Well, it all comes from the soil but through the processes, they end up being carbon-hydrates, proteins, amino acids and so on. I guess they can engineer it heavily, but the scene needed that kind of explanation. You cannot manage a healthy diet just with today's version of oatmeal, people would riot eating just that anyway.
Eh, I really don't see how people are alright with eating merely oatmeal, unless there's some heavy taste engineering. Like making its texture and taste like meat or fruits. But the amount of processing that much would be costlier than outright producing the real versions.
This is a rather different situation though, I'm rather willing to believe that they can engineer the DNA and process after harvest but hopefully that expert in the next episode will elaborate on how they do it.

There probably is very heavy taste engineering. Akane ordered food in earlier episodes and she was able to pick chinese, japanese ect styles.

I've been wondering for many weeks just how the series will end. Clearly, many people within the Japan of Psycho-Pass would find it exceedingly difficult without the Sybil System. There would also be a massive amount of resentment between the have and have-nots. Sure, it might be a prison but it's also one that most of the population want to keep.

So, how will it all end? Even before this episode I was wondering if we could somehow see Akane's brain enter Sybil and start reforming it from the inside. Seems even more likely now... but maybe the series will simply end with the total collapse of society or something instead :)

I am really surprised how educated Kougami actually is.

And still, education doesn't imply the same interpretation of information.

And Kougami's is quite inconsistent.

On the one hand he has spent his life as a stupid hunting dog and even accepting it, without actually giving much of a second thought to it.

When it comes to Makishima, he goes as far as putting his colleagues into danger, to kill Makishima. Shitting on laws or whatever:heh:

Wow, it's like he is twilight.

Similar with his prof.
While he knows Sybil is shit, he just isolated himself from it, instead taking actions against the system.
And while being at it, he even helps Kougami to hunt down Makishima, someone tp fight the system, he doesn't accept.

It's rather stupid.
Also, it seems that Japan is almost completely isolated from the rest of the world.

On a positive note: Kougami can't beat Makishima.

Great episode, and a perfect cliffhanger.

In regards to Sybil "recruiting" Akane for their own purposes, I don't think it's Sybil as a whole - if that was the case they would have likely have come in the form of the chief. Instead a drone came in the middle of the night and she's being communicated to through a Dominator. It's sneaky. Remember that the Sybil system is a gestalt system, one made of multiple individual human brains. While information is shared the individual personalities are still preserved. One of those personalities may have come to a different conclusion than the rest of the group and is essentially rebelling against the group consensus by not sharing everything anymore and informing Akane of the true nature of the system.

The best analogy I can think of is the Geth from Mass Effect. Individual processes share information so the Geth as a whole can come to consensus, but eventually there was an issue where agreement couldn't be reached and the heretic Geth faction branched off.

What made you think Japan can't survive without Sybil? It survived the warring states period, it can survive anarchy for a few years. There is nothing to reform; the system just has to be replaced entirely.

It can be achieved, but extremely difficult. Chances are, though, that a even worst type of government may replace it. Just look at what happened to Russia after the monarchy went down the drain or what happens after a colonial power leaves locals to their own affairs.

What is worse than absolute terror and police state where anyone can be executed at any time?

Please, do name a worse government. The Soviet Union was probably NICER.

The Sybil system is easily replaced. It's just 250 people doing whatever they wanted. Replacing the brains with normal human employees with oversight. and people would barely notice.

I agree with Enjou on this assessment.

On the topic of food, I think they still have cow farms and what not. Just 99% of their food contains some form of hyper-oatmeal.

Maybe one of the brains had a panic attack, realised the game is up, and wanted to secure his own escape before the mobs break down the doors? Many a tyranny had defectors who knew it's time to leg it.

Interesting, and a little unexpected.

Now, if I was writing this story, I'd move Akane down the path to becoming the champion of the Sybil system. There's nothing better than subverting someone to your side. :heh:

I'm betting that's not where Gen is going though. :/

Kougami is really a dumb character, dunno whether it is intended that way by the authors.

While he has all the knowledge and insight to understand Makishima, it has actually taken someone like Makishima to make Kougami use his brain and release himself from being a conditioned dog.

But at the same time right now he is putting himself above the law.

I can conclude that he has been fully aware of shooting down many innocent people before, but it has never bothered him enough to take any actions against the system.

And how do you do that? To someone who believes no one is above the law, least of all the law makers?

So Akane doesn't want Kogami to kill Makishima while Kogami doesn't want Akane to kill Makishima?

That's what would make it so easy, if that was where Gen wanted to go with the story. ;)

I think it more likely that this will be another miscalculation on the Sybil System's part, and be the final trigger to push Akane into deciding she can't follow the system she's believed in her whole life.

One ending would be very depressing, and the other would likely end on an uplifting note. Gen, despite his reputation, does tend to end on an uplifting note, so I'm assuming the house of cards is coming down by the time all is said and done.

Akane is not law bound to follow brains in jars; She is bound to follow the Sybil computer. The fact that the sybil computer doesn't exist is irrelevant.

The brains don't legally exist; so they don't have legal authority.

No time to cool down! Things are heating straight back up again with this episode :p

I really, really loved the whole "How would Makishima enter the conversation" scene. It would be really interesting to see those to face to face, having a casual conversation with no hostility involved. As the guy said, they're pretty similar and think the same way. A small taste of that was entertaining to watch and listen to.

I'm not liking the looks of that cliffhanger though, something is definitely going to happen next episode lol.

Is there a preview? I can't find one.

Psycho Pass: Literature and Philosophy majors are dangerous.

Intellectuals are the ones who plan revolutions. They might not end up with power, but they start everything.