Psycho-Pass S2 – 03
My baby blueee~ I’m so in love with all that you dooo~
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WOW, what a way to start off an episode: with Shisui Mizue having to look at her own, enucleated eyeball. It was definitely a bold way to start the episode. So why not start off the post with a picture of a floating eyeball as well! That definitely won’t be a weird thing to have on Metanorn’s front page for a while. |
Oh mannnnnn, this mystery just gets better and better. Everyone is freaking out over how Kirito manages to clear the Hues of people who are not actually mentally sound. This is one of the biggest puzzles the show has presented us (and the police) thus far. As such, it’s incredibly frustrating that they directly show us Kirito in the act of clearing someone’s Hue, and I still have no clue how he does it. We see the whole process from his kidnapped victim having a criminal coefficient worthy of Dominator enforcement action to being deemed completely harmless. But despite her number going down, Mizue doesn’t appear any calmer than before. Although her criminal coefficient is clear, she is still just as traumatized as before.
So how does he do it? Like a magician, he performs his trick and it’s nearly impossible to tell how he’s doing it without knowing where to look. Until I know how he’s making this rabbit pop out of his hat, everything just looks like magic. It’s such a brazen move to show us Kirito in action and somehow not reveal what his special ability stems from. How could they show me everything and I still don’t get it? But not all is lost. We do hear him mention ghosts and being invisible to the Sibyl System, giving us some more vague hints about his motive. The same goes for Akane figuring out that WC? stands for “What Colour?”. We may not see how he clears Hues, but we do get a few hints.
All these things make me wonder if Kirito was classified as dead and is simply not in the system for scanning anymore because he’s supposed to have died. What better way to become invisible than “dying”? It would make sense if he was a victim in that airplane crash along with the girl who he used a model for his hologram. Perhaps he survived, and now that he’s not in the system, he can escape the judgement of Sibyl since he’s not supposed to exist. But this is all just speculation for now. Kirito is such a big mystery that it’s no wonder the police force is more apt to assume Akane is insane than admit the existence of a ghost man.
I really love how they show us the logical reasoning behind what the police force are thinking and how they gather evidence. It may be wordy, but I like being walked through their reasoning instead of just seeing random epiphanies. It’s nice to see so much thought being put into their research. Sometimes they bark up the wrong tree, but that makes it more believable that they don’t always arrive at the right answer immediately. The whole investigation process is really well-done. One of my favourite things about the investigation is how just about everyone is doubting Akane despite her clear Hue.
Hipster-san, tell me all of your hipster secrets
It’s interesting to see people turn on her when she’s the one that runs things. Togane trusts her, but everyone else seems a little unconvinced that Akane is okay. She’s always been a bit of a special case, so it may be that she actually is getting overly stressed and her Hue simply isn’t reflecting that. Perhaps Akane is actually similar to these cases of bombers and crazy people having normal Hues despite their mental instability. Akane might actually be unraveling more than we think. She did essentially lose Kougami a while ago, and now she has to deal with the stress of knowing the secret behind Sibyl. Plus, now Kirito is coming after her. That’s enough to make anyone a little worried. I think this may actually be the time where Akane finally gets a little cloudy. Of all people, Mika may be the one to help her. But not yet…She’s still in Bitchzilla mode. Ahhh, there are so many ways for this to go, I can’t wait!
Speaking of surprising turns in character, watching Aoyanagi and Ginoza share a drink together was certainly something. Ginoza really has changed a lot since his father’s passing. I had completely forgotten about his prosthetic arm, for one thing. And it’s a completely different thing for him to lounge around in a wifebeater and drink whiskey with some attractive lady. It’s hard to believe he used to be an uptight stick-in-the-mud who only believed in the numbers Sibyl spat out and nothing more. I had assumed Aoyanagi was a bit like that as well – a strict follower of rules with no concern of true morality. But it turns out she’s a little more complex than being like Ginoza was in the past. She may not balk when it comes to shooting criminals, but it doesn’t mean she’s not troubled over it. She worries about controlling herself, but in a different way than Ginoza did. There’s something oddly charming about the way she has to hold back on grinning because she secretly gets a kick out of shooting down criminals. Maybe it’s because she still has enough sense to at least feel guilty about not feeling guilty. What a wonderful portrait: the loosened-up Ginoza gulping down whiskey and the hardcore Aoyanagi daintily sipping tea from a porcelain teacup. There a was a lot put into showing the true colours of these characters in that scene, and it came together wonderfully.
Aoyanagi likes what she sees
All in all, this was another great one for me. The characterization is actually a lot better this season, as they’re giving enough attention to the side characters to make them likeable. There’s less focus on trying to introduce a new criminal each week, allowing for this one story to really blossom into something unexpected and exciting. I honestly have no clue where this can go. There are so many directions for this to go in, and all of them look extremely promising. I daresay that with the exception of Mika’s existence, I am enjoying this season even more the first right now. I don’t know if it will ever have any key moments such as the reveal of the Sibyl System to make it as shocking, but so far it’s been a very solid showing all around.
About Overcooled
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.
POWUH: 400-499 with 445 comments
It’s funny cuz i was saying something similar a couple days back that the characterization this season is a bit better than it was in the first season. Regardless of this season not hitting the highs of the first; (granted this is the third ep of an 11 ep season) the positives of this season of PP are just as strong to warrant it a spot in my top picks of the fall season (like how this mystery of kamui kirito and Akane’s questionable sanity seem to be developing so organically).
Also, i love how the opening changed in relation to the progression of the narrative. It seems as if the opening will be used as a story-telling mechanic to illustrate the tone of the narrative
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That may be a cause for worry if there’s too much exposition. Already, it’s heavily shown Tougane is a person to be cautious of. The impact would’ve been greater if the development only progressed in the episodes.
POWUH: 400-499 with 445 comments
I was more referring to the visual aesthetic of the opening…it seems like it’s going to change in relation to the narrative. This week’s Op had a fuzzy filter on it with some added visual affects and colors
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Oh wow, I didn’t even notice that the OP changed. I need to stop skipping it…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
There are changes but they’re minor enough not to fully alert who’s watching. The sly foxes are trying to see if anybody’s paying attention.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
They were pretty minute changes as OPs go, I wasn’t even sure if they changed or not, but I noticed something was different. However, because there ARE changes, I’m guessing they’re significant for some reason.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Talk about a disturbing way to start off. Made my skin crawl watching. Adding to the uneasiness of the scene is that though the eye is separated from Shisui’s head, it’s still linked to her Dominator. He may not be a Makishima copy, Kirito may prove a more volatile and unpredictable case seeing he is easily and frequently emotionally comprised so nothing may be out of bounds whereas Makishima was calm, cool, collected and well organized.
Mika hasn’t changed her tune as many can obviously see. However, this may be an important plot point that might become interesting. My reference specifically on her statement “This is the right thing to do. What does the chief see in her?” indicating a growing amount of jealousy against Akane. So what’s brewing here is a possible mentor-apprentice confrontation. Also frustration to her that Akane makes these seemingly outlandish assumptions, blowing a case out of proportion, yet her Psycho-Pass remains clear nonetheless.
It’s funny how micro-managing little details ultimately comes to the conclusion of Akane’s sanity needing questioning. She’s been through a lot. Propelled into highly dangerous cases while being a greenhorn, making decisions that determine the difference between life and death, watching one her best friends murdered before her eyes, being processed through a machine to identify said murderer that’s known to cause severe mind deterioration and knowing the truth about the Sibyl system. All of that and our girl is still holding up fine.
Main girl aside, Tougane is a real mystery. Not only did I facepalm finding out he was previously a therapist (the most bitter kind of karma looking at what their society is based on) before becoming an Enforcer but also the holder for the highest crime coefficient on record. I can’t imagine how high that must be. Considering presentation-wise, the individual with the highest Hue count was Rikako from last season with 472. Strange how Tougane is allowed to walk about despite such news. Under normal conditions, he’d either be dead or quarantined in a high security facility. Not to mention the way he said Akane’s Psycho-Pass won’t get clouded easily was ominous. Ginoza is right to begin acting suspicious of him.
Akane’s conversation with Saiga on “The Devil’s Proof” and consulting him for advice was compelling. It’s all about perspective. These days, everything, including rationality is based on proof of existence. No evidence and your credibility takes a hit so it wouldn’t be easy trying to prove what others don’t believe exists. When taken into thought, the Sibyl system is an ideal example of Devil’s Proof. Last season, Chief Kasei explained the value and necessity of the system to Ginoza while stating it hasn’t been fully proven but hasn’t been disproven either.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Shisui seems more volatile and emotional, even though he also seems to lack proper empathy and emotion towards other human beings as well, other than what he feels appropriate considering his own goals. He plans things, but not to the degree of Makishima, and he can’t seem to control of his emotions like him either, which really makes me think that he’s more sociopath than psychopath.
I guess, under normal circumstances, I too would begin to question Akane, considering all she’s gone through. However, since we as the audience know Kamui exists, we instead question her team for doubting her. I’m thinking they would have a little more faith, especially as they stuck with her and her plan in episode one. Gino and Yayoi especially.
I too am concerned about Mika being jealous. Mika needs a little more characterization to bring her character to life. If they want to say her behavior is tied to her experiences with Rikako, then they should indicate as such. I know many, myself included, who didn’t even realize she was the same girl until someone pointed it out. Her anger and jealously for Akane can easily get out of control, and it can lead her down a pretty dark road.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
It’s creepy that the eye still works as a Dominator scanner…Kirito really thoughtthis one out.
I think Mika will definitely fight with Akane more and more as this tension and jealousy grows. She’s clearly not a very confident person to be rattled so easily. Her reaction to seeing Dr. Saiga just shows how much she’s afraid of anything outside the norm.
I kind of laughed at how they said his Psycho-Pass was the highest, as if it were some kind of power level. But it still makes him suspicious. It’s hard to know just what those numbers really mean…
Speaking of Saiga, I did enjoy seeing him try to find the truth with Akane. It’s like solving a puzzle!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
This is going so nice <3 I can't say enough about Kirito. I'm not amazed by anything about him but I'm still very thankful that he's a very different kind of criminal than Makishima was. Maybe he's using something like excessive shock therapy, along with that medicine thingy we were showed in the first ep. or some other drug. Who knows??
I hate Mika(?). I really REALLY hate her character. Everything about her just screams 'i'm a bitch with low self-esteem, but I still know how to do things better than everyone who's been working here for years'. She''s so disrespectful and self-centered that it disgusts me.
Also, what bothers me is the two new enforcers. Tougane got some screentime but the other one is just somewhere in the back of the frame when they discuss something. And never actually raises a voice.
Personally, I don't enjoy this season more than the first, but I still like it a lot. And lastly, I have to fangirl about Ginoza. He's so different, and so much better!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I’m betting there’s a reason behind making her like this. Had it been anything minor, she’d have quickly changed by now and probably had her attitude the day she joined. An epic reality check must be in store for her.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Yeahhh she’s certainly not a favourite character for most. I can understand why she’s so bitchy given her experience with Rikako and how society generally trains you to think…but that doesn’t make her any less annoying to watch now that she’s surrounded by an entire cast of characters who know better. It’s like watching a time bomb just waiting for her to royally screw up!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
Well, having an experience with Rikako doesn’t give her an excuse for being a bitch to other enforcers, besides Yayoi. She has spent enough time there to understand certain things, especially with Akane by her side. And if there’s another reason for her to be like that, then it better be good, otherwise that character will be unredeemable. I just created a new word. Derp xD
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Watch out for the quiet ones! Especially for ones that are voiced by voice actors that shouldn’t be here! o_o
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I think Shou will get screentime later (I hope so). Maybe Tougane is a red herring and Shou is the real threat. Having Makishima’s seiyuu just gets me every time he speaks…
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
Exactly. The idea itself kinda creeps me out and makes me think that he didn’t die or whatnot. I know that’s not the case, but still, Takahiro Sakurai was a very weird choice for the new enforcer.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Sybil seemed so determined to have Makishima join their ranks, it’s hard to believe death stopped them. o_O
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It was something actually beyond their control and reach. They were unable to retrieve his brain when Kougami killed him. Thanks to their own arrogance dumping their bodies, all they could do was govern the city.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Well, let me just say, that the moment that I began to doubt that Kamui would hit it as a really good psychological villain, this episode showed me how wrong I was. Kirito seems to be leaning more towards the sociopath in comparison to Mikashima’s psychopath. That whole scene with the eye and when he was touching her just sent creepy-crawly tinglies all over.
I’m still amazed that even Akane’s team can’t seem to get that this someone is completely invisible to Sybil and therefore can practically get in anywhere. I would have at least expected a little more support from Gino and Yayoi who have been with her the longest. I appreciate Togane’s support, but he’s getting more and more suspicious by the minute. And now we find that he’s had the largest Criminal Coefficient on record? Well, that by itself doesn’t impress me, since this show has gone out of its way to prove that some of the most deviant SOBs out there, can have extremely low CCs, so Coefficients, like DBZ power levels, are bull crap. 😛
However, the fact that Sybil seems so interested, interests me. Also, did anyone find it interesting that Akane’s tone and wording (especially when you consider the nuances in the Japanese dialect) was respectful to the chief when Mika was in the room, but immediately turned to one of derision and dismissal when she was alone with the Sybil avatar.
I don’t really like Mika, but I can understand why she’s there. I’m hoping she smartens up though before it costs her.
I’m loving the new Gino. He’s always been hot, but seeing him all relaxed just makes him even more delectable. 😉
As for how Kirito is doing what he’s doing, I have no idea. I don’t even think he’s “dead”, since Sybil even pulls up records of dead people like they did with the aged up hologram of the little girl who died in the plane crash. The trick with magicians is that what’s right in front of you is always the distraction to what’s really going on. We’re only allowed so far to see the trick up front, so we can’t yet see the “strings”.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hahaha!! I can imagine all the fangirls practically melting and squealing over Ginoza. They’ve found temporary replacement eye candy for Kougami.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Honestly, while Kogami’s persona is his major attraction for me, Gino has always been more my type physically. 😉
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
He’s different from Makishima in a good way. The sociopath vibes really work for him. I love the added touch of him crying as he “helped” Mizue. He really thinks he’s doing God’s work.
They’re relying too much on the assumption that Sibyl is always right. Akane knows better since she knows who and what Sibyl is, but everyone else takes it for granted. Funny how Mika is so jealous of Akane for getting to speak alone with the Chief when for Akane it was anything but an honour. It probably makes her skin crawl just thinking that she’s talking to a random brain in a vat of fluids.
Gino is eye candy galore, but I wish he still had his glasses. …This just shows the extent of my glasses fetish, doesn’t it?
I’m waiting to see what Kirito has in store for us. It’s sure to amaze though, because I can’t see through his trick at all yet :/
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I have to agree that I prefer him with glasses, but I’m okay with him without too. Also, since I know the history behind the glasses, I would kinda be mad at him if he put them back on. 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I’m really finding that without the intrigue about what exactly the Sibyl System is this season, the police procedural part is just not that interesting. And it really doesn’t help that they’re all *bad* at being police except for Akane. I was hoping that with this meeting with the Chief, they’d get on to some more meta-interesting stuff, not just “Hey, there’s a guy who artificially makes people’s Crime Coefficient go down” (remember you guys, “Hue” is a color, the number that we see is the Crime Coefficient, which is independent of Hue, mostly, but Hue does designate proclivities and propensities).
For me, the best part of the first season was the order of society and the possibilities of the Sibyl System. It kind of lost some of the charm when it turned out to be *gasp!* brains, which felt like the world’s most calculated “Aren’t You Shocked!” move outside of a Sunrise Mecha series. And now they’ve abandoned that completely for a story about another guy with a superpower. Disappointed so far.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 43 comments
What the hell?! Why is this second season acting like the ending of first season never happened? I mean, Akane KNOWS how the Sybila system works, she SAW IT!!! She knows the police chief is a damn robot for the monsters that make up the Sybila. And she’s back to acting normal, like that never happened? That’s just cheating with the plot.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
What do you mean? Akane still knows exactly what Sybil is, that’s why she talks to the chief-bot with derision when they’re alone and talks with knowing remarks.