Psycho- 2 picks up 1.5 years after the events of the first season. Akane Tsunemori, the protagonist who (much like the director of the show) was an unimpressive rookie in the first season is no longer the same scared greenhorn, but has become a polished and talented inspector exuberating the kind of self-confidence and poise that only comes with experience and knowledge.
Apart from the main character, only a few characters return from the first season, such as Ginoza (the former inspector who became an enforcer in the first season after a spike in his psycho- level), Shion Karanomori (the analyst) and jouji Saiga. Unfortunately, not much depth or thought seems to have been put into the characters. Even the returning characters disappoint, as in the case of Ginoza whose character was very well developed in the first season, but is just a bland and sometimes annoying distraction in the second season. This is just one reason why P-P 2 falls short of its predecessor, which had a far more compelling character development and exposition, especially in the form of Shougo Makishima and Shinya Kougami.
Like the first season, P-P 2 relies a lot on keeping the audience glued through shock-factor and mystery, egging the viewers by keeping them in the dark until the end. But unlike the first season which also focused on character development, the rivalry of the Makishima and Kougami (which many have compared with that of L and Kira, Tenma and Johan etc), and psuedo-intellectual/philosophical themes, the second season has little else to offer. Just like Makishima in the first season, Kamui (the ‘antagonist’ or rather ‘anti-hero’) of the second season questions and challenges the very foundation of the sibyl system and the societal order. And like the first season, the second one promotes the Hegelian dialectics and progress through synthesis of opposing ideas/forces.
Of course the thematic nuances differ a bit; the ‘Sibyl System’, which at one point is compared to the Benthamite panopticon penitentiary (a system where one watchman can observe and control all inmates through a central tower), judges and es orders for putting down or executing people simply based on their ‘psycho-’ levels (which is a combination of emotional/mental state, personality and the probability of exhibiting criminal/delinquent behaviour). Such omnipotent and omnipresent yet flawed construct with a God-complex raises some difficult questions, such as who will judge the God? Is Sibyl really that perfect that it cannot be judged on the same grounds that it judges individuals?
Psycho- was a show heavily influenced by works preceding it, particularly the dystopian science fiction works of Oshii Mamorou. The ideas explored by it were by no means unique or original; similar themes have already been explored before in numerous Books, TV shows, movies and anime. Psycho- 2 does not break free of the influences or the limitations set by the first series. In fact, one of the downsides of the second season is that at times it seems to be following the footsteps of its predecessor too faithfully in some respects, while overlooking some of the winning traits of the original. At times it turns into a pale copy of the original.
Art and Music are more of the same. Action sequences, however, have suffered a great dip in quality.
Overall, Psycho- 2 is fairly entertaining. Not great. Not bad. But something in the middle.
