No24 [Anime] Are you ready to be controlled Sybil?

Psycho-Pass is an animation series produced by Production I. g. and distributed across Japan between 2012 and 2013. It is dystopian science fiction that also borrows from the thriller/ crime genre. The story is set set in the 22nd century, in a futuristic Japan under the control of the sybil system: a pseudop olitical regime that guides the lives and careers of citizens according to their abilities, so that they can lead a happy life without any worries. One of sybil’s main characteristics is to constantly analyse the citizens’ stress levels, as well as detect “latent criminals”: people whose “psycho-pass” (analysed by sybil) shows a high criminality coefficient. The idea being to stop suspects before they commit a crime. The story is set at the heart of this dystopian legal system made up of Enforcers and the Inspectors who supervise them, people whose role is to track down latent criminals and capture or kill them,according to their potential level of criminality. They are police, judge, jury and executioner, but they all obey sybil and are responsible for the ordered functioning of the system. This is one of the best series released over the past few years. It is marvellously detailed, the technology is sophisticated and the results both extraordinary and amazingly realistic, as the future that is pictured could be the real thing, and it is closer to present-day society than we might first think. The main character, Akane Tsunemori, is a gifted young recruit who is made unit inspector. Not only is it her job to investigate, she is also required to supervise her colleagues who are of a different mindset. The contrast between the naive novice and the brutes armed with handguns is central to the story. Psycho-Pass is a lecture on life and the individual in our society. A stimulating watch!

Odaira Namihei