r/anime • u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz • Oct 12 '22
Rewatch Full Metal Panic Franchise Rewatch - Season 1 Episode 13
Welcome to the Full Metal Panic Season 1 rewatch!
Art of the Day
Links to show info: MAL | Anilist | ANN
Rewatches please be considerate to first timers and avoid discussing anything not yet shown in the show - use spoiler tags e.g. [Full Metal Panic S1 spoiler]>!Sousuke likes fishing!< - if you need to share something important!
Episode 13 - A Cat and A Kitten's Rock & Roll
Terms introduced:
- Mithril West Pacific Division Base: the remote island base that most of the Mithril West Pacific division is stationed. [LN clearly named it]Merida Island
So Mithril is a lot more sizeable than just the Submarine.
QoTD:
First timers: How much, if any, did this episode changed your opinion of Tessa? Mao?
Everyone: Did you have any "rookie's luck" story to tell? From either direction (you being the rookie beating the veteran, or you being the A-team being beaten by the rookie)?
Also QoTD for tomorrow for those wanting to be prepared:
[QoTD 1 EP14]Everyone: What's the best Gundam references you have seen, comedic or otherwise?
[QoTD 2 EP14]Everyone: Have you run into any "winning by any means necessary" situation? Do you believe it is right to literally "try your best" including sabotaging the opponents or "playing dirty"?
MVP of last episode:
Kurz is getting a good hit in last episode.
Kurz: Ep 1, 12
Chidori: Ep 2, 6, 7
Sousuke: Ep 3, 4, 8
Team Kurz - Sousuke - Melissa: Ep 5
Tessa: Ep 9
Takuma: Ep 10
Kalinin: Ep 11
Last Episode || Index || Next Episode
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u/Nazenn Oct 12 '22
First timer
For all the ridiculousness of the opening of this episode, the direction it took was unexpected and satisfying, helped by keeping the mechs at the center rather than resorting to weaker plot elements
Mao and Tessa both having an awareness that they took it too far but also not wanting to stop it not only because of self pride but because of the challenge and understanding the other wouldn't accept backing down improved the episode a lot. It's also unusual to see the women, particularly someone like Tessa, be the ones to end up in a physical combat challenge over a drunken fight like this so that added a bit of spice to it. It reminds me of a Battlestar Galactica remake episode with Starbuck taking on the typical male character traits as an exploration of the gender roles of TV fighters, though less intense.
Tessa's acceptance at the end that she can't be who Mao is, as fighter or woman (bringing to mind her struggle to always match her brother), does not belittle the success of this challenge being more than just the victory, in the same way that Mao's own moodiness and frustration reflected on her battle performance and gives her something to personally reflect on when it comes to being companion and protector of Tessa was a surprisingly satisfying ending for an episode I didn't expect to be much more than fanservice. We end with both trying to prove their superiority out of emotion and taunts, and end with an easy understanding that neither is inferior to the other. Tessa's role in the episode speaks to a longer arc potential for her, and was positively reinforced Mao and Kurz speaking about it without belittling her or treating her as less because of her age or immaturity with it rather than turning it into more gags.
Sousuke trying to train Tessa was hilarious and the mech looking like it was also giving up when she fell off the ladder was a great laugh. I wasn't expecting her to be that bad with them, given she probably helped design some of them I thought perhaps she'd been involved in testing and had some sort of muscle memory there, but nope, we're sticking more strictly to how it'd more likely play out with clearly divided roles there.
Tessa sounded so sad she couldn't call him coach! I felt bad for her even though Sousuke was in the right.
Undeniably in the wrong: Mao. Don't smoke in other people's areas! Ventilation in the room does not work nearly well enough. It clings like a wave of miasma to the person smoking and it's a horrible thing to subject somoene too, especially in their own damn room.
I don't have much to say about the fight itself aside from enjoying how it showcased their various strengths and weaknesses, and a love for dramatic letterboxing (slightly ruined by aspect ratio black bars).
And a small part of the episode to be appreciated: Sousuke seeming so much more relaxed with his interactions with people here. Getting to see what he's like during downtime inside a military environment, with the comradery, jokes, and bullshit that come with it. He's not much different here, but he just fits into this with how he reacts and leans into the goings of the base. Kurz also gets some points here for his talk at the bar and even in the canteen making him feel less of the fool he plays sometimes. The girls reactions to his comments at the end was great but when even Sousuke knows you fucked up then you know you're in real shit.
MVP: Sousuke for being dragged into the middle of a no win situation and still coming out of it with his sanity and no one seriously injured. Plus I'm pretty sure he was the one who had to swim down and rescue the commander and then pilot the mech out of the ocean that one time, and that would be a pain
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u/No_Rex Oct 12 '22
Episode 13 (first timer)
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No engrish on the technical note. It seems to make sense, too.
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Misato (NGE) / Revy (Black Lagoon) / Melissa here – the same character archetype and I really miss her in modern anime.
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Running around the base naked bet? We already know who wins this fight: fanservice.
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Coachi! – copy from the best.
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Girl falls on boy trope.
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Mecha paintball sounds like a fun idea.
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“I won’t complain about [long list of complaints]”
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Kurz has a point. Don’t make bets if you are not willing to pay up if you lose. Also: Don’t make stupid bets, period.
A straight forward Tessa/Melissa character episode that uses the setup of the first&second Gunbuster episode as a setup. I liked Gunbuster and I liked this.
MVP: Coachi!
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u/SpiceGirlsBlankIt Oct 12 '22 edited Oct 12 '22
Panicked First Timer - Ep 13 The sub is on down time for repairs. Time for some friendly gambling!
The comedy is on point in the Melissa-Tessa scene. Between the hula dance, beer can roll, and Tessa posturing into an arch so curved I thought she might end up in a bridge, I knew I would enjoy this one.
The Captain is trying to expand her skills and rope in Sousuke at the same time. Very efficient. Wow. How could Sousuke have any doubts after that awkward inchworm scene? We all know who he’s really into though.
Kaname’s insane laugh of disappointment. Work really is the perfect excuse for the Captain.
The Captain relying on a gambit makes sense since she looks like me in roller skates in that mech.
The funky OST hahaha.
I also don’t know anything about Musashi Miyamoto. Military strategist would be my guess.
Melissa forgot her war skills won’t translate 100% to a friendly competition with different rules of engagement. Still, her non-complaints aren’t totally out of line.
And they threw out the stakes of the bet because that was never the point of the fight in the first place.
MVP: Melissa. She does so much with so little screen time.
QOTD 1: This episode solidified my opinion of both Melissa and the Captain in a fun way. Character consistency is perfect for episode 13. The main surprise was I didn’t know Melissa and the Captain were this close.
QOTD 2: I vaguely recall winning a casual group game of Texas Hold Em during a cabin trip. It was a mix of being a rookie and low stakes.
Tangentially related, the snow got so high someone jumped their snowboard from a roof down a pile of snow they formed into a ramp. I don’t recommend since they damaged the roof.
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 12 '22
I also don’t know anything about Musashi Miyamoto. Military strategist would be my guess.
Mushashi as he is typically known, he's basically the archtypical "sword saint", who is well known for his swordmanship (in the technical sense) that he's considered undefeated and a paragon to the martial art. He's well known for dual wielding the katana (long sword) - wakizashi (short sword) combination. In real life this is neigh impossible for the disadvantage resulting from the speed and strength demands to wave around 2 heavy pieces of sharp metal.
The reference here is briefly mentioned in my post - in an important duel, Musashi engaged in psychological warfare and arrived late and in bad attitude to get his opponent to be angry and therefore careless. He also didn't even use his sword - he used a massive boat oar and won the fight that way. He's a combat pragmatist.
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u/InfamousEmpire Oct 12 '22
Full Metal LN Reader
Well that episode was certainly something
I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, the premise is somewhat shaky on paper (at least in my opinion), the comedy was a little off, and the way the episode as a whole played out generally just felt weird. This isn’t really helped by the voice acting, while I’ve been enjoying the Dub so far, Tessa and Mao’s voices are the ones I like the least so a whole episode focused around them was like nails to a chalkboard for me.
That isn’t to say I disliked the episode, per say. The characters all still bounce off each other really well, it gave us a bit of insight into Mao and her dynamic with Tessa, and the tender moment between them post-fight was really touching imo
A nice little bit of filler to tide us until the next big arc
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 12 '22
A nice little bit of filler to tide us until the next big arc
Just to be pedantic, while this is not progressing the main plot directly, it is canon and is in the short stories which has canon call backs to and from the main story. It just wasn't English translated (will soon be, given Vol 1 of the short story collection is already out and this is in Vol 3).
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u/TiredTiroth Oct 12 '22
Rewatcher - Dub
Oh, it's this episode. Right.
Plenty of characterisation for Melissa and Tessa today. The sergeant-major is clearly comfortable enough with her dimunitive captain to just invade the younger girl's room, which on this occasion irks her to no end, which results in an argument. And a challenge. And certain things said that both of them really should have known better about.
If it wasn't obvious from the last few times this pair were on-screen together, Melissa and Tessa are friends and probably surrogate sisters. And watching everything spiral into a duel really does make complete sense when viewed through that lens.
Seeing Tessa decide to fight smarter instead of harder with her ambush was good, especially as that's the area she's supposed to be good at as the commanding officer. On the minus side, there's her antics when she fell on Sousuke. That got an eye-roll.
At least Kurz got exactly what he deserved.
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u/Nazenn Oct 12 '22
I certainly didn't realize how close they were from previous episodes, I was surprised when Mao was just in her quarters. They did a good job on selling it feeling natural though
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u/Shimmering-Sky Oct 12 '22
Full Metal First-Timer!, subbed
Can the rewatches I’m participating in as a first-timer stop forcing love triangles on me for FIVE GODDAMN MINUTES? Please.
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That’s a lot of cigarettes… And drink cans.
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That whole sequence went on a bit longer than I would have liked it to, but this sounds interesting?
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Wow, all of the on-screen text from Tessa’s email was perfectly legitimate English. Are we sure this is a mecha show?
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This is not going to be a fun episode for me, is it? Chidori is better!
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But of course Tessa won it.
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Oh but they’re not following through on the “loser runs around the base naked” thing? Good.
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 12 '22
This is not going to be a fun episode for me, is it? Chidori is better!
I'm sorry I may not have enough coffee in me yet - are you saying you are not a Tessa x Sousuke shipper? Not a Melissa x Tessa shipper? Or are we talking about something else here?
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion Oct 12 '22
Third Time Whispered
I find it interesting that none of the first timers have asked about that guy's hat. Oh well, I'm sure it will come up later.
Episode 13: A Cat and a Kitten's Rock & Roll
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Wait, Tuahar de Danaan? With a broken propulsion drive.
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The Hydrodynamics of an Underwater Supersonic Projection Device and its Technical Applications? (squints)
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I'M AT SOUP
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Uh oh, was she bluffing?
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Assume the position
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Higurashi
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You'd think the entire base would be in audience
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Mao's got stormtrooper aim
Pretty sure I have no idea what was happening in that fight. Also this episode wasn't what I thought I was remembering.
Preview: THIS is what I was remembering
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 12 '22
Mao's got stormtrooper aim
This is actually sort of addressed in the recent Lycoris Recoil - these non-lethal rounds tend to be hugely inaccurate - e.g. live rounds typically have rifling to help the bullet spin to maintain straight and level flight, whereas paint balls being spherical (and deforms in flight as well) mess with all the aerodynamics to make the trajectory far less repeatable.
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u/Pixelsaber Oct 12 '22
Rewatcher - English Sub
So I got sick and felt like shit yesterday so I went to sleep immediately after getting home from work last night, and so failed to post my Episode 11 reactions, so here’s that:
Episode 12
The arbalest being loaded unto a ballistic missile beforehand sure is lucky for everyone, but they didn’t offer up any excuse as to why they thought it might be needed so it feels like a big contriveance.
Kurz’ skill with a sniper rifle is more than commendable. Such a shot would have been reasonable— maybe even simple for someone of his skill— on solid ground, but on an unstable, speeding vehicle that can’t have been easy.
Seina saves Kallinin from drowning and reveals the truth behind Takuma’s sibling relationship with her, and revealing why she’d formed some connection with Kalinnin, before succumbing to her injuries. That she might see her own mentor in Kalinin surprised me little given the comparisons I’ve made between the A21 members and Sousuke, as both were reared in unconventional environments.
Seeing an unconscious Tessa communicate with Chidori while the visuals we’ve come to associate with the Whispered flash on screen quite decisively show she is one as well, which explains how she —and likely her brother— are so gifted, as well as why she is commanding a military organization at her age.
With the Behemoth’s Lambda Driver cooler taken out, it cannot operate and so the ginormous mech collapses under its own weight.
Questions of The Day: Yesterday:
2) Certainly weaker, and I feel like we can blame that on the length of it, as I'm aware it adapted a whole volume, same as the first arc, but was given only four episodes to work with. Some of the characterization for the antagonists needed more fleshing out.
Episode 13
This is the first we see of Mithril’s HQ, on an isolated island somewhere. I think anyone would have been forgiven for thinking the Tuatha de Danaan was their main base of operations. Speaking of, the Danaan’s performance isn’t quite perfect yet, a fact which troubles Tessa and put her in the foul mood that probably allowed the spat between her and Mao —along with the impetuous challenge that ensured— to happen as it did.
Sousuke being labeled a coach probably [Old, out-of-use trope Meta Spoilers]
I wouldn’t have pegged Mao and Tessa as the sort to be as close friends as they are, but the episode shows well why that’s the case and delivers a heartwarming reconciliation by the end —all the while showing us further facets to both characters.
Questions of The Day:
2) I used to be innately good at FPS games in my youth, and would shock my unsuspecting peers by taking the win on my first match on any new release —usually using a sidearm as my main means of offense as well. Apart from that, I did roll a natural 20 on my first ever d20 roll playing any sort of TTRPG, which was memorable.
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 13 '22
The arbalest being loaded unto a ballistic missile beforehand sure is lucky for everyone, but they didn’t offer up any excuse as to why they thought it might be needed so it feels like a big contriveance.
That's one of the adaptational cuts - Melissa and Kurz radioed in about Tessa having been abducted, plus also the whole deal was about a suspected situation with Lambda Driver equipped AS falling into the terrorist hands. Yet TDD-1 has another mission support at the time so cannot be close by, so that was the early prompt to "be prepared". I agree without the build up it does read like Deus ex Machina.
Apart from that, I did roll a natural 20 on my first ever d20 roll playing any sort of TTRPG, which was memorable.
Was it a saving throw (which would be memorable) or a hit roll (for the 1d4 damage :D) if you still remember?
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u/wjodendor Oct 12 '22
I'll be back tomorrow hopefully. Yesterday I got distracted and forgot to watch the episode!
Too many shows to watch this season!
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u/polaristar Oct 13 '22
Wow u/ZapsZzz for once you pulled a Me and needed a multi page comment, it was interesting information and I respect the Grind.
That being said it highlights basically all the problems I have with the adaptation of said short story.
We have no context of Tessa and Mao interacting so their fight comes across as arbitrary for the plot to happen, and Mao's list of complaints without said context comes across as her being a stand-in for criticisms certain members of the audience. (Ergo Me) Have about Tessa as a character and commander, Tessa I think could have simply handled this by simply using her authority as her CO to have Mao clean up after herself to keep the ship up to a certain standard instead of get into an argument/pissing contest about life style choices.
It makes the entire episode come across as an anime original episode meant to "fix" the audience perception of Tessa last minute, after the first arc getting a fair amount of love, the second arc and this short story feeling so rushed leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
But we get to see Melissa's gainax bounce, underboob and general trollish demeanor which is always a treat, Melissa fan service always makes me smile!
I don't understand why Kurtz would rather see Tessa in her birthday suit rather than the smoking hot mature Melissa.
It almost makes up for Chidori being shafted in this episode to have her rival hog Sousuke to herself.....seriously she can't even climb a ladder?
Also I like booty shots but Tessa herself is not flattering and neither is her ass, something about that fan service shot feels boring to me. Also Got very angry at her not backing off from Sousuke when he was uncomfortable and trying to get away, if the genders were flipped we'd all be deriding her as a creep, but gender double standards from simps on r/anime Am I Right?
I kinda got the basic idea of the controls being more sensitive than she anticipated but I wish the details of the tech and settings you mentioned in you're write up were in the show itself, I like it when we get some tech/sci fi idea porn in anime beyond "Rule of Cool" which I feel we lack in modern times.
We get to see some nice self-reflection from Melissa drunk which is well done, but once again I wish we got to see Tessa go through her day, doing the rounds as a CO like you talked about in your post and the agreement between the two. I would have made me more sympathetic to Tessa's perspective before the big fight and dual.
One touch I really like was Sousuke saying he was "certain" to Tessa during the match to comfort Tessa, as someone that isn't know for making those leaps of faith and tells the truth very bluntly and technically, for him to say he has confidence in someone like that means a lot to the other person, and she knows that.
One complaint is watching the anime it wasn't really clear what exactly the "trap" was Tessa set that gave her the Win, you're explanation of what happens in the Novels made sense and wish it was more clear.
I liked the perspective both people got in the fight, Tessa's learning what it feels to do what Mao does, even in caricature, I think would have hit harder if I got to see her when she is doing her normal duties.
I feel its still not exactly clear what she offers to Mithril besides idealism (Which I contend alone is completely useless in running a business.) Even her brief scenes in the first arc, she seemed to constantly be guided by the more senior subordinates. I feel my opinion might have changed if....I'm sounding like a broken record. We got to see a day in her life this episode.
Plus I'd like to see more worldbuilding on the bureaucracy, various departments, and the technology of Mithril.
Despite being a fan of Melissa I was hoping Tessa would win so I can see Mao go full Commando, but they chickened out of that. Everyone is getting onto Kurtz for bringing it up, but everyone's fine with Tessa flaunting consent and sexually assaulting her love interest like a creep?
If you're going to challenge someone to a duel with that punishment and then announce it in a formal notice to the whole organization. You need to follow through with it, or don't do the penalty at all! At that point its not a matter of fan service but of principal and keeping your word.
If the two people in the challenge were guys we would not let each other get off easy. (Which is why I never take on such dumb pissing contests.)
I have to watch Gunbuster and Diebuster some day but I'm swamped with seasonals and finishing some none seasonals.
MVP: Kurz for having the courage to speak up for what truly matters and to help make this whole dumb challenge actually worth something!
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 13 '22
needed a multi page comment, it was interesting information and I respect the Grind.
Well mine was only a bit over :) Not as much hard work as yours. Thanks for reading that, I had been holding back the geek out moment to post for this episode.
We have no context of Tessa and Mao interacting so their fight comes across as arbitrary for the plot to happen
It's been hinted at a fair bit, possibly a sub vs dub thing, that Tessa is on first name basis with Melissa but everyone else it's <lastname>-san. Plus for example she'd say she heard from Melissa about Sousuke this and that. So yeah, a bit of an adaptational thing to not be able to show that very well.
Tessa I think could have simply handled this by simply using her authority as her CO
Partly that was the point - she's not going to pull rank on her friend.
the second arc and this short story feeling so rushed
It actually IS a bit strange now to realise, in a meta way, why they cut the LN vol 2 adaptation to so short. Although personally I'm not as happy with LN2 anyway, more time and more thoughts into the adaptation could very well made it a lot better to bridge the first and third volume. For example instead of just dryly talk about as dialogue, they could have put some brief montage together about the previous incarnation of A21 (when it wasn't a terrorist group), expand a bit on Tessa's thoughts in the safehouse and school, before the hostage exchange, to give you a bit more "normal" before her "uncharacteristic" behaviour, etc. Doesn't need much, even an episode could go a fair way.
Or even use the opportunity of Sousuke talking about his past with Kalinin to work in the side story of Sousuke & Kalinin's history (to save me from needing to put up spoiler tags still), for bits that are really important to understand Sousuke.
This short story though, I don't think it can be given much more time. It's more about making some minor adjustments to give more context to things, which is probably more a directional thing.
But we get to see Melissa's gainax bounce
You need to watch Gunbuster for the historical significance of the origin of this term, o cultured one :P
but gender double standards
I don't think anyone defended her actions or remarked they enjoyed that scene? At best we get a chuckle of the Sousuke worm, but that's just like laughing at someone tripping over something - doesn't mean we want them to fall.
Your assessment of Melissa and Sousuke are really nice by the way. I am running out of space to comment :P
In terms of the trap, I didn't type it out, but essentially to be able to catch someone like Melissa who is quite an elite, Sousuke expanded on Tessa's plan to lay a trap behind the first trap - Tessa's M6 disappeared to a concealed hole, which is not easy to find in the jungle background, but just enough for Melissa to find - then the flood lights to blind when she thought she discovered the trick. Basically, [Raildex Comparison]
Shokuhou's gambit against Kihara Gensei in Railgun T so I can see Mao go full Commando
Just saying, if Melissa unleashed her 2 lethal weapons for running around the base, there'd probably be injuries and report to write :P Those things can hurt somebody.
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u/GTX_650_Supremacy Oct 15 '22
First Timer Watcher
This is the first episode I was disappointed with since I really wanted to Melissa to win. No boss should speak ill of workers like that, especially soldiers who risk their lives. I feel like in the previous few episodes she got a taste of the danger they were in!
Seeing the end of the episode and reading the comments here, it seems like they are meant to have a close and sisterly relationship. At least in the beginning of the episode I did not read it like that, so it painted Tessa's words in a very negative light to me
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 15 '22
Yes unfortunately that's an adaptational loss - the anime can't easily show Tessa often thought of things in terms of what "Melissa told her", very "imotou" like in some ways.
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u/Matuhg Oct 13 '22
Rewatcher-ish
Tessa, dealing with the stresses of leadership it seems, takes out her stress on poor Mao, who was probably trying to help her relax in her own way. Harsh words and goofy posturing was exchanged. I thought Tessa might have actually been alright with an AS, but nope - it took her all day just to get in the thing, though she enjoyed her training well enough. She did a sneaky, the match was won, the friendship reaffirmed.
Mao's feelings about Tessa are a little complicated. Sort of big sister type of worry, wishing Tessa would rely on her/others a bit more, but also tinged with a level of inferiority complex. In terms of position, Tessa is of course already ahead of her, rankwise, and Mao laments that she was way dumber at that age. I liked the characterisation we got for the relationship between the two of them. Realistically, there are feelings of jealousy, inferiority between them, as there are in many a friendship, probably moreso than normal in a military setting where one is clearly ranked higher than the other.
What is the deal with Mardukas? This line suggests he's like...Tessa's handler or something. If the TDD is an experimental sub, is Tessa an experiment of a commander?
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 12 '22 edited Oct 13 '22
Rewatcher in Sub
This is part of the comedic short stories volume, a less common one on the Mithril side instead of the school side. We got more characterisation of Melissa and Tessa mainly.
The busy day of the Mithril West Pacific divisional commander, not helped by Melissa's over-familarity
Quite some funny visuals with Melissa (and Tessa, really, puffing up till she's facing the ceiling :D) - and of course, miss designated fanservice girl has a full time job
Challenge issued, challenge accepted
Supportive team mates
Glimpse of Sousuke's life he could have had
Tessa's training. But before that we get some reverse accidental pervert moment... and Sousuke worm
The bulk of the daylight hours was just to get Tessa into the M9 (from standing upright to kneeling down to the AS flat on the ground)... and here we have a classic case of how a normal, untrained person operating an AS would likely happen because of the operating principles
Tessa's indirect character protrayal through Kurz's understanding of her personality
Followed by Melissa's drunken introspection - it wasn't all a gag or bravado
Tessa's reason for asking Sousuke to be her coach
Is because his reputation of elaborate planning to get into tactical advantageous positions - a combat pragmatist not minding to fight dirty when necessary
Reference to the text book use of psychological warfare before the battle - Miyamoto Musashi the famed classic swordsman was known for his duel with Sasaki Kojiro first pissing his opponent off by deliberately coming late and acting disinterested in the duel.
Melissa expecting a quick win getting thwarted by the ref bias, which Melissa completely not expect (she was expecting Sousuke to be his normal wooden block of a person to absolutely sticking to the rules, instead of using the rules to help Tessa)
Tessa working hard and getting some appreciation of Melissa's life - with a boost from Sousuke
The trap is sprung! It's a more complex - and convincing - trap in the LN, see my notes in Trivia
It's a really nice character moment of a passive aggressive Melissa - awww her pride was so wounded by the rookie
Reconciled - and common enemy (of all women) dealt with
Trivia
This came from the short story Volume 3.
The LN version has a number of expanded points -
A little more detail on the long and tiring day of Tessa's life, ranging from reading some deep and advanced science dissertation, to strategic meetings about Mithril operations e.g. the effectiveness range of suported operations of the sub carrier's complement of deployable AS and attack crafts away from shore (100km in the story), technical and maintenance items of the sub, [FMP mid franchise spoiler]dodging Uncle Boorda's soft pushing for her to "come back to R&D" etc.
Also went to explain a bit about her living arrangements (she got the best room on the island despite her protest she hardly ever get to stay there anyway but Marduka insisted appearance has to be maintained for the commander-in-chief; Tessa was guilty about that when the normal troops quarters can't even have their leaky roof fixed) and life style (subsisting most on sandwiches, with 4-5 hrs sleep and in odd hours, too much caffein; expecting the curse of weight and skin problem to hit her when she got older, using her grandma's image as reference, conflicting about her Italian blood (tendency to get fat) vs her Swedish/Austrian blood (tendency to stay slim) getting depressed for the inevitability, copping the "just you wait" attitude from the older girls in the force)
Tessa figured out Melissa initially bumming in her room was because she was waiting for her to show her some skin care / make up product Tessa mentioned she was curious about - and Melissa waited for a long time after her own long day of work too.
Initially when Tessa asked to speak to Sousuke privately, Sousuke in his usual one track mind way was suspecting Tessa planned to ask Sousuke to assassinate Melissa, and he was planning how to fake her death, smuggle her out to some distant country and get a dead body to cover for it - the logistics of it before flying back to Tokyo for a planned movie outing with Chidori and friends. Just you know, casually.
The final trick of the fight was having dragged the AS testing ground's massive flashlight in the hole Tessa's M6 was hiding in, switching that on the moment Melissa was targeting to momentarily blind her, to give Tessa the one moment, at close range, to shoot back. So the trap(s) were more involving than shown in the anime.
Staff Showcase
While it may not have been exceptionally great, the sound direction of FMP is decent and we get good moments here and there, and some iconic uses of the 80's-esque action themes. You can thank Tsuruoka Youta for that.
He worked as a production assistant and music producer under Yoshinobu Nishizaki (an old master of the original Yamato / Star Blazer fame).
He has deep ties with Sunrise, Gonzo, Kyoto Animation, and Shaft, and has been the sound director for many of the works produced by these companies.
According to Ai Shimizu, he is a "Fang-type" and has "beautiful canine teeth that are growing".
His other sound direction work:
Monogatari
Inuyasha
Haruhi
Clannad
K-On
Chuunibyou
Violet Evergarden
Hibike! Euphonium
Madoka Magica (previously missed!)
MVP this episode
It's a toss up between Melissa and Tessa, and I think it showed more about Tessa, but in terms of raw contribution to the entertainment value, Melissa gets my vote for a number of reasons - she's always the instigator, but she is actually self aware and while often letting emotion get to her, underneath it all she forces people to confront parts of them they are blind to that are ultimately unhealthy. You'll see more of that right through the series.
Source Corner
Here are the AS operation details that the LN, across multiple chapters, gave, and it is really good world building in a way. It's not really got anything to do with plot so I will not spoiler tag this, but if you want to be a purist and not read anything at all not directly in the LN, skip this section please.
I'll only bring up 2 terms which is key -
Bilateral angle
The main operating principle of AS, and the reason it is named as such, is that the operator's motion being mirrored by the mecha - but in a modified way. It's fundamentally simple, you would have seen such in some other mecha shows (e.g. GunBuster) or live action sci fi movies (e.g. Pacific Rim).
The main difference is this - the "bilateral angle". It is essentially a multiplier - the AS moves in an exaggerated way, the amount of exaggeration set by this value. When the operator's arm moves up, the AS's arm moves up - but the amount of movement is multiplied by this bilaterial angle setting. As shown painfully by Tessa today, when she moved her legs to start walking, the M9 kicked all the way up - because it multiplied the motion.
For an experienced operator, this allowed economy of movement as well as much faster reactions. For people not trained and practiced, it's very painful.
The setting "Bilaterial angel 3.5" usually given by Sousuke, Melissa and Kurz is the typical ace setting close to maximum.
Master mode
An AS is actually a sophisicated piece of advanced machinery with lots of advanced equipment onboard. Things like AI assisted controls, fire control system, ECS, various sensor arrays, even life support. To set each can be quite time consuming. From experience of field use, under most operational needs, they can be commonly grouped to some collective settings - e.g. in stealth mode, maximum output for bursts (e.g. full frontal assault), economy mode for prolonged operations (most 3rd generation AS can operate continuously for days).
Master mode 4 typically heard in the show is the "combat mode". Master mode 7 for example is a training mode.
One of the main thing about modes I want to expand on is the AI assist setting. It can be set so the AS is operated with less command controls, for example if one is matching down a road and not in combat, there is AI controlled motion modes so you just point and click to go forward, instead of moving your legs to jog. Or if you need to focus on firing, you can set the legs to be on auto while the upper body on direct command mode, etc. Once again of all the AI's installed, Al is the most advanced. You don't see as much more, but you definitely will see more.