybil IS BAD I guess? I'd be totally fine if the show just wanted to be a slick sci-fi thriller action show, but the characters talk so freaking much about this concept that it hasn't actually said anything about.

[blkmage]

Last arc of Kokoro Connect is out and validates my choice of Best Miyuki Sawashiro of 2012.

[blkmage]

Don't believe I've mentioned it anywhere, but Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo has been a surprisingly decent and enjoyable show if you don't mind giving light novel romantic comedies a shot.

[MangaRocks!]

Well, for anyone who might be wondering what happened to the discussion in here, LOL , my home internet was down for a while, and for reasons beyond my control (ridiculously low amount of storage on this thing... no room for any more apps at the moment ) the only stuff I could watch via my phone was stuff from Crunchy, so I couldn't continue the stuff from Funi until I could get online on my computer. Thankfully that's (finally!) back up now, though , so here goes!


Psycho-Pass ep.'s 12-13: It was really nice to see some good backstory and development for Yayoi's character here SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (plus the little bonus of actually getting to see what Sasayama was like when he was alive). And then there was the stuff with Akane-- turns out her mental and emotional strength is actually pretty impressive. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Interesting discussions, too. (Particularly with the boss lady...) Also: Holy crap, Masaoka is Ginoza's dad?! I feel like I should have totally seen that coming, but I didn't-- that was a nice little reveal, and it makes absolute perfect sense, too. So, yeah, I really enjoyed these two ep.'s.


And Robotics;Notes ep.'s 12-13: Ah, the backstory for Jun. And LOL-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: what the heck, licking fingertips is a fundamental human identity? Oh, Frau. Also, LOL at the way Kaito cleared report #5's flags-- I'm sure I would have done the exact same thing. Wow, though, it definitely got serious at the end there...

[MangaRocks!]

Psycho-Pass episode 14: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ...About to get serious, indeed. Though when it's *Makishima* who's saying that, it starts to make me get a little scared again at what might occur, LOL. Great ep. as usual, though. (And also, I've noticed this a number of times before, but I gotta say this show has a great soundtrack. )


And Robotics;Notes episode 14: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: That discussion of suicide was weirdly nonchalant... Anyway, yeah, *really* glad Kai saved Frau there at the end of last week's ep.! Also, I feel really sorry for the dude who got brainwashed and then killed.

On a lighter note, though, ROTFL at the group's distraction of the police (oh Subaru). I was also not expecting that kiss (though I'm pretty sure Kaito was unconscious by then, LOL), and I LOL'd at Akiho's reaction to Frau clinging to Kai at the end of the ep. (Although now if there's no Aki x Kai kiss at some point I'm probably going to be a little annoyed, LOL. )

[MangaRocks!]

Psycho-Pass episode 15: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Holy crap... now I think I know what Makishima meant-- between the gangs' attacks and then a bunch of their victims/potential victims getting set off as murderers themselves, plus the extra internet discussion/information meddling by Makishima's cracker buddy, that certainly did send things spiraling out of control in a hurry. But then what happened afterwards... I should have figured the riots themselves were only just a part of his plan. And then when they were talking about the technical aspects of what had to be running the system, and why it would be kept in just one place rather than spread out and all that, I totally got the mental image of the 'computers' actually being a person/people hooked up to some machine with the processing power being their brain(s)/mind(s). (Guess we'll find out soon enough if that's true...) And then the point where Makishima got that smirk on his face at the very end was a total "Oh crap" moment, because it means he totally knew that Kogami was coming.

Also, I was wondering when the very first scene of the series-- that fight at the beginning of episode 1-- was going to happen. I had originally assumed that it would probably be at or near the very end of the series, however now it seems like it will actually occur within the next episode or two...


And Robotics;Notes episode 15: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I love how creepy this can get at times without ever *really* getting creepy (...if that makes any sense? )-- I mean like the conspiracy menace, the off-screen deaths, and the particularly creepy feel of the old abandoned buildings with their secret rooms and the like when Kaito explores them.

And then that revelation that Airi *IS* an actual person-- alive in stasis, with the AI 'Airi' as her 'dream', and all the backstory that went with it-- wow. And that scene with the digital snow... so emotional and sweet. Nice one, Frau. Also, 'emotionless' Geji giving a little smile at the very end =

[MangaRocks!]

What a week on noitaminA!

Psycho-Pass episode 16: Whoa, this episode was fantastic-- everyone was a total boss! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And yep, that fight from ep. 1 did indeed occur here-- and what a fight it was. Also, holy crap-- chief lady is not (or at the very least is only partially) human... and she's able to force the gun into lethal mode even when Sybil says that it should be stun (!)... and she killed Kagari?! Man, he did not deserve that, especially after how awesome he was in this ep. Even more convinced now that it's humans or human brains or something to that effect running Sybil's core...


And Robotics;Notes episode 16: Holy crap!! This just got real! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: That was a nasty way to die. I mean, not like there are a lot of *good* ways , but man, brutally breaking her spine (!) and then sending her straight off a cliff only to crash onto the rocks below... And right in front of Kai, too, with nothing he did able to help... that was just plain traumatizing. Wow.

Can't wait for the next episodes of both!

[MangaRocks!]

Psycho-Pass episode 17: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Okay, holy crap. Guess I called the thing about the brains. I also kinda guessed that, if that was the case, they might be from 'special' criminals, too. What I *didn't* call, however, was the fact that they're the ones who decided to run things that way in the first place , or that they all get swapped out into the cyborg body of the chief in turns. Guess everything makes perfect sense now.

And that little after-credits call was interesting, too...


Also, Robotics;Notes episode 17: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I knew Subaru wasn't going to die there, but I *was* a bit surprised that he actually was severely injured. This was a pretty emotional episode. And the end of it was excellent!

[MangaRocks!]

Psycho-Pass episode 18: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (Er, kinda noticeable drop in animation quality this episode, but oh well. )

Anyway, wow. I loved Ginoza (...and his dad, and Kogami, and Akane!) this ep. The way he tried to work around the impossible situation the chief had put him in was pretty clever-- but man, when he got caught and then the chief gave him that even-*more*-impossible 'test,' that was really tense! There Ginoza was appropriately horrified at the chief's ability to modify the Dominator's setting (and the implicit order to kill Kogami with it), to the point where he truly had no idea what to do-- and who knows what would have happened if it weren't for the intervention of Akane (whose solution to the situation was actually downright brilliant , and saved everyone involved!).

The end of the ep., though... wow. Aside from assuming that Makishima is going to die, right now I honestly don't know how this series is going to end for anyone else (even the Sybil system itself-- though I do hope that gets destroyed in the process, as well ). Can't wait for the last 4 episodes!


And Robotics;Notes episode 18: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: LOL, the thing with Mitchi only getting them the one room and then his comments to them about it... Really cute and sweet moment between them after Kai had that nightmare, too.

Also, nice showing at the convention, though a little sad about all the prejudice. At least the kids liked it. (And the moment when everyone did the punch was super cute as well! )

Finally: Misa has been acting strange throughout this entire series, but her behavior in this episode took the cake. I have no idea what's going on with her, and am itching for answers. And holy crap that cliffhanger! Can't wait for the last 4 ep.'s of this, too!

[KazeShiki]

Regarding Psycho Pass animation, considering the director issued an apology and promised to redo the episode, yeah it was pretty bad. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: It was an alright episode for slowing down and build up to the finale, but the chief revealing she can manipulate the dominators is incredibly stupid at this point in the show. The whole point is that the true nature of the Sybil System is a secret and she just shows off one of its secrets to a bunch of people? If she isn't just planning to kill them all to silence them, then that was some really unbelievable decision making. That aside, I'm pretty disappointed in the direction it's heading since this is coming from Urobuchi Gen. It's not bad, per se, but it's psychologically too plain.

[MangaRocks!]

Psycho-Pass episode 19:

Man, this episode was good. I really enjoyed the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Holmesian analysis of Makishima's personality and what he'd most likely do next. (Also, yay for good old-fashioned messageboards! )

I feel bad for poor Ginoza, though. He really is trying to do the right thing as he sees it, but everything around him is just making that near impossible right now (including his own Psycho-Pass, which I suspect has been manipulated a little as well). Oh, and while he's obviously respected Akane for a while now, it was nice to see him actually acknowledge that respect out loud here in this ep.

Yikes, though, that end... I wonder if they're really going to tell her the whole truth, or if they're just going to feed her what they think she needs to hear so that she'll do their will...


And Robotics;Notes episode 19:

Whoa-- fantastic episode! That was actually pretty intense -- and now everything's coming together! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And holy crap those excellent plot twists! Sawada's a good guy, Misa's working for Kou, and Kou was actually a bad guy all along (and actually the mastermind of this entire thing)?! And holy crap again at the end-- Airi's body being controlled by Kou's digital consciousness and shooting at Kai was quite unexpected. Can I have the next episode now??

[MangaRocks!]

Psycho-Pass episode 20: Whoa. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: So they *did* give her the whole truth-- and Akane was just as horrified and disgusted and furious as she should have been... yet, even so, just as they calculated, she did end up making a deal with them in the end. Interesting. Akane's strength (and intuition/intelligence, when she really wants to put it to use) has always been pretty impressive, but I really loved it in this episode (from the reveal onward through the investigation, and the way she thought like Kogami and took charge so they could catch up to them), and I loved her insistence to Sybil about not killing Kogami, too (...though I'm very unsure that it's going to work out that way-- I mean, this *is* an Urobuchi show, after all -- but oh well, it's the thought that counts ). Seriously cannot wait for the last 2 ep.'s!


And Robotics;Notes episode 20: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Wow... so Misa actually killed Kou -- stopping the Anemone experiment halfway-- but he ended up possessing her like he possessed Airi (and Mizuka's powered suit, I would assume). And holy crap, he was going to make Airi kill herself, too! Thank goodness *that* was thwarted. As for the end of the ep., yeah that was a bit predictable (with everyone coming together to help, etc.); but it felt so good I didn't care, LOL. Looking forward to seeing how they save the world!

[KazeShiki]

Ehh Psycho Pass 20 SPOILER: Highlight text to read: It's not that the last 2 episodes are predictable, per se, but there's not much room for anything really radical and Urobutcher-esque. Final fight->deaths->overthrowing of Sybil System->how society rebuilds itself...something like that? I can see a possibility of the system remaining in tact but...well, I'm disappointed in this. Best arc was KnS homage =/

[MangaRocks!]

Psycho-Pass episode 21:

Wow... what a fitting penultimate episode-- intense, emotional, and excellent. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The whole thing with Ginoza and his dad was pretty heartwrenching. And it was visceral in more ways than one-- I actually cringed at that horrible sound when Ginoza basically ripped his own arm apart trying to get out from under all that stuff. Gah, that whole scene...

I have a few different theories on how this could end, but I have no clue if any of them will be right or if Urobuchi is going to do something else entirely, so I'll just wait with great anticipation for the finale!


And Robotics;Notes episode 21:

This one was excellent, too! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Haha, YES!! The "death flag" bit was awesome!!!

...Also, interesting observation about Kou-- it seems he wasn't *entirely* heartless when he was alive as a human (though obviously still not a good guy at all, regardless), but since the transfer of his consciousness wasn't complete, it makes sense that something would've been lost there.

Greatly anticipating this finale, as well!

[MangaRocks!]

Psycho-Pass finale:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ha! I didn't expect her to trade guns with him (though it didn't really matter in the end... ). And I really liked the fact that her beliefs were strong and unshaken, and that she was not accepting Sybil-- at all, actually-- but rather law itself, and people's wishes for a good world. Plus the truck thing was pretty impressive of her, as well.

Have to say, though, that end was... interesting. Aside from Makishima being killed + the stuff with Ginoza, it certainly wasn't what I was expecting; but, as a trade-off, it wasn't necessarily entirely satisfying, either (to me, anyway ). I mean, don't get me wrong, I liked the little bit of unpredictability there, and I'm quite glad that Kogami actually survived; and I'm also glad that the stuff with Ginoza-- him finally accepting who he is, and being at peace with himself as an Enforcer (far more so than he ever was as an Inspector)-- came true as well (...also, LOL about his glasses ). Plus, the coming-full-circle ending was a nice touch, too (especially with the new Inspector actually being a certain character from earlier in the series). That said, though, despite what Akane said about Sybil being shut down one day, that whole thing was *very* open-ended; and the last title screen even seemed like sequel bait, as well. The series was still very much worth the watch, however, and I'd certainly recommend it.


And the Robotics;Notes finale:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: We all knew it was going to come down to a robot fight in the end. (Well, that, and some sisterly love + deleting Kou. ) I *was* a bit surprised that Kai seemed to be able to handle having that attack THREE TIMES in a row without much aftereffect except pain, though, considering what had happened to him after every other time before that... And the whole end felt a little too quick. Also, I'm pretty sure that Kai became an astronaut there in the after-credits bit-- which is awesome; but, again, there was not much explanation about that at all. I guess what I'm saying is that the end of the ep. felt a bit rushed, and it seems that the original VN probably had a lot more detail but they just decided to leave it out of the anime for time. So I'm not quite sure whether this was an entirely satisfying ending or not, either. But it was also a good series overall, and well worth the watch for me, too.

[KazeShiki]

Psycho Pass finale SPOILER: Highlight text to read: and so it comes to an end. I suppose given the set up of the previous 21 episodes, it was not a bad ending. Kogami kills Makashima and it comes full circle with Akane and Ginoza filling new roles as inspector and enforcer. The System is still in place and the status quo is back with the chain of justice continuing until who knows when...but while it was overall a good watch, it was so much less than it could have been, especially so for Urobuchi Gen.

The premise of an "evil" system that governs all criminal activity is excellent. The sci-fi aspects are all set up and ready to be explored Gits style but it hardly goes anywhere. Aside from seeing a few random things in technology, which are no doubt influenced by Gits itself, the world building continuously emphasizes the questionable nature of the Sybil System. Yes, we got that since episode 1, so where did it go from there? Nowhere. But I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting huge sci-fi developments, and I can't say this is where my disappointment lies; it's just this was wasted potential.

The real problem comes with the exploration of human psyche with the obvious title of "Psycho Pass." The arc involving the ojou school and string of murders was what I was expecting and hoping for from the series as a whole. This arc was directly inspired from none other than Kara no Shoujo, a well known gruesome and psychological murder mystery. While it was by no means original, the arc still explored the nature of human psyche performing criminal actions despite being governed by such a system. Exploring the ideas of why a person might commit such horrific crimes despite the risk it carries with a system that can so easily judge you is where I think the series should have gone. For example, there could have been people who can't be judged by the system because they don't view their own actions as crimes. This was theorized by many and is reminiscent of Saya no Uta and Fate/Zero when their characters commit horrific actions. The incredibly personalized desires of these characters cause crimes that appear to be nonsensical, unnecessarily brutal, and outright psychotic. However, as was explored only a couple times in the show, if you get in their heads and really learn their personal history and issues, things start to connect, albeit in a twisted way. Instead, what stands out most is a man trying to destroy the System in any way possible and the idea of hyper oats at the end was laughable.

The introduction of Makishima, one who could not be judged, who manipulated people from the shadows but in the end, had little influence over decisions, was a great idea. He was one who knew how the human mind worked possibly better than the system itself and was able to identify and nurture criminals who were already on the edge and is set up to be the "final boss" right at the start. However, once his pawns were killed off, the show devolved into Makishima vs. the System. The theme then became all about "is the system bad or not?" which was far too obvious from the beginning and really lowers the value of the show compared to other themes it could have focused on. His goal of destroying the System was contrived and beyond straightforward. Although the explanation regarding his past causing him to do what he did works, the Sybil System should have been the catalyst to, not the cause of, the crimes of the main antagonist.

[blkmage]

Robono felt kind of underwhelming the entire way through which is kind of a feat since it's about giant robots. I really wanted to like it but their formula didn't seem to work.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I think in the end I'm glad I stuck with Psycho-Pass. The writing mostly ranged from meh to bad and I never grew attached to any of the characters in spite of my best efforts, but what the show did deliver on was being a really cool-looking cyberpunk cop show, with emphasis on cool-looking. Call me shallow, but I loved the design of the Dominators and the jackets and the robots, and they were great to see in action. The more procedural stuff was kind of interesting too, and I think the show could have done alright if it had gone with the implications of thoughtcrime instead of what it ended up doing.