Psycho-Pass Episode 7 Reaction

Psycho-Pass

It was a visceral hit to the gut.

A crime in the middle of a public scene. The shock of seeing this seemingly random woman being beaten over and over. The annoying, robotic voice of one of the drones asking if she's in distress. Telling her to seek mental care, as she's being raped and beaten. The crowd watches, stone-faced, some recording with their phones. No one helps her or calls for help.

It was absolutely heart-wrenching and frustrating. Tears came to my eyes at how unfair and how brutish it was, even for something animated and fictional.

Later, one of the detectives pointed out that no one helped because this act was so far outside the normal for the public to see that they probably didn't know what to do (I'm paraphrasing). I think it's such a bullshit answer honestly. I tend to think humans are inherently good and that if anything stops them in their tracks, it's just fright. Then again, the Bystander Effect is a real and studied thing. The cold and callous nature of the pedestrians, some of whom just seemed bored, though would suggest far more than just thinking others would help.

The Bystander Effect "Someone else will help him"

It made me sick. The system was in place to protect people like this victim, but because the perpetrator's Psycho-Pass was clear, no one intervened until it was too late. Yes, that public safety drone stepped in. But it was only to help the woman because her Psycho-Pass was becoming clouded. The horrific irony disgusted me.

And yes, hello, welcome to the point of the show. It's horrifying to think something like the Sibyl System was released with such a clear way to deceive the cyomatic scanners. Surely this potential issue was raised when it was implemented? Obviously, another major flaw, and one of Makishima's main points for introducing the helmets, is that the Sibyl System isn't built to detect suspicious activity or criminal actions--it's only built to detect changes in Crime Co-Efficient and Psycho-Pass Hue.

All of this culminating in this one scene was almost too much. I felt so overwhelmed with emotion.

I believe this is one of those shows where the good guys are going to break up the system, make a massive change, even if and when it causes them great loss in the process. They're foreshadowing it with Akane and they've already shown a history of it with Kogami. I believe the story is going to reveal this journey in a very messy and painful way though.

Also Makishima's not necessarily wrong. A lot of points he's made, in between the nonsense babbling he spews, are rational and even right. He said the display of public brutality was to demonstrate awareness of how the system works (or doesn't work), shining a spotlight on the imperfections of Sibyl. He's talked about the need for darker emotions and how it helps create art (in so many words). That people need an outlet for certain emotions (though you could also interpret that as a right to commit brutal acts but I don't think that's what he meant).

Shogo Makishima 

He's a creepy fucking weirdo who makes me feel very unsettled, but that's because I don't fully understand him. He scares me. I'm not sure what I would do if confronted with someone like him. I'm not sure what I'd do in Akane's position if he had my friend at knife-pointand I had no way to fight back. I'd like to think I'd find a way to fight. That I'd jump toward them. Find something to throw, even the Dominator. Something. But this world isn't about following your instincts; it's about obeying the authority.

I can't wait to see how it plays out. Tomorrow. Much later tomorrow.