The Psycho in ‘Psycho-Pass’
[Contains Spoilers!]
Psycho-Pass is a Japanese animated series that season one aired in 2012. The show is cyberpunk mixed with crime and psychological thrillers. The audience is introduced to 2 Japan which operates under the Sibyl System. This system scans and measures the biometrics of the brain and mentality of the citizens. It allows it to reveal the crime coefficient of the citizen. If the crime coefficient is higher than 100, the Dominator weapon paralyses or eliminates the threat. The elimination depends on the level of the coefficient.
There are two protagonists in season one, Akane Tsunemori and Shinya Kogami. Shinya Kogami is an enforcer, working under the rookie investigator Akane. Kogami and other enforcers have to do all the killings as he says in the show, “two of us will hunt the prey and you’ll observe our every move”, talking about him and another enforcer to Akane.
An enforcer is someone who is deemed worthy by the Sibyl System to do all the dirty work for the inspector and help catch the criminal. They have a high crime coefficient but are brought back to society to put their skills to use. Shinya Kogami was once an investigator whose crime coefficient went up during a case and was labelled as a latent criminal.
Next, we have the antagonist for this season, named Shogo Makishima, fighting against the Sibyl System which is the reason why Kogami’s crime coefficient increased. He is criminally asymptomatic, which means the system can’t e his mentality and psychology. Even after committing so many crimes, the system judges Mikishima as an ideal citizen with a low crime coefficient and proper mental stability. Because Makishima doesn’t think what he’s doing a wrong, hence his intentions aren’t bad at all, and this is where the system fails.
He joined forces with many other criminals to wreak havoc in the system, but they failed to impress him and were later discarded by him. He only considers Kogami as his worthy opponent, not only because they both are masterminds, but he also thinks that Kogami has a similar mindset towards the system as he does.
In this blog, I want to look at how the show has dealt with the morals and transgressive nature of the Akane, Kogami, Mikishima, and the Sibyl system. Yes, the Sibyl system is, in fact, a character in the show, that even has a voice.
First of all, we know now that Kogami was an inspector before he turned into an enforcer. His psycho-pass got clouded when his friend was gorily murdered by, later revealed, Mikishima. It led Kogami to seek revenge, and even though he hadn’t killed anyone yet, he was deemed a criminal. While Makishima was the one killing innocents, he was left unharmed, unseen, and undetected.
What is the moral compass of the Sibyl System?
The most important thing to notice about the Sibyl system is that it is based on intentions, not results. So if you were thinking about harming someone or if you were stressed or depressed, the psycho pass will notify you about your declining state. The Sibyl system works on the fact that people can’t change, and that is the opposite of what humans are! Being a human gives you a tendency to change to improve or worsen yourself. By going against this idea Sibyl's system, in turn, imposes an ideal on the people to never ask for more or less. Sibyl gives them what is needed, and people have to accept it.
Sibyl provides an idea of a free world that is far from the truth, and the one fighting against it is Makishima. Yes, the antagonist is fighting against a controlling, imposing world. So what makes him an antagonist? Of course, as we watch the show from the detective protagonist of the show, Makishima is merely a murderer of innocent people. With reason or not. The only one who understands Makishima’s true goal and intention is Kogami. A victim of Sibyl’s judgment.
Like Makishima, Kogami ends up rejecting the system too. To kill Makishima and avenge his comrade, since Sibyl doesn’t consider him as a criminal. He even says that he realized that the law can’t protect people, so he has to.
By doing this, he helps Makishima fulfil his purpose as he says, “I want to see the splendour of people’s souls,”. Makishima even goes as far as to call himself and one of his partners the ordinary ones, in an unordinary world, that Sibyl.
Different from all of them is Akane Tsunemori, who believes in Sibyl and the people. Unlike Makishima, she doesn’t despise the system for what it is. She thinks that even if for a bit, the system provides for people. It may be wrong, but this is what people are there for. The system is to be used by the people, it shouldn’t use the people. She is aware of the flaws in the Sibyl system as in the first episode, the psycho pass of a victim skyrocketed due to stress, and the system tried to eliminate her. But, Akane didn’t let that happen, she believed that the person can improve their coefficient and went against the system to protect her but not unlawfully.
To conclude, the show is about what is wrong and what is right. Who is to decide? An objective system versus humans with a will to change. Who wins the war?
