[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Makishima's plan to take down Sibyl was well thought-out. Too bad for him Kogami managed to see thought it.

I think that Makishima is hoping that Kogami sees through it. In fact, I might even go as far to say that Makishima's main goal in all of this is to further test and challenge Kogami and bring their rivalry to a head.

Don't get me wrong - I do think that Makishima is sincere in his desire to take down Sibyl, and I also think he respects Gu Seung as a valuable ally. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be surprised if what Makishima is hoping most for here is to finally have that big confrontation with Kogami.


Imagine The Joker and The Riddler working together to bring down Jim Gordon and the GCPD. The Joker really does want to bring more chaos to Gotham and thoroughly destablize the GCPD, and both he and Riddler thinks this will be good for their criminal enterprises. But the Joker's big hope is that this stunt will draw out Batman, and lead to an epic confrontation with him.

Makishima is similar. I think that Makishima enjoys the idea of challenging Kogami (and perhaps trying to bring Kogami into Makishima's world) in much the same way that The Joker enjoys the idea of challenging Batman (and perhaps trying to bring Batman into The Joker's world).

I cannot help but root for Makishima on some level this time, since I am not a big proponent of the Sibyl system. Everything fell apart so easily this week.

I agree. I also kind of hope that Makishima succeeds. His methods obviously are pretty nasty for Joe Average Citizen, but let's face it - The damage has been done there, nothing's going to bring back the lives that have already been lost. Better for this mass riot to lead to the destruction of a horrible governmental system than instead for that destructive riot to be completely in vain, imo.

But whether Makishima succeeds or not, I think that next episode will be a great one. I love how its very unpredictable, imo. I could see Kogami totally foiling Makishima and killing him, and I could see Makishima totally succeeding and outmaneuvering Kogami, and I could see almost anything between. It's great to have a truly unpredictable narrative here.

Originally Posted by Vicious108

Indeed. Nothing like discussing your favorite literary works and authors and sipping some tea while human civilization crumbles down below you due to the chaos and destruction you've unleashed.

True, lol.

But, at least for me, it went beyond that. Ever since the first episode of Psycho-Pass, the Sibyl system has struck me as a bit... weird. Strange.

Don't get me wrong, I could imagine something very similar to the Sibyl system coming into existence in real life sometime in the future. And yet, as I watch Psycho-Pass week after week after week, I'm increasingly struck by just how much I find this system strange, and counter-intuitive to human nature.

Gu Seung indeed put it very simply and succinctly when he stated, "Those who are perfectly happy entrusting everything in their lives to some nonsense like that are the ones who're crazy."

Bang. That one line just perfectly captured my own misgivings with the Sibyl system.

Misgivings and thoughts like "Are all these downsides really worth it? Is all of the indignity that comes along with accepting Sibyl something that people should be willing to tolerate? Is what we have right now so bad that it warrants something like Sibyl?"

And as eccentric as they are in some respects, I honestly think that Makishima and Gu Seung do capture what most "normal people" in real life would think of Sibyl - "This is strange shit, dude. It's not worth it. I'll tolerate a little bit of crime in society and a little bit of uncertainty in life rather than embrace this sort of nonsense."



Now, as for my quibbles...

I find it odd that the same society that couldn't be roused to help that woman last episode are now so readily, even eagerly, turning to widespread violence. It's like this society has gone from totally deadened to very edgy with every man so eager and willing to become violent in self-defense. These people have gone from one extreme to the other, and in such a short period of time! They've gone from zombie-esque cowards to reckless vigilantes.

The way the civilian populace here has risen up to combat a perceived widespread threat is like something out of a NRA wet dream (especially that one scene where the honors students took down their helmeted kidnappers). Seriously, it makes me think a lot more America than it does Japan. It honestly makes me wonder if Japan is really so different from North American and European nations as I've been led to believe.

But in any event, it is a bit hard to swallow. I'm willing to go along with it, and I don't think its entirely unbelievable, but I hope Gen plays things a bit tighter the rest of the way.