Full Metal Panic Novel Discussion

[Nappy Hared Azn]

Does anyone know when Volume 4 (Ending Day by Day: Part 1) is being released in North America? Wikipedia says it's been out since December, but I can't find it anywhere.

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I'm simply too tired, lazy, and selfish after in-job training to search through almost 220 pages of info. If my demands are too much, ignore me. If not, please enlighten me.

[FeistyDreams]

Originally Posted by Nappy Hared Azn

Does anyone know when Volume 4 (Ending Day by Day: Part 1) is being released in North America? Wikipedia says it's been out since December, but I can't find it anywhere.

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I'm simply too tired, lazy, and selfish after in-job training to search through almost 220 pages of info. If my demands are too much, ignore me. If not, please enlighten me.

I don't think they've officially canceled the project, but the FMP novels are on an indefinite hiatus right now from Tokyopop. EDBD was SUPPOSED to be out in December, but it never released.

[selilychidori]

Originally Posted by FeistyDreams

I think there's too many unanswered questions to finish it in one book. I can see some set-up for the first 2 chapters, one Leonard's side and one Sousuke's side, answers for 3 and 4, action for 4 and 5 ('cause, really, some answers will probably be answered during the action) and then a cliffhanger. Then another book with a chapter or 2 of finishing the action and then resolution.

And that resolution better involve hugging and kissing or I'm going to cry. XD

That's just my thoughts, anyways. That's how I'D do it, at this point, anyways.


And for the question someone else asked on whether there's any news on the status: None that I've seen. I check Gatoh's blog several times a day as well as amazon Japan to see if a new book is up with a release date. Nothing yet. (Sigma 11 is slated for July 9th, however, if anyone was curious). The moment there's news, I promise I'll post it.

With lots of exclamation points. LOTS of exclamation points. I am quite excitable when it comes to FMP news.

(Also, about a third done with Oogui no Comrade. Will post when I finish that too.)

What the heck will -anyone- reviel in an entire chapter? What else do you want to know?

the only loose ends i see is..

How does Sousuke know shes in Merida
how the battle goes..
who dies..
who the hell is sophia and her freaking purpose...
and whats the ending and conclusion/solution...
is it a happy or sad ending?


thats it, what else do you want to know? the previous book was PURE info...

[Nappy Hared Azn]

Originally Posted by FeistyDreams

I don't think they've officially canceled the project, but the FMP novels are on an indefinite hiatus right now from Tokyopop. EDBD was SUPPOSED to be out in December, but it never released.

That's a shame, but thanks for the info regardless.

[User91411]

To Nappy Hared Azn, yeah, the FMP novels are no longer being sold in the US. A friend told me Tokyopop canceled it unofficially, which I hope not, cause I was thinking of importing the first three novels from the US.

[FeistyDreams]

Originally Posted by selilychidori

What the heck will -anyone- reviel in an entire chapter? What else do you want to know?

the only loose ends i see is..

How does Sousuke know shes in Merida
how the battle goes..
who dies..
who the hell is sophia and her freaking purpose...
and whats the ending and conclusion/solution...
is it a happy or sad ending?


thats it, what else do you want to know? the previous book was PURE info...

It's about how you present that info. If you don't have it all truly planned out and if you don't feel like going into detail, then yeah, it would be short to answer those questions. A good author though will go into detail, reveal backstory, describe the emotion going into these revelations. Perhaps with everything going on we could get a nice little alternate-reality/dream-sequence kind of thing where we find out what happened in the 'original' world to have it changed.

There's lots of ways this information could go on to take up lots of space. If it was revealed with a simple dialogue I think I'd lose my respect for Gatoh as an author. That'd be a poor cop-out. And with how tense everything is, there needs to be description of the emotions, of the general running thought process of whoever is involved. And that is how he's done it, so I'm hopeful he'll do it again. Everything right now is complex enough too that it can take quite a bit of space to truly describe everything.

[SkoolRumble4Ya]

Yeah Gatoh should finish everything with a bang I don't want him to leave anything behind.

[selilychidori]

`Hello everyone, I got some awesmoe news directly from Dragon Monthly Magazine... the 11th comic book of SIGMA is coming out in July, at least they are progressing FMP somewhat instead of the novel....

07月09日
フルメタル・パニック！Σ11 (book 11)

上田宏 原作=賀東招二 キャラクター原案=四季童子
富士見書房

609円

[SkoolRumble4Ya]

What exactly is Sigma?

[Miles Teg]

It's a manga who follow closely the novel (main story line).

[SkoolRumble4Ya]

Wait how far does it go?

[Miles Teg]

Volume 10 should have finished "Tsudou Make my Day"

[User91411]

I hate Sigma's art design and the way they did TSR/EDBD but at least there's something to do with FMP going on.

[Crisano]

Well, at least Sigma's art style is better than the manga's art style, in my opinion. In the manga Sousuke looks like he took steroids (meaning too bulky) and his facial expression looks like he is always angered (not to mention his eyes). Tessa does not look so good either.

Also every time I see this thread being posted on, I keep hoping the next novel has a firm release date announced. Ah well, we have to keep waiting.

[SkoolRumble4Ya]

I guess at this rate the novel is getting release in the autumn.

[animpo]

What month is autumn?

I can't take it anymore?

[Chidori<3]

Originally Posted by Crisano

Also every time I see this thread being posted on, I keep hoping the next novel has a firm release date announced. Ah well, we have to keep waiting.

Yeah exactly... But I'm always disappointed

Why it takes so log ??!! that novel should be released long time ago... a can't wait any longer, I'm gonna be death faster than that novel will be release...

[Miles Teg]

NOT should have been released in September 2007 but has been released in February 2008, having the next novel not in time shouldn't come has a surprise

And don't forget : "Patience is the mother of all virtues"

[kagolamukanapika]

Originally Posted by HunterSeeker

Spoiler:

For the Whispered's issue, it's mentioned before that Whispered needs time to be "awoken". Before that the potential candidates can just be normal people like everyone, until when some events triggered their knowledge to work. Take Nami as example: in BOMF it's hinted that she was potentially a Whispered, but she never knew that even though her knowledge already helped Sousuke for Crossbow's OS. (In fact, IIRC around DBD it's mentioned that Chidori's performances in subjects like chemistry were improving)

As for the NOT thingy. I though my translations were clear enough......
Basically speaking, Chidori is a "bridge" between today's world (or to Whispered to be exact) and someone/something from the future. But it's Sophia's will controlled Chidori's action so that she now helped Leo to tune the world back to what it should really be.
And before going to the next point, one must understand that TAROS/LDS/etc is a device to hook up a timeless, limitless space with the "terminals" and make those stuff within become real (that means, the "spaces" within are already around us but few can feel it). So one can expect to use a certain device to affect the world------or in this sense, tune teh world.
Now, as mentioned in NOT, it's possible to foresee the future in that "space" so that one can utilize the results (so Leo foresaw a Solar Wind and warned Solid Snake). So if Chidori saw something she doesn't like to see, she'll have the ability to avoid that (check Leo's descriptions about Gauron's assassin) or to create a new situation. The question is, what Chidori=Sophia saw about the future makes her unpleasant and want to help Leo to tune the world back?

Hey, just for clarification, can I ask you if this is right cause I'm still slightly confused with what you said. So I thought it would be better to ask you if what I understand aligns with the novel so you don't have to explain it again.

Spoiler for Nick of Time:

From what I understand from reading the translations, the instant the Omni Sphere was activated in 1984 or whenever it was activated in Yamsk 11, it established itself with its reaches reaching in the present into the space around it and also reaching into the past and future which is why the effects of its activation are still present 18 years later in Yamsk 11 despite no longer running.

Anyway, the brains of the Whispereds, when they were born right after the Omni-sphere's activation, immediately established a link with the Omni-Sphere. And since their brains were linked to the OmniSphere, they can communicate telepathically with anyone else whose brains were linked to the Omnisphere (resonance). Moreover, they can communicate with people in different time periods and alternate universes with brains linked to the Omnisphere (the "Whispering" Kaname of the "original universe" as opposed to the "Whispered" Kaname of the FMP universe). In a sense, Whispereds can also communicate with themselves at a different time such as the past to share memories (kaname and leonard) and the future to see things before they happen such as the deja vu occurrences for Kaname when the helicopter crashes. and if they resonate too long, their mind becomes overwhelmed by the omnisphere and all of its links with other whispered individuals, connecting with every single individual connected to the omnisphere and to all these individuals at every given instant in time as well.

I was also confused about how Al and Daana work. The translation says something of the sort that they function as amplifying devices that enable the communication with the Omni-sphere. but how does that explain how they function? How could "transmitting and responding" with Omnisphere explain their function? is it because Al and Daana are AI's that are actually people in the "original world" who have brains linked to the omnisphere and can communicate with the FMP world? I have no idea. Maybe that hasnt been explained yet in the novels. or won't be explained.

Oh and something else REALLY confuses me. Earlier in this post, i mentioned the fact that from my understanding, the omnisphere reached into the past and future. if it's effects reached into the past, wouldn't that mean the people in Yamsk 11 before its activation would have felt Deja vu as they were constructing the Omni sphere? I guess this shows that my understanding of the Omnisphere HAS to be wrong. okay sorry for the LOOOONG post. haha this is my first post. so sorry. haha

[selilychidori]

Originally Posted by kagolamukanapika

Hey, just for clarification, can I ask you if this is right cause I'm still slightly confused with what you said. So I thought it would be better to ask you if what I understand aligns with the novel so you don't have to explain it again.

Spoiler for Nick of Time:

From what I understand from reading the translations, the instant the Omni Sphere was activated in 1984 or whenever it was activated in Yamsk 11, it established itself with its reaches reaching in the present into the space around it and also reaching into the past and future which is why the effects of its activation are still present 18 years later in Yamsk 11 despite no longer running.

Anyway, the brains of the Whispereds, when they were born right after the Omni-sphere's activation, immediately established a link with the Omni-Sphere. And since their brains were linked to the OmniSphere, they can communicate telepathically with anyone else whose brains were linked to the Omnisphere (resonance). Moreover, they can communicate with people in different time periods and alternate universes with brains linked to the Omnisphere (the "Whispering" Kaname of the "original universe" as opposed to the "Whispered" Kaname of the FMP universe). In a sense, Whispereds can also communicate with themselves at a different time such as the past to share memories (kaname and leonard) and the future to see things before they happen such as the deja vu occurrences for Kaname when the helicopter crashes. and if they resonate too long, their mind becomes overwhelmed by the omnisphere and all of its links with other whispered individuals, connecting with every single individual connected to the omnisphere and to all these individuals at every given instant in time as well.

I was also confused about how Al and Daana work. The translation says something of the sort that they function as amplifying devices that enable the communication with the Omni-sphere. but how does that explain how they function? How could "transmitting and responding" with Omnisphere explain their function? is it because Al and Daana are AI's that are actually people in the "original world" who have brains linked to the omnisphere and can communicate with the FMP world? I have no idea. Maybe that hasnt been explained yet in the novels. or won't be explained.

Oh and something else REALLY confuses me. Earlier in this post, i mentioned the fact that from my understanding, the omnisphere reached into the past and future. if it's effects reached into the past, wouldn't that mean the people in Yamsk 11 before its activation would have felt Deja vu as they were constructing the Omni sphere? I guess this shows that my understanding of the Omnisphere HAS to be wrong. okay sorry for the LOOOONG post. haha this is my first post. so sorry. haha

The question is, what Chidori=Sophia saw about the future makes her unpleasant and want to help Leo to tune the world back?


I thought the answer to that was obivious, Sousuke's death?
I honestly think, Leonard's prevention of the alternate universe actually causes the whole thing to happen in the first place.
Go to the past, and connect,..
At the same time the past connects with future...

In otherwords, it ALREADY happen...IMO

tada...

The AI is just amphilfying. They are calculators, helping the human mind to accelerate and into the Omnisphere. Before they used Dolphine's brains.The 1980's didnt have AI's.....

Now,..whatever the hell machine Leonard plans to use to put Chidori to connect to the past, needs an AI. I suspect, this Artificial Intellegence is SOPHIA who is Leonard's alter ego.


Sousuke is a good person, so his alter-ego / AL is okay as well,..

imagin an EVIL person with an Alter-ego? bingo, an evil A.I. ...

I suspect SOPHIA is an A.I. that thinks its a concious goddess....