Anime is not just about sunshine and rainbows, it is dark, it is gory and it can question existence as a whole. Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, Paprika, and much other older anime are only proof that this darkness is not new. So mangas and other works that are now part of the dark shonen trio and more only had their paths paved because of the existence of these more foundational animes.
It is only because of these anime and mangas that others also came into being. Some even take direct inspiration from them. One such gem happens to be Psycho-Pass. The anime is as stimulating to the mind as any other. However, it has its own dark side, one that left no stone unturned in exploring the horrors of mankind.
Psycho-Pass Explores the Inner Horrors of the Beautiful Mind
Naoyoshi Shiotani, the director of Psycho-Pass had a very specific goal in mind when wanting to bring such a unique idea to life. The anime was made as a result of the success brought by Ghost in the Shell, wanting to replicate the same but making something different along the way. The director, speaking during an interview at MCM London (via VK), had a thought-provoking revelation about the series.
I was interested in trying to express those psychological elements because people are more than just what they look like. The most interesting thing about people is what they think and what they feel, so I was interested in showing that. Also, nowadays people are restricted by intangible things like how many calories are in the food they eat so that was a theme. I created this new word for the series – the concept of mental beauty: it’s not about appearance it’s that you have a beautiful mind.
There is always more than what meets the eye. Whether it is for a book that shouldn’t be judged by its cover, or a film that has more to it than just the presented story. Layers upon layers, humans are like onions. They need layers. Not everything can be worn on the face. Not every heart is kept on their sleeves. The inner battles and conflicts dealt with by humans are full of complexities. They each feel differently, they express themselves differently. However, they feel.
For a series that is so extensively dark, it takes empathy to understand that not every mind that feels can express it beautifully; but that does not mean that every mind isn’t beautiful. Psycho-Pass is a dark show that does not hold back with the elements it proposes, similar to the way the mind is; uncensored and brutally honest.
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder
The darkness expressed by Naoyoshi Shiotani through Psycho-Pass was too much for the Chinese Ministry of Culture. The gore, the explicit content, and the constant crimes being committed were seen as a threat to Chinese minors, in fear of them adapting what they saw into their own daily lives. As a result, the series was banned from the country.
Not everything can be conveyed to an audience through simple means. Complexities are what makes them realistic. Psycho-Pass offered those complexities to a world that was too engrossed in their own personal bubbles, unable to see the worlds around them, those created by each mind they came across. This in-depth understanding and representation gave birth to an anime that was dark, twisted, and filled with the atrocities of humankind.
The mental beauty, as proposed by the director, holds great value in what makes a person more than just morally black or white. They are icebergs, and if not explored, may be judged too quickly and perhaps even unjustly.
Psycho-Pass is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
