General Impressions: Psycho-Pass, Shinsekai Yori, and Zetsuen no Tempest

Before I pick up episodic coverage on these series, I'd like to give a quick review on my general thoughts for each thus far.

Psycho-Pass 1-9

When you watch an anime written by Gen Urobuchi, you know you're in for a very interesting ride. Psycho-Pass is no exception. In less than ten episodes, we have a fascinating narrative which essentially forces us to ask whether psychopathy is a product of environment or an inherent trait that would surface regardless. In a world where people have their mental stability monitored  and enforced through technology, with that same system (termed "Sibyl") deciding what is best for each individual regardless of their own desires, you arrive at something of a necessary dystopia. The people in the world of Psycho-Pass have given up their freedom in exchange for security, an idea straight out of Thomas Hobbes' Social Contract Theory, but that security comes laden with all sorts of new threats. How exactly do we measure psychopathy? What counts as normal behavior and what counts as dangerous? Sibyl seems to have mathematically arrived at an answer by enforcing Psycho-Pass (Crime Coefficient) levels, but the problem lies in the fact that people are now persecuted not based on actual crimes they have committed, but on the potential for committing crimes. In a world where even high levels of stress can raise your Crime Coefficient, people have no choice but to live as listlessly as possible in order to avoid contamination. The suppression of individuality and choice leads to the need for escapism, and unfortunately in Psycho-Pass, that escapism is either perceived as dangerous or actually leads to the birth of psychopathy.

Inspector Akane Tsunemori (Kana Hanazawa) is a fresh-out-of-school "detective" employed by the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division who consistently has exceptionally clear Psycho-Pass levels and a high aptitude for almost any job offered by Sibyl. The only person accepted into the CID in her year, she feels that "those who can do the job should do it", but finds that she cannot quite stomach the way things are run. Inspectors are assigned a unit of "Enforcers," a set of "Latent Criminals" (people diagnosed with too high a Crime Coefficient level to properly function in society) for use as "hunting dogs," but Akane soon comes to realize that her Enforcers seem to be normal people, if only more perceptive when it comes to crime solving and capturing criminals. Indeed, she's cautioned by one of them, Tomomi Masaoka (Kinryuu Arimoto) that "when you stare at the abyss, the abyss stares back into you," and as high Psycho-Pass levels are contagious, Akane has reason to heed his words. In fact, one of the other Enforcers, Kougami Shinya (Tomokazu Seki), was effectively the Inspector that Akane replaced, after having clouded his Crime Coefficient through becoming obsessed with a particularly gruesome case involving the plastination of corpses. However, Akane chooses not to heed Masaoka's words and finds interest in the perception of her Enforcers, allowing Kougami (whom she shows romantic interest in) to teach her "old-fashioned" and potentially "stressful" methods of crime solving, such as profiling.

It's within this framework that the antagonist of the piece emerges. Shougo Makishima (Takahiro Sakurai) is the man responsible for the case which ruined Kougami's career, as well as the mastermind behind countless other cases. He operates by assisting other Latent Criminals in various ways, such as supplying them with the tools for their murderous interests. However, Makishima is not a black and white character. He seems to understand that society is dysfunctional, and to some extent his form of escapism is watching other Criminals carry out their own desires. As of the latest episodes, the series seems to be setting up for a physical and philosophical confrontation between Makishima and Kougami, and it will be fascinating to see where Urobuchi takes us from here.

Psycho-Pass Episode 1 Screencaps: "Crime Coefficient"

Shinsekai Yori 1-11

The second of two highly dystopian series this season, Shinsekai Yori is a difficult anime to talk about. Based on a novel of the same name by Yusuke Kishi, Shinsekai Yori ("From the New World") plays out exactly like a novel should. It's complex, occasionally controversial, and thoroughly riveting in a chilling way. Unlike Psycho-Pass, with technology driving the conflict, this is a future where humanity has regressed into something resembling feudal communities run on deceit, fear, and mysticism.

The people in the world of Shinsekai Yori have developed psychic abilities known as "Cantus," and children are sent to school in order to learn how to control and nurture their power. Yet from the very first, we know that something is wrong with this seemingly idyllic world. For one thing, we're shown various flashbacks to our time, where psychics are running rampant murdering "normal" humans. One thousand years into the future and non-Cantus users are nowhere in sight, and what's worse, there are mysterious rumors among the schoolchildren that users with weak or underdeveloped powers mysteriously disappear and that the Nekodamashi, "Filthy Cats" of legend, are responsible. Adults seem to know far more than they let on, and the children are all conditioned by frightful tales into being cooperative and obedient.

Saki Watanabe (Risa Taneda) is one of the few perceptive and questioning children in her village. Having been the last to graduate from Harmony School, she is excited to join her friends in the upper division, and her parents are highly relieved that she shows potential for Cantus. Yet Saki and her friends aren't satisfied with the explanations and rules that adults give, and during summer camp they travel into forbidden territory and encounter a creature known as a "False Minoshiro" which tells them about the true history of humanity.

As it turns out, the first instance of psychokinesis occurred in 2011, where a teenage "Shounen A" discovered he could mentally pick any lock, and proceeded to use his newfound ability to rape and murder several women. The PK spread and resulted in a bloodthirsty race of psychics who were unable to control their powers and desires, sending the entire world population into decline. A group of "Scientists" then intervened, genetically modifying and hypnotizing PK users so that they would be able to control themselves. As a direct result, the Cantus users began to self-select which of their own had the potential to be dangerous and removed them from their societies. The strict control of the village and the use of a "barrier" to keep the villagers from leaving is due to the fact that Cantus is a physical manifestation of the subconsciousness, and that humans with the ability to utilize this power can never fully stop the twisted ideas and desires from leaking out. The power that escapes causes the world around the user to reflect these human flaws, distorting it.

The knowledge the children gain causes them to be hypnotized by a monk into thinking they've lost their powers, and they're dragged into a war between Bakenezumi ("Goblin Rats") which they eventually escape, undoing the hypnotism in the process and returning to the village while pretending nothing happened. However, the adults were always aware of what happened, and two years later, Saki is warned that "they've just been delaying our punishment."

Shinsekai is a complex narrative, but what makes the anime stand out is its atmosphere and the inherent sense of wrongness throughout every episode. There's a sense of uneasiness in the narration, provided by an adult Saki, and a feeling that escape from this carefully constructed world is impossible, if only because the alternative is so much more terrible. The fact that this is a novel adaptation is obvious, with its commentary on the human condition and just what it is that constitutes our subconsciousness. Are we twisted and bloodthirsty because deep down inside, it's an inescapable part of humanity? Some of the more controversial portions involve the novel's take on sexuality, which it depicts as a social act, regardless of gender, that these humans are programmed to follow, like bonobos, in order to reduce stress. While unconventional in anime, this is a fairly literate device, and it's certainly not the first time I've encountered sexuality used as a vehicle for world and character building.

Regardless of how you feel about certain aspects of the series, the fact that this is an excellent work of insight into the darker nature of humanity and a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience outweighs any reservations I may have about how difficult this will be to talk about every week.

Shinsekai Yori Episode 1 Screencaps: "The Season of New Leaves"

Zetsuen no Tempest 1-10

If Zetsuen no Tempest has anything in common with the other two series in this review, it's that it is a brilliant work of style and atmosphere. While Psycho-Pass is an original work and Shinsekai Yori is adapted from a novel, Zetsuen no Tempest is based on a manga by Kyou Shirodaira. Perhaps it's a reflection of the original medium, but Zetsuen is the most dramatic piece of the three in the most literal sense. Drowned in references to Shakespeare (Hamlet in particular), boasting a fully orchestrated score, and utilizing grandiose dialogue whenever possible, the series borders on operatic, and it largely succeeds. As fantastic and unlikely as the story can seem, Zetsuen delivers itself with wit, seriousness, and most importantly, flair. As if to capitalize on just how dramatic it can be, the themes of Zetsuen are a different kind of philosophical from those in the almost misanthropic Psycho-Pass and the bleak Shinsekai. Rather than focus on the wrongs of humanity, we are given a more classical question: what is fate, and do coincidences truly exist?

The series revolves around two boys, Yoshino Takigawa (Kouki Uchiyama) and Mahiro Fuwa (Toshiyuki Toyonaga) who have been deeply affected by the death of Mahiro's sister and Yoshino's girlfriend Aika Fuwa (Kana Hanazawa, once again), who was murdered through unknown circumstances a year prior to the beginning of the series. In order to exact revenge for her unfair death, Mahiro sets out to find her killer, and in the process comes in contact with Hakaze Kusaribe (Miyuki Sawashiro), a mage whose clan has abandoned her on a deserted island in order to set forth a forbidden plan. Through the use of an enchanted wooden doll and a message in a bottle, Hakaze enlists Mahiro's help in stopping her clan in exchange for discovering the identity of his sister's murderer. When his hometown is beset by a strange disease which turns people to iron, Yoshino is dragged into the fray and ultimately decides to help.

Each of the characters have parallels to Shakespearean characters, as Mahiro shares characteristics with Hamlet, Hakaze with Prospero, and Yoshino with Romeo. Pervading the series is a sense of dramatic irony; we the audience are aware that Aika was simultaneously Mahiro's sister and Yoshino's lover, but Mahiro himself, who shows signs of having loved his non-blood related sibling, is as of yet unaware of these circumstances, and Yoshino is too calculating and understanding to simply tell him. The level of complexity increases when we're told that Aika was killed by someone in the Kusaribe clan, and that had she not died, Mahiro would never have helped Hakaze, who is otherwise powerless on her deserted island. Was her death planned by fate in order to assist Hakaze, the most powerful sorceress under the protection of her god, the Tree of Genesis? Was Aika involved with the Kusaribe clan?

If there's one obvious flaw in the series, it's that a great deal of it relies on conversation. However, that same flaw is also Zetsuen's greatest strength. In some episodes, the lack of action and the excess of explanation and philosophizing can seem a bit dull, but in others the characters can spend the entire episode without moving more than a few steps and the result is utterly captivating. The overall effect is of watching a play or opera, where little more is needed than people and dialogue to tell a good story.

Zetsuen no Tempest Episode 1 Screencaps: "The Mage in the Barrel"