Here we can post discussion about all things FMP!, FMP?, Second Raid, Fumoffu, and otherwise.
I haven't yet seen everything, but I guess I'm hooked, although it's striking to see how much better (in it's own way) KyoAni's Fumoffu is than Gonzo's first season. I haven't yet started The Second Raid, is it to Fumoffu's standard?
Anyway, even if a few of the episodes in the first season were very weak and some of the action/plot silly or clumsily handled, the characters were sufficiently sympathetic that I hapily digested the more Icky 'shounen' bits of the series.
<nerd>
You're talking to the right person. I have made it a personal quest to become the biggest Full Metal Panic! nerd in the United States, and hopefully the world.
Yes The Second Raid is F*cking awesome, just like the book was. It lacks comedy but I don't really mind that, as there is plenty in the first season and Fumoffu. I hope you're watching the dubs, since I feel it has the best English voice cast in any anime I have ever seen, bar none.
As to Gonzo vs. KyoAni, I personally feel that Gonzo's animation did a much better job with characters and general atmosphere. KyoAni's work on the characters seemed somewhat more artificial, but the CG and mecha was far better than the original.
If you're just getting started with FMP!, I recommend a little research. It astounds me how few FMP! fans know about the novels, even now when the release date of the first volume draws so near. Most everyone seems to think its based off of the manga or just made up as it goes.
Last but not least, if this thread contains any fangirly Sousuke/Tessa Sousuke/Kaname Kurz/Mao Gauron/Sousuke or whatever the hell pairing fantasy posts, I will personally smack you around the head with my e-fist.
</nerd>
Ok have fun!
Ah one more thing, where on earth was there any crappy Shounen in the first season? Surely you don't mean the bath tub episode...
Like, um... that military athletics episode...
and the comic-book villains.
I watch subs because dubs make me want to kill myself. Tomokazu Seki does a much better Sagara than Chris Patton IMO.
>>5
I don't understand how you can get any argument across by quoting a fat, biggotted, mis-informed jerk who isn't even funny.
Well, I don't want to turn this thread is turning into a sub v. dub argument anymore than the next guy, but here I go:
Not just acting ability, time, talent-pool, direction, and original collaboration, and aesthetic concern are involved. The American dubbers must struggle to do their best to find cheap actors who can act and simultaneously sound like the originals. The original production team has it much easier. They can find the best actor that sounds like their idea of the character, and they have a much better pool of voice actors to choose from.
I just can't figure out why so many watchers of anime seem so insistent on their dubs. Other foreign cinema (in USA, at least) shuns dubbing for good reason. I guess it's just because anime is popular culture, and mainstream, and so it must account for stupid and lazy viewers, whilst "foreign cinema" is for some reason part of the "art house" and thus "elitist" or some other crap.
Really lame IMO.
I understand your point, the majority of people who insist on dubs are simply lazy or illiterate. I oftentimes watch anime subbed because of the godawful dubbing job they usually go through (The Devil Lady is a prime example).
However, it is undeniable that American dubbing HAS gotten much better in recent years. Dedicated actors such as Chris Patton and Crispin Freeman have showed up and done their best to make English dubs, if not competent, bearable.
It is true that much of the time the "flavor" is lost in translation, but unless you actually can speak and understand Japanese, I don't think reading cultural joke notes is much different.
For me, it generally comes down to enjoyment factor, not accuracy of translation.
(Small note on 2, his methods are crude, but I'm guessing you knew that. I don't want to discuss him any more, else this thread travel even farther out of the subject than it already has)
-----------------------End Sub vs. Dub Debate--------------------------------
So, to get off of the viewing preferences discussion, lets go back to the original thread topic. (Too bad there are only 2 FMP fans on this site, or we could get more input) :(
What's your take on the FMP! universe? Do you think Shouji Gatou just ripped off mecha anime #9,547 or do you find it original enough to warrant attention?
My personal take is that while the entire series is composed of stereotypes (angsty school girl, "sergeant somber", wacked villain w/ scars, mechs with big guns), Gatou was able to pull off something original and new that has a redeeming factor. I can't quite put my finger on it though, I'll have to think about that for awhile.
So, what is all of yous opinions?
I don't think FMP as a mecha action/military intrigue has any original premise, nor do we really look for any. What the show does well are its characters. Sagara Sousuke is a great straight-man/bufoon/action hero all in one, and Chidori bounces off of him really well. If there's any fresh or original element, it might be Sagara, but really I think it's a standard issue mecha shounen done really well, and with a broader appeal because it presents itself as a kind of mixed bag with a love-comedy built in.
I think it's very aware of the Mecha stereotypes, and uses that to its advantage to make comedy and credibility, although I don't think it takes it as far (for better or worse) as shows like Haruhi, that are virtual self-parodies.
So... if it were an assault rifle,
I'd say it's like an M4 Carbine:
Same old AR-15, itself just a re-work of the classic M16, but smaller, lighter, a full-auto fire mode, and a bunch of cool gadgets you can attach on it.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/SOPMOD_2-2005.jpg
Well, maybe not... but hey, comparing art to guns is fun. ;)
Interesting analogy :D
It's kind of annoying how in the anime they show the M9s always tearing up the RK-92 Savages like they were nothing. Typical action-movie cliche I guess to have your heroes totally pwn the opposition, but it makes the Savages look like a piece of crap.
It's like the storm troopers in Star Wars, if it were realistic, those things would be dominating firefights repeatedly. Instead, they get their ass kicked by ewoks. ;;
True, its as though the M9's are invincible; not at all realistic, at least in comparison to BattleTech...
