Psycho-Pass - 12

"Devil's Crossroad"

Nothing necessarily wrong with the new OP, but... bring back Ling Tosite Sigure!!!

Psycho-Pass is back this week, though if you were hoping to pick up right where things left off, you'll find your hopes dashed. Akane is nowhere in sight, and neither is Makishima. Instead we get our first true backstory, as we're pulled three years into the past to learn about Yayoi Kunizuka (Shizuka Itou) and how she became an Enforcer.

As an amateur musician myself, Yayoi's story deeply resounded within me and I was left with a flare of righteous indignation and anger at Sibyl by the end of it. We've already been given indicators that passion is something perceived as dangerous by this society, and that those who become too obsessed with their interests are locked away as latent criminals. That's exactly what happened to Yayoi, an authorized musician who succumbed to her passion after meeting and befriending (possibly even falling in love with) a non-authorized one named Rina. It seems that because art can elevate one's Crime Coefficient, aspiring artists must be tested by Sibyl for aptitude and then only create works that conform to the standards it sets. That places a huge block on the creative process, and to Yayoi, it seemed that Rina and her band were in another world from her own because they ignored those limitations. After meeting Rina and understanding the differences in their art, Yayoi somehow found herself with a murky Psycho-Pass and locked up in a rehabilitation facility where even her humble request for a set of guitar strings went unanswered.

Determined to clear her Psycho-Pass through sheer willpower, Yayoi isn't happy to discover that the MWPSB is interested in recruiting her as an Enforcer, and it isn't until Kougami (still an Inspector at this point) bribes her with a set of Super Slinkies that she agrees to help out with finding a group of anti-establishment terrorists. She quickly proves herself a competent detective, using her street smarts to pinpoint two possible clubs that could serve as base for the group's operations.

What follows is probably one of the most important bits of information of the episode and perhaps even the whole series. There are several other Enforcers involved in the operation, but it's Mitsuru Sasayama, the Enforcer who was killed on the case that drove Kougami to the abyss, who stands out. His attitude toward the case is rash and hotheaded, and he shoots a member of the terrorist group in the middle of a packed club without even considering the consequences. He later taunts a man with a rising Coefficient, one with a hostage no less, and takes pleasure in killing him afterward. Sasayama is an important character, because like Aika in Zetsuen no Tempest, his death serves to affect those still living, and the fact that his somewhat twisted personality is showcased here so blatantly should raise some flags. I'd recommend bookmarking that bit of information for now.

The rest of the episode focuses on Yayoi and Rina, who turns out to be part of the anti-establishment group. What I found most interesting about the confrontation was that it was Rina I sided with; Sibyl truly has taken over people's lives and it has stifled everything that makes us humans, our freedom and creativity. Yayoi doesn't necessarily side with Sibyl, but for her it was never about politics or any of that at all; she simply loved Rina and her music and wanted to be able to share the stage with her. In a way, that's exactly why she ended up clouding her Psycho-Pass, and also why she felt betrayed enough that she tried to stop Rina and later accepted her position as an Enforcer.

It's unclear where Psycho-Pass is heading next week, but hopefully we'll get to see what's happened to our Inspector Akane in the aftermath of losing her friend.

OP 2 "Out of Control" by Nothing's Carved in Stone
Episode 12 Screencaps
ED 2 "All Alone With You" by EGOIST