First Impressions / PSYCHO-PASS

「見つからない子供たち」 (Mitsukaranai Kodomotachi)
“Untraceable Children”

There are so many reasons to be excited for PSYCHO-PASS 2 this week, but the one that stands out for me is Kougami Shinya! As soon as I saw him, nothing else seemed to matter. I didn’t even care that Kougami (Seki Tomokazu) was just a fragment of Akane’s imagination; all that mattered was that he actually spoke. His seiyuu came back and spoke real words and he’s not just someone that used to exist some time ago… he’s actually real and he’s slowly but surely making his way back into this season. It might not be next week or the week after, but I’m confident that he’s going to somehow make his way back before the finale. The show is making a huge emphasis on how Tougane and Kougami are alike, but there’s no way that they’re one and the same, so what is their relationship? And I’m sure people have pointed it out before so you can say “I told you so” but I did in fact notice – Akane is smoking (she is not just sniffing cigarettes like I thought).

Asides from my blatant love for Kougami, Kamui proves himself to be quite the antagonist and furthermore, one step ahead of the police. I always thought he was thorough with his plans and obviously he had “followers” but never did I imagine so many! That’s crazy and so unexpected. My mind was completely blown when the holograms slowly revealed who the inspectors already met and although it’s not a twist I haven’t seen before, I wasn’t expecting it. When I think about it, investigating the plane crash should’ve been the first thing the inspectors did at the time they discovered the first hologram. It’s only the next logical step because they had no other leads at the time. However, despite this small hiccup in the plot, I like how it’s all slowly tying everything together and shows that Division 1 is pretty much falling into Kamui’s plans. Everyone that they’ve questioned, have been captured on purpose and they seem like diversions for the police. Meanwhile, Kamui is out there recruiting more people to use these Dominators for… whatever he has planned next. Probably another massacre to prove a point? Or are they targeting a specific person next?

I can’t complete a post without talking about my favorite girl this season, Mika… who is actually not as incompetent this episode as I would’ve imagined. She’s not great as an investigator and she’s terrible at covering her tracks, but her instincts don’t lie. Tougane has a hidden past that even Sybil has kept from Division 1. I wish I knew more than that, but we’ll have to give more time for Mika to slowly deduce her own conclusions. What we do know so far (and correct me if I’m wrong) is that Tougane is somehow connected to the Chief (or Sybil) and he also seems to be against Akane. Meanwhile, the Chief/Sybil refuses to really believe “Kamui” could possibly exist… and if he does, he needs to be eliminated because he’s living proof that Sybil is not perfect. What puzzles me is that Kamui seems to be working with Masuzaki Yohei (Sugo Takayuki) to develop drugs and patents backed by the biggest corporation in the industry, Tougane Corporation (which is sign that Tougane himself is involved). It’s possible to me that Tougane is hiding Kamui’s footprints from the MWPSB or Sybil is hiding him, because he’s an anomaly in their system. Or Tougane is not actually working with the Tougane Corporation because Tougane himself is… not in fact who he seems to be? This is what I love about PSYCHO-PASS because while everyone and everything seems unconnected, it’s actually the opposite. Treat everyone suspiciously and trust no one (new characters anyway).

Just one more thing I want to mention before heading out – I like how they finally gave more background and life to Hinakawa Sho’s character. He’s been put on the backburner for a while now so it’s nice to hear how he became an Enforcer, even briefly. I also liked seeing some action between Shion and Yayoi too. I’ve never loved this coupling, but it shows that their relationship is not forgotten or written off.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: Wow #PsychoPass has outdone itself this week. What a nonstop ep and so many revelations to be told… I’m incredibly excited now! #pp_anime

88 Comments

  1. Man. Such a stark contrast to ANN’s review of this episode, which I felt completely misread everything about the show. Not once did they even talk about the actual big reveal, the holograms that have been living in society as workers.

    J_the_Man
    Reply

    2. I can’t even but the obligatory “with all due respect” comment because at this point I don’t even respect the ANN people as reviewers (at least with this series). They totally overlook the important stuff and are just taking everything that’s happening at face-value, when obviously there needs to be some thinking involved to understand a show that’s about the human mind.

      SDFGS
      Reply

    3. I’ve never read the ANN reviews until now…
      Everyone is definitely entitled to their own opinion about a show, but I don’t think PP2 is nearly as bad as people say it is. It’s not unbearable to watch and I see no reasons to drop it (and it’s already more than halfway done).

      I guess some people just have different expectations of the second season. I enjoy it for what it is; sure, it’s not perfect… but it’s far from being abysmal and still entertaining.

      Cherrie
      Reply

    4. That Hope Chapman guy always keeps saying oh it’s not as good as season 1. Oh how original. Oh I already made up my mind before watching the show. Oh my preconceived notions. Sequels can never be as good didn’t I tell ? I told you so !

      shensu3
      Reply

      1. Hope Chapman’s female.

        But yeah, although Season 1 is definitely better and Season 2 has some flaws in its writing, I still felt her review to be too scathing.

        It still is a nice thrill ride so far regardless.

        kondee
        Reply

  6. Akane is smoking (she is not just sniffing cigarettes like I thought).

    Hold on, what makes you so sure that she’s actually smoking? If anything, I feel this episode strengthens the theory that she’s simply sniffing the cigarettes. Sure, “I was only holding the cigarette, mom, I swear!” may not be the most believable excuse in the world, but I do believe it makes more sense to Akame’s character that she’s only second hand smoking, given everything we know about her.

    Or am I missing something?

    JayDrink
    Reply

    4. I don’t have anything against smoking, since I smoke as well when I’m out having a drink, but she really needs to roll her own. RYO tastes so much better, plus it’s infinitely cooler!

      Litho
      Reply

      1. It’s easy to sympathize with a person who is trying to bring down a corrupt system, but let’s not forget that he’s killing countless of people in the process. And not even “bad guys”, just random innocent civilians.

        I’m on Kamui’s side as well, but at the same time I just want to punch him in the face for about 99% of the things he does.

        JayDrink
        Reply

    2. Personally still prefer Makishima to Kamui, Makishima had a degree of gravitas which Kamui currently lacks. It might change when we find out why Kamui is out to destroy Sibyl, but until then Makishima definitely is the one with the most character so far IMO.

      Pancakes
      Reply

    1. I don’t think you’re going off track here. There’s still quite a few things that we don’t know from what we’ve already been shown. I don’t think she was really smoking either and more so just taking in the secondhand smoke. It does seem like a stress reliever for her as well as something to somewhat assist in sorting out her thoughts as she discussed what she knew with Kougami (or rather, Tougane in this case). I honestly don’t really care for the fact that she’s using smoke, but at the same time, it’s understandable if she really is just trying to hold onto something to keep her sane. And if she really is in fact smoking, I either missed it or she was doing so off-screen. Either way, this episode definitely has me looking forward to the next and seeing how Akane and the others deal with Kamui.

      Harua
      Reply

  12. Sorry for my intrusion. But with the Screen-shots and the Bloger summary until now, i get a felling that the big Surprise is not a Surprise

    I think, in the end this entire Season 2, is just only a Dream inside one of Sybril’s Brain Human link

    Until now, the Human world around Sybril is acting to pathetic. losing all of Human ethics and social real rules. An Elbow Society only thinking about themselves. Let’s face it, even Countries care about the other on the Street, if they are not living under a dictator

    is Sybril an dictator ruling system? “I better do not stick my nose into these things, or my crime rate would rise!”

    is it really imaginable in these Days? Or is this a backfire of our blind eyes on the dependency of Systems AI’s, ruling of us?

    We should not give up our Soul and things that define us a Human beings, to machines? Is that the deep story pf Psycho Pass?

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

  15. https://randomc.net/image/PSYCHO-PASS/PSYCHO-PASS%202%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2005.jpg
    Fool me once that Kogami would return last week, shame on you.
    https://randomc.net/image/PSYCHO-PASS/PSYCHO-PASS%202%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2006.jpg
    Fool me a second time this week, shame on me.

    At least we got some more Shion X Yayoi yuri.
    https://randomc.net/image/PSYCHO-PASS/PSYCHO-PASS%202%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2031.jpg
    Now if only Mika will mellow out enough in order to join them for a threesome…

    LaughingMan
    Reply

  17. Ok… can someone please finally explain to me HOW to add thumbnails in comments? Seriously, it’s getting annoying not to be able to do that by now.

    *moving on*

    You can say whatever you want about the scene with Yayoi and Shion… but that part actually made me laughed XD

    Mika: “Ms. Kunizuka? I got something to as-”
    Hinakawa: “Hmm?”
    Mika: “*sighs* I guess you’ll do…”
    *jumps to Yayoi and Shion in a bedroom after their regular hobby*
    Me: *chuckles* “Oh, so THERE she was.”

    *SPOILERS*

    Show Spoiler ▼

    P.S. your spoiler tags might not work properly. Please hide the text between the *spoiler* tags if it doesn’t hide it itself.

    JiCi
    Reply

    2. Right click on a thumbnail and click Copy URL. Paste it in your comments and RandomC should take care of the rest. Only works for current episode thumbnails I think.

      ALSO I agree with more development on Shion and Yayoi as well as Rina reappearing.

      kondee
      Reply

    4. Agree with a lot of this! I find each of them as characters fascinating and it’s a shame they don’t get explored separately or together in the show.

      Show Spoiler ▼

      Kay
      Reply

      2. @JiCi
        Well, yea, that’s for sure D: That many medicines aren’t gonna counter just one condition, be it depression of whatever. But we DO know now that he’s dependant of medicines, be it for one condition or more, right?

        Yuki
        Reply

  22. Maybe she smokes not to reduce stress (at least not the reported crime coefficient) or to honor Kougami’s memory, but to “channel” her inner Kougami for ideas and inspiration. Notice how Kougami appeared in her mind’s eye in a swirl of his own smoke — the same smoke, arguably, coming from her lit cigarette.

    On another level, considering all that good sleuthing that occurred in season 1 under a blanket of Kougami’s smoke, Akane could merely be trying to recapture that successful ratiocinating mindset and creative environment. But I think I like Shinya-channeling(TM) a bit more.

    hoiut
    Reply

  24. I’ve always looking forward for PP2’s review and discussion, they are the best for this season so far since its almost IMPOSSIBLE to predict whats gonna happen next!

    Though i do love to point out Akane and her smoking scene, but seems like all of our opinions are almost the same lol…still, yea, i think the smell of cigarettes do help Akane in sorting her sanity/stress while tracing back her inner memories of Kougami. Since almost all the investigations in PP1 were made by Kougami with Akane(as sidekick) while she was still learning her way through. She sure misses him.

    And regarding what JiCi said about Shion’s backstory, i second that. I mean, sure its nice to keep her beautiful and mysterious all the time, but its somehow unfair though. This is the third yuri scenes caught between these two; and the second one somehow intrigued me up until now. Remember when Shion talked about how most the guys gone and Yayoi said that all the old-fashioned guys were not suited for the job? They are like observing something. And it surprised me to see Shion got harsh when Saiga-sensei doubting Sibyl’s system when they were the one that subjected her as a latent criminal, yet she’s kinda defending it? This particular part somehow reminded me of “Umineko: When They Cry” setup; everyone is fighting and solving the puzzles, but there are overseers that laughing behind their futile struggles. But again, its PP here we’re talking…maybe Kumagai Jun will just ridicule every one of us who is trying hard solving his mystery and yet, its a simple conclusion after all.

    Grandma doesnt give me a good vibe. Whats with that shine on one of her earrings??? Cameras??? Hahh..,this show made me paranoid with the people around them! You cant trust anybody! I hope something bad wouldnt happen to Mika lol…she is annoying but she’s solving something. Togane, i knew it! The big bosses are Kamui, Togane and Sibyl! Akane, run for safety!!! Hinakawa is cute and freaky, haha! Calling Akane “one-chan”, aww…Dead children are coming back for revenge, why must this anime a one cour series! ><

    onion warrior
    Reply

  25. Having grown up watching Bollywood movies, I want to know if I am the only one who thinks kamui was in the plane which went down and lost his entire family / classmates (school trip) and found out sibyl ordered the plane down for some reason and started plotting revenge since a very early age ? Ahem… Anyone ? (If there is such a flashback with a song sequence I’ll be damned.)

    shensu3
    Reply

  26. Oh my, Kamui has real army, and enough Dominators to start a small war.
    His goal is obviously overthrow of Sybil system.
    The method to his madness is, he wants to target Sybil’s personnel by 1.creating massacres to make their hue “targettable” 2.using Dominators to kill while his own rebels are somehow protected 3.in the process capturing more Dominators until eventual fall of Sybil.
    If I would be in Akane’s place, I would give Sybil a big middle finger and say “I’m going off for a vacation, YOU deal with this case.” And secretly wish Kamui luck. But that is not possible with our ever-idealistic heroine (which is probably one of reason her hue is so damned clear…)

    ewok40k
    Reply

  27. Sybil system is nothing more than a farce it even tries to kill you if you are victim of a crime scene when traumatized or when you are upset it judge you as an evil person and terminates you.

    We’re human, we will always have suffering, strife, war, greed, poverty, fear, famine, natural disasters, and as*holes that run for public office the only thing what we can do is take what we have learned and aknowledge them and move.

    Thats the privalidge of what you have being a human is and Sybil takes that away bit by bit.

    Kuma
    Reply

    1. and that make them even worst than their past selves , it actually remind us that sybil is HUMAN , it may be a huge computer strap to hundreds of brains but it still , it retain so many bad quality from human or majority of human quality , Skynet are vastly superior in term of decision making also the MACHINE in the matrix , Sybil downfall is inability to adapt , it can improve , slowly but it will be unplug, JUST not in this season XD

      PeTdo
      Reply

  30. Everything I would’ve commented has already been said so I upvoted those… and big thanks to some of the comments that gave me a real good laugh. You guys are awesome, made my day.

    KJacket
    Reply

  32. I am amazed no one commented about the multiple Kamuis here.
    After this episode, I’m sure we haven’t seen the ORIGINAL Kamui yet. See those scars at the side of his face? They went under surgery to LOOK like Kamui, so to make it look like there are many of the same Kamui Kirito, all at the same place. Hence all the organs and face transplants. And since, as Jouji said, transplanting an organ means transplasting one’s psycho-pass, it’s no wonder the Dominator doesn’t recognize Kamui – he has so many organs from so many people(plus an contact lense with an Inspector’s eye), it’s just like pointing the Dominator to a crowd – it won’t recognize unless you point to someone specific.
    Now I just can’t wait to see the “last boss” who’s commanding all those Kamuis. Will he have the same face or will he be someone we know very well? Oooh the anticipation!

    Yuki
    Reply

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