PSYCHO-PASS: PROVIDENCE According to Japanese Twitter (Updated)

PSYCHO-PASS: Providence is the latest instalment of the Psycho-Pass franchise — a dystopian cyberpunk crime drama with a philosophical bent set in near-future Japan. Though it follows the 2020 release of Psycho-Pass: First Inspector (FI), chronologically, Psycho-Pass: Providence (PPP) falls two months after the events of Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System Case.3 (SS) and two years prior to the start of Psycho-Pass 3 (PP3). According to Director Shiotani Naoyoshi (SN), the film represents a “return to the series’ roots” and features nearly all of the surviving cast to date, so expect a lot of callbacks and call-forwards. Newcomers to the series will probably still enjoy themselves but only understand about half of what’s happening. You have been warned.

At the time that we’re publishing this, we’re a little less than two weeks away from the film’s North American release on 14 July (with limited advance showings on 11 & 13). The film has been out in Japan, however, since 12 May 2023, with a special advance showing on 29 April. Unfortunately, we’re not currently in Japan to see it, but fortunately, we do speak Japanese.

What follows, then, is everything we know about PSYCHO-PASS: Providence without actually having seen it. All of the information below is accurate to the best of our investigative and deductive abilities, but please understand that there are some scenes where we’re unsure of the exact sequencing, and certain key bits of information concerning the overall plot that we’re unclear at what point are actually revealed. We’ve done our best to present these in what we think is the most logical order, but we won’t know for sure until 13 July.

UPDATE: Now that we’ve actually seen the film, we’ve sorted things into the proper order and filled in a lot of the blanks. Consider this an overview of PROVIDENCE with added info from interviews with the writers and director, PP novelisations, and amusing fan commentary. It may be worth a read for the bonus content even if you have seen the film. Especially if you’ve got some lingering questions.

We’ve divvied things up a bit differently this time. Azeria () was responsible for gathering information posted by fans on Twitter, comparing that against staff interviews and official promotional materials, and sequencing/synthesizing the information into an overall plot structure in the form of bullets. Eulie () was in charge of translating tweets and official materials, tracking down and translating quotes, bulleting, editing/formatting, and overhauling the post once we’d actually seen it for ourselves. Our version of divide and conquer.

Disclaimer: All fan comments are, of course, subjective and not necessarily 100% accurate. We’ve included them here either because they were funny, insightful, or both. They can be a bit rambling/unclear in places so we’ve added some punctuation for clarity, but for the most part the original voice has been preserved. Tweets by Director Shiotani are included with the bullets we’re *guessing* they apply to. Fan tweets are included below each segment — toggle the arrow on the right to view them.

Needless to say, spoilers abound.

PSYCHO-PASS: Providence hits foreign cinemas for an advanced showing on 11 July (DUB)/13 July (SUB) 2023.

_{Directed by: Shiotani Naoyoshi | Screenplay by: Fukami Makoto & Ubukata Tou | Story by: Ubukata Tou | Studio: Production I.G.}

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Scene: Under Attack

• We open on a snowy, stormy night, January 2118 (2 months post-SS Case.3), as a voice narrates: “Just as god’s love is without limit, so too is his wrath without limit. My brethren, bring down the iron hammer upon the evils of this world.”
  • SN: In the transport ship scene at the beginning, I wanted to depict a scene in which destruction occurs perforce by the power of god, which humans cannot exhibit, so I made it a storm. I was listening to music from Verdi’s “Requiem” the whole time I worked on it. (Film Pamphlet Director Interview)
• A team of armed mercenaries board a transport ship off the coast of Kanagawa, Japan and set about killing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Suppressing Action Department (SAD) agents on board. 
• Among them is Kai Mikhaylov, a Russian agent with a large burn scar on the left half of his face. The team are lead by fellow mercenary Bokamoso Murray, who sports distinctive red dreadlocks.
  • Kai Mikhaylov (VA: Kase Yasuyuki): A member of the “Peacebreakers.” In order to obtain the Stronskaya Document, he launches an attack on the ship Milcia is on. 
  • Bokamoso Murray (VA: Shirokuma Hiroshi): A combatant affiliated with the “Peacebreakers.” He operates in tandem with Kai Mikhaylov; beginning with the assault on the Grootslang, he works to seize the Stronskaya Document. 
• For the record, the Grootslang (the ship’s name) is a mythical giant snake rumoured to dwell deep in a cave in the Richtersveld, South Africa. It’s said that anyone who encounters it will meet with misfortune. Well then.

• Indoors on the same ship, we find Dr Milcia Stronskaya, who has been invited to Tokyo from Russia to participate in an important political conference. 
  • Milcia Stronskaya (VA: Tsuda Shōko): A researcher and global authority on behavioural economics and statistics. She establishes the basic theory simulation referred to as the “Stronskaya Document.”
• Realising the ship is under attack, she hurriedly sends a communication to someone, apologising under her breath as she does so.
• Dr Stronskaya pulls out a gun just as a helmeted mercenary bursts into her cabin and shoots him dead. You can tell from how she handles the gun that she’s competent.
• Kai charges in next, dodging her shots and pinning her down.
• Kai calls her “professor,” at which she startles, and tells her, “There’s nowhere left to run.”

Scene: Backup Arrives

• Meanwhile, an SAD plane arrives in the vicinity, having lost contact with the SAD protection squad on board the ship. SAD supervisor Hanashiro Frederica sends in Kogami Shinya — our series deuteragonist — to ascertain the situation and (hopefully) safeguard the professor.
  • Hanashiro Frederica (VA: Honda Takako): Head of MOFA’s Overseas Coordination Bureau Suppressing Action Department (SAD). Age 33. At the SAD, which was established in order to countervail high-risk international criminal activity, she pursues the “Peacebreakers.”
  • Kōgami Shinya (VA: Seki Tomokazu): Special Investigator, Suppressing Action Department, Overseas Coordination Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Age 33. He was living a nomadic life abroad acting as a mercenary but was recruited by Frederica and returned to Japan; currently, he’s pursuing international incidents. He prides himself on his advanced combat techniques and honed physique.
• Kogami makes an insane jump from an aircraft amidst massive waves and enemy fire. He’s wearing a wingsuit with a heads-up display built into the faceplate. He is not wearing a bulletproof vest.
  • I’ve seen him described alternately as Batman, Captain America, and a flying squirrel here lol
  • SN: What colour suits a man who flies... Thinking about it.

Scene: Plan B

• In Dr Stronskaya’s cabin, Kai stands to one side as Bokamoso crouches, examining the professor’s body (She’s been shot in the chest).
• “You killed her?” Bokamoso asks him. Kai claims she was lying in wait for him.
• Bokamoso observes, “You screwed up, eh, Kai?” for which the other man apologises. You can tell from the way they speak to each other that Bokamoso is higher up the chain of command.
• Bokamoso says it can’t be helped; they’re switching to Plan B.
• We hear the sound of a knife as the scene cuts away.

Scene: Dead on Arrival

• Kogami lands on the ship’s rigging/railing(?), detaching his parachute and wingsuit in one go.
• In jeans and a jacket, armed with his old revolver (um???) he makes his way past dead SAD agents’ bodies into the ship.

• Meanwhile, Kai and Bokamoso prepare to leave the cabin, the latter with an orange cooler slung over his shoulder (Where’d he get that? I thought this was Plan B?).
• Kai warns that backup has arrived and Bokamoso radios all units to withdraw. He’ll buy them time.

• Kogami makes it to Dr Stronskaya’s cabin, but of course, he’s too late. Her body lies abandoned on the floor and — gruesomely — her head is missing. Guess we know what they’ve got in that cooler.

Scene: The Talking Dead

• On deck, Kai and the Peacebreakers board an aircraft and prepare to take off. Kai’s got the cooler slung over his shoulder as the doors close.
• Kogami emerges from within, gun at the ready, but before he can fire a shot he gets tackled to the deck by a reanimated SAD agent. The man’s mouth doesn’t move but we hear a voice quoting what appears to be a passage from a religious text (More on that later).
• An explosion goes off elsewhere on the ship, setting off a chain reaction. Kogami breaks free of his attacker and escapes the conflagration by jumping into the ocean.
• Frederica radios him, asking for an update on the situation.
• Backlit by the flames and treading water, Kogami — vexed but composed as usual — says that he’s sorry; they’ve been had.

<<Opening Credits>>

OP: 「アレキシサイミアスペア」 (alexithymiaspare)　〜　凛として時雨 (Ling tosite sigure)

• We cut to the opening credits, set to Ling tosite sigure’s “Alexthymiaspare.” The group also contributed to the soundtracks for PP1, PP2, and PP: The Movie (M1), so this is another way in which the film “returns to its roots.”
  • For anyone wondering, the band’s name is pronounced “rin toshite shigure,” this is just how they’ve elected to Romanise it.
• The credits are then followed by a brief shot of the Sibyl System accompanied by the following text:
  
  《"The Sibyl System," a vast surveillance network that assigns numeric values to and governs human beings’ mental states. Detectives who carry "Dominators" — guns that measure "crime coefficients" — pursue "latent criminals" before they commit crimes.》

n.b. The above cut doesn’t appear in the foreign release version of the film. Instead we get a slightly expanded overview in white plaintext on a black background.

Scene: Playing Politics

• The next morning, our series protagonist, Tsunemori Akane — now Chief Inspector of the CID — attends a meeting of senior bureaucrats to discuss the proposed abolishment of the Ministry of Justice and the old system of law.
  • Tsunemori Akane (VA: Hanazawa Kana): Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Public Safety Bureau. Age 25. She commands the Public Safety Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Department. She possesses an incontrovertible sense of justice and a stalwart mentality that makes it difficult for her Hue to cloud; she makes an appeal for maintaining the law under the Sibyl System.  
• The official name of the conference, which is being held at Nona Tower (i.e. the Ministry of Welfare’s HQ), is “Review Meeting on the Topic of the Overseas Expansion of Industry as it Pertains to the Sibyl System.”
• Shindo Atsushi — father to PP3 protagonist Shindo Arata — is also in attendance, alongside officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Shindō Atsushi (VA: Sugō Takayuki): Director-General of the Statistics Department, Minister’s Secretariat,  Ministry of Health and Welfare. One of the elite who started his career as an Inspector [at the CID] and entered the MHW. He’s involved in the exportation of the Sibyl System, immigration policy, etc.
• Akane is the only woman and by far the youngest person present, but she doesn’t hesitate to say her piece. When it’s her turn to speak, she opens by saying, “‘Under the Sibyl System, the law is unnecessary.’ Is that truly the case?”
• Akane is basically the sole voice of dissent, whilst Atsushi assumes a more neutral position. 
• She argues that abolishing the law would include invalidating international law.
  • This poses a problem since Japan has recently started to welcome refugees and engage more with the outside world (e.g. the exportation of the Sibyl System to SEAUn in M1).
• Everyone else present seems to think that SEAUn is a perfect example of why international law isn’t necessary, either. Since Sibyl’s ability to restore order has now been acknowledge internationally, the law isn’t necessary in or outside of Japan. If that seems like a faulty argument to you...you’re not alone.
• Akane proposes that, regardless, this isn’t a matter to be decided behind closed doors at Nona Tower. It should be put to a vote and the people should be allowed to decide for themselves.
• Someone chimes in that the people have already voted to accept Sibyl, which is basically the same thing (more sophistry).
• Akane gets accused of deprecating the very bureau she works for, but she clarifies that what she’s wary of is Japan’s current mode of exploiting neighbouring nations and expanding a “predatory economy.” Naturally, this criticism doesn’t go over well.
• During the meeting, Atsushi receives a text message, which he checks covertly before stashing his device in an inner pocket of his suit jacket.
• Finally, he steps in to smooth ruffled feathers, saying that he at least agrees with Akane on the point that a “Japan first” mentality is precipitous. The way he phrases himself makes it difficult for anyone to outright disagree with him (Also, he’s considerably more senior than Akane and has age and experience on his side).
• Atsushi says that a guest was supposed to join them for this conference, but she couldn’t make it. Three guesses who.
• Just then, Akane receives a red alert on her device (lit. “portable terminal”) and excuses herself to take a call from fellow CID Inspector Shimotsuki Mika.
  • Shimotsuki Mika (VA: Sakura Ayane): Inspector, Division 1, Criminal Investigation Department, Public Safety Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare. Age 21. The youngest Inspector ever inducted. At the time, she took a negative stance towards Akane’s way of thinking, but the two have a good working relationship now. She’s competitive but possesses both presence of mind and rational judgement.

• Mika informs Akane that the Coast Guard alerted the CID to a foreign ship — multiple casualties on board, no survivors — and tells her it’s no time to be playing politician. Akane promises to head straight to the harbour.
  • According to a news article Arata reads in PP3, over 50 SAD agents were killed in this incident.
  • How the SAD managed to recruit over 50 agents when the CID is constantly understaffed with about 20 is a mystery.
• Atsushi steps out into the hall, having adjourned the meeting. When he asks if there’s been an incident and Akane mentions the foreign ship, Atsushi immediately guesses it’s the Grootslang, surprising Akane.

• Director Shiotani tweeted a quote by Rousseau that I saw someone identify as having been in reference to this scene. It’s not clear to me though whether a character quotes it aloud or if Shiotani just meant it as an overarching theme:
  • SN: “Keep this truth ever before you—Ignorance never did any one any harm, error alone is fatal, and we do not lose our way through ignorance but through self-confidence.” by.Rousseau
    • from Rousseau’s Emile (On Education), Book III
  • SN: “Real knowledge is knowing the extent of one’s ignorance.”〈matcha emoji〉
    • from Confucius’ Analects II, Political Philosophy

Scene: Akane & Atsushi Talk in the Car

• In the car on the way to the harbour, Atsushi tells Akane that the guest who was supposed to attend their meeting was aboard the Grootslang and briefly explains the professor’s professional background.
• He also tells her about the Document: “The Stronskaya Document. Using it, one can predict how Sibyl will affect the world.”
  • Just to be clear, though it’s referred to as a “document,” the Stronskaya Document is better understood to be a computer program/simulation.
• Apparently, the Document accurately predicted the outcome of Sibyl’s exportation to SEAUn (M1). Akane isn’t thrilled to hear this, which Atsushi says he understands.
• They talk about Atsushi’s involvement in the admission of asylum seekers to Japan and the difficulties they present to the Sibyl System. Since the refugees have spent time in conflict zones, their crime coefficients would have to be judged differently than those of Japanese citizens — something Sibyl isn’t equipped to do in the absence of the law. Thus, “re-opening” Japan is only possible so long as the law exists.
• Atsushi also fears that if they abolish the law Japan will no longer be able to interface with the rest of the world. As other nations recover, Japan will eventually get left behind.
• When Akane asks him how he managed to convince people to approve the acceptance of refugees when the proposition was initially met with great resistance, Atsushi replies wryly, “For a start, I took care not to be shunned by the people around me the way you are.” This causes Akane to make a face.
• Atsushi says that she’s been a CID Inspector for too long and encourages her to aim higher. He has high hopes for her; how could he not? She openly harbours doubts about the Sibyl System and yet her Hue is spectacularly clear.
• Akane says that she acknowledges the System’s value. It’s just that she believes in something more.

• Animate Times Interview:
  Ubukata: [Akane] is extremely artless, isn’t she. She doesn’t possess a peculiar way of thinking about things and doesn’t lose the courage to say things that ought to be a given as though they are a given. In a way, she’s someone who completely can’t read the room, but in that regard she could be said to resemble Kogami, I suppose.
  Akane instinctively knows that an entity like Sibyl is necessary but that becoming entirely dependent upon it is dangerous. Since, whether it be a system or a human being, as soon as you consign everything to it, a dictator is born.
  Fukami: Right.
  Ubukata: Akane is in possession of an exceedingly sound mind, one that says, “Sibyl is necessary to society, but it’s essential that [someone] prepare a backstop for it.” She isn’t of the opinion that, “Because Sibyl is uncanny and can’t ethically be forgiven I should destroy it.”
  Fukami: “Even if it means deviating from what’s ethical, he who gains, wins” is a vibe Akane won’t forgive. Depicting an ethically sound character like her straight-on is all the more important given the state of the world today, I think.

Scene: At the Harbour

• At the harbour, the Division 1 Enforcers — Ginoza Nobuchika, Kunizuka Yayoi, Sugou Teppei, and Hinakawa Sho — disembark from the Grootslang whilst a team of SAD agents board.
  • Ginoza Nobuchika (VA: Nojima Kenji): Enforcer, Division 1, Criminal Investigation Department, Public Safety Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare. Age 33. He supports Akane and Division 1 with the experience and broad-mindedness he possesses as a former Inspector. He and Kogami were classmates since their school days, but he’s currently unable to forgive Kogami, who exacted vengeance and escaped overseas. 
  • Kunidzuka Yayoi (VA: Itō Shizuka): Enforcer, Division 1, Criminal Investigation Department, Public Safety Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare. Age 27. She’s a dependable veteran who conducts herself with cool composure at crime scenes. She’s often rotated into a support role due to her [facility with] network devices and works well in combination with analyst Shion. 
  • Sugou Teppei (VA: Tōchi Hiroki): Enforcer, Division 1, Criminal Investigation Department, Public Safety Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare. Age 27.  He’s a former pilot with the National Defence Forces’ drone squadron and is an expert marksman.
  • Hinakawa Shō (VA: Sakurai Takahiro): Enforcer, Division 1, Criminal Investigation Department, Public Safety Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare. Age 23. He makes use of the knowledge he gained as a former hologram designer and drug trafficker to aid in investigations. He’s often tasked with backing up the team along with analyst Shion.

• Meanwhile, Mika has encountered Frederica at the scene and, as usual, isn’t happy to see her. Dialling up her bad attitude, she informs Frederica that domestic cases lie within the CID’s purview so MOFA can go home.
• When Frederica says she just wants to get through this peaceably, Mika barks, “I’m not listening!” Yup, she’s in top form.
• Frederica’s boss, Yabuki Shogo, is present as well and all three turn to look as Akane and Atsushi arrive on the scene.
  • Yabuki Shōgo (VA: Hashi Takaya): Bureau Chief of MOFA’s Oversees Coordination Bureau. Hanashiro, who heads the SAD, is his subordinate and, as both he and Shindo Atsushi were heavily involved in the formation of “Peacebreaker,” he prioritises the annihilation of the Peacebreakers — which were born of his own organisation — above all else. He wears a high-tech hearing aid.
• Frederica greets Akane respectfully, saying it’s been a while since they’ve spoken. (The two are acquainted as of SS Case.2.)
• Yabuki briefly introduces himself and asks Akane to cede the investigation to the SAD. He can’t disclose the particulars, but the Grootslang is related to an important MOFA matter.
• Atsushi calls up a hologram of Public Safety Bureau (PSB) Bureau Chief Kasei Joshu, who tells them to hand the case over and withdraw, settling the matter.
  • Kasei Jōshū (VA: Sakakibara Yoshiko): Bureau Chief, Public Safety Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare. She’s actually an artificial body whose purpose is to allow the individual brains which constitute the Sibyl System to take turns operating independently. She orders Division 1 to conduct a joint investigation with MOFA’s SAD, who are pursuing the Peacebreakers. 

• Atsushi and Yabuki step aside to have a private (and cryptic) conversation.
• Atsushi asks if Yabuki obtained “it,” to which Yabuki replies, “Yeah, we’re having trouble with the hand-off.”
• Again, without making the subject of his sentence explicit, Atsushi says, “We made [someone] dive in too deep without a lifeline.” (n.b. “Dive” here is used in the sense of “infiltrate.”)
• Yabuki says they’re short on time. So long as things have been set in motion, they can’t afford to pull the plug.

• Meanwhile, the Division 1 Enforcers have joined Akane and Mika on the quay and report on their findings: the bodies of multiple combatants along with the professor’s body, sans her head. Sugou has lifted a gun registered to the SAD and Hinakawa has pulled the data off Dr Stronskaya’s laptop.
• Mika deduces that an SAD op went sideways, loudly calling Frederica and Yabuki posers and declaring the whole thing smells fishy — in fact, she says, it reeks like garbage. Oh, you.
• Just as she’s saying all this, Atsushi comes up behind her and taps her on the shoulder, causing Mika to jump in surprise. When he points out that both the people she’s badmouthing are in the vicinity (and that Yabuki wears a high-powered hearing aid), Mika slinks behind Ginoza to hide. (lol)
• Akane surmises that Atsushi was aware of the professor’s demise and asks why he and MOFA covertly invited her to Japan. Atsushi replies that if he told her, it wouldn’t qualify as “top-secret.” I’m starting to see how he operates.
• From the data Hinakawa extracted, it comes to light that the last communication Dr Stronskaya sent before she was killed was to Saiga Jouji, making him a person of interest.
  • Saiga Jōji (VA: Yamaji Kazuhiro): A former university professor who specialises in clinical psychology. Age 54. In the past, he conducted a special lecture series on criminal psychology for the PSB’s detectives. He’s also acted as pro tem analyst [for the CID], but he’s currently voluntarily detained at an isolation facility.

• Those familiar with the series will know that Saiga-sensei happens to be a long-time mentor and collaborator of Akane’s. She sits in the patrol car to call him.
• He answers, commenting that it’s rare for her to call him out of the blue. Before she can explain, Atsushi comes over and knocks on the window, interrupting their conversation.
• It turns out Atsushi knows Saiga-sensei as well — he was Saiga’s senpai in university and was responsible for helping him to become a lecturer for the CID — and he cuts in to exchange a few words with the other man. 
• Saiga-sensei’s reaction to hearing his voice is so lukewarm, Atsushi has to prompt him to word himself more respectfully (i.e. to accord him the respect due a senpai), which Saiga-sensei does.
• Atsushi asks how the isolation facility is and Saiga-sensei responds that it’s not bad, but the whole exchange is stilted.
• When Saiga-sensei asks what it is they’re calling about, Atsushi mentions the Stronskaya Document. True to form, Saiga-sensei doesn’t have to be told to deduce that the professor is no more.
• Atsushi asks if he can visit the Tokorozawa Correction & Care Centre where Saiga-sensei is being held under voluntary arrest to meet with him, but Saiga-sensei says he only wants to talk to Akane about what he knows regarding the Stronskaya Document. 
• With a sigh, Atsushi concedes.

Scene: Tokorozawa Correction & Care Centre

• In his room/cell, Saiga-sensei makes them both coffee and he and Akane sit and talk. 
• Akane asks him how he knew the professor, and Saiga-sensei explains that he once contributed domestic data analysis to the research she was conducting.
• Saiga-sensei reveals that the communication he received from Dr Stronskaya wasn’t the Document itself but a message saying that she left the Document in a P.O. box in Dejima and that only he can retrieve it.
• Akane asks Saiga-sensei to accompany her to Dejima, to which he readily agrees.
• He asks her how she’s handling her recent promotion and Akane admits her head feels like it’s about to explode. I appreciated this exchange, since it seems he’s about the only person she can admit something like this to now.
• Saiga-sensei says philosophically that people tend to unconsciously seek out comfort and, in doing so, eventually stagnate, calling himself a good example of this. Akane immediately insists that isn’t the case. The two are obviously great fans and supporters of one another.
• Saiga-sensei asks how deeply involved Atsushi is in this case and Akane explains he’s the one who invited Dr Stronskaya to Japan.
• Saiga tells her that Atsushi was his upperclassman in uni and was the one who invited him to give a lecture series to the CID’s detectives. He says he always had the awareness that he was being used.
• Reading between the lines, Akane guesses he fears that she, too, will be used by Atsushi.
• Saiga-sensei confirms this, saying, “He may intend to have you collect the chestnuts from the fire.” This is an idiom meaning “to take a risk, even knowing it won’t serve you” or “to dare to deal with a problem or assume a position of responsibility, knowing the danger.”
• When Akane says they’ll just be retrieving the Document, Saiga-sensei tells her there’s a chance that doing so might lead to complaints about MOFA and the Japanese government — and by extension, the Sibyl System — since the Document contains dangerous material that could expose Japan’s (unsavoury) activities abroad (e.g. The takeover of SEAUn). This is why she was the only one he could talk to about it, since he trusts her to do the right thing.

Scene: Frederica & Kogami report to the PSB

• Akane escorts Saiga-sensei to the PSB where the two meet with Bureau Chief Kasei. Mika, Frederica, and Yabuki are also present.
• It’s decided that the SAD and CID Division 1 will conduct a joint investigation of the Stronskaya Document/Peacebreaker case, since MOFA have jurisdiction but Saiga-sensei is only willing to cooperate with Akane given the nature of the Document.
• Frederica asserts that MOFA have power of command, which Akane agrees to so long as they’re willing to share information.
• Frederica has a line in the trailers that comes up here: “Ministry of Foreign Affairs Survey Department, Field Survey Unit; commonly known as ‘Peacebreaker.’” In other words, the Peacebreakers were originally formed by MOFA. The unit were officially disbanded, but the operatives went rogue and became mercenaries overseas rather than return to Japan.
  • Director Shiotani said the name is pretty literal, that they’re a group that “breaks the peace.” That makes more sense if you think of them as a group of mercenaries and less sense when you consider they were formed by MOFA.
• Mika: “You’re saying the dog they were raising bit them on the hand?”
• Yabuki also has a line in the trailers which appears in this scene: “Now that they’ve appeared in Japan, this is our best chance to bring them down.” (Taking down the Peacebreakers is his main objective and the driving force behind his actions throughout the film.) To accomplish this, MOFA have recruited more people.
• Kasei says obliquely that The PSB will not re-domesticate a hunting dog that’s slipped its leash once before but “he” is likely the right person to take on a pack of wolves. (So, we’re continuing with the canid analogies for Kogami — then again, his surname is composed of the kanji for “cunning” (狡) and “bite” (噛) so, clearly, it’s part of his character conception.)

• Meanwhile, Kogami heads straight to the Division 1 office by himself. The gall of this man haha
• When Ginoza sees him, he explodes in anger, grabbing Kogami by the lapels and forcing him all the way back until they slam into the interior-facing windows. 
  • SN: Akane sees a kabe-don.
• Ginoza rails at Kogami, “I thought I told you never to show yourself in front of us again?!” (see M1).
• Kogami responds evenly, “Gino, why don’t we take things case by case?” at which Ginoza yells, “Don’t screw around!”*
  *n.b. What he literally says here is, “Don’t fool around, you!” but the tone and register are a lot angrier, along the lines of, “You’ve gotta be f*ing kidding me!”
• The Division 1 members who joined the PSB after Kogami fled the country look on in surprise at Ginoza’s outburst, whilst those who know and have worked with both men watch with more complicated expressions.
• Sugou runs over to attempt to pull the two apart, which is how Akane finds them when she arrives with Frederica and Mika.
• Akane freezes when she catches sight of Kogami through the glass as she approaches, her expression going blank.
• Ginoza stops yelling when he sees her, possibly concerned with trying to gauge her reaction.
• Kogami greets her casually, if awkwardly, saying, “Long time no see, Inspector (kanshikan).”
• Not only does Akane not respond to his greeting, she doesn’t say anything to Kogami at all.
  • SN: Speechless.
• Frederica: “No need for an introduction, right?” (lol)

• 10th Memorial Note Interview:
  Fukami: When the director first told me, “I think in PSYCHO-PASS Sinners of the System Case.3 In the Realm Beyond, I’ll return Kogami to Japan” my first thought was, Ginoza’s going to be pissed (laughs).
  Shiotani:That’s where your mind went (laughs) !?
  Ubukata: Ginoza turned into more of a heroine than Akane, didn’t he (laughs). Since he’s saying loads of things that Akane might normally say (if she was a traditional heroine).
• Film Pamphlet Director Interview:
  Shiotani: If, in the previous instalment, [Ginoza] told him, “Don’t come near (Akane) again” and parted with his friend for [what he thought would be] the last time in this lifetime, and then [that friend] just suddenly appeared out of the blue, well then, yeah, he’d be furious (laughs). And what’s more, being able to say “Can’t we go case-by-case?” in front of [Ginoza] who’s seriously angry, in a sense, it’s like an ability to use a special cheat that only Kogami can pull off, isn’t it (laughs). It’s not like it calms the situation down any, but the fact that he can naturally just say stuff without paying any mind is a charm of Kogami’s that’s worth mentioning, I think.

Scene: To Dejima

• The Dejima Team — comprised of Akane, Ginoza, Sugou, Frederica, Kogami, and Saiga-sensei — head to Dejima to retrieve the Stronskaya Document from the P.O. box specified in Dr Stronskaya’s final communication.
• The air is tense in the plane on the way, with Akane and Ginoza still largely ignoring Kogami.
• Ginoza sits next to Akane, with Frederica and Kogami behind them. Sugou and Saiga-sensei are seated on one side of the aircraft, also next to each other.
• Ginoza asks what intel they’ve got on their main offender and Kogami automatically starts to answer, but Ginoza is still pissed and cuts him off angrily, saying, “I wasn’t asking YOU!!” (just like old times haha).
• Frederica steps in, saying evenly, “In that case, I’ll explain,” and proceeds to provide our introduction to the movie’s primary antagonist: Tonami Tsugumasa.
  • Tonami Tsugumasa (VA: Ōtsuka Akio): The commander of the “Peacebreakers.” He continues his subversive activities abroad. As for his true intentions...
    • You may recognise Otsuka as the voice of Todoroki Tenma from PP3. The two characters are unrelated, however, much like Makishima Shogo and Hinakawa Sho, who also share a voice actor.
• We learn that:
  • He enlisted in the National Defence Force (NDF) at age 18 and subsequently joined an overseas special forces unit.
  • He joined Peacebreaker under MOFA at the recommendation of his commanding officer.
  • When Peacebreaker was disbanded, he remained abroad and began to conduct sabotage operations outside of Japan.
• They’ve got nothing more current in terms of information on him, just a record of the atrocities he’s committed.
• Reading through the case file, Ginoza says lowly, “He’s twisted.”
• Sugou’s expression as he looks at the images in Tonami’s case file is pained. No doubt he’s remembering the disastrous Operation: Foot Stomp from Case.2.
• Saiga-sensei asks to be in charge of profiling Tonami, calling it his way of avenging Dr Stronskaya.

• The team arrive in Dejima, and Akane and Ginoza have an exchange roughly covering the info included in the film pamphlet:
  • Dejima: Within [the bounds of] MOFA’s special jurisdiction, the better part of the island is closed off as a settlement for foreigners awaiting immigration screening. As a result, the PSB’s authority is restricted and the use of Dominators requires advance authorization. As for facilities of public institutions, other than the MOFA government facility in Dejima, there’s also the Overseas Information Centre building, etc. It’s known for the fact that, every year when it comes time for Setsubun (Lunar New Year), a major celebration is held in Chinatown.
    • Fun fact: The Dejima of the Psycho-Pass universe is based on the historical Dejima of Japan’s Isolation Era (Sakoku Period). Much like the original, this Dejima is also located in/off of Nagasaki in Kyushu. In the world of Psycho-Pass, this is also where the SAD’s main base of operations is located. It appears briefly in SS Case.2 when Ginoza, Kogami, and Kagari visit as part of their investigation into the Otomo Itsuki case.
• Frederica says that, although their authority will be limited, the CID members have been approved to use Dominators.

Scene: Kogami & Saiga-sensei

• The night before the planned operation, Kogami and Saiga-sensei meet together in Saiga-sensei’s assigned quarters at the MOFA government facility in Dejima to catch up, discuss the case, and philosophise like old times.
• Kogami makes Saiga-sensei a drink and they work the case. In the trailers, we saw that Saiga-sensei has a line saying “Before and after disappearing [he] is almost like an entirely different person.” The Japanese sentence lacks a subject, so it’s unclear who he’s referring to — or even if it’s singular or plural, male or female — but, as we guessed, he’s talking about Tonami.
• Saiga-sensei asks Kogami if he can think of anything else, something that might elucidate the way Tonami thinks, his background, or how he runs his organisation.
• Kogami says he’s not sure if this counts as a hint, but he heard Tonami’s voice saying something to the effect of, “This charge I commit unto thee...according to the prophecies which went before on thee” (the quote “recited” by the dead body on the ship) and identifies it as coming from the New Testament.
• Saiga-sensei notes that it’s from the First Epistle to Timothy specifically, naming the verse and line.
  • 1 Timothy 1:18 (King James Version): “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;”
  • The epistle (i.e. letter) was written by Paul the Apostle to his cooperator and disciple Timothy. According to Wikipedia, “The letter consists mainly of counsels to his younger colleague and delegate Timothy regarding his ministry in Ephesus (1:3). These counsels include instructions on the organization of the Church and the responsibilities resting on certain groups of leaders therein as well as exhortations to faithfulness in maintaining the truth amid surrounding errors.”
• Saiga-sensei speculates that Tonami might be conflating himself with Paul and Kogami teases that Saiga-sensei is like John the Apostle since he’s a hermit, to which Saiga-sensei responds by joking, “Maybe I’ll write a Book of Revelations on the isle of Patmos or something.”
• The two also discuss Akane. When Kogami expresses surprise that Saiga-sensei has been cooperating with the PSB, Saiga-sensei tells him that he’s not cooperating with the PSB, he’s cooperating with Tsunemori Akane. This causes Kogami to laugh softly.
• Saiga-sensei cautions Kogami, “Don’t mistake your future course. It’s not like Tonami was a bloodthirsty killer from the start, either,” calling him “the sad end of a ground-level operator in an organisation predicated on violence.”
• Kogami asks if the professor is saying he’ll end up the same way, but Saiga-sensei says that depends on him, clarifying that he’s saying, “Don’t mistake the house you live in” (i.e. where you ought to be, the place you ought to come home to).
• Saiga-sensei tells Kogami that Akane isn’t a bodhisattva or a buddha, that she’s a regular person with feelings, and advises him to apologise to her. If he keeps doing whatever the hell he pleases, he’s likely to get himself “enforced.”
• Kogami says it’s not been his intention to do “whatever the hell he pleases” and that he’s trying to take responsibility for the things he’s done.
• As they talk, we see a holographic painting hanging near where Kogami is standing.
  • SN: “A curious painting appears in the film. I designed the painting, and the Art Director did a marvellous job creating it for me. It’s a very curious painting.”
• Fun fact: This room was featured in an article by CINEmadori (a mashup of cinema + floorplan) highlighting the architecture and layout of the space, available here:『劇場版 PSYCHO-PASS サイコパス PROVIDENCE』相反する2つの要素が同居する空間

Scene: Phone Call

• Afterward, Kogami takes Saiga-sensei’s advice and goes out onto the balcony to call Akane (who is in her own room in the same building) on his device.
• Even though he’s the one who’s called her, their opening exchange goes something like this:
  • Akane: “Kogami-san.”
  • Kogami: “......Yo.”
• Akane asks him what the deal is with the SAD and he starts to literally explain their purpose (ha) before she cuts him off — she knows what the SAD is; she’s asking how and why he came to work for them.
• His answer: the SAD wanted Enforcers of their own, so he got tapped.
• During the exchange, Akane asks Kogami, “Kogami-san, were you allowed to return to Japan [to serve] as violence to combat violence?” (This line appeared in the trailers.)
• She also asks him if he would have returned to Japan if she had been the one to call for him (instead of Frederica), and Kogami deflects with a noncommittal, “Who knows?”
• At his deflection, Akane admits that her current position hasn’t got the authority required to have called him home, anyway.
• She asks him what Yabuki makes of his past crimes (i.e. killing Makishima) and Kogami says candidly that they’ve never spoken about it. He doubts Yabuki cares, since the man’s only concern is bringing down the Peacebreakers.
• Akane vows to Kogami, “If you try to break the law again, I’ll definitely stop you next time,” (referring to how she was ultimately unable to stop him from killing Makishima in PP1).
• Kogami tells Akane to do what she believes is right, and that, “I just do what has to be done,” adding, “I don’t regret any of the things I’ve done.”
• This makes Akane so mad that she hangs up on him, surprising Kogami. 
• After they hang up, Akane slides off the couch in her room saying to herself, “I just wanted him to apologise...”

• Film Pamphlet Director Interview:
  Shiotani: Since, under the current circumstances, [Akane’s] position hasn’t significantly changed since the previous instalment, it was a necessary condition for creating this instalment that, after Kogami returns to Japan, they rebuild their relationship with him belonging to a different organisation. The scenes in which the two of them appear together came together naturally, and so were easy to create. After all, Kogami speaks to Akane frankly without paying mind to how she might receive things and Akane is also able to voice the things she wants to say straightforwardly to Kogami. I was able to create the scenes I wanted to precisely because of the nature of the relationship they’ve built over the course of the series. Given Akane’s current position (as their boss), inevitably, with Ginoza and the other [D1] members, she’s unconsciously being mindful. It’s by no means a matter of trusting or not trusting them completely, [but] I think the atmosphere Kogami has about him precisely because he’s flown the coop once, or maybe the nature of his personality, gave birth to the two of their bond.

Scene: Yabuki & Frederica

• Elsewhere, Yabuki and Frederica meet in private.
• Yabuki instructs her not to tell Kogami anything, lest Saiga-sensei catch on. (That...doesn’t bode well).
• Frederica who — like Kogami and Ginoza — is a former student of Saiga-sensei’s, says she thinks the professor would understand.
• Yabuki tells her it’s a matter of minimising risk and reminds Frederica that naïve idealism won’t change anything; what’s needed is the strength to carry out justice even if one incurs dishonour. I can see why he and Atsushi see eye-to-eye.

Scene: The Following Morning

• The next morning, Kogami shows up for breakfast in Saiga-sensei’s quarters. We get a callback to PP1 (the novelisation, at least) where Saiga-sensei made them omelettes when he was sheltering Kogami after he’d gone rogue.
  • n.b. Someone mentioned this detail on Fusetter (link below), but it didn’t appear in the version I saw. I wonder if it was only included in the 29 April advance showing?
• As the team pile into an elevator at the Overseas Information Centre (OIC) later that morning, Saiga-sensei takes one look at Kogami and Akane and, despite their neutral expressions, can immediately tell that Kogami didn’t apologise (possibly due to the fact that Akane is avoiding looking at Kogami).
• Exasperated, Saiga-sensei scolds Kogami under his breath saying, “Why are you like this??” to which Kogami replies, “To what are you referring?” (lol)

Scene: Misdirect

• At the OIC building, the team head up to the room where the P.O. box Dr Stronskaya indicated is stored. Yabuki marks their progress via live feed from some sort of control room and orders all units to prepare for combat (um?).
• Ginoza and Sugou remain in the hall to guard the door whilst Akane, Kogami, Frederica, and Saiga-sensei continue on to an antechamber of sorts.
• When Saiga-sensei notes that the building is almost deserted, it comes out that MOFA have evacuated regular staff and are planning on using Saiga-sensei and the Document as bait to draw out the Peacebreakers. (There’s some speculation among fans that Atsushi was complicit in this decision as well.)
• Akane is understandably upset, given they’d agreed to share information and this puts Saiga-sensei in danger, but the professor says he expected it (Of course he did).
• Frederica apologises (for deceiving them? for using them?) and vows that she’ll ensure Saiga-sensei’s safety.
• There’s the barest hint of censure in Kogami’s voice when he asks Frederica, “So if it’s on Bureau Chief Yabuki’s orders, you’ll even deceive Saiga-sensei?” ( I’m glad to know that at least Kogami wasn’t in on this scheme. I’d have found that hard to swallow.)
• They go to retrieve the Stronskaya Document from its appointed P.O. box, only to find that it’s not there and the whole thing was a bluff by Dr Stronskaya. 
• Instead, they find a broken mirror. Not sure when Dr Stronskaya arranged that or what the mirror’s significance is (if it even has one other than as a bad omen). Either way, it’s clear now her final communication was a misdirect.

• Someone attributed another one of the quotes Director Shiotani tweeted to this sequence:
  • SN: “The sound of the Gion Shōja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sāla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind.” ~ Tale of Heike (trans. Helen Craig McCullough)
    • These are the iconic opening lines of Heike Monogatari (平家物語). Thematically they boil down to, ‘Even the mightiest eventually fall.’

SEQUENCE: Peacebreakers Attack the Overseas Information Centre

• As predicted (or orchestrated), the Peacebreakers attack the OIC building in order to steal the Stronskaya Document. 
• Director Shiotani described in an interview that this is the most complex action sequence they’ve ever plotted for any Psycho-Pass series/film. Apparently, the writing team designed the entire building, nailed down the logic of the enemy’s tactical approach, and then planned out how Akane and everyone would move based off that...The attention to detail is insane.

The Team Split Up

• Inside the building, the team hear the Peacebreakers’ aircraft dock on the building’s glass dome. A holographic plant dissipates to reveal a stash of weapons and the team arm themselves for combat.
• Ginoza and Sugou volunteer to buy Akane and the others time to get Saiga-sensei out of the building.

• Overhead, the Peacebreakers breach the glass dome and make their way into the OIC building.
• Bokamoso tells his team that their commander (Tonami) is in the process of “clearing” the building. Their task is to secure the target.

• Elsewhere in the building, we see a hallway full of dead SAD agents. Only two are still alive, one with his gun trained on the other.
• The SAD agent kills his colleague, then turns the gun on himself.

• The Peacebreakers descend into the main hall on ropes from above, firing off rounds from their assault rifles on the way down.
• Ginoza sights one of them with his Dominator, only to discover that Dominators don’t work against them since their crime coefficients register as 0.00 (as if they were criminally asymptomatic).
  • Dominator (VA: Hidaka Noriko): Portable Psychological Diagnosis and Suppression System, a.k.a. Sibyl’s “eyes.” High tech weapons that change mode (Paralyzer, Lethal Eliminator, Destroy Decomposer) in response to a target’s crime coefficient.
  • Okay, random side note, but did anyone else notice Ginoza’s Dominator IDs him as “INSPECTOR” here when it should normally read “ENFORCER”? I’ve been wondering since it appeared in the trailers but I haven’t been able to find an explanation yet. 
• Ginoza and Sugou engage the Peacebreakers, relying on stun batons and hand-to-hand combat, whilst Akane, Kogami, Frederica, and Saiga-sensei continue on together.

Explosion

• Akane, Kogami, Frederica, and Saiga-sensei proceed down a wide corridor.
• We see the bodies of a large number of SAD agents strewn in piles across the floor. Saiga-sensei surmises that they killed each other (Again, this gets explained later).
• Frederica frets that she can’t get in contact with her boss.
• Sensing an incoming attack, Kogami yells “Get down!” at Akane before tackling her to the ground and covering her as an explosion goes off. Points for remembering to support her head this time at least.
• Also, points to Akane for not letting go of her Dominator through all this.
• When the blast settles, Kogami levers himself up enough to look Akane in the eye as he says, “It’s dangerous here. We’ll head back for now.” They get up and get on with it.
• This is where Akane bruises her cheek.

Ginoza & Sugou vs. the Peacebreakers (& Kai)

• Sugou retreats into the shadow of an escalator to take cover from enemy fire. ( This scene appears in several of the trailers, and I was surprised at the time to see Sugou holding an assault rifle, but it seems he stole it off a Peacebreaker.) 
• Whilst there, he radios Akane, reporting that, “We can’t use Dominators and the enemy is currently attacking with heavy armament!”

• At one point, Ginoza ends up fighting a helmeted Peacebreaker with his PSB-issued lightning stick, having given up on his Dominator. 
• Just like in M1, he charges at an armed opponent with zero hesitation.
• He then takes the guy’s gun, making some viewers wonder where Ginoza would have learnt to use old school gunpowder weapons with such facility.

• Kai attacks Sugou with a kunai(?) with long strands trailing from it.
• Sugou gets in a roundhouse kick but Kai gains the upper hand and kicks him down an escalator.
• One of the Peacebreakers fires at Sugou from above and he gets shot in the side (Having flashbacks to FI, anyone?). Thankfully, Ginoza is there to pull him to safety.
• Sugou assures Ginoza it’s just a scratch but looks to be in considerable pain.

Swan Song

• Kogami, Akane, Frederica, and Saiga-sensei end up somewhere on the upper levels of the Information Centre’s cavernous main hall.
• Ginoza radios Akane that Sugou’s been shot, but his life’s not in any danger. She tells him they’re on their way and to ensure Sugou’s safety.
• Meanwhile, Kogami has gone on ahead, proceeding up an escalator.
• A smoke bomb goes off, engulfing Akane, Saiga-sensei, and Frederica, and Bokamoso appears, wielding a gun and a wicked-looking knife.
• Frederica engages him but she’s outmatched and he beats her down.
• Saiga-sensei intervenes before Bokamoso can kill her and gets taken hostage for his trouble.
• Bokamoso demands the Document, but of course they haven’t got it.
• Akane levels her Dominator at Bokamoso, ordering him to desist.
• Kogami finally makes it back to them and he and Akane close in on Bokamoso, who holds the professor in front of him like a shield as he backs away.
• Kogami manages to line up a clear shot and shoots Bokamoso in the head without hesitation.
• In the midst of all this, there’s a humorous beat. Saiga-sensei sits up, rubbing his neck, and grumbles at Kogami for his recklessness. Kogami, bithely: “That was the best response.”
  • For the most part, I wasn’t keeping track of the English subs, but I remember thinking in the moment this one went by that they’d handled it well (the sub was accurate and preserved the humour).
• Assuming him dead, Kogami, Akane, and Saiga-sensei let their guard down, only for Bokamoso to get back up. He hasn’t spontaneously resurrected; Tonami is “possessing” his body, though the mechanism isn’t revealed until later.
• Bokamoso (Tonami) stabs Saiga-sensei (ack!) and shoves him away with enough force that the professor goes over the edge (no!!). He grabs hold of a pole but immediately begins to slip.
• Akane manages to catch hold of Saiga-sensei’s hand and hangs on desperately, trying to keep him from plummeting to his death.
• Kogami and Bokamoso (Tonami) — let’s call him Bokanami — fight, and Kogami is hard-pressed enough that he can’t get clear to help Akane pull Saiga-sensei up.
• Akane makes a valiant effort, but she’s too light/not strong enough and starts to get pulled over the edge with him.
• Saiga-sensei lets go of her hand of his own accord rather than drag her down with him.
• His last words to her are the ones featured prominently in the trailers: “Both justice and truth are multi-faceted. There are things you can’t understand unless you look at them from above. Tsunemori Akane, if it’s you, you’ll be able to do that.”
• As he falls, Akane screams — but it’s silent.
• Saiga-sensei lands far below in a hologram fountain.
• Kogami, in full-on avenger mode now, continues his fight with Bokanami.
• Akane runs past them without a second glance and takes the elevator down to get to Saiga-sensei.

• 10th Memorial Note Interview:
  Shiotani: In the part where Saiga falls, I had (Art Director Nakamura) Miyuki-san do the Cleanup animation on Akane; that was an expression that no one but Miyuki-san could draw.
  Nakamura (M): Akane in that scene, I worried whether it was alright for her expression to contort that much. The director often requested understated performances, so I was relieved not to be told I had overdone it.

Frederica (& Ginoza) vs Bokanami

• On the ground floor, Kai comes across the professor’s body and reports that the Document isn’t on him.
• Tonami concludes it was a trap and orders Kai to pull out, saying they’ve got Target B (uh oh).
• Kai starts to ascend a rope to their aircraft but Kogami catches sight of him.
• Frederica has recovered by this point and tells Kogami to go after Kai, taking over the fight with Bokanami. The two wrestle for his gun.
• Kogami launches himself at Kai, grabbing on and landing a few good punches as his momentum carries them across the cavernous main hall to another upper-floor walkway just as the rope gives out from their combined weight.
  • SN: The power of wrath〈weightlifting emoji〉
• Kai deploys a smoke bomb and escapes. Kogami pursues him.

• Meanwhile, Ginoza arrives and takes over Frederica’s fight with Bokanami.

Kogami vs. Kai in the Hologram Room

• Kogami goes after Kai. He finds a machine gun on the ground that seems to be pointing into the OIC building’s provincial records room, which can holographically be configured like various regions in Japan.
• Kogami and Kai have a long and intense fight in the hologram room. Yes, for anyone who saw the trailers and was wondering what was up with the horse and the lightning, everything is a hologram and this is all happening indoors.
• This is where Kogami gets the cut on his cheek, courtesy of Kai.
• Kogami stabs Kai through the hand, but Kai responds by turning the move against him, gaining the upper hand. They’re evenly matched, or possibly Kai is stronger. ( Seriously, how strong is this guy??)
• Kai tosses Kogami over a small cliff.
• As Kai stands looking down at Kogami, he quotes a few lines from Miyoshi Tatsuji’s poem “Ō-Aso” (Great Aso) at Kogami: Were a hundred years to pass in the space of this one moment, it would be not the least bit strange / Rain is falling, the rain is falling / The rain is falling, ceaseless and silently
• Ohhhhhhhhhh This is the poem that Atsushi and Arata keep quoting in PP3 and FI “Rain is falling...”
  • They are, all of them, standing there quietly / Drenched through by the rain, evermore in a single place, they are gathered quietly / Were a hundred years to pass in the space of this one moment, it would be not the least bit strange / Rain is falling, the rain is falling / The rain is falling, ceaseless and silently (FI)
• The poem describes the immense natural beauty of Aso, and features rain, a volcano, and horses (that’s why the horses!!).
  • SN: It’s a scene in which there’s a lot of wind blowing. We had the art [department] draw each of the different kinds of plants that actually grow in that area, and each one of those blades of grass was individually animated. This is a difficult scene isn’t it...*sweatdrop*
• Kai ends up with Kogami’s revolver but discards it before leaving.

• 10th Memorial Note Interview:
  Shiotani: In that scene where Kogami and Akira (Kai) face off, that was a scene where I wanted to, in a flash, swing in the opposite direction of PSYCHO-PASS’s high-SciFi worldbuilding. When we went to Aso for location scouting, a typhoon had come in and, as I was watching the distant clouds blow by in high wind, I wondered how it would be to include a fight scene that gave off the feel of the good old-time Japanese movies; from that idea, I had them draw me an image board. I had the thought that it might be good to have a horse appear in [that context].

Ginoza vs. Bokanami

• Meanwhile, Ginoza and Bokanami’s fight continues.
• Ginoza runs Bokanami through with his prosthetic arm.
• Bokanami traps the arm and pulls out a grenade. Seeing this, Ginoza detaches his prosthetic arm and gets clear before it goes off.
  • SN: Actually, Ginoza’s left arm is a prosthetic〈robot arm emoji〉

Aftermath

• On the ground floor, Akane kneels next to Saiga-sensei’s body in despair.
• Ginoza rests a hand on her shoulder in silent comfort.

• It turns out “Target B” was Yabuki, who’s been taken by the Peacebreakers. Frederica finds his hearing aid, which must have fallen out in the struggle, and clutches it in her hand. We get the sense that she respects and looks up to him.

Scene: Mission Failure

• After patching themselves up, the remaining members of the team — Akane, Ginoza, Frederica, and Kogami — gather in defeat. (Presumably Sugou is receiving medical treatment.)
• Akane gets upset with Frederica, blaming MOFA for failing to protect Saiga-sensei. 
• Kogami tells her there’s no sense getting angry with Frederica.
  • A lot of viewers were surprised (and irked heh) by the fact that Kogami calls Frederica by first name with no honorific/suffix here, especially considering he rarely uses Akane’s name. When he does, it’s her last name (Tsunemori), and even then he pretty much only uses that when he’s talking about her rather than to her.
• Atsushi shows up, claiming it falls to him sort things out, even if that means calling in the NDF.
• Atsushi has a line here that appears in the trailers: “We allowed a pack of beasts to go feral...I must take responsibility for this.” This is, of course, referring to the fact that the Peacebreakers were originally formed by MOFA (Though Atsushi is technically MHW, he was involved in their founding, as well).
• Akane says astutely that it’s like he’s orchestrating everything and asks if he sacrificed Saiga-sensei for that purpose.
• Atsushi says no one wanted casualties, but makes no attempt to deny the fact that they carried out their plan knowing Saiga-sensei’s death was a real possibility.
• Ginoza averts his gaze from Akane’s tortured expression. 

Scene: In the Elevator

• After, Kogami and Akane ride down in the elevator together. They still haven’t cleared the air between them, and the mood is strained. 
  • SN: Akane’s form [as seen] from behind.
• Kogami says to Akane, “Anger warps proper judgement,” and that, “There’s no need to be calm and collected at all times, but now isn’t one of them.”
• Akane, who largely kept her composure in front of the others, starts to cry now that it’s just the two of them, saying that it was her fault that Saiga-sensei died. That she was the one who got him involved. ( Technically, Dr Stronskaya got him involved, but...)
• Kogami reminds her that Saiga-sensei acted of his own volition and tells her to focus on doing her duty for now.
• On his way out of the carriage, Kogami pauses and says to her, “Once this case is over, cry as much as you like,” patting her on the shoulder. He gets off first.
• Behind him, Akane wipes her eyes and straightens, saying, “Yes!” (hai!), before following after him.

• Febri Interview (Pt. 2): 
  Shiotani: In contrast to Akane who cries, feeling responsible for the incident in Dejima, Kogami admonishes,  “Anger warps proper judgement. There’s no need to be cool-headed at all times, but now isn’t one of them” adding “After this case is resolved, cry as much as you like,” patting her on the shoulder. This is a line no one but Kogami can say and this is the only scene in the entire film in which [the two] return to their dynamic as senpai and kouhai from season 1 of the anime. It’s precisely because [we] know the trajectory their relationship has taken up until now that it feels all the more poignant.

Scene: Akane Calls Mika

• Back at the PSB, Mika takes a call from Akane.
• The Home Team — Mika, Hinakawa, Kunizuka, and CID Analyst Karanomori Shion — are tasked with figuring out how the Peacebreakers were communicating with each other and how they falsified their crime coefficients.
  • Karanomori Shion (VA: Sawashiro Miyuki): Analyst, Criminal Investigation Department, Public Safety Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare. Age 32. She responds to any and all requests from [detectives] in the field; she’s absolutely essential support during investigations.
• Akane adds one more task: she wants them to run a background check on Atsushi.
• After hanging up, Akane stands in her darkened room at the MOFA building in Dejima. In the foreground, we see an untouched glass of alcohol — presumably a toast to her late mentor.

Scene: Atsushi Informs Maiko of Milcia’s Death

• The next day, Atsushi informs Maiko (Dr Stronskaya’s daughter) of her mother’s death. Arata and Kei, the main protagonists of PP3/FI, are also present.
  • Maiko Maya Stronskaya (VA: Kiyomizu Risa): A second generation Russian immigrant who has become a semi-naturalised Japanese citizen. Age 21. She lost her sight when serving in the army.
  • Shindō Arata (VA: Kaji Yūki): Shindō Atsushi’s son. Age 21. He deeply respects his father, who raised him alone after his mother died. He’s childhood friends with Kei and Maiko.
    • SN: Arata is from Gifu Prefecture.
    • SN: It seems he was born at his mother’s family home.
  • Kei Mikhail Ignatov (VA: Nakamura Yūichi): A second generation Russian immigrant who has become a semi-naturalised Japanese citizen. Age 21. As a young child, he grew up in a conflict zone overseas. He has an older brother who lives apart from him for work reasons.
• Kei and Maiko are engaged to be married and Atsushi tells them there’s a chance that Akira, Kei’s older brother, may be able to make it to the ceremony.

• Afterwards, Atsushi and Arata walk through the streets of Dejima where people are busy preparing for the upcoming Lunar New Year celebration.
• Arata confirms that his father will attend the wedding and Atsushi tells him to take care of Kei and Maiko. Arata replies he doesn’t have to be told (i.e. of course he will).

Scene: The General of the Promised Land

• At the Peacebreakers’ secret base, Kai walks along a dingy corridor.
• In a dilapidated auditorium-like space, Tonami preaches before the assembled Peacebreakers. Midway through his speech, Kai comes in and sits in the back.
• The content of the speech is religious in nature, almost like he thinks of them as a new generation of crusaders.
• The General — their supreme commander — speaks (remotely), promising they’ll soon be welcomed to “the Promised Land.”
  • The General (VA: Yara Yūsaku): A medical AI deified by Tonami Tsugumasa.
• Ironically, he charges them with bringing justice and order to the world.

Scene: Torture Session

• Tonami tortures Yabuki by submerging him in water as Kai looks on.
• Tonami accuses Yabuki of planting a mole inside his organisation, since the ploy with Saiga-sensei and the Document was obviously a trap (i.e. MOFA intentionally leaked the intel).
• Yabuki calls him a mad dog and Tonami says that it was Yabuki and Atsushi who made him what he is.
• Tonami dismisses Kai, who casts a last look at Yabuki before leaving.

• In a dingy room, Kai staggers as if in pain. He downs pain meds, not paying the dosage any mind.
• He then washes his face, looks in the mirror, and breaks the glass.
• Tonami calls Kai, telling him to take over questioning Yabuki since he’s headed North — the General has arrived in the Promised Land.

Scene: Kogami & Karanomori Work the Case

• Kogami takes over where Saiga-sensei left off with the investigation, going over the materials the professor left behind. He pours a glass of alcohol and gets down to work.
• For once, it appears Kogami wasn’t familiar with the lines Kai quoted at him, but he’s still managed to remember them verbatim. Looking them up, he finds that they’re from Miyoshi’s poem. 
• He calls Karanomori back at the PSB to discuss the case.
• Kogami asks what came back on analysis of the kunai he sent her (the one Kai stabbed him with) and when she says it’s horse hair that’s tied to the handle, he tells her to look into where it came from, even though he’s already guessed the answer will be Aso in Kyushu, based on the poem.
• They lament Saiga-sensei’s death.
• Karanomori says the autopsy results on Bokamoso have come back, as well — he’s got some sort of special chip imbedded in his brain.
• Kogami asks her, “What do you think about possession?” (i.e. the reanimation/brain hijacking), wanting to know if she can think of a scientific explanation for such a thing.
• In response, Karanomori asks him what he thinks separates human beings’ mental capacity from that of other animals.
• Kogami names a few things — compassion, a sense of humour — before landing on objectivity, based on the context.
• Karanomori agrees with this last, pointing out that human beings are capable of observing our own behaviour from the outside, like a god looking down from on high. She quotes a certain cognitive psychologist: “Humans carry a god inside their minds.”
• Kogami immediately recognizes the quote, saying, “Julian Jaynes’ bicameral mind hypothesis, huh?”
  • This is a reference to Jaynes’ hypothesis presented in his 1976 book, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. According to the theory, up until about 3000 years ago, humans didn’t possess a sense of self/Freudian “ego,” but rather a bicameral mentality. The “bicameral” is in reference to a consciousness split between an inner “god” that gives orders and passes judgements, and an inner “human” who complies with those orders. Citing Homer’s Illiad, Jaynes hypothesised that people who lived long ago actually heard the voice of some inner god, and that the people themselves were nothing more than puppets obeying that voice.
  • SN: The ego and the superego...is it〈brain emoji〉
• In the context of the case at hand, this would translate to a theory that the Peacebreakers are using some unknown method of creating a dissociative state in which they become puppets obeying Tonami’s voice. Because they’re only semi-conscious “puppets,” there’s no way to measure their crime coefficients. 
• During this scene, Kogami looks at a hologram of a painting. According to Director Shiotani, the painting — entitled The Pit (奈落) — depicts how “the work of men breeds disaster and, incurring divine punishment, the earth dies out. Even so, the scarce remaining life forms cling to and reach for a god in heaven. Not knowing that that god is the devil...”
• Based on the poem and the kunai, Kogami and Karanomori deduce that the Peacebreakers have a secret base in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture.  

• Film Pamphlet Cast Interview:
  Sawashiro (Karanomori’s VA): ......The face she shows to “Shinya-kun,” it just might be that — more than the one she shows Kunizuka, even — that’s the closest thing to Shion’s authentic self......was what I objectively felt in a flash when I watched the completed film. Though that wasn’t my intention when I was acting her......She appears impenetrable, but at her core she’s unarmoured, so I wonder if, when engaged with [head-on], Shion, too, naturally becomes that way......

Scene: Akane, Mika, & Frederica Report to Kasei

• Our lady commanders report to Kasei that they’ve determined the Peacebreakers’ base of operations.
• Since they’ve deduced that the Peacebreakers are using chips like the one imbedded in Bokamoso’s brain to falsify their crime coefficients, Kasei approves the use of traditional firearms for this op.
• The three salute, and Akane and Frederica’s holograms blink out.

Scene: Aso Base Raid

• The CID and MOFA jointly conduct a raid of the Peacebreakers’ base in Aso. We see them setting off in the trailers following Akane’s pronouncement of, “We’ll now commence the operation.”
• Again, as shown in the trailers, Kogami jumps out of the tilt-roter from an insane height — rifle in hand — and immediately rolls into a crouch.
• Ginoza, being a sane, reasonable person, waits for the roter to get closer to the ground before alighting. Meanwhile, Kogami has forged ahead. Typical.
• The Away Team — Kogami, Ginoza, Akane, Frederica, and an SAD tactical squad — raid the base, armed with old school weapons since they can’t count on Dominators working. (Presumably, Sugou sat this one out to heal up.)
• Kogami and Ginoza move through the base as a two-man cell, Kogami taking point and Ginoza guarding the rear.

• Elsewhere in the complex, Kai gets Yabuki down from the hook he was suspended on and carries him up a staircase littered with the bodies of dead Peacebreakers.

• Meanwhile, Kogami and Ginoza have gotten pinned down by a couple of drones equipped with machine guns. The situation is starting to look somewhat dire until someone deactivates them remotely.
• It’s Kai, who emerges carrying Yabuki. He identifies himself as an undercover agent for MOFA and surrenders.
• Kogami orders Kai to set Yabuki down, which he does. Kogami steps forward to help him.
  • I’m thinking there’s a good chance Kogami worked out that Kai might be on their side, since Kai was pretty heavy-handed about pointing Kogami straight to this base in Aso. Or possibly Kogami thought it was a trap, I don’t know. He is quick to tell Ginoza not to shoot Kai when Kai appears.
• Kai tells Kogami and Ginoza to restrain him in case Tonami tries to “possess” him.
• In a surprisingly gentle tone of voice — distorted by Yabuki’s missing hearing aid — we hear Kai say, “It’s all right now, Yabuki-san.”

Scene: Back to Base

• After the raid, drones canvass the facility.
• Before heading back to the Dejima MOFA building, Akane uses her authority as Chief Inspector to place Ginoza in charge of investigating the Aso base, as if he were still an Inspector. ( This never used to be possible, so I’m wondering if it’s a perk of her promotion.)
  • Specifically, she temporarily voids his need for supervision as an Enforcer.
• There’s a shot that was featured in a lot of the trailers and promotional materials where Akane turns and smiles softly, and that’s from this scene. The smile is directed at Ginoza when he tells her to be careful.

• Akane, Kogami, Frederica, Kai (in handcuffs), and Yabuki (on a stretcher) fly back to Dejima.
• It’s at this point that we learn Kai’s identity. A lot of people guessed this based on the fact that the characters share a VA, but it’s confirmed at this point that Kai Mikhaylov is really Akira Vasili Ignatov, older brother to PP3 deuteragonist Kei Mikhail Ignatov. Atsushi and Yabuki sent him in as an undercover agent to bring down the Peacebreakers from within.
  • Someone pointed out that Akira most likely fashioned his alias after his brother’s name. ㅠ ㅠ
  • SN: The day the poet Goethe died is the day Akira Ignatov was born. (22 March)
• Kogami asks Akira if Tonami got his hands on the Document but Akira says no — he has it. As a MOFA agent, he’s got a chip for covert operations implanted in his brain and that’s where he’s stored the Document.
• Kogami asks Akira, “What’s Tonami’s goal in the first place; what does he want to do once he’s obtained the Document?” (This is yet another line that appeared in the trailers.)
• Akira clarifies that, even though it’s called a Document, the Stronskaya Document is really a “simulator theory” that can predict and quantify ethnic clashes, large scale conflicts, etc. and assign them conflict coefficients. Using it, one could either prevent conflicts before they break out or inflame them. It’s clear which usage Tonami has in mind.
  • The “Stronskaya Document” is a program concerning basic simulation theory. As it can predict the influence the Sibyl System will have upon the world, it could go beyond the realm of “crime coefficients” to measuring “conflict coefficients” — i.e., the crime coefficients of nations; if misused, it could fan the coals of conflict into a blaze.
• Akira asks them to keep him in an anechoic chamber (a room equipped with electromagnetic interference) until they can extract the data from his MOFA chip since he’s got a second chip imbedded in his brain which he calls a “Divider.”

• When they arrive in Dejima, Frederica asks Kogami to debrief Akira; she plans to stay with Yabuki whilst he undergoes medical treatment.
• Though it’s raining, Atsushi is waiting outside to meet them.
• Atsushi greets Akira, calling him “Akira-kun.” He acknowledges that infiltrating Peacebreaker was a tough mission, but Akira doesn’t respond. If anything, his demeanor is cold and unreceptive: whatever goodwill he feels for Yabuki clearly doesn’t extend to Atsushi.
  • SN: At Atsushi’s words, Akira’s expression clouded over and he didn’t respond. Why? (posed as a question for Twitter users)
• Akane asks Atsushi to explain the situation.

Scene: Interrogation/Debrief

• They bring Akira to a room equipped with EMI to prevent Tonami from “possessing” him and Kogami asks him to describe the circumstances of Dr Stronskaya’s death.
• Akira tells Kogami that he was the one who killed her, referring to the professor by her first name.
  • Those who have seen PP3 will know that, as of season 3, Akira’s younger brother (Kei) is married to Dr Stronskaya’s daughter (Maiko). The two were childhood friends, so it’s safe to assume Akira and Dr Stronskaya knew each other well. Ouch.

• This confession is followed by a flashback to the attack on the Grootslang. It turns out, there was time between when Akira barged into Dr Stronskaya’s cabin and when he shot her. I’m guessing her gasp of surprise when he called her “professor” was because she recognised his voice.
• The two of them stand in front of her laptop whilst Akira downloads the Document to the MOFA chip in his brain and Dr Stronskaya says, “If nothing else, I’ll protect those children’s future.”
• They face each other, Akira’s gun trained on the professor. Akira promises to deliver the document.
• He shoots her, but this time we see his pained expression. (He makes this noise like he’s choking back tears.)
  • So, to recap, after sending the communication to Saiga-sensei to act as a misdirect, she secretly entrusted the Document to Akira, whom she must have known was an undercover agent, and then finally had Akira kill her to prevent herself from being captured and forced to reveal its true location/contents.

• Back in the present, Akira finishes his account saying, “There was nothing else to be done.”
• Kogami offers Akira a cigarette, which confused some people since it’s never been established that Akira smokes. Regardless, Akira accepts the proffered cigarette and Kogami lights it for him.
• Kogami asks him what a “Divider” is and Akira explains that it’s a device that divides the consciousness. The person registers themself as separate individual and ascribes all feelings of guilt to this other person, which is why their crime coefficients register as 0.00.
  • As per Jaynes’ hypothesis, the Dividers relegate the person to the “inner human” which obeys whilst Tonami (or the General) acts as the “inner god” which commands. Essentially, the Dividers induce a highly suggestible, dissociative state that Tonami can “hack” remotely.
• Kogami asks how, then, Tonami managed to make the SAD agents shoot each other and Akira explains it as “cracking.” All (or almost all) MOFA personnel have translation chips in their brains that Tonami was able to hack, though the range and time duration are limited. Since Kogami and the CID detectives don’t have them, they couldn’t be “possessed.”
• Kogami asks Akira what his objective was and Akira reveals that his mission was to infiltrate Peacebreaker to uncover the location of their supreme commander, “the General.” Akira’s never seen him and doesn’t know his name, but he’s finally got a lock on his location: The northern archipelago.
• Yabuki appears in the doorway — except it isn’t Yabuki; it’s Tonami possessing Yabuki. He shoots Kogami in the thigh.
  • SN: More than standing normally, I think that person is cooler when down on his knees, enduring pain..
• Tonami tells Akira to leave the anechoic chamber or else he’ll kill Kogami.
• Kogami yells at Akira to stay put, but Akira complies with Tonami’s demand. ( I really wish we didn’t know where this was going ㅠ ㅠ)

• Meanwhile, Akane questions Atsushi.
• When she asks why he sent Akira in as an undercover agent, Atsushi explains that Tonami doesn’t trust Japanese people and claims that Akira volunteered. Apparently, he burnt his face himself to avoid recognition, which Atsushi calls “desperate resolve” (i.e. he was prepared to die).
• Akane guesses that Dr Stronskaya’s ship was attacked because, just like with Saiga-sensei, Atsushi and Yabuki intentionally leaked her location to draw out Tonami and the Peacebreakers.
• Atsushi claims she has an overactive imagination, but the deflection is hardly convincing.
• Akane tells him that she looked into him. There were no red flags, but she found his career trajectory strange in that there were no missteps, almost like he was “ascending a staircase someone had prepared for [him] from the start.”
• Before he can respond, Akane’s device rings. It’s a distress call from Kogami who, in addition to being shot, has had his ankle handcuffed to the table. He reports that Akira was possessed and escaped and Yabuki is dead, asking Akane to handle the situation since he’s temporarily out of action.
• Atsushi is able to locate Akira remotely and they go after him.

Scene: The Truth Revealed

• Meanwhile, Akira has made his way up to the heliport as he tries to fight off Tonami’s possession. 
• Akane and Atsushi arrive and Atsushi and Akira face each other as Akira continues to struggle against Tonami’s control.
• When Akira (Tonami) points a gun at Atsushi, Akane steps between them, raising her Dominator. Interestingly, it activates even despite the Divider in his head.
• Akane shoots him (with Paralyzer mode) but — just like when Kagari shot Okura in S01E01 — it doesn’t work.
• Tonami chokes out that the Divider is overloading — at this rate, it will burn up Akira’s brain. He realises that “Kai” intended to die from the start. ㅠ ㅠ
• Akira’s threat assessment gets updated so that his crime coefficient just barely exceeds the threshold for Lethal Eliminator mode (CC: 300). Akane is quick to train her gun skyward and remove her finger from the trigger.
• Akira continues to struggle against Tonami’s control, attempting to turn the gun on himself (So Tonami doesn’t shoot Akane or Atsushi? To end things before his brain burns up??). When Tonami calls him “Kai” again, he asserts that his name is Akira Ignatov.
  • I don’t understand. If Tonami can “possess” dead bodies, how is shooting himself supposed to help? Although I guess he was already dying? Maybe I just don’t want it to make sense... ㅠ ㅠ
• Akira manages shoot himself in the chest and tosses the gun towards Atsushi and Akane. The wound isn’t enough to kill him, though, so he yells at Atsushi to end him. His final words are to entrust Kei to Atsushi’s care. (I’m not crying, you’re crying.)
• Atsushi assures Akira he’ll keep his promise and tells him, “The long rain will soon end.”
  • I wonder what the significance of this phrasing is to them. “Rain is falling” is the phrase Atsushi used to suppress Arata’s memories of Sibyl in an FI flashback, so are we meant to understand that Atsushi has been using his Mentalist abilities on Akira?
• Atsushi trains the gun on Akira. All the while, in the background, there are fireworks going off.
• Akira keels over. It’s actually not clear to me whether Atsushi shoots him and the fireworks cover the sound and flash of the gunshot or if Akira simply succumbs to his wounds, but I think we’re supposed to assume the former.
• This is how it comes to pass that Atsushi (Arata’s father) shoots and kills Akira (Kei’s brother). So, that’s one mystery from PP3 solved, but honestly it’s still awful. I think a lot of people were hoping Atsushi had been framed, but this is Psycho-Pass and, true to form, the truth is brutal. 

• Film Pamphlet Director Interview:
  Shiotani: Akira makes an appearance as an undercover agent, which is a harsh and difficult position to be in, but the reason he was able to bear up under those circumstances was because of his love for his younger brother Kei. Akira, who offered up all that he had so that his brother could become happy, previously participated in the wars of his home country, but for Kei’s sake he came to Japan seeking peace and stability. Only, due to his history, the only skill he’d acquired was fighting and that was the only means by which he could live. In the course of that, he came to meet Atsushi and took on the job of becoming an undercover agent. Akira’s wish was to be able to let his younger brother Kei live a normal life, that was all he wanted. 

Scene: Lunar New Year Festival

• These are the same Setsubun (Lunar New Year) fireworks that Kei, Maiko, and Arata watch from Dejima’s Chinatown, oblivious to the tragedy unfolding nearby. ㅠ ㅠ

Scene: Akane Visits Kogami in the Infirmary

• In another callback to PP1, Akane visits Kogami in the infirmary. She tells him the investigation into Atsushi has been suspended, but she’s glad that he’s alright.
• Kogami says Akira’s death is on him — he made a mistake.
• Kogami goes to smoke and Akane swipes the cigarette right out of his mouth, telling him that they’re a team (and therefore equally culpable).
• Kogami actually agrees with her, closing the lighter and sitting up a bit straighter to listen. With this, it seems the two have cleared the air between them.
• Kogami ask her what she intends to do, sitting up in the bed a bit in a way that brings him into Akane’s personal space, and the way he says it is so reminiscent of their dynamic in PP1.
• She tells him they’re in the process of analysing the data they pulled off of Akira’s MOFA chip. As soon as the analysis is done, they’ll move. She doesn’t intend to let Tonami go free.

Scene: Atsushi & Kasei (Sibyl) Cut a Deal

• Kasei and Atsushi sit in Atsushi’s parked car (the one Arata sleeps in PP3) whilst a crowd enjoying the Lunar New Year procession carry on outside.
• Kasei acknowledges Atsushi as a difficult man to contend with, which he points out could be said for both of them.
• Kasei says that, with Yabuki’s death, their ability to regulate information is just about at its limit and that she’ll have him take responsibility for the debacle. Atsushi accepts this, saying he’d always intended to do so.
• She thanks him for his contributions, regardless of his methods (all but confirming Atsushi has done some pretty unsavoury things in his career in order to achieve worthy goals).
• He asks if the Sibyl System will continue to believe in the potential of human beings. Her response: “That’s a foolish question. We exist for that very purpose.”
• Kasei says she’ll guarantee Arata, Kei, and Maiko’s safety and Atsushi replies, “That’s a promise, Sibyl System.” (So, yes, we now have confirmation Atsushi is aware of Kasei’s identity.)
  • I understand why Arata’s safety is in question (since he’s criminally asymptomatic, he would normally need to be incorporated into the Sibyl System perforce in order to avoid the omnipotence paradox — or would have, prior to PP2), but I’m less clear on why it was necessary to ensure Kei’s and Maiko’s safety. Something to do with their status as immigrants and the time they’ve spent in conflict zones overseas?
• She hands him a leather pouch, calling it a “parting gift” and gets out of the car.

Scene: Atsushi & Homura Senior

• Atsushi next has a phone call with Homura Koichiro, a Congressman of Bifrost, which is the name of both an underground crime syndicate and the AI system secretly housed beneath Nona Tower which they use to calculate betting outcomes based on statistical data (see PP3).
  • Hōmura Kōichirō (VA: Mugihito): A Congressman of Bifrost and Homura Shizuka’s adoptive father.
  • I’ve seen his first name Romanised several ways on the internet, but this is the proper Romanisation of the kanji 劫一郎. That said, in FI, Shirogane actually refers to him as “Kyoichiro” — I’m unclear if this was a slip or if this is another case of unusual kanji usage in PP character names.
• Apparently, Atsushi has spent years acting as an Inspector (insupekutaa not kanshikan) for Bifrost, though we’re not told this explicitly.
  • For the record, the device Atsushi receives a message on during the conference at the start of the film is identical to the device Shizuka gives Kei in PP3 when he recruits him as an Inspector.
• Homura tells Atsushi, “So you intended to hand the Stronskaya Document over to the PSB from the start” which Atsushi readily admits.
  • As I understand it, Kasei (a.k.a. the Sibyl System) agreed to guarantee Arata, Kei, and Maiko’s lives in exchange for Atsushi handing over the Stronskaya Document and taking the fall for the failed operation. It seems that with his death imminent, Atsushi decided that cutting a deal with the Sibyl System directly is a safer bet in the long run. Including Kei and Maiko in the promise was likely meant as a way of fulfilling his promise to Akira and atoning for Dr Stronskaya’s death, given he was partially responsible for it.
• Homura expresses his displeasure over Atsushi’s choice. It’s implied that he’d ordered Atsushi to give the Stronskaya Document to him. Whether he wanted to incorporate the Document into Bifrost/Roundrobin himself, prevent the other two Congressmen from doing so, or simply keep the Document out of Sibyl’s hands is unclear.
  • Roundrobin (VA: Morikawa Takayuki): An underground gambling game which utilizes the Bifrost System’s AI to calculate odds — uncredited; does not appear.
• Homura retracts Atsushi’s authorizations as an Inspector.
• Shizuka appears behind his adoptive father on Homura senior’s end of the call in this scene.
  • Hōmura Shizuka (VA: Miyano Mamoru): Homura Koichiro’s adoptive son. Age 29. He appears in PP3 & FI as a Congressman of Bifrost and, later, the new Bureau Chief of the PSB.
  • SN: Shizuka’s body weight is 59kg.

• After they hang up the call, Atsushi steps out of the car and moves into the crowd, where he finds Akane.
• He’s called her out to request that she delay informing Akira’s next-of-kin of his death until after Kei and Maiko’s wedding the following day. (Not sure why they had to meet in person for this, but okay.)
• Akane promises to see to it.
• There’s a long pause, and then Atsushi says there’s somewhere he’d like her to go with him.

Scene: Kei & Maiko’s Wedding

• The day of Kei and Maiko’s wedding arrives, and Akane attends at Atsushi’s invitation. 
• Arata seems surprised to see her arrive with his father but they skip right over introductions.
• The wedding takes place on a ship.

• Arata walks Maiko up the aisle and the couple say their vows — at least, we assume they do. We just see them smile at each other and kiss.

• At the reception afterwards, Atsushi gives a speech and, honestly, is this the sort of thing you normally say at a wedding?
  • “Justice and rightness are relative, but the truth is something absolute.”
  • “Making a choice in which no one gets hurt, in this lies true happiness.”
• Interestingly, in contrast to Saiga-sensei, who said that both the truth and justice are multi-faceted, Atsushi says that justice is relative, but that the truth is singular; justice changes over time, but the truth is immutable.
• He also says that he’s told many lies, convincing himself they were for a good cause, and that he doesn’t want the next generation to repeat his mistakes and regret them as he does. Really, this is more like a deathbed confession disguised as a toast.
• This speech is critical to both Atsushi and Akane’s character trajectories. The sentiments sound almost as if they’re directed both at Akane and at Atsushi himself. ( The two characters are interesting foils for each other. In some ways, Atsushi is what Akane might have become if she had chosen differently.)

• Film Pamphlet Director Interview:
  Shiotani: When you look at Atsushi from Akane’s perspective, he’s “a depiction of what her future might look like,” isn’t he. On the other hand, from Atsushi’s perspective, Akane is simultaneously a past version of himself and someone who might be hiding within her the possibility of producing a more evolved answer [to the question Sibyl’s existence poses to society]. Atsushi is an individual who has done unspeakable things for the sake of accomplishing what he believed to be right. But he doesn’t affirm that; he’s well aware that his hands are stained. I think what he’s saying in the wedding speech is at the root of Atsushi’s mindset. In his speech he conveyed to his son, Arata, as well as Akane and the others who will live through the future, the mistaken way of living he learned in his own life and his hopes [for them].

• After the ceremony, Akane and Arata notice that Atsushi is missing and go look for him.
• Atsushi sits in his car holding a photo of his wife and Arata. A gun rests atop the leather pouch Kasei handed him on the seat beside him.
  • SN: Arata’s mother’s name is Shōko-san.
• Arata and Akane make their way to the car park in the ship’s hold and are close enough to hear the gunshot when it goes off.
• They find Atsushi dead in his car, a bullet hole in his head. The photo of his family is still clutched in his hand.
• There’s speculation that Atsushi asked to at least be allowed to attend the wedding before “taking responsibility” and invited Akane precisely so that she would hear his very un-wedding-like speech, since this was all the time he had in which to give it. I guess he wasn’t thinking about how the kids would feel to have those two very significant life events tied together.

Scene: At the Morgue

• At the morgue, Akane takes a call from Kasei, who orders her to return to Tokyo.
• In one of the rooms, Kei and Maiko weep over Akira’s body.
• Meanwhile, Arata stumbles out of another room looking dazed and distraught.
• Arata approaches Akane and grasps her by the shoulders, demanding to know what happened. He says he feels like he’s losing it.
  • I never would have guessed from watching PP3 that Akane and Arata had had this level of interaction.
• Akane tells Arata she doesn’t know, but that she thinks that everything Atsushi did was for Arata’s sake. 
• When he demands a better explanation, she tells him that, just as Atsushi said in his speech, Arata will have to seek out the truth for himself. (Anyone who’s seen PP3 will know that this is what prompts Arata and Kei to become CID Inspectors.)
• A lot of people were wondering why Akane didn’t just come out and tell them what happened here. As I understand it, there are two main reasons:
  • (1) Akane doesn’t know the exact reason for Atsushi’s suicide. She doesn’t know about Bifrost or Atsushi’s deal with the Sibyl System, and it’s unclear when and how she comes to know that Arata is criminally asymptomatic.
  • (2) What she does know is how Maiko’s mother and Kei’s brother died, but that information is classified and they’re civilians, so she’s not able to disclose the circumstances.
• Arata cries.

Scene: Return to Tokyo

• There’s a brief scene in which Ginoza says he heard the Bureau Chief has declared the case closed and asks Akane what happened.
• Akane replies that she doesn’t know, but she intends to speak with Kasei once they return to Tokyo.

Scene: Akane & Kasei (Sibyl)

• Kasei sits in her office at the PSB, watching a recorded message from Tonami. In it, he declares the Peacebreakers’ stronghold in the north an independent state, but stresses that they do not stand in opposition to the Sibyl System. As proof, he invites them to check his Hue and crime coefficient.
• The video pauses, and Kasei addresses Akane, who stands across from her. Apparently, they’ve already checked and deemed him “an exceedingly effective party to negotiate with.”
• More specifically, Sibyl has spoken with the Peacebreakers’ supreme commander, the General, and found him to be highly rational. In exchange for the Peacebreakers supporting Sibyl’s interests and activities overseas, the Sibyl System has agreed to recognise the Kuril Islands as an independent nation.
  • Essentially, the General is inciting conflicts overseas (the Peacebreakers’ sabotage operations), which would theoretically increase the demand for Sibyl’s export. The Sibyl System is constrained from actively contributing to this by its mandate — “The greatest happiness for the greatest number of people” — but it can tacitly approve of actions outside its purview since it’s not obligated to intervene. Therefore, since Sibyl’s ultimate goal is global deployment, it would rather negotiate with Tonami and the General than stop them.
• Naturally, Akane can’t believe her ears.
• Kasei instructs Akane to deliver the Stronskaya Document to Tonami and the General.
• Akane is understandably upset, demanding to know what all of the sacrifices (casualties) up until now have been for.
• Kasei doesn’t deign to answer this, telling Akane simply that Atsushi’s job will soon be hers. She should accept it.
• When Akane asks if she’s being told to quit the PSB, Kasei replies, “You’re already operating beyond the scope of the PSB, aren’t you?”

Scene: Will You Come?

• Of course, Akane being Akane, she’s determined to do what’s right and bring them all to justice under the law. That evening, she sits out on the PSB balcony as the sun sets and pores over the notes Saiga-sensei took when he was profiling Tonami.
  • SN: Golden-coloured Tsunemori Akane〈sun emoji〉
• Having sorted out her thoughts and firmed her resolve, she calls Kogami, telling him she can’t let the case be put to rest this way. He can tell from her voice that she’s made up her mind.
• Akane asks him, “Will you come?” to which he doesn’t hesitate to reply, “Even if you tell me not to come, I’m going with you.”
• Kogami continues, “Since it’s you we’re talking about, I take it we stand a decent chance?” Akane says that if they’re up against who she thinks they are, then yes, they’ve got a shot at winning this. Kogami: “That’s more than good enough for me.”
• When this exchange appeared in a trailer, I assumed it was another private conversation between the two, but it turns out Frederica is there as well, on Kogami’s end. He turns to her after they’ve rung off, asking her what she plans to do, given what she overheard.
  • Clearly, he’s not worried about her stopping him — or isn’t going to let her stop him — but this line tickled me. It’s like he has no concept of what the word “boss” means. It’s just: “I’m going. Are you?”
• Frederica’s on board, though. She vows to accomplish what Yabuki couldn’t in his stead.

Scene: Mission Briefing

• It’s going to take more than just the three of them to bring Tonami and the Peacebreakers to justice, though, so Akane reads Division 1 in.
• Akane, Mika, Karanomori, the Division 1 Enforcers, Kogami, and Frederica assemble for a mission briefing in the Division 1 office.
• Akane says that if they do this, they’ll fight as CID detectives — that means abiding by the law and using nothing but Dominators against heavily armed combatants. She’s clear that without legitimacy of law it would be meaningless.
• Akane says that she won’t force anyone to participate but — despite the fact that she’s planning to directly subvert the Bureau Chief’s orders — the others all immediately agree to help her, even Mika.
• Frederica states that she and Kogami are with Akane (calling her “Inspector Tsunemori”), and Ginoza says that they’ve already resolved [to follow her].
• Sugou volunteers to find a way to get the rest of them north, saying he’s got an idea on that front.
• Mika points out that all of them charging in without backup would spell disaster and volunteers herself, Hinakawa, Kunizuka, and Karanomori to run mission support from the PSB. Of course, when Akane thanks her she’s quick to backpedal, saying that if they all get themselves killed she’ll claim they forced her into it. No one is fooled.
• An image of a floating structure appears on the screen as Hinakawa explains that the signal source powering the Peacebreakers’ communications system (and their Dividers) is moving, which is why they had trouble locating it. It’s a high-altitude para-satellite communications network based in a stealth-type aircraft drifting through the stratosphere. Official designation: Raphael.
  • Fun fact: All of the Peacebreakers’ mecha have names derived from Archangels: Gabriel, Raphael, Michael. This is a nod to Tonami’s near-religious worship of AI.
• Their goal isn’t to shut it down, however. Since signal strength is spotty at best that far north, in order to ensure their Dominators will remain linked up to Sibyl, they’ll have to hack the system and take it over. That will ensure the Dominators stay online and the Dividers can’t be used to nullify them.
• Akane identifies this as the lynchpin of their plan and they get down to hammering out the details.

Scene: Departing for the North

• Akane and Mika see off the Away Team — Ginoza, Sugou, Kogami, and Frederica — at the dock. (Akane will be making her way north separately as the Sibyl System’s official envoy.)
• Mika entrusts Ginoza with the prototype dominator that appears in FI, the one that can suppress multiple targets at once. Rather than express her concern honestly, though, in true tsundere fashion, she tells him the weapon is expensive so he’d better be sure to bring it back. Heh
• Akane tells Kogami and Frederica that she’s taken care of registering them as authorised users. Once the Home Team take over the signal relay station, they’ll be able to use Dominators.
• She and Kogami then have a brief exchange:
  • Kogami: “I get the plan, but don’t do anything reckless until we get there. You’ll be in the most danger playing decoy.”
  • Akane: “I can’t make any promises.”
  • Kogami: “Oi...”
  • Akane: “So please come quickly.” ^ ^
• The BGM as they prepare to set off here is from PP1 and will be instantly recognisable to fans of the series.

Scene: Ginoza & Kogami Talk

• The Away Team ride a motorboat out to a larger craft. En route, Ginoza and Kogami finally take a moment to have a real conversation.
• Ginoza says there are times he thinks that his and Kogami’s existence has kept Akane tied to her job as a detective so he wants to act as her shield; he won’t let her become a latent criminal. This is what he can do by way of atonement.
• Kogami says that he feels the same way.
• Ginoza asks Kogami why (lit. “for what purpose”) he returned to Japan.
• Kogami replies, “Not to die. I thought maybe I could do something more decent for someone else’s* sake, something that wasn’t out of a personal vendetta or obligation.” (Character Growth, is that you?)
• Ginoza huffs a soft laugh and says that he’s become the slightest bit more upstanding.

* In the novelisation of SS Case.3, when Frederica recruits him to the SAD, we get a bit of Kogami’s internal thought process about his decision to return. When she asks him if he resents the people who live under Sibyl’s control, Kogami thinks that, in Japan, there’s a man he can call a friend and a person he’s taken to/let his heart go out to. Then, out loud, he says, “Of course not.” To me, that suggests that he returned, at least in part, so as to be of help to Ginoza and Akane.

SEQUENCE: Infiltrating Tonami’s Stronghold

• It turns out the transport north Sugou had in mind is an NDF sub helmed by his his old army buddy, Sarutobi (callsign: Second Guardian), from Case.2.
  • Sarutobi Kōki (VA: Iijima Hajime): Sugou Teppei’s former colleague. He participated in Operation “Foot Stomp,” which was previously carried out at SEAUn (Southeast Asia Union), as a drone pilot alongside Sugou. Since he and Sugou are bound by camaraderie, he spares no effort if it’s for Sugou’s sake.
  • SN: Sugou made a friend〈handshake emoji〉
  • Sarutobi was alive! (Is that what Shiotani meant by “Sugou got a friend?! ㅠ ㅠ)
• Sugou, dressed in his old NDF flight suit, apologies for having Sarutobi put himself out on their behalf.
• Sarutobi waves this off. He’s glad to have an opportunity to repay Sugou (see Case.2) and has told the men on board that this is some sort of top-secret military training exercise.
• Sarutobi also confides that they’d actually received orders from Atsushi prior to his death to prepare for this eventuality (Which explains how Sarutobi escapes getting court-martialed for aiding them). It does make you wonder how much of all this Atsushi foresaw/orchestrated and how far his authority reached.

Hound Team

• A smaller sub emerges from the massive one and approaches the shore. Ginoza, Kogami, and Frederica emerge from within and make land, lugging duffle bags and cases of equipment with them.
  • SN: Materials (information) on the ocean floor. It’s rather difficult to find them..
• They come ashore in the midst of a snowstorm in a gray and forbidding landscape.
  • SN:  Winter in Todowara
    • Todowara is a narrow peninsula off of the far-eastern edge of Hokkaido, nicknamed “the edge of the world.” I’m assuming that this is the location that Shiotani has in mind for Tonami’s HQ. The islands in its vicinity – Shikotan, Habomai, and Kunashir(i) – are notoriously disputed territory with Russia, so it’s safe to say that Todowara is about as remote as (undisputed) Japan gets. 
  • SN: Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve ever drawn something like an ice floe♪〈smiley face〉
  • SN: I’ve never seen an ice floe in real life... *tears*

• Onboard the submarine, Sugou sits in a cockpit whilst the drone he’s piloting heads for Raphael (the signal relay station). He does a scan (of the area?) and forwards the data to the “Hound Team” on shore.

• Kogami confirms he’s got a lock on the location and announces that they’re commencing their part of the op. Sugou wishes them luck, and moves on to phase 2.
• Kogami checks his device and says to the others, “We don’t have much time until Tsunemori arrives.” If you can believe it, this is the only time in the entire 2 hour film that Kogami says Akane’s name.
• Side note: They’re all dressed in CID gear for this op. Longtime fans got all excited to see Kogami sporting the PSB logo again in this sequence.

Akane & Tonami

• Meanwhile, Akane makes her way to Tonami’s stronghold in an unmanned helicopter. There are two drone aircraft flanking her as she approaches. From the look she gives them, I’m pretty sure these are Tonami’s (are these the Michaels?).
• Akane lands and makes her way into the base where Tonami is waiting for her.
• The General announces that the area combat coefficient’s standard value has been cleared: no chance of a fight. (Anyone familiar with Psycho-Pass who hasn’t put the pieces together yet should be catching on right about now.)
• Tonami greets Akane by name and demands the the Stronskaya Document.
• Akane points at her head, saying, “It’s here.” Tonami takes this to mean that she’s had Akira’s MOFA chip transferred to her. She warns him not to try anything, since she can erase the data whenever.
• He asks her what she wants and she demands to meet the General.

Home Team

• Back at the PSB, Mika, Hinakawa, Kunizuka, and Karanomori are running back-up. Mika’s in charge of overseeing their end of the op, whilst the other three are in charge of hacking.
• They can’t get a fix on the signal relay aircraft’s exact location but should be able to once the Peacebreakers use their Dividers.
• They also haven’t heard from Akane yet, but Hinakawa is ready and waiting. As soon as Sugou’s drone gets within range, he’ll begin the hack.
  • SN: hinakawa_〈man + laptop emoji〉

Hound Team

• Ginoza, Kogami, and Frederica take out the Peacebreakers guarding the ground level entrance to Tonami’s stronghold.
• The plan is to neutralise as many people as they can before Tonami notices their presence, but this is complicated by the fact the they can’t use Dominators yet. They’ll have to rely on hand-to-hand combat and lightning sticks until Sugou and the Home Team give them the green light. All they can do is trust in their teammates and wait.
• I think maybe it’s here that Kogami restrains a Peacebreaker whilst Ginoza punches through his(?) helmet, but I can’t be sure. A lot happens in this sequence. It might be later.

Akane, Tonami, & The General

• Tonami guides Akane further into his stronghold. He explains that the dilapidated facility he’s leading her through was once an unmanned industrial city built by autonomous computers. He says that he glimpsed the future in this sort of progress free from human intervention and laments that it was shut down when the world devolved into conflict and chaos.
• Akane points out that he’s contributing to that very phenomenon. Notably, she uses informal speech with him (due to lack of respect), just as she does with the Sibyl System.
• They proceed into a chamber that houses the General’s physical operating system, and Akane comments that, just as she suspected, the General is an AI system like Sibyl (and, like Sibyl, it’s comprised of multiple human brains).
• Her lack of surprise surprises Tonami, but Akane points out that it seems unlikely an entity which can be entrusted with the guilt and ill intentions of a great many people and reach an understanding with Sibyl would be a human being. She credits Saiga-sensei with leading her to this conclusion.
• As we deduced, Tonami reveals that the General was originally a medical AI developed to combat psycho-hazard (i.e. the communicability of high crime coefficients) as an auxiliary system to Sibyl. The specifications were then modified into what it is now: a system that allows the Peacebreakers to fight until death. (Is this supposed to explain why Tonami can puppeteer corpses?)
  • Basically: The General, which was originally developed to prevent collective Hue deterioration, was reconfigured to provide the Peacebreakers with mental care but, given the circumstances they were operating under (conflict zones, mortal combat), the only way it could effectively do that was by essentially brainwashing them — dissociating them from themselves. If you consider that this would have made the stability of their mental states dependent upon the General, it might explain why the entire unit defected as a group when MOFA sought to disband them (pure speculation, but it makes a kind of sense).
• When Akane asks him why he remains with the General, Tonami says, “Because it’s right.” The problem is when people attempt to control systems like the General behind the scenes.
• Akane promises to expose the shady circumstances under which Peacebreaker was formed, but says that doing so won’t absolve Tonami of the crimes he’s committed.
• Tonami asks her what she plans to do about it, and in response Akane pulls out her Dominator and trains it on him, saying that she’ll arrest him.
• His crime coefficient is only 48.12, though, and the Dominator doesn’t recognise him as a target for enforcement.
• Tonami taunts her, saying that it seems her god approves of him.
  • Are we to understand that, since Tonami is no threat to Sibyl or its interests, his crime coefficient is low despite the atrocities he’s committed? Or is this purely a result of the Divider he has implanted in his brain? If the latter, why is his CC not registering as 0.00 like the Peacebreaker Ginoza tried to shoot earlier?

Home Team

• It turns out drawing her Dominator was a ploy, though; I doubt Akane expected it to work. What this does do is allow the Home Team to get a lock on her location. Plus, now that Tonami’s Divider is online, they’re able to trace the signal back and determine Raphael’s exact location as well.
• On comms, Sugou confirms he’s got the coordinates and is en route.
• Now that the Dividers are online, Karanomori can see exactly where the Peacebreakers are inside the fortress. There are quite a lot of them left and she warns the Hound Team to proceed with caution.

First Guardian

• Meanwhile, Sugou pilots his drone into range of Raphael so that Hinakawa and the others can piggyback a signal off it and hack the communications system. All whilst a bunch of AI-targeted lasers and missiles try to shoot his drone out of the sky.
• Sugou radios that he’s in range and Hinakawa begins hacking, cautioning Sugou not to veer too far from Raphael until the hack is complete. This is easier said than done, though, given that the airship’s defence system is beyond anything they expected.
• Sugou puts his First Guardian piloting skills to use. He’s holding his own, but it’s only a matter of time until something manages to hit him. He asks them to hurry.
  • SN: He’s Sugou, Teppeki (Ironwall/barricade).*
    *Sugou’s given name (Teppei) is written with the kanji 徹平 but Shiotani made a pun(?) here by replacing it with the similar-sounding kanji 鉄壁 (iron + wall) instead.

Akane & Tonami

• Back inside the fortress, Tonami realises that Akane lied about having Akira’s memory chip in her brain and demands the Document again, claiming he needs it to complete the General’s operating system. He tried supplementing it with Dr Stronskaya’s brain (explaining why they made off with her head) but it didn’t work.
• Akane asks him why he’s doing all this, and Tonami replies that the Sibyl System was born because the world devolved into chaos due to the widening gap between rich and poor (Now why does that sound familiar?). He claims that the only way to rectify things is control by an absolute power.
• Akane counters that that’s sophistry; no one wants that.
• But Tonami calls it a truth that inhabits the shadow cast by the peace and prosperity enjoyed by the people who live under Sibyl’s rule.
• One of his lines from the trailers appears in this scene: “As long as man continues to rule man, someone will inevitably be killed wrongfully.” He claims that only AI, which can judge all things equally, must be allowed to rule mankind without any human interference.
  • Clearly he’s unfamiliar with the concept of AI bias.
• Akane tells him that he’s wrong, but he’s a fanatic so there’s no getting through to him.
• The General detects unauthorised access to their communications system and notifies Tonami that the area combat coefficient is on the rise.
• Tonami realises that Akane has been playing decoy and radios the Peacebreakers, telling them to kill the intruders. He intends to take part as well (by “possessing” someone), but Akane says she won’t let him.
  • SN: The current Tonami doesn’t see himself as a person, which is why he’s able to possess other people. It’s precisely because he loved humanity that he’s despaired of them. (Film Pamphlet Director Interview)
• Tonami grabs her and smashes the mug cup he’s holding over the back of her head. He then tosses her into a pillar and comes to stand over her, taunting that even in his own aged body he won’t lose to her. (This bugged me since Akane’s proven she can hold her own in a fight but, to be fair, Tonami’s a career soldier and the equivalent of ex-SEAL Team Six and Akane’s petite.)
  • SN: Late tonight, I will draw the set-up “a mug cup that shatters when smashed against the back of [someone’s] head”〈coffee cup emoji〉
• He shoots Akane in the leg.

• Film Pamphlet Director Interview:
  Shiotani: Actually, when we were drafting the script, Tonami’s remarks and actions regarding his involvement with Sibyl and AI — so-called artificial intelligence — were more ambiguous in their expression than they are now. At the outset, he was a perilous character more given to brutality, but as we firmed up the story in the process of me editing the script, I decided to make Tonami more expressly an arch-enemy who has a way of thinking that is the exact opposite of the ideal Akane is aiming for, made Akane and Tonami’s opposition [to one another] apparent, and had the respective [forms of] justice they believe in clash.

Hound Team

• Meanwhile, Kogami, Ginoza, and Frederica are being pinned down by Peacebreakers, who are using traditional gunpowder weapons in an all-out assault.
• Jackdaw and Vixen (the Pathfinders from PP3/FI) make an appearance. Like Tonami, they’re up in their years but formidable.
  • Jackdaw (VA: Ono Atsushi): A Peacebreaker. As of PP3, he and the only other surviving Peacebreaker, Vixen, go by the handle “Pathfinders.”
  • Vixen (VA: Nozawa Yukari): A Peacebreaker. As of PP3, she and the only other surviving Peacebreaker, Jackdaw, go by the handle “Pathfinders.”
• Frederica shouts a warning at Kogami just as Jackdaw attacks him.

Sugou & the Home Team Hack Raphael

• Sugou’s drone continues to take on damage, but he manages to keep it in range. He warns Hinakawa that it won’t hold up much longer.
  • Apparently, if you see the film in 4DX, the seats shake like mad during this entire flight sequence, leading fans to start referring to it as “Sugou, the Ride” lol
• Hinakawa succeeds in his hack and Kunizuka and Karanomori immediately take over, working to shut down the Dividers and wrest control of the system in order to power the team’s Dominators.
  • SN: Sugou pulled it off.
• Karanomori announces that they’re commencing their counterattack just as Mika abruptly leaves the room.

Dominators Back Online

• On comms, Karanomori tells the Hound Team that the Dividers have been disabled; they can use Dominators again.
  • SN: Dominator PLUS〈eye emoji〉
  • Side note: The novelisation of M1 mentions that only the CID & NDF are authorised to use certain weapons — including Dominators. I get that, as Chief Inspector, Akane has the authority to authorise Kogami and Frederica as temporary users, but that doesn’t explain to me why Sibyl, whose authority trumps hers, didn’t override her decision remotely.
• Kogami’s using a traditional model and Ginoza’s got his fancy prototype that can neutralise multiple targets. Frederica is wielding an assault type Dominator on Destroy Decomposer mode, which she uses to eliminate all drones and weaponry in the surrounding area.
  • Hearing the Dominator boot up for Kogami once again (“User authentication. You are a provisional user.”) was a high point for longtime fans of the series.
• Ginoza’s prototype overheats and goes into shut-down mode but (as we saw in the trailers) he still yells at Kogami: “Leave this to us and go! Protect Tsunemori!!”
• Again, as we saw in the trailer, Kogami’s Dominator gets hit by a stray bullet and short-circuits, so he has to toss it.
• Frederica also yells at him to go, sliding his old revolver across the floor to him. I suppose if anyone would be willing to break Akane’s Dominators-only rule on this op, it would be her. The fact the she has it also seems to imply that Kogami left it behind.
• Kogami thanks them/apologies and forges ahead whilst Ginoza and Frederica engage Jackdaw and Vixen.
• Vixen says something about taking “vengeance for [our] son,” so it’s possible she and Jackdaw are Bokamoso’s parents. This would explain why they’re so eager to take revenge on “the old Division 1” in PP3/FI.
  • Jackdaw also says in FI that killing Kogami would be vengeance for his “sons” (plural). Either there’s a discontinuity in the scripts, or Kogami killed another one of his sons overseas somewhere at some point.

• Febri Interview (Part 1): Shiotani: As for the form of entertainment, I had an image of something like “Chushingura” in mind when I made it: this time, within this situation in which the protagonist gets driven into this extreme situation, “a small but elite force storm the enemy’s stronghold,” that premise. (…) It’s not as though it’s expressly vengeance, but Akane is driven to a (metaphorical) cliff’s edge; in response to her peril, Kogami and the others come together and confront [that threat] as a unit. I wanted to depict that sort of development. In addition, the plot point where Kogami, receiving help from Ginoza and the others, reaches Akane was an image that appeared in the Kadokawa Movie “Satomi Hakken-den” which I loved when I was a kid.

Raphael Self-Destructs

• Their plan hits a snag at this critical juncture: the Home Team are unable to take control of the Peacebreakers’ communications system and the aircraft has initiated a self-destruct sequence due to being hacked. Worse still, it’s heading for the base. If it falls out of the sky, it could take out not just Tonami and the Peacebreakers but Akane and the Hound Team as well.
• Karanomori starts to ask Mika what they should do, only to realise Mika is long gone. Hinakawa shrugs helplessly.

Mika Confronts Kasei (Sibyl)

• As usual, Mika is a step ahead of everybody else: she’s gone straight to Kasei and demands that the Sibyl System intervene.
• Kasei asks, “You would have me aid traitors?”
• Mika: “Yes. For the PSB — no, for Sibyl’s sake, as well — you can’t afford to just sit back and let Tsunemori Akane die here!”
• Kasei sighs, but hasn’t got a rebuttal.
  • SN: Most things will work out as long as you’ve got Shimotsuki.

Akane Enacts Her Plan

• Meanwhile, with the Dominators online, Akane is finally able to enact her plan to intervene in the deal reached by Tonami/the General and Sibyl.
• Tonami stands over Akane, a gun trained on her (are her hands handcuffed at this point?) and demands to know what she’s trying to do.
• She tells him she’s going to incorporate the Stronskaya Document into his “god” the right way. Akane tosses her Dominator so it lands on a screen-like interface connected to the General and the two link up. She’s confident that if the General is an AI system designed to end conflicts it will reach a different answer.
• It turns out that what she actually did was load the Stronskaya Document program onto her Dominator. So, in “handing over the Document” she’s incorporated both the Stronskaya Document’s program and the Sibyl System into the General simultaneously. In combining the three, all three are now subject to the constraints of Sibyl’s mandate — therefore the General can no longer be used to incite conflicts overseas.
• The General declares that it has become one with the Sibyl System, a.k.a. “The Promised Land,” and will now bring order and justice to the world.
• Sibyl chimes in (via Akane’s Dominator?), announcing that it has debugged the medical AI and updated it as a part of the Sibyl System. It then shuts down extraneous interfaces, and the entire brain network beside them goes dark.
• Tonami concludes that this is the General’s answer. In anger, he shoots Akane in the stomach, then points the gun at her head.
• He tells her he’d always intended to combine the two (though, by combining them now she’s completely ruined his plans).
  • If I’ve understood this correctly: incorporating the Stronskaya Document into the General would drastically increase its ability to incite/inflame conflict situations overseas. The Pathfinders would then come in and take over the destabilised region and the General would fill the resulting power vacuum. Once the General had claimed a territory, it would then invite Sibyl in to take over. Or, alternately, once the General had seized enough territory it would be combined into the Sibyl System, which would then rule in its place. But now that it’s part of Sibyl, it can’t be used that way.
• In another line that appeared in the trailers Tonami rails, “People created the exceedingly omnipotent god that is Sibyl. But it is also a person (Akane) who will kill that god!” and calls her a witch who will bring ruin to society.
  • SN: This is a story in which a human being kills a god〈ant emoji〉

Taking Out Raphael

• Meanwhile, the air battle continues as Raphael falls out of the sky directly over Tonami’s stronghold.
• Sugou shouts that he hasn’t got enough firepower to take it out.

• Back at the PSB, Mika re-enters the Division 1 office and declares she’s handled it, giving a confident thumbs up.

• On the submarine, Sarutobi receives orders to enter the battle. He orders his crew to fire the missiles they have onboard.
  • The implication here is that Kasei contacted the Ministry of Defense and got them to order a missile strike to shoot down the structure whilst it’s still in the air.
• Missiles launch from the submarine, heading for Raphael.

• It’s a direct hit. Both Sugou and Hinakawa get uncharacteristically excited by this. Stoic Sugou pumps a fist and yells “Alright!”, and quiet Hinakawa jumps out of his seat and yells “Usu!”
• Over comms, Sugou confirms that the signal relay station has been destroyed.

• Large chunks of it are still falling out of the sky, though, and Ginoza and Frederica continue their fight against Jackdaw and Vixen as the fortress begins to come down around them.
• Ginoza tackles Frederica to safety before a large piece of falling debris can crush her.

History Repeats

• Akane asks Tonami why he doesn’t just kill her and he tells her to suffer.
• Kogami arrives to find Tonami standing over a handcuffed Akane, gun aimed right at her head. 
• Despite this, when Akane catches sight of Kogami, she appears reassured.
• Akane, gun to her forehead: “Tonami Tsugumasa, I will sentence you according to the law!” 
• Rather than immediately going in for the kill, Kogami takes aim with surprising sangfroid. Then again, he can’t afford to miss.  Whether it’s out of commensurate professionalism or because he’s recalling Akane’s assertion that she won’t let him kill outside the law again is up to interpretation (at least until Fukami’s novelisation comes out).
• Tonami says that Sibyl is trying to free people from the ineffectual and outdated system of law and that both Sibyl and the General will continue to use people like him to “seek justice.” Even if she kills him, she can’t stop what’s already been set in motion.
• Akane cries that he’s got it wrong; Sibyl isn’t absolute. People and Sibyl have to coexist symbiotically. If they don’t, people’s lives will lose all value. The law is the form that symbiosis takes.
• Tonami pistol whips her.
• In yet another quote that appeared in the trailers (in part), he yells, “Who seeks for that in this world? Under Sibyl, people only seek a modest happiness. No one’s after something like ‘rightness.'”
• Kogami shoots Tonami in the head. Unlike with Makishima, there’s no moment of pause.
• Though Tonami dies instantly, he still replies, “I completely agree.”
• Devastated and defeated, Akane says to him in a small voice, “I told you I’d stop you next time...” Hanazawa Kana’s line delivery here is heart-wrenching. 
• With Tonami dead, Kogami approaches Akane where she sits with her hands still in cuffs and covered in blood (hers or Tonami’s, I’m not sure). He unlocks her handcuffs.
• In a tone that borders on gentle, Kogami says to her, “There’s no way to prevent the abolition of the law. Likely, it’ll all turn out just as Tonami says. Even so, I will trust in you, who seek rightness.” He says he also has to receive judgement for his actions.

• Film Pamphlet Director Interview:
  Shiotani: [Akane] can’t stop believing “there’s still hope for humanity.” And she also holds hope for AI, which has been embedded into one part of a human society created by people. It’s not that she renounces AI, but nor does she simply accept it. The answer she came to whilst agonising [over the issue] is the “symbiosis” she mentions in the scene where she and Tonami question each other.  It’s precisely because Akane is someone who thinks that way that she’s able to fight against Tonami. I think, to Tonami, that idea felt like a naïve ideal, but “if there are people like Akane, there might be the barest hope for humanity.” It’s precisely because he felt that way that, even though he was irritated with Akane, he couldn’t immediately kill her, I think.
• Animate Times Interview:
  Ubukata: [Kogami] is someone who carries a law inside himself. It’s just, justice is important too, but Kogami knows there’s danger in it coming down to only that. And I think it’s also the case that he acknowledges Akane as the entity that will act as his “backstop”
  Tonami Tsugumasa, who appears in this instalment, might be the final ruin Kogami would become were he to lose his “backstop.”

Kogami carries Akane

• Before going anywhere, Kogami puts his own bulletproof vest on Akane. We don’t see him do it; the scene just suddenly shifts so it’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention.
• In another callback to PP1, Kogami carries Akane in his arms. Unlike the last time, she’s fully conscious, but it’s hardly romantic. I can only imagine how she must be feeling.
• Even so, she trusts him to carry her, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

The Dust Settles

• Elsewhere within Tonami’s stronghold, the fighting has stopped (possibly due to large chunks of the building collapsing, possibly due to Tonami’s death). Ginoza and Frederica unearth themselves from the rubble.
• Somehow, in all the chaos, Ginoza’s hair has come undone. Fans had a field day with this.
  • SN: If [you] don’t tie [your] hair back it’s a pain〈gorilla emoji〉
• As per Mika’s instructions, Ginoza makes sure to collect his super expensive Dominator before they head home. (At least we assume he does, since the gun makes it back.)

• From a distance, we see a bunch of aircraft heading towards the base, presumably to evacuate the team.

Scene: Bifrost

• In the secret facility beneath Nona Tower where Roundrobin is housed, Bifrost Congressmen Shirogane and Saionji (who have somehow gotten wind of what happened up north) discuss the fact that the General and the Stronskaya Document got incorporated into the Sibyl System.
  • Shirogane Haruki (VA: Naka Hiroshi): A Congressman of Bifrost. Age 74. He’s a crafty contender who amuses himself by making complicated, shrewd plays in the Bifrost game.
  • Saionji Kyōko (VA: Tanaka Atsuko): A Congressman of Bifrost. Age 45. A bewitching beauty with an otherworldly air and a sadistic streak who, like Shirogane, enjoys playing the Bifrost game.
• They seem pleased by the outcome, but Homura, who’d had different plans for the Document, likely isn’t.
• Apparently, Homura senior has officially retired as a Congressman. (Does this mean there were only two Congressmen until Shizuka gets appointed two years later at the start of PP3?)

Scene: Akane & The Sibyl System

• Back in Tokyo, Akane meets with the Sibyl System in the secret facility beneath Nona Tower.
• Sibyl tells Akane that Atsushi left behind testimony that he and Yabuki, by founding Peacebreaker, set all of this in motion (and were therefore responsible). With both of them dead, the case has been declared closed.
• Akane says angrily that Sibyl has just used them as scapegoats for crimes committed by the Japanese government, but Sibyl counters that this was the outcome they both hoped for from the start.
• Akane takes a moment to master her anger and then thanks Kasei for approving Ginoza and Sugou’s transfer to the SAD. 
  • So that’s another PP3 mystery solved. The reason Ginoza and Sugou are working for the SAD at the start of PP3 is because Akane sent them there. Sugou had already turned down Frederica’s attempts to scout him once in Case.2, so a lot of people wondered when and why he’d had a change of heart. 
• There’s been a lot of speculation as to why Akane did this, but the most convincing argument I saw was to protect and distance them from the Sibyl System following their rogue operation in Hokkaido. Unlike Hinakawa, Kunizuka, and Karanomori, who remained at the PSB with Mika, Ginoza and Sugou left the PSB without authorisation and travelled unaccompanied by an Inspector (=escape attempt). On top of that, they were forced to use live rounds rather than their PSB-issued Dominators to kill Peacebreakers who had crime coefficients within the control value (i.e. killed at their own discretion). Given that, it wouldn’t be unusual for them to be executed, or at the very least relieved of their duties as Enforcers and returned to an isolation facility. Because of this, some fans speculated that since Akane is being (forcibly?) promoted and will no longer be around to protect them, she made the decision to send them to Frederica at the SAD, where their actions will be sanctioned and they’ll have greater freedom.
• Sibyl says that Kogami will soon be cleared to return to work at the SAD.
• Akane claims she has no intention of kicking up any more of a fuss over this, which Sibyl finds surprising. Apparently, she’s agreed to follow the path Sibyl laid out for her (i.e. taking over Atsushi’s job and eventually following in his footsteps).
• Saying she’ll quit the PSB, Akane walks out.

• Following this exchange, Hinakawa says that it’s going to be lonely around the office (without Akane, Ginoza, and Sugou). ㅠ ㅠ
  • In PP3, Kunizuka also refers to this as “the final case she was involved in” so I’m guessing she leaves soon after, as well.
• Kunizuka points out it would be more unnatural if things never changed.
• Karanomori agrees, then recalls that Akane’s appointment ceremony should be starting soon. They gather around the monitor to watch.

Scene: Akane’s Letter

• We next see Kogami in solitary confinement at Tokorozawa. I think it’s safe to assume that he’s there to, as he said, “receive judgement” for killing Tonami. 
• Kogami’s crime coefficient, displayed in a hologram on the wall of his cell, is 211. That’s a good bit lower than in PP1, where at one point it reached 282 (Note: CC 100+: Paralyzer | 300+: Lethal Eliminator).
  • According to Director Shiotani, there are 100 easter eggs contained in the film, including one that even the most hardcore fans will never guess. 
  • Based on that, some fans speculated that 211 is a reference to 2/11, the date that Kogami shot and killed Makishima at the end of PP1.
• A drone delivers a letter that says “To Kogami-san” on the front. Anyone who has seen PP1 is having major flashbacks and anxiety right now.
• Kogami reads Akane’s letter, the content of which is superimposed over the scene detailed below.
• A reproduced copy of Akane’s letter was the 3rd bonus gift given out to people who saw the film in Japanese theatres starting from 2 June until supplies ran out. The full letter reads as follows:

Dear Kogami-san,

No matter what, I wanted to convey this [to you] in my own words, so I’ve written [this] letter.

There’s something I’ve been grappling with for a long time now.
That which does not waver due to crime coefficients and is not open to debate:
How this society ought to operate under the Sibyl System.
Originally, in constitutional states, there were constant opportunities to debate how crimes ought to be [dealt with].

What is a crime?
Is a punishment fitting?
Comprehending the vices of others and questioning one’s own [sense of] justice.
Continuing to have [such] debates is paramount in order for people to be people _{(i.e. human)};
With this incident, I felt that keenly.

I believe that putting an end to these debates is not the correct form of justice for the future.
People need the law.
That’s why I intend to question [the nature of] justice in a way that only I can.

I’m glad I met you, Kogami-san.
Thanks to you, I was able to come to this answer.

Thank you.

Tsunemori Akane

• When he gets to the end of Akane’s letter, Kogami’s eyes widen with shock. He hunches over, fist clutched in opposite hand, and says under his breath, “You damn fool.” This is a direct callback to her “idiot” in response to the letter he wrote her in PP1.

n.b. The wording of the reproduced letter and the one read in voiceover are ever so slightly different, but not in a way that significantly changes its meaning.

Scene: Appointment Ceremony

• Whilst Akane’s letter is read out in voice-over, we see the following:
• The day of Akane’s appointment as the new Director-General of the Statistic Division arrives and she attends dressed in the above ceremonial uniform. ( I know it’s not exactly voluntary, but being made Director-General is quite the promotion for a 25-year-old).
  • Also, this is only — what? — the third time we’ve seen her in trousers? I like this look on her and it’s more practical, too. If we ever get a PP4 with Akane as a Statutory Enforcer (fingers crossed!), I’d like to see her in a look like this.
• The ceremony is attended by various press outlets and being broadcast live, so the eyes of the nation are watching as Akane pulls out an old fashioned gun and shoots Bureau Chief Kasei.
  • SN: Akane makes waves (lit. “wind”) 〈sneezing emoji*〉
    *n.b. In Japanese, the words for “wind” (風) and “head cold” (風邪) are homophones, so this is a visual pun.
• Unlike previous times when Kasei’s artificial body has taken damage and been revealed as a cyborg, this time, it bleeds red. (Due to this, fans have wondered if Sibyl somehow predicted Akane’s actions and prepared for this eventuality. If so, Kasei would have let Akane shoot her.)
• Mika draws her Dominator and points it at Akane, but Akane’s Hue remains clear and her crime coefficient is well below the control value (since she hasn’t technically killed anyone — it wasn’t a headshot; the brain unit should be intact) so the gun doesn’t activate.
  • Presumably, the Sibyl System could have forced Mika’s Dominator to change to Paralyzer or even Lethal Eliminator mode like it does in PP1, yet this doesn’t happen.
• Thus, the public is finally made aware that it’s possible for the Sibyl System to be unable to pass judgement on someone who’s committed a crime. Ergo, the Sibyl System alone is not enough — the law must be preserved.
  • A news report in PP3 reveals that, although Akane’s name and face are widely known, her crime coefficient hasn’t been publicly disclosed. I suppose that was the best Sibyl could do in terms of a cover up given that she “killed” someone on live TV. Even so, since the law is still in place in 2120, it’s safe to assume her gamble succeeded.
• By becoming the “toujisha,” Akane herself has become the best argument for why the law (and the Ministry of Justice) remain necessary.
• Akane quietly entrusts Division 1 to Mika. ㅠ ㅠ
• Mika yells that she can’t accept this (i.e. isn’t convinced or doesn’t want to believe Akane’s actions were necessary).

• Ginoza and the rest of Division 1 are watching this unfold via a live(?) news feed. When he sees Akane shoot Kasei, Ginoza’s face crumples. ㅠ ㅠ
• Various news outlets report on the incident. Again, Akane’s crime coefficient hasn’t been disclosed, but the fact that the Dominator didn’t activate is evidence enough. The abolition of the law and dissolution of the Ministry of Justice, which had seemed a foregone conclusion, have gone back to the drawing board.

Final Scene: Akane Enters Tokorozawa Whilst Kogami Exits

• We see Akane being transported to the Tokorozawa Correction & Care Centre. Despite being dressed in prison garb and facing incarceration, she continues to debate with the Sibyl System.
• When Sibyl asks if this is her decision, she replies, “I won’t let you abolish the law. This isn’t just for the sake of human beings; without fail, it will become the sole shield protecting you (plural), Sibyl. And it should also save that which Shindo Atsushi and Akira Ignatov gave their lives to protect.”

• Akane enters Tokorozawa around the same time Kogami exits, although they don’t encounter each other.
• As soon as the door to her cell — Saiga-sensei’s old room — shuts behind her and she’s finally alone, Akane breaks down sobbing. Kogami told her to cry when it was all over and, just as he said, only now does she finally allow herself to do so.
• On the coffee table sit two cups of coffee — the last she and Saiga-sensei ever drank together — where they must have left them before setting out for Dejima.

• Outside, Kogami walks along the street. In the final line of the film, he vows, “I’ll definitely come get you.”*

*n.b. The word he uses (迎える) means “to go to meet/pick up” but the implication is that he means to free her. Those who have seen FI will know that this turns out to be quite literal, since it’s technically Shizuka who frees her, whereas Kogami is the one who goes to the facility to literally pick her up upon her release. He deserves credit for getting permission and flying up from Dejima just to do it though.

<< Ending Credits>>

ED : 「当事者」 (Touzisya)　〜　エゴイスト (EGOIST)

• Having EGOIST do the ending song is yet another “return to the series’ roots” since they did music for both PP1 (“Monster Without a Name” & “All Alone With You”) and PP2 (“Fallen”).
• Director Shiotani referred to “Touzisya” as “Akane’s main theme.”

Additional Commentary

SN: It’s amazing that it takes 120 days to render the background for a single cut...〈teary face〉

10th Memorial Note Interview:
Fukami: Whilst we were working on [the film], Ubukata-san kindly said to me, “I’ll consolidate it neatly in the end, so write what you like.” And with that, the completed script ended up being about 3.5 hours worth of content; I’ll never forget how Ubukata-san reacted, like: “Huh? I’m supposed to pare this down?” (laughs). But you really did a tidy job of consolidating it all for me, thank you.

Film Pamphlet Director Interview:
Shiotani: As for the crux [of the story], Akane is the protagonist and Kogami is her partner.* The previous full-length feature film is a story about Akane pursuing Kogami, so by no means are they partners [in that one]. It’s precisely because Akane has now matured that the configuration of them taking on a case as partners in this production felt like hitsuzen, and I had the thought that I wanted this to be a story that became something of a resolution point for Akane and Kogami.

*n.b. The word I’ve translated as “partner(s)” here is literally the English word “buddy,” as in “buddy cop.”

Film Pamphlet Director Interview:
Shiotani: All the while Akane has struggled within herself to come up with the answers, but Kogami is someone who empathises with that pain and extends a helping hand to her; at some point I realised that, in this production, you really get all over again that their relationship is one in which they each trust the other to watch their back and can be their authentic selves.

10th Memorial Note Interview:
Q: It’s a series in which a myriad of characters appear, but is there a person you can relate to?
Fukami: It’s a bit different from “relating,” but [for me] it would be Che Gusong in PP1 and Obata Chiyo-chan in PP3. Whenever I write the scripts, I end up adding characters; I’m not a fan of antagonists soliloquizing, so I occasionally propose characters not in the outline to act as their counterparts.
Ubukata: It’s not “occasionally,” is it (laughs).
Shiotani: It is not “occasionally” (laughs).
Fukami: This time, Ubukata-san’s outline was exhaustive, so I haven’t added any characters.
Ubukata: Bokamoso, Bokamoso.
Fukami: Oh, that’s right (laughs). When I proposed Bokamoso as a mid-level boss, I got them to use him.
Ubukata: Even Bokamoso’s character design has the feeling of a quintessential mid-level boss, doesn’t it. Every single (character) design was outstanding, but amongst them, Tonami’s stood out most, didn’t it. He’s thoroughly twisted, even as his heart remains in the right place; he turned out that way trying to dedicate everything of himself to the world; it’s the ultimate design where that comes across.

@kiry_0
I thought Kai being a spy was a lie, so until midway through I was on pins and needles, wondering when he’d betray them, but he was really a spy and a good person!!? He was one of those characters whose efforts aren’t rewarded even though they gave their all!!?

@ayumu_volpe 
Also, about Akira-san, his gaze really did leave an impression on me. To the extent that he’s undercover and can’t say anything, there were a lot of scenes in which his eyes spoke volumes, I thought.

@loverounder 
Did they have to use Saiga-sensei as a decoy?
They could’ve used the Bureau Chief (Yabuki) or Atsushi or something, couldn’t they?〈anger mark〉

@SaltRamenNote
We really need to talk about Saiga-sensei in this instalment. He could have been left alive (in a meta sense) and it feels like he was in a position to be killed off due to circumstances with the script and character motivations and whatnot. I don’t know if the reason his thoughts began to grow fainter was because the writer “Urobuchi Gen” left as of PP2 or what but...

@toko_miyako (PW: 1121) 
I’m happy we got to see Sugou-san contribute his abilities as a former ace drone pilot.
I wanted to see this~!  
(…)
Sugou-san is 27 after all, right...
He’s the same age as Kunizuka-san, too, isn’t he. (The same as Kagari-kun too, if he’d lived...)
I’d like to have seen that.
The combination of Sugou-san and Kunizuka-san and Kagari-kun. 

@loverounder
One more thing. If she’d shot the Bureau Chief without [leaving] a letter, on the off chance that Kogami took an interest and investigated it as a case, there’s a danger he’ll approach [the secret of] the Bureau Chief’s artificial body etc. and if that happened, forget about his hard-won return to society, there’s a danger his life will be targeted so [she wrote one], or something. “It wasn’t that I got framed or dragged into it or anything, I did it of my own free will so there’s no need to investigate.” I wonder if it was for the sake of confessing that up front...or something like that.

@curaraTL
Up until now, Akane-chan was chasing after Kogami-san, tracing his thought patterns; I think he was someone she would have wanted to get back, if it were possible. Also, she sought to emulate him and admired him as her senpai. 
On the other hand, Kogami-san...while I won’t say he was heedless of Tsunemori Akane, though he did have her in his peripheral field of vision, she wasn’t someone who was relevant to his own actions. 
I feel like that gets reversed in this film with PPP as the catalyst. 
In PPP, Akane-chan touches on Kogami-san’s thoughts and words and is able to come to a place of resignation and resolve that he’ll walk a different path from her own; she chose her own path in a way that only she could. I think that might be her self-reliance and her growing out of her fixation on Kogami Shinya. 
(…)
Conversely, with the PPP case as the impetus, I wonder if at long last Tsunemori Akane properly entered Kogami Shinya’s field of vision. The fact that his words and actions were one of the causes that lead to her departing from the conventional route is something he himself surely knows, and I think, in his way, he regrets it. After PPP, his greatest goal in life becomes “getting Tsunemori Akane [back] into the world” after all. 
Finally...finally guys......Kogami Shinya has faced Tsunemori Akane....
This time it will be Kogami Shinya who will live chasing after Tsunemori Akane who doesn’t have him in her sights. 

@R51499612
Physical strength is Kogami>>>Ginoza, Sugou>>>>>>>Akane.
Mental strength is Akane>>>>>>Sugou>>>Ginoza>>>>>>Kogami.*

*Kogami has a thought to this effect in the SS Case.3 novelisation. When he says Akane and the others may have already forgotten about him and Frederica quips he only wishes that were true so he’d feel less guilty, Kogami reflects that he’d thought he had a high pain tolerance but her comment exposed his weakness in an unexpected way. He realises he’s actually twice as sensitive to pain as other people.

@_AoNe (PW:魔女)  
I wonder if the fact that not a single hallucination of Makishima appeared this time means that Kogami-san has been able to take a step forward.
If we’re to believe what a hallucination of Makishima said in the novel,* then Kogami-san is schizophrenic, right?
I wonder if he recovered?

*I don’t remember reading this. Does anyone know what novel this would be in?

Animate Times Interview:
Ubukata: This could be said for all of the characters who appear in “PSYCHO-PASS,” but [Kogami] goes from a place of having his hands full dealing with his own existence (i.e. his own concerns, challenges, experience) to gradually becoming able to share his strength with others.

In this production, Kogami has fully graduated from a self-righteous sense of justice. He’s overcome his trauma as well. If, say, he were still to be on about “Makishima (Shogo),” he wouldn’t have progressed at all. In which case Akane would end up leaving him in the dust (in terms of character growth).

@Coo_PoN
In Psycho-Pass, Kogami and Makishima are contrasting as “Shinya・慎也 (midnight・深夜)” and “Shogo・聖護 (midday・正午),” but I wonder if Tsunemori Akane’s name (常守朱) is also on purpose.
n.b. Though the kanji are different, the characters’ names are homophones for these opposing times of day.
“Always (常に) protecting (守る) the master (朱) (主 = Sibyl)*,” she protects Sibyl’s laws and protects Sibyl itself.
*I wonder if they’re thinking of the alternate kanji for “pillar” here (株・柱), since the kanji for Akane’s name means “vermillion.”
If so, it might be a prime example of “names and natures do often agree.”
Even the phrase “spend time with the wise and you will become wise/who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl” (lit. “if one mixes with vermillion (朱), one will turn red”), is exactly what happened with the people in Unit 1 (i.e. in spending time with Akane, the members of D1 became more like her).

n.b. A side note on the character names in Psycho-Pass: while they’re clearly Japanese names, many don’t sound quite like 21st century Japanese names, just as modern Japanese names don’t sound like those from a hundred or a thousand years ago. Even names that currently exist are often (though not always) written with unusual kanji. Kogami’s last name, for instance, would be next to non-existent in modern census data.

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