The Futuristic Sci-Fi Anime On Disney+ Succeeds Where Minority Report Failed

Psycho-Pass is set in a world where Japan is governed by the Sibyl System. This system tracks brain biometrics and determines the Crime Coefficient, which determines how well people are doing mentally and whether they’re likely to become criminals. Those who have a number above the recommended level are either arrested or killed by field officers and labeled as latent criminals.

Season 1 of the show focuses on Akane Tsunemori, a novice inspector assigned to Divison One and left in charge of a group of latent criminals known as Enforcers. The team comes across Makishima, a deranged criminal who’s Criminally Asymptomatic, which means he has found a way to elude the system Japan depends on.

If you’re on the fence about watching Psycho-Pass, the cast might win you over. The amazing team of voice actors is reason enough to watch the anime, with people like Sakurai Takahiro (Beserk, Bleach, Code Geass), Hanazawa Kana (The Quintessential Quintuplets, Bungou Stray Dogs, Demon Slayer), and Seki Tomokazu (Cardcaptor Sakura, One Piece, Fate/Stay Night) voicing some of the main characters.

The team behind the scenes is just as accomplished. Urobuchi Gen (Fate/Zero, Bubble) wrote the story, while Motohiro Katsuyuki (FLCL Progressive, Atom: The Beginning) and Shiotani Naoyoshi (Blood+, XXXHOLiC) co-directed the episodes.

The story behind Psycho-Pass isn’t original. A few other films and TV shows focus on an idyllic future run by a system that doesn’t turn out to be quite as perfect as it claims to be. Yet the anime, which makes some bold choices early on, is one of the best of this rather specific sci-fi sub-genre.

Minority Report is easy to compare with Psycho-Pass, especially while watching the first two episodes. However, where Minority Report was full of plot holes and tried to cover far too much in a short two-hour window, the anime thrived.

Psycho-Pass, as a series, had a lot more time to build up the story, and that’s exactly what the show does. I loved seeing the characters and the Sibyl System on the surface in the first few episodes before it jumped right in and started delving deep into how the system works. The system, and later its failure, makes sense, even if I didn’t see it coming.

While the first season of Psycho-Pass did well, with an average score of 8.33 on MAL, the other two seasons weren’t as popular. They didn’t do horrible, with Season 2 getting a 7.40 and Psycho-Pass 3 getting a 7.44, but compared to the first season, they fell flat.

Part of the problem is that after the main antagonist in Season 1, most other villains and plots fell flat, and there was little to no character growth. Season 3, in particular, is a bit of a letdown following the original.

I didn’t mind the second and third seasons, but they definitely didn’t continue the hype. The first villain reminded me a lot of Moriarty from Sherlock or the Joker from Batman—a chaotic villain who really does have a point under all of their crazy. In comparison, the other plot lines and main antagonists, while decent, aren’t good.

I wasn’t drawn into the story of the later seasons. They were just a series to watch and not ones that swept me into the story, but I’d say they are still worth watching if you enjoy Season 1. For all of their faults, it’s only in comparison to Psycho-Pass Season 1 that they fall short; compared to other sci-fi anime, the whole series remains one of the best.

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Psycho-Pass Season 1 is available to stream on Disney+ if you want to see for yourself where the show beats out Minority Report. If you want to try out all three seasons and the movie, they are available on Crunchyroll as well.