Post by stokerino on Jul 25, 2005 1:35:19 GMT
And so the third installment of the increasingly awesome Full Metal Panic! franchise launches itself with hopes and aspirations of the highest order. Can it regain the perfect balance of high school hilarity and military drama after the exquisite tangeant that was was Fumoffu? Can it avoid becoming a rehash of the original series to go above and beyond the legacy of its predecessors? Is there seriously any way it can live up to a hyping paragraph as long as this?
Oho, I think it can.
Episode 1: End of the Days
We begin the series with a 'reminder' episode - for those of us who have either forgotten much of its first incarnation or are approaching the series as anew, here is a healthy dose of "we are Mithril and this is what we do". The majority of the episode is spent with Sousuke, Melissa and Kurz on a mission to save refugees from a typical despot ruler who would prefer to kill them all as anti-government sympathisers. Other familiar 'Mithril' faces such as Tessa, Mardukas or Kalinin are also brought in during the episode.
After having completed the mission (barely), Sousuke is left with nothing else to do but...try in vain to complete his Japanese History homework for school the next day. This brings us to Kaname, and a nice little nod to a particular episode of Fumoffu:
Kaname: "Sousuke! Give me back my notes!"
Sousuke: "..."
Kaname: "What?"
Sousuke: "I'm sorry, Chidori. I forgot."
Kaname: "Forgot!? AGAIN!? Then let's go get it. It's in your apartment right!?"
Sousuke: "It'll be impossible."
Kaname: "Why!?"
Sousuke: "I forgot it in a submarine 2000km away...*THWACK* - ow!"
We end the episode with a note that proves that the whole debacle was not meaningless filler - the guys they were fighting earlier on had some super-advanced AA missile that must have been supplied to them by some independent group...but who? (dun dun duuun)
Right from the beginning of the episode, it is apparent that they've had a serious budget increase for this series. Not to say that they were ever limited for cash before, but the difference is at times stunning. The use of computer graphics is a lot sleeker, and the entire style is very, very pretty. You compare the First Series and Fumoffu, you can see a distinct difference between the clear cut nature of the former to the simplified cartoonish design of the latter. FMP:TSR adds in a lot of lighting effects and has slightly toned down the stark character designs to give it a slightly more realistic touch...until they're in high school, because then it's time for comedy.
The soundtrack is good as always. I didn't notice another rendition of it's "The A-Team" ripoff track, though there were some familiar tunes for the comedy sequences that brought a smirk to my face. The opening and ending sequences are acceptable, but nothing special. They were never a strong point for FMP, so we shall quickly move on.
Episode 2: What Lies Beneath the Water's Surface
While the first episode was very good, it did admittedly lack somewhat in terms of compelling substance. Episode 2 shows us just how capable they are at combining the fast-paced silliness of Fumoffu with the serious aspects of the series. I will not go into so much detail as to the plot of the episode - but trust me. You WILL laugh.
The one scene in this episode that disturbed me was that involving the introduction of these two girl assassins (who I am informed to be named Xia Yu Lan and Xia Yu Feng). Make that twin girl assassins. Make that twin girl assassins who happen to be naked and worryingly affectionate towards one another.
Anyone care to pick one of the various reasons why I thought of Stuart when this scene came up?
Don't worry, they're not naked besides this first scene (and you probably thought they actually went out and killed people without clothes on...hah). So yes, with that part out of the way the rest of the episode is bloody excellent. We also meet a seemingly crazy guy called Gates (with a receding hairline and blonde hair), whose voice mannerisms remind me very much of something I've heard out of Samurai Champloo somewhere. There's no VA link, so apparently they just have similar ways of slurring their speech.
And so to round things off, as I often do when critiquing a new series, I shall leave you with some screenshots and the message to WATCH IT! Watch it now! If you're one of the poor unfortunate sods who haven't seen any of the rest of FMP, watch it anyway! Then get the first two series! I have both of them on CD-R you know... >_>
Melissa's back...
...And so is Kurz (as if he could ever talk about anything relevant in a mission).
Sousuke kicking arse in 'Arbalest'.
The Lambda Driver's in full working order as well.
Sousuke sure does have his problems. >_>
The old gang all together.
"Do you want me to help you with your homework?"... Tessa really does just scream 'ulterior motive' when she talks to Sousuke, doesn't she?
Dooom. Impending dooom.
Doooooom!
Ah, Kalinin. He always knows the score.
DOOM.
Oh God, what's he got now?
Pure, classic FMP.
That evil 'Gates' dude. More than a little unbalanced.
The twins (I made sure to choose a shot where they were clothed). What are they capable of, you ask?
Gore. Good old-fashioned gore.
*Holds head in hands*
Chairshot!
Put the knife down...please?
Ah well. I guess that works.
Huzzah for FMP, huzzah.
Oho, I think it can.
Episode 1: End of the Days
We begin the series with a 'reminder' episode - for those of us who have either forgotten much of its first incarnation or are approaching the series as anew, here is a healthy dose of "we are Mithril and this is what we do". The majority of the episode is spent with Sousuke, Melissa and Kurz on a mission to save refugees from a typical despot ruler who would prefer to kill them all as anti-government sympathisers. Other familiar 'Mithril' faces such as Tessa, Mardukas or Kalinin are also brought in during the episode.
After having completed the mission (barely), Sousuke is left with nothing else to do but...try in vain to complete his Japanese History homework for school the next day. This brings us to Kaname, and a nice little nod to a particular episode of Fumoffu:
Kaname: "Sousuke! Give me back my notes!"
Sousuke: "..."
Kaname: "What?"
Sousuke: "I'm sorry, Chidori. I forgot."
Kaname: "Forgot!? AGAIN!? Then let's go get it. It's in your apartment right!?"
Sousuke: "It'll be impossible."
Kaname: "Why!?"
Sousuke: "I forgot it in a submarine 2000km away...*THWACK* - ow!"
We end the episode with a note that proves that the whole debacle was not meaningless filler - the guys they were fighting earlier on had some super-advanced AA missile that must have been supplied to them by some independent group...but who? (dun dun duuun)
Right from the beginning of the episode, it is apparent that they've had a serious budget increase for this series. Not to say that they were ever limited for cash before, but the difference is at times stunning. The use of computer graphics is a lot sleeker, and the entire style is very, very pretty. You compare the First Series and Fumoffu, you can see a distinct difference between the clear cut nature of the former to the simplified cartoonish design of the latter. FMP:TSR adds in a lot of lighting effects and has slightly toned down the stark character designs to give it a slightly more realistic touch...until they're in high school, because then it's time for comedy.
The soundtrack is good as always. I didn't notice another rendition of it's "The A-Team" ripoff track, though there were some familiar tunes for the comedy sequences that brought a smirk to my face. The opening and ending sequences are acceptable, but nothing special. They were never a strong point for FMP, so we shall quickly move on.
Episode 2: What Lies Beneath the Water's Surface
While the first episode was very good, it did admittedly lack somewhat in terms of compelling substance. Episode 2 shows us just how capable they are at combining the fast-paced silliness of Fumoffu with the serious aspects of the series. I will not go into so much detail as to the plot of the episode - but trust me. You WILL laugh.
The one scene in this episode that disturbed me was that involving the introduction of these two girl assassins (who I am informed to be named Xia Yu Lan and Xia Yu Feng). Make that twin girl assassins. Make that twin girl assassins who happen to be naked and worryingly affectionate towards one another.
Anyone care to pick one of the various reasons why I thought of Stuart when this scene came up?
Don't worry, they're not naked besides this first scene (and you probably thought they actually went out and killed people without clothes on...hah). So yes, with that part out of the way the rest of the episode is bloody excellent. We also meet a seemingly crazy guy called Gates (with a receding hairline and blonde hair), whose voice mannerisms remind me very much of something I've heard out of Samurai Champloo somewhere. There's no VA link, so apparently they just have similar ways of slurring their speech.
And so to round things off, as I often do when critiquing a new series, I shall leave you with some screenshots and the message to WATCH IT! Watch it now! If you're one of the poor unfortunate sods who haven't seen any of the rest of FMP, watch it anyway! Then get the first two series! I have both of them on CD-R you know... >_>
Melissa's back...
...And so is Kurz (as if he could ever talk about anything relevant in a mission).
Sousuke kicking arse in 'Arbalest'.
The Lambda Driver's in full working order as well.
Sousuke sure does have his problems. >_>
The old gang all together.
"Do you want me to help you with your homework?"... Tessa really does just scream 'ulterior motive' when she talks to Sousuke, doesn't she?
Dooom. Impending dooom.
Doooooom!
Ah, Kalinin. He always knows the score.
DOOM.
Oh God, what's he got now?
Pure, classic FMP.
That evil 'Gates' dude. More than a little unbalanced.
The twins (I made sure to choose a shot where they were clothed). What are they capable of, you ask?
Gore. Good old-fashioned gore.
*Holds head in hands*
Chairshot!
Put the knife down...please?
Ah well. I guess that works.
Huzzah for FMP, huzzah.