Psycho-Pass - 13

"Invitation From the Abyss"

In many ways, Ginoza was the star of this episode, and for once he didn't manage to piss me off.

After the backstory last time, we're finally back with Inspector Tsunemori and her team, and not all is well after Yuki's untimely demise. The MWPSB is on a manhunt for Makishima, and Gin has been to his superior in order to petition for an investigation into why Akane's dominator was unable to shoot Makishima. The woman at the head of the MWPSB holds a lengthy conversation with him, in which she discusses the merits of Sybil to society ("we have achieved the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people") and its shortcomings. For in as few words as she seems willing to use to downplay the system, she does admit that there are certain people, known as "criminally asymptomatic" individuals, whose Crime Coefficients do not accurately reflect their psychologies. Whether or not the MWPSB head is referring to those amoral people I mentioned earlier isn't very clear, but we do know now that there have been more than one case of people whose Psycho-Passes didn't rise in stressing and immoral situations, and Makishima is definitely one of them.

What I found of most interest here, however, is the mention of these "asymptomatic" people and how this description seems to fit Akane as well. She may not be a criminal, and she clearly has morals, but even after Yuki's death her Psycho-Pass held up incredibly well, and she's able to walk around calmly and do her job without much of a fuss. Of course, if Akane does turn out to be asymptomatic, then we have a problem; the head of the MWPSB makes it very clear to Ginoza that such individuals do not pose a threat to Sybil. Why? Because they disappear and cease to be an issue, always.

Ominous as that is, at the moment Akane has other things to worry about. She's volunteered for a Memory Scoop, where her mind will be examined in order to get a clear image of what Makishima looks like. Kougami (who is reading the appropriate Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad) is against the procedure because it means she'll have to relive her memories of Yuki's death, which can potentially damage her Crime Coefficient, but he can't do a thing to stop her from the hospital and none of the other Enforcers is able to convince her either.

It's interesting to note that Akane has hardened a little bit, growing closer to Kougami's personality as she tells Ginoza that she doesn't care if she becomes an Enforcer so long as it allows her to catch Makishima and get her justice. However, it's also reckless of her, and Ginoza can't understand how she's managed to keep her Psycho-Pass so clear even after she's through with the procedure. It's Masaoka, revealed to be his father at last (they even look similar, if you stare long enough), who explains that belief in the system and in her job is probably what holds Akane up. Questioning oneself and letting that hesitation interfere in your daily life is only bound to confuse you and, as is the case for Ginoza, stress you out. Unfortunately, that's what happened to Masaoka as well; he lost his belief in the justice system after Sybil was introduced, and his anger caused his Crime Coefficient to rise. For Ginoza, Akane is probably a little awe-inspiring, and he certainly holds more respect for her now than he did before.

As for the MWPSB woman, who successfully manipulated Ginoza into rescinding his petition, she seems to know more about Makishima than she let Ginoza know, and they even seem to share a physical resemblance...