Full Metal Panic Novel Discussion

[Illsteir]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Isn't Leonard's Belial a fouth-generation Arm Slave? If so, what makes it a generation ahead of the M9E aside from the Lambda Driver, which doesn't seen to be the generation changer.

I don't recall any official material classifying the Belial as a 4th Gen. But with it's ability to fly without assistance, it may well fall under that.

[dasvik]

Originally Posted by Illsteir

I don't recall any official material classifying the Belial as a 4th Gen. But with it's ability to fly without assistance, it may well fall under that.

Plan1055 Belial - Lonard Testarossa's Arm Slave, which appears in the novel Continuing on My Own as one of the world's first fourth-generation Arm Slaves. (wikipedia)

Plan 1055 Belial - The suit is considered a fourth generation suit, making it more powerful that the Arbalest, even with its Lambda Driver installed.
ARX-8 Laevatein - This was the next evolution for the ARX series and the next generation in Arm Slaves, making it the second 4th generation Arm Slave, after Belial. (Jindai-High.com)

Not sure you would classify these as official but still, those ASes are clearly more advanced than M9s and Codarls

[FeistyDreams]

Y'know, normally I would agree that Belial and Laevatein are 4th gen, but I can't actually seem to find where it says it... Maybe if it's in the novels somewhere, but I checked my AS Chronicle and the backs of a couple books where they have AS info and I can't seem to find anything confirming that they're 4th generation. It does actually seem that they're 3rd (though I also didn't seem to see anything that specifically said 3rd, either, so I really don't know)

Wonder if it's something where someone said it perhaps as a theory, and without realizing it, it somehow became "fact" to a lot of us. Kinda like how we thought Kudan Mira's name was Sarah Miller for awhile there?

[Ithekro]

So what makes the M11 a fourth generation AS over a M9?

[dasvik]

Originally Posted by FeistyDreams

Y'know, normally I would agree that Belial and Laevatein are 4th gen, but I can't actually seem to find where it says it... Maybe if it's in the novels somewhere, but I checked my AS Chronicle and the backs of a couple books where they have AS info and I can't seem to find anything confirming that they're 4th generation. It does actually seem that they're 3rd (though I also didn't seem to see anything that specifically said 3rd, either, so I really don't know)

Wonder if it's something where someone said it perhaps as a theory, and without realizing it, it somehow became "fact" to a lot of us. Kinda like how we thought Kudan Mira's name was Sarah Miller for awhile there?

Actually, I just remembered something from the novels. First time the Laevatein appeared...

The heat signature of the kneeling unit did not correspond to that of the M9. Also, the assumed output of the rising generator of the unit was-
“4800...!?”
Estimated, 4800 Kilowatts.
Two times the standard level of a 3rd generation AS. That was no longer the level of a ground weapon. By far it was an output of a large scale fighter or battleship....!

The instant gravity acceleration is no less than 30G. This is almost similar to the circumstances of an aircraft.

On the other hand, in the same novel, some pages forward...

<Informing you of additional references, this unit not only lacks an ECS, it also does not have an ECCS. Radar is at a minimum. Laser Infra-red jamming equipment are also not present. We are extremely vulnerable to missile attacks.>
“Wait a minute. Then isn’t it just like a Savage?”
<No, it is more than a Savage, it is more like an M6.>

“...there is still an ‘unnecessary machine part’”
<What would that be?>
“You. I would rather dismantle you and throw you away as trash, in exchange for an attachment of an ECS.”
<Nonsense. If I were to be removed, this unit would be a dead weight that is like a defective M9.>

So it's a bit hard to decide. I think there might be something about Belial too in the novels, but I haven't read those novels in which he appears as much as the others so I can't remember now.

[FeistyDreams]

I'm looking over the scenes where they appear (though there may be others where they're referenced that I'm missing) and they really don't ever seem to say exactly what generation they are. The Laevatein and Belial are grouped with the M9s and Codarl in the AS Chronicle, though that section doesn't specifically say "3rd Generation," the next one DOES say "2nd Generation"

I think the Laevatein and Belial might fall somewhere in between. In order to be as powerful as they are, they've dropped some of the tech that made 3rd Gen what it is. Perhaps a 4th Generation AS is able to keep all those advancements as well as utilize the greater output and mobility that the ARX-8 and Belial have?

[Sumeragi]

You don't actually try to force special units into specific generations.

[gordol]

Actually there 2 competing designs for 4th Gen ASes: M11 and M13

[Kakulukiam]

I posted some pics of Sigma#19 on the FMP Image Requests thread.

[FeistyDreams]

Yaaayyy, we actually got some nice shots of the last scene!!! Can't wait for my copy to come in Q___Q Should be sometime next week

[SkoolRumble4Ya]

I hope the scanlator translate sigma soon. I wanna see the last scene.

[GardenAll]

So the anniversay had end without the new anime announcement.

Maybe more 15 years...

[FeistyDreams]

Well, hope isn't lost. They're actually releasing a new card game for FMP, it comes out in December. I preordered the first box set of it, $60 for a box (the art hasn't been released for it yet though), a promo silver, and 15 packs of 10 cards, which isn't really bad overall (you can find it on YesAsia, and I'm sure other places have it as well, but in my experience, the low/free shipping at YesAsia usually makes them cheaper)

Here's the official site for it

With so much coming out, it's still hopeful

[Illsteir]

It seems that the series is getting a lot of love from toy companies:
Aoshima will be releasing a 1/48 Model Kit of the Laevatein.
Kotobukiya is also going to release a Laevatien Model Kit, but smaller (1/60).
Bandai just released the RD Belial and a toy of, again, the Laevatein in Metal Build format will be unveiled this November.

These signs, do they mean something?

[dasvik]

Originally Posted by Illsteir

It seems that the series is getting a lot of love from toy companies:
Aoshima will be releasing a 1/48 Model Kit of the Laevatein.
Kotobukiya is also going to release a Laevatien Model Kit, but smaller (1/60).
Bandai just released the RD Belial and a toy of, again, the Laevatein in Metal Build format will be unveiled this November.

These signs, do they mean something?

To put it bluntly... y, it means toy companies want to make profit from selling FMP-related toys.

[FeistyDreams]

FMP is getting a lot of attention in general lately, which feels promising, at the very least. I hope it's a lead-up and not a testing of the waters, though. I got the first volume of FMP!0 just to really see it for myself and... -_- Well, some people like it, seems to be mostly fans of Rideback that do. I think it's doing okay in Japan, but probably not as well as it could have if it was a different, better artist.

...And I'm sorry to people who are fans of Kasahara, but if you look at it from a pure skill/aesthetic viewpoint, his art is UGLY. The "muscular" characters all have itty-bitty heads and gigantic bodies (there's a panel where I swear to you, Kalinin looks like he could be Dr. Robotnik's twin), I thought Taichi You's FMP!Another manga was lacking in backgrounds but this is even worse, ever-changing features, the shading that looks like sloppy and lazy pencil sketching, and, I just... Q___Q I can't do it. I want to support it, but it's soooo ugly, at least, it certainly is to me.

Well. I ordered the 15th Anniversary bluray re-release that's ridiculously expensive, so there's my support XD I'm so excited for it~ YesAsia estimated they'd ship it out on the 30th (it comes out on the 25th), so I should have it first week of November. I got the faster shipping since it was the only way to get a tracking number, and on something that expensive, I want a damn tracking number.

I also ordered the first box pack of those new FMP TCG cards~ That won't be until the end of the year/beginning of next year, though, that I'll be seeing them. ...So, at least they've been putting out other things for me to buy and support. I really wish FMP!0 appealed to me more.

Here's my semi-review of FMP!0 with pictures: here.

And here's my semi-review of the final volume of Sigma, with pictures: here.

In the one for Zero, I picked out some of the things that stood out to me as the worst, and in Sigma, I picked out some of my favorites, not including what Kakulukiam shared here. ...Yeah, I was horribly biased against Zero, but to be honest, looking through it over and over, I still can't find anything that I feel positive about to speak on, so *sigh* the negativity is all I have toward it. The most positive thing I can say about Zero has nothing to do with the content of the comic itself beyond a simple "At least it's more, new FMP, which shows that people still think it can make money." That's it. That's all I got.

[dasvik]

Ok, so... this thread has gone quiet? No news, no teasers, nothing?

[FeistyDreams]

Well, the 15th Anniversary event came and went with no announcements, nothing with the new bluray release (well, there's some awesome as all hell radio dramas that I still need to summarize), FujimiShobo had a 25th anniversary event as well with an FMP display, but no news...

There's also quite a lot of new FMP products that will be released at the beginning of the year, and the Crusade-system FMP TCG cards begin release at the end of the month, so, I dunno, there's still plenty of things going on, but nothing solid.

[Shinji103]

Oooooh, a couple more connections to the old FMP now.

But I thought

Spoiler:

that the Arbalest's wreckage was collected by Mithril sympathizers/allies after the Tokyo battle? At least in the manga, we saw that the whole main body section was recovered and used to build the Leviathan.

[MisterBaka]

In an effort to bring back more life back to this thread, I bring Scans and MORE spoilers of FMP another v6.

THANK YOU!
Oh, the glorious, glorious spoilers.