PSYCHO-PASS - 21
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You know with all the death flags and tension, I can't help but get excited about PSYCHO-PASS' upcoming finale.
Since PSYCHO-PASS' style has been so familiar, the episode's events were not surprising in the least. Akane continues on her badass streak, all the while death flags get set, other get triggered and of course more literature is quoted. All in all, the epitome of Urobuchi's homage to the western sci-fi and police drama. If you've stayed with the series this long, you know what you're getting and you'd be pleased with this episode.
I particularly like the split screen time for all of the characters. Ginoza and Masaoka's might have led to a clichéd moment but you can excuse that given that it was only a small part of the episode. Yayoi managed to get a few lines - rare, right? - in the episode to bond with Akane, who ends up being praised for being a good detective. This was always a secondary plot for the series, so again no surprises that she would have gone from rookie to real detective in the span of the series. It also doesn't hurt that this accompanied the "will she die?" question that's on our minds, since we can expect either Akane or Kougami to bite the dust.
The impending death(s) do make Masaoka's possible departure - can't be too sure - just a warm up. As I said there was the cliché element of father and son making bonds on death beds, but it does also set up the final fight. Not to mention, it didn't feel like a cheesy exchange of emotions; you felt the emotion of the characters. We do get a glimpse of what we've been waiting for, but it'll be next episode that'll settle the Kougami vs Makishima fight (with blades) and bring PSYCHO-PASS to an end.
One can't dispute this episodes great execution. The final battle has started, the death flags have been introduced and all that's left is for our 3 main characters to clash. It's great that the episode did such a good job in setting up for a few different outcomes in the final episode. Even better, it's great that PSYCHO-PASS brought out such a good episode after an uninspired episode twenty. Now I have nothing but faith for the final episode. I'll say it once again: predictable yet great.