Before getting into that, though, I wanna talk sound and art. So, with Psycho-Pass, I don't pay attention to the sound that much. However, I did notice during this film that there were quite a few areas that either the music or the sound effects were used really well to set the tone or imply intensity in a scene or whatever. The art style is something I've fallen more and more in love with since the day I discovered Psycho-Pass, and this specific film had a lot of brilliant shots in it from the characters to the environmental shots to the action sequences. I will say, as far as the animation goes for this film, I think I picked up on something I didn't pay attention to before which is that the fight scenes in Psycho-Pass simultaneously look badass but also just a bit weird. I think it has to do with the fact that the movement can be a touch choppy and, when characters make impact with each other, the animation seems to slow for a moment. To be honest, I just feel like it's a stylized way to portray fight scenes that's specific to Psycho-Pass, and I don't mind it at all-- actually, I like it-- but it's something to mention. The choreography of the fight scenes is stellar as well, like always. That's a lot on art and sound, I understand, but these things stand out to me, okay?
So, by way of character development for this film (which was actually composed of three episodes, so I'm not sure why MAL doesn't say so?), in some ways it was done really well and in others it felt a bit lacking. There were areas in the third season that suggested things about the characters without ever explaining them, and this film did explain them, backstory and all, which was good. However, I don't feel like enough was said. Of course, that could come down to a plan for the future of Psycho-Pass, but I don't think that potential future plan would've been hindered at all if there was just a touch more development-- mostly for Kei and Arata, but Akane, I feel, should've gotten a bit more attention as well.
Speaking of Akane, I would like to hope for a future season/installment of Psycho-Pass that doesn't ignore Akane's past, and especially her past with Gino, Ko, and the Sybil System? That was one thing I was hoping this film would touch on that it didn't: what the hell happened in between the last time we saw Akane before she went to prison and where the third season starts? That, truly, was the only gripe I had about the story of this film. The rest of it was spot on. It answered the questions it needed to answer, it delivered an interesting twist, and the pacing was done very nicely. Of course, even though most of the third season was wrapped up with this film, it did leave some room for more in the future, so don't expect all the questions to be answered.
So, yeah, I think this film did a good job as a sequel to the third season; in a way, it was able to tie back to the first two seasons, at least partially, and we've got some hope for a future installment. It's just... Psycho-Pass, listen to me. Please stop ignoring the groundwork between Ko and Akane that you meticulously laid down for two full seasons and a movie, okay? Don't delay that branch of the world just because there's new characters now. Please, for the love of everything good about Psycho-Pass, figure out a way to make Ko, Akane, and Gino main characters again while also retaining Arata and Kei. Because, listen. That's the magic formula, alright? You gave us an amazing foundation and then revamped the entire series in a brilliant way. Combine those two things, and come back with a kick-ass installment. I'll be looking forward to it.
