SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Contemporary Japanese popular culture is particularly rich in representations of utopian social imaginations that often reveal dystopian scenarios. The anime series Psycho-Pass (2012–2013), especially, is overtly aware of its everyday utopia, and of its inscription in the history of utopian/dystopian representations, in and outside Japan. In 22nd-century Japan, citizens live in a ‘perfect’, stable society, where a powerful government-managed network called ‘Sibyl System’ measures each person’s characteristics and assigns them to their appropriate job and social role. In a system where Japan has reached autarchy, crime rates have plummeted, as Sibyl can calculate the probability of individuals committing crimes, allowing for pre-emptive police apprehension and termination. However, the promise of this utopian society guaranteeing happiness and security is actualised on the citizens’ uncritical acceptance of the roles assigned to them. This suspension of critical thought, concomitant with a general presentism where the characters only concentrate on their repetitive present routines, is at the core of Psycho-Pass. The article investigates how these elements illuminate the anime’s dystopian side, finally highlighting its critical relevance vis-à-vis contemporary Japan.