Trailer, Plot, and Everything We Know So Far
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The PSYCHO-PASS franchise, a dark dystopian series where the Japanese government aggressively monitors the mental health of its citizens in hopes of preventing crime, is coming out with a new film. PSYCHO-PASS: Providence is getting an English dub and a US theatrical release courtesy of Crunchyroll.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on July 13.
What is PSYCHO-PASS: Providence About?
The world of PSYCHO-PASS, focuses on stopping criminals before they can act, bears more than a little resemblance to works like Minority Report. PSYCHO-PASS: Providence will bring the focus back to Akane Tsunemori, an Inspector with the Criminal Investigation Department and the original protagonist of the franchise. Using weapons called Dominators, Akane, and her coworkers can read people’s “crime coefficient,” or how likely they are to commit a crime. Those with too high a crime coefficient are incarcerated. Some people with extremely high crime coefficients are allowed out of prison to work under the direct and tight control of Inspectors.
PSYCHO-PASS: Providence has been described as the untold story that connects the movies and series in the franchise. That alone should make it worthwhile, but our plot details are also very intriguing. The official synopsis promises Akane and her former coworker/prisoner Shinya reuniting.
January 2118. Chief Inspector of the Criminal Investigation Department, Akane Tsunemori, receives a report of an incident on a foreign vessel – the body of Professor Milicia Stronskaya has been discovered. Behind the incident is a group known as the Peacebreakers, a foreign paramilitary organization and a new outside threat who are targeting the professor’s research papers known as the “Stronskaya Document”. Reunited with Shinya Kogami, a former fugitive from the Criminal Investigation Department, Akane grapples with a case that quickly escalates beyond their expectations. The Stronskaya Papers could reveal a truth that would shake Japan's government, and even the Sibyl System, to the core. It is in this untold story that the missing link is revealed.
When is PSYCHO-PASS: Providence Coming Out?
PSYCHO-PASS: Providence is already out in Japan, having been released in theaters there on May 12. Australian theatergoers will see PSYCHO-PASS: Providence starting on July 13, and it will hit US and Canadian theaters on July 14. Viewers in the UK and Ireland will have to wait until August 2 to see the film in theaters.
Where Can You Watch PSYCHO-PASS: Providence?
For now, theaters will be the place to see PSYCHO-PASS: Providence, so checks your local showtimes. Crunchyroll has international licensing rights for PSYCHO-PASS: Providence and is responsible for the dub, so the movie should soon be available on the streaming service, joining Crunchyroll’s already great catalog of films.
Is There A Trailer for PSYCHO-PASS: Providence?
The trailer for PSYCHO-PASS: Providence’s English dub was released on YouTube on June 22. Unsurprisingly, the animation looks gorgeous, with Production I.G. bringing their A game. The trailer is scored to the film’s ending and main themes, “Tōjisha” by Egoist and “Alexithymia Spare” by Ling Tosite Sigure, respectively. The trailer is light on plot details but clarifies that the franchise themes of justice and societal control will continue to play significant roles in PSYCHO-PASS: Providence. It also gives us a quick look at the characters of Providence, some of whom haven’t been seen since the original series!
If you need to be caught up, Crunchyroll has released a full recap of the PSYCHO-PASS franchise. The nearly 10-minute-long video will get you up to speed on what you might have missed since the show initially aired, making it the perfect video before you watch the upcoming film.
In this clip, we see more of the conflict during the film and just how intense things can get in the world of PSYCHO-PASS.
Who Stars in PSYCHO-PASS: Providence?
The PSYCHO-PASS: Providence cast predominantly features returning voices from the original series. Here are the actors behind the characters of the film.
Akane Tsunemori – Kana Hanazawa (Japanese) / Kate Oxley (English)
Shinya Kogami – Tomokazu Seki (Japanese) / Robert McCollum (English)
Nobuchika Ginoza – Kenji Nojima (Japanese) / Jessie James Grelle (English)
Yayoi Kunizuka – Shizuka Itô (Japanese) / Lindsay Seidel (English)
Shion Karanomori – Shizuka Itô (Japanese) / Lydia Mackay (English)
Mika Shimotsuki – Ayane Sakura (Japanese) / Cherami Leigh (English)
Sho Hinakawa – Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese) / Charles Bolton (English)
Teppei Sugo – Hiroki Touchi (Japanese) / Mike McFarland (English)
Dominators – Noriko Hidaka (Japanese) / Stephanie Young (English)
Who is Making PSYCHO-PASS: Providence?
PSYCHO-PASS: Providence is directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani, who has worked on all the works in the PSYCHO-PASS franchise. Shiotani has previously worked as an animator on Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Given the themes PSYCHO-PASS shares with Ghost in the Shell, it’s no surprise that he has been an excellent fit for this franchise.
PSYCHO-PASS: Providence’s screenplay was written by Makoto Fukami and Tow Ubukata, based on a story by Ubukata. Tow Ubukata is the screenwriter behind Ghost in the Shell: Arise and RWBY: Ice Queendom. He also wrote the screenplay for PSYCHO-PASS 2. Mokoto Fukami has previously written for multiple series and films in the PSYCHO-PASS franchise and is also the writer for the upcoming Resident Evil: Death Island.
More PSYCHO-PASS Projects You Can Stream Right Now
PSYCHO-PASS (2012-2013): The original PSYCHO-PASS series, and arguably the best series in the franchise, was directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani and Katsuyuki Motohiro and had Gen Urobuchi working with Makoto Fukami on the story. Urobuchi is the mind behind series including Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero, including the recent film Bubble. Urobuchi’s fondness for the dark and tragic hiding behind the cute and sweet is on full display in this series, giving viewers a fascinating look at the worldbuilding and social structure in the universe without sacrificing action and plot.
PSYCHO-PASS 2 (2014): PSYCHO-PASS 2 focuses on a new rookie inspector, Mika Shimotsuki, and the members of her team, which includes a mix of new characters and returning favorites from the first season. PSYCHO-PASS 2 is not a direct sequel to the original series since it follows a new main character and features a mostly new cast. The series is available on Crunchyroll, where it is listed as an additional season of PSYCHO-PASS.
PSYCHO-PASS: The Movie (2015): In 2015, the PSYCHO-PASS franchise brought the focus back to Akane with PSYCHO-PASS: The Movie. The original creative team wrote and produced the film and saw Akane pursuing her former colleague Shinya and investigating a new threat to the SYBIL system and political stability.
PSYCHO-PASS 3 (2019): PSYCHO-PASS 3 was one of multiple PSYCHO-PASS projects in 2019. The series included various characters from previous seasons but focused primarily on two new characters, Shindo and Ignatov, who work under Mika, who this point, has been promoted. Tow Ubukata, Makoto Fukami, and Ryō Yoshigami wrote PSYCHO-PASS 3.
PSYCHO-PASS: Sinners of the System (2019): PSYCHO-PASS: Sinners of the System was a trilogy of films released in 2019. The trilogy tells three largely unconnected tales about the backstories of characters in the PSYCHO-PASS world.
PSYCHO-PASS 3: First Inspector (2020): Following up on the stories and characters from PSYCHO-PASS 3, PSYCHO-PASS 3: First Inspector brings the focus back to Shindo and Ignatov as the two work against the Bifrost terrorist group.
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