Full Metal Panic Invisible Victory - Episode 5 Discussion / Poll

[Pellissier]

Welcome to the discussion thread for Full Metal Panic, Episode 5.

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[Mad Pierrot]

The series is back. Now I really realize Sosuke was far more overpowered in Fumoffu (it was a comedy off course XD). This miniarc seems fun so far. The two new character are good but I wonder if Nami is some sort of homage to One Piece.

Lastly, I realized the character design seems a bit lacking considering in previous seasons Sosuke used to have more details in his face. Still, they did well by adding marks to his hands.

[HunterSeeker]

I'm pretty satisfied with this episode. The AS fight is brief (same as original) but on point, while the character fights are seamless; they manage to put more BGM into the episode as well. There're still some down sides (like other people in the bar in the background) but it seems the studio catch up the stuff.

[Dash_Hunter]

I loved this episode!

The introduction of Nami and Lemon was really well done making them appear interesting from the beginning, the few short battles we got were good, the animation was good as well so no complaints here.

Sousuke was great this episode, he is at his best in situations like this, from showing he knows what he's talking about while he was inspecting the Savage, to his very short fight thanks to his skills to finally helping Nami like it's no big deal.
Also the scene with Lemon waking up to find both Nami and Sousuke in his room was really funny and we kind of needed it after the last arc and all the serious stuff that's happening.

[Anh_Minh]

The "Kill! Kill! Kill!" chants and the bad guy reminded me of that time Sousuke trained a rugby team...

Also, he managed to miss everything vital in the neck? He should be a surgeon.

[Rasty]

^ Agreed, and even using that kind of knife. Is there even such a spot in the neck where the knife would fit? And that guy could even still speak...

But yeah, great change of pace. Though the Lemon is so close to certain Uruz 6 that I thought he is just acting and trying to lure the guys into backstreet.

[Nivek von Beldo]

This happened in the novel? after so much cliffhanger to this...feel so jarring

[bakato]

The english version of the opening for the ending was nice.

[HtwoN]

Every woman named Nami loves money, it seems.

[dasvik]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Also, he managed to miss everything vital in the neck? He should be a surgeon.

Originally Posted by Rasty

^ Agreed, and even using that kind of knife. Is there even such a spot in the neck where the knife would fit? And that guy could even still speak...

Well, in the novel the place is described like "15 cm below the ear" - that's pretty much at the base of the neck. I'm not sure if you could actually stab someone in the throat and avoid all that, but I think Gatoh made his research.

As for Sousuke's precision, remember that he's an elite soldier who fought since he was 8 years old (and trained as an assassin in some kind of secret section of the KGB since he was 4 or 5 - yes, freakin' four or five years old - revealed in Voice from the North), in various environments, using different techniques and equipment, so yeah, he prolly knows where a spot like that is and how to aim for it.

[Yu Ominae]

Man that Bandai Namco sticker on one of the ASes. Not sure if it’s anachronistic, but I’m sure it is.

Also the script looks Thai.

[HtwoN]

Originally Posted by Yu Ominae

Man that Bandai Namco sticker on one of the ASes. Not sure if it’s anachronistic, but I’m sure it is.

Also the script looks Thai.

I'm pretty sure they are in South East Asia.

[Yu Ominae]

Aware of that, but the script used in one of the GK AS units has the script that seems to be Thai, so one can make the assumption on where Namsak is.

Though the anime is sticking to the Namsac spelling.

Sosuke’s memetic line came back with familiar music when he explains about the Rk-91.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by dasvik

Well, in the novel the place is described like "15 cm below the ear" - that's pretty much at the base of the neck. I'm not sure if you could actually stab someone in the throat and avoid all that, but I think Gatoh made his research.

There's "technically possible", "Sousuke can do it with no prep work" and "Sousuke can do it in combat, in poor light".

As for Sousuke's precision, remember that he's an elite soldier who fought since he was 8 years old (and trained as an assassin in some kind of secret section of the KGB since he was 4 or 5 - yes, freakin' four or five years old - revealed in Voice from the North), in various environments, using different techniques and equipment, so yeah, he prolly knows where a spot like that is and how to aim for it.

An elite soldier or whatever would know how to reliably cut someone's throat. How to stab someone in the neck without killing them is a different skill.

[Ghostfriendly]

Originally Posted by HtwoN

Every woman named Nami loves money, it seems.

I was thinking that, and she just about is Nami, with the red hair. It's surprising that a tomboy character has juice, rather than drinking beer with the guys, though.

Nice episode, the place has a reasonable Black Lagoon vibe, and Sousuke does the strong and silent things really very when the action slows down.

[HunterSeeker]

Originally Posted by Nivek von Beldo

This happened in the novel? after so much cliffhanger to this...feel so jarring

The Battle Ring will soon be relevant to the main plot, most likely in the next episode.

Originally Posted by Yu Ominae

Man that Bandai Namco sticker on one of the ASes. Not sure if it’s anachronistic, but I’m sure it is.

I saw Max Factory and some others. Guess the staff gave a chance for the merchandise-makers some advertisement time lol.

[Yu Ominae]

Posting some images of the Arm Slaves used in Giant Killing:

Mistral and Savage?


A Savage and not sure if the orange AS is a Drache or a Cyclone.


Same. Both AS operators are showing off.


M6 Bushnell


Mistral II


Rk-91 Savage


I think it's a Savage?

[dasvik]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

There's "technically possible", "Sousuke can do it with no prep work" and "Sousuke can do it in combat, in poor light".

Well, as Helen said in Jack Reacher... "What does any training do? Skills become reflex. Muscle memory. You do without thinking." Now, I'm not, nor do I know anyone that's part of Special Forces or something like that to ask what someone like them can or can't do, and I do understand your... problem with that scene, but if you start logically analyzing anything... pfff. Sousuke's part of a universe where giant robots and lambda drivers exist, and there's been a ton of stuff up to this point that would seem at least raised-eyebrow-worthy, so if you expect absolute reality and human-limitations from a show like this, you're probably watching the wrong anime.

Also, like I said in other posts, there's much that gets lost from the novels in this rushed-anime-version, so here's some more from that, maybe it will shed a bit more light on Sousuke's actual skill:
"In a punk fight in some peaceful town, that fight might not have been sensibly resolved with one or two exchanged curses. That's because they wouldn't have realized Sousuke's strength. But for those who grew up in battle, like Nami, Dao, and the others who lived in Namsak, they understood it well.
Sousuke was strong. He clearly had an experience of bloodshed that others just couldn't compare to. If the enemy had five or ten men, he still could have silenced them. It wasn't only his body language or the way he spoke. During the fight he was relaxed, not showing even the slightest bit of tension. Wasn't that appearance enough to indicate the power he possessed?"

And this is from before, when he appeared at Nami's hangar, looking for Rick:
"It was probably more accurate to call him a boy, rather than a young man. He looked to be around the same age as Nami, maybe a little older. However, his intense expression held no innocence one would attribute to a boy, so it was difficult to describe him in such limited terms.
Upon first seeing him, Lemon could tell this young man was always aware of his surroundings. Probably even more right then, as he sensed the tension in the air. Yet, an unshakable purpose shone from his eyes. Eyes that – even though he was only a teenager – looked like those of a 30 or 40 year old; eyes that seemed to have seen many things."

Plus there's something else regarding that, but it's from another scene in the future, and if I post it, it will be deleted anyway, so I'm not gonna bother.

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

An elite soldier or whatever would know how to reliably cut someone's throat. How to stab someone in the neck without killing them is a different skill.

Erm, no, not really, I can't say for certain but I don't think it takes "an elite soldier" to know how to cut someone's throat, reliably or not. On the other hand, learning where to stab someone so they don't die, yeah, that's skill, and it's more likely an elite soldier would have aptitudes like that.

Plus, that's the point, Sousuke wasn't trying to kill him, he just wanted to end the fight quickly and with little fuss.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by dasvik

Well, as Helen said in Jack Reacher... "What does any training do? Skills become reflex. Muscle memory. You do without thinking." Now, I'm not, nor do I know anyone that's part of Special Forces or something like that to ask what someone like them can or can't do, and I do understand your... problem with that scene, but if you start logically analyzing anything... pfff. Sousuke's part of a universe where giant robots and lambda drivers exist, and there's been a ton of stuff up to this point that would seem at least raised-eyebrow-worthy, so if you expect absolute reality and human-limitations from a show like this, you're probably watching the wrong anime.

It's not really a problem. I just found it funny.

Erm, no, not really, I can't say for certain but I don't think it takes "an elite soldier" to know how to cut someone's throat, reliably or not.

If the target's going to defend themselves, or you don't want them to have a chance to give the alarm, it does take some skill.

On the other hand, learning where to stab someone so they don't die, yeah, that's skill, and it's more likely an elite soldier would have aptitudes like that.

Plus, that's the point, Sousuke wasn't trying to kill him, he just wanted to end the fight quickly and with little fuss.

If you want to stab them without killing them, I'm pretty sure rule 1 is "not in the neck". And yes, there are techniques to capture without killing that soldiers may learn, but I doubt they involve stabbing. The threat of stabbing, maybe, but the moment the knife goes in, all bets are off.

Especially when you consider the subtle differences between bodies, I don't know if you'd need actual medical imagery to plan your cut, but you'd certainly need more than a cursory glance.

[Ghostfriendly]

With the neck stabbing it is very unlikely, and would be unbelievable with anyone but Sousuke. Similar to Black Lagoon, Golgo 13, 100 Bullets and Usual Suspects, combat in Full Metal Panic has always had an air of mythic altered reality, whereby what is possible matters less than what is cool, and how badly it needs to be done. Kurz sniping the Behemoth's minigun from a moving truck, for example.