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View Poll Results: Psycho-Pass - Episode 15 Rating | |||
Perfect 10 | 25 | 36.76% | |
9 out of 10 : Excellent | 24 | 35.29% | |
8 out of 10 : Very Good | 15 | 22.06% | |
7 out of 10 : Good | 4 | 5.88% | |
6 out of 10 : Average | 0 | 0% | |
5 out of 10 : Below Average | 0 | 0% | |
4 out of 10 : Poor | 0 | 0% | |
3 out of 10 : Bad | 0 | 0% | |
2 out of 10 : Very Bad | 0 | 0% | |
1 out of 10 : Painful | 0 | 0% | |
Voters: 68. You may not vote on this poll |
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2013-02-02, 14:01 | Link #81 | |
Dai-Youkai
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Vienna
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1. he is disgusted by what the system does to people and how people can turn so idiotic and he probably thinks, that if they act like sheep, they can just as well be treated as sheep. 2. He is the kind of person, who feels more suited for a world that is not this stable, controlled and BORING. He feels that in the old system, he would be more free to do "things".... not that it stops him from doing them now, as we see. |
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2013-02-02, 14:02 | Link #82 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
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Personally I believe labelling Makishima as the kind of antagonist whose only motivation is seeking entertainment is doing a great disservice to the character, and I know that I for one wouldn't be enjoying him as much if I felt that was all he amounted to. Not that "in it for the lulz" antagonists can't be fun, mind you, and to a certain extent I feel that Che Gu Seung might still fit that description somewhat (more so than Makishima anyway), but with Makishima I definitely get the feeling that he is someone who genuinely cares about the meaning behind his actions. I would go so far as to say that his end goal is precisely that - to restore meaning to people's lives, something he believes can only happen when they act based on their own will (and not Sybil's).
I agree with totoum that his "If there's something beyond the destruction, that's good. If there isn't, then I'll accept it" line actually reinforces the idea that Makishima genuinely cares, and if we go back to previous episodes, it's not the first time he's said something like that. For example, when Senguuji asked him if Rikako's motive for her crimes was revenge, Makishima's reply was "Well, I don't know. I hope she finds some meaning beyond revenge, though." The way I see it, that is exactly the same mindset he now holds towards this new "project"/operation of his. He cannot be certain that it will happen, but he does hope that what may seem like base destruction and wanton murder on the surface will come to bear meaningful fruit. Of course, if it doesn't, he will accept that outcome as well. That outlook and attitude of his actually resembles Akane's ability to accept the reality of things and not be brought down by setbacks and may be yet another hint to her "condition" not being so different from Makishima's. At the same time, and this facet of the character I'm not as confident about, but it is nonetheless something I see as a possibility, I would say that, as I mentioned earlier, this quest is also one of soul-searching for Makishima. And I think that if there's a flaw or weakness to be found in his otherwise impeccable character (not morally, of course), it would be that he's not so certain that he himself possesses what he said he wants to see in episode 11 - the radiance/splendor of people's souls. His words then were "I want to check and see if it really is precious." But if he himself possessed it, he wouldn't need to resort to people like Rikako and Senguuji and could have gotten his answer by pulling off those self-expressive crimes himself. But he doesn't, and that's why he constantly gives others the means to express themselves and why he observes them so intently - he's looking for that something which he feels he himself lacks and which he believes people in general have lost under Sybil's governance. The way I see it, many of his lines seem to indicate that, for all his claims of being a normal person, he's someone who's seeking first and foremost to understand himself (but then again isn't that quite normal as well?) and, to borrow the words of another of Gen's works, to find the shape of his own soul. For example, his "I've been wondering about it since my childhood" when Akane expressed disbelief at his pure white Psycho-Pass, or his lines in this episode about trying to think about why he reacts the way he does to the books he reads and that he considers them to be a tool to adjust your senses, i.e. a key to understanding himself. And that's what I think he gets out of the things he does on a personal level. He's doing what he believes is the right thing to do (restoring people's free wills and consequently restoring meaning and value to their lives), but at the same time his efforts and the allies and targets he chooses are all a means for for him juxtapose himself with others and thus come to find and understand himself. Because he lacks something himself (and that may be related to his connection to Sybil's Bureau Chief), he can only achieve that through the observation of those around him, and I get the feeling that he believes Kougami will likely be the one to contribute the most to that end, which is why it also wouldn't surprise me if his number one priority here was to have that potentially meaningful and enlightening confrontation with him. |
2013-02-02, 14:11 | Link #84 |
Deploying Funnel Cakes
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Shogo is a Batman/DC villain. Long winded, hyper intelligent anarchist sort.
He wants to tear down the system. He employs monsters and demons among the humans because they're the only ones capable and willing of fighting the system due to their lack of restraint and violent inclination. Everyone else is comfortable, the ones the system rewards will not fight. So he recruited psychopaths as his officers and those marginalized by the Sibyl system as his foot soldiers. |
2013-02-02, 14:14 | Link #85 | |
Deploying Funnel Cakes
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Where does the story take place? If the Sibyl system is not implemented in other parts, they would still find that they need to defend themselves from foreign aggressors. Where is the national government? No backup? Really? |
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2013-02-02, 14:46 | Link #87 | ||
廉頗
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Massachusetts
Age: 34
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2013-02-02, 15:02 | Link #88 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
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But of course that's up in air still, so perhaps more definitive discussion on this is better left for future episodes. |
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2013-02-02, 15:18 | Link #89 | |
廉頗
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Massachusetts
Age: 34
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And yes, you're right, we don't necessarily know where his character will lead to in future episodes. My viewpoint could be completely contradicted. Then again, it could always be kind of ambiguous and open for interpretation. |
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2013-02-02, 15:59 | Link #91 | |
Sensei, aishite imasu
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hong Kong Shatterdome
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Makishima is right in calling this a parody of a dystopia. It's got this weird combination of ruthless totalitarianism, yet it still manages to be incredibly wussy at the same time.
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2013-02-02, 16:05 | Link #92 | ||
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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2013-02-02, 16:13 | Link #93 | |
Sensei, aishite imasu
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hong Kong Shatterdome
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...at least I'd hope border security drones were armed lethally. Cause otherwise this is an entire country that could be conquered by a dismounted platoon of light infantry.
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2013-02-02, 16:25 | Link #94 | |||
Eaten by goats
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Rokkenjima
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Of course Makishima is a bad guy. They're not just painting him as bad, the things he's done make him a terrible person. It doesn't matter what his intentions are. We can't absolve him of responsibility for his actions just because of also thinking the Sybil system is bad. That's a really dangerous way of thinking. One of the things I find most interesting about the series is that we're being shown a dystopian society that is being presented to us as wrong, but the people trying to break down that system are also, due to the means they've chosen, being shown to be wrong. Having Sasayama and Yuki killed was absolutely not the only thing he did, but those things would still be bad enough that saying Makishima is not a bad guy because the "only" things he did were killing them is rather ridiculously dismissive of how bad those actions were. Murdering one innocent person like Yuki is, actually, enough to make someone a bad person. Quote:
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2013-02-02, 17:35 | Link #96 | |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Anything's possible, but I think an actual, normal totalitarian regime's more likely than one where those in power won't care about protecting their own power. The helmets are a clear and direct threat to Sibyl, which at this point is the basis for everything, including the power of whatever incompetents are running this society. They should be more likely to summarily execute anyone who's even seen one of those rather than worry about the niceties of their CC-based system.
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Last edited by Anh_Minh; 2013-02-02 at 17:47. |
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2013-02-02, 17:57 | Link #97 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Well okay Psycho Pass is a Totalitarian society but really it's not the people behind the state that are controlling everything, they are letting the sybil system do that.
So in a sense the society & government itself is weak, it relies entirely on the sybil system too. I don't know exactly what Gen Urobuchi is criticizing about Japanese society. I can take a guess but I feel I am too far removed that perhaps there is something lost in translation.
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2013-02-02, 18:13 | Link #98 | |
Senior Member
Author
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The Makishima quote that totoum made is basically why I think...
1) Makishima isn't doing this for just fun and games, as amusing as he may find some of it to be. 2) Makishima would prefer death/destruction over the continuation of the status quo, but what he'd most like to see is a world without a Sybil. A world probably closer to our own real world. To be fair, I think he's a complex enough character that people can reasonably and validly differ in their interpretations on him. Qilin, Vicious, and I may all seem him in slightly different ways, but I think that Qilin and Vicious (and hopefully myself as well) have reasonably solid and defensible views on his character. This is basically to say that I think that Makishima is still somewhat open to debate. Quote:
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2013-02-02, 18:26 | Link #99 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
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2013-02-02, 18:30 | Link #100 |
Bittersweet Distractor
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 32
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I think people are not really considering this properly. This is a riot, not an organized attack against their country/city. They gave a bunch of civilians helmets which allowed them to transcend the boundaries of the Sibyl system. The key being that these are everyday people starting up the mayhem. Totalitarian societies maintain control through fear, propaganda, and deception. They don't openly wipe out their citizens in the public - otherwise this would turn the public against them.
Naturally one might think that such a society should have the ability to easily quell riots, but logically why would the city have so much staff on hand of that kind? They have tried to remove human decision on police/law matters completely. The current agents are there only to patch up the few holes/bugs in the system. Otherwise they wouldn't have any agents whatsoever. What I think Urobuchi has been trying to get at constantly in this work is that this is a society that has essentially denied free will. Their inherent abilities are predetermined and measured by the system. Criminals are locked away before they can commit the crimes they may potentially do in the future. They do not have an actual choice in life. Makishima is trying to give back free will to the people, even if this manifests itself in the darkest of ways.
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