Sousuke Sagara is back in action, and so is his
protective charge, Kaname Chidori. While
Sousuke may have Jindai High on lockdown, safe and sound, nothing can prepare
him and Mithril for the evil headed their way.
The Almagram group and their psychotic commander have begun to move
against Mithril, compromising missions and matching their tech. Against Arm Slaves as powerful as their own
and a deadly pair of twin assassins, Sousuke and his team may not stand a chance. The time of fun and peace comes to a
shattering halt as The Second Raid begins.
At long last, we’ve finally returned to the universe of
Full Metal Panic. However, I cant help
but think about my closing thoughts on the second season I covered over the
summer, Full Metal Panic Fumoffu. As
many of you saw, I loved that show. I
thought that by cutting out one half of the FMP formula, in this case the super
serious war drama, and focusing on the comedy and school setting, Full Metal
Panic was at its best, as were Sousuke and Kaname. Loving it as much as I did, I was wondering
for months if it would affect my enjoyment/judgement of Full Metal Panic: The
Second Raid. As I expected, TSR returns
Full Metal Panic to its roots and while it might look at first glance as a
return to business as usual, trust me, business is far from that.
Much like Full Metal Panic Fumoffu, The Second Raid seems
to be dialing it back on one half of the recipe that makes up Full Metal Panic
and putting a heavier emphasis on the other half. I’ve gotta say, it’s actually working. While the humor is missed, I can say the
school stuff isn’t as fun here as it was in Fumoffu, and it’s only focused on
in one episode of this premiere set. The
bulk is centered on the full fledged return of Mithril and Sousuke running
missions with his A-Team of Kurtz and Mao.
Their dynamic is as strong as the opening episode, an all out thirty
minute length action sequence that showcases excellent pacing and stellar
animation. One thing im absolutely
grateful for is that FMP changed studios between Seasons 1 and 2. Once in the hands of the so-so Gonzo Studios,
Kyoto Animation (the studio who makes everyday life look gorgeous in Anime),
took on the reins of the franchise for Fumoffu and are back for The Second
Raid. Everything just looks so much
better now, a far cry from Gonzo’s digipaint work.
Another reason the action drama seems to work is the inclusion
of truly menacing villains. The Amalgam
Group is just plain freaking scary. I
wish I could say it was just the sexy (insestual?) assassin twins providing the
scare factor with how fast and ruthless they are with their kills. No, the person I assume is the main villain
du jour, Gates, actually manages to do what Gauron couldn’t in Season 1…make me
legitimately worried about the lives of Sousuke, Kurtz and Mao. Gates is basically Deadpool without the restraint
or indication of moral boundaries. He
shoots subordinates in the head just to yell at them some more before digging
his gun into one of the mouth of one of the assassin twins just as a
warning. He also likes to hum Ave Maria
while he and his team mow down enemies like it’s a freaking dinner party. Gates is way off his meds and a total wild
card. Gauron always felt so one note
with his apparent superiority and immortality complex (so much so im convinced
he’s still around). Gates is
unpredictable and truly unlike anything Sousuke and his team have faced
before. The fact that Amalgam has tech
that can match, if not surpass, Mithril’s is also a good move. It forced Tessa to do more than cry in the
chair and work with old school means to help her soldiers escape Gates’ trap. Four episodes in and this is already far more
compelling stuff than the bulk of Season 1.
However, there is a downside to moving most of the focus
back to Sousuke and Mithril and that’s the lack of Full Metal Panics star
heroine, Kaname Chidori. What little
time we do spend with her back at Jindai High School has Kaname acting a lot
like she was in the start of Season 1, yelling and beating the hell out of
Sousuke for basically breathing. I get
that Full Metal Panic Fumoffu could be considered a non cannon spin off or that
its events wouldn’t have a lot of impact on things going forward. But still, it feels like a lot of the growth
we saw in Kaname and Sousuke’s friendship just seemed non existent in their
short time together in this premiere.
Considering how essential Kaname is to the story of Full Metal Panic, im
sure she’ll get thrown into the action eventually. There is the matter of this other “observer”
that Sousuke seems aware of watching Kaname, I think he called him “Wraith”. Could Tessa be getting ready to pull Sousuke
back more so he can focus on mastering Arbelast? There is a sense that Tessa and Kaladin are
looking at Sousuke with concern, especially when he says he needs to live so he
can turn in his homework. I get the
feeling we’re going to see Sousuke eventually being forced to choose between
Mithril and Kaname down the line.
I was wondering for a while if I was ready for more Full
Metal Panic after a stellar second season.
Im glad to say I’m happy with sticking with finishing this year long
project as The Second Raid has a lot of promise, something I never felt in a
lot of Season 1. The villains feel like
a threat. Sousuke’s evolution from
Season 1 and Season 2 continues. The
animation and action are both at their best potential with a great animation
studio. The pieces are all here to make
this the best season of FMP yet and I hope, truly hope, that turns out to be
the case with Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid.
P.S.
Pretty sure that’s Gauron being identified as the
comatose “Sensei” being guarded by the sexy assassin twins…cause why not.
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