Psycho-Pass: Gekijo-ban is the sequel that the first season deserved.

 

Alright, it's time. After finally getting around to watching season 2 of Psycho-Pass and enjoying it a little more than I initially thought I would, it only made sense to continue on by watching the movie. Luckily, the team behind the amazing first season returned for the movie, with Production I.G and the awesome Gen Urobuchi both working on it. Another welcome return is arguably the best character in the series tied with Akane Tsunemori, Shinya Kogami. 

The plot of the movie sees main heroine Akane Tsunemori stop a group of foreign terrorists who had entered Japan illegally in a plot for revenge against the Sybil System which had impacted their lives in their home country. Following this, the investigation reveals that the terrorists had memories involving the one and only, Shinya Kogami. For unknown reasons, Kogami is residing in the fictional location of Shambala, SEAUn. Appearing to be aiding the guerrilla faction of rebels against the military police, Kogami becomes the focus of an investigation which sees Akane sent into the country alone. Her mission is to locate and apprehend the former Enforcer. 

Okay so, right off the bat, I have to mention that the movie does a wonderful job at world-building. By having it set in a new location that isn't Japan, it gives the viewers a fresh setting and something completely different to that which came before. We also get confirmation that every country that isn't Japan in the world of Psycho-Pass is in dire straits similar to that of SEAUn. Or, perhaps, that is precisely what the Sybil System would want us to believe. The person who states this worked beneath it after all and so, only knows what he was told. What's also fascinating is the usage of collars for the latent criminals. The collars themselves resemble something akin to those in Battle Royale, as they can lethally eliminate the wearer. The key difference being that the collars also have a non-lethal method via sedation. What we see of SEAUn itself resembles a post-apocalyptic warzone as the rebels fight against the military police and their advanced technology aided by the Sybil System. The exception is of course, Shambala Port, a haven which houses the military police themselves and the dictator. Naturally, there are twists and turns as it turns out that the dictator and the military police attempted to use the Sybil System for their own gains, even attempting to trick it into believing that they aren't criminally coefficient. It plays out neatly with Sybil also having surprises for them. 

The movie is extremely action-packed and I think that it's a good thing. Why? Because it's another way of having it stand out and be unique. It helps get it away from season 2 specifically. There are several extremely beautiful hand to hand combat sequences, mostly featuring Kogami. These include several one on one fight sequences and a two on one that ends with another person involved. These don't make Kogami seem weak at all, especially the one in which he takes on several highly trained enemies at once as he actually gains the upper hand. Even in the final confrontation, when he is already exhausted and weakened after having been captured and beaten, he stills holds his own. Akane does have action sequences in which she is involved as well, including her own little scuffle with Kogami. Oh! I'd be remise if I didn't mention the fact that for the majority of the movie, Dominators are off the table and aren't used. Yet another distinction that works well with other weaponry used to good effect. When the Dominators are used, they are particularly gruesome. The bodily explosions are ratcheted up, becoming rather grotesque in the most fun of ways. 

With Production I.G back in charge, the animation is quite simply outstanding. The movie is gorgeous with the cyberpunk aesthetics of Japan and the technology looking fantastic and in good contrast to the war-torn slums of SEAUn. The cityscapes were stunning and I have to believe that the animation budget was larger than for the series as it is a notch above what came before it. 

Akane Tsunemori was excellent as always. She's an extremely competent Inspector that has grown into a highly-skilled operative in both hand to hand combat and the usage of weaponry in addition to her investigative capabilities. Her interactions with Kogami were great as it was evident that she was sceptical or perhaps wary of his intentions at first and yet, there was an attachment which also contributed to her ultimately trusting in him. She once again was the voice of reason, standing up to the Sybil System and urging it to do the right thing. Also, the shower scene was nice and was symbolic of her personal growth. I grow weary of tourists complaining about fanservice. 

Shinya Kogami's return was very much a welcome one. He was sorely missed in season 2. The development of him being almost the spiritual leader of the rebel forces was an intriguing one and naturally, parallels to his nemesis, Shogo Makishima were drawn, but he proved that he is not like his enemy. His heart was always in the right place as it was when he hunted down Makishima. 

Despite not having too much in the way of screentime, Nobuchika Ginoza, actually had some meaningful dialogue and interactions with both Akane and Kogami. I particularly liked his interaction with Kogami which resulted in him claiming that the pair are even now. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and I place it higher on my personal ranking than I do season 2. The action-packed plot, meaningful dialogue between the major characters and the world-building all made for a very fun viewing experience and I feel like Psycho-Pass is at its' best when Gen Urobuchi is writing and Production I.G are animating it. Easy recommendation even when I still hold the belief that season 1 could stand on its' own without any sequels. Also, the most annoying character in season 2, Mika Shimotsuki is used very sparingly.