Psycho Pass: Sinners of the System-On the Other Side of Love and Hate

Four years after his exile from Japan, Shinya Kogami continues to work as a freelance Mercenary in East Asia.  After saving a young girl from a bandit raid, Kogami finds the girl is determined to become his student and learn the ways of combat and revenge.  As Kogami begins to reevaluate how far he’s come since killing Shogo Makashima, discord in the region brings a new wave of violence he cant avoid…as well as a beautiful officer from Japan’s Foreign Affairs Bureau in need of his special set of skills.  This is where the road home for Shinya Kogami begins.

While I’ve stated multiple times that Sinners of the System feels like a huge apology to Psycho Pass fans for the abysmal Second Season, I didn’t expect all three stories to be a bridging point between the events of Psycho Pass: The Movie and Psycho Pass 3 (and by eventual extension Psycho Pass: Providence).  Sinners of the System has done a great job fleshing out or course correcting a lot of the supporting cast but the final chapter of this trilogy brings one of the franchises two main leads back to the focal point and it’s about time too.  Much of Psycho Pass’ overarching narrative is about Akane and her dealings with the Sybil System.  But Kogami is just as important to the shows success and it’s about time he got a solo story free of the others for a little bit.  That’s not to say that I don’t miss him being with his colleagues, it’s just good to get a fun little Kogami existential action romp as only this guy could deliver.
 

FIF#216-Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist

Welcome to the world of Tokyo 2030.  Here you will find nothing that can corrupt the mind and soul as everything that does so is outlawed.  This includes lewd materials, foul language and a ban on almost all sex education.  But there is one dares to rise against this oppressive mindset: the Blue Swan.  This vulgar and promiscuous terrorist raises Hell wherever she can and now she’s roped a poor freshman student into her plans to start an all out revolution of sexual freedoms and the will to speak as raunchy and wild as one wants.

 
Random question: has anyone ever seen the 1993 action classic Demolition Man with Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes?  I only ask because the world of Shimoneta feels very much in line with that vision of the future: a utopia where violence and anything that’s bad for the brain has been eliminated, oh and harsh language has been outlawed. Anyone who breaks these laws is fined for it (and honestly I forget if there was any larger punishment for multiple offenses).  It’s the kind of world Stallone’s cop out of time is prime to tear a new one with his old school action ways.  But Shimoneta isnt about bringing back the ultra violence, no it’s got something a lot more fun in mind and if you haven’t laughed your butt off by the end of the first episode, this might not be for you.
 

T5W#476-Top 5 Upcoming Netflix Video Game Adaptions

Well Netflix has certainly been hard at work, haven’t they?  Last week during GeekedWeek we got a slew of new trailers for upcoming animated project all centered around popular Video Game franchises, many of which I either follow extensively or are personal favorites that I’ve played.  I’d heard about a couple of these but one or two were total surprises (one in particular for all of us and in a very good way).  Could be a good time for Netflix to capitalize on their corner of the Video Game Adaptation market the same way Amazon and HBO have with Fallout and The Last of Us respectively and maybe not crash and burn as hard as Paramount did with Halo.  Anyway, let’s take a closer look at what’s headed our way with the Top 5 Upcoming Netflix Video Game Adaptions.

 

Psycho Pass: Sinners of the System-First Guardian

Before he became an Enforcer with the MWPSB, Teppei Sugo was one of the top drone pilots for the JSF, codename: First Guardian.  Not long after a military operation ends with the death of Sugo’s entire team, a series of Drone attacks rattles Tokyo.  Sugo becomes the prime suspect in aiding the true culprit, a ghost from his past.  As he works to clear his name, Sugo crosses paths with MWPSB Division 2 Inspector Risa Aoyanagi and Division 1 Enforce  Masaoka Tomomi, two individuals who will influence the course of his future.

In many ways, Sinners of the System seems to be acting more as an apology and a do over of Psycho Pass 2.  Seriously, you could just have Psycho Pass then Psycho Pass: The Movie, then name this trilogy Season 2.  Crime and Punishment already laid the groundwork for making Mika Tsumotsuki a better character and in First Guardian, the same is done for a another character I feel is kind of just in the background.  But really what makes First Guardian stand out more than the first part of this trilogy is the much welcome return of some familiar faces and with them, the same magic that made Psycho Pass’ First Season such a huge success.
 

FIF#215-Blue Eye Samurai

Japan, the 17^th Century.  Mizu is the offspring of a forbidden union: the product of a Japanese woman and one of four European men still left in Japan after it closed its borders to the outside world.  Shunned by those around her and abandoned long ago, Mizu now seeks revenge against the Man who wrong her mother.  Disguised as a man, she wanders the country.  Her main target is unknown but that will not stop Mizu from her mission and God help whoever dares to raise the sword against this Onna Musha: The Blue Eye Samurai.

 
Anime entirely CGI’d, I just don’t like it.  Even if the story is astounding and groundbreaking, if it doesn’t look appealing, I might touch it but I’ll always complain about the presentation.  It’s something Netflix has been trying to push forever when it comes to their slate of original Anime series and movies.  So why am I all set and ready to walk the path of vengeance with the Blue Eye Samurai?  Well for starters it isnt a Japanese Anime but rather an Animated Series from France that takes great influence from my favorite medium.  And second, it’s just really, really damn good.