Psycho-Pass - Episode 22 (Completed)

It was inevitable that it would come to this, and thus Psycho-Pass' final episode sees Kogami facing off against Makishima in a no-holds barred knife and fist fight.  Can Akane reach them in time to stop this conflict turning lethal?

Yes she can, as it happens, although in the ensuing confusion Makishima manages to slip away once again.  Rather than immediately taking Kogami into custody, Tsunemori instead allows him use of her Dominator, switching this for his traditional firearm and allowing him to accompany her as they redouble their efforts to capture a fleeing, and now injured, Makishima.

Although it seems that Akane has gotten the edge on her colleague when it comes to making this arrest and ensuring that Kogami doesn't incriminate himself, it seems almost as if a higher power (and I don't mean the Sibyl system) has decided the fate of our two male characters - thus, it's Kogami who gets to achieve his goal, leaving Akane distraught.  Fast forward a couple of months and much has changed, although in the same sense nothing has changed - the Sibyl system still reigns supreme, and Akane continues to find herself torn between fighting for justice and fighting for a better justice than the one she serves now.  There's little time to consider this however, with a new recruit coming on board in the continuing fight against crime...

So often, a series can ruin a lot of its hard work by leaving things sufficiently open for a second season - not so in Psycho-Pass' case, which is clearly hopeful of being able to tell more stories in its world, but is confident enough to assert that a single incident or character isn't enough to bring about a revolution.  Thus, we're left with an immensely satisfying ending to the show's major story arc that both subverts and lives up to expectations, as a final reminder of just how self-assured it has been in its narrative.  Admittedly, sometimes it has been a little too cocky and full of self-importance in its ideas, but as a whole Psycho-Pass was a superb viewing experience - a top-notch crime drama with a thought-provoking setting and worldview that, for all of its literary quotes and philosophical, actually asked its deepest questions of society on a far higher level.  It might not be the true successor to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex we all hunger for (what could possibly take its place?), but that shouldn't undermine what is an excellent series in its own right.