Psycho-Pass 2

davidbastias Dec 19, 2014

8

I loved the first season of Psycho-Pass, in fact it is even my favorite anime of all time. I have rewatched it countless times and believe it is a show that transcends anime. You can imagine my excitement when they announced that a second season was coming. Unfortunetly, my anticipation became to drop as I learned that Production IG would not be working on this season and was being replaced by Tatsunoko. Now I have nothing against Tatsunoko, they're actually a really good studio but they aren't Production IG. Then I found out that Gen Urobuchi would not be returning this season and would only be there to assist as an advisor. The new man taking his responsibilities would be Tow Ubukata. I'm actually a fan of Ubukata especially for what he did with Mardock Scramble but he isn't on Urobuchi's level. So although both of these things were going to slightly hurt the production, I still felt like the second season of Psycho-Pass should have still have been good right? Well Kinda... Story The story was by far the weakest part of this season and the most disappointing. We only got 11 episodes at the end of the day so it's not much to work with. I'm upset they couldn't find a way to get up to 13 because then the story might have been given more time to develop. There are some good plot twists (even though you can see most of them coming) and it still delivers on the action from the first season. The biggest problem with this season, is that the plot just seems too basic or too plain. The first season of Psycho-Pass had a plot that really went for it. It made you think and the things happening in the story seemed to tell a story far more grandiose. Although this season tries to do the same thing, it doesn't do the first season justice and even feels a bit ridculous at times. I really can't blame Ubukata for this though, he got screwed. Think about it, Urobuchi writes the first season then takes off to go work on Aldnoah.Zero, Expelled from Paradise and most importantly the Psycho-Pass Movie. I imagine Gen telling Ubukata, "ok, so I got the beginning of this story done and I know how I want it to end. Although, I don't know what to do with the middle so you go ahead and write it and just try to fit these things in so I can use it in the movie". I think Ubukata was held back with this series, maybe being restricted on what characters could do and how the plot could go. The Psycho-Pass movie which is a sequel to this season is being made at the same time so this season couldn't do anything that crazy that would alter the entire landscape of things. In the end it shows, we are left with a plot that has no effect on the Psycho-Pass universe besides our new characters or old characters getting a bit more development. I really think Ubukata did his best with what he got to work with and although it wasn't bad, it ended up being nothing special. Animation I don't have much to say when it comes to the animation. It's obvious that it doesn't look as jaw-dropping as the first season since Production IG isn't animating it and the budget is really going to the movie (again they set this season up to fail). It still looks good though, the city and landscapes look great. The fight scenes are well animated and it still looks amazing to see someone get blown up with a dominator. All in all, it's well made and still looks good. Sound I'll split this part in 2, the voice acting and the actual sound of the series. The voice acting is great, obviously you get the same actors like Kana Hanazawa giving a great performance just like they did in the first season. The new voice actors did an incredible job as well especially Ayane Sakura as Mika, she did a really good job with her and I think she has a bright future ahead of herself as a voice actress. Keiji Fujiwara as Togane was another great addition, the guy sounds like badass and always gives a good performance wheter he's voicing a father figure or a villian. I also want to shoutout Takahiro Sakurai (the voice of Makashima) for voicing Sho Hinakawa. He didn't have that many lines but it was cool to see him still involved with the series in a way. As for the music, Yugo Kanno is back and so are a lot of the sounds we are used to from the first season. It's an amazing OST and one of my favorite things of Psycho-Pass. As for the opening, Ling Tosite Sigure is also back! It's a catchy song and really gets you excited for the episode, while giving you that vibe from the first season. The ending theme is by Egoist, who we should all be familiar with by now. I love this ending theme and it's a song I will be listening to far after this anime is over. The sound was the best part of the season, it really stole the show.  Characters With Makishima and Kougami gone, the rest of the characters have really big shoes to fill. Akane is now our sole main character and I loved it. She really has matured from the first season and we get to see her develop even more this season. Something I really enjoyed was that they took really minor characters from the first season and gave them some time to shine like Aoyanagi, Shisui, Saiga and of course Mika. The other divisions of the MWPSB get more screen time this season and it's really interesting to see how differently they operate from Division 1. Mika Shimotsuki is a great addition to the team, she has huge character development through the series and is the saving grace of this season. I didn't want her to be another Akane and she isn't. She is the exact opposite and has different ideals entirely. I can't wait to see how she is in the upcoming movie. Sakuya Togane will probably spark your interest early and he has a huge role in the series. The staff did a good job going into his backstory and we learn more about Togane then characters we have known for a long time. I enjoyed his character a lot and was a personal favorite for me. My only problem with the characters was the main villian, Kamui Kirito. I didn't think he was awfully written, but he just wasn't a great villian, he wasn't Makishima. Kamui and Akane, didn't give me the epicness of Makishima vs Kougami where ideals where clashing and it made you question who was the real villian. To wrap this section up, Kougami and Makishima are such great characters, that with them gone it was too hard for the new characters to take their place. All though it tried, it wasn't the same. Psycho-Pass 2 had good characters but I wish it took that next level I was looking for. Overall Overall, I did enjoy Psycho-Pass 2. It wasn't a great written story but it was fun at the end of the day. If you overlook some of the things in the plot, you'll have a great time watching it. It hits a lot of the same beats the first season did, good action, great tense moments, well done characters, sound is amazing, etc. It isn't on the level of the first season but that doesn't mean it isn't a good anime, it's better then most things on this season. I'm not a biased fanboy, I can see and I admit the problems with this season. The fact that they were making the movie at the same time as the second season, with different production companies and different staff is ridiculous, and ultimately I believe that this season was set up to be a failure. Through all of it's faults, it turned out a lot better then it should have and I highly recommened it to anyone who watched the first season.

CaptainSlow Dec 19, 2014

6

What I Liked: Animation was good for the most part. Shimotsuki, and her evolution throughout the series from by-the-book faithful to a conflicted individual. The opening theme, along with its animation, had a great thriller feel to it. The ending theme. What I Didn't: Both the opening and ending themes leads you to think this series has psychological thriller written all over it. Characterisation was weak, leading many characters to be one-dimensional and completely uninteresting. Togane, and his evolution from mysterious possible-antagonist to laughable Mummy's Boy villain. The fact that this season lacked the imposing, dystopic feel of S1. Heavy reliance on shock and gore. The fact that the series seems to be confused as to what genre it should be. The use of Akane's grandmother as a plot device. Final Verdict: A muddled mess of a sequel, Psycho-Pass 2 attempts to be a psychological thriller, a futuristic cop-drama and a high-octane action spectacular but fails miserably at being all three. The psychological and philosophical intrigue of S1 is watered-down or practically non-existant, usually exchanged for gruesome mass-deaths or violence, and many of the characters suffer from a lack of characterisation or development. All-and-all, it's a disappointing and hollow follow-up to a strong first season.

toxshock Nov 18, 2014

9

Note: Don't even try to watch season 2 without watching season 1. You will be entirely lost! Based on 5 episodes Plot Based a year and half after season one 2115. In season two, Akane, now the leader of a restored Unit One including rookie inspector Mika Shimotsuki, Ginoza, who is demoted to an enforcer, Yayoi and two new enforcers, Sakuya Togane and Sho Hinakawa, face a new threat in the form of Kirito Kamui, another criminal mastermind who, just like Shogo, intends to bring down the Sybil System by exploiting its flaws instead of just wreaking havoc. Skilled in avoiding all forms of detection and capable of helping his supporters to keep their Crime Coefficients low, only a very few believe that he actually exist, including Akane. (Taken from Wikipedia, apologies for the laziness, very complicated story line) Story I would have been best served watching season one again, because for the first few episodes I was entirely lost. I am now up to episode 5 and I'm okay and the story, like season one is complicated, bloody, fast paced and tense. Brilliant stuff! Akane although she has vastly more experience now, still hasn't lost her humanity one bit, she remains calm, patient and has become a excellent leader, believing in her teams skills and intuitions, despite Mika disputing every word she says. My only critism is I miss Shinya Kogami and so hope he makes an appearance soon. Animation It's excellently drawn, very graphic, too graphic sometimes, I find myself having to look away at times. Characters are drawn realisticly well, with an array of expressions. I can't say I've noticed the backgrounds overly, and I think this because what's happening is so compelling, you have no time to take it all in. Sound These actors are really some of the best, not a squeeky voice in sight. Weapons sounds are realistic and loud, as well as traffic and urban sounds. Characters Every character has a back story, darkness and shadow pervades and haunts the enforces, whilst the inspectors live in fear of losing their clear coefficency. There is simply no laziness on the part of the writers with their characters, to make them as whole as possible. There isn't one that is hollow. This can however make everything a bit difficult to keep up with, but well worth the effort. Overall Fantastic, gripping, bloody, gory, tense, complicated, fast paced and very clever. One of my most loved series at present.