PSYCHO PASS 20 — Beyond Good and Evil

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I can mostly agree with Akane and Makishima here. Whether an action is labeled as good or evil isn’t as important as the consequences of said action. 

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But this certainly doesn’t mean that the Sibyl system is the universal standard of value that transcends ethics. That’s just ridiculous. Happen to walk in on the Sibyl system when it’s changing? Death! Get raped? Death! Start riots and kill thousands of people? Get appointed to a top government post!

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The Sibyl System is simply useless.

But where I’m uncomfortable with Makashima’s philosophy is when he claims that people who don’t make their own choices are worthless. This same idea is one of the many things that frustrate me so much about Maoyuu Yuusha. In that time period, most people didn’t have too much control over what their livelihood would be. It was usually the same as their parents livelihood. Even in our modern world, it’s a privileged class of people who are allowed to attend college and don’t inherit the same trade as their parents. Are people who don’t choose their own careers sub-human insects? Of course not. Claiming such a thing is absolutely despicable.

So yes, having the Sibyl System choose everyone’s life is morally indefensible. But people who live the lives that are laid out for them are human too.

PSYCHO PASS is not Moe

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PSYCHO PASS is not moe.

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PSYCHO PASS is not moe.

Further Thoughts

Akane has gotten the Sibyl System to agree to forgive Kougami if she captures Makashima first. I can’t help but fear that she’s made a deal with the devil. She’s supposed to be smart, but from what I’ve seen so far she’s no Daniel Webster.

It still amazes me that the police department has gotten by so far with such a small staff. I mean, even if the Sibyl System does most of the detective work for them, three teams for such a huge city just seems ridiculous.

22 thoughts on “PSYCHO PASS 20 — Beyond Good and Evil

  1. IMO, Akane is actually the same archtype of character as Madoka. A very improbably saintly and yet able human being of the sort that Urobuchi, in his stories claims that is needed to bring true change for the better.

    I won’t be surprised if her fate parallels Madoka – actually, I think Urobuchi took Madoka’s archtype, made age-appropriate adjustments to characterizations, changed the scenario that character was raised in, and the setting, and we got Akane.

    1. That’s an interesting idea. I think there’s a difference in their capabilities though: Akane is pretty darn competent, Madoka never really was. They are both somewhat saintly though. I wonder if that characterization would apply to anyone in Fate / Zero.

  2. It’s so good to see that after so many episodes, Akane has become the badass detective she aspired to be; Kogami would be proud; although he’s probably gonna curse himself for molding Akane into such a great detective when she starts getting in his way and drops the hammer on him

  3. The back door in that deal with the devil is obviously the qualifier: “Only once Makishima Shougo has been captured alive.”

    1. I believe so as well. I wonder if a random dominator will go off the second before she captures Makishima or something. But then Akane can always double cross them, so I’m not sure.

    2. Another backdoor would be that Sibyl System could capture Kougami and put him in one of those cages in their facilities for latent criminals. But I doubt this will be the ending.

      1. Yeah, pretty sure that’s not going to happen. Either he’s going to die or he’s going to become a brain (in which case he’ll probably still die). Or he could become Japan’s dictator or something I guess.

  4. I got a strange vibe from the dreamlike-sequence between when Akane was in the Sibyl System and when she was in the car. The way in which she was so happy at having to renounce responsibility and how she was crying with contentment lead me to wonder whether or not her experience is presently real (a stretch; one in which I’m none to confident). Perhaps she was taken unconscious and aggregated into the System (as the Sibyl System seemed to praise her on her virtuous sense of individuality and purpose); potentially explaining why she felt so happy (as all of the “criminals”, upon amalgamation, supposedly become a part of a tranquil, collective harmony).
    Assuming that she will eventually need to make a judgement on either/both of Makishima and/or Kougami, perhaps she is indeed a facilitator of Sybil’s judgement – and, given that she spoke of the Sybil System’s judgement system as flawed, she may have been perceived by the System as a necessary addition in the first place.
    However, insofar as I can recall, her Psycho-Pass is not “asymptomatic”; and this is sort of where the hypothesis breaks down unless something else is added into the equation (e.g. that human beings, like that woman who was being assaulted near the start of the series, are in fact dynamic enough that they have the potential to change their Hues in accordance with a shift in their own moral/behavioural paradigm).

    And maybe Deckard was a Replicant.

    1. That would be interesting, it could be a Matrix-like moment where they’re training to her to accept being a part of the system in an alternate reality of their choosing. You do have to wonder how all the criminal brains become such willing participants in the Sibyl system.

      I actually think that Akane probably is asymptomatic: her hue never seems to change, even when she’s witnessed her friends die. She just hasn’t had any criminal tendencies yet to actually prove it. This makes the idea that the Sibyl System wants to incorporate her even stronger.

  5. You guys forgot to talk about the lack of security. I have rolled my eyes in disbelief last time, when the main building of Sybil System is guarded by some few waist height robots, instead of an agent on par with James Bond. But what do we have this episode? An important facility which hold the secret of the hyper oat’s virus, didn’t even bother to have it’s ancient security system, such as retina scan and fingerprint, replaced??? Also they didn’t revoke the old fart’s access rights even though he has retired? Unbelievable!! I remember reading how somebody said that this story seems to be written by drunk college student. I can’t agree more here. You have disappointed me, Urobuchi.

    NB: compare this to To Aru Majutsu no Index, the director’s building is able to withstand nuclear explosion, has no door and window.

    1. Yeah, because it isn’t like in index there are people who can destroy the world at ease…
      I mean, what is angel really?

      You and many others who ask about security forget that in this world there supposed to be almost zero crime or crime thought for every single possibility of crime, except the irregular, will force you to get a therapy…
      Also based on how Japanese seems to isolate themselves, I won’t be surprised if the security is put solely on its border…

      Psycho-Pass certainly not perfect or isn’t made by drunk dark college student, but this one isn’t what you should question in possibility…
      Because this situation come from the basic premise…
      Or in index analogy, it is like complaining people like touma or esper not believing Magic in book 1…

      1. Sybil System itself knows very well that there are people in this world who can bypass it’s chromatic scan, albeit a few. Why didn’t it prepare a backup plan in case something like this happen? How could you find this believable? What’s so hard about putting laser guns which shoot any trespasser regardless of his P-P, because he enters a very important government’s building without permission?

        1. 1) Because those irregulars are rare, and if it exist Sybil has shown that they will absorb it. And so far they can absorb it without too much problem.
          2) Because they don’t need to. You don’t need to prepare for a boat in mountain simply because there are tale that giant flood which exceed mountain happened in the past. People like Makishima intention (to revolt) is akin to this ‘ancient tale’.
          3) Because threat almost certain come from outside society, it means the most efficient way to use ‘military equipment’ is to put it in the border instead of this far away place where the only way to destroy it mostly through airstrike or irregulars like Makishima. Irregular has been dealt with point number 1, possibility of the airstrike is minimum thus they don’t need to prepared for that (unless it has been stated that Japanese in war or something).
          4) If your counterpoint is the riot that happened several episodes ago, remember that it only has been less then 3 days since the attack, which don’t happen in this abandoned facility.

          Maybe it also just me live in a place where our farm isn’t defended by police officer, machine gun, or giant mecha even though my country’s people depend on rice as food, which base on people who argue like you, it seems a norm.

          1. “Maybe it also just me live in a place where our farm isn’t defended by police officer”
            Helloooo? How could you compare it to your regular farm in the boonies? This anime is talking about a centralized farm which provides food to all Japanese citizen! You sure you don’t want to put tight security measure to such place?

          2. I think having shoot on sight defenses is a bit extreme, but it doesn’t make much sense to leave a technology that could destroy your entire country’s food supply sitting around in an abandoned building. Still, it’s all for dramatic effect and this kind of hard to believe detail is something I’m able to set aside my disbelief for.

          3. @eternia
            Because rice is the staple food for my country and most of the people don’t want to eat (or can’t eat) without rice in their menu?

            Sigh…
            Well, I know this one comparison is a bit too extreme and unnecessary, so I apologize…

            Still, the problem with Psycho-Pass is merely unfamiliarity with the setting and how many other aspect of show makes it less likeable than it would be…
            This lead to questioning almost every detail as separate case…

            Like someone dislike Makishima quoting stuff and thing it ruin the whole cast, which is just stupid…

            For this one, the problem is, people know fear, know that they must suspect other people, thus they think it is illogical to have no security…
            But this world is like heaven where the Sybil act as God…
            They only fear Sybil and not to each other…
            And so far no one ever do the extreme that Makhisima did, thus our standard of security can be seen as unnecessary like it is unnecessary to prepare a boat when hiking…

            Sure things like “the mountain actually shaped like bowl so enough rain can happen” may happen, but how much the possibility of it to happen so you consider bringing a boat is necessary?

            This is a world where people can’t do crime normally and if people like Makishima appear, they will absorb in to Sybil, how much is possibility of an insider to cause riot?
            If it closed to 0%, then it better to put those security equipment to border of nation where outsider may come…

            Although there are also possibility that this lax of security is Gen clue to show that Sybil is incompetent…

    2. I’ve been wondering the same thing regarding the shortage of police officers. For such a bureaucratic, authoritarian society they seem to have very little resilience in their enforcement measures.

      And I guess I can accept Makishima being able to get past the robots in the Ministry of Welfare, but why would you house such critical infrastructure in an abandoned building, regardless of the security at the site? Seems like a recipe for disaster, even if it’s not intentional, but just some accident.

  6. Developmentwise… all I’m gonna say: ‘Bout damn time Akane evolved to badassery! yeah, it was almost at the end of the series, but… It’s about time!

  7. “Get appointed to a top government post!” I wouldn’t consider being reduced to a brain in a pot of liquid for all eternity as an attractive job offer. If it’s better than death might be worth discussing.

    “But where I’m uncomfortable with Makashima’s philosophy is when he claims that people who don’t make their own choices are worthless.” Agreed! Actually, having a good system making choices for you might not be an entirely bad thing. Choosing a career at young age is a difficult thing and a wrong choice comes at a high cost both for the individual involved and for society. Also, as I understand careers are not forced upon people in the PP society but instead they receive grades depending on which they have some career opportunities to chose from. Not much different from the world today, is it?

    1. I wouldn’t become a brain floating in a jar either, but it seems better than death. At least the brains themselves seem to see it as a reward. I think the one in the chief’s body claimed it was better than its’ old life.

      And yeah, the psycho pass system’s career development system doesn’t seem all that bad. As it is now, without an appropriate college degree you can’t get a job in many fields either. As long as there is a potential to ignore the test and do what you want, albeit with additional difficulties, and a potential to change careers in the future, the Sibyl system’s career choice system doesn’t seem like a bad thing to me.

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