#ginomika

[ppdaily]

Psycho-Pass Sinners of the System Clear file

[frankie-bell]

An Essay Exploring Psycho-Pass's Most Controversial Character

I know I’m opening a huge, slimy can of worms and potentially incurring the wrath of half the Psycho-Pass fandom, but I feel compelled to share my feelings on Mika Shimotsuki and how I believe she serves as a lightning rod for fan culture misogyny. Now, before I start, let me just say that this essay isn’t targeted at any one individual, and it’s just my personal opinion, which you are more than welcome to disagree with. I’d also like to stress that, despite my love for Mika’s character, I’m going to try my very best to approach this topic from an academic standpoint rather than an emotional one. I recently picked Parasocial Relationships and their effect on female celebrities and fictional characters as a thesis for my Gender and Media course, and it really got me thinking about this anime in particular, so here we go…

Let’s tackle the female side of things first, because it’s the one that shocks and disappoints me the most. Don’t get me wrong -- I think fandoms with a strong female presence are awesome, complex, uplifting, and oftentimes incredibly positive and inclusive spaces. I love being a female genre fan and interacting with other female genre fans. That said, I’ve noticed female fandom can sometimes fall prey to online bullying and misogynistic groupthink when it comes to (a) female characters they find arrogant, bossy, mean, etc. and (b) female characters who are positioned as potential love interests for their collective male "blorbos," "husbandos," "faves," whatever the term may be. These two things very often overlap, which I’ll touch on later, but for now, let’s talk about the first point.

There was a big movement online several years ago urging creators to “let women be mean. Let them be angry. Let them be petty and complex and difficult. Let them be messy.” I fully support this idea in both theory and practice and wish it were that simple, but unfortunately, it’s not, because uncomfortably large swaths of fandom don’t like/appreciate unapologetically mean female characters the way they do male characters. Men in fiction are allowed to be cutthroat, selfish, cruel, narcissistic, arrogant, and even evil without garnering even a fraction of the judgement that female characters receive for simply being “difficult” or ��unlikable.”

Take, for instance, Shougo Makishima. The Psycho-Pass fandom at large adores this character (myself included), despite the fact that he’s a remorseless sociopath who touts the importance of free will as a wholesale excuse for murder. He is a bad person, full-stop, and yet he garners love -- even sympathy -- in abundance. He’s the subject of fawning fan fiction, chibi art, thirst tweets, and endless Reddit analysis. Fans are capable of seeing him, murderous warts and all, as a product of the warped dystopian society Sibyl has created. But Mika? Nope. Just “a bitch, a whiner, an arrogant little girl who deserves to get slapped in the mouth.” (I am not making this up. These are the type of comments I see *female* fans making left and right about her character). She receives far more hate for giving up the location of Akane’s grandmother as a blackmailed, frightened teenager than Makishima does for slashing Yuki’s throat or blowing up Masaoka. Hell, she catches more heat for Akane’s grandmother than Sakuya Togane, the woman’s actual murderer and -- I can’t stress this enough -- a 41-year-old adult man.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking -- Makishima and Togane are villains, so their personality flaws (putting it lightly) and horrible actions are essential to the narrative and indicative of good storytelling. We’re meant to “love to hate them.” All correct, and yet this doesn’t change or excuse the fact that their standing in the fandom, when compared to the equally complex and emotionally fractured Mika, is textbook pernicious misogyny. But, for the sake of argument, let’s compare Mika to another character ostensibly on the side of good -- Nobuchika Ginoza. [Note: Ginoza is my favorite character in Psycho-Pass, and any commentary regarding his PP1 shittiness is made with pure love and appreciation for him and nuanced character growth in general.]

When we first meet Ginoza, he is rude, terse, unyielding, intellectually smug, and totally unforgiving of those closest to him. He’s a brilliant character, and his behavior, no matter how insufferable and seemingly cruel, is the result of compounded trauma -- the trauma of having his father ripped away when he was only nine, the trauma of being unfairly judged for the “sins” of said latent criminal father, the trauma of his mother numbing her pain with medication and eventually becoming something akin to a human corpse, the trauma of finding a new support system and best friend in Kougami only to once again be “abandoned” for the other side of the law. In many ways, he’s still a hurt child lashing out at the world, unwilling to see it for the complicated, morally gray place that it is, because being mad is easier. Telling himself that Enforcers are nothing more than dogs for him to guide and use as shields is easier. Blindly trusting the judgements handed down by Sibyl is easier.

In this way, he and Mika are remarkably similar. When she first joins the MWPSB, she’s a 17-year-old minor whose best friend (and probably first love) was dismembered by a latent criminal under the direction of a serial killer disguising himself as a teacher -- a trusted authority figure. She’s filled with guilt and self-loathing over her failure to act, and the easiest way for her to sort out her feelings and ensure the same thing doesn’t happen again is to harden herself to all latent criminals. Distrusting them, treating them as “other,” is her form of self-preservation. Yes, it makes her come across as mean, as closed-minded, as unlikable, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s good storytelling, and it presents her with plenty of potential for growth, which she is certainly given.

[Upon discovering that her best friend, fellow Oso Academy student Kagami Kawarazaki, has been murdered by Rikako Oryo, Mika breaks down in tears, blaming herself for the tragedy. This is the moment her distrust of latent criminals is solidified.]

But, unlike Ginoza (a 28-year-old adult man), over half the fandom decided that Mika was so awful, so totally unforgivable, such a “heinous cunt,” that they were unwilling to allow her the time and space to grow beyond her trauma and immaturity. But why? Is it because we’ve been taught to judge women, even fictional ones, based on a different set of criteria than men? I think the answer is obvious, and I urge fans who dislike Mika’s character with such intensity to seriously examine their reasoning. I don’t mean to say that she’s infallible (hardly) or that it’s wrong to dislike her. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and no one person’s take is more valid than another’s, but it’s definitely something to think about in the larger conversation that is media analysis.

Which brings me to Akane Tsunemori, someone who fits all the abovementioned criteria for a “likeable” female character. [Another note: I love Akane, and none of this is meant to disparage her. I am simply trying to point out that she’s a more easily digestible female when viewed through the patriarchal lens of pop culture.] She’s smart but not arrogant about it, strong-willed but never disagreeable, empathetic but not easily led by her emotions, and most importantly, she’s always kind to the fandom’s male faves. She is, in almost every way, trademark "Best Girl" material, and Mika is her foil (at least in PP2). She’s set up to be the anti-Akane, both in personality and narrative function. If Akane trusts someone, Mika doesn’t. If Akane wants to bend the rules, Mika is rigid in upholding them. If Akane isn’t afraid of clouding her Hue, Mika is downright terrified.

Though it’s never stated outright, she probably hoped her senior Inspector would serve as a mentor figure, yet we see none of that from Akane, who often abandons Mika to chase down seemingly wild leads and appears to be stuck in the past, yearning for the original Division 01. (Mika even says as much to Ginoza in a novelization of the first film.) On top of that, I think it’s important to remember that we’re predisposed to side with Akane, as she is both our POV protagonist *and* the hero of the narrative. We have unprecedented access to her private moments, motivations, and methodology. We know she means well and trust that her unconventional strategy will pay off in the end. Mika does not. All she knows is that her direct superior is habitually breaking the rules, overloading her team with what feels like excessive busywork, and ignoring the more bureaucratic side of the job in favor of unconventional/unsanctioned detective work. If I’m being perfectly honest, I would also be submitting concerned reports to my boss.

[When Akane blatantly disregards Sibyl's judgement of bomber Akira Kitazawa, talking him down from a Crime Coefficient of 302 to 299, Mika confronts her for putting both their colleagues and nearby civilians in danger. This later proves to be the right call, as Kitazawa attacks Inspector Risa Aoyanagi and escapes police custody.]

[While investigating Kirito Kamui, Akane keeps her suspicions/theories close to the chest, leaving Mika and the rest of Division 01 in the dark as to her game plan.]

[Although Akane's decision to entrust Hinakawa with all 185 Halos proves to be the right one, it's understandable why Mika is taken aback by her placing so much responsibility on a single subordinate -- especially one with Hinakawa's history.]

Now, that’s not to say Mika’s feelings about Akane are purely altruistic. She’s definitely jealous of her senior Inspector and resents her standing within the Bureau, which makes her behave in ways both petty and vindictive. But I’d argue that this, too, is understandable, if not wholly forgivable, when viewed through Mika’s eyes. Picture this: You’re the youngest-ever recruit to a highly coveted position. You follow protocol to a T, are deferential to your superiors, and show a genuine aptitude for the job. Even your callousness toward the Enforcers (again, your childhood best friend was butchered by a latent criminal) is in accordance with Sybil’s will. Shitty, yes, but standard for someone raised within the Orwellian hellscape of 2100s Japan. And yet, everyone around you prefers your senior Inspector. Your subordinates defer to her when you’re the officer in charge (Hinakawa) and even help her game the system (Ginoza). The Chief tells you you’re boring, but displays obvious favoritism toward her. This severely harms your self-esteem and colors the way you interact with everyone around you. After all, it’s hard to feel like a valued member of the team when you’re being undermined and lectured at every turn. This doesn’t excuse Mika’s behavior, and if she didn’t evolve, I might understand some of the hate, but she does evolve. Spectacularly. She’s just not Akane, and that’s okay.

[While dealing with the hostage situation in PP2, Mika notices Hinakawa working on something off to the side. When she confronts him about it, he admits that he's acting on Akane's orders, even though Mika is technically the officer in charge.]

[A similar incident occurs in Sinners of the System: Case. 1, when Ginoza shoots down Mika's (admittedly ridiculous) plan, which she interprets as him once again siding with Akane over her.]

Again, this is good storytelling at work, and you can acknowledge that these two women are diametrically opposed and still appreciate -- hell, even like -- both of them for the well-written characters they are. After all, most Psycho-Pass fans like both Kougami and Ginoza in PP1 despite their many differences, not to mention the fact that Ginoza is (and I say this with love) a giant asshole. Let’s not forget, he was *this close* to microwaving Kougami at Chief Kasei’s behest. You can tell yourself he wouldn’t have, but are you sure? Are you really sure? But we forgive him, because he’s a man. Anyway, back to Akane and Mika. For reasons I’ll never understand, many fans find it borderline impossible to love two women with beef, whether it’s one-sided or mutual. There can only be one Best Girl, and everyone better be on her team. It reminds me of the Sansa vs. Daenerys discourse that gripped the Game of Thrones fandom in its last few seasons. This is doubly ridiculous in Psycho-Pass’s case, because Akane and Mika come to trust, respect, and depend on each other. But people decided to hate this 19-year-old forever, so none of that matters.

[Notice how Ginoza's gaze narrows ominously in the last frame, suggesting he might actually have pulled the trigger, thereby killing his best friend, had Akane not intervened.]

Now, let’s return to my earlier point about certain fans irrationally hating any female character they deem unworthy of their blorbo, husbando, etc. This is where Parasocial Relationships become extremely interesting. As mentioned above, Ginoza is my favorite character in Psycho-Pass, which I think is pretty common. While I myself have never been one for self-insertion or creating OCs to pair with my favorite characters, I understand that it’s a popular trend, and if you enjoy it, more power to you. It becomes problematic, however, when those who engage in self-shipping/OC-shipping decide to collectively gang up on the female character creators have paired (or hinted at pairing) with the object of their affection. Enter GinoMika. Now, I know what you’re thinking -- “But Mika’s a lesbian!” I don’t necessarily agree. Do I think she was in love with her best friend at Oso Academy? Yes. Do I think she had a crush on Yayoi at the beginning of PP2? Yes. Do I also think it’s obvious she currently has feelings for Ginoza, which have been steadily growing since Sinners of the System? Absolutely. For this reason, I interpret her as being both bisexual and demisexual. But that’s beside the point --

The point is that many Ginoza fans who ship him with themselves, their OCs, or Akane (remember, she’s Best Girl) seem to enjoy trashing on Mika like it’s an Olympic sport. And when I say “trashing,” I don’t mean your normal yet still disappointing level of ship nonsense; I mean unhinged, violent rhetoric that makes me feel like the Internet is a place where women can never win. And why? Because she was mean to him when she first started working for the MWPSB? As if he was oh-so-kind to the Enforcers who worked under him. I seem to recall him screaming at his father and threatening to “make him pay” for visiting his sick wife without permission. Oh, and then there was the time he introduced Akane to her new colleagues by telling her, “Don’t think that the guys you’re about to meet are humans like us.” But yes, Mika once told him that she didn’t want his opinion as a latent criminal, which is so much worse. And before you can say that she’s still a bitch to him, let me point out that she is a textbook tsundere. That’s how she flirts, shows affection, etc. She can never come right out and say what she means, because that would make her vulnerable. But she can surreptitiously tell Ginoza he better come back alive by insisting he return her special Dominator. You know, because it would be a real hassle if she had to replace that thing.

[The language Ginoza uses when introducing Akane to the Enforcers, including his own best friend and father, is deeply dehumanizing.]

[When Aoyanagi takes Masaoka to visit his estranged wife, Ginoza reacts with explosive anger, reprimanding his father in front of their colleagues and threatening to retaliate should he do it again.]

Which brings us, at long last, to the male portion of the fandom. While many female fans like to call Mika out for her more negative character traits, completely ignoring any and all growth she’s experienced since PP2, male fans tend to direct their anger, dislike, etc. in a much more aggressive manner. I wish I was exaggerating when I say that I’ve seen multiple posts praying for Mika’s rape and subsequent murder. You can’t dive into a single “Season 4 Wish List” thread without finding at least one person wishing extreme ill on Mika Shimotsuki. It's pure misogyny, classic “I’ll fuck the bitch right out of her” rhetoric, and it has no place in this fandom or any other. You would never see a male character being talked about in these terms. Consider this: There’s more fan fiction featuring Mika being raped or coerced into sex by her tormentor, Sakuya Togane, than her having a positive, consensual experience with any other character. Love her or hate her, that is extremely fucked up. We as a fandom need to do better, because once this type of misogyny can be weaponized against fictional characters, it becomes much easier to use against real people. Fan culture, though it might seem trivial, says a lot about us and our values.

[This is just a sampling of the comments you'll find on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, and other social media sites.]

That said, I’d like to end this essay on a more positive note, so let’s take a look at all the ways in which Mika has become a better, more compassionate human being over the course of the series...

By PP3, she shows obvious concern for her Enforcers, values their opinions, and treats them like integral members of her team. In an especially cute scene, she even fist-bumps Tenma Todoroki after they work seamlessly to defeat Koichi Azusawa’s henchmen. She also makes a point to attend the party thrown in the Enforcers’ quarters, as she now longs to be part of the gang -- a gang she would have actively shunned in PP2. 

[During First Inspector, Mika shows time and again that she's willing to work with and for her Enforcers.]

[As Chief, Mika realizes that Enforcers deserve respect and gratitude from their superiors. They are no longer dogs to her.]

[In PP2, Mika tells Ginoza she doesn't care what the Enforcers think of her. By PP3, however, we see her display concern that her team might find her dull. She wants to be liked and accepted by them.]

She becomes far more flexible with her co-workers, allowing Inspectors Arata Shindo and Kei Mikhail Ignatov plenty of freedom to conduct investigations as they see fit. Yes, she consistently scolds them (textbook tsundere behavior), but this is done in a manner far more humorous than anything else. We know she actually trusts them and has their best interests at heart; she just can’t bring herself to say it aloud. She also repeatedly takes heat from Chief Hosorogi on their behalf and is genuinely worried for Arata when it seems like Sibyl might “eliminate” him. The palpable relief on her face when she finds out he’s allowed to remain an Inspector speaks volumes.

[Throughout PP3, Mika allows Kei and Arata to play to their individual strengths, even if it means bending the rules -- something she would never have done in PP2 or the first film.]

[Just look at that excited face. No caption necessary.]

She goes out of her way to make sure the immigrant prostitutes saved by religious leader Joseph Auma are protected following his death. This is an especially big deal, since many of these individuals are latent criminals, and Mika is forced to ask her newfound nemesis, Frederica Hanashiro, for a favor in order to secure their safety. When she tries to pretend it’s no big deal, Frederica calls her bluff by pointing out that no one would stoop to asking someone they hate for help in order to protect people whose fates they don’t care about.

[Even though Mika detests Frederica, she puts the well-being of the immigrants before her own pride.]

In Sinners of the System: Case. 1, her distrust of latent criminals is permanently altered after dealing with Izumi Yasaka, whom she works tirelessly to rescue and comes to view as brave, capable, and worthy of reintegration into society. She also displays genuine concern for and lack of discrimination toward Takeya Kukuri, the young son of a latent criminal, and is horrified to discover that the latent criminal inmates at Sanctuary are being used as disposable tools to move nuclear waste canisters.

[Sinners of the System: Case. 1 marks a decided shift in the way Mika views latent criminals. Instead of lumping them all together, she begins to see them as individuals who deserve basic human rights.]

[Even though Mika is unable to save all the latent criminals at Sanctuary, she does everything in her power to ensure Yasaka and Takeya walk away clean.]

When Enforcer Mao Kisaragi turns out to be the “fox within the CID,” Mika and the rest of Division 01 are united in supporting her claim of innocence. Mika trusts (without concrete proof, mind you) that she’s telling the truth about being an unwitting accomplice, something she never would have done in PP2 or even the first film.  

[While the old Mika would have been the first person to distrust Kisaragi, here we see her standing up for the beleaguered Enforcer.]

She comes to respect Division 01 (Akane, Ginoza, Sugo, Hinakawa, Kunizuka, and Shion), views them as a surrogate family, and misses them once their unit is disbanded. In Sinners of the System: Case. 3, Frederica Hanashiro, who temporarily worked as part of their unit, says, “CID Division 01… They’re not just capable; they have a rare teamwork that overcomes the barrier between Inspectors and Enforcers.” Yes, this is mostly due to Akane’s guiding influence, but it’s clear Frederica is talking about the whole team. It’s taken Mika years to get there, but she is now definitely part of the group, not a jealous outsider looking in. In fact, even Mika’s obvious dislike of Frederica in PP3 is a clear result of this affection. After finally finding a place to belong, she feels as though Frederica swooped in and stole her found family, leaving her right back where she started -- on the outside.

[Though she'll never admit it, Mika views Ginoza as both a mentor and a friend. When he leaves the PSB to join SAD/MOFA, she misses having him around.]

[During her lowest moment in PP2, a jealous Mika actually hopes that Akane's Hue will darken. In Sinners of the System: Case. 2, she pleads with her to take her own safety more seriously. It's clear a big change has occurred in the intervening years.]

[Instead of feeling constant competition with Akane, by PP3, Mika is finally able to give her her due. It's clear they trust and respect each other despite their many differences.]

She’s grown from an immature young woman who couldn’t bring herself to take responsibility for her failures -- most notably her involvement in Akane’s grandmother’s murder -- to a responsible PSB Chief who holds herself accountable for anything that goes wrong with her Inspectors and Enforcers. This is most evident in her reaction to Koichi Azusawa taking control of Nona Tower and subsequently endangering the lives of MWPSB faculty and agents. We first see inklings of this change near the end of PP2, when Kunizuka tells Mika she’ll never forgive the person who gave up Aoi Tsunemori’s location, and Mika responds in kind. It’s clear that she’s not merely parroting a response to save her own skin but is deeply troubled and filled with regret over her own actions.

[In PP2, Mika is constantly blaming others for her mistakes. By First Inspector, she's owning mistakes she didn't even make.]

[Mika trusts her team so much, she's willing to put her job on the line.]

[Although Mika doesn't come clean to Kunizuka about her role in Aoi Tsunemori's death, it's clear she’s haunted by it. Later, when she confesses the truth to Ginoza, he admits to feeling a similar guilt over the way he treated his late father, telling Mika they'll have to bear their respective shame silently for the rest of their lives.]

And lastly, I believe the biggest example of Mika's growth can be found in what is arguably her most important relationship -- the one she shares with Ginoza. Whether you view them as mentor/mentee, begrudging friends, potential love interests, or all three, you can't deny that they have one of the most interesting and entertaining dynamics in the series. As mentioned above, when Mika first meets Ginoza, she views him as a cautionary tale. His demotion from Inspector to Enforcer is her worst nightmare, something that could conceivably happen to her, though she'll never admit it. Because of this, she treats him with hostility, disregarding his opinions and shunning his advice. But the longer they work together, the more we realize that Ginoza brings out the best in Mika -- and vice-versa. His calm, cool demeanor tempers her fiery spirit, and her enthusiasm makes him feel like he still has a purpose. By the time PP3 rolls around, he's become her #1 confidant, the person she calls whenever she has intel to share, grievances to air, etc. And you can't deny that Mika is the one person who makes Ginoza funny. Their flirtatious banter is genuinely charming and shows the softer, more human side of both their characters.

[Given her history with latent criminals, Mika refuses to listen to Ginoza, even when he's coming from a place of experience and genuinely trying to help her.]

[After working together for several years, Mika learns to value Ginoza's opinion and even feels proud when he compliments her.]

[During the Sanctuary case, Ginoza admits to both Akane and himself that being an Enforcer isn't so bad, as long as Mika is the one calling the shots. He knows she has a good heart, and working for her reminds him why he joined the MWPSB in the first place.]

[Notice how Mika's body language changes from PP2 to Sinners of the System. She now looks at Ginoza with appreciation and, in certain instances, affection. The fact that he views her the same way speaks volumes about how far their relationship has come.]

If you made it to the end of this mammoth post, thank you for sticking with me. Hopefully, we can all treat Mika with a little more patience, kindness, and respect when PP4 arrives.

[chemicalreal]

When your bestie colleague is forced to relocate because of his new boss

[matherofdragons]

This frightens people here 🤣

Ginoza and Mika have canon growth and clearly something is going on between them.

I even saw someone complaining it's creepy and agp lmfao. News flash, it's fiction and their age gap is normal irl. Keep the Horrible Blonde away from Ginoza.

[saber-of-dreams]

Psycho-Pass: Providence - A Review

Well, I just go back from seeing Providence in theaters.

Wow. What an excellent movie. So worth the price of admission and the hour drive each way.

I'll do a more in-depth analysis of the story once it releases for digital and I can re-watch it at my leisure, but I wanted to get my first thoughts down before I get to sleep.

So: Non-spoiler version first.

If you're caught up through all 3 Sinners of the System movies, this movie will be a great segue into the next part of the story. If you've already seen Season 3 and First Inspector, as others have mentioned, this will fill in a LOT of holes.

I think each of our core characters get their moments in the movie, though the lion's share certainly goes to Kogami and Akane. They have a few great conversations in this movie, and I think by the end their relationship is on the most equal footing it has ever been.

Gino also has some wonderful moments. Not a lot of them, but enough that we start to understand who he is and what he is trying to achieve. He and Ko get a few moments to work out their...differences, and by the end, although he fails in his self-appointed goal (he and Ko both), I think it places him in a way that he will grow even further in the future.

Mika took a while to grow on me, but boy has she. I really liked her in this movie. There is one interaction she had with Gino that really made me chuckle, and overall, I really liked how willing she was to step up and move beyond the box she's always put herself in.

Frederica seems very intriguing. I hope we see more of her in future projects.

It was great to get an introduction to Kei and Arata, and to understand where they tie into this story.

Overall the plot was excellent, as always. There were several twists I didn't see coming.

I also have to applaud this series again for its excellent antagonistic characters. Because, in many ways, our antagonist was correct. Providence, indeed.

This series is in a lot of ways reminiscent to me of works like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley or to some degrees Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick, which I believe have both been referenced in this series. But it isn't so much the technological parallels that strike me , as the ability of the authors to understand where society seems to be going, and then writing the story to highlight the realities such changes would bring about.

We are facing this future now. With the rise of (primitive) AI technology in recent months, we're going to have to start considering the BIG questions. And this work is a great what-if scenario of where we could end up and the long-term ramifications of such choices.

Now to the spoiler version. You know the drill.

I really liked that Ko's attention is immediately centered on Akane when everyone is walking in. And his utter willingness to throw himself in front of an explosion to save Akane (again), just really made me love these two so much. The first phone call is great, because Kogami is lying to Akane (and also possibly to himself), and she doesn't put up with his bullshit. The second one shows his utter faith and trust in her. And that letter? God I loved that letter. The parallels. I think of all of them, though, my favorite scene of theirs was in the hospital room. I do very much want this couple to end up together, but I think it is oversimplifying their relationship to want them to romantically involved. There are so many layers to who they are as individuals and to how they interact together and apart that calling them romantic interests doesn't even begin to cover the first page. That all being said, I am really excited to see where this story goes and to how these characters develop.

Saiga's death was a true gut punch for me. He is one of my favorite mentor characters, and that death scene was just...powerful.

The reveal of Akira and the truth of his and Milica's stories was also very heart-breaking. It grounds the characters left behind in reality and propels the story forward, and each of them only get a few minutes and a few dozen lines to convey everything. Great storytelling there.

The final scenes of them watching Akane shoot Kasei, and of her being incarcerated while Ko is let free at the same time...the way Akane falls to the floor sobbing while Ko declares that he will set her free? Those moments are going to live in my head rent free for a long time.

I'm tempted to go and get a premium crunchyroll membership just so that I can watch Season 3 in English dub. Doesn't look like First Inspector is done yet, but hopefully here soon.

Okay, last set of thoughts and then I'm done for the moment.

Every character, from SIbyl to Ko to Gino to Mika, to even Saiga, seemed to put Akane on a pedestal. They commend her for her clear hue, for her sense of justice and morailty, her determination, and on and on. And I think it's interesting, because even after she shoots Kasei at the end, it's clear that those feelings do not change. Akane is not perfect, but she is willing to put everything before her sense of justice, and it makes her very compellig and powerful.

I'll probably do a deeper dive on Akane and Psycho-Pass in general at a later date, but for the moment it's almost midnight and I am tired. But thank you for reading my thought-spew. I'll get to a more polished version eventually.

[lemonadecandy103]

Where did that G**o and Fr**e scene come from?💀Since you have seen the movie I imagine you know what I am talking about.Like is that a ship bait or is it there to show K*u always shielding A***e from explosions isn’t something unique to them?Ngl I am hella confused..

Hello! The scene in question is a very short scene during the third act when Tonami’s base is collapsing, a pillar is about to fall on Frede but Gino pushes her out of the way, also falling over her and it looks like they make eye contact for a split second before getting up. It’s similar to Kougami and Akane’s explosion scene but less obvious and much less polished animation-wise; you wouldn’t even really notice it unless you look closely during that scene but yea, it did happen.

I think this scene was also unnecessary and used to confuse fans - particularly GinoMika and GinAka shippers as the fan engagement (especially for GinoMika) spiked after the SS and Season 3 installments. [In case you’re concerned about GinoMika, no worries, there was a really cute send off between them when Mika tells him to bring back the prototype dominator in one piece - THAT’S tsun tsun MIKA CODE for “You better come back alive baka!”

Hope this clarifies the sauce!

[white-queen-lacus]

I hereby suggest Shindou Arata to be counselor for Shinkane (and possibly GinoMika) next season. He's the right man to put them together! *KeiMaiko docet*

[geenozah]

Do you still ship ginomika?I am in my ✨ginomika✨ era after psycho pass providence and I am looking for comrades🥹

oh hell yeah brethren! i haven't watched any new stuff but is there any good news?!

[psychosimp17]

***SPOILER ALERT***

Apologies, but after now having watched the dubbed version of Providence and comparing some of the key scenes to the subbed version, there is SO MUCH WRONG with how most of the fandom was disappointed by and panned this new installment into the Psycho-Pass world.

#1 - Akane Tsunemori? Oh, that's a Queen playing her own moral hybrid of poker and chess while everyone else ((including Sibyl)) is wasting time with checkers and go-fish. 💅🏻

#2 - #Shinkane may not have slapped us all in the face in this movie like skme of the fandom wanted, but to say that Kogami was indifferent, cruel, or cold to specifically Akane is just a blatant and frankly absurd misconception. Indifference would not have told her three times how much faith he has in her. Apathy would not have given her until the last possible second to talk Tonami down before stepping in to save her. Someone cold would not have been SO relieved to hear her remind him they're teammates or be as adamant to join her on a mission forbidden by the system he had JUST received amnesty from with words like "as if anyone could stop me". And we won't even TALK about the barely concealed emotion (Rage? Absolution? Determination?) in his eyes when he walked out of Tokorozawa at the end, but no one is that militant regarding someone they're "indifferent" about.

#3 - I felt bad for Frederica a LOT throughout this movie. 🥺

#4 - I loved the growth we got to see in Mika and Hinakawa. 🥹

#5 - I could be *easily* convinced about both Sugino AND GinoMika depending on the time of day. 😅

#6 - Still convinced Akane and Shion have become besties by this point, and no one can prove me wrong. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#7 - My heart hurt SO badly at the empathy Ko showed Akira. 😭

#8 - And skipped a beat at the events with Saiga. 😭😭

#9 - And then cracked in half at Akane's letter and subsequent sob session. 😭😭😭

Honestly, I'm still processing over here and will probably edit this with subsequent rewatches over the next few days. But seriously, what a great movie that turned out to be, and I *WISH* I could see what the writers had to leave on the cutting room floor for time purposes. 🤯🙌🏻🩵

[pan-gya]

i want to clarify that i dont ship gino and hanashiro, but its certainly better than ginomika and i cannot believe how mad some people are about it????

oh no, gino has been given an age appropriate love interest, how terrible

[kkeke99]

ginomika through the years 🖤

[frankie-bell]

Would love to hear more about your classification of Mika as bisexual demisexual. I get the bi part but really curious why you think she might also be demi??

I’m so glad you asked! As someone who falls on the ace spectrum, I’ve always been drawn to characters who read that way as well. The first time I watched Psycho-Pass, I didn’t think much of Mika’s sexuality. I did note that she’s probably bi, given that she seems to have crushes on both men (Ginoza) and women (Yayoi, Kagami), but that’s about it. Upon second viewing, however, I noticed a few key things that felt incredibly familiar to me.

The first is that Mika, unlike Akane, Kougami, or even Arata, doesn't seem to experience immediate sexual attraction. In PP1, it's clear that Akane is attracted to Kougami long before she gets to know him personally. A clear example of this can be found in the infamous sparring dummy scene, where she (quite literally) gets caught gaping at his bare chest. Then you've got Kougami, who falls quickly into a flirtatious back-and-forth with Frederica Hanashiro after she shows up in Tibet, looking to recruit him for SAD/MOFA. And finally, there's Arata. In addition to remarking upon Shion's beauty a whole five seconds after meeting her, he is immediately smitten with Governor Karina Komiya after conducting a brief interview with her. Mika, by comparison, seems utterly unaffected by other characters' perceived attractiveness, regardless of whether they're male (Shizuka Homura) or female (Rikako Oryo).

Which brings me to the crux of my argument. Throughout the series, Mika appears to have feelings for three characters -- Kagami, Yayoi, and Ginoza. The first is her childhood best friend, the second is the person who offered her comfort during one of the darkest moments of her life, and the third is her most trusted protector. Each and every person Mika develops romantic feelings for is someone she trusts implicitly and, perhaps more importantly, knows intimately. This is textbook demisexual behavior. Note how Mika's crush on Yayoi doesn't materialize until several years into their relationship. Same goes for Ginoza. In the beginning, Mika can't stand him. But time and experience change her perception, and by PP3, he’s her #1 confidant. It’s only then that we see her blushing, stammering, and losing her cool around him. She’s attracted to him *because* she knows him so well. For prototypical people, there’s a spark of sexual attraction upon first meeting someone, but for demisexual people, it’s the exact opposite. Attraction and desire are certainly possible, but only after a strong emotional bond is formed.

I also find it interesting that Mika seems to eschew physical contact, unless it’s with someone she feels incredibly close to/comfortable with. Case in point, the scene in Providence where Atsushi Shindo touches her. When she hid behind Gino, I was like, “How (demi)sexy of you.” Granted, this is just my personal headcanon, so feel free to take it with a grain of salt.

[chemicalreal]

Psycho pass is officially back and so is ginomika shitposting

@matherofdragons

[matherofdragons]

I am letting you all know that Mika went to send off Gino on his mission in the new movie and was super tsun tsun about it. ☕

Meanwhile Shinkane got a hot elevator scene 🥵 but you didn't hear this from me.

[saber-of-dreams]

Gino and Mika

I remember watching SS Case 1 a few years ago and loving the dynamic between Mika and Gino. And then when Season 3 and First Inspector came out, I really liked the few interactions we had there.

I will admit it's been a very long time since I've re-watched Season 1 or Season 2, so I can't remember a lot of the background (though I certainly need to find time to re-watch).

And I get that there are plenty of people that don't like this ship, which is fair, but for me, they work with an excellent power dynamic.

Gino is the older, wiser man who is in a socially inferior position. He has experience and wisdom learned a lot in his fall from grace and subsequent rising. Mika is young, naive, impetuous, but she has a good heart. She has the social upper hand, but lacks the experience and maturity to handle some of the things that come up in her line of work. Even in Season 3 and First Inspector, she's grown a lot, but she's still not as wise and she could one day be.

They create an interesting equilibrium, pairing the characters together the way they did in SS 1. It made for an engaging story (for me). And it really highlighted both of their characters and the changes they're going through so well. Mika is learning to slow down and breath, to stop and consider the people around her, even the latent criminals, as human beings with wants and needs. She is learning to look before she leaps. And Gino is learning how to look at the world from a more realistic experience. In a lot of ways I think it mirror's Ko's experiences in Season 1, with the benefit that Gino already knows that Akane will treat him as a human being first and an enforcer second, and that dynamic is (slowly) rubbing off on Mika too.

I haven't watched Providence yet. Might go watch it this week if I can make myself do the hour drive there and hour drive back, but I'm not expecting a ton of new content for them. Mostly shinkane (just the teasers alone satisfied my thirst for content for them for literally years).

I am interested in seeing where this dynamic might lead in the future.

[lemonadecandy103]

so uhhh, I don’t think Frederica and Homura are as relevant to Shinkane anymore. Looks like they’re more a problem for GinoMika🥴. We’ve been had.