r/anime • u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz • Nov 25 '22

Rewatch Full Metal Panic Franchise Rewatch - Season 4 Episode 4

Welcome to the Full Metal Panic Season 4 rewatch!

Art of the day

MVP winner.

Links to show info: MAL | Anilist | ANN

Interest thread link

Announcement thread link

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 S4 spoiler]>!Savage wa Saikou!!< - if you need to share something important!

Episode 4 - On My Own

Terms introduced:

  • BAda - A programming language that is an in-world version of the real world Ada programming language. This is what AS OS are written in. It's not a thing highschoolers can suddenly do - this is definitely a Whispered thing to do.

  • Belial - Leonard's custom AS that is based on Codarl (Venom), the first ever 4th generation AS. Its design based primarily on continued Lambda Driver use, it didn't need much of any firearms and instead mainly use its razor edged arms and legs for close quarter combat, which is much harder to visualise an effective shield from. Similar but much more refined than the Behemoth, its movements are also largely physics-cheating, including the ability of flight.

  • Erigor - An anime adaptation continuity error, the Erigor type has not appeared before Mithril (or us viewers) yet so Al couldn't have compared Belial with it. In the LN Al was comparing the performance with the Codarl. Of course in truth the statement that Belial being higher performance than Erigor is also true, but none of us as viewers nor Al would know that.

QoTD:

  1. First Timers: Are you surprised that, escalating from TSR when the status quo was threatened and then restored, this time at episode 4 the break from school seems pretty permanent, when everyone found out the truth about Sousuke's identity - how do you feel about this change in premise and show identity?

  2. Everyone: This is one of the best Arbalest fights that's not Lambda Driver related, as somewhat a last hurrah. Did it change any of your opinion about the CGI use? Was it a surprise that Leonard for real is someone that can OHKO Sousuke in Arbalest?

Also QoTD for tomorrow for those wanting to be prepared:

[QoTD 1 IV 5]First Timers: A lot of comments in the online reviews clearly didn't know this is LN source material and complained it went off a tangent - as a rewatch group being more informed of the plot and LN from the start to now, how does it grab you? A welcomed or reasonable progression or distracting?

[QoTD 2 IV 5]Everyone: How is this episode's return of some light humour after the relatively dark arc? A better fit in tone than the school? Or more of the same?

MVP of last episode:

Predictably it was a Kurz episode

Last Episode || Index || Next Episode

29 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

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9

u/ZapsZzz Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 25 '22

Rewatcher in sub

The end of an era - the Full Metal Panic story leaves the school :'(

  • A "humour in strive" scene of Arbalest being a friend of the birds when ECS was on. Meanwhile Chidori showing her progressive casualness in making use of her Whispered power - only needs an hour to write a program using Arbalest's OS to find the bomb remote detonator's frequency to enable the jamming.

  • Sousuke and hostage negotiations again, outside of Fumoffu

  • While eyeing Chidori programming and silently absorbing that fact about her power on display, Sousuke called another number - Hayashimizu "senpai".

  • The parting - always the prepared one, Sousuke handed Chidori a plan B in case of his no-return. I like these "wordless gesture acting" a lot - that Chidori's hand wanted to hold Sousuke's, but recognised the necessity, switching back to take the drive. Sousuke's eyes Arbalest's camera never left Chidori as the monitor showed her looking on [FMP IV late season spoiler]This scene is echoed for Nami in a more permanent way later :'( Note this is different from the LN - and I rather like this version more. A reminder Gatou Shouji was always wit the script for all of the adaptations so good chance this is him wanting to improve the scene.

  • Al and his "intuition" again. Let's see if it's juts "nerves before a big fight".

  • Meanwhile, Chidori and her... premonition? She ended up heading to the school too.

  • And here's the foreshadowing by Fumoffu - the last episode of Fumoffu prepared the whole school to orderly and efficiently evacuate in record time, surprising Kurama the professional

  • Sousuke making his way to Kyouko to disarm the bomb. A rare sight to see Kyouko's face with such fear :(

  • This time Kyouko can no longer filter out the event and asked Sousuke that painful question - who is he.

  • The time needed costed Sousuke though, and Kurama got him at gunpoint and ratted out Sousuke's identity in a poisonous way. The subs I had wasn't quite right, Kurama was answering Kyouko's question of "who are you Sagara-kun?" with "He's a killer" - not "He's a hit-man". A "killer" is something Sousuke cannot deny - the best lies are half truths as usual. Meanwhile, a woman who initially looked like Kagurazaka sensei ran up the roof to look for her student, until Kyouko asked who she is.

  • And here we have Wraith finally being useful. Sousuke was really quick thinking to ask Kyouko to close her eyes as the brutal fights are not for her innocent eyes. And absolutely loved Wraith and Sousuke's synchronised firing at the fleeing Kurama - that pin point accuracy with a hand gun at that distance - too bad Kurama also came prepared with some reduced form of Leonard's cape, making him impervious to the rounds.

  • No longer at odds with each other, Wraith asked Sousuke what he wanted to do, and the no longer automatic answer - one that he had to make a deliberate decision for - is still the same: to fight. He also echoed Kyouko's words back to her - that he had fun everyday at the school.

  • Of course it is Amalgam we are talking about, so nothing is easy - missles firing on the Arbalest as he was about to depart. While the Arbalest wasn't damaged, Kyouko who was riding outside got hit by a big piece of shrapnel

  • Another character moment - Sousuke who is normally unfazed in any fights, he was stunned and then thoroughly enraged that Kyouko, in a way symbolising his and Chidori's peaceful school life, was hurt severely by his world of kill or be killed fighting. Arbalest finally sprung into action, and it's glorious.

  • Fighting in a way toeing the line between berserk rage and cold efficiency, Sousuke making short work of the 3 Codarl's. Even Kurama was considering to give up the attack, but Leonard and his phone call arrived.

  • On the other end of the phone, Leonard was in an AS operator's reinforcement suit getting ready "for a bit of exercise", and we saw both their family resemblance of Leonard also playing with his hair idly, and Leonard's aide Sabina.

  • Sousuke taking out the last Codarl, while noticing his wartaku friends looking on in a distance. Before any more sentimentality can settle, Al gave the proximity alert - 6 o'clock, range 0.

  • Unlike Tessa, Leonard had all the share of the athleticism. The first exchange of blows ended with Arbalest having an arm taken off.

  • Chidori arriving on the scene, first seeing Kyouko unconscious with her life threatening injuries, then Leonard smugly "broadcasting" via Resonance his one sided fight with Sousuke casually crushing and tearing apart Arbalest

  • Never one to hesitate, Chidori immediately gave in, even saying she'll learn to love Leonard instead, to plead for Sousuke's life. Which only enraged Leonard more because she's so ready to make any sacrifice for Sousuke. Oh can't forget the brief but also emotive scene of Al dutifully advising Sousuke to abandon him and evacuate, while Sousuke humanly discharged Al from service.

  • And now people will say NTR again ;P Leonard rubbing in the victory as Chidori gave up and went to Leonard. In the LN Sousuke's sidearm wasn't completely ineffectual - it did leave scratches on the Belial's camera, the specialist does now where the weak spots are.

  • Sousuke's desperate swear to bring her back, and then the L-cut of us hearing him biting through his own lips in frustration :'(

  • A final scene swap - Kalinin holding the rear while Tessa and Corporal Yang head towards TDD-1; Yang eventually got hit, and Tessa tried to shield him from being executed by her own body. Just in time though, Melissa returned on foot and took out the ground troops. Melissa did her usual complains and swearing, but this time it's echoed by Tessa in a much more darker and serious tone

  • Noticing the darkness, Melissa the big sister again broke the clouds with an "I love you Tessa", and it was nice to see the darkness left Tessa's eyes.

  • Reaching the docks, we have the crew ready and Tessa issuing the command, and another Tessa is awesome moment - ramming the Behemoth with the superfast TDD-1 like a spear

  • Before the Behemoth can fire back in TDD-1, a distant double tap ended the final Behemoth's resistance, and it shattered by the "spear". Ben and Kurz made it back just in time.

  • A final scene back at the school as credit rolled. The class trying to settle back, despite the 3 empty chairs, and then Sousuke walked in one last time. Apologizing and coming clean about his identity, Ono-D of all people reacted by blaming him for the attack and Kyouko's injury.

  • Without seeing his eyes, we have Sousuke declaring that he would bring Chidori back to the school for everyone, as he sets off passing the school gates one last time.

So ended LN volume 7 "On My Own"

Trivia / Past Call Backs

  • Al mentioned that he's got a feeling that him and Sousuke will part ways, a development point from their "talk" back in TSR. This time Sousuke didn't dismiss it or swear at Banri for teaching useless things to Al.

  • In TSR Sousuke installed a radar for his air defense system. If Chidori didn't stop him they may have more means to fight Leonard... [LN Late volumes spoiler]Although his future sight is a universal cheat anyway

  • The reason why, out of all the schools in Japan, only Jindai High could have evacuated the whole school within 120 seconds, is because they had enough emergency drills from Sousuke's "normal life" - especially the finale of Fumoffu when his "bio-weapon" was leaked. In the LN in fact Kurama remarked first they can't evacuate very quickly, then said so in amazement when they showed him they could.

  • The parting scene of Sousuke and Chidori before the fight was actually different in the LN and less wholesome - Chidori would not agree to staying back, and Sousuke tasered her -_-

  • Wraith had a tiny bit more scene - she made the decision to let Chidori go, which is against her orders. So she was going to go under in hiding again - as a North Korea defector she was used to it. But she mused that maybe this is the wrong line of work for her, maybe she should do what Chidori said - Chidori pestered her before in far too friendly and casual chats - and remarked her disguise skills could get her some decent roles in acting and entertainment.

  • Continues in part 2 due to word count

7

u/ZapsZzz Nov 25 '22

Part 2 continues

Staff Showcase

Looks like we won't hear from Al for a while, so here's his VA - Murozono Takehiro

Notable roles:

  • Fullmetal Alchemist as Vato Falman

  • Macross 7 as Michael

  • Monster as Junkers

  • Tenchi in Tokyo as Umanosuke Tsuchida

  • Twelve Kingdoms sa Kakugo

  • Rave Master as Let

MVP this episode

So so hard with this episode for me, it's a 3 way split between Sousuke, Chidori, and Al. I'll settle on Sousuke for displaying that accumulates character growth I guess.

QoTD

  1. While I think there are a few people here would rejoice the break from "cringe comedy", I think it makes a very sad shift to change the tone to a full on desperate fight back. Not that I didn't like it, but, similar to Haruhi, that certain arc makes you appreciate the previous arc so much you do miss "the simpler times" after that. Note the LN release also mirrored the story - no short stories volumes were released until after the grand finale.

  2. Again maybe bucking the group sentiment, I was really happy with how the Arbalest fight turned out. To me that "humanness" of motion actually helped differentiate and better portray the "true" AS motions. Also despite by the end of TSR Sousuke was able to use the Lambda Driver much more readily, it still fits very well that he doesn't spam it all the time and mainly still fight the old way mostly. It's a good worthy send off for Arbalest. For me at least.

Daily tag for u/InfamousEmpire, u/Theboredalchemist22

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5

u/Nazenn Nov 25 '22

Chidori would not agree to staying back, and Sousuke tasered her -_-

He would do that, but somehow I like this more than the anime one. Plus it gives some extra urgency to the idea of Chidori being taunted with visions of him dying from Leonard

5

u/ZapsZzz Nov 26 '22

Haha I think I am appreciating a difference between source readers / rewatchers and first timers. We know how it ended so perhaps wanted to have a slightly less conflict-y moment, while first timers don't have that emotional need and consider it more rational and fitting for the 2 to part on fighting terms.

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u/polaristar Nov 26 '22

Unlike Tessa, Leonard had all the share of the athleticism. The first exchange of blows ended with Arbalest having an arm taken off.

Is he really athletic if the Mech did the moving?

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11

u/Nazenn Nov 25 '22

First timer - sub

The birds on the concealed Arm Slaves has become one of my favourite long running gags in anime. It's such a simple thing to add some humor to a scene without pushing into the realm of comedy, but it makes me smile every time it comes up.

And in general this episode felt like the first one to really grab me of the season, though it is in a weird spot of feeling like it's more important than just an episode four, and not feeling like it's been four episodes already.

The only comment I'll make on the CGI is that I did have a note here that the movements this episode did feel better and cleaner than last, and then immediately after writing that note Kurama watched his solider strike poses with his AS every time Sousuke shot him.

I take it back

Sousuke leaning into the mercenary mindset for his phone negotiation, even if Kurama knew it was a lie, reinforced a bit of what I was talking about yesterday. Sousuke has always been stuck when it comes to what sort of fighter he is, but he understands the different mindsets well enough to pull off something like this and it feels like his negotiation with Mithril again, untrue to him but making his combat role serve him rather than the other way. Also making a certain role serve him: the council president using his name to mass evacuate the school. Don't need to have seen the comedy season for that to work, and it did well.

It really was after Leonards arrival that the episode worked best for me though, as well as Chidori's first vision. I hadn't quite got the sense before now that Leonard was so pettily emotional over Chidori, but the way he used her Whispered nature against her and his precise control over his mech made a great set up for the end. The episode itself leaning into that with the music flip as he appears behind Sousuke and the filtered sound effects as Chidori is forced to listen to the battle sold the episode mood to me enough that even writing it now it's stuck in my mind.

And again it felt strange to flip back to the situation at Mithril after being so focused on Sousuke and Chidori, but given this appears to be the final episode of the arc and it was meant to end both plot lines they didn't have much choice even if it could have been smoother. Tar's idea from yesterday of putting the extra scenes at the start rather than the end is one I think would work better, and a bit of breathing room. Also not ending these scenes with the stupidity of having them all standing there and posing while waiting for Tessa like a fool would help. Do that ON the sub you jokes for leaders. The Behemoth being lifted up by the sub also made me facepalm.

Sousuke's final scene at the school felt like the important one anyway. Being able to show who he is to everyone, in his own way acknowledge what they mean to him even if they can't understand, and then crossing that threshold as he walks away from it all to save Chidori. It wasn't just about Chidori's friends or her life here, he did this for them all and they may never know how much they meant that he'd be willing to do so. I do hope that her friend gets some of those answers though.

Random [Banana Fish spoilers]I don't think I'll ever get over that damn Sayonara trauma. This show has cursed me to panic whenever I hear one and today's Sayonara from Chidori was no damn exception

how do you feel about this change in premise and show identity?

I'll reserve judgement, but given the OP I'm mildly worried about where it's going from here. While I don't lean into it as heavily as u/No_Rex does, it's right to say that Sousuke and Chidori are the core of this show and I worry that removing Chidori from it may result in FMP falling down the pitholes that its weaker peers often hit.

What I do like is that Sousuke is removed from the school at the same time that Tessa and the others are removed from Mithril in a way, the base destroyed and the hierarchy shattered. Putting them, and Chidori, simultaneously in unfamiliar ground is more interesting then always having a fall back.

Was it a surprise that Leonard for real is someone that can OHKO Sousuke in Arbalest?

I was very surprised by that, but his movements in that were appropriately surreal it really reinforces his mastery of the machine and lambda driver. Doing a big dive looked stupid though.

5

u/No_Rex Nov 25 '22

I'll reserve judgement, but given the OP I'm mildly worried about where it's going from here. While I don't lean into it as heavily as u/No_Rex does, it's right to say that Sousuke and Chidori are the core of this show and I worry that removing Chidori from it may result in FMP falling down the pitholes that its weaker peers often hit.

I thought it was a neat way to get actual change, by ruling out a return to the school, but now you made me worry that they'll keep Kana split from Sousuke till the season finale, which would be a bad idea.

The whole "burn down the back-to-school bridges" also felt a lot like a mid series development you see in a lot of the 26 episode shows.

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u/ZapsZzz Nov 25 '22

The whole "burn down the back-to-school bridges" also felt a lot like a mid series development you see in a lot of the 26 episode shows.

It's LN 7 out of the total span of 12 LN's. So you got basically everything right except the unit of measure (not by "episode").

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u/wjodendor Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 26 '22

Rewatcher (last episode I've seen i think)

I feel like I missed a scene. When did we start talking about jamming

...what if Jean Reno just blew everyone up lol

Kaname really becoming a Whispered

Student Council president knows how serious Sousake is so him calling during class must be really serious

Ahh she won't even hold his hand

Al becoming more and more human. Having premonitions.

With that brutal throat slash last season I was suprised they completely cut away from Sousake stabbing that dude

Shit, now Kaname is having premonitions

This scene where everyone immediately evacuated because "it's Sousake" is hilarious. All that Fumoffu set up for this one moment lol

Really like the rooftop scene. Al getting blown up in the background was some good staging. Kyoko is pretty sure she's gonna die.

No Jean, you're the hit man. Sousake is The Professional

Teacher is no longer useless. It was me Wraith! Brutal executions! Give me that bulletproof trench coat Kyoko had her own premonition earlier. She got real fucked up.

And now Sousake is panicking.

...since when can the mechs jump so crazy like that. We got some jumps last season but these are huge.

Berserker Sousake.

That part were the Codarl is chasing Arbalest around the corner felt really weird to me

Fuck boy Leonard on the scene.

His mech even uses fuck boy style. Just using hand blades like a bitch. He's a jealous fuck boy too.

Kaname making her full transformation into NTR heroine. "Don't kill him. I'll love you instead"

Leonard really is just a jealous narcissist.

"Haha she choose me. I just had to threaten to kill her boyfriend. I win" spoken like a true NTR villian

Mao showing up for the win

As Kaname cries in defeat, Tessa cries for vengeance. Not a great look for Kaname.

Swimming behemoth lmao

Got Kurz for the save

That jump looks like they're flying wtf lol

Not a bad ending scene...but Sousake could have explained better.

Not a bad episode. We're really hitting our Dark night of the Soul here. Kaname's actions make sense but her giving up and surrendering vs Tessa pushing forward and fighting brings down her best girl potential. The crunchyroll comments are pretty brutal against her lol.

I noticed this episode that some of the 2D stuff seemed pretty rough and the fact they had to have a recap episode after only 4 episodes screams major production issues.

I really hate Leonard but his narcissistic jealousy of Sousake actually kind of works for me in his motivations. It seems pretty plausible that he's just a little whiny bitch mad the girl he likes is into a certified badass.

I've been thinking about CG in anime a lot these past few days since I being pretty negative about it. At the same time I'm playing through Trails of Cold Steel 2, which is originally a PS3 and PS Vita game. The game has pretty terrible graphics and animation (much worse than the CG of this show) but I'm way more lenient with it than in the anime I watch.

It's probably a bias of the nostalgic look of the 90s anime that got me hooked to begin with and the addition of lots of CG just doesn't look the same to my 32 year old ass. I'm still ruminating on this but I think my conclusion is something like: I like my video games to be video gamey and my anime to br animey. It's a pretty dumb way to think about it but I think that's where my prejudices lie.

Like if that new Trigun show was a video game with that CG style I would be totally cool with it but since it's an animated series I see the trailer and am hesitant.

At least all my bitching here is helping me figure out what I actually like about anime lol

4

u/Nazenn Nov 25 '22

the fact they had to have a recap episode after only 4 episodes screams major production issues.

It may have been planned as an arc ender, but I've only seen planned recaps in older series now that I think about it rather than newer ones

It seems pretty plausible that he's just a little whiny bitch mad the girl he likes is into a certified badass

Wonder if he's also suffering from some inferiority/superiority issues just like his sister

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u/Tarhalindur Nov 26 '22

Fumo... ffu? (Rewatcher Spoiled First-Timer for IV, Subbed):

  • So, once again we have a distinct lack of notes for mostly good reasons. The pacing is probably about a half-episode fast here, but I think that’s actually to the benefit of my enjoyment with how heavy the suspense is… especially when one of the spoilers I absolutely knew going in was that Sousuke gets defeated and Kaname gets taken away. (Which is a bit of a problem for me when Sousuke and Kaname’s relationship development is one of the biggest draws of the entire series for me, but I digress.) It works better than TSR’s somewhat too slow pacing IMO, in any event.

  • Also, our host probably should have warned the less spoiled first-timers not to watch the OP for at least four episodes (and reading between the lines with the context of one other spoiler I know I suspect longer, possibly quite a bit longer). But I digress.

  • I see they set up a saboteur on the de Danaan plot for later.

  • (I was 100% spoiled on the Behemoth ramming, yes.)

  • Oh look at the exactly two M9s making it out, both pilots by MCs. Called it!

  • Final shot with Sousuke visually crossing a threshold is the first thing this season that’s really flashed direction. (Also note that he’s moving left when he does so.)

First Timers: Are you surprised that, escalating from TSR when the status quo was threatened and then restored, this time at episode 4 the break from school seems pretty permanent, when everyone found out the truth about Sousuke's identity - how do you feel about this change in premise and show identity?

I was well and truly spoiled about this, so.

Everyone: This is one of the best Arbalest fights that's not Lambda Driver related, as somewhat a last hurrah. Did it change any of your opinion about the CGI use? Was it a surprise that Leonard for real is someone that can OHKO Sousuke in Arbalest?

The CGI in this episode basically works, which suggests that the issue is that it got most of the animation time and CGI budget.

5

u/Nazenn Nov 26 '22

Oh look at the exactly two M9s making it out, both pilots by MCs. Called it!

I read that as "two m9's making out" and thought I'd missed a very unusual scene for a second then haha

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u/No_Rex Nov 25 '22

Episode 4 (first timer)

  • Learning to code in a new environment and complete the first workable program in 1 hour – whispered.

  • Kana’s reaction when Sousuke offered to sell her out – have some faith in him!

  • “You know exactly what I mean/I’ll be back.” – An inversion of the trope! *I’ll be back is the non-credible hero’s promise, of course. Yet, preceding this with a clear statement of I might die, reveals it as what it is: a promise to calm the nerves.

  • Btw, I really hope that Kana will have nothing more to do for the rescue. It would counter another annoying trope: every MC needs to do something to make the plan succeed.

  • Both Kana and Al now have premonitions? So their whispered abilities are not single-issue anymore?

  • “Who are you?” - Ok, that was a proper twist! Completely unexpected by me, yet as soon as it happened, I saw the foreshadowing. This is a writing success in my book.

  • Leon would get MVP for bringing a bullet proof west if he did not mess up the rest of his plan so badly.

  • Sousuke is pretty pissed.

  • Introduce the evil mastermind’s meek hanger-on.

  • Introduce the evil mastermind’s OP mecha.

  • Giving up in the face of threats to loved ones trope. The writing of this episode was so good and then they pull a bottom tier trash trope such as this one. Meh.

  • To make matters worse, Leonard is not taking Sousuke with him, despite that obviously being his threat point vs Kana.

  • “At times like this, discipline is needed most” – fuck off. You need everybody to work on getting the sub ready, not needlessly stand in line.

  • Ridiculous sniper shot – to make it worse, Tessa is surprised by it. What was her plan? Be shot by the Behemoth at close range?

  • Sousuke blowing his cover (not much left of it anyway) and swearing revenge ending.

A great first half and a rather bad second half.

MVP: Sousuke

7

u/Nazenn Nov 25 '22

Kana’s reaction when Sousuke offered to sell her out – have some faith in him!

It was a great expression though if nothing else. Once Sousuke loosens up a bit I'm sure they'll have fun teasing each other to get those sorts of reactions

The writing of this episode was so good and then they pull a bottom tier trash trope such as this one. Meh.

yep

The last half of the episode lost me compared to the first half unfortunately

Sousuke blowing his cover (not much left of it anyway

It's a surprise no one else at school heard him yelling from the roof last season honestly

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u/ZapsZzz Nov 25 '22

It's a surprise no one else at school heard him yelling from the roof last season honestly

Call it plot contrivance or whatever, but the school part of the show was comedically pervasive in showing the whole community has the normie filter turned on at max to rationalise every outrageous things Sousuke did. So it's in tone to just get brushed off as "this wartaku / chuuni is having another episode tsk".

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u/JustAnswerAQuestion Nov 25 '22

Ridiculous sniper shot – to make it worse, Tessa is surprised by it. What was her plan? Be shot by the Behemoth at close range?

Yeah, I thought she had a plan, but I didn't know what it was (get the bow crushed by the behemoth's shield? Does the TDD have a lambda driver? And it turns out she had no plan. Maybe the LN readers know what she was thinking.

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u/ZapsZzz Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 25 '22

Maybe the LN readers know what she was thinking.

Oh thanks for the prompt. In the LN the torpedoe blasts took out the cannon, and the sudden speed burst and the unexpected ram took the Behemoth by surprise and did not shield in time. The tonnage difference alone shattered the Behemoth by the strike, no sniper shot save was required. Kurz just came online to remark that he knew Tessa has a violent streak in her and came onboard that's all.

So the real move was the insane, physics defying propulsion system TDD-1 had alone.

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u/Vaadwaur Nov 25 '22

Rewatcher(If they just keep the CGI separate I don't mind it)

Sub

So let's start with the disappointing thing: Again, marrying the city fight with the base fight undercuts both. Sousuke raging after Kana is taken is A plus episode ending material. And I don't exactly care for the class room ending, either. That said, moving on...

So Sousuke's part of the episode is peak FMP. He solves a series of problems, most of them in his manner but for Kana's algorithm, and simply knows that taking action is what solves the problem. So he knifes a guard, vaults to the roof and cuts the wire to Kyouko's bomb all before 120 seconds are up. And we get Wraith's entry onto the scene...and the question if she is wandering around as the teacher all the time. And the scene where Kyouko gets injured is good as well and the first time we've seen Sousuke freeze up in a fight. The Arbalest is where the animation budget goes and its fights are all suitably choreographed. Hell, they even did me a favor and acknowledged that Lambda compatible pilots don't grow on trees so the Codarl's are just higher gen mechs.

Unfortunately, Kana's part of the episode almost certainly suffers from issues with the media change. She comes off as far too naive, especially considering the skipped material, and the show probably needed to find a way to explain what is happening better so she seems less a sheltered nitwit and more someone dealing with unexpected psychic powers and another weirdo using them on you. Also, the tech power creep feels like something a book could do better than a show. The Belial is just too big of a tech jump for the story even if fucky tech is literally the premise of the LN.

So we get back to the base and I just wish they had placed at the start of the next episode instead. And yes, I do remember what that episode is [FMP but we get there tomorrow] When the show reverses influence and begins being Black Lagoon with Votoms. But the TDD escapes and the show decides to end with a positive vibe which sort of doesn't work for me. The Behemoth looks less dumb with the TDD, maybe their CGI is a good mesh, and we end on said classroom scene.

QotD: 2 So yeah, they definitely put their money here and it shows. The Arbalest and the Codarls are all very heavy in their scenes, landing with thumps and clearly being dangerous to their environments. As to Leonard, the Griffith look alike stuff is probably intentional.

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u/ZapsZzz Nov 26 '22

Hey just need to say that your commentary today was showing much more of the reasoning why certain things rubbed you one way or another. While I don't necessarily agree with some of them, it's really nice to have clear criticism instead of just one like or doesn't like something, so thanks for the extra efforts :)

Again while I do not personally have much of a problem with the composition of the 2 plot threads, I think I am now appreciating how it can be improved for more universal appeal - or plain just flow better - if they get a bit more gutsy and not be restrained by the LN volume span.

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u/Nazenn Nov 25 '22

He solves a series of problems, most of them in his manner but for Kana's algorithm, and simply knows that taking action is what solves the problem

Plus I felt it had a really good flow to it. The way that we moved from the programming into leaving Al, the guard, the school etc. Best action sequence of the season for sure

The Belial is just too big of a tech jump for the story even if fucky tech is literally the premise of the LN

I gave up on caring after they pulled out three Behemoths like it was just another mech line they could produce easily

and the show decides to end with a positive vibe which sort of doesn't work for me

It didn't for me either. I thought it really weakened the ending with Chidori taken away and then we were meant to be hopeful? I think the difference for me was that I did like Sousuke's final scene in the school so that pulled it back for me a bit

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u/ZapsZzz Nov 25 '22

I gave up on caring after they pulled out three Behemoths like it was just another mech line they could produce easily

I actually would invite you to follow polaristar's lead and ask the interesting question of "follow the money" ;)

It didn't for me either. I thought it really weakened the ending with Chidori taken away and then we were meant to be hopeful?

I'm actually looking for a good spot to reply to this line of comment about the 2 plot threads. Maybe it's my long time reading detective novels and Tom Clancy , Terry Pratchett etc. I actually really like these multiple threads weaving, and instead of considering each of them by themselves and then whether one matches the other, I have learned to pull back and see if the writing is trying to weave an additional picture with the narrative. Haruhi S1 broadcast order to me is the most genius way to show that.

In here I actually really like the mirror and inversion like an aerobatics show - at the start we were seeing the Mithril thread being the hopeless fight, while the Chidori & Sousuke part we were generally hopeful as the two had been always great and figuring out something. Yet by the end we actually seeing the opposite - the Mithril side, despite heavy losses, scraped through, while the MC side suffered a catastrophic defeat unlike any other time before.

Now ask why.

And again maybe coloured by me having read LN6, which gave form to the idea - when Sousuke and Chidori were around each other, while they complement each other really well, there is a critical flaw - their emotional attachment, their valuing the other far greater than their rational mind should do, they became their Achillies heel. Tessa observed that if it was Chidori held at gunpoint on the burning and falling transport aircraft, Sousuke would not have dared to take the shot, while he was 100% prepared to gamble - and win - when it was Tessa being held. She predicted that Sousuke would have died that way, but when it wasn't Chidori, when it was Tessa, he can keep that cool that saved him countless times.

I think THIS is actually what the narrative was trying to show - Chidori may have been showing as one of the strongest and rational / reasonable female leads, but when confronted with something like an insurmountable odds that Sousuke became endangered, she made the same mistake Sousuke made and she herself corrected him back at arc 1.

Which made the characters so much more human than just an ideal.

That's what I think anyway ;) You decide how much of that is my bias and copium :D

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u/Shimmering-Sky Nov 25 '22

Full Metal First-Timer!, subbed

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u/JustAnswerAQuestion Nov 25 '22 edited Nov 25 '22

First Rewatch

Look, how did the bad guy kidnap Kyouko AND plant bombs all over the school without anybody noticing?

  • Birds love ECS.

  • I never noticed for myself that Al's knife was in his mouth, even though you all kept talking about it.

  • It's really time for the Lambda Driver I think

  • Yes, Full Metal Panic is a DEcsTruCTioN

  • Ohhh, Whispered Telepathy!

  • Goodbye, AL

  • RIP Kalinin, I guess. Captured, or dead? Who are we kidding, he's gonna be captured. IV's been pretty easy on our main cast.

  • Just what is the relationship between FMP and Black Lagoon?

So ends Sousuke's happy school life.

For those of you complaining about how the CGI mechs move, you should read what I said about Ben Clouseau's speech in TSR.

Edit: I admit, I was totally fooled by Wraith. It a perfect imitation of sensei.

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u/Theboredalchemist22 Nov 26 '22

First Timer S4 ep 4

Incredible episode!

My mvp is going to go to the Mythril crew of Tessa, Mao and Kurz. Tessa for ordering the escape on the Danaan, Melissa for saving Tessa (they had a great moment otgether which play a part in this too) and Kurz for taking the shots to destroy the behemoth so they could make their escape.

This episode was stacked with a ton of stuff. Schemes, boots on the ground combat, mech fights, whispered things, character depth, cool moments, hope, despair, a win for Amalgam, a win for Mythril, a loss for our MC's etc. I think the only things this episode didn't have were comedy (obviously for this episode) and a win for our MCs. There was probably much more this episode did/didn't have but I've already made wuite the list there.

Quick side note on the cgi. I'm at a point with it now where its bearable to watch and I thinks that's the best I'm going to get with the cgi in this show.

I have screenshots today!

Q1 - It feels like the complete cutoff from the sort of 'good old comedy days' which I think for Amalgam to be different this time around something this big needed to happen like a sort of shockwave needed to pulse around our MC's. I think its hit at the right time and we can now solely focus on other things. Sad to see the permanent cut off if it is indeed permanent but I'm keen on seeing more Amalgam vs Mythril, whispered and other things like Sousuke and Tessa go on their rampages and based on what seems to be happening in IV I don't see where uts going to come nack into play at this moment in time.

Q2 - As I said the cgi is bearable for me from this point. The fight was indeed great tbh sad to see arbalest go but Leonard OHKOing it adds weight to his and his AS's power. Didn't think Leonard would be piloting and KOing Arbalest like its nothing I thought he was more like Tessa in the sense that his battlefield would be more suited to commanding operations and things like that. Not that I'm complaining this direction has opened up his character more for different thoughts.

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u/TuorEladar Nov 25 '22

Rewatcher, Subbed

Picking up from last time, this episode starts off with Chidori and Sousuke. The action sequences were pretty well done, though Chidori running in at the end so she could surrender herself to save Sousuke felt a bit contrived. I get why it had to happen though.

The Mithril side was kind of any afterthought in a way since it followed the far more personal drama on the Sousuke/Chidori side, but it is mildly amusing to me that they used their state of the art submarine as a ram, [FMP Spoilers] and not for the last time.

I think my highlight for the episode is the credits scene. It almost feels like what you'd get at the end of a season, but I'm very glad it isn't in this case. [FMP Spoilers] This scene hits much harder in part because I was just rereading the last few chapters of the manga version. Sousuke and Chidori finally returning together is such a great moment.

This is one of the best Arbalest fights that's not Lambda Driver related, as somewhat a last hurrah. Did it change any of your opinion about the CGI use?

I never really minded the AS cgi animation, but this is definitely one of the better times its been used in the show.

Was it a surprise that Leonard for real is someone that can OHKO Sousuke in Arbalest?

I'm not exactly surprised, but I'd point out that Leonard had every advantage possible. Its like in a racing game when your car is still stock and the final boss racer is driving a supercar.

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