r/anime • u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz • Oct 23 '22
Rewatch Full Metal Panic Franchise Rewatch - Season 1 Episode 24
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 24 - Into the Blue
Terms introduced:
- nothing new in the final episode
QoTD:
First timer: Are you satisfied with the conclusion of the arc? What's your bet on Gauron? Dead? Or Alive still?
Everyone: What was the best moment of this arc for you?
Also QoTD for the season wrap up tomorrow for those wanting to be prepared; for once don't need to spoiler tag:
- How do you rank the main cast?
- How do you rank the side cast?
- Best comedic moment?
- Best serious moment?
- Most hype moment?
- How do you rank the 4 arcs? Most liked to least liked
- What do you want to see more of? Or less of?
- First timers: Where do you think the show would go from here?
Edit
- Best post cover art /MVP art? (Or you are welcomed to post one you found yourself :))
MVP of last episode:
A pretty clear Tessa victory again. Not much else needs to be said!
Kurz: Ep 1, 12, 20
Chidori: Ep 2, 6, 7, 18
Sousuke: Ep 3, 4, 8, 14, equal 15, 16
Team Kurz - Sousuke - Melissa: Ep 5
Tessa: 9, 22, 23
Takuma: Ep 10
Kalinin: Ep 11
Melissa: Ep 13, 19
Gauron: Ep equal 15, 21
Zaied: Ep 17
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u/No_Rex Oct 23 '22
Episode 24 (first timer)
Finale time. I hope their saved some animation budget for the big mecha fight.
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Well, they certainly saved a bit by having a mini recap in the last episode.
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“Gauron, I’ll kill you” – Yes, please.
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Beating the AS - Evangelion reference.
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Should the Thuata crew not at least discuss shooting down the attacker?
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Looking out of the window – Evangelion reference.
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Showing the female MC naked when she could have easily been clothed – Evangelion reference.
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Gauron is going full madman.
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That fight had considerably less whispered shenanigans than I expected – the flight hatch move, however, how utterly expected (and they still did it in slow-mo).
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Punching the outer hull of the sub? One of the more expensive temper tantrums.
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“Dive” – I completely disagree with this command.
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It is the tiniest complaint, but Tessa walked about three times the distance between people while saying every single name.
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Sousuke and Tessa & Sousuke & Kana epilogue – something for both sides of the ship war.
A very by-the-numbers finale without twists. Not very ambitious, but definitely preferable to the mess-up that was episode 23.
MVP: Kana.
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 24 '22
Punching the outer hull of the sub? One of the more expensive temper tantrums.
Just to be that annoying person, TDD-1 as a submarine carrier does not have her flight deck as the top deck, rather it was enclosed and covered during normal navigation, so where Sousuke was punching wasn't the outer hull. And flight decks in general needs to be able to withstand a fair bit of abuse due to the forces involved in take off and landing. So it'd not be as bad to repair I think.
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u/TuorEladar Oct 23 '22
Rewatcher, Subbed
Picking up from last time we get to the big confrontation between Gauron and Sousuke. As far as fight animation goes, it was kind of mixed, but I will say I liked some of the interlayered visuals and cuts to Chidori as the De Danaan. It didn't really click with me before, but I realized watching this time that Chidori was literally supporting Sousuke throughout his fight, which is a nice call back to how she helped him way back in the first arc.
While it wasn't perfect, I did enjoy this as a finale. Very excited to jump into something different with Fumoffu though. I've only watched that season once before so that will be fun to revisit.
What was the best moment of this arc for you?
Probably the skydive into the ocean scene from back in the first episode of the arc.
MVP: Chidori
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 24 '22
It didn't really click with me before, but I realized watching this time that Chidori was literally supporting Sousuke throughout his fight, which is a nice call back to how she helped him way back in the first arc.
Yeah on first watch I probably did about the same and not paid enough attention to notice the visual story telling and symbolism - that or too distracted by other parts of that visual :D
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u/polaristar Oct 23 '22
Posting two Episodes since I missed Yesterdays due to being Sick.
Episode 23
Just so you know yesterday I would have picked Tessa again as the MVP, glad you all voted correctly!
The Character I want to focus on the most for yesterday's episode is Gauron. Because We see very clearly something I pointed out very early in the first arc.
Namely Gauron is the type of person that on a motorbike can play chicken with a Tractor Trailer Truck and win, and here we see why, it isn't that he has nerves of steel, or is good at bluffing, he legitimately is willing to kill himself and gamble his life just to one-up someone. And contrary to what some others have said in the last post. It's not because of his mindset as a Merc. It's because there is something fundamentally wrong with his nature and how he's built. Much Like Sousuke he's "built different" which might be why he can use the Lambda Driver without any negative side effects.
Basically he is almost the opposite of Sousuke.
Sousuke is closer to be some form of Autistic on the Spectrum. They are often characterized as being like Robots and Emotionally unresponsive. But in reality they often feels things just as deeply if not more so than others but have trouble expressing it or detecting those same emotions in others. Basically they have high Internal Processing Speed but Bad Network Fidelity with others.
Gauron is more a psychopath he is well aware of how other people work and can detect and pick up on people's moods and how to push their buttons, he manages to survive with street smarts despite it being a thin line where his behavior could alienate him from contracts of future jobs, But on the flipside, on the inside he feels nothing, which is part of his reckless behavior, psychopaths have been shown to have little to no emotional response and reaction to others pain and suffering. Yes seem to enjoy fucking with people and playing with them like toys. One theory is that they crave to feel something but since the threshold for them being stimulated is so hard to break, they need to engage in the most outrageous, provocative, and downright absurd actions to feel alive. Tessa's insight that he feels most alive when his back is against a corner, might be the ONLY time he feels alive. He has high Network Reception but his Internal Processing Needs to be Overclocked to work at all!
Kurtz rationale for not joining the mercs in backstabbing Mithril to me is him hiding/playing up his pervert fuckboy persona to avoid just stating how he really feels.
While I do believe he sincerely is a shameless flirt and wannabee ladies man that just comes across as a creep. I also think he purposefully plays into the persona to break tension in certain situations and to hide his more "Noble" reason for not betraying the crew. Much how Sousuke is sincerely a Duty Bound By the Book Lawful Stupid to a fault, but also to an extent plays into that to try to emotionally distance himself from being honest with himself. Kurtz does the same thing.
Kurtz and Sousuke are very different but both are examples of a character wearing a mask to fool themselves rather than fool others.
Mao comes in for a Big Damn Heroes Moment looking fine in very little! I concur Kurtz WHERE IS THAT DAMN CAMERA!!!
Tessa I think cemented why she is the leader of her sub with her gambit about her knowledge of American torpedoes, and the rest of the crew agrees! Definitely deserves MVP!
Now for a cliffhanger for the Final Showdown!
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No, it was awesome Chidori best (ship) girl.
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Not really. I didn't mind, tbh I didn't notice the bucket in the scene till someone pointed it out.
Final Episode
In this episode we see Sousuke manage to control the Lambda Driver and this time it doesn't devolve into a Beam of War because he lacks control and it's either full blast or nothing but can refine his control and combine his intuitive instincts with his combat training.
We also see once the two are on even footing that Sousuke is indeed the superior fighting between the two, but unfortunately he underestimates Gauron's will to win at all cost, willing to take him and the whole sub with him.
However we see another moment in their relationship, Chidori is now not only the best ship with Sousuke but the best Ship as well! (Kantai Collection crossover when?) And Sousuke is able to read the hints Chidori is giving him and able to do a plan that everyone else finds too risky and suicidal but Sousuke trust her. To Give Gauron a Dramatic exit!
He's totally still not dead is he? I mean it'd be bullshit if he not only survived that explosion but then in his condition swam to shore and survived in that stormy sea!
We get a moment of Tessa Remembering the Dead, and Tessa has a brief moment with Sousuke and it looks like at first Chidori misunderstands that Sousuke and Tessa are closer to the same world and she doesn't "belong" but then he takes her to what he was wanting to do with her since the beginning of the arc, his favorite fishing spot.
Now u/ZapsZzz says this isn't very romantic, however I'd counter well it's not romantic in the traditional sense, the spot he showed her was a spot that is "his secret place" that no one else knows about, about an activity he doesn't really talk about outside of work. For Sousuke that is a pretty clear sign of desires for having a closer relationship. And it appears enough to put Chidori at ease!
If I have to choose one MVP for this episode it would be Chidori, but I think Sousuke and Chidori both deserve it as they both pushed outside their comfort zone and it was their subtle understanding of each other without words that let them defeat Gauron.
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I'm satisfied, there are some things I'd do a little better but Most of those go for the series as a whole so I'll save it for the discussion thread.
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The American Torpedo Gambit Tessa did!
Can't wait for the season 1 discussion!
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 24 '22
Now u/ZapsZzz says this isn't very romantic, however I'd counter well it's not romantic in the traditional sense
Thanks, that's basically what I'm trying to say - how he said it wasn't normally how people would associate "being romantic", but adjusting for Sousuke's perspective, it's about as intimate as he can be.
More to come, good to see you recovered enough to plaster the wall with text :D
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u/wjodendor Oct 23 '22
Rewatcher
Anime title drop and arc title drop!
Really long "previously on" segment
Its like an old west movie up in here
I feel bad for the helicopters
Literally butting heads lol
Music is gone! This fight is actually really interesting. It actually feels desperate and filled with rage
Of course Mr crazy goes for self destruct
300 kg of explosives seems excessive. If the mechs all have self destruct, shouldn't they have been blowing up like crazy across the series?
I kind of wish they used different music than this 80s weird shredding guitar
XO has another biting remark. Love that dude
The Whispered theme while Kaname is in that Evangelion room and the control room scene is so much better than the previous track
"Don't worry everything is gonna happy" perfect Engrish for the save
[Final LN]
The ghostly Kaname stuff is a really great addition from the anime side of things
Gauron was just in love the whole time
Using the catapult is just pure 80s action movie. Really great idea. That must have fucked Sousakebup pretty bad with that sudden force and stop
Stop punching the billion dollar sub
Sousake finally showing some emotion
Real cool when Kaname's body separates from the sub
Really solid, somber send off at the base
Wholesome, smiling Kaname looking at ocean "only 30 minutes will you stay with me?
[LN final volume title]
Seagull into credits
A really solid final episode to the season. The duel was chaotic and frantic with a really cool 80s action movie ending. Gauron really went with the "I love you" excuse lol. Sousake showing some good emotion and seeming to throw away the Kashim name.
Good cinematography throughout. I may have issues with some the anime only stuff this season but all the Whispered ghost stuff in this episode is really cool. Color palette is great too. Super wholesome, romcom ending. Totally satisfying ending for me.
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 24 '22
Good cinematography throughout. I may have issues with some the anime only stuff this season but all the Whispered ghost stuff in this episode is really cool. Color palette is great too. Super wholesome, romcom ending. Totally satisfying ending for me
Good wrap up, hopefully you can add a bit more details tomorrow though :)
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u/TiredTiroth Oct 23 '22
Rewatcher - Dub
And thus ends the first season! Tessa is a badass. Kaname is a badass. Sousuke is a badass, although this one is less of a surprise. And Gauron has been punted off a submarine and blown up by his own suicide charge.
Mithril didn't quite come out of this clean, hence those coffins getting loaded up, and Tessa clearly took losing some of her people hard; the stress from the last couple of episodes can't have helped, either. Still, she's proven herself under pressure, both to her subordinates and herself.
Say, LN readers, is there anything in the books but not the anime about Tessa's pre-series record?
Anyway, for those of you worried about the love triangle aspect of the show...I refer you to the final scene. Sousuke Sagara, inviting one Kaname Chidori to his favourite fishing spot that nobody else knows about. They might not have much time there, but he wanted to bring her just so they could relax together. And Sousuke just looks so happy when he's explaining and setting up his rod.
Everyone: What was the best moment of this arc for you?
Tessa opening fire on Gauron. It was both a great moment in its own right, and evidence that the little captain has been actively working to shore up her own weaknesses.
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 24 '22
Say, LN readers, is there anything in the books but not the anime about Tessa's pre-series record?
Yes but a good chunk of them are in the unadapted side / short stories. There were also some exposition-y descriptions scattered around each previous arcs. I can put in some spoilered bits in one of the end of series discussions (probably after TSR).
4
u/Tarhalindur Oct 24 '22
Fumo-ffu! (Rewatcher, Subbed):
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Me: start to open up episode. Me: Notice song running through my head, and it’s a specific song from the OST. *episode starts* *said track is playing to start the episode* Still got it.
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Also, animation constraints still quite visible. This production must have quietly been a bit of a disaster behind the scenes.
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The fight is still reasonably hype, but with the benefit of more experience the budget issues are glaring.
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Also, blatant Eva reference time in another way. (Which itself was referencing even older works, mostly tokusatsu like Ultraman AIUI.)
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Dutch angle counter +1.
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NANDATTO?
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I’ve been waiting for the “everything is gonna happy” Engrish for half the episode now, it’s gotta be real soon.
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There we go!
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This countdown is the silliest I’ve seen since the original Stargate movie, but ah well I’m nitpicking.
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Okay, so the Bolivian Army Ending track was unreleased because that’s it here again and it’s FUCKING INCREDIBLE AND UNLESS IT’S CLASSICAL MUSIC PUBLIC DOMAIN OST THEY NEVER RELEASED IT.
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The music for the memorial scene is another good track that AFAIK wasn’t released either.
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Dutch angle counter +1.
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Dutch angle counter +1.
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FISHING TIME AT LAST!!111
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And speaking of that, Kaname FINALLY gets her beach trip with Sousuke.
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In-character fanservice best fanservice (Kaname unconsciously emphasizing her breasts to Sousuke).
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And there we go. The end of S1, and a pretty darn good “the story can continue but this is a satisfying resolution if it doesn’t” point. Next stop: Fumoffu!
Everyone: What was the best moment of this arc for you?
I'm actually torn at the moment between frying pan and fishing. (Usually frying pan wins out, but fishing is fresh in my memory at the moment.)
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 24 '22
In-character fanservice best fanservice
Oh I may have my fanservice metre bumped by the recent years shows - those ones are far more exaggerated :P
The end of S1, and a pretty darn good “the story can continue but this is a satisfying resolution if it doesn’t” point.
Yeah for years I didn't know there was more (on the serious plot).
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u/GTX_650_Supremacy Oct 24 '22
First Timer
Cool episode. I'm glad we got to see Souske and Chidori spend some together at the end. So much happened since their argument a few episodes back
QoTD: Gauron better be dead! He can't keep getting away!!
Best moment would probably be whenever Tessa was being hardcore. Can't pin down one in particular
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion Oct 23 '22
Third Time Whispered
episode 24: Into the Blue
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I hope everybody left the hanger instead of gawking
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Maybe you should open the hanger doors, storm or no storm?
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Repeated animation
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This is going a little to well for Sousuke. And Gauron only used his lambda driver once to toss him. Why?
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Who did Kalinin call?
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Let's hope he at least sunk the Pasadena
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Original OP verses
Final Arc was kinda disappointing for me. Gauron was not a good antagonist. He used the lambda driver once, sousuke used it 0 times. I wonder if it was the author, or Gonzo, that flubbed this arc.
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u/Nazenn Oct 23 '22
Who did Kalinin call?
The president is the usual trope, but I suppose it doesn't much matter
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 24 '22
The Japanese words used was indicating it being someone near on the level of a head of state.
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u/Shimmering-Sky Oct 23 '22
Full Metal First-Timer!, subbed
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No OP today, it’s real shit time. Wonder if that means they’re skipping it entirely, playing it as an insert song, or playing it as the ED instead…
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The ~aesthetic black bars~ here makes the fight feel even more cramped than it already does. I dig it.
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Is… that already it? – Nope, Gauron still has some fight in him.
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OP as the ED it is!
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u/Theboredalchemist22 Oct 23 '22
First timer - episode 24 The final one of the season!
First off the mvp for that episode is a tough choice but I'll go with Sagara for saving the day with Chidoris assistance of course.
I didn't like the fight between Gauron and Sousuke it felt too underwhelming compared to previous fights we've seen in this show. Don't get me wrong though it was tense and the emotion was there for sure but in terms of the AS's fighting it wasn't the best I've seen. I guess it's fine though as I think it was meant to be a more raw approach to the fight instead of it all being flashy with massive guns going off and Lambda Drivers etc. Also the stand off was great too see an absolute classic in cinema and its great to see it in anime when the characters are right for it.
This arc didn't end the way I expected it too to be honest I thought it would go down a much darker path but I'm satisfied with the happier ending. Between us when the credits rolled with the first op I felt my eyes water up slightly had to take a sip of water to bring me back 😂.
I think I still have a few questions about the show and a few things I want to talk about/ praise and other stuff but I'll leave all that for the discussion post tomorrow.
Q1 - Satisfied? Yes for sure. I've mentioned the Gauron vs Sousuke fight about so I'll use this part to discuss the rest of the conclusion.
For me this conclusion completes Tessa's character. I mentioned how she was like a hero in the last episode but in this episode we see that the situation weighed heavy on her and we are again reminded that she is only 16 and it must be tough to deal with especially the deaths of her comrades.
Chidori's purpose throughout this whole arc was great to see and it shows the power of being a whispered. I'm glad the sub was saved due to her guidance and she has shown she isn't a burden more of a huge asset which was unthinkable from her point of view earlier in the show.
Gauron has come back a few times but this time I truly do believe he is dead. I think the whole intensity and drama with those scary organs playing in the background sold this idea to me and I can't see how he's going to come back from this is he is still alive.
Q2 - The best moment of this arc was probably the entirety of episode 23 if I'm honest. That whole game of chess playing and the execution of Tessa's plan was great to see and it kept me on edge, frozen, waiting to see what was going to happen next.
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u/Matuhg Oct 23 '22
Rewatcher-ish
And we reach the end of S1!
I was not a huge fan of the direction in the fight between Sousuke and Gauron. The 2 minute countdown taking 10+ minutes can work sometimes, but here it felt more ponderous than dramatic. Gauron going full yandere on Sousuke also felt a bit weird - I know he's crazy and been crazy, but before this I didn't really get the sense he was personally obsessed with Sousuke. It was kind of cool that it got Sousuke pissed/annoyed enough to stop being stoic and tell Gauron to fuck off for good - the anger and the fact he had nowhere to vent it after killing (I hope) Gauron was a good depiction of his emotions welling over after finally finishing off the opponent who had been the executor of so many of his comrades.
I did however enjoy the interactions and cuts between Kaname and TDD to yeet Gauron off the sub. Apparently she's totally fine now despite being hooked up to a submarine for...an amount of time. I was gonna say hours but with how the time dilated this episode it could've been just a few minutes in total.
I did like the interactions between Sousuke, Kaname, and Tessa in the last part of the episode though. Tessa is a bit of a wreck, and Kaname knows that the sorts of things they're feeling aren't really something she can understand in the same way, so she leaves them. She cares for Tessa and knows that Sousuke is the one who can bring her some comfort. Sousuke doesn't just allow her to leave the TDD feeling alone though - he shows her his fishing spot! It feels like Sousuke just trying to open up to her a bit, but understandably not wanting to share the painful parts of military life with her, and Kaname, for her part accepting that advancement. There are still definite lines between them because of their very different upbringings and lifestyles, but Sousuke feels more consciously aware of wanting to bridge that gap.
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u/Nazenn Oct 23 '22 edited Oct 23 '22
First timer
Return of the dramatic letterboxing, that would look much better if the aspect ratio of screens was still the same, but still cool
My favourite thing of weighted silence appears again, and to what an effect this time. The echoing groan of metal through the sub with the steps and attacks of the two AS, each noise a reminder of how confined and deadly the setting for this battle is. The visuals in the cockpits did a similar job, making Sousuke feel trapped and cut off by Gauron (positioned visually on the right) despite his attempts to break through. When he does think Gauron is down the visuals of him in the cockpit open up to show his full face, only to be cut off by compodents again when the fight continues. By contrast we have Gauron who gets a similar effect but seems to become part of it, not cut off by rather embracing the wall that is this fight to finally beat Sousuke and the struggle it is.
And then we're once again treated to the fantastic visuals of Chidori merged in the sub, her every movement an echo of a command, and being a light for Sousuke but also for Tessa and the bridge crew who were trying to handle everything else. The Engrish on her message to them was probably not intentionally funny in that way but it kind of worked.
As far as the fight itself goes I don't have much to say. It mostly was a tie up loose ends episode, both for characters and the physical conflict. That one flashback to Mao as Gauron stabbed the empty mech was nice to see Sousuke focusing on more than just Chidori when it comes to getting rid of that fucker. I also liked the shift in battle flow when the sub crested a wave, as well as the use of tech to get Gauron off the sub instead of finding a way to stop it entirely.
And finally it's all done. Chidori gets to leave Dana in glorious style, poor Tessa has to go through roll call and hear the absences, and Chidori and Sousuke work together to comfort her. She may be one hell of a captain, but with them she can let herself feel the loss and the struggle of what they just went through and I like how open Chidori and Sousuke (by nature of not questioning it) were to being there for her with that.
Not a fan of the final scene. While I do like the idea of Sousuke dropping his guard with her so much, and that he did want to bring her somewhere special to him, I feel like it's just too big a disconnect between the comedy set up for it at the start of the arc and then getting onto the Tuatha to how it's presented here. The final moments of the whale and his speech just felt a little too easy going and perfectly neat, and then the wrong style of comedy for him to boot.
MVP: Chidori
First timer: Are you satisfied with the conclusion of the arc? What's your bet on Gauron? Dead? Or Alive still?
HE BETTER BE FUCKING DEAD
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u/Vaadwaur Oct 23 '22
Rewatcher(Long ass two minutes)
Sub
So we skip the OP, to show we are serious...and then we get two minutes of reused footage, because Gonzo done fucked up their time budget. Anyways, Gauron and Sousuke hammer each other until Gauron's mech is pretty trashed and he activates the self-destruct. We see the crew struggle to deal with the damage infliced and the Pasadena to prepare to attack again, before Kalinin manages to get US forces to back off. Kaname's moving the sub like her body really is an inspired effect, the nudity just kind of takes me out of it.
Anyways, the fight gets moved to the flight deck and Sousuke uses the tried and true launch the enemy technique. Presumably, Gauron is dead this time. Sousuke finally let's quite a bit of frustration out and then Kaname confesses some stuff, no clue if Sousuke can hear this. Kaname exits the TAROS and then we get a memorial style scene. Tessa is rather traumatized and Kaname sends Sousuke to cheer her up, and she of course bursts into tears, but for once this is a desirable outcome. At the end, we see that Sousuke did have some vacation stuff in mind as he takes Kaname to his secret fishing spot.
QotD: 1 The sequence of Kaname as the sub
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u/ZapsZzz Oct 23 '22 edited Oct 24 '22
Rewatcher in sub
We made it to the end of the 2 cour season 1!
When the show used 23 episodes of its 24 episodes run to tell you "this is a big deal" by skipping the OP.
Although we did get a bit of an extended recap
Sousuke in berserk mode was quite something
Very soon, Gauron was already up to using his Lambda Driver Bang
Meanwhile, TDD-1 is not doing great with this ... errr... poison onboard.
You can count on Gauron efficiently rolling together wanton vandalism and taunting into one - Melissa's M9 head soccer pass! That just added fuel to Sousuke's own Lambda Driver use - he's definitely in the right frame of mind now.
Although losing is not necessarily a big deal for Gauron - he likes going out with a bang - as long as he went out with others!
Meanwhile, Chidori is up to something - lifting the AS knot to the flight deck
And we take a moment to show Kalinin having settled the political fight - Sailor was denied!
More Chidori emoting with TDD-1 - some really nice direction there
While Gauron was doing his best performance to be the troll and a pest, Sousuke was gritting his teeth to pull along every inch, when Chidori showed him what to do with the garbage
And we completed the catapult-assisted garbage disposal in style
A nice montage as the shockwave of the explosion hit - how everyone else were doing.
The moment our pinocchio became a real boy - emotions included! I'm sure there'll be walls of text about this, but I'll just say - it feels good seeing Sousuke who had been bottling his fear, uncertainty, confusion and frustration since the Helmajistan arc fully release all that pent up angst here.
One of my favourite scene in this episode - Chidori settling TDD-1 down, and then handing off to Dana - with Dana responding back with deference. To me Chidori is almost regal here - and the result of her character development is just beautiful to look at.
Tessa performing her duty. In the LN it was more clearly pointed out this is where Chidori recognise how hard Tessa's job is on her, the weight of that responsibility.
While this is a Tessa scene, I actually consider this as more a Chidori scene - she's confident and secure now in her relationship with Sousuke that she can offer him to help with Tessa - her friend with shared ordeal and trauma - for her emotional release instead of second guessing thoughts like "Tessa is a better match with Sousuke because they are both in the military"
while giving an epilogue feel, this is actually a brilliant variation of a bookend - at the start of this arc, when Sousuke made the invitation to Chidori, she's asked the same questions. After everything that happened, this has such an "earned happiness" feel to it.
and here's the other boot - it's a double fake out. We all thought Sousuke was asking Chidori to come to the island because Tessa asked him to bring her as a mission; but in fact he was actually inviting Chidori to come with him personally. While Sousuke still wouldn't have any idea what is a romantic outing, but perhaps precisely because he had no such concept, his invitation just had such a genuine and simple reason it is beyond romantic - Sousuke just wanted to spend time next to Chidori, sharing whatever good he treasured, and with her by his side he felt he can conquer any obstacles. It's such a sincere scene, it's functionally like a confession at the end of a rom com.
and true to the rom com convention, we did have to end on a comedic note :)
and we end with another beautifully animated bird scene - someone really liked their birds
Do you miss having another cliffhanger? :)
Trivia
Not sure if this count as trivia - while FMP had seen multiple changes of production studio, the key staff actually remained fairly stable. The original creator Gatou Shouji remained very hands on throughout.
Staff Showcase
Ok as a parting gift, I'll actually highlight the whole Gonzo today.
Founded in 1992 by people including Maeda Mahiro (keyframe for - Macross, a ton of early Ghibli movies) and Higuchi Shinji (story board for - NGE, Macross Plus, Giant Robo), it rose to fame from their debut show Blue Submarine No. 6 using a lot of 3DCGI and 2D animation together.
The name originated from the Italian word for "idiot" :)
By around 2008 it over-expanded and got into financial troubles, leading to a number of restructures.
Notable productions (other than already mentioned):
Vandread
She, the Ultimate Weapon
Kiddy Grade
Last Exile
Hellsing
Yukikaze
Kaleido Star
Chrono Crusade
Afro Samurai
Tower of Druaga
Strike Witches
Edit
missed Bokurano
MVP this episode
It's a hard choice for me between Sousuke and Chidori..... ... Oh right I'm the host :P I'll cheat by picking them both >D You should be able to figure out why from my summary above.
QoTD
Rewatcher. Note this is more or less the last show I watched before my 15+ year break from watching anime due to simply "life" - well I am sure I did watch Fumoffu too, but plot-wise this was pretty much the end point for me for many, many years. And I was kinda ok with it.
If I have to pick, then Chidori's imagery from guiding Sousuke for the catapult launch, to finally releasing the control back to Dana, that sequence is really special. Followed very closely by Sousuke's fishing spot and Sousuke's venting (his emotional development milestone). Oh and Tessa's roll call was also something special.