PSYCHO-PASS: Sinners of the System Case.3 - Onshuu no Kanata Ni_ _ is brilliant!

 

After covering the previous two mini-movies in the Sinners of the System mini-series, we finally come to the biggest and last of the bunch. Now, I did enjoy both of the prior mini-movies more than I thought that I would and much prefer them to season 2, even if I enjoyed that particular season still. That being said, Onshuu no Kanata Ni focuses on fan favourite and my personal favourite character in the entire franchise, Shinya Kogami. In my humble opinion, the PSYCHO-PASS franchise is at its best when Kogami is involved and as such, I was pleased that he was back. 

Chronologically taking place after the first mini-movie Tsumi to Batsu, Onshuu no Kanata Ni sees Shinya Kogami wandering through the Southeast Asian Union. Within one of the smaller countries of the union, Kogami intervenes when a group of guerrilla fighters launch an attack on a bus filled with refugees. Amongst the refugees is a young part-Japanese girl named Tenzing Wangchuck. Seeing Kogami dispatching the guerrillas, Tenzing begs the man to teach her how to fight in order to gain revenge on the man who murdered her whole family. Kogami reluctantly agrees on the condition that she only fights in self-defence so as not to become like him.

As mentioned previously, much like the first full-length feature movie, Onshuu no Kanata Ni_ _ takes place outside of the very futuristic, sleek landscape of Tokyo which is at the heart of the franchise. Swapping out the slick cityscape with the fluorescent lighting for the Tibetan plateau. Whilst this might seem like a bold choice, the dilapidated brick ruins and vibrant greens of nature offer a unique look at the broader world within the context of the Sybil System and PSYCHO-PASS in general. The vibrant colours make for an excellent contrast against the harsh metals of the cyberpunk Tokyo. The animation makes the scenery look beautiful. Top-notch stuff.

Now, the plot is rather cliché. It's something that has been done before countless times. The reluctant badass hero taking on a protégé and then something happening that forces the hero into taking action. That doesn't mean that the plot is terrible or anything, quite the opposite in fact. This is one of those cases where having a familiar plot line is a benefit rather than a negative as it's handled excellently. 

The action is very much a highlight as expected of something with a focus on the most badass character in the franchise. Kogami gets the opportunity to flex his large muscles and take on several adversaries in both gunfights and hand to hand combat. There's a fun bar brawl sequence that opens things up and sets the tone of the mini-movie rather well. Kogami expertly deals with a group of thugs, showcasing good technique in his throws and strikes. The stand-out sequence however, is a large set-piece involving a moving train. It is here where the most major showdown takes place with things being settled in the best way possible: A one on one knife fight that swiftly turns into a fist and kicks affair. The climax of the sequence is the cherry on top as everything ends in the most poetic way possible. Frederica Hanashiro also gets involved, expertly making use of a large sniper rifle. It was fun seeing her in combat rather than just conversing with characters like she did previously. 

Speaking of Frederica Hanashiro, bless her soul... She provides some glorious fanservice. It occurs in the bathroom as she washes both herself and Tenzing. I didn't expect to see what I saw, but I feel grateful that I did indeed see it. It occurs at around the half-hour mark. What? I'm a simple man, I like fist fights and fan service. In fact, I'm willing to give even terrible entertainment half a star more than it probably deserves if it contains either of the aforementioned fist fights or fan service. 

Shinya Kogami is the best character in the franchise and every time he's present it shows. Here in Onshuu no Kanata Ni_ _ Kogami is still wandering through SEAUn and away from Japan. He's still processing the consequences of having taken his revenge against Makishima. We see this via a couple of moments where the season 1 antagonist appears to our hero in the form of an hallucination, debating on perspective. Kogami is a man with a good heart and shows it in his actions, such as his reluctance to kill and his refusal to take a reward for helping save the refugees. The ending of this mini-movie sets the future of the franchise in motion quite neatly with the main man finally on his way back to Japan. 

Overall, when compared to the franchise as a whole, this case is quite high on the list in my humble opinion. It's the very best of the Sinners of the System triumvirate and I'd definitely also rank it above season 2. Naturally, it isn't quite as good as the first season, but almost nothing comes close to being so. I'd highly recommend it to fans of the franchise and to those who enjoy a good action story or the mentor-protégé relationship.