I’ve been reading PP Novel and I have been thinking about his character. I noticed that it is quite easy to forget that he’s even there, because S1 Gino’s struggles are internal. We see characters like Kou, Akane, Pops etc because their struggles are external. We see them taking action or behaving for/against the system.
Gino is a complex character bc he doesn’t want to doubt the system. He believes that the system is perfect, and he has issues with his father for going against the system. I notice that he puts pressure on himself to be the ideal citizen, who hides all their stress and keeps their PP clear while serving a demanding job of an Inspector.
Gino excludes anything that ‘doesn’t fit in his system, or in Sibyl’. It includes behaving harshly with Ko, Pops and Akane. His internal emotions of betrayal and the feeling that everyone is leaving his side surface as lashing out and criticism of those around him.
In the novel I find out that he was bullied as a child due to his father’s job, all the way to high school where Kogami defended him from his bullies. Kogami was the only one to reach out and accept him despite him being a child of a latent criminal. Gino thought Kogami was his best friend and it was Gino’s dream to become an Inspector and Kogami ends becoming an Inspector on a whim. There’s also a point in the novel where he thinks their friendship was one sided and that Kogami did not care about him. Gino often deals with feelings of jealousy against Kogami (PP Zero) as Sasayama observes and is often working under Kogami’s shadow, since Kogami is popular for his intelligence and proactive approach. Due to which I think most viewers/readers underestimate Gino’s true intellect.
I cannot really talk about Gino without involving Kogami, Akane and Pops. His relationship to them is fundamental to how he sees the world. I noticed that Gino was trying very hard not to become like his father. His outward rejection of Pops, was like a rejection of a part of himself. He wanted to deny the side that would eventually suspect the system, and he was self critical to the point of it being detrimental to his mental health.
He often judges Kogami for his close ties with other Enforcers (Sasayama becomes a huge bone of contention between the two in PP Zero). Gino repeatedly warns Kogami not to get too close to the Enforcers and eventually ends up feeling betrayed and alone after Kogami becomes an Enforcer. I wonder was Gino’s warning wrong? It’s easy to dismiss him because of character bias, but was his precaution and his careful approach towards Enforcers wrong?
I must highlight that even Akane ends up letting him down. I believe that when Akane joined the PSB, Gino thought he would have a partner that would help him manage the Division with his vision in mind. Akane however ends up going against Ginoza when she gets too close to the Enforcers and this is something that Gino disapproves of because he doesn’t want Akane to become like Kogami or his father. He worries a lot about Akane and we notice that even she disregards him and is not concerned about the impact her actions would have on him.
Gino worries about everyone, but no one worries about him. Pops tries but Gino doesn’t want to acknowledge him. Kogami is too wrapped up in chasing Makishima. Akane is too focused on her values and ideals of the Law. And Gino’s Psycho Pass keeping going up dangerously but no one notices the impact that their actions have on Gino. As a senior Inspector Gino fails to command the respect of his Enforcers or even his peers. It’s not a nice situation to be in.
Inside him there is still that child that felt neglected when his father became an Enforcer, and he had to take care of his mother who was sick due to Eustress Deficiency.
Gino wants to be an Inspector and he has the ability to solve crimes and enforce the law. He is a brilliant detective like his father. He wants to advance in the Ministry of Welfare. But after 8 years of his term, Kogami leaves the PSB. Gino’s PP rises and after his father’s death it is irrecoverable. He becomes an Enforcer. It’s not a bad ending because he’s still working with Akane but Gino’s life makes you think that if the Sibyl System owes an apology to one person it would be Gino. I definitely classify him as an innocent victim of the system, where he really did nothing wrong. He didn’t rebel. He didn’t argue or question the system. He was the citizen that the System failed.
And if a system keeps failing its law abiding innocent citizens should such a system be protected?
Honestly my heart aches for Gino, I think he deserves a happy ending.
