Psycho Pass Season 1 Anime Review
top of page

Psycho Pass Season 1 Anime Review

This is definitely not your little sisters anime, that being said let's jump right into the Action Thriller that has become an Anime cult classic.



Table Of Contents



Frequently Asked Questions


Q: Is Psycho Pass Banned in China?

A: Yes. It has been banned since 2015 due to the graphic nature of the Anime which includes themes of violence and crime.


Q: Is Psycho Pass Worth Watching?


A: Yes! It has wonderful animation, a unique exciting plot, and graphic violence and suspense. It's a great choice for adults.


Q: Is Psycho Pass 2 bad?


A: No. It's not as good as the first season in the eyes of most viewers, because it lacks the story building and the element of surprise. Season 2 feels a little redundant, but for Psycho Pass fans it was greatly appreciated.


psycho pass anime city scene


Psycho-Pass follows the story of Akane, a newly assigned inspector for the Ministry of welfare’s public safety bureau, set in a dystopian future where citizens’ stress levels are closely monitored, the MWPSB pairs Inspectors and enforcers in a division and together they maintain peace and order by separating and eliminating criminals and potentially dangerous individuals with high levels of stress away from society.



Psycho-Pass Plot Review


Psycho-Pass is an outstanding crime & drama anime with its thought-provoking plot centered around the conflict between human freedom and the justice system named Sibyl that monitors the stress levels of every member of society. The show has brilliant storytelling that slowly gets darker as the series progresses, character interactions and dialogues are well written and can become quite philosophical which definitely shows the depth and motives of some of the characters.



psycho pass anime main character


The Main Character



Despite being an inspector for an unquestionable system, Akane does not let this hinder her ability to think outside the box and see through the flaws of the system. She works together with her enforcer, Kogami, and Division 1 in order to solve complicated crimes that terrorize the society of Psycho-Pass. Akane’s perseverance and mental fortitude shine bright through the bleak and violent future presented in Psycho-Pass, her ability to uphold the law while being capable to question the system is definitely a highlight of her personality.


Other characters such as Kogami and Ginoza are also well-written characters that contrast each other well, this contrast gives Akane a better understanding of what it means to be an Inspector, should she blindly follow all orders given by the Sibyl system? Or should she trust her detective intuition more, these are important questions that follow Akane throughout the whole season.


psycho pass anime kimika


The world of Psycho Pass



Psycho Pass’ showcases a futuristic Tokyo with warm and dark tones, while it can sometimes look flat, the city still leaves an impression on you and the feeling that you get from the city complements the direction the anime is going into. The animation is well done and the action sequences are entertaining, striking, and nerve-wracking. The art style also contributes to the overall tone of the anime as it feels gritty and captures the seriousness of the story.


The world of Psycho-Pass feels immersive, there is something odd about watching the anime, it feels realistic despite its futuristic setting, it carries a concept that questions our free will and the systems that guide us into becoming ideal citizens. There is a lot to take in when watching Psycho-Pass, the series can be summarized as one giant philosophical debate, and it certainly does it well. I recommend this show to anyone interested in cyberpunk, dystopia, and crime, it is definitely worth a watch.



Studio: Production I.G

Published by: Mag Garden

Genres: Anime, Action, Psychological thriller,

Cyberpunk, Thriller, Crime fiction, Crime TV genre


Psycho-Pass garnered a standing ovation from both anime fans and reviewers when it was initially released a few years ago. Intricate plots, a grim atmosphere, superb police procedurals, and cyberpunk aesthetics all inspired outstanding anime series like Ghost in the Shell and Ergo Proxy, as did the show's cyberpunk aesthetics.


What are you prepared to give up in order to live in a perfect Utopia where everyone is happy? Why should we be prepared to give up our personal liberty in order to live in a crime-free society? Is it feasible to rely on a system if it is not overseen or controlled by a human?


Psycho Pass Anime Analysis



Psycho Pass shows a dystopian and authoritarian future in which a computerized system known as the Sybil System evaluates all persons' 'psycho passes' (or rather, mental states) and labels anyone who have values higher than those set by the government as latent criminals.


Despite the fact that these potential offenders have never committed a crime, authorities consider them to be criminals.


As a consequence, depending on their capacity to inflict harm to the community, individuals are imprisoned, rehabilitated, or even executed. They literally use guns that make peoples heads explode.



When she started working for the MWPSB (the Public Safety Bureau), she was young and inexperienced, but she believed in the Sybil System's utility and capacity to preserve the peace.


Shinya Kougami, a former police officer turned enforcer, is forced to rethink her whole worldview when she encounters enforcers (a group of latent criminals used by authorities as hunting hounds or rather as disposable muscle in criminal investigations). Shinya Kougami is a former cop turned enforcer.



The Sybil System is specifically explained in relation to how MWPSB inspectors and enforcement officers use a specialized weapon controlled by the Sybil System to deal with illegal activities, as well as how the Sybil System restricts use of the dominator to only those with the appropriate credentials and training.



Division 1 of the MWPSB discovers through their investigations that the criminal activities and serial murders that threaten peaceful paradise are all the work of a ruthless puppet master named Shougo Makishima, who is manipulating his puppets to destabilize the entire Sybil System for his own nefarious purposes.


There were multiple instances that reminded me of anime such as Death Note, Future Diary, and Terror in Resonance, when the viewer is kept in the dark about who or what would be the next target, resulting in a high sense of dread and anticipation.




The Sybil System is found to have multiple serious problems while attempting to prevent Makishima from killing again with the help of his "puppets," which serves as a brilliant display of the perils of psycho pass scanning.


Because of a negative reaction to one bad day, the color of your psycho pass will steadily rise until you are eventually categorized as a criminal who must be put down and executed on every bad day.


The Sybil System's laws are flagrantly in violation of human rights.



psycho pass season 3 anime


Makishima personifies what it means to be a psychopath since he has no remorse for the crimes he has committed in the past.


He thrives on the chaos he generates within such a well-organized and precise framework of rules and procedures, rather than being annoyed by it.


Psycho Pass's first season has some of the most intriguing character portrayals I've ever seen on television.


Kougami, on the other hand, is hell-bent on stopping the man he believes is the biggest menace to civilisation. As the narrative progresses, each character's point of view gradually shifts throughout the novel.


We get a glimpse into their worst thoughts and feelings, and we witness how these people, who appear to be strong and pleased with their life on the surface, may actually crumble under the weight of their own sadness and disappointment. When it comes to establishing a story's arc, characterization like this is exactly what you need.



The first season of Psychic Pass has a remarkable visual appeal, and the scenery and soundtrack further add to that allure. Psycho Pass, with its futuristic self-driving cars and interchangeable dual-mode firearms, will provide viewers a peek of what the future of technology may be like.



is there a season 4 of psycho pass?

Each episode of Psycho Pass is intended to put the spectator in command, offering insight into society's inner workings as well as moral and ethical quandaries that occur when a computerized world is allowed to run amok without human supervision.


The future will here before we realize it, and these are important themes to address. Is it appropriate to keep the Sybil System, which defines our potential from birth, in our world?


Is this the type of society we want to be a part of? Is it true that when we are subjected to arbitrary and capricious authority, we have no guarantees for our fundamental human rights?


Psycho-Pass is no longer limited to anime fans, thanks to a new PS4 and PS Vita game that allows everyone to enjoy the tale at their own speed and on their own time.


Fans of the anime, as well as those new to the Psycho-Pass series, may enjoy this release.


psycho pass main female character cop

Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness


Mandatory happiness necessitates the use of Psycho-Pass (PS Vita [Reviewed], PS4, PC)

5pb and NIS America (NA/EU) The applicants (JP) are NIS Europe (NA/EU) on September 13, 2016 in North America and September 16, 2016 in Europe, respectively (EU)


There's a lot to unpack in the game's bleak depiction of a post-apocalyptic Japan in the twenty-first century. It plays out very similar to the Anime.


Your character is dominated by the Sibyl System, an electronic gadget that can scan anyone's brain, categorize their mental state according on an array of "Hues," and preserve that information on a person's "Psycho-Pass."


Individuals may be advised on how to spend their life, as well as their medical needs, professional options, and even their criminal potential, in order to maximize their satisfaction.


The latter statistic, which is based on the Psycho-Pass, is denoted as a "Crime Coefficient."


Crime Coefficients are recognized as "Latent Criminals" by the Criminal Investigation Division investigators and are subjected to seclusion, torture "treatment," or even execution if their crime coefficient is high.



As a result, the CID's major unit is structured on a "good cop/bad officer" dynamic, which is as realistic as it gets when fighting crime. Inspectors are cognizant, level-headed persons tasked with keeping a look out for and halting criminal activity by "Enforcers," who are real-life Latent Criminals with the abilities and mental states required to carry out their crimes.


Teams of CID detectives use Dominators, lethal morphing handguns that may shock or burst like blood pinatas on criminals, to track down and capture or murder anyone whose Hues have been "clouded" by the Sibyl System.


The content of Psycho-atmosphere Pass is rich, evocative, and thematically tightly packed in such a way that the detail appears intended rather than obtrusively complex.


Amid Mandatory Happiness, players take control of two CID agents, Nadeshiko Kugatachi and Takuma Tsurugi, in a lush and desolate setting. Players take control of both agents in the game.



It takes place during the first season of the popular anime series Psycho-Pass, and the game follows the same plot as the program.


As a consequence, viewers who haven't seen the series yet may get a sense of what's going on without having to rewatch the entire thing.


However, familiarity of the anime may be useful for some gamers, especially because the original Japanese voice actors will reprise their roles from the original series.


Mandatory Happiness, on the other hand, does not require the viewing of Psycho-Pass in order to be appreciated.


However, if you can get your hands on a copy, it's worth a shot since the animation will distract you from the fact that the gameplay in this game is basically non-existent.


To accomplish the activity, all you have to do is click on a button to progress the text and choose a decision every now and then.


For better or worse, there are no mini-games or QTE-driven action scenes in the game; there is also no animation or new visuals, making the price tag a little more difficult to justify for those seeking the finest production standards.


The gorgeous character designs overpower everything, even the plot.


psycho pass anime review


Aside than that, it's a fantastic story!


Mandatory Happiness, penned by acclaimed anime and visual novel writer Gen Urobuchi, provides a new take on the show's authoritarian dystopia (also the author of PsychoPass season 1).


In this episode, Nadeshiko and the CID deal with seemingly unconnected incidents that inevitably dovetail into a greater threat, one that appears to take the Sibyl System's purpose of ensuring "pleasure" for those under its control much too literally.


In each situation, the moral stakes are murky at best since there is no evident "right" or "wrong" course of action to pursue and no way of knowing for definite what will happen in the end.


Furthermore, "Turning Points" are quite valuable for players who want to thoroughly evaluate all of their options, and they do a wonderful job of making each decision feel monumental. In a situation where one's emotional state may influence what happens and change one's color, one's emotional state can be the difference between success and failure.


In contrast to many other recent adventure games, Mandatory Happiness does not employ its options as crucial tonal set-pieces on the road to a shared objective, as many do nowadays. Instead, the game's outcomes are fully random and impossible to predict ahead of time.


Because of their unique personalities, Nadeshiko and Tsurugi are both wonderfully represented in the game, and the player's choice to play as either of them may have a considerable influence on the overall tone of the game.


Seeing things through Nadeshiko's point of view may be both exhilarating and disturbing. She has grown cold and disconnected as a result of her amnesia, and her consistently rational, almost robotic manner and reasoning ability make the game frightening to read at times, especially as the suspense mounts.


Tsurugi, in my opinion, is the most sympathetic male protagonist in anime due to his great emotions and strong emotional bonds with his friends and family.


Both characters, on the other hand, are appealing in their own ways and, given the chance, would mix in effortlessly with the rest of the ensemble.


Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness Game Review


Psycho-Pass fans may be less pleased with Mandatory Happiness than newcomers since they will be able to see where the game fails them more plainly than newcomers.


It falls short of the program in terms of visual impact because it is a low-budget visual novel with a restricted production budget.


When compared to Corpse Party, which features more awful occurrences that are conveyed in the game's lexicon and imagery, Danganronpa's gloriously deadly antics and Corpse Party's borderline torture scenes look sanitized.


Despite the fact that Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness production quality is a little lacking, the storyline succeeds and, for the most part, retains the characteristics that made the original anime so popular.


While it may not be as good as the original, it does justice to the source material, which is more than can be said for the bulk of scenarios in Psycho-Pass' world.



Where to Watch Psycho Pass?



About me:


Hi there! I’m Pau Loquillano, I enjoy a lot of anime and I think that it has helped me a lot personally, I love sharing my thoughts about anime and hopefully, it clicks with a lot of those who read it!



bottom of page