Psycho-Pass 3

Oh boy Psycho Pass is back! This season was an absolute joy overall but I didn't have this view at the beginning.

This review will mainly be about perspective. How a series like Psycho Pass 3 grows overtime in quality from starting episodes to finish. SPOILERS for the season will also be given below so I can flesh out my analysis.

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A DISAPPOINTING BEGINNING?

Coming into this third season, I consider season 1 to be a masterpiece and I do not dislike season 2 compared overall to the fandom.

However, I struggled to get invested into these few characters at the start and their actions. Arata Shindou felt like ... a second rate version of Tsunemori. Same with Kei Ignatov for Ginoza. The new four main investigators and enforcers - Arata, Kei, Irie and Todoroki were really just like Production IG wanted to have this image like the original four character from season 1. Even though Irie was not really similar to Kougami and the same with Todoroki for Masaoka. Arata's desire to not kill anyone even terrorists was very forced and unbelievable. This occurred multiple times and it was an aspect of the character that was not appealing. Although predictable that his father was one of the antagonists, the story of his father was intriguing and the aftermath for Arata to deal with psychologically was interesting too.

Kei's character although I did not personally find him interesting, his actions were questionable - constantly getting angry at Arata that it was Arata's fault that his wife was put in danger by Heaven's Leap and sent to psychological care for Hue stability. To find out that Kei would help the enemy escape to ensure his wife would be able to leave the psychological facility was shocking in this action scene! And I really hope Kougami is able to have the last laugh with Kei in the next season! This was an example of characterisation which really grew overtime through multiple episodes.

When we finally saw Kougami appear in episode 2 it was also a bit anticlimactic. There was no real suspense when he appeared with the camera angles of the animation, just mainly he's here and he's working with foreign investigative service now! The election and Bifrost introduction was average. It was fine to watch even a little bit mystifying but we just needed to know more about these characters and factions later on in the season.

THE START GROWS ON THE FINISH

Here is where my praises in this season really start - around episode 4 and 5. I really liked the idea of this inner political faction, Bifrost trying to challenge to eventually overthrow Sibyl. And even the faction numbers and inner turmoil between party members within the organisation. Although not a new concept to the series to try and overthrow Sibyl, it was intriguing for an organistion to try and develop another way to evaluate a person's mental state, with this religious group Heaven's Leap but I wished it was further explained and given more scene time in the season. Azusawa slowly grew into a sly interesting and important antagonist in this season and for the future of the series. He was very cunning at times in his tactics against Sibyl and even in his political decisions with Bifrost.

The foreign group with Ginoza and Kougami appear here and there in discussions with Sibyl and action scenes with villain. However, we still do not know most of their motives, same with Tsunemori as well. I really just want the full backstory relating to how Ginoza and Kougami joined this group. Particularly as to why Ginoza left as an enforcer and what led Kougami to join this faction.

I really enjoyed Shimotsuki in this season. She is still a cunning, sneaky Inspector but I feel she had much more of a sense of humour and very understanding to decisions made by Arata and Kei even though she might not have agreed that it was the right course of action.

The ending with Yayoi after the credits of the final episode though! That was shocking and a little upsetting but a great cliff hanging for the continuation of this story!

This was a really solid anime season of Psycho Pass. A season which really grew in quality overtime. I am inclined to give this season a strong 7/10. Close to an 8/10 but doesn't quite get there because of the slow and average scenes throughout the first half. Although it grows on the second half, it is still a flaw in my opinion as to why the score is a tad lower. If I could give 7.5/10 on MAL I would be more inclined to! Thank you for reading my review.

Two new inspectors, Arata Shindo and Kei Ignatov are tasked with solving a fascinating case that just kept getting wilder and wilder. Also, a mysterious organization is in the mix trying to meet their nefarious endsIn classic psycho pass fashion, the story is tight and the central mystery, intriguing. However, also in true psycho pass fashion, what really shines through is the incredible world of the Sibyl system and the characters. For instance, i literally screamed when i saw Kogami Shinya, and incorporating Akane into the story too was a delight to see. That said, the new characters were worthy additions with the chemistry between ... Arata and Kei very pleasing to see and it is easily one of the most exciting partnerships in anime. Furthermore, psycho pass again did what they are best at: they gave us a solid villain. For anyone who knows me, you'll know that Shogo Makishima from S1 is still one of my all-time favorite villains in all of anime, but, i must admit thst Koichi Azusawa and the Bifrost organization also hold their own in that villain list. While Psycho Pass is mostly praised for its intelligent storytelling, people tend to overlook that impressive animation and sleek fight scenes. S1 had that glorious Kogami v Shogo fight snd S3 also had its fair share of incredible brawls (including one from Kogami that was absolutely fantastic). But, as usual, the plot did fly over my head a bit and i struggled to understand large swathes of what was going on (this might have more to do with my processing abilities rather than poor storytelling) At the end of the day, Psycho Pass S3 was an exciting watch and I'd happily recommend it to anyone.

The good thing is that compared to the movies this is a huge improvement. The bad thing is that it seemed like nothing could compare to the first season and after watching season 3 my opinion has not changed.
Season 3 happens after Japan has rescinded its isolation policy and is willing to accept immigrants. The story begins with two new inspectors joining the police force. One is an immigrant and the other is a mentalist - a person who can see mental thoughts from traces such as corpses and crime scenes. They attempt to uncover a complex criminal organization which uses a sophisticated chain of ... command to keep the hue of its operators clear. They tend to bend the regulations but need to be careful not to piss the chief too much with their creative methods.
Overall it's a nice story and for a change is neither a repeat of a previous season nor a bunch of people shooting each other without any other plot.
The major bad thing is, in my opinion, the complete change of the main characters. None of the original main characters plays a significant role in this season - Tsunemori apparently became a latent criminal and is only seen briefly in a couple of episodes, Kougami joined the ministry of foreign affairs and is also only briefly seen and the other enforcers have also changed. The only people from previous installments who play any mentionable roles are Mika Shimotsuki, the inspector from the 2nd season, who is now the chief, and Shion Karanomori, the analyst, who is the only person who retains her position since the beginning. Other than that everyone's new, to the point that the season feels like a spinoff rather than part of the main story.
Art and sound - Same as always.
Bottom line - It is worth watching but don't hold your breath.

It's no surprise to anyone, no matter how or when the name Psycho-Pass is brought up, the fandom is perfectly in agreement, season one gets all the praise, season two, let's just pretend it doesn't exist, and the movie, it's there. The fandom is mostly quote, and has been ever since the movie was out, but then, the trilogy SS Case movies were announced, and season 3 announcement followed shortly.

Season 2 left quite the bad taste in our tongue, and as much as we all wanted more of Psycho-Pass, we saw the trilogy as a filter fan service that we're not that much afraid of ... to further taint the reputation of the franchise, but then, the third season just confirmed a canonical follow up to the story. The fans were afraid that it would suck, worst-case scenario, more than season two even did, but hopefully, it did not.

Story (6.5/10):
To a barebone level, Psycho-Pass 3 tackles the same action detective thriller that makes up the identity of the franchise. It tries to apt-up the stakes to new grounds, it expands on everything presented on the earlier entries, however, it felt like it overwhelmed itself in its own lore and complex world that it's visible on the confused pacing it runs on. At times, it feels like the slowest slice of life out there with convoluted dialogue and boring background, but in other times it's head-on a sonic incarnation, lots of stuff happening and constant cut-outs to different places and times, it definitely requires more attention and effort to follow than it makes for an enjoyable watch. It feels like a chore.
Also, the whole supernatural telekinesis wizardry was a big cheat no-no for me.

Art (8.5/10):
Psycho-Pass has always had a consistent delivery when it came to the visuals, I mean, the studio behind it is a pretty capable one.

I feel like with this third season, it only reaffirmed how consistent it is visually, while it added nothing new to the formula, I would say it's just as good as it's ever looked. I guess the art style they go with doesn't allow for much, the realistic depiction of anatomy and environment is probably it's biggest quirk and restriction at the same time.

CGI has been utilized so much in the series that sometimes, the drawings would make up no more than 30% of the scene's composition, however, while not the best, it never looks too horrible, aside from the city-opened environment.

Sound (8.8/10):
Again, hitting us with an absolute party banger for an opening, the song is classy, and the visuals couldn't be more faithful to what we're used to.
The ending theme song is also just as good, very emotional, and nostalgic in a way.
The voice acting is, good. I wouldn't say spectacular just because talents like Seki Tomokazu, Sakurai Takahiro, Arimoto Kinryuu, and Hanazawa Kana were barely present if at all.
The OG OST makes frequent returns which us always a plus in my book.

Character (7/10):
Let's just agree that the first season, in both protagonists and antagonists, set up a skyscraping standard no just for its franchise but in the industry. Unfortunately, season two could not live up to that hype, and probably that was its biggest weakness, however, season three, along with the prequel trilogy did hammer it down to a decent degree.

Arata and Kei are a good addition to the rooster, however, they lack something. Arata is a fun character, very easy-going, and looks very approachable, with Kei being more of a “meh” mannequin, at least for the first half of the show until he receives proper focus and development.

The appearance of Kougami and Akane felt more like fanservice cameos than functioning members of the plot that can alter the events at display.
I would say Mika has found some redemption, not as close to being dislikable as she was in the second season, but maybe because she had minimal screentime herself.

Enjoyment (7.2/10):
If it weren't for the cherry experience, man, this would have been closed the first season. Not until the last 3 or so episodes, it did not have that defining Psycho-Pass mark, so the overwhelming majority of it felt very far from home. Another drawback, or at least for me, is the length of the episodes, I would have had an easier time if it followed the generic 24 minutes episode, because man does it become crazy and hard to follow given its 45 minutes length. And then there is the ending.

Overall (7.6/10):
Well, I guess, we did ask for more, I would say if you have the same mindset, go for it. However, I would also say, it is more difficult to follow and complex compared to what we're used to from the franchise, maybe because it's one giant case all through, unlike the “mini-cases that turn out to be related” kind of progression.
I mean, Kougami, there you go. Although, don't expect a full-on fashion screening from him.

Psycho Pass 3 really doesn't live up to expectations. Many elements in this season is extremely similar to Ouroboros (Manga). Shindou, Arata is pretty much Ikuo, Ryuzaki. Ignatov, Kei Mikhail is Danno, Tatsuya. Both Psycho Pass 3 and Ouroboros have golden watches. Plot is practically the same, with protagonist finding the truth of the web that the masterminds of society have weaved.

Some stuff that were done really well would be the animations on Shimotsuki, Mika. The directors really put everything they have whenever theres a chance for Mika-chan to shine.

Characters throughout the series are very well defined, however in this season, we don't ... get to see much of the enforcers doing anything. Cuz all attention is on Arata and Kei. These two characters get all the screen-time, and everything that goes on they are always there. Which is fine, and entertaining but the haphazard cuts really doesn't help with the already complicated plot with certain holes. I really hope in the 3 part movie (First Inspector), everything will be tied up nicely.

I wanted thought-provoking morality and philosophy. Instead, I got a strange mystery show with so many characters that was really hard to understand. There was strange political commentary about immigrants and fake news that wasn't developed. Immigrants and fake news were just mentioned. All the main characters from seasons 1-2 were side characters. The ending (episodes 9-11) did NOT feel satisfying because there was no foreshadowing done in hindsight. The big reveals were inconsequential. In fact, most of them were confusing. I did not understand the son's final speech to the female congresswoman. I did not understand how Arata and the third congressman arrived at ... their conclusions. On the bright side, if I turned my brain off, the visuals were gorgeous and the fight scenes were really cool. Arata was really funny and his hair and his parkour made him cool.