Psycho Pass & Psycho Pass 2

Number of Episodes: 22 & 11 (this review ignores the rerun 1st season compilation) and 1 movie

What Wipipedia says: The story takes place in an authoritarian future dystopia, where omnipresent public sensors continuously scan the mental states of every passing citizen. Collected data on both present mentality and aggregated personality data is used to gauge the probability of that citizen committing a crime, the rating referred to as that citizen's Psycho-Pass. Authorities are alerted whenever excessive ratings are detected, and officers of the Public Safety Bureau are dispatched with weapons called "Dominators", energy pistols that modulate their power in response to the target's Psycho Pass. The story follows Akane Tsunemori and Shinya Kogami among other members of Unit One of the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division.
 
What KoanMan says: Psycho-Pass is a detective/police action sci-fi that delivers on its brief. Supervising Director Katsuyuki Motohiro knew what he was doing when he employed the writer of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the talented Gen Urobuchi. Interestingly, rather than give director Naoyoshi Shiotani artistic carte blanche, Motohiro gave him a brief to ensure everything they did could be adapted into a live action film. Well-read creator Tow Ubukata's story has been brought to life in a cohesive, well defined and complex plot. Arguments for and against the control of the state are played out in a dramatic style that keeps one coming back for more each episode.

Character development is organic, with personalities being revealed "on the job", as Investigators, Akane Tsunemori and Noguchika Ginoza direct their attack dogs, the Enforcers, primarily Shinya Kogami. They track their villains through a Sibyl-sanitised, and somewhat frightening, future Japan throughout seasons 1 and 2, and venture overseas in the movie. The apt name may be an acknowledgement of the multiple personality book and 1976 movie, "Sybil". The references do not stop there, with everyone from Plato and Marcel Proust to George Orwell and the Bible, getting a look in. Characters are believable and dedicated, and present their part of the story's societal comment with very few light-hearted moments, which might make this intellectually heavy for some. Good news is, there is plenty of action if one prefers to sit back and simply be entertained. 

How About the Music? Opening and closing credits music is great in series 1 and the movie, though sound director Yoshikazu Iwanami may have gone a little too heavy with series 2. Otherwise, the music throughout is well suited.

So How Does it End? (Spoiler free): Both seasons 1 and 2 end satisfactorily though there is still enough in this rich world for more.

Overall Grade: A thoroughly enjoyable series, on so many levels. KoanMan gives Psycho-Pass a well-earnt A.

Addendum by tTPO: tTPO agrees. This is a series dense with ideas but with a distinct identity from Ghost in the Shell, probably its nearest comparison. There are some genuinely tense and shocking moments, moreso in season 1 for me, which I think mark a quality production. Season 2 was a bit weaker than season 1, but still well worth the time watching. A-.