I’m so slow on anime release news, I had no idea this even existed. Some quick notes.
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They say that one day, science may be able to solve everything in this world. Perhaps, there is a limit to human knowledge, and by extension, progress: there could be one day where the world has reached its maximum level of advancement. In a sense, Psycho-Pass takes this reality and runs with it: regarding the truth behind the Sibyl System. Not merely a system run by pure advancements in cybernetic technology, but one literally incorporating human brains. It grants these minds increased processing speed through parallel computing, a concept explored in manga such as the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. Simply put: together, they are god.

Psycho-Pass has always been about the fallacy of utilitarianism. Heralded often as the best system, its ultimate flaw lies in the definition of the ‘majority’. Just as the rioters from the previous episode moaned, those who never suffer under the system, do not understand its faults. Likewise, here we could say that 247 minds sacrificed their material beings to serve the country. It is the ultimate Yellow Prison project. From death row prisoners, to the cogs in the machine of society. With advancements in human-body technology even the loss of one’s original body is no longer anything to be worried over: it can simply be replaced.

Strangely enough, the system, despite its cold nature, somehow seeks to emulate mankind: the bodies feel pain, the system headed by human-like mascots, and even the complete abandonment of a standard gun to one that makes shooting seem like the wielder was an unwilling party – the system renounces its status as god, and presents itself as something that is ultimately human. This is what Kouzaburou embraced: the system is a hidden god. Yet here we see a triumph of the individual mindset over that of the utilitarian: the idea that one’s own personality, one’s own self should ultimately be of greater weighting than anything else, even the fate of society as a whole.

Psycho-pass is set in a futuristic, modern society. Technology has advanced to the point where it all becomes sci-fi: morphing guns, holographic technology, cyborg bodies. Through the use of the Sibyl System, society reaches maximum efficiency by making all possible decisions preemptively: the whole of society is but its own engine. Everyone is deemed to be a part. Everyone is assigned a role, and by extension, a fate.

This is exactly how Makishima becomes an interesting character: he is aware of his individualistic tendencies, his strong personality and the exact problem of the system. And in some aspects, perhaps this system is but a reflection of our current society: one that seeks to minimise tradition, maximise efficiency and eliminate risk. One that is becoming encroached by the advent of technology, technology that seeps into everyday conversation and practices. A society that is constantly advancing in terms of technology but seemingly retreating in terms of the progress of the human mind.

We are a society that wants to eliminate risk. We are utilitarian. We want to ensure the greatest success by doing what others have done: to follow set paths, like instructions, to the end point. When have we decided that society is a machine, not a collective? This is exactly what makes the episode so hard-hitting: what are we all, but cogs in the machine called God? For it is ultimately we who decide our own fates, yet we all work together to make it out of our own reaches.

PS: It’s interesting to note how they say that they are the only country governed by law. What has happened to the rest of the world? Have they all paid the price for not adopting the Sibyl System?

 The shape of the stuffed toy is phallic and the main characters are introduced via detailed zoom-ups on their behinds. I hope this isn’t foreshadowing for how the show ends..

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Here’s an excerpt:

About 55,000 tourists visit Liechtenstein every year. This blog was viewed about 330,000 times in 2012. If it were Liechtenstein, it would take about 6 years for that many people to see it. Your blog had more visits than a small country in Europe!

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