First Impressions / PSYCHO-PASS / Series Introduction

OP Sequence

OP: 「Enigmatic Feeling 」 by 凛として時雨 (Ling Toshite Sigure)

 

「正義の天秤 <299/300> 」 (Seigi no Tenbin <299/300>)
“The Scales of Justice <299/300>”

It’s back! My favorite anime from the past two or so years is finally back with a sequel! I’m excited beyond belief and this post is going to sound like a mix of fan girls and overhype so you’ll have to give me the benefit of the doubt for this premiere at least. I hope everyone was an anxious as I was to finally get some PYSCHO-PASS back into our lives. Let me know how you enjoyed this episode because I think I might be a little biased.

After two years, PSYCHO-PASS brings us directly back into the world of Tokyo’s dystopian future where everyone’s state of mind can be quantitatively measured by a system called Sybil. I’m going to write a quick backgrounder for those that are either new to the series or simply don’t remember much about the original; you can skip this paragraph now if you just want to read my impressions. Our main character, Tsunemori Akane (Hanazawa Kana) is a part of the police force that uses advanced guns (called Dominators) to read someone’s Crime Coefficient. Your Crime Coefficient is an indication of how dangerous or unstable you are and the Sybil deems someone as dangerous if your reading is over 140. At this point, a Dominator can paralyze you but if your reading is over 300, the gun will kill you (and you blow up!). Akane works with one other officer by the name of Shimotsuki Mika (Sakura Ayane) and a group of Enforcers – Ginoza Nobuchika (Nojima Kenji), Kunizuka Yayoi (Itou Shizuka), Tougane Sakuya (Fujiwara Keiji), and Hinakawa Shou (Sakurai Takahiro). Enforcers are previous criminals that have agreed to work with the police in order to track down others. They all have high Crime Coefficients so yes – you can technically shoot them. In this episode, Akane and Mika work with another Division in order to capture a criminal that has been recently creating bombs and setting them off to upset the Sybil system.

I believe that everyone needs a backgrounder when they’re just jumping right back into this story and for one that’s as intense as PSYCHO-PASS, there are a lot of details that even I don’t remember. The question I ask myself is, is this a direct sequel to the original PSYCHO-PASS? Can you watch this without having seen the original? Right now, I would say that the premiere actually did a good job not alienating new viewers. With some thought, I think my backgrounder above could have been deduced easily – especially if sci-fi is your thing. At no point does the show reference the previous season (except for the spoiler-ish opening) and it properly introduces all the characters again. For now, I’d like to think that PSYCHO-PASS is starting a whole separate story that doesn’t link back to the previous season too much. If it chooses to in the future, they might play some flashbacks or summarize the events for new viewers. Overall, the episode did a great job capturing the new antagonist, while still demonstrating what the world of PSYCHO-PASS is like and I think that’s what makes for a fantastic premiere. It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember or don’t have prior exposure, it’s still a great standalone start to the season.

For those of us that do remember or rewatched the PSYCHO-PASS (New Edit) recently, I have to say that the episode did an even better job at bringing back all the things that I loved about the original series. Personally, I didn’t catch up to the entire PSYCHO-PASS (New Edit) but just from a comparison against the initial first few episodes, you can see what a long way Akane has come. She’s transformed her outlook on Sybil but still works with the system in order to save people from dying due to their high Crime Coefficients. Her demeanor reflects all that she’s been though in the first season and can I just say, she is so much more kick a** than I remember. I think my girl-crush of the season, will be her. On the other hand, you also see fellow returning Enforcers like Nobuchika and Yayoi that indicates how things… haven’t changed at all since we last left off. The relationship between Nobuchika and Akane has turned into one of mutual respect and I love seeing how Nobu still watches over Akane and trusts in her decisions. It has taken a while to get here and I like seeing that development play out in the after math. I think the best returning character that people may not recognize is Mika. She appeared twice in the first season both as a victim of one of the serial killers in the first half and then again in the epilogue of the final episode. And by victim I mean… her best friend was killed by a psychopath who mutilated her body. Anyway, Mika has changed a lot too since the first season and she’s no longer the quiet girl that I remember her to be. I think her role will change drastically in this second season as she interacts with Akane more and learns what the Sybil System really is. In the final split seconds, she also comes across as someone that doesn’t believe in the same ideals as Akane and I wonder if she’ll end up playing the opposing force, or if she’s going to get a heck of a lot of development time. Only time will tell.

This is turning into a massive post but my final thoughts are to conclude with the production value of this series. It’s no longer being produced by Production I.G, but Tatsunoko Productions instead. A lot of people seemed to have gripes with this and they’re not wrong on their predictions – the 3D animation is definitely an eyesore and doesn’t blend well with the 2D animation. However, in terms of continuity of character designs and the atmosphere that the show possesses, it’s still all there. Perhaps it’s because I also haven’t recently seen the first season of PSYCHO-PASS but I am not disappointed by this premiere and it has met my (high) expectations. The OP and ED songs are also done from the same artists that wrote the first season’s and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Definitely a great way to start the season for PSYCHO-PASS 2 and I hope it keeps up with the high deliverables. In terms of plot, I can foreshadow a lot of events based on the opening sequence alone, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I hope the antagonist ends up being someone different than Makishima though because right now, it looks like they have the same ideals of “changing” the system. Also, they both read low Crime Coefficients which is supposedly an anomaly. The only person that I’m looking for right now is Kogami… obviously. Where are you?

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: My favorite anime in the past two years finally gets a sequel and I think I’m hyperventilating… #PsychoPass http://pic.twitter.com/JMCMqozeQP

Full-length images: 09.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「Fallen」 by EGOIST

84 Comments

  1. Good points of the first episode:

    Akane has grown A LOT! Man, it was really refreshing seeing her as the “new Kogami”, but with a great sense of justice. Also we can notice it from Nobuchika, who become someone like his father and he looks damn cool with this new personality and without glasses. Besides, the (probably) new antagonist is going to be something like Makishima. However, Shougo left me with a better impression at his first debut, so let’s see what he has to offer.

    Bad Points:

    The animation regarding 3D wasn’t good, but at least I felt that the designer of the characthers was a little better than the first season (two years since I saw, maybe I’m wrong).

    And, of course, the worst of all was the absent of Kougami. Buuuuuut, we saw him at least twice on the OP (the guy that seems to be hostage at a chair was him, right?). So, maybe in future episodes he’s going to appear and, even if he has a minor role on the second season, he will me a main characther in the upcoming movie.

    Higure
    Reply

      5. But before that theres that scene with the Sibyl lady walking down and changing into Tougane.

        Is there something more to Tougane?
        A Sibyl android?

        Sibyl lady, Tougane, Kougami.

        The face meld.
        Same guy or rivals?

        iron2000
        Reply

    1. To get into details regarding the change in animation, there are some notable differences. Upon watching the pv before the season premiered, i could see the changes. The CG has always stuck out as a sore thumb whether it was IG or tatsunoko doing it but there actually is some good with the fact that tatsunoko has picked it up. I assume the budget is fairly the same size it was in the first season, but what has changed is the way in which the production team has drawn the characters. There where times in the first season of psycho-pass where character animations faltered a bit, and naturally that has to do with how much detail goes into the character designs. It’s much harder to animate detailed drawings and so there where times where the characters animations where either stiff or drawn a bit awkward. Tatsunoko seems to have solved that problem this season; take a look at Akane’s face and compare it to season one and that’s all you need to see in order to notice the differences. The lighting and color schemes are also a bit more luminated. On a side note, I love the OP presentation; i think it’s psycho-pass’ most artistic OP yet followed extremely close by the first season’s second OP.

      sonicsenryaku
      Reply

  5. Ahhh so there is a different producer. Not to be a party pooper, but season 2 first episode definitely lacked the style and flair of the first season. To be honest it was a bit predictable and I dare say even a little boring, until the last few minutes. When the ending song started playing, I literally thought, ” Man I really hope there is another scene at the end, because that was a bit lackluster”.

    Psycho-pass season 1 was one of the best anime I’ve seen in recent years and Akane one of my favorite female characters. I hope season two doesn’t lose the depth established in the characters and make them too flat.

    I was surprised and thought it was also a little contrary to Akane’s character for her to use Nobuchika as a meat shield. She was rising his life in order to test out her theory and for the sake of her moral values.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Overall, since I watched Psyco-pass season one just a few weeks ago, I was really looking forward to the sequel and for now, it was a tiny tiny bit underwhelming. It is my most anticipated show this season. The story I’m sure will still be good, but I’m holding my breath on whether the delivery will be as spectacular, (Although it would be okay if the gruesome, ugly levels were less. Season one was a bit too much on the gore ^^;)

    Thanks for the coverage Cherrie! I’ll be following each week. 🙂

    Chloesong
    Reply

    1. Thanks for reading =)

      One of the reasons people probably think that the first episode was uh… a bit tame was because they might have been expecting us to jump right back into the action and mystery and all that lovely stuff. For someone like myself who hasn’t finished the New Edit version and forgot a lot of the details, I actually appreciate how PP2 didn’t overwhelm me with too much. It’s a good introduction back into the lives of Akane and Mika and of course, I wasn’t doubting that the ending would be a cliffhanger of sorts lol

      I do think that…Show Spoiler ▼

      Anyway, those are just some thoughts that I have the OP alone.

      Cherrie
      Reply

  6. Before you poeople hate on Mika, yes she is annoying , yes she also contradicting herself, but that’s because she is ignorant and immature, she is like a new brainwashed member of the society(and stupid one at that) as per usual this anime deliver , a full entertainment from the first episode, they don’t need to wait to show us the new antagonist , don’t they?
    Good episode , Akane so badass and cute. This one will be police vs police vs badguy for sure.

    pokpokza
    Reply

    2. At no point does the show reference the previous season (except for the spoiler-ish opening)


      Technically that’s right, but my enjoyment of the second season was enhanced by stuff I remembered from the first season…
      eg Mika and other detectives looking down on the enforcers..
      and they don’t even know about Ginoza’s circumstances or that he would have been their superior if his hue hadn’t gone overboard…

      I think the seniors in the team (Akane, Ginoza and Yayoi the female Enforcer) are just having deep trust cooperations that even the rookies won’t understand for a while..

      Techim
      Reply

    3. Someone who’s annoying, contradictory, ignorant, immature, and brainwashed? Lol~ seems like adequate reasons to hate someone to me.

      But to me, she’s just going to be that typical foil character to the protagonist who will ruin it twice or thrice for everybody before she gets her act together. Not looking forward to her future actions.

      petitorenji
      Reply

      1. Especially considering that Akane wasn’t like this at all in the beginning and not even Ginoza,or anyone else for that matter. I still question the decision of her addition tbh,I’d prefered if they worked with the characters they already had but oh well,we’ll see how this goes.

        MgMaster
        Reply

  8. So glad you are cover Psycho-Pass 2 Cherrie. Like you Psycho-Pass is one of my favorite anime in recent memory.

    I really enjoyed this first episode and how it show cased Akane’s development since the end of the first season. I absolutely loved how bad ass she was throughout the episode.

    Regarding Mika, I am really liking the contrast she seems to be showing when compared to Akane. When Akane first started out, she was so naive and an idealist contrasting with Ginoza black and white views. And now we have Mika having dealing in absolutes as opposed to Akane.

    Really looking forward to how Mika develops and how Akane will influence her, if at all.

    RifuloftheWest
    Reply

  10. Had a lot of love for the first season, so the biggest fear right now is this cour falling flat and looking like it is nothing more than an attempt to cash in on the first. Hopefully it’s not the case, but the possibility unfortunately remains.

    As for Mika as others have pointed out her ignorance is definitely a setup for later character development. It’s a similar situation of Akane in season one where she started out naive and later came to understand the “depth” of the situation and what world she was living in exactly.

    Considering how this cour is only around 10-11 episodes we should know pretty quickly just who the big baddie is and how well he holds up to Makishima in terms of philosophical goodness 😛 Have a lot of hope that this sequel will stand up to par with the first in terms of polemics.

    Pancakes
    Reply

    1. Honestly speaking, when I first heard that PP2 was getting a second season, I was overcome by this huge surge of happiness =D… followed by a… “But why?” o_O
      I think some original anime are great as a standalone piece that don’t need additional seasons even though there are some unanswered questions. I was actually perfectly content with the way that PP ended because the main story was done and I was satisfied with the way that they left some loose ends up to the imagination. There was no way it was going to end with Show Spoiler ▼

      so it was the best that we were going to get. And that leads me to believe that yes, maybe this is just an effort to milk the fandom and extend something that was fine as it is.
      We’ll have to see if the second season and movie make the story any better in the end…

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. When anything gets a sequel, i personally like to think that the creators were artistically inspired to add something meaningful to their story by continuing it. Maybe there is something more they want to convey to their audience so when a second season was announced, I immediately thought to myself that “yea, i can see why there’s a second season” Akane’s future was just beginning and if i were the producers of this series, id want to say something of impact about how this aspiring and idealistic woman has to live with being twisted by a system that she knows needs correction and perhaps the toll these responsibilities will take on her. When you think about it that way, Psycho-Pass always had more to say with it’s story. The dilemma comes in which whether it can actually tell it in a compelling way, and for the most part, i think it can. I think that Akane is going to have to deal with a lot of demons this season, and that a big part of that will be the mystery of where shinya is. Perhaps sibyl lied to her; let’s not forget that a part of the reason why Akane is dealing with sibyl is the deal she had with them to spare Shinya.

        sonicsenryaku
        Reply

      2. Personally I thought too that the first season ended things nicely and left a satisfying conclusion. Psycho-Pass was never about the detective story by itself, it always more a critique on utopia and idealistic perceptions of what society should be; the story simply allowed Urobutcher to showcase the world in a stark and realistic fashion.

        It’s why I’m hesitant about season two here until we get further in as it’s unclear how well the writers can expand upon the revelations concerning the Sybil system and bring a new form of tension into the story, most options would just be a rehashing of the philosophical fight between Makishima and Kogami.

        The key will be in how well the characterization of Akane, Mika, and the upcoming villain are handled. Because Psycho-Pass broadly handles the moral wrangling between the “correctness” of individuality versus collectivity, it needs strong characters to show the personal, human effects of this grand debate. Really hope the writers for this season can pull it off as Psycho-Pass as a whole is one of only a handful of series that correctly portrays just how damaging envisioned utopias would actually be for the common man.

        Pancakes
        Reply

      3. @pancakes
        But one of the things psycho-pass was missing was some character introspection and drama on the main cast and the toll trying to uphold a system like this can have on those who hav to enforce the law that dont exactly believe in the systems mission statement. This season has a chance to do that. My only concern is that this is a one cour series and so either they may try to do to much with too little time, or lose focus on elements that could make this second season of psycho-pass a stellar story.

        sonicsenryaku
        Reply

    2. Yeah, Mika’s actions are understandable. Her two BFF’s were brutally murdered and chopped to pieces by a psychotic lesbian artist. One of which Mika feels partially responsible for. That kind of experience ends to skew one perspective of criminals.

      I just hope they don’t go overboard with that characterization to the point that it becomes insufferable.

      fragb85
      Reply

  13. @Cherrie

    It’s not really anything big but about halfway through the post Akane became Akame. I’m assuming habit kicked in from the last 14 weeks. 😛

    So yeah, a good reintroduction episode. My main complaint is that, outside of Akame, the cast is kind of lacking now with the lack of it’s two most charismatic members (Kogami and Makishima) and old man Masaoka to impart his boundless wisdom on the young’uns. Ginoza seems to be taking up his daddy’s mantle at least, but Yayoi’s inclusion in the series seems near pointless and the other two haven’t been around long enough to properly judge.

    At least the new baddie looks pretty interesting, though I fail to see how him not being recognized by the Sibyl System is all that different from Makishima’s case. Different cases obviously, but with seemingly the same resolution.

    And cripes, that opening. So much foreshadowing and spoilering. Seriously did not want to know that Tougane is most likely related to Sibyl. That would’ve been a pretty good surprise.

    Speaking of Kogami, he’s littered all over the opening, but not in any way that makes it seem like he’s going to show up in the series. (I’m sure he will, but likely near the end to set up for the movie.) Most of his inclusions seem more like imagery in regards to his influence on Akane and people who might possibly influence her as well (Tougane) or outright oppose her views (Shimotsuki).

    To be honest, my biggest fear when it comes to this series is that it’ll pretty much be a phone in and simply meant as a lead in for the movie (which retains Production I.G. and Urobuchi’s involvement). I seriously hope that I’m wrong on that, but it certainly wasn’t really as impressive a premiere as the first season’s.

    Kuntzy
    Reply

    1. LOL! Hahahaa…. silly me =X I fixed that. Clearly I’ve been blogging AgK too long.

      I’m hoping that we get to see more of Kogami later on in the series but given that this is only going to be one-cour show, he might only up in the last few episodes… and then cliffhanger for the movie! The opening shows that Kogami and Tougane might be somehow related? but that just be my predictions =X

      Cherrie
      Reply

    2. Could it be that Kirito (villain) wasn’t recognized because he was wearing gloves? It seems like they have to hold the gun with bare hands to be read by the Dominator. I’m not certain though, since Ginoza has gloves (on his left hand), but he seems to be only wearing a glove on his left hand and his right is un-gloved. That’s why Kirito wasn’t read. I think. ^^

      witchhuntress
      Reply

  14. Gosh, how much has changed for the returnees from the first PSYCHO-PASS. Though I did find it odd that Akane commanded her squad as if she was the only one who can survive the crazy stuff (previously there were two enforcers that actively assumes the “lightning bruiser” role)…

    info600
    Reply

  15. Despite her disdain for enforcers and criminals, Mika was surprinsingly nice to Yayoi. I think they had one or two scenes in the first season after they found the body of her friend I think, maybe that’s why. I wonder how the season will play out, now that Makishima is gone.
    Show Spoiler ▼

    All in all a great start.

    dean
    Reply

  16. Fun Fact :

    Sakurai Takahiro currently voiced Hinakawa Shou, and he also voiced Makishima Shougo in season 1.
    lol, I got stunned when I saw his name in the credit, then I ran a quick search on google.

    Vivace
    Reply

  18. Let the Urobutchery crime busting continue!

    THat said, it’s really pleasin to see how Tsunemori has matured since she first appeared. She no longer the innocent wide eyed justice serving girl. She seems more grounded in her actions and reasoning. She’s no longer that easily excited little girl that she was back in season 1.

    Sepaking about her new partner, I didn’t realise that it was her
    https://randomc.net/image/PSYCHO-PASS/PSYCHO-PASS%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2014.jpg

    https://randomc.net/image/PSYCHO-PASS/PSYCHO-PASS%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2039.jpg
    Looking at her inner thoughts, speech and actions, it’s only now I realise why she’s that way. Seeing her best friend being treated as such might’ve made her to view the latent criminals (thereby extending to the Enforcers) with such disdain and contempt.

    That’s a very stark contrast to how Tsunemori was towards her Enforcers in season 1

    Makise Kuristina
    Reply

    1. My thoughts exactly; At first the loops bothered me but then i started watching the OP more and more( god knows how many times ive watched it now) and as i did, i started to love the loops and how it added to the sense of unease and insanity the OP was trying to convey.

      sonicsenryaku
      Reply

  21. It´s fantastic have this story back. I watched the New Edit because my love and curiosity for the extra scenes. I think economic crisis is showing in Psycho-Pass 2, only 11 episodes instead 22. This first episode was good, but I´ll never forget the impact of the first of season 1. Kimura Ryohei is a great seiyuu for the antagonist role, but Sakurai Takahiro make a huge impression in his appearance. I´m sure, Psycho-Pass 2 it´s going to be one of the best series of the year, and has another 10 episodes to conquer our minds.

    Experticia
    Reply

  22. I agree with others that the new season doesn’t seem to meet expectations. Everything in the episode seemed flat, predictable, almost cheesy. Akane’s new partner is predictable, setting up for development or downfall.

    Thought it strange they left their comrade after the bombing, I mean not even a request for medical help or something, anything?!

    I do like seeing Division 2 more, kinda expands the cast and show it’s not just Division 1. It was nice to see them in the new season 1 redo where they had extra footage of the other divisions and enforcers, their behaviors, thoughts, differences between them so we can see how Akane is more irregular.

    Laughed at Akane destroying the robot, too much posing and thought it was too cheesy. But cool nonetheless! I guess she picked up Kogami’s style of posing when he fought the robot canines.

    The team chemistry here doesn’t gel as well as it did last season least in terms of the interactions. And funny how Akane smokes now, I thought it was latent criminals who do that? Guess Akane is really filling in Ginoza’s and Kogami’s shoes now. And at least Akane looks less stoned.

    Most interesting would be Saiga’s role in the new series. The ending of season 1 showed he’s got some role to play as well as him being in the artwork for season 2.

    The antagonist is probably a lot like Makashima. With the “hostage” looking over the bomber and not just having a clear psycho pass but NO psycho pass? The culprit says that because something is false doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, alluding to himself? In what way is he a false human being that can’t be recognized as the antagonist alludes?

    fishies
    Reply

  23. A bit confused with the final scene, anyone care to speculate?

    From what I understand, the Inspector couldn’t shoot the guy because he was still in his hologram and the System could not ID him as a result. This gave him enough time to overpower the Inspector and hold her hostage.

    As the Executor tried to save her, due to the Inspector being within range of the Dominator, her low Criminal Coefficient forced his Dominator to be locked.

    Now comes the puzzling part, as based on Kougami’s Criminal Coefficients seen in season 1, most Executors shouldn’t have a Coefficient of more than 299, so how did the guy manage to turn this Executor into minced meat?

    Could he have found a way to hack into the System?

    Or he took advantage of the Executor’s rising stress tension, which forced his Coefficient to go over 300? Which is not unlike how Akane bided her time and waited for the bomber’s to fall below 300. Meaning these arbitrary real time Coefficients changes could be manipulated with devastating effect.

    echykr
    Reply

    1. From my understanding –

      PSB officers have low criminal coeff

      Enforcers have high criminal coeff and that means that any time, they can be vapourised

      The other PSB officer that held his handler hostage has a low criminal coeff so the Dominator is unable to get a lock on him. Besides, he”s a PSB officer and there might be a fail safe mode programmed into the Dominator so that the Enforcers cant turn their guns against him

      Makise Kuristina
      Reply

    2. I think those questions are supposed to arise, since it was a cliffhanger ending. My best guess (also based on the first season; I’ll try to spoil as little as possible) is that the renegade officer has an abnormally low coefficient, even during criminal actions (and if you watched the first season, you should know about Show Spoiler ▼

      As for how he was able to shoot the Enforcer, I think we can assume that he has either found a “legit” way to rise the Enforcer’s coefficient (like putting him under stress, as Makise Kuristina cleverly pointed out), or that he can, in fact, switch Dominator modes at will by somehow hacking them. We’ll see, I think those will be two of the main questions to arise in next episodes.

      lorenzo
      Reply

    3. The guy might not be even human like Joshu Kasei (Sibyl’s robotic body). That would explain why the scanners/ dominator could not pick him up. It also explains why he can disguise as a hologram as well as be able to hack the gun.

      Tom
      Reply

  25. https://randomc.net/image/PSYCHO-PASS/PSYCHO-PASS%202%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
    Akane sure has grown up, you can barely recognize her from what she was in the first episode of season 1. And yet she is still the same person. It’s amazing how she has somehow earned excellent deductions skills, destroys a giant robot by herself, apprehends the criminal alive and basically results in ZERO casualties to civilians and her team. All while keeping a straight face.

    That being said, her partner Mika confuses me. I get the dynamic they were going for, Akane is the calm, experienced veteran while Mika is the young, brash hot-head. I was buying into that….. right until Mika establishes that she been on the job for more than a year. What!? Why is she still making rookie mistakes and not deferring to Akane? Especially when Akane has proven extremely competent at her job. You’re telling me Akane spent a year taking this crap from her junior and not saying anything?

    fragb85
    Reply

    2. I thought it meant that Mika had been on the job for more than a year, and then was transferred to Akane’s team.

      It seems like a direct sequel from the first season (where there was a timeskip before the epilogue where Mika introduces herself), so isn’t this the first time they’re working together?

      nanon
      Reply

  26. I thought it was good but not something to be remembered for years to come. I think just enough to have my attention throughout the whole series, the same as the anime No. 6.

    But then again, that kind of anime is rare nowadays. 😀

    m0ng
    Reply

  27. Usually, I hold off on watching a new anime until at least a few episodes is out to get a feel of what people are thinking about it or if it seems like a promising series takes a swerve downwards.

    However, Psycho Pass was one of my favorite series that year, and even though I was a bit apprehensive about the change in writer and production company, I could help but watch the ep the moment it was available. I LOVE the progression of Akane’s character and how even as the new Ginoza/Kogami, she carries her own flare and beliefs that echo back to her debut.

    My only concern now is if they end up leaving the series on a cliffhanger or leave a ton of loose threads for the follow up movie like Blood C did. Or that, the shots we’ve seen of presumably Kogami in the opening are going to lead to him being introduced again only to suddenly give him the Urobutcher treatment.

    Acerbus
    Reply

    1. Given that the upcoming season is only going to be one-cour, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did have a cliffhanger ending. One of my other favorite anime way back when (Eden of the East), did that and I actually lost interest waiting for the movies to come out =S So while I get what they’re trying to do, it’s also a gamble on their part. We’ll see ^^”

      Cherrie
      Reply

  28. personally, i really really enjoyed this episode to the point that after the 30 minutes of goodness I was literally yelling “genius” for a good 10 seconds.

    i, too was pretty worried over another animation studio taking over the production of psycho pass, considering that production i.g did a kick-ass job with the previous season’s animation but i honestly felt that tatsunoko did a pretty good job of taking over. perhaps the cgi wasn’t as well done, but i really preferred the way tatsunoko had animated the characters. akane no longer looks so stiff and the characters in general looked more alive to me.

    although i was sort of hoping for the first episode to have a more epic beginning and jump straight to the main plot (11 episodes, I hope they don’t mess up the pacing of the story at the end), I was glad that they opened it in this way. firstly, i was struck by the title of the episode. “Scales of Justice (299/300)” really did capture the entire episode in a simple tagline. To me, it really put through akane’s sense of justice really well. That she wouldn’t conform to the system and would enforce her own kind of justice. The episode also eased into the main purpose of the MWPSB, to capture civilians whose crime coefficients have risen too high for their own good. really enjoyed seeing akane stick to treating the enforcers as friends and being able to think more calmly in desperate situations. her ability to really deduce the motivations of the criminal really impressed me and to the point that they were spot on, wow. her skills and mind has matured so much in a year and a half it’s incredible and heartening to see.

    another character i was so glad to see return was of course gino. he looks so much better without his specs -coughs- that aside, i’ve always thought that one of the most touching scenes of psycho pass one was to see ginoza finally being able to accept his father. and it was obvious in small parts of the episode that while being an enforcer, he’s come to understand his father and even adopted his father’s way of doing things at times. for example, calling mika ojou-chan. and to see him still caring for akane and respecting her opinions is something that is amazing, since akane and his relationship goes a long way. he was once her superior, but now her subordinate, but nothing has really changed deep down. their relationship development as colleagues will be something i’ll be looking out for this season.

    of course, there are the new enforcers and inspectors. so far, in this episode, we have not seen much of them in action. i do feel that there’s some deep meaning to tougane becoming an enforcer though, hopefully they’ll do a good job in slowly bringing it out. I didn’t really notice that Mika was THAT Mika from the previous season till I saw cherrie point it out but after i knew that, i’m starting to look forward to her character development. she struck me as being someone who just does things by the book and would be a hindrance to the flow of the story at first, but after knowing that, it’ll be interesting to see how akane changes her, considering that her view of criminals has been skewed by the fact that two of her friends have been brutally murdered in the first season. it’s no wonder why at the end of the episode, she made a statement that clearly displayed the difference in her mindset and akane’s. she will change, i feel, but for some reason, 11 episodes i think probably isn’t enough to make that transition a smooth one. or there might be some sort of plot twist somewhere, we never know.

    and the new villian. i just hope he turns out someone who is deeper than makishima ever was and that he’ll outdo makishima as a ‘villian’ in all ways possible. i think this season would revolve around the MWPSB hunting the villian down, more so than a Makishima vs Kogami kinda thing, so the general feel for the season may contain a little less bloodlust than the previous, but that’s still something to look forward to imo 🙂

    psychopassover300
    Reply

      1. Production I.G actually has shares of Tatsunoko Production and I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a strong voice over this production either. I didn’t want to blatantly state that in my post though… in case I’m wrong and Production I.G is very hands off.

        Cherrie
        Reply

  30. S1 might well be 1.5 years after S1 ends, since Mika states her being an inspector for 1.5 years and at the end of S1 (extended edition at least) it was mentioned the newly inspector is a minor.

    On the point of Akane being matured and how Mika acts:
    Akane didn’t really grow much between the end of S1 and this episode. Yes, she did mature a lot from the start of season 1. But if you watch through the whole season 1 you would see she mature from a somewhat naive person who haven’t found her way in life to a person who have chosen a path to walk down and is determined and decisive.
    The most obvious point would be after the Sibyl System reveal itself to her. She got her priorities straight and even bargain/threatens it at times. (Like when she ask Sibyl for her dominator to be locked in non-lethal paralyser mode as dominators would otherwise be useless against Makisima, as well as to shoot Kogami if needed as dominators would otherwise be in lethal eliminator against an enforcer who ran away)

    On the other hand, Mika acts more like what a normal person in that society would do (see how the other inspectors act vs how Akane act) and would have find it hard to accept Akane’s methods. Let us give her time and see if she matures like Akane did in S1.

    ofislacker
    Reply

  31. I’m really liking the character development that Akane has received this season. So far I’m cautiously optimistic about this season since Gen Urobuchi isn’t writing it, but so far so good. I’ll keep on watching.

    LaughingMan
    Reply

  32. We have Akane waiting for the psychopass to go down before she shoots her dominator just like in PP1.
    Ginza is watching from above but doesn’t shoot this time, although he is aiming his dominator at someone else. I’m trying to draw other parallels from season 1 but I was too tired from NYCC to really concentrate on the episode.

    This new villian doesn’t remind me much of Makishima only because he dirtied his hands so soon in to the series. But who knows what this guy will come out to. Guess I’ll just have to simply sit down and enjoy the ride like I did season 1.

    Rok
    Reply

  33. I’m cautiously optimistic about this season. Gen isn’t doing this, and we all saw what happens when Gen doesn’t play a major role in his works *cough*Aldnoah.zero*cough*. But the show catapulted off of the first season effortlessly, so I was quite pleased with how the premier went.

    J_the_Man
    Reply

  34. In case you guys notice, Ginoza now resembles his dad. He doesn’t have his glasses anymore, now wears a brown trench coat (just like what his dad wears LOL) and almost has the same personality as him. haha

    Nino
    Reply

  39. Hi Cherrie and the RC community! I have a question. I haven’t watched the first season yet but I’m planning to now. Which one should I watch? the original series or the New Edit? and what are the differences?

    ken
    Reply

  41. During the time, Kogami and Ginoza aren’t there to stop Akane do anything she likes, so that she can play her Opening music that is too weird in tone and repeated short periods of certain scene

    Kogami isn’t there, and Ginoza isn’t inspector anymore.

    Slapthehole
    Reply

  42. Finally got down to watch this.

    I just want to see if the Sibyl System will survive this time.
    Will it still judge the world? Will it reveal itself to the world?

    Akane is trying hard to soften the hard effects of the Sibyl System but she is only one person.
    Can she change things? Feels too big to handle though.

    Kirito Kamui.
    Somehow for now he is the plot element to make more episodes.
    Well unless he ties into some main plot about the Sibyl System in the final arc.

    I’m more interested in how will Akane deal with the Sibyl System.
    Or will it be until Psycho-Pass 3 that someone will overthrow the Sibyl System.

    iron2000
    Reply

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