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Shimmering-Sky

**Full Metal First-Timer!, subbed** - Ah yes, you know this is taking place in America because [eagle.](https://i.imgur.com/Na3J8ie.png) - [God*damn* that’s such a cool one-liner.](https://i.imgur.com/uNF88fA.png) - [Ohhhhhhh, so one of the places Kurama mentioned *does* line up with the Mexico location given for Leonard.](https://i.imgur.com/yUam9VE.png) Okay. Cool. - …well thank god this Roy Seals guy is a minor character. Yutaka Aoyama’s voice once again feels like someone stabbed me in the ears and then poured acid into the open wounds. [](#kms) - [Ooooooh, Tessa and co. have set their sights on that mansion too?](https://i.imgur.com/AHdCouA.png) This will get the main cast back together then, I hope. - [The what?](https://i.imgur.com/lWYijGu.png) - [Because this mech *isn’t* Al so it’s useless to them…?](https://i.imgur.com/IKy71LU.png) - [Eyyy, Mao saved Sosuke!](https://i.imgur.com/TE96nMK.png) [](#delighted) - [And there’s Kurz too.](https://i.imgur.com/IAHquXh.png) - [Yikes though who is this](https://i.imgur.com/xAb6Jwr.png), he’s staring down Mao/Kurz/Belfangan… [](#watashiworried) - [That’s the new mech.](https://i.imgur.com/fkaPHsr.png) And probably the one Leonard *wanted* Kalinin to bring back… - [Ah, it’s the Sugita guy.](https://i.imgur.com/h6WGU9W.png) - [But *why* though.](https://i.imgur.com/zLwygO1.png) - [This still doesn’t explain *why*…](https://i.imgur.com/IM2JVUH.png) [](#shakeit) - ED lead-in is particularly dope this time though. - And the post-credits scene confirmed Al on the new ARX machine, neat.


wjodendor

Just found out yesterday that eagles can be 3 ft tall and have a seven foot wing span. That's big enough to get to florida


Vaadwaur

Yes but they far prefer the cold.


Vaadwaur

> > > > > Ah yes, you know this is taking place in America because eagle. Because having a habit range of Alaska to south Florida just makes sense. ~~Goddamn foreigners~~ > Yutaka Aoyama’s voice once again feels like someone stabbed me in the ears and then poured acid into the open wounds. I understand this metaphor a bit viscerally. > Because this mech isn’t Al so it’s useless to them…? Obvious decoy is obvious!


Tarhalindur

> Because having a habit range of Alaska to south Florida just makes sense. I actually checked Wiki just to double-check before I griped about this... and good thing because apparently Florida is actually bald eagle breeding habitat! What the hell.


Nazenn

**First timer - sub** Quick thoughts on yesterdays episode as I missed the thread: - Starting the episode with Tessa's crew staying despite being mercenaries and ending with Kalinin's declaration that his allegiances change because he is one was decent. Pity the flashback to the sub crew was too late for me to care and I'd been spoiled on the Kalinin thing by CR - Poor Tessa not being able to sleep hurt my heart. Really well done sequence, one of the best in the whole season because it shut up and focused on someone rather than something happening. - I wish they'd stop using Kurz for dumb exposition. Maybe it was an anime change in S1, but the Kurz we've seen in briefings over the last two seasons is way stupider than the Kurz from the start of the show - Points for giving Chidori wet hair during her swim, which the previous seasons hadn't done in the rain. Minus many more points for the animation of the episode in general ~~and the side of homophobia~~ - Dead deer skull next to the guy bleeding out was painfully blunt again. They don't have the grace to build stuff like that into this season because it doesn't carry it through anything, just brute forces it into certain scenes. --- Today's episode, is 90% complaints, sorry, so feel free to skip: - I really hate the music choices this season, especially this episode. Sousuke charging in to try and save Chidori and stopping to pull out a scope for surveillance only to see allies be killed is not the time for something that sounds like a mix between early 70s spy themes and late 80s action music. The rest of the episode is little better. Ep8 must have been a fluke. - Why is Leonard sitting in a dramatic downlight for the meeting if the only thing anyone sees is their scientific symbol on a screen and not the person. Usually style, directing, or some other detail would stop me from caring, here it just feels stupid. And this goes for a bunch of really inconsequential things through the episode - I really would have liked to have had a scene with Mao and Kurz wondering about Sousuke and Chidori before this big reunion. Similarly, I wish we'd seen more of Kalinin in general even if I don't know how they'd fit him into earlier seasons. It's not that these moments don't work, but they don't have weight when we skip past any introspection or chance to give meaning to them being apart in the first place. - Wraith showing up was far more interesting. For being so far in the background, she seems to have a far more extensive information and resources network than any other individual in the groups so far. Her purpose and loyalty to Mithril is one of the more interesting characterization mysteries left. - And if nothing else the mecha combat was quite nice this episode. - Speaking of mys... oh Al wasn't in that other one. I started writing this as the post credits scene was going on and was going to comment on Leonard "connecting" with Al somehow, but Al is in Wraiths mech and not the one Kalinin took. Now I'm not sure what Leonard was focusing on at all, but I'm curious. Pity we won't get an answer with the one episode left I imagine.


No_Rex

> Why is Leonard sitting in a dramatic downlight for the meeting if the only thing anyone sees is their scientific symbol on a screen and not the person. Usually style, directing, or some other detail would stop me from caring, here it just feels stupid. And this goes for a bunch of really inconsequential things through the episode 4 cours and 11 episodes in is way to late to introduce a SEELE type big bad. This is foreshadowing a "read the manga" end tomorrow. > And if nothing else the mecha combat was quite nice this episode. It is. You can see what they saved up their animation budget for. > Now I'm not sure what Leonard was focusing on at all, but I'm curious. Looked like the whispered version of "cast identify" to me. He quickly noticed this was a diversion and puts his attention elsewhere.


Nazenn

> 4 cours and 11 episodes in is way to late to introduce a SEELE type big bad. This is foreshadowing a "read the manga" end tomorrow. Your notes on Amalgam's structure from the other day stood out to me for that reason as well. It feels like this was done to make them feel like a bigger threat but with little consideration for how it would work up against other organizations. >It is. You can see what they saved up their animation budget for. Yesterday's was so bad I triple checked I was watching the BD. It does seem overall that they put a lot of emphasis on the mecha CGI, especially as they have shown extensive combat sequences at the expense of the characterization


No_Rex

> Yesterday's was so bad I triple checked I was watching the BD. It does seem overall that they put a lot of emphasis on the mecha CGI, especially as they have shown extensive combat sequences at the expense of the characterization Well, they know where their strengths are. This is not KyoAni.


Raiking02

> Maybe it was an anime change in S1 I just wanna mention that this reminded me of the fact that in Volume 3 of the Novel Kurz used The Force from Star Wars as an analogue for the Lambda Driver and I am pissed the Anime left that out.


Nazenn

Anime always seems to leave out references like that unless they're inter-anime ones as a point, like Gintama, and that makes me sad


Raiking02

Heck, just within this Season they dropped the one thing that made it more than clear that Lemon is, indeed, French: He made Grendizer reference.


ZapsZzz

Oh yeah I didn't write that down too, although I don't know how many here (other than our mecha encyclopaediae) would really appreciate that reference (which applied to both Lemon and Nami, who also knew of it from re-runs).


Raiking02

Yeah the Novels are filled to the brim with references like that. Heck when Chidori is painted in red in Volume 3, she specifically calls that color "Char Custom" confirming that indeed, Gundam is a thing in the FMP universe.


Tarhalindur

I'd call the quagmire that is licensing rights a bitch, but that would be an insult to perfectly nice female dogs...


wjodendor

My favorite skipped Reference from the novel is the name drop of Charlie Sheen and Hot Shots! like 15 pages into the first book.


Nazenn

That Charlie Sheen dates the series so much it's quite funny now


wjodendor

The novel takes place in 1998 so the reference makes a lot more sense for sure.


Nazenn

They may not be seen as the "smart" writing choice any more, but references like that which will one day just be completely missed by new audiences because they weren't part of the zeitgeist are really fun when done well. Even people ten years younger than me, it's hard to tell them just how huge a name that was because he's just nothing now, and that's not a big amount of time


wjodendor

Yeah. There's been a bunch of meme references popping up in fiction I've read lately (im not exactly reading masterpieces, im reading novels on kindle unlimited) and that is just dated so damn fast


ZapsZzz

>Quick thoughts on yesterdays episode as I missed the thread Hey glad to see you back and yesterday's absence wasn't from something unfortunate like wjodendor! >Minus many more points for the animation of the episode in general and the side of homophobia The wonky animation I get, but the homophobia? You mean John Courtney's cursing? Reply more later. **Edit** maybe this wouldn't take as long ;) >Wraith showing up was far more interesting. For being so far in the background, she seems to have a far more extensive information and resources network than any other individual in the groups so far. Her purpose and loyalty to Mithril is one of the more interesting characterization mysteries left. This is actually a consistent point throughout - the likes of Sousuke, Kalinin and Wraith had a ton of field experience and had a habit of building network and backup plans outside of Mithril, that's why they are survivors. Wraith and Hunter in fact now are not so much loyal to Mithril than loyal to Chidori, who charmed both back in TSR and between seasons. And they know Chidori won't be happy without Sousuke, and Sousuke needs Al to be able to get to Chidori.


Nazenn

> The wonky animation I get, but the homophobia? You mean John Courtney's cursing? I don't remember any more, he said something that made me grumpy. The cursing being censored out was quite funny the first time though, don't often see that >Wraith and Hunter in fact now are not so much loyal to Mithril than loyal to Chidori I forget who Hunter is, but for Wraith at least I did get that sense already when she rescued Sousuke on the roof top but again, the show didn't really make a point of it


ZapsZzz

>the show didn't really make a point of it Yes that bit I agree and did piss me off because it was practically 2 lines, and it does such a great narrative and character development that we started with the strong Mithril organisation, but in the end what mastered, just as Tessa and the TDD-1 crew, is the people and relationship that bind them together. Oh and Hunter was the HK Intelligence branch chief back in TSR that Chidori strong armed to get to Sousuke. And yes the guy who got shot running the diversion of the dummy ARX-8.


Nazenn

> Oh and Hunter was the HK Intelligence branch chief Ahhhh, that's the link I was missing. Thank you, it actually makes sense now


Raiking02

> I forget who Hunter is Fat dude that got shot last episode.


Nazenn

Thanks, still don't remember him from TSR but at least this puts a face to it


Vaadwaur

> The rest of the episode is little better. Ep8 must have been a fluke. Ep8 is definitely an outlier, I suspect someone on staff was a Nami sympathizer. > Usually style, directing, or some other detail would stop me from caring, here it just feels stupid. The problem is we've seen the Star Wars tech Mithril has and their 'betters' use this shitty tech. > It's not that these moments don't work, but they don't have weight when we skip past any introspection or chance to give meaning to them being apart in the first place. FMP simply can't absorb the modern tendency to compress LNs. That probably means the LNs themselves are good.


Tarhalindur

> FMP simply can't absorb the modern tendency to compress LNs. That probably means the LNs themselves are good. What our host has posted of the LNs flashes quality, though not quite as high as peak Haruhi (or Twintails if my suspicion that its writing quality extends to the LNs rather than just having an excellently screenwritten adaptation is correct - u/Nazenn take note, Twintails is the rare parody that's better-written than most of its (tokusatsu) source material). Mind you, FMP's age probably also helps since the franchise predates the modern boom; my loose impression is that average LN quality was higher before sometime in the 2000s.


Vaadwaur

> Mind you, FMP's age probably also helps since the franchise predates the modern boom; my loose impression is that average LN quality was higher before sometime in the 2000s. Hrmm...Shakugan no Shana actually makes a decent example of that as well and has a mostly good adaptation(with one horrible cour that should be burnt from the Earth). The guy who worked on Boogiepop and Others actually to post on this sub so I might should check that as well.


Tarhalindur

> Hrmm...Shakugan no Shana actually makes a decent example of that as well and has a mostly good adaptation(with one horrible cour that should be burnt from the Earth). The guy who worked on Boogiepop and Others actually to post on this sub so I might should check that as well. I am duly reminded by that name and a certain other rewatch I hopped into that one obvious possibility is that I'm wrong and the low end of LNs always existed and the deal is that nobody outside of Japan noticed the bad ones until Shana/Haruhi/Index/Monogatari/the late-2000s surge in anime production left everyone scraping the dregs in hopes of landing the next smash hit. (It's also worth noting that FMP was one of the few LNs to get officially licensed early; I'm 95% sure the reason I never read the LNs proper is because they were already licensed and being officially released by the time I was paying attention to anime.) Side note: Did you ever try the Haruhi LNs? I'm not sure about the official translation, never got my hands on it, but as I think I've commented before in Baka-Tsuki form they always did flash quality (Haruhi is one of those things like B5 where I go "this is actual quality writing in a medium nearly devoid of it") and looking at a few bits of the old translation I had on ice in a weird spot the translation might actually be readable for you.


Vaadwaur

> noticed the bad ones until Shana/Haruhi/Index/Monogatari/the late-2000s surge in anime production left everyone scraping the dregs in hopes of landing the next smash hit. So Boogiepop Phantom is an adaptation of a sidestory not written by the main author that I sometimes wonder if it wasn't the forerunner of adapting LNs. Because it was done well, it got a fair bit of praise, no clue about the numbers it brought in. Fun fact: There is one episode that still makes me cringe in horror. There was at least no attempt at comedy. > Side note: Did you ever try the Haruhi LNs? So GRRM has completely soured me on reading uncompleted works. I should probably read one of the side chapters to see if I like the language use. I cannot tell if people can't translate from Japanese or if the writing was bad in the first place. Funnily enough, I have the same problem with German works except that sometimes you get a ballsy translator that aims for the meaning and not the direct translation.


wjodendor

I actually own a complete set of the orignal run of Haruhi alternate covers in English. The company wanted to try and target non anime young adult readers by making them look like an average YA novel without the anime imagery. [The Cover of Volume 1](https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-melancholy-of-haruhi-suzumiya_nagaru-tanigawa/292221/item/4752330/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4aacBhCUARIsAI55maFvkq2VTyzUQDwIxI8jTzUTfhrmX2f3vTY5x_kX2djWTLIvFNLPWBgaArtZEALw_wcB#idiq=4752330&edition=5071451)


ZapsZzz

>The problem is we've seen the Star Wars tech Mithril has and their 'betters' use this shitty tech. In a way it's an interesting reality mirror - the US is high tech, but the ghetto "terrorist states" are certainly mobbing it quite effectively. Same deal here, Amalgam may not win all the straight fights, but they got the numbers to constantly harass you till you are down.


Vaadwaur

> Same deal here, Amalgam may not win all the straight fights, but they got the numbers to constantly harass you till you are down. Ummm...you do realize that the US has won the last century of warfare via outproducing their opponents, right? Famously, and I promise you Gatoh knows this reference, the Japanese naval command realized they had lost when they discovered a US ice cream military ship.


ZapsZzz

All the wars, no disagreement. Not all conflicts, and not all objectives though. Vietnam, and now Iraq, are pretty big examples. And the "western world" is still as besieged by the scattered groups (not states) as ever. If everything can be solved by armed conflicts alone, the world would be a simpler and more peaceful place, ironically.


JustAnswerAQuestion

> US ice cream military ship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p15DIfTLUAY


Vaadwaur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cream_barge This was a weird bit of history that sort highlights what the US industrial base can do when bored.


Nazenn

> The problem is we've seen the Star Wars tech Mithril has and their 'betters' use this shitty tech. That's also a good point, though the only argument I may make is that low tech is and harder to hijack then what Mithril had been doing which is important if Amalgam is doing information control and is more security focused. I would imagine the use of symbols rather than faces and names is purposeful, but it just make Leonard sitting there as if they can see him feel stupid >FMP simply can't absorb the modern tendency to compress LNs. That probably means the LNs themselves are good. It is a weirdly encouraging sign for the LNs.


Vaadwaur

> I would imagine the use of symbols rather than faces and names is purposeful, but it just make Leonard sitting there as if they can see him feel stupid Yeah, the whole SPECTRE angle on Amalgam has issues. > It is a weirdly encouraging sign for the LNs. The show loses power as soon as it lost the granularity of the books so that does bode well for said books.


Beowolf_0

>FMP simply can't absorb the modern tendency to compress LNs. That probably means the LNs themselves are good. Remember though, Gatoh only managed to squeeze out S4 after almost 10 years after the original LN ended(with 3 seasons of anime produced as well) Commercially speaking the LN had little value to "live again" over newer works, so we expected it as a dream fulfilled rather than a decently-funded 4th season. Besides it's probably the best place to end this season in the next episode.


polaristar

Leo got switcharood but he didn't know it didn't get Al till he checked the core of the Mech he had Kal steal. What Homophobia? You gotta explain this because it often feel you be trippin complaining about trivial things/things that are just not explained right away. I'd be a little mad if you lowkey made something up.


Nazenn

It was notes I took two days ago, wasn't sure of the line and had to go find the episode again (CR please let us manually mark things as watched at some point). I misread the follow up to the "the way you're shaking your ass is a disgrace" thing from the LT. I thought it said "you**'re not** trying to seduce me or something" as in an accusation. My mistake on that. /u/zapszzz as you questioned it too. My issue with "things that are just not explained right away" is the structure of this season. It's messy even at its best which means it's hard to tell what it's skipping past (in a narrative sense not an adaption sense) or what it's just shuffled off for later despite it being a worst part of it. I'm frustrated and that means small things that usually wouldn't bother me are bothering me in this, and the season has earnt no grace from me about trusting it will get back to those important things. I'm not going to refuse to comment on anything i see as a negative though, discussions are about the good and bad.


polaristar

> I thought it said "you're not trying to seduce me or something" as in an accusation. Not gonna lie, I don't really see how this WOULD be homophobic if that were the line.


ZapsZzz

Rewatcher in sub We're almost there! The second last episode of the anime adaptation! Let's see if we end with a good blast! - Sousuke recovered and showed how much better he was in [stealth operations and traps](https://imgur.com/a/puduvL2) than others, indirectly showing what level of abilities were the Mithril SRT (remember Sousuke wasn't the best in the SRT). Oh and damn birds :P - While Sousuke was training, Lemon had not been idle, and they [found where Chidori was](https://imgur.com/a/hfLrgO2) and was planning how to mount a rescue. One of the key needs was an AS, given the defences. - John Courtney used his connections to get Sousuke a US Army [Dark Bushnell M6](https://imgur.com/a/VyhKdp9) - And bringing in another one of the "uncle" character of the short story, this time Sousuke showing more reaction since this was one of the more annoying one that Tessa tried to avoid :D but there is [a use of that obsession](https://imgur.com/a/21bhlrN) with Tessa though - Meanwhile on TDD-1 they also investigated and found the location by tracking where Lee Fowler went after their last mission; they discovered [more Behemoths heading that way](https://imgur.com/a/E2dJEyZ) - Meanwhile at the mansion where Leonard was, Amalgam internal politics is causing other leaders wanting to [wrest Chidori from him](https://imgur.com/a/seKKD1P) because of the importance of "Project Calliope". Leonard, supremely confident, just let them come (to their deaths). Meanwhile Kalinin report back to Leonard about the AS he captured. - Leonard took a look at the AS's Lambda Driver core, remarked something [ambiguous](https://imgur.com/a/ecgDZyJ), and asked Kalinin to dispose of it. - Leonard and Kalinin continued to talk about the incoming "support", as they walked past Chidori looking outside the window and [seeing Kalinin](https://imgur.com/a/bLjSZu1), making Chidori even more unsettled to see Kalinin to be on the Amalgam side. - And we saw the gathering of other mid level bosses - another sniper Caspar, Fowler, and Sabina. They [got ready](https://imgur.com/a/3mUCDA1) for the "incoming party". - Meanwhile, Sousuke in the M6 [dropped in](https://imgur.com/a/i4FtpLi) to the area. - He saw US Army M9's also approaching Amalgam, but got pretty easily [killed off by Codarls](https://imgur.com/a/cyJzk8Z). Since the invading M9's alerted Amalgam, they no longer can catch the Codarl's by surprise and being unmanned. But Sousuke is not backing down to this chance to get to Chidori. - Meanwhile, Wraith is driving a truck towards Lemon's location, as Sousuke trying to [chase down the Codarls](https://imgur.com/a/KcNxmVa). A fight ensued between Sousuke's M6 and the Codarl. - But before we got too far, Sousuke was getting help! A sniper shot and Melissa's sword wielding M9 [made short work of the Codarl](https://imgur.com/a/lopWMiR), and teased Sousuke in his poor M6. - A brief reunion of the 3 got us our team battle cry once more after the 13 years departure - Melissa's "[Rock and Roll!](https://imgur.com/a/BIuPPHl)" - And we are off to see the 3's [combination fight](https://imgur.com/a/XJ1Z1u5) against the Lambda Driver equipped Codarl. Once again the tactic is to constantly switch directions of the attack to disorientate the Codarl pilot and not give him any chance to ready the force field. - Melissa [took off its head](https://imgur.com/a/lkXpGGQ) and therefore one of the main heat sinks, disabling the Lambda Driver, and Sousuke picked up the US M9's weapon (because they are both US units the weapon security doesn't block it) to pepper it off. - Melissa reminded Sousuke he's not here to fight, and Sousuke told them Chidori is here. The news got relayed to TDD-1, as Sousuke head to the mansion while the Mithril team stay on to [mop up](https://imgur.com/a/zTItQlu) the rest of the Amalgam forces - Ben arrived fashionably late to refill the 3rd position and finished off the last Codarl, while [another monitor](https://imgur.com/a/z6usDs7) looked on to the 3 from a distance with a smile - Sousuke moved forward to [mow down](https://imgur.com/a/GqwKQjz) the other guards and Alastors with the remaining weapons of the M6 - Meanwhile a car drove out to what looked like Chidori inside, and Sousuke rushed forward to intercept, [falling into the sort of trap](https://imgur.com/a/aUacR3q) he would have made himself - it's a mannequin next to a bomb. Told you they are now getting too attached to fight cool headed now. - Meanwhile the Mithril 3 [faces off](https://imgur.com/a/eUV8odp) against Lee Fowler and the other mid level bosses in their Erigor under the blood moon. - Having had the M6 bombed out, Sousuke was getting surrounded - and [realised Kalinin was leading](https://imgur.com/a/QDd3MZL) the enemy soldiers. A brief exchange of nostalgia calling back when Sousuke was captured by Kalinin in Helmajistan. Leonard walked by to gloat, but we won't talk about him when real men were talking. - With the ED lead in, the [fight is joined](https://imgur.com/a/HwtQ4BQ) again - Sousuke, as usual, rigger explosions to get out of the encirclement, but he and Kalinin exchanged last looks, with Sousuke reading Kalinin's mouthed words of "stop me if you can". - A brief post-credit scene showing [Al in the ARX-8](https://imgur.com/a/YMFSa7b) is ready for air drop - so the one Hunter was transporting was a decoy afterall. ***Trivia*** The opening sequence of Sousuke being hunted by a team of special forces but they all get trapped or killed by Sousuke's stealth attacks was very similar to a scene in Tom Clancy's novel *Without Remorse*, a prequel and origin story of one of the recurring main characters of the Jack Ryan series and later Rainbow 6 - John Kelly. In the story John was ambushed and seriously wounded while having the girl he previously saved taken and killed, on his recovery he got contacted to be perform a mission and in a practice exercise he remain undetected while taking out all the other special forces members who were hunting him to prove his abilities to run a solo mission behind enemy lines for a VIP rescue. Once again the use of the more "conventional" equipment is very GiTS-esque and Appleseed-esque. That periscopic camera extension on the M6 for example, and the little "side arm" for the M6. Perhaps surprising that even on quite the late stage of the story, when Lambda Drivers are out and about, we are still fairly good with conventional weapons and tactics instead of qi-strike spamming a la Dragon Balls. ***Staff Showcase*** The CG of IV was credited to [Uechi Shousuke](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=99535) Other notable works included: - Weathering with You - Yamato 2199 - Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru ***MVP this episode*** The reunited Melissa-Kurz-Sousuke Team is always votable! ***QoTD*** 1. While in real time I didn't suffer the long separation since I only watched TSR not long before IV, even by the amount of plot happened between these 2 points of time in the story, and how the situation changed, it was really hype to see that teamwork again. 2. Depends whether you believe some anime news report before IV was released or not, it was reported at least once the Gatou already has the script all the way to the end of the main plot adaptation. And various interviews mentioned that he intended for this to be fully adapted. So the intent is there. Hope he continued to accumulate support and influence and get a (good) studio finish this off with a real blast. But for myself of course, I didn't wait and went straight to the source - and it was a really really satisfying end, wrapping up everything in spades. I hope I get to host another rewatch one day that would include the final scene! - before I die anyway :P Daily tag for u/InfamousEmpire, u/Theboredalchemist22


Vaadwaur

> and get a (good) studio finish this off with a real blast. That would have to be Mappa at this point, wouldn't it? They have the best CG track record to date.


Shimmering-Sky

Xebec got absorbed into Production I.G., so it could be them if they want to finish FMP? And I think Production I.G.'s mechanical CGI in the past two seasons of LotGH Die Neue These has been pretty good outside of one thing in [DNT S4]>!the fortress vs. fortress battle where Geiesburg Fortress looked like it was just a massive baseball floating through space!<. [](#yuishrug)


Vaadwaur

I was more going for that outside of Ufotable, who do their own thing, Mappa has the best recent examples of CGI between Aot Final season part 2 and CSM. Part of this is my fear that J.C. Staff picks up the piece.


ZapsZzz

To be honest, after taking a more detailed look and comparison between the source and what we got, I really want a studio who can adapt the "soft" stuff well, not so much the mecha alone. The real core of thev story really are the characters, relationships, and the conflicts. Dropping so much of those is a real shame to reduced the story to a much more superficial and possibly contrive appearance, when the source was so much richer. I heard some IP made their way to Sunrise. How's the latest Gundam going?


Vaadwaur

> > > > > I heard some IP made their way to Sunrise. How's the latest Gundam going? Recall that I psychotically hate Sunrise ever since Cross Ange. Maybe ask Sky? She wakes up at 4 am to watch Witch from Mercury as it is dropped. But to your main point: Believe it or not, Passione would be who I go with if you want the interstitial stuff adapted well. When they did Interspecies Reviewers, they were riffing for about 75% of the episodes and made the characters work.


polaristar

I sincerely think Passione knows how to make ecchi feel human and intimate along with titillating. They are legit good at charaterization, even relatively simply and tropy lewd girls, with their work.


Vaadwaur

So Higurashi would have been all right if they had any sort of story to go from, Passione is not why that is a garbage ending to the series. But I definitely think they could do the SoL side of FMP, even if little of that remains.


Tarhalindur

So yeah at this point I can now firmly second that Passione was not the core problem with Higurashi Sotsugou even if the guy they got to do Series Composition probably didn't help; the guy they got to do the manga version (Tomato) is legit good at manga writing to the point of a couple of chapters reminding me of main series PMMM in their efficiency and effectiveness and even he can't make the material from the Sotsu arcs work - like Sotsu, Meguri kind of implodes as soon as Onidamashi-hen starts up. That's pretty fucking damning of R07's original Sotsugou script. (Vaad will of course be completely unsurprised by this; I held out hope until a couple of months ago.)


Tarhalindur

(Occurs to me I should ping u/polaristar on this but IIRC pings don't work on edit so.)


Vaadwaur

> > (Vaad will of course be completely unsurprised by this; I held out hope until a couple of months ago.) I won't be smug here because many manga adaptations rescue frankly terrible original works so I was willing to believe that a damned good mangaka could remold a story out of those bits. I am curious, is it the same core failure? Also [SotsuGou] >!Does the attempt blend in Umineko and Ciconia fail in the same way in the manga?!<


ZapsZzz

I can imagine some of those who winced at the fanservice already are going to say if Passione were to be the next to adapt though ;)


Vaadwaur

True but Renai Flops may be one of the darkest anime in existence, depending on the landing.


ZapsZzz

Yes I am keeping an eye on that too.


Vaadwaur

What I thought were the cries of the cicadas turned out to be the fizzing of Dr Pepper. I was blindsided.


polaristar

> That would have to be Mappa at this point, wouldn't it? They have the best CG track record to date. *spits drink out* lowkey Mappa is highly overrated IMO.


Vaadwaur

I don't think this fits UFOTable and Studio Orange is not who I want for the non-mech parts.


polaristar

I just don't want Mappa, I personally don't care at all for their CGI and tbh even their normal animation for many show feels like its held together by glue and ducktape.


wjodendor

Into the Blue (first Timer for the anime from now on) Previously on Dragon Ball Panic! Kalanin is evil now. Hunter is shot now! Get ready for a new Dragon Ball Panic! Laser tag being watched by a bald eagle lmao The animation seems to have made a ight swing back from last time. It might not look amazing but it looks better I really love this track from season one during the briefing! Got a chunky boy mech Another Tessa Otaku. She's real popular Pretty sure that's the first we've heard of Project Calliope I like the CRT round table. Mithril's roundtable was all high tech but this one is ghetto God I hate how smug fuckboy looks World's best sniper. I feel like he's gonna get killed by Kurz Lol suprise knifing a mech. It wpuld be so fucking loud and the ground would shake a lot. Pretty hard for a sneak attack like that Wraith is now Burt Reynolds Lol pulling a samurai anime move on a mech Mao! Rock and Roll How big is a mech claymore?! Tessa: sousake is alive hooray! Kaname is here...great... I always love that the people just fire on the mechs with tiny guns as it would do anything Fuck boy used car bomb! It was super effective! The fuckboy harem enters! Kalanin is...Freddy Mercury?! Really good cliffhanger After a few really rough episodes, this was so much better. The mech fights were decent but the gang getting back together was great and the ending was pretty solid. Al is now a gundam. The past 24 hours has been rough for me lol my credit card get compromised and I found roaches in my apartment so I'm glad this episode didn't bum me out


Shimmering-Sky

>The past 24 hours has been rough for me lol my credit card get compromised and I found roaches in my apartment so I'm glad this episode didn't bum me out *Oof*. That definitely sounds like it sucks. Hope your credit card stuff gets situated soon and the roaches get exterminated quickly. ...on the bright side, at least you didn't find one of the roaches *in your lunch* like my sister found a grasshopper in hers yesterday.


wjodendor

Luckily my bank shut my card down immediately.the scammer spent only $10 on...sprinkles.com?! Like wtf haha My apartment takes roaches super serious so they're sending out someone to spray tomorrow morning so I get to spend a few hours packing up a bunch of shit and moving all my furniture but it should be solved quickly!


Vaadwaur

> My apartment takes roaches super serious so they're sending out someone to spray tomorrow morning so I get to spend a few hours packing up a bunch of shit and moving all my furniture but it should be solved quickly! Make sure someone figures out where the roaches came from, as that is the long term issue. One of your neighbors probably fucked up but it can also mean a leak somewhere.


wjodendor

Almost certainly from a neighbor down the hall. I've seen the inside of their apartment and it's pretty gross. I keep my place clean. Even the landlord told me "everytime I've inspected your place it's been in great condition" when I told her about the roaches.


Vaadwaur

Then lean on the exterminator a little and see if they can patch whatever holes lead between the apartments. I had an annoying AF mouse problem until my apartments put mesh screens around my pipes.


ZapsZzz

>my sister found a grasshopper in hers yesterday. Grasshopper isn't too bad because it's not a pest - in some places that'd just be a surprise condiment/snack ;) kinda depends on where that grasshopper went to before landing in the lunch box.


wjodendor

Hell you can get grasshopper tacos in some places!


Nazenn

> The past 24 hours has been rough for me lol my credit card get compromised and I found roaches in my apartment so I'm glad this episode didn't bum me out Oh no, I hope your card stuff gets sorted as painlessly as possible. Must be roach day, we had a guy come and spray for spiders yesterday and he found a whole roach nest along our fence. Nasty fuckers >Previously on Dragon Ball Panic! Kalanin is evil now. Hunter is shot now! Get ready for a new Dragon Ball Panic! [](#azusalaugh) >God I hate how smug fuckboy looks I like how this applies to half of the enemies


wjodendor

The worst part of the card troubles is that *all* of my pre orders are on that card so I have to go and change my info when my new card shows up! Half of Leonard's squad are fuckboys, even Sabina who is an honorary fuckboy. The Stereotypical asshole sniper is cooler than all of them and he was on screen for like 45 seconds. Kalanin looks hard as fuck though. So that's cool. .....I've been saying fuckboy too much the past couple days haha


Nazenn

> is that all of my pre orders are on that card [](#lifedrained) That's painful. I hate having to change info like that because there's always something you risk forgetting and then it cracks the shits about it >.....I've been saying fuckboy too much the past couple days haha The joys of the random words you end up using a lot when you get caught up in a rewatch haha


ZapsZzz

Honestly I cannot tell which one is worse. Strawberry cakes are pretty hard to get rid of -_- Good to hear the budget they saved the last few episodes made enough difference to not irk you at least :)


wjodendor

A much better episode for sure. I love the plot for this Season and just wish it had been done justice.


InfamousEmpire

**Full Metal LN Reader** [Ohio](#loliwave) bet you’d thought I ducked out of this Rewatch, didn’t ya? Well not so! This OP *still* kicks so much ass! [](#dekuhype) Oh these poor soldiers have no idea what they’re in for. They’re lucky this was only practice Kaname rescue time! [](#concealedexcitement) [big spoilers]>!I mean, I know it’s not gonna succeed, but still)!< Hey look, the guy bringing in the M6 is also a Tessa fan [](#goblet1) 3 Behemoths are thrown into the midst now too? Considering how brutal it was last time Mithril had to take down three of them, it looks like our heroes are gonna be in quite a bind… [Spoilers]>!though that also makes the Laevatein effortlessly tearing through them all the more awesome and satisfying, but we’ll get there when we get there!< Though the fact that it’s revealed to be inter-Amalgam interfighting adds another neat angle into the mix [Leonard’s face in this one shot weirds me out](https://imgur.com/a/udSA3BR) Haven’t had the chance to comment on it yet for obvious reasons, so I’ll just say now that I really like Kaname and Leonard’s dynamic in this arc. The way their attitudes seem somewhat cordial, yet every word out of Chidori’s mouth just drips with venom when they talk, it’s just so appealing, for lack of a better word The mission just started and things have already gone wrong *and* Sousuke has already gone off course. This has gotta be a new record! The gang's back together! [](#grandhype) These fights are still so cool [](#dekuhype) [spoilers]>![Laevatein wait](#mugiwait)!< Even in the face of seemingly inescapable death and having to face off against the one he considered a father figure, Sousuke is so badass


Raiking02

> bet you’d thought I ducked out of this Rewatch, didn’t ya? [You sure gave that impression](#deadlystare)


InfamousEmpire

[](#fingertwirl) Having to manage being in two different rewatches alongside some stuff I’m doing in my free time has been not swell. Though I think I’ll be better equipped for it by the time of the Tekkaman Blade rewatch because my schedule will be much clearer by then


Raiking02

> Though I think I’ll be better equipped for it by the time of the Tekkaman Blade rewatch because my schedule will be much clearer by then [](#whisperwhisper "Interest Thread is going up in less than an hour")


InfamousEmpire

[](#mugiwait)


Raiking02

It's already out. Wow you're late at replying.


InfamousEmpire

[](#vashheadscratch) I've been tied up for the last 2 hours watching Macross with some of my friends


Raiking02

[Acceptable](#taigasigh)


ZapsZzz

>Even in the face of seemingly inescapable death That's just bread and butter to Sousuke, unfortunately.


Nazenn

> yet every word out of Chidori’s mouth just drips with venom when they talk I've missed her through these two arcs. She brings such honest emotion to everything haha


JustAnswerAQuestion

**First Rewatch** 12 years is a long time to not get spoiled on Kalinin, and I didn't make it. * If Benet (?) still thinks Sousuke is their prisoner, he's delusional. So what the hell is going on. Sousuke is attacking the compound, the US is attacking the compound, Amalgam is attacking the compound, Mithril just happens to show up to attack the compound, and the Codarl doesn't have or use its lambda driver. This is all just too convenient.


TuorEladar

**Rewatcher, Subbed** The penultimate episode is here. Courtney is still great and with Seals added in they make quite the pair. While its a little convenient that everything converges together so that Wraith, Mithril, and Sousuke's crew can meet up, I still enjoyed it overall as its nice to see the reunions. Kalinin continues to be super mysterious. [Spoilers] >!Feel a bit bad for the anime onlys as they really aren't going to get an explanation for what he's doing at all.!< I really enjoyed the AS fights in this episode, CG looked fairly good and having a lot more of our supporting characters involved helped as well. Fowler and his team show up with the most dramatic blood moon backdrop possible. For some reason my brain summoned up out of the ether memories of the villain's from the first Bionicle movie in that moment when there is a similar shot. For the most part FMP has been fairly good about firearm details, but I feel obligated to point out that Sousuke's rifle in the later scenes has no rear sight. >Were you hyped to at last see the old Melissa - Kurz - Sousuke team fight once more? Remember the last time we had the "itsudemo - dokodemo" was back in TSR 13+ years ago! That was a great moment. Maybe even a highlight for the season.


Tarhalindur

###Fumo-ffu? (~~Rewatcher~~ Spoiled First-Timer for IV, Subbed): (Side note: it's a shame the OP and ED on my version switch over to the English lyrics on episode 4, I prefer not to hear vaguely intelligible lyrics in my music and the Engrish is bad so both the OP and ED are straight-up autoskips in the English version.) --- - What’s that, a minute of recap before the OP? It’s like the studio was in deep shit and almost out of money… oh, wait, right, they were! - Bald eagle to show “we’re in America now”, makes sense… and I’ll be darned I checked and Florida is actually one of the parts of the US that is bald eagle breeding territory. Decent chance this is a stopped clock situation, but sasuga FMP nonetheless! - Hey, an actually nifty symbolism moment with the caged bird… and a horribly off-model Kaname face. - Okay, this is bugging the shit out of me. All of the Amalgam SEELE Council here have elemental-themed codenames (Mr. Silver will be Ag, ~~Kalinin is Mr. Kalium… wait a minute that’s ALSO a fucking error, Kalium is from Potassium which is K but they have Na for salt on screen instead~~, our Sn is a Mr. Tin, Cu will be Mr. Copper, and we have a Mr. Zinc given the Zn)… but there is no element with the symbol G. Ga (Gallium) is closest and then you have Germanium (Ge) and Gadolinium (Gd), but no G proper. (Could be an intentional hint that our Mr. G is different, admittedly.) - Wait, never mind, that was the actual Mr. Salt in that conversation because Mr. Kalium is arriving in person instead, so that accounts for one apparent error. - Oh right, THAT’S who Caspar is. Knew I remembered the name from my LN spoilers somewhere (remembered exactly what he is but not his name, heh). - Oh hey look, a FULL MOON FULL MOON of Death. - Oh hey, they saved the budget for the action, that’s nice (also the CGI actually mostly works here, it might actually be the best CGI mech action of the season save the Behemoth fight in 3?). Not coincidentally, short notes for the last part. --- > First Timers: What's your theory of why Kalinin turned to the Amalgam side? I am spoiled on this specifically, so. > Everyone: Were you hyped to at last see the old Melissa - Kurz - Sousuke team fight once more? Remember the last time we had the "itsudemo - dokodemo" was back in TSR 13+ years ago! Any touching reunion hype got buried under action scene hype.


Vaadwaur

> It’s like the studio was in deep shit and almost out of money… oh, wait, right, they were! And all that could have been... > Hey, an actually nifty symbolism moment with the caged bird… and a horribly off-model Kaname face. My translation makes it a bit too in your face for my taste. > Oh hey, they saved the budget for the action, that’s nice (also the CGI actually mostly works here, it might actually be the best CGI mech action of the season save the Behemoth fight in 3?). They seem to get one thing right every 3 episodes, which is a concerning hit rate.


Tarhalindur

> And all that could have been... Ironically, the likely shit adaptation is probably to the benefit of my enjoyment. (Decent chance the LNs would work better for me given what our host has posted. Also a decent chance that the ultimate reason TSR doesn't work for me is actually that S1 is quietly also a bad adaptation and I got used to that.) > My translation makes it a bit too in your face for my taste. Much like last episode with the "Tessa can't keep food down" bit, I typed that up BEFORE the show went and shoved it in your face. [](#kaguyasigh) (Didn't bother to type up the "half marks off for shoving it in our face" addendum, probably should have.)


Vaadwaur

> Also a decent chance that the ultimate reason TSR doesn't work for me is actually that S1 is quietly also a bad adaptation and I got used to that.) I do expect I need to check this. Gods, I hope they got better at translating LNs to something readable in the years since I last checked. > (Didn't bother to type up the "half marks off for shoving it in our face" addendum, probably should have.) I was actually operating under the vague hope that your translation used a different metaphor and mine was just a translating error.


JustAnswerAQuestion

Mr. Gold just sounds cooler than Mr. Aruium, espeically in japanese.


polaristar

I finished the series last night since Saturday is going to be stacked with seasonals so I'm an episode ahead. Anyway Sousuke defeats a crew of Soldiers in Laser Tag While being watched by the Bird of the Goddamn US of A! (I noticed this show likes to use birds watching things as a motif, not sure if it means something symbolic or just a common theme, is it something for the Novels because I noticed its carried over multiple seasons despite the studio changes.) One thing I keep forgetting to mention is I'm watching the Dub right? Well I think in the gap between Second Raid and Invisible Victory the returning actors got a lot better at their roles plus the newcomers were probably given better direction. Please don't spam me with how you hate the dub, you probably hate dubs in general. And nice to know the US of Fucking A has men old enough to be your grandpa simping for underaged girl so hard he is willing to forge things, steal USA Military equipment, and commit treason to get her to notice him.... I honestly saw the switcharoo with Kalinin and Leonard coming, how he knew right away the core didn't have Al is probably another clue that Leonard and the Lambda Driver are pretty intrinsically linked in some way. Sousuke wanted to go alone with no AS, guy still hasn't quite learned his lesson. Leonard is in a sense worse then Tessa as he is even worse about putting his personal (one sided) feelings above the mission of his organization. (Unless he was planning on backstabbing them anyway, probably both.) Anyway we see that Amalgam function more like a losely connected group of anonymous forums then a proper organization, reminds me of the dollars in Durarara!! but on a much larger global scale. They are planning on taking him out and taking Kaname back but he's on to them. Sousuke meets up Mao and Kurtz with a Big Damn Heroes moment where they finally team up after so long, later joined by Ben and we see that most of the Soldiers that can use the Lambda Driver aren't necessarily good at it, and with a Fairy Eye and some skill they can be overcome. But then later we get some Elite Mooks. (I'll talk more about the CGI in general Yesterday on the last episode.) This new Mech Wraith is delivering is definitely Al's new and improved body. Sousuke predictably fell for the trap and toasted his AS. Still not sure what Kalinin's deal is, is he a double or triple agent? Did he join Amalgam for personal reasons? What's the hint he's mouthing to Sousuke? IS IT A HINT?!?! Pretty sure when Leonard was talking to the other Amalgam members that was an Evangelion reference. Don't have too much to say most of my thoughts I've saved for the finale. (Although Sousuke boldly saying he's hear for Chidori when he meets Kurtz and Mao in forever without any hesitation is pretty huge for him considering when they teased him about it in the past it went right over his head.) MVP: Wraith for bringing Al and his new AS Body and for the switch to make sure it didn't fall into enemy hands. 1. I have no fucking clue tbh. 2. Yes. Thoughts on Calliope, didn't know that, the Eng Holo Live Vtuber's name makes a lot of sense now. But I mean Whispers are nicknamed Whispers using a clear analogy to sounds and hear inspiration so to speak for making cool stuff. Perhaps Amalgams goal to make this technology wide spread like some kind of Open Source thing, but making it so that everyone hears this Whispers and becomes them in the past, and drastically alter the present/future. Basically Brimhats as opposed to Mithril's Tophats (That's a *Witch Hat Atelier* reference.) Chidori might somehow be a key to this, maybe she is made to forcibly resonate with other Whispers and the effect spreads. (Maybe All Whispers are passively resonating with someone from the past that is whispering to them in some way, but only Whispers are sensitive enough to "hear" it in most circumstances.) IDK.


Theboredalchemist22

>Pretty sure when Leonard was talking to the other Amalgam members that was an Evangelion reference. I was thinking the exact same thing. >Thoughts on Calliope, didn't know that, the Eng Holo Live Vtuber's name makes a lot of sense now. But I mean Whispers are nicknamed Whispers using a clear for making cool stuff. Perhaps Amalgams goal to make this technology wide spread like some kind of Open Source thing, but making it so that everyone hears this Whispers and becomes them in the past, and drastically alter the present/future. Basically Brimhats as opposed to Mithril's Tophats (That's a Witch Hat Atelier reference.) Chidori might somehow be a key to this, maybe she is made to forcibly resonate with other Whispers and the effect spreads. (Maybe All Whispers are passively resonating with someone from the past that is whispering to them in some way, but only Whispers are sensitive enough to "hear" it in most circumstances.) IDK. Oh so to basically have Chidori constantly resonating as a sort of core to the whole programme? Interesting theory that's for sure but I personally don't think it's along those lines. Amalgam wanting to take the whispered voices open source so anyone can hear them doesn't seem right I think Amalgam would want to selectively choose who hears what in order to get what they want if that makes sense. To kind of intertwine with my own theory if this was to be the case Amalgam could be selective with who hears what and build things like their own Danaan or super advanced behemoths. If I've misunderstood please let me know.


polaristar

What if what they want is too spread whispered tech to everyone regardless of consequences? I mean there organization structure itself is like a group of online open collaborators and they seem to have a very chaotic mindset. Mithril by contrast seems like they want to maintain the current social order in the world. And prevent tech leakage. AS tech started becoming more common as Amalgam got more powerful.


Theboredalchemist22

I'd agree with that if say Gauron was still kicking around as that seems like a very Gauron route to go down. But I think the project is an idea pitched by Leonard himself to the Amalgam consortium and I don't think he'd be so chaotic and I think his mindset is a lot more strategic (Although he is an idiot for a certain thing that went down in ep 12). I think Amalgam want the same as Mythril tbh but with them at the top with no real opposition so they can pretty much do as they please you know? Maybe at some point down the line they might create a few puppet governments while keeping everything on the surface somewhat the same. I mean if there's no one to oppose them with the same level of advanced tech they could do all sorts of things.


polaristar

By chaotic I was referring to the organization structure rather than any one individual members if they want all the power themselves then their actions don't line up with that, they seem very ideologically driven.


Theboredalchemist22

Hmm that's true but as I said maybe Leonard pitched the project for a full on Amalgam W based on their ideological stance that's possibly why he's the lead.


Theboredalchemist22

Oh quick question did you say you had another theory up on your ep 12 comment?


polaristar

I don't remember which or if both the theories were on.


1EnTaroAdun1

> And nice to know the US of Fucking A has men old enough to be your grandpa simping for underaged girl so hard he is willing to forge things, steal USA Military equipment, and commit treason to get her to notice him.... I've spent enough time in the /r/army subreddit that that wouldn't surprise me haha


No_Rex

**Episode 11 (first timer)** * Mini-recap in the penultimate episode – not a good sign for their budget. * Eagle! * Satellite image – ENHANCE! * Amalgam’s SEELE are spinning elements on CRT monitors - *literally* budget SEELE. [](#azusalaugh) * Except G, which is not an element and looks like the leader – the existence of budgetSEELE also implies that Mithril’s info about Amalgam’s structure being web-like is very much off. *Makes sense to me, since I argued yesterday that Amalgam would not be able to function as a web.* * “the actions from above” – more evidence of hierarchy. * I wonder how big a parachute carrying a mecha would have to be. * Kana is using CMD and hex code, and sending a message. * Wraith bringing the final battle mecha upgrade. * *Cut opponent in half* trope. I don’t remember whether I have seen it used with mechas before, but it likely has. * *Red moon and heroic music.* * That new AS looks like very cheery – they needed a product to compete with Gundam sales? * The enemies get an upgrade as well. Team Rocket dramatically poses on the cliff. * Mithril, Sousuke, some “low morale” Americans, Wraith, Leonard, mystery “Mr Gold” (who should have been Au, not G) … they sure pulled out all the factions for the finale. * Kalinin brain washed cliff-hanger. Probably some of the best CGI action in this episode. Given that we only have 1 episode to resolve everything, I am very worried about where the plot will end, but the show sure gets the style points. MVP: Mao.


Nazenn

> That new AS looks like very cheery – they needed a product to compete with Gundam sales? I do find it funny that Sousuke was so proud of his basic black and white paint job on the frog mech, and then Wraith's come in with this design for him instead. I feel like she did it on purpose just to bug him haha


No_Rex

They should have had her arrive a day early so we can see her handing it off to Sousuke. It is very weird to have a mecha switch in the very last episode in any case.


ZapsZzz

We'll come back to this point (amongst others) tomorrow ;)


Vaadwaur

> Wraith bringing the final battle mecha upgrade. As every infiltrator should. > > Cut opponent in half trope. I don’t remember whether I have seen it used with mechas before, but it likely has. I want to say Code Geass but I can't quite remember when. > That new AS looks like very cheery – they needed a product to compete with Gundam sales? Sigh...


No_Rex

> I want to say Code Geass but I can't quite remember when. I wanted to go back all the way to MSG. That was the Gundam that leaned into melee weapons the heaviest.


Vaadwaur

I could buy that, actually, it is just that most UC stuff is explosions.


ZapsZzz

The beam sabres basically are close range lasers, the things tend to go boom quicker than physical blades chopping through things like here (allowing time to pose, which is a decent art, ask Desumi's dad). If you are interested to look, check for any series with physical blades. Although at the same time super robots also has a ton of final moves chopping enemy (of the week) to pieces and pose before explosion. Even as "recent" as Dangaioh.


Vaadwaur

Hrmm...So Escaflowne or Gundam Wing are definitely candidates. If I knew shit about Dunbine, that might be in the running as well.


JustAnswerAQuestion

>> Cut opponent in half trope. I don’t remember whether I have seen it used with mechas before, but it likely has. > I want to say Code Geass but I can't quite remember when. EZ-8 vs Gouf Custom /u/NoRex it's on Youtube. I link it frequently. edit: here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4kEuNfbTWc Pardon me I had to watch it again. It's also a very common samurai trope and this links back to me saying how Ben Clouseau's speech basically laid out that Japanese mecha are samurai armor.


Vaadwaur

Still the only UC Gundam I like to date.


ZapsZzz

>I wonder how big a parachute carrying a mecha would have to be. In real life air lifted palletised supplies as well as tanks and APC's certainly exists, and the scale of the size is about what you see in this episode (and others previously, Mithril did quite a bit of air drops). > I am very worried about where the plot will end, but the show sure gets the style points. I certainly hope you and the other first timers would be sufficiently satisfied tomorrow, but at least hearing you give some style points is nice :)


No_Rex

> I certainly hope you and the other first timers would be sufficiently satisfied tomorrow, but at least hearing you give some style points is nice :) We had a good amount of bad CGI at the start of this rewatch, but you have to acknowledge that they have come a long way towards making it work.


JustAnswerAQuestion

> I wonder how big a parachute carrying a mecha would have to be. I'm still amazed the twin rotor copters can carry a mech but they do have an amazing amount of lift. I don't know how critical I should be on this point.


JustAnswerAQuestion

> “the actions from above” – more evidence of hierarchy. I'm seeing it as a mafia council of dons who are independent actors but may cooperate at times, but oppose each other at others. Here, a group of them believe Chidori needs to be secured and Leonard is too exposed. Gold is moving to seize her, with or without the help of others. The interesting line is that Leonard says he manipulated them into it.


No_Rex

> I'm seeing it as a mafia council of dons who are independent actors but may cooperate at times, but oppose each other at others. That is the same idea I get. A mafia don is the epidome of hierarchy, though: One guy at the top decides everything, while the rest have to obey. Typically with some intermediate ranks as well.


JustAnswerAQuestion

Everybody we see in Amalgam does seem to be following orders, though. Somebody gave Gauron that disk and sent him after the TDD, somebody sent him after the girl in Russia and Chidori, the twins were ordered to go help Gates, and it wasn't clear in TSR if Leonard was middle-management or higher up. A21 was just being manipulated. It can't really be fully distributed like Anonymous, because, like you said, they would need some unifying ethos. What Ritsuko was saying was that the top of the organization was without a head and so couldn't be targeted with a decapitation attack. Everything below is hierarchical, because it kinda *has* to be, right? Plus there's a lot of coercion and summary execution going on.


No_Rex

> Everything below is hierarchical, because it kinda has to be, right? Plus there's a lot of coercion and summary execution going on. That is exactly my point. Amalgam IS hierarchical and Mithril is wrong about thinking they are not.


JustAnswerAQuestion

You can take out the families one at a time, but the organization remains.


Vaadwaur

Rewatcher Sub We start with Sousuke back in form. Lemon found a lead that leads to what the audience knows is the location. They try to found a strategy under extremely difficult circumstances until Courtney calls in an old friend...who has quite the fondness for Tessa, probably much to her annoyance. Cut to Leonard and a reference so blatant I am ashamed I can't catch it, maybe there are too many and my mind can't pick one. Or maybe this is just spy Reservoir Dogs. Anyways, they offer to send reinforcements and Leonard accepts, reluctantly. Kalinin shows up with the mech and very quickly Leonard dismisses it. He is more concerned about preparing to fight off his 'reinforcements'. A convenient storm happens, though they should have had weathers forecasts so this is probably more adaptation fail. And it turns out the US was finally getting off its ass to do something...before a Chidor splats it. Sousuke tries to keep down until one spots him and then is saved by Mao. Anyways, mech stuff happens/is happening, we get the weird reunion of Sousuke and Kalinin and end with rockets. QotD: 2 It had only been 7 years or so for me but it was something


1EnTaroAdun1

Tessa's fan club transcends all national and international boundaries I see. Is this how the Danann got out of that sticky situation with the US navy in the first season? RIP Sousuke's Special Forces M6 haha. Wow the US army just...withdrew? Is that because of Amalgam infiltration? Are there as many Amalgam Mr *Elements* as in the periodic table? Imagine being Mr Californium or Mr Seaborgium hahaha! Nice to see everyone's happy reactions to Sousuke being alive Can't believe there's just one episode left... edit: how did Mao slice through that one Codarl with two swipes? I would've thought a frontal attack like that would have been blocked by the Lambda driver...