r/fullmetalpanic

Just went through Invisible Victory again and man I really hope we get that last season 🙏.

...and a nuclear war at that.

Let me explain. The first story arc contains some pretty silly plot elements, like an attack by a Western-made cruise missile on a factory/enterprise in the USSR and an operation by unknown forces under a UN false flag, armed with experimental US technology, in North Korea/Hanka Republic, in close proximity to the USSR's borders.

For reference, for those unfamiliar, in the FMP world, the Cold War hasn't ended and is likely to escalate due to the emergence of new technology and equipment. A direct attack on the Soviet Union and its ally/satellite by "unknown" forces with the latest generation of Western weaponry is a casus belli...

It's strange that the author wouldn't have considered such a thing at all... But this seriously undermines the credibility of the story, despite some of the best mech designs and lore.

I watched all of the anime then finished with the Light Novels. I got to say, I was impressed by everything. Like book 9 dragged a bit when we got into the weeds about the mechanics of the whispered. Beside that it was great.

Also it really did highlight, all of AS Pilots of Mithril were “aces” (in abstract not literal sense). Atleast those who remained. There was atleast one other AS Pilot from the anime who survived but not sure what happened.

Also it showcased the lethargy of Amalgam as organization vs Mithril. Amalgam deployed a couple new mecha by the end, but no new tech. Mithril kept finding new ways to fight and win in combat despite lacking the Lambda Drivers on most of their mecha.

Also the irony in one sense the final arc had Mithril and Amalgam swaps roles. Mithril weres one being hunted with dispersed chain of commands with outdated AS units while Amalgam had latest tech.

So that was all pretty cool. I also really liked how each of the core AS Pilots took out their counterparts.

I had watched FMP on Anime Network - On Demand long ago. I couldn't recall if I finished it but, I do remember that Fumoffu is hilarious 😂 so I decided to do a rewatch from the Top!

Only to find out the anime story isn't finished! And there are LNs in English that even extends into the future! Had no idea this show started as a book & has a manga.

I'll be spending the next 2 weeks hyper focused on reading LN 1-12, any manga, rewatching the series - hell throw in ff while I'm at it. I'm most excited for the LNs though!