Psycho-Pass S2 – 05

Psycho-Pass 513

Pretty sure it stands for “Where (in the world) is Carmen san diego?”

Or maybe it just stands for “WHO CARES?” instead of “What Colour?” and Kamui has just been trolling everyone all along. You never know what will happen next in this show, so don’t rule my genius theories out. It’s nothing compared to the crazy stuff that happens this week, anyways.

Kamui has really been at the forefront of the show, and he’s usually the one that demands to be talked about each week. I want to give him a bit of a rest since some other interesting events are forming around his schemes. Not that watching him drug up Shisui and getting her to follow him like the other weird people wasn’t cool, but there’s not much for me to say about it since once again…I have no idea how he does it. It can’t be as simple as Stockholm Syndrome and a handful of pills. From eye surgery to pharmacogenetics to video game developing to hacking, this guy is full of so many surprises that I don’t want to hazard any more guesses at what he’s up to. The next thing you know he’ll be a combat expert like Makishima as well. So, instead of talking about the multi-talented mastermind behind everything…I’m going to talk about one of the fan NON-favourites, Mika.

Psycho-Pass 502Psycho-Pass 517

She’s seen some shit these past few days…

As horrible of a character as Mika is, I should at least reward her for whatever good she does. It’s minimal, but she does take some steps towards being less disruptive to Akane’s pointed investigation. This is one of the few cases where her disdain for Enforcers actually comes in handy. When she sees Tougane being suspicious, she doesn’t just shrug it off. She immediately takes matters into her own hands and does some investigating. It’s actually surprising how little she has to try to dig up some dirt on this guy. The photos of Akane are incredibly unsettling because they include of photos of her from before he started working as an Enforcer in her division. For example, you can easily match up the photo of the distressed Akane in the bottom left with the events of episode 13 (it’s even the header image of the post if you need a refresher). I have no idea how he would get those…and even worse, why he’s circling all her facial features. Finally, the picture of him with his supposed grandmother is also eerie because she looks a little bit like Chief Kasei.

But what does all this mean? The clues lead me to instinctively think that either Tougane’s high criminal coefficient isn’t for show or that he’s working with Kamui. But then again, Tougane isn’t so dumb to leave incriminating evidence out in the open so maybe we’re meant to start doubting him in a red herring kind of way. Mika just walks into his easily-accessed room and finds all these photos of Akane in plain sight. Seems kind of dumb for someone as smart as Tougane to do. Too dumb, actually. So I’m not too hasty to jump to any conclusions about what these creepy as hell photos mean. But whatever the case, I do think that at the very least Tougane is a little bit….off.

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The most puzzling thing about this photo…IS THAT HE’S STILL USING FLOPPY DISKS.

Akane’s trust in Tougane may actually be misplaced, and I feel that he will turn on her when he gets the chance. I don’t think he’s as evil as Kamui, but he may have some…interesting…views on how Hues should be analyzed. As a therapist, he must have some sort of special, emotional involvement in this issue. It’s not uncommon for therapists to get too attached to their patients and end up needing therapy themselves. The problem is that we haven’t had much time to see much of Tougane to really look for what his true intentions are. We’re only beginning to see this mystery unfold, and Kamui’s plans are just unfolding as well.

As we’re getting closer to understanding Kamui’s methods, now is a great time to make things even more complicated by involving Tougane. It’s especially powerful because he’s always with Akane, and she’s been trusting him completely during her investigation. There’s nothing wrong with Akane’s actions, but she’s been “right” about everything far too often. She needs to mess up some time. This may just be time for her to mess up…badly.

——————————————-

Final Thoughts

I’m still greatly enjoying watching the police try and unravel Kamui’s mystery, only to get more and more tangled into his web. Just when we think we’re getting closer, it turns out to be a trap. He only gives away clues he purposely wants the police to find out. This means that we’re still very much left in the dark and don’t know all too much about our main villain as much as we did when it was Makishima, but it certainly allows for more time to create a wild ride of an investigation. The reveal of the orator being an imposter was shocking and impressive. The video game drone assault and random hide out filled with random body parts was quite unnecessary but still a barrel of fun to behold. You can’t complain when you get to see a bunch of gamers accidentally slaughtering real people as they goof off from work and play games on their phone. It’s too funny to not just sit back and enjoy with a giant, Chesire grin.

Psycho-Pass isn’t subtle and it doesn’t always make the best of sense (counting on everyone to play a game at the exact right time to kill the exact right people is highly unlikely, to put it lightly). However, I don’t necessarily equate this lack of elegance with being bad. In fact, I like this approach. I like when the message is clear and is delivered in bombastic, dramatic tones so you’ll never forget it even if you tried. Who could easily erase the scene of all the half-naked victims being blown to smithereens one after the other? It sticks in your mind and keeps these themes fresh in your memory, even when you’re watching on a weekly schedule. There are tons of dumb moments…and I just happen to  love those dumb moments. Psycho-Pass is a show with a dark, complicated plot and an undercurrent of ridiculously illogical circumstances and overly dramatic flourishes. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Psycho-Pass 515

Proof that video games DO kill people

About

A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
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22 Responses to “Psycho-Pass S2 – 05”

  1. Irenesharda says:

    Again, another really awesome and yet really disturbed episode. I loved the extra dimensions to the mystery as we try to figure out what Kamui is trying to do here.

    First it was the dominators and inspectors, then it was getting people clear, and now we’re dealing with people unknowingly slaughtering others using online gaming, people masquerading as others using facial reconstructive and transplant surgery, and of course, Sybil is up to its old tricks.

    It was quite chilling how Inspector Shisui is now such a devoted follower of Kamui. She’s going to be quite a dangerous pawn to contend with eventually. Kamui is beginning to gain my respect, the guy’s no joke.

    Inspector Mika isn’t as bad this episode, but the girl ain’t getting any better either. I mean come on, when even Sybil itself is thinking that you’re pathetic and are going to be eaten alive, then something is definitely wrong with you.

    However, she is right to suspect Togane. I’m wondering what’s up with the guy’s obsession with Akane as well. The pics have all these marks on them that remind me of the kind used for facial surgery, especially as he outlines the jaw as well as the mouth is some shots. Is someone planning to take Akane’s place? I would say Tougane, but at this point, I think the guy has become way too much of a red herring. There is something and some else going on here.

    So what doesn’t Kamui have planned next? Is Sybil’s arrogance going to be it’s own undoing? We’ll have to see next time.

    From eye surgery to pharmacogenetics to video game developing to hacking, this guy is full of so many surprises that I don’t want to hazard any more guesses at what he’s up to. The next thing you know he’ll be a combat expert like Makishima as well.

    Well, the guy’s name is Kirito, isn’t it?
    This is involving online gaming isn’t it?

    What did you expect? Of course he can do anything. 😛

    • BlackBriar says:

      Well, the guy’s name is Kirito, isn’t it?
      This is involving online gaming isn’t it?

      What did you expect? Of course he can do anything. 😛

      I was thinking the same thing. That name seems to instill the ability to do anything and everything. That may not be the only possibility here. His voice actor is Ryouhei Kimura a.k.a Valvrave’s L-elf Karlstein. Everything went according to his plans and he could do almost anything.

      Oh, I didn’t get to say this earlier. Congrats on gaining another rank on the list. You’ve overtaken my predecessor Dan-go.

    • Overcooled says:

      I love the disturbing parts the best =w=

      Shisui coming to his side was a big surprise for me. I thought he cleared Hues to evade Sybil, but couldn’t changes underlying personalities. It seems he has a lot more tricks up his sleeves. Also..the irony of him making Shisui take drugs when he just got a guy to take over a pharmacy to talk about how evil drugs were.

      Yeah, I was ready to jump on the bait of Tougane being evil but it was TOO EASY to accuse such a smart guy so I’m don’t want to jump the gun. If he is good afterall, then yeah, him just watching to make sure no one replaces Akane is probably what all those pictures are about.

      • Namika says:

        That whole situation is suspicious no matter how you look at it. But it’s been shown so plainly, and seems so obvious that I also want to believe that it’s a hook. But it makes me remember Attack on Titan. Show ▼

    • Namika says:

      Someone replacing Akane is exactly what I though of when I saw her photos. However, if we consider this possibility, then what’s Kamui’s objective? If he knows that Akane is aware of Sibyl’s true nature, then how is it that he knows? He may have had a connection to Makishima and the events from the first season, or on the crazier side, he may have been one of these people Sibyl tried to take and incorporate into itself. He may have been of of the brains from a container, somehow placed into a human body again, for all we know. Otherwise, why would he have any interest in Akane??
      Tougane may have his own motives, apart from Kamui, but the thing with plastic surgery makes it hard to believe that they’re not connected in some way.

  2. T.K. says:

    I have a wild theory about Tougane. It’s been really bugging me that he has the same voice actor as Makishima so I’m thinking somewhere between S1 and S2, Makishima’s remains were recovered by Sybil and through Ghost in the Shell style reconstruction and reprogramming he could be a drone or something like the T-800 Terminator sent and controlled by Sybil to keep Akane in line. Chief Kasei seems to know something about Tougane, she isn’t saying anything and we know from last season that Chief Kasei is just one of Sybil’s many commander drones.

    • BlackBriar says:

      It’s been really bugging me that he has the same voice actor as Makishima

      Sorry about this but that’s wrong. Tougane’s voice actor is Keiji Fujiwara. Makishima’s voice actor, Takahiro Sakurai, is playing that new red haired Enforcer to Akane’s division, Hinakawa.

    • Irenesharda says:

      Good theory, wrong character. I theorize that both Tougane and Sho (the actual character that has Makishima’s VA) might have something to do with Sybil. Tougane especially seems set up as a red herring. I actually think that he’s has more to do with Kougami then Makishima. Maybe Sybil is trying to recreate his dynamic that he had with Akane?

      As for Sho (the background redhead) that guy has had like 5 lines in this series so far. Why would you specifically go out of your way to get that voice actor if all you were going to do with him was have him play a barely there background character? And I think that’s where your theory might come in. I think there is more to what’s going on with both of them.

      • T.K. says:

        Well that’s embarrassing, didn’t realize that I read the credits wrongly. Thanks for the clarification. Indeed both these 2 are suspicious and Chief Kasei has a part in it.

  3. BlackBriar says:

    Another intense episode. Keep them coming! It’s too good! It’s as though the more you go in, the more questions raise. Saiga seriously impressed with his deduction of figuring out that politician is an imposter. Had I been in his place, no matter how many I’d go over those recordings, I don’t think I’d have ever found that slight difference. He has a keen eye for detail. Akane and Kougami were right to compliment him as much as they did.

    Kamui is beginning to give Makishima a run for his money. Shaking up the MWPSB, using innocent, unsuspecting people to kill others through a video game (Imagine how war video game players must feel watching that), slipping in and out of areas with holograms, collecting body parts, even putting Shisui in a state Stockholm Syndrome. This guy is quite the rascal. Are they trying to say just having the name “Kirito” gives the person unbelievable OP abilities? Not knowing what his plans are makes him all the more dangerous.

    Mika’s making some movement but it’s a slippery slope between keeping her own sanity and picking a fight she shouldn’t with an Enforcer who appears to have a lot to hide. It seems like every time something troubles her, she goes to Yayoi. I don’t know whether to call what they have a sister-like bond or a mother/daughter type relationship. Yayoi was patting her head as a means of comfort. Kasei saying “That girl will be eaten alive” is not a good sign. After Ginoza had his last conversation with her as an Inspector and left the office, she said “He’s done for”.

    Calling her discovery in Tougane’s apartment “creepy” doesn’t cut it. Oddly enough, the circled parts of Akane’s face on the pictures along with what Tougane and Akane found in Kamui’s hideout reminded of a side mission in Batman: Arkham City where a serial attacked, killed and surgically removed parts of his victims’ facial skin to graft onto his face to reconstruct a face that looks exactly like Bruce Wayne in order to frame him for crimes. Like you implied, Mika easily getting into the apartment and the photos all laid out in front of her is too easy. It feels like a trap.

    • Overcooled says:

      I’m glad they brought Saiga back. I forgot what a fun guy he was for being so damn sharp and perceptive. They let him solve that mystery all by himself, so he’s become quite the important side character this season.

      Hopefully the photos are there for a good reason and not for some face surgery crime. Ahhh, so many wonderful body horror moments in video games about grafting faces onto other people’s faces. It’s surprisingly common!

    • Namika says:

      Dr.Saiga is one of the best things in this anime. I swear.

  4. Di Gi Kazune says:

    WC = Water Closet. He is just looking for the nearest loo. 😛

  5. BlackBriar says:

    A few more voice actor names added to the Psycho-Pass 2 English Dub cast:

    Clifford Chapin as Kamui
    Christopher R. Sabat (DBZ’s Vegeta and Piccolo, FMA: Brotherhood’s Alex Louis Armstrong, Trinity Blood’s Tres Iqus) as Sakuya Togane
    Z. Charles Bolton as Sho Hinakawa
    Monica Rial (FMA: Brotherhood’s May Chang, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt’s Stocking Anarchy, Shiki’s Midori Kunihiro) as Mizue Shisui
    Duncan Brannan as Akira Kitazawa

  6. Namika says:

    Hmmm. On the subject of the game, didn’t that inspector say something about a new version?? Maybe this wasn’t illogical and random. Imagine, if fruit ninja or LoL or GTA or some other popular game like that got jacked this way. A lot of people play these games (maybe not GTA anymore 😀 ) so I think killing people this was wouldn’t be all that random. I actually liked this idea because of the sarcasm. Especially because an inspector did it, being at that very place.

    I hate Mika as ever. Sure, she hit kind of a gold mine when she sneaked into Tougane’s room, however that doesn’t undo everything else she has done. Or hasn’t, if you look at it that way. Plus, she’s being too nosy about Akane’s hue. I don’t think she has a particular bond with her, so I can’t explain it with her being concerned about her. And Sibyl’s comment about her getting eaten alive made me laugh 😀

    Oooooohhh Kamui, Kamuiiiiii…… he’s a great criminal, especially for Psycho-pass. Though I can’t feel that respect and admiration towards him, like I did with Makishima. It’s too bad. I wish they showed his ideologies along the way, shown him give some arguments, protecting his strategy and point of view. In that way he is inferior to Makishima, because he’s not fleshed out at all.

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