Psycho-Pass 3 is a direct sequel to Psycho-Pass 2 but featuring a new cast to focus upon. That isn’t to say that familiar faces from the previous systems won’t show up. It is eight episodes long but each one is around 46 minutes. It takes place in the future where the Sibyl System in Japan helps keep peace and the country stable. It is noted that this is the only reason that Japan is still so well off in this age. The Sibyl System is somewhat controversial since it predetermines whether a person is going to commit a crime before they do. They base this off several factors and then distill it into a single number called a Crime Coefficient, or Psycho-Pass.
The anime opens up with the crash of a transport drone which resulted in the death of a civilian. While it was originally thought of as an accident, the Enforcers who are sent to investigate uncover that it is at the very least, suspicious. Enforcers are part of the police force whose Psycho-Pass is over the limit, and instead of being sent off their only choice is limited freedom doing this type of work. They have weapons that will scan someone’s Psycho-Pass and decide to unlock the non-lethal or lethal ammunition only if it is higher than the threshold.
Several familiar faces will show up as supporting characters. The characters from the previous seasons are out of focus. They might turn up for a short scene or two but then will disappear again. Out of the group of new characters, Shindo is the one that leaves the most impact. This is because he has the Mental Trace ability, which allows him to mentally become the person and know what had happened. This proves to be an extremely useful ability.
As expected, there are multiple cases that are linked as the group of detectives and enforcers continue to investigate. There is a shadowy group in the background who seemed to be controlling things and looking like they are betting on the outcome. During fight scenes, there is good use of music, especially the familiar tracks. Fistfights are common, as are chase scenes. Usage of the Dominator’s (the transforming handheld gun) lethal mode, which results in the target exploding, complete with flesh and blood, still feels way out of proportion considering that while they are criminals, they are still people.
The anime focuses on heavy themes such as immigration and corporate manipulation. It doesn’t hesitate to dive in and provide explanation of concepts. This does mean that it can be too heavy at times with too much dialogue for exposition. It can lead to sluggish pacing and it seems to lack a clear objective, giving it a total different feel to the first two seasons. Getting used to the new characters is probably the hardest part, and until you get to know them, their personality and their histories, it can be easy to feel detached.
Despite all the various cases in each episode all being related with each other, it does feel like the anime is messy. Perhaps it is just due to its themes and content but it doesn’t feel that there are any standout scenes. Perhaps the biggest flaw is that even with eight double length episodes, it still couldn’t end properly. Everything is left open and there is absolutely no resolution, which is disappointing. When the credits roll in the final episode, you wonder if there was a missing episode because it was so abrupt and left in the middle of a scene. It’s not so much a cliffhanger as unfinished. Granted, it’s continued in the movie but this shouldn’t be the case, and the season should have been able to be a standalone.
Overall, Psycho-Pass 3 is average. The characters take a long time to warm up to, and even then, they’re not going to be any of your favorite characters anytime soon. The focus on the one organization for the whole season would have given the season a singular and consistent objective but it meanders way too much. Given that the major plot points are not even resolved by the end, and you’re left with something that had potential but squanders it like it had just fallen over itself face down onto the ground.
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