Well right from the off Psycho Pass 3 actually starts after the events of the System Case files movies and well right from the off, ALOT has changed, for one, two new Inspectors are now in the limelight with Akane now on the run much like Kougami after Psycho Pass 1, Mika is now the chief of a division of the Public Bureau and we're back the usual case by case formula, just that a secret organization Bifrost BETS on whether the Inspector or the Killer will win in the background or something like that, it's never really elaborated WHAT Bifrost main goal is with their "games".
To this right, LA will say that Psycho Pass 3's writing had improved since the second season, yes it's not the same as philosophical as the first season but in terms of consistency and Psycho Pass 3 trying it's own thing especially in the world building, it's an improvement even if a little from the second season. Also LA is actually fine with Mika being Chief it's oddly good for her from the derailment of a character assassination she went through in the second season.
So with these two new Inspectors, well at least this season makes us get used to them and makes us sympathize with them, Kei Mikhail Ignatov voiced by Yuuichi Nakamura is a foreign Inspector and keeps Arata Shindou voiced by Yuki Kaji in check and since there are inspectors, they get their own Enforcers in which they too get a bit of screentime and development here and there from Kazumichi Irie voiced by Junichi Suwabe of being the delinquent and seedy side of the slums, Tenma Todoroki voiced by Akio Ootsuka being labeled a latent criminal in a family in politics and clear Hues thus a disgrace to his family to Mao Kisaragi voiced by Kaori Nazuka who had a past traumas that caused her to be labeled a latent criminal but turned inspector. For the most part the enforcers have their time in the limelight during certain cases and do we learn a bit about them and how they turned into enforcers, so it's something for the new roster of characters. Now uhhhh Arata kinda has a HUGE OP skill about him, in which he can go back and like astral project events that's happened as long as he can see it...yeah for detective work, it's kinda OP and Ignatov is the anchor to get Arata back from his visions, their kinda OP together and Ignatov is a combat specialist to boot. In a sense LA can see that Tow wanted Arata as an Akane surrogate with Ignatov as a Kougami surrogate. Yes the old original cast had been disbanded due to the System Case File movies but even they make cameos with Akane in the background getting her "judgment" by Sibyl and Akane has some connections to Arata at that. So our leading men is a clean slate for Psycho Pass has has some problems with the enforcers themselves needing more screentime but with the anime focusing on Arata and Ignatov's motives of being Inspectors but that's more of the detriment of this season focusing on the cases and generally with all the little subplotlines it just packs in the one hour 8 episodes it gives us.
What LA got out the new characters even towards all this is that with the disaster and multiple character assassinations of the core original cast, Tow thought to stay away but still keep intact their dignity as characters by making the core original cast be the pedestal for the new Inspectors and Enforcers as they help out immensely in the cases whilst in their jurisdiction of being in foreign Affairs, essentially Sibyl System International, another words Tow didn't make the same mistake he did with Shimotsuki. But to this end, LA just thought Tow wanted a clean slate much like Shimotsuki and added new characters into the world of Sibyl System so he would've of tainted any of the core original cast anymore, more evident of the System Case File Movies and Shimotsuki's improvement in this season as a whole at the offset.
Now onto Bifrost and what LA mentioned about them, Bifrost has it's strengths and weakness about it for this season, strengths as this feels like it's in Tow's wheelhouse as LA knows he directed Phi Brain series, but adding Bifrost as this blind spot in Sibyl System just felt off whenever it was brought up, like this is just LA but wouldn't the Sibyl System like NOT have ANY blind spots in it's own system or at least try to eradicate it before it grows like what Bifrost is now?. As much LA said the world building in this season was a step up, there are some flaws or nitpicks to it and Bifrost being the blind spot is one of them, like it extends to the fact that the Sibyl System let a criminally hued spot go free in one of the arcs (The run for Governor arc) as you know Sibyl would want to stop that and have EVERY part of the country being governed by the system let alone if a blind spot like a criminally hued spot be left out like this, it's pretty much cancer to Sibyl System itself. To the people who comes rushing to this flaw, no Akane is a special case as she's only ONE person and criminally asymptomatic, she's essentially the opposite of the Bifrost blind spots to Sibyl's eyes, a remedy as it were.
Tow's writing was improved in this season but not by much and LA wouldn't blame Naoyoshi Shiotani the director for this season, he was more or less given Tow's material and was told what he could do with that. Is this season's writing horrible?, no Tow feels more or less restrained and rightly so (with Makoto Fukami co-script writing this season) in not getting things out of control and utterly destroy Psycho Pass' world and it's characters and it shows with the new cast and some leverage to what can be done with the Sibyl System or to be more precise Bifrost.
The animation done by Production IG from the first season is back and well LA will say the animation is back up to par, with the futuristic city that Sibyl System governs. The character designs are good as ever and the background work is decent to sometimes mesmerizing. The fights are decent with some gunfights to some CQC here and there thanks to Kei. But it's Production IG and the animation really gets a pass for LA, great animation but expected from them.
The voice cast is back as well as some new voice actors, from Yuuichi Nakamura and Yuki Kaji as Kei and Arata respectively. On the new enforcers side we have Kaori Nazuka, Hioki Touchi and Akio Ootsuka as Mao, Teppei and Tenma respectively and they did their roles decently. The original voice cast is back thanks to their involvement with this season and they did their part, but since this is a new season with a new cast, the majority of the screentime is focused on Kei and Arata, yeah Yuuichi Nakamura and Yuki Kaji gets props, BUT LA's real MVP goes to Ayane Sakura as Mika Shimotsuki just showing a new funnier, better side to her and ALMOST erasing her Season 2 counterpart.
With the Psycho Pass franchise being splintered BUT all directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani, Psycho Pass 3 isn't the beacon showing that the Psycho Pass is back, more at the very least Tow is restraining himself with this season and at least Psycho Pass 3 mildly and conveniently forgetting the latter events of Psycho Pass 2 to patch things up. BUT with Tow wanting to rebuild Psycho Pass to his own vision using Kei and Arata, LA is worried even if this season showed he can do it...with his own fanfic characters inserted into the narrative of Psycho Pass, nonetheless Tow under the eye of Makoto Fukami seems not tarnish any of the core original cast anymore even all this and focusing more on Bifrost as his pet project away from the Sibyl System so that's something, whether it's good or bad is another thing to pass judgment later.
The only other problem is that this season isn't "finished' as per say, as Season 3 leaves things with the Public Bureau or to be more precise, Kei and Arata closer to Bifrost with Bifrost also being splintered by it's only two members left duking it out and THAT will be covered in it's OWN movies.
Psycho Pass 3 ain't Psycho Pass 2 levels of horrible, but falls behind the first season but NEAR the first movie and the System Case File movies.....in all....it's ok but LA is still skeptical about the future of Psycho Pass with what this season brought, for good or bad and thus "ok" isn't exactly a good jumping point for one of LA's beloved anime franchise this late into the game...retconned and resuscitated back to life but will continue be a shadow of it's first season or will get better?...LA do hopes so somehow.
