PSYCHO-PASS Sinners of the System Case 1: Tsumi to Batsu is the first movie in the Sinners of the System Case trilogy. Each movie in the trilogy focuses on different characters, and in this movie Ginoza and Shimotsuki are the characters of focus. The premise of the film is that the Public Safety Bureau takes custody of Izumi Yasaka after she careens into a building. She is a psychological counsellor for an isolation facility called the 'Sanctuary'. However, her repatriation is immediately decided, giving rise to suspicion. Tsunemori sends Shimotsuki, Ginoza and Kunizuka to go investigate. Going there, they soon find it is a 'false paradise' surrounded by mystery... Honestly, when I first saw that there was a movie with Shimotsuki as the main character, I was not exactly thrilled. I did not like her in season two of Psycho Pass. Nevertheless, I told myself, this could be the time Shimotsuki redeems herself. Does she? Let us delve a little deeper.
The plot of this film is simple in nature. A paradise is not as it seems, and the characters need to unravel the mystery surrounding it. Despite its simplicity, it still piques the interest of what the paradise truly is. A sense of mystery is something I have always liked, and this film had a strong enough sense of secrecy to keep me hooked, just to know what the truth behind it all was. For a movie only being one hour long, I felt that it was paced quite well, I never felt that there was a rush and the plot unfolded at a reasonable pace. The plot is easy to get hooked onto, and keeps you in for the hour it has. The plot was not as exceptional as Psycho Pass season one was, but for being a one hour movie, it was still of good standard.
As I said earlier, Ginoza and Shimotsuki are the characters of focus in this film. Going into this film, I was desperately wishing for Shimotsuki to redeem herself. Was that wish fufilled? Yes, to some extent. Although Shimotsuki is still her usual self (which I personally dislike) she shows strength and resolve in this film, becoming more likable. I certainly preferred her in this film than compared to season two of Psycho Pass. She is written better here in this movie, in my personal opinion. Ginoza was also great in this film, although that could just be because I like his character in general. He is his usual cool self which I so dearly like, and his strength is showcased in this film. Kunizuka also features in this film. She is like her normal self, which was a plus for me since I also enjoy her character. For viewers familiar with these characters, you will have no issues liking them in this film as well. This film also introduces new characters. One of the new characters is Izumi Yasaka, who is introduced early on in the film. There is a sense of mystery surrounding her as well, as her backstory is not fully known. She is not a bad character, but not she does not particularly stand out from the rest of the cast. She is not that interesting, and is easily cast in the shadows by the more fascinating characters. Two new antagonists of interest are Rodion Matsuki and Kyoka Tsujigai. For antagonists with less than one hour screen time, they hold their own and remain engrossing enough. Matuski is probably the more interesting out of the two, being a latent criminal himself. He serves to be Ginoza's enemy in the film, and plays it well. His motivations are not truly known, making him a more compelling character to watch. Tsujigai plays the role of being Shimotsuki's enemy. Tsujigai is more or less a typical villain, but I will not go into too much more detail as it spoils her character. Overall, most of the characters featuring in this film do considerably well for only having one hour to work with, and remained compelling throughout the film.
Production I.G. once again does well in animating an action film. The action in this film was pleasing to watch, and kept you hooked into the fights. The fights themselves were splendid, as is of expected of something out of the Psycho Pass series. If you were a fan of the action presented in the previous iterations of Psycho Pass, then you are likely to enjoy the action in this movie. The art does well to convey the theme and mood of the film, exuding a sense of the dark nature of the themes held in the film.
The music is another strong aspect of the Psycho Pass series. Yuugo Kanno once again excels in crafting music that gels well with the dark and mysterious themes of Psycho Pass. The music during the action did well to keep me in, keep me immersed as to what was taking place. The opening as well was nice to listen to, its futuristic vibe fit very well with Psycho Pass. The music complimented not only intense scenes of action, but also suspenseful moments in the film. The soundtracks of all Psycho Pass seasons are on Spotify, so I would suggest taking a listen if you enjoyed the music from the series. I listen to the music from Psycho Pass and even outside of the anime and on their own they are great to listen to.
For a movie being only one hour long, it did well to deliver a gripping story with fascinating characters. Although it never reached the same level as the original Psycho Pass, it was still enjoyable to watch. I was certainly glad to see Shimotsuki redeem herself in this film. I would recommend this film to any fan of Psycho Pass. Although it is not a necessity to watch all three movies in the trilogy, I would still recommend watching all three. To summarise this review:
PSYCHO-PASS Sinners of the System Case 2: First Guardian is the second movie in the Sinners of the System Case trilogy. Each movie in the trilogy has different characters starring as the mains, this time having Masaoka and Sugou as the main characters. This film delves into the backstory of Sugou, and how he eventually became a latent criminal and enforcer. The film revolves around a military conspiracy, and its links to recent attacks on Ministry of Defense by an unmanned combat drone. As investigators delve deeper into these attacks, the truth behind the Footstamp Operation unfolds...
The plot is simplistic in nature, and yet so gripping. Surrounded with a sense of mystery and conspiracy, the plot does well to keep the viewer in, making them ask themselves "what really happened?". Watching the investigators attempt to unravel the truth behind it all made the viewing experience even more fascinating, and I was there alongside them, experiencing the mystery for myself. It kept me in for length of the entire film, being only one hour long. What made the plot so effective and gripping was the simple question that ran in my mind, "what is the truth?" throughout the film. This basic, yet heavy question left me wanting to know what happened next, and kept me watching until the very end. It was paced well, and the mystery unfolded at a reasonable pace. Overall, a strong point of the film.
The main characters of this film were great to watch. It was splendid to see Sugou before he was an enforcer, and it was interesting to watch him in a different light. Masaoka was also fascinating to watch, but he has always been a good character. He retains his superb qualities and nature in this film, I liked being able to see Masaoka again. Both of the main characters were written well enough to my standards and proved to be quality characters in the film. Other characters of interest include Aoyanagi, Rin, and Itsuki. Alas, these characters fail to be as captivating as the main two characters. Aoyanagi does not play a massive part in the movie, mostly accompanying Masaoka as the role of inspector. She was not bad to watch but was easily overshadowed by Masaoka. Rin too, is overshadowed by the rest of the cast and is not that interesting of a character. Honestly, she is a bit generic and bland. Itsuki is another prominent character,
Production I.G has always done well in their animation work in Psycho Pass, and it shows here again. I had no issues with the animation, and the fight scenes were handled to a good standard. The fights in this film are not as good as the ones in previous iterations of Psycho Pass, but still hold their own and remain to be good to watch. The overall art does well to convey the theme and mood of the film, I felt that it did well to show the darkness and grittiness of the military and the battlefield.
Yuugo Kanno has once again done well in composing music that fits well with Psycho Pass. The music is similar to the music found in earlier iterations of Psycho Pass, and it works well in this case. The mysterious and futuristic music made the world feel more alive, and even more immersive. The music in the action pulled me in even more, making me more immersed into the film. The opening of this film (which by the way, is the same for all Sinners of the System Case movies) was great to listen to and did well to set the mood and vibe of the rest to come.
Overall, I enjoyed this short one hour long movie. Despite its length, it delivered a gripping plot with great main characters. Out of the three movies in the trilogy, this is the one I enjoyed the most. I was happy to see Sugou have more of his backstory elaborated on, it built upon his character and made him even more likable. This is an easy recommendation to Psycho Pass fans, most certainly those who wish to see more of Sugou and Masaoka. Now, a summary of this review:
PSYCHO-PASS Sinners of the System Case 3: Onshuu no Kanata ni ____ is the third and final movie in the Sinners of the System Case movie trilogy. The main characters to feature in this film is Kougami Shinya and a new character, Tenzing Wangchuck. This film takes place after the events of the first Psycho Pass movie, and Kougami is continuing his journey. There, he saves a bus of refugees from armed guerrilla soldiers. One of the saved refugees is Tenzing Wangchuck. She implores Kougami to teach her how to fight so she can exact revenge. Kougami, someone who has exacted revenge himself and tells her that he will only teach her to defend herself.
Given that this movie takes place in a different setting than most of the other Psycho Pass anime, the plot has its differences. Similar to the first Psycho Pass movie, this move takes place in Southeast Asia Union (SEAUn), a conflict ridden country with stark differences to Japan. Here, guerrilla warfare is common and there is no Sibyl system. The plot revolves around Tenzing and her desire to exact revenge. Not exactly an original idea, but it plays out well enough to keep me interested in the entirety of the film. I especially liked how that desire changed throughout the film, and how Kougami helped change that. Using a book as a way to contrast Tenzing and her revenge was a clever plot device, and the pace she reads it at represents her thoughts on revenge changing. I enjoyed being along with Tenzing as her mindset changed throughout the film, and kept me immersed. A sub plot in this film is the overarching peace talks in SEAUn, with the possibility of peace on the horizon. This plot is not that engrossing, it only serves as a way to include more characters into the film. However, this sub plot does later tie in with Tenzing, and it becomes more captivating when it does. For a movie only with around an hour length, it delivered a plot engaging enough to keep me in for the whole ride.
Alike the other two Sinners of the System Case movies, the main cast were great to watch. Kougami has remained a character of interest, one that captivates you and takes you in. He was cool in season one, and he is cool again here. He displays his combat prowess which fits the setting, and it was stellar to see again. I believe he was well written in this movie, I especially liked his interactions with Tenzing and him trying to make her reconsider her revenge. Speaking of Tenzing, she was another good character in this film. Her development throughout the film is one of the better parts of it, and her strong resolve was great to see. Her growth and change throughout the film was well written and paced well. Another character of interest was Tsering Gurung. He could be described as the comedic relief. His bright and humorous personality were enjoyable to watch. He does not appear much in the film but for the moments he does, he brings a lot to the film. Frederica Hanashiro is a supporting character present in the film, serving as the assistance to Kougami. Personally, she was not that fascinating of a character, and was easily overshadowed by the main two. Guillermo Garcia is introduced early on in the movie, but only gets really involved in the latter parts of the film. I cannot delve too much into him without spoiling, but overall, he is an average character that is yet again, easily overshadowed.
Production I.G. is yet to disappoint me in their animation work and they did well again here. The action this time around is different from the typical futuristic style that Psycho Pass has since it takes place outside of Japan, and includes much more gritty combat in it. Production I.G. did well to animate the brutality of guerrilla warfare, and made the film even more gripping with it. The art also did well to convey the dark setting and mood of the film.
Yet again I loved the music in this film. The music is more or less the same as the other iterations of Psycho Pass, which is not a bad thing, since the music in them were amazing. Yuugo Kanno crafts music that effectively conveys the intended emotions and feelings of the film, and makes the whole experience even more immersive and enjoyable. The music fits well with the world of Psycho Pass, something Yuugo Kanno has had no troubles doing.
I enjoyed watching this movie, it was a wonderful experience. The movie was not long, and yet it felt much longer, delivering a package of an engaging plot with fascinating main characters. I would recommend this film to any fans of Psycho Pass, and it also explains
Thank you to those who took the time to read this review. I hope you were able to get something out of these reviews. If you did not like these reviews, then I apologise for wasting your time.
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