FullMetal*Panic!

I'm watching the raw (because I just can't wait to see what the show is like) and found that the pencil/paper look of the game is not working well. Its too wired looking in the anime. I'm also afraid that the fine detail of the sketching will make the subbed and compressed versions look blotchy blocky blurry.

Thank god for h264, it should help, but still, I think it was a bad choice for the anime.

Just watched Ayako's H264 encode of ep 1, the edge work is fine but those 'scribbles' in the middle of things irks me. To me, it seems like it was put in as an afterthought to 'fill in' something

So far liking what I see story-wise though. I am REALLY hoping they do good by the story as I have bad memories of other military-drama series that were weighed down by a) excessive fanservice, b) excessive emo, or c) excessive verbosity...

...here's hoping.





Regards

If they follow the video game, it will be awesome. XD

But the scribbles...... eh.

...Wai Wai!! Alicia got a new toy!!

...aaaaand why does it feel like I'm watching Gundam <insert series here>.
Alicia / Amuro / Kira / <insert here> lives a normal life...
War erupts disrupting that normal life...
Alicia / Amuro / Kira / <insert here> meets someone who's not all they look to be...
Alicia / Amuro / Kira / <insert here> gets cool tank / new gundam
New Tank / Gundam kicks everything in its path's a$$...
Alicia / Amuro / Kira / <insert here> sign up "not to win, but to stop the fighting..."

Suzie's attitude so far has me chalking her up as another Fllay *shudders*
But Alicia being the series lead makes for an interesting twist... or am I too far off the beaten path?

Kinda had alittle difficulty believing some of those manuvers within the confines
of the back alleyways there between the Imperial Army and the Edelweiss
-- door-to-door fighting environment is NOT a tank's forte, see what a few
Molotov cocktails on the engine will do -- but I'm looking forward to more
of this series!



Regards

Actually, there are 8 main characters. You haven't met them all yet (next episode maybe). The story is about all of them, though for the anime they probably will narrow it to Alicia, Welkin, Isara, Bridget(Rosie) and Largo. Maybe Edie. I won't spoil, much, as I have played the game a know the story.

It's not like Gundam though,and the last tank battle had a few things in Edelweiss' favor:

- Alliance has poorly trained frontline soildiers.
- These Alliance tanks were bottom of the line in terms of targeting calculators.
- these Alliance tanks were the very light class, armed with blast rounds, not AP, which are ineffective against tanks. Remember they are there to take out the town, and werent expecting a tank. While Edelweiss is armed with something to the equivalent of a supersized GAU-8/A round (made with Ragnite, not depleted urainium): deadly accurate
- Edelweiss has a larger more powerful engine. Which is also its weakness because of its much larger radiator (the blue glowing things on the back of the tanks).
- Isara is a daemon of a tank driver.

Basically think of a smaller sized M1-A1 against a couple of M4 Shermans.

The Alliance, when attacking Bruhl, assumed they were going against a poorly armed town (which was the case until Isara gave Gunther daddy's ride).

Anyway, the animators did, amplify?, the characters personalities. Which I find a bit bothersome, particularly Suzie being prone to fainting, and Welkins a-duh attitude.

We'll see how they shape up.

I wouldn't say this was like Gundam, but it gave that Gundam-ish feel story-wise.

As for the Alliance machines, I was thinking they visually resembled M3
Lee's than M4's, though I'd have to pause and grab a WW2 armored vehicle
reference book I don't know about the Edelweiss, but it did give a M1
feel to it.

Waiting for ep 3!!




Regards

Actually it looks more like a type 4. But I was speaking in purely speed and armor. Unfortunately I cannot find the short barrel tank the design of the Alliance light tank is based on. It looks like an Interwar Czech or French design.

Any way, this is a good tank site, but it only covers WWII:

http://www.tanksinworldwar2.com/tanks.php

Can't wait for next ep either XD

Wai!! Wai!! EP 3!!

...ummm, I thought after the events of the last ep they've all headed off
to Basic training or the Academy, but apparently not... and the shocked
reactions of Alicia this ep are so PRICELESS!! Seems Suzie isn't
the only b***h to watch out for in the squad as the grizzled vet and the
redhead seem out to make trouble for our new 2nd Lt. I almost wish at
that moment Welkin'd've fallen into Boot Camp mode and told them off,
but it seems that's not his nature *sighs* Gone from a-duh to "I've got
something to prove"-mode... you know those types usually earn an primed
frag grenade under the pillow from the loving troops, you know....

Fourth ep and it's already beach / human-drama / let's-get-to-know-one-another-and-piss-each-other-off / whatever-you-want-to-call-it ep...huh? did I miss something here

MOD Figured it's about time to put the obligatory spoiler's warning in the thread title... just in case
I intend to be following this series very closely this season...




Regards

Actually yes. LOL

1 - they have gone through basic training since kindergarten. Military training is part of Galia's educational program.

2 - Episode 3 cut out the answer to the question: "how the hell did they take the bridge defended by a full armor regiment and 200 troops?"

The answer to that is:
Alliance put all their troops on the bridge with a small patrol on their side. The bridge, unknown to them, was a draw bridge (they had bad intelligence, in many ways). Squad 7, once they had eliminated the patrol, took over the bridge controls and promptly dump the enemy regiment and troops into the river. Another point was that the place he had crossed with the Edelweiss was slightly shallower and far narrower than where the bridge was.

Unfortunately, it looks like there will be lots of important bits here and there that are left out, which is understandable. But man would I have loved to see the drowning of the Alliance rats animated! (although it was animated as a cut scene in the game. but, whatever)

Like I said before, in the game, the characters personalities wasn't as extreme, and Welkin was never a wuss. He was laid back, but not like he's made out to be in the anime. More to the point Largo and Rosie were not upset about his behavior, but they had a grudge thinking "oh well look at this. Papa was a hero and here's junior riding his coat-tails, he was probably pampered all though his life" kinda thing not "he's an inexperienced college kid", which was a far more minor issue since Galia is a military-centric nation, which makes the "just out of college" comment out of place, since the military training in HS+ is grueling, and training is done by very seasoned veterans. One could say that the military training in Galia is closer to Navy Seals than National Guard. So to dismiss him as a inexperienced college grad is much out of place. They should have stuck to the original grudge in the anime, as it makes more sense.

But I loved Alicia's reaction. "RRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!???????????"

LOL priceless indeed.

Of course the only bad thing about episode 3 is now I have to wait for episode 4. >_<

Warning: there is a porky animal side kick in the game, to up the Kawaii factor....... but I offer 2 words to redeem this: "Aoi Pantsu" happens a bit in the game.

Ep 4 and 5
About that Aoi Pantsu.... riiiiiiiight...

Maybe I have my mind so wrapped up that the anime's basis is off a military
STRATEGY game, maybe the writers could've bothered to look it up while scripting
this, or am I asking too much? The aristocratic and arrogant General Damion
was amusing... something tells me he's the type that never dies cuz he
usually has an endless supply of idiot subordinates to take the fall for him
and that we haven't seen the last of him

...as for Selvaria... phone number... now!!





Regards

actually, the episodes are matching up exactly with the missions in the game, with the same logic to boot. (the very same events happen in the game). As such, the journalist pops in at the same time. LOL In the game, you pay her to publicize you stories (which opens up sub-chapters).

BTW, It is a turn-based tactical RPG and storybook. A military strategy game it is not ("Command and Conquer" or "Savage Moon" for example). There is one mission and about 30 mins of animation in each chapter. So its more like complete the mission so you can see the rest of the story. It also has bonus story chapters depicting character backgrounds triggered in the game.

Now I have to wait for ep 6. LOL

Okay, if not the keyword of STRATEGY, then surely the word TACTICS should
come in somewhere... and again I couldn't wrap my mind around how the fact
that concept seemed to elude everyone in eps 4 and 5. General Damion
I can understand... Welkin, et al, not so much.

I know, I know, it's entertainment, but there's also the concept of
'suspension of disbelief,' and I'm having a hard time suspending...

Looking forward to see how badly Alicia's cork goes off with the reporter
running around the base in the next ep



Regards

Ep 6

Took the WHOLE ep for Alicia to blow her cork?! *sighs* Maybe being in
the Militia's doing some good for her... maybe Didn't get much of
a read on the reporter woman's char as she was more interested in a story
than the staff were in developing her character -- or are you going to tell
me Killer that she comes back to haunt / help you later?

Oh yeah, 4 words from Isara Gunther "Talk to the Wrench!!"

Hmm, hoping the next ep has something interesting in it about the Darcsen?
And more Selvaria please!!





Regards

Loved the "talk to the wrench" XD

In the game the reporter (and an older general whom Welkin meets in the cemetery) serve as progress-flags you go to and spend credits on to get side story chapters (from the Reporter) and command skills (the old General). So they aren't as fleshed out as the rest of the cast.

And in case you didn't know, Largo has a obsessive compulsive thing going on with Veggies........

Finally caught eps 7 and 8... Alicia seems to have mellowed out over Welkin,
or did the doc just say "find a way to lower your blood pressure" The
whole Darcsen theme was a rather relaxing break from what's been shown
before and I wonder how much it was developed in the game itself, or was
it just a plot point.

As for Selvania... NIIIIIIIICE MOVES!!!

Point of Failure for Suspension of Disbelief this week: still can't believe Welkin et al
weren't more prepared, armaments-wise. Much as you may think it's
a vacation, remember the motto "Be Prepared" *shakes head*




Regards