Tag Archives: Psycho-Pass

Anime/Manga, Opinion

Five Anime I REally Want to Re-watch

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Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

The fact that I have seen a least a few dozens memes related to this topic tells me that we are well into that phase of quarantine. Ya know, the one where everyone has tried all of the new stuff that people said they were going to do and has gone back to just re-watching their favorite shows. Yeah, well, I never really tried to much new stuff. In fact, this last season is probably the most amount of new anime I have consumed at one time. I know, I know, fake fan, I get.

But, hey, that’s kind of just who I am, I really like what I am already comfortable with, so for today, I thought I would go over some of the shows I am most excited to Re-watch in the near future. With that being said, lets get started.

Toradora!

“Toradora” is one that I have already started on again and, if I am being completely honest, I am not exactly sure why. At least so far, the show has the same decent qualities I vaguely remember. However, I can’t help but feel I was spurred on by a bit of leftover high school nostalgia and the legacy that the show has with long time anime fans. Like, do not get me wrong, there is plenty there worth watching again, but this is probably the series I want to re-watch the least at of these five if for no other reason than I am not sure how I will end up feeling about it on the other side.

Log Horizon

On the other hand, “Log Horizon” is a series that I have been meaning to re-visit for a long time now, as it is one of my favorite series of all time. The series was one of the first to come out of the early Isekai boom that followed the immense success of “Sword Art Online,” but had significantly more of a focus on worldbuilding and politics that I found to be much more interesting. It is a series that dares to questions fundamentally aspects of living and how those things work inside this video game world, something that a lot of modern Isekai do not even attempt, let alone succeed at. Plus, with the latest season just about to wrap up, and me having watched none of it, there will be a nice little surprise at the end.

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The Toaru Series

A lot of this list could just be boiled down to “x series has new material, therefore I would like to re-watch said series for full context” and it would be entirely true. However, the “Toaru” series is also a franchise that is just a lot of fun. Its confusing system of “magic” vs “science” powers combined with the weird jumps from the main character to side stories about other areas of the city makes it so that there is so much going on all at once. Like, its not good, but it does have its moments. Also, hot take, “Railgun” is significantly better than “Index,” just sayin’.

Psycho-Pass

If I were to do an anime studio tier list, which, in all likelihood, I probably will at some point, expect production I.G. to be fairly high up on that list. It will be for a number of reasons, obviously, but one of the big ones will be “Psycho-Pass,” a show that explores the ideas of criminal justice from the perspective of a futuristic society in which people are judged by a system that gives them a number from a gun based on how likely they are to commit crime. This show has a lot of re-watch value because of how intense some of its best moments are and also because with each passing day I am reminded of just how important this show’s message really is.

*stares in George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, and literally hundreds of other names have died at the hands of cops who only saw them as a crime*

America is kind of an awful country, huh…well that’s a separate post entirely.

Re:Creators

While there is not as much a focus on world-building, much like “Log Horizon,” “Re:Creators” questions fundamental assumptions about how its own world even works. Rather than hold your hand through some boring plot, it presents the idea that creators, i.e., novelists, video game creators, mangaka and the like are gods, and that their creations have now come to this world for some undisclosed purpose. For some that might not sound like the most original idea, but the series presents it in a way that makes it a matter of literal life and death.

What series are you planning on/are re-watching at the moment? Let me know in the comments below.

If you are interested in reading more from me, check under blog to read my most recent stuff, or look below for some related posts. Also, if you would like to support Animated Observations, consider donating on Ko-fi or through paypal, or pledging on Patreon. You can even support by just liking and sharing this post.

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If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Anime/Manga, OWLS Posts, Series

OWLS July “Technology” Post: Psycho-Pass, Technology, and the Reality of Privacy and Justice

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Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

I don’t have a whole lot to say for this intro, other than just introducing the topic for this month, which is Technology:

For this month’s topic, we will be discussing how technology impacts our relationships with others and how it improves our lives (such as in communication, education, and etc.) by exploring the technology used in various anime and pop culture worlds.

As always, be sure to check out posts from my other lovely OWLS friends who will be posting before and after me, and for this month that will be Aria and Takuto, and try checking out our posts from last month as well.

With that said, here is the post:

In an age where technological advancement has increased rapidly over a relatively small period of time, many take for granted that same technology and its wide-scale usage and application. Another thing people often take for granted are the values that technology holds. Now, many might respond with the idea that most technology is value-neutral, and can be used in both good and bad ways, but what if it was technology was determining and enforcing values?

Enter Pyscho-Pass, the story of a society governed and orchestrated by the Sibyl System, a technology that scans the brain and assigns a score based on a person’s likelihood of committing a crime. The main story centers around Akane, a new member of the police force assigned to be an Enforcer, someone who uses a weapon known as a Dominator to catch those the Sibyl System has determined to be a threat and even kill them if necessary. The main villain of the show’s first season is named Makishima, a man whose aim is to destroy the Sibyl system, and also someone who is able to avoid detection by it, due to being Criminally Asymptomatic.

It is easy to see the Sibyl System as just fantasy, and that nothing like it could ever possibly come to life, but, as this article from Purdue Global points out, with a rise in the technology used to commit crimes, there is also a rise in the technology used to stop it. For example, computers have enabled the widespread adoption and application of Rapid Identification Systems, store a wide variety of data related to a person’s criminal history. Technology such as Drones can even help stop crime in real time by giving police an aerial view of a situation. Now, in a lot of cases, these things can be considered good, and worth pursuing. However, the government and those agencies in charge of protecting citizens are not always as noble as they may appear. 

On the other side of the equation rest things like PRISM, a program under the National Security Agency (NSA) that was originally intended to gather intelligence on citizens of other countries. However, the reality of the program is quite different. In 2013, NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked information from inside the agency that suggested those working there had “direct access” to major technology companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Facebook, meaning those working at the NSA had the ability to look at millions of people’s data without them knowing. In other words, PRISM Constitutes one of the larges violations of the fourth amendment in U.S. history. 

The Sibyl System is similar in many ways. It is a giant agency free from outside pressure that is working to rein in criminals through extremely questionable methods. In fact, much of what actually determines a person’s “latent criminality” in Psycho-Pass in never really well explained, and at the end of the first season, it is revealed why. Akane, after a long battle with Makishima, discovers that the Sibyl System is actually made of brains of individuals who are also Criminally Asymptomatic. At this point, it becomes clear to Akane that the system she thought stood for Justice and fairness is, in reality, much different, and that maybe Makishima’s plan was not so crazy after all.

The reality is that while technology can be used for good, it can also be used by governments to help in the violation of people’s rights. Technology’s infinite possibilities, while tempting to pursue in the short term, should always be managed with a long term vision of having people benefit from it. 

How do you guys feel about Technology? About Pyscho-Pass? Let me know in the comments. If you guys would like to support Animated Observations consider donating on Ko-fi or through Paypal:

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If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

Anime/Manga, What Else Should You Watch

What Else Should You Watch?: Shin Sekai Yori

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If you’ve read my review on Shin Sekai Yori, you’d know that I consider it one of the best shows ever made, and for good reason. The shows complex dystopian future with a rivalry between psychic-powered humans and intelligent rats that humans use as servants. The focus on Saki and her coming of age story is one of the best-written shows to come out in recent memory. Being as that is the case, I’ll try to recommend shows that I think can at least get close to being as good.

Psycho-Pass

Psycho-pass 2

Even though I recommended it last week, it is certainly worth a second recommendation, for a couple of reasons. The first is an equally as interesting dystopian future about a world where crime is judged by a living computer, and everyone is assigned a number that determines their level of threat to society.

The second is the cast of interesting characters, especially in the main character Kogami and the villain. Their view of the changing nature of justice under the Sibyl System creates an interesting conversation between Kogami, Makshima, the show’s main villain, and Akane, who acts as our window into the world.

Samurai Flamenco

Samurai Flamenco

Weird is a word that I find can be a bit generic when trying to describe a show to somebody, but I honestly think it applies here. Samurai Flamenco, the story about a man turned superhero, is a show that on the surface appears normal, but by the time you get to the end, you’re confused.

Shin Sekai Yori has a lot of that same weirdness, except it makes sense within the context and scope of the story. Flamenco, meanwhile, makes unprompted cuts into different arcs with very little explanation to back it up. And yet, it works. Samurai Flamenco takes a “down the rabbit hole” approach with its writing, and seems to have paid off, as it remains entertaining the whole way through.

Steins;Gate

Stein;Gate.png

If there was ever a show that needed more attention, other than Shin Sekai Yori, it would be Steins;Gate. It really does surprise just how many people have not seen this show, and most of the time without a good excuse as to why not.

If you haven’t seen anime’s best Time Travel, then you really should. With solid animation, great music, and one of the best-adapted stories, It’s not something you should be missing, especially now that you’ve read about it.

What would you recommend after seeing Shin Sekai Yori? What do you think of the shows on this list? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!

Anime/Manga, What Else Should You Watch

What Else Should You Watch?: Durarara!!

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I wanted to challenge myself this week, so I decided to pick a show that’s much harder to recommend other shows for, and Durara is certainly one of those shows. It’s a lot of genre’s all at once, and that’s why people like it: because it’s noticeably unique. Sure, you have to have a huge level of suspension of disbelief, but after you’ve jumped that hurdle there’s so much uniqueness to appreciate, which is why this week’s post is hard. But regardless, here’s my best attempt to recommend shows based on Durarara.

Fooly Cooly

Fooly Cooly
Craziness = Fooly Cooly

If you loved the always busy, always wild feel of Durarara than this is certainly the show for you. Already being infamous throughout the community, FLCL is a show known for not making any sense whatsoever.

The story centers around Naoto, a boy who’s been left behind by his brother in their small town where nothing ever happens. Then, one day, Haruko, a bass-playing, Vespa-riding, pink-haired girl comes and changes his life forever. The two now have to fight to protect the earth. Also, Naoto now has a horn on his head.

In fact, crazy might not even be a strong word for this show. I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen this show in a long time, but the only thing that seems to appear in my mind when I think about it is the scene from the first episode where Naoto’s horn turns into a mech. Truly, I don’t think you could pack more random into six episodes.

Also, season two and three are coming soon, so there’s that.

Psycho-Pass

Psycho-pass
Source: Funimation.com

This might be a stretch, but also think the urban setting in both plays a huge role in their stories.

Psycho-pass is a sci-fi cop show where traditional means of evaluating a criminal have been thrown out in favor of the Sibyl system, where each person get’s a number that changes in real time based on the system’s evaluation of their threat to society. Officers can read these number by pointing their weapons at them.

Both Psycho-pass and Durara take advantage of different aspects of their Urban setting. Whereas Durarara focuses heavily on the large amount of diversity that is present in sprawling Urban centers, Psycho-pass focuses more on the large pockets of crime that exist in cities, largely due to the overwhelming amount of poverty that is generally present.

The question of whether or not someone is truly guilty when judged by a questionable system is at the heart of Psycho-pass, and the show works much better in the heart of the city than it would in the rural outskirts.

Sakurako-san’s Bones

Sakurako
Yes, a human Skull

Based on what I’ve seen on MAL, there are a lot of people who didn’t like this show or just found it generic. I, however, largely disagree. Sakurako-san brings an interesting, mystery detective story about a teenage boy and his favorite scientist

The story centers around Shoutarou and the title character Sakurako. Shoutarou is a high schooler who one day on his way home meets Sakurako while walking through the woods. Immediately, Shoutarou became interested in her and later learns that she is an Osteologist who helps police in solving crimes based on human remains.

There are a few things I’ll admit right off the bat. Shoutarou is not a ground-breaking, dynamic character, and nothing about the animation or music is especially high-quality. That being said, Sakurako-san’s Bones is still a wonderfully-interesting and worthwhile show. It uses the past as a way to tell the story of the present, and because of that, you get a lot of side characters who get considerably well developed for most of the time only being in one episode.

It is definitely reminiscent of the mystery elements of the first half of Durarara, so if that’s something you like, you’ll definitely enjoy this.

What did you guys think of these recommendations? What have you already seen? Is Sakurako-san’s Bones actually the worst anime ever, as I’ve heard some say? Let me know in the comments. I hope you all enjoyed. Thanks for Reading and bye for now, Friendos!

 

 

 

 

Anime/Manga, This Week in Anime

This Week in Anime: 11-30-17/Quicky Update

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Hey, Friendos!

So first thing: Update. This was originally going to be a video post because I got a lot of feedback from people telling me that they liked the talk show format, including Chizurue and Visual Joint, so thank you to them for the feedback. The reason that the video post is not happening this week is that between working on other posts and school this week, I’m trying to budget my time well. Also, my phone with the finished product died, and it won’t charge because the charging port won’t work, meaning I have no access to it. So there’s that.

Anyway, here’s this weeks news.

Made in Abyss Confirmed for Season 2

Made in Abyss
Poster from Deep in Abyss event. Source: Otaku Vines

During a Deep in Abyss event done for Made in Abyss fans earlier this week, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a second season. The announcement was made by the producer of Made in Abyss, as well as the main characters’ voice actors. The show’s production company Studio Kinema Citrus has yet to announce an official release date for the show, but it will likely be coming out in 2018.

Goboiano Conducts Poll on Gen Orubuchi Best Works

Gen-urobuchi
Source: Madoka Magica Fandom Wiki

Goboiano released the results of a poll they conducted on Saturday. The poll asked fans in their community to rank the best works of Gen Orubuchi, a famed anime screenwriter, and novelist who was the man behind shows like Phantom: Requiem for a Phantom and Fate/Zero. The results of the poll can be found here.

Bookwalker Releases Top 10 Light Novels of 2017

bookwalker_logo

Digital Manga and light novel bookstore Bookwalker recently released their top ten best selling novels of the year, and there are a few changes from previous year’s list. For the first time in two years, DanMachi is not at the top of the list, and one series has two separate entries in the top ten. You can find the entirety of the top ten here.

Women Faces Lawsuit for Selling Boyfriend’s Anime Collection

Recently, a Twitter user by the handle of @wkkazuyu claimed to be the victim of a robbery by his own girlfriend. A police report detailed the incident. The girlfriend, who had recently been kicked out of her previous living situation, admitted in the report to needing money at the time. She decided to take her boyfriend’s anime collection, worth about 810 U.S. Dollars. The girlfriend took that collection to a local shop and sold it. When the Boyfriend found out, he quickly notified the police. He was able to get the collection back but not before certain limited edition, unopened sets had already been opened. The boyfriend is now suing his girlfriend for damages. It is not known currently how much he is seeking.

What did you guys think of this week’s stories? What’s your favorite Gen Orubuchi work? What Light Novels have you been reading? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for Reading and bye for now, Friendos!