Full Metal Panic!

[Foggle]

I've been meaning to read the last book for years, but now I think I just want to wait for the anime version.

The guy is a terrific dramatic writer moreso than a comedic one; and I actually like his comedy, being one of the few on this board who really likes Fumoffu, and I warmed up to Amagi after a re-watch and with a different mind-set going into it. So that's saying a lot.

I love both Fumoffu and Amagi. I think he's just a fantastic writer in general, honestly. There are only a couple of hiccups in FMP, but nothing too major, and the ones from the first season might actually be Gonzo's fault instead of his.

Secondly, while I fucking love TSR (easy top 5 for me), the fact that this is not a modern KyoAni production washes away any potential worries that I might have had.

I think KyoAni could still do it, but they don't really seem geared toward long-running productions like what FMP will require to do right (it probably needs another 50 episodes). As long as another top tier studio is behind it (c'mon Madhouse or Bones!), I'll be satisfied.

Thirdly, if that new promo artwork is indicative of the new character designs, then I'm definitely OK with the update, myself.

Yeah, those designs are simpler but still nice. They look more like the light novel's artwork IIRC.

Fourthly, FUCK YES to hand-drawn mechas!

Yeah, this makes me incredibly happy. CG mechas are almost always terrible.

So, I wonder how they're going to do this. Personally, I'd like to see three more seasons - the first one being of the same length as the first series, with the other two about as long as TSR. This way they could adapt all the remaining main story novels, Voice from the North, and a handful of Fumoffu-style standalone episodes before/after DVMC.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Actually, if we're just talking about the main series, only about 28-35 episodes would be needed to adapt it (about 4-5 episodes per volume, with 7 volumes left to adapt).

Personally, I'd rather have the entire remaining story adapted like in Sigma, but also artfully fit in the two major flash-back stories which were published separately from the main volumes (AVFTN and Tessa's backstory), but which are actually pretty essential to the characters. They could do a separate spin-off for Fumoffu-style side-stories.

Now, I just want Gatoh to fix up two of my major issues with the story. One is with TAROS. Just do a better job of building it up so that it doesn't come off so much as an out-of-left-field plot device. Secondly....well, to be quite frank, I wouldn't expect the second change to happen, but it would be very ballsy if it did, and that's to....

Spoiler

....have Kurz actually stay dead from his fatal wounds after his bad-ass sniper battle. I love the character, and his death hit me hard in a good way, like Spock sacrificing his life in Wrath of Khan to save his ship and crew, or Ace being killed off by shielding his brother from a fatal attack in One Piece. Kurz being revealed to be alive doesn't kill the story, but it does cheapen such a great moment, IMO.

[close]

[Foggle]

Actually, if we're just talking about the main series, only about 28-35 episodes would be needed to adapt it (about 4-5 episodes per volume, with 7 volumes left to adapt).

Didn't TSR give 6 episodes to each book? I feel like that was a good number. Since the volumes get progressively longer from what I remember, I figure they'd eventually *need* that many for the later novels.

Personally, I'd rather have the entire remaining story adapted like in Sigma, but also artfully fit in the two major flash-back stories which were published separately from the main volumes (AVFTN and Tessa's backstory), but which are actually pretty essential to the characters. They could do a separate spin-off for Fumoffu-style side-stories.

I doubt there will ever be another Fumoffu, but I do feel like they'd probably want to start off the new series with 1-3 standalone comedy episodes. Those seem to be the most popular part of the franchise, and it would help returning viewers get re-acclimated to the characters after a decade. Also, having some of those stories fresh in the audience's mind would increase the emotional and dramatic impact of COMO.

Now, I just want Gatoh to fix up two of my major issues with the story. One is with TAROS. Just do a better job of building it up so that it doesn't come off so much as an out-of-left-field plot device.

Hindsight is 20/20, so I'm sure this is one reason why the new series has taken so long to come about.

Secondly....well, to be quite frank, I wouldn't expect the second change to happen, but it would be very ballsy if it did, and that's to....

Spoiler

....have Kurz actually stay dead from his fatal wounds after his bad-ass sniper battle. I love the character, and his death hit me hard in a good way, like Spock sacrificing his life in Wrath of Khan to save his ship and crew, or Ace being killed off by shielding his brother from a fatal attack in One Piece. Kurz being revealed to be alive doesn't kill the story, but it does cheapen such a great moment, IMO.

[close]

I agree... both that they should make this change, and that they probably won't.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Actually, Gatoh added in some sub-plots and filler to pad out the story. The first episode is completely anime-original, as are most of the second and eleventh episodes, outside of a couple of scenes. There's also a lot of new scenes interspersed throughout the other episodes. if you're going just by book material, the anime would be at least three to four episodes shorter.

As for starting off with comedic episodes, why not just start with the next main book, DVMC? The first half of that story is already comedic in tone. It doesn't get too serious until later on.

Seeing how Gatoh handled TSR, and knowing that he's good at adapting his own source material into a TV script and seamlessly integrating new scenes into the story in a meaningful way rather than making them feel like filler, I have no doubt that he can tighten up the weaker plot points of the series a great deal, and even enhance all of the stuff that's already great. Except for that other part that I mentioned, I still fully expect him to cop-out on us there.

On another note, while not a major character, Kurama is a bad-ass recurring antagonist specifically for Sousuke, and if this anime ever gets dubbed, I hope that FUNi or Sentai or whoever picks it up can get Crispin Freeman to play him. For whatever reason, I always envisioned his voice for that character.

[Foggle]

I guess less episodes would be fine, then. But I loved the added material in TSR, so I think I'd still prefer 6 per book...

Yeah, I know the first half of DVMC is much more lighthearted than what comes later, but I do feel like they'd need at least one typical high school comedy episode to start off the series. It would make the transition between seasons smoother, IMO.

Crispin Freeman would be a great choice for Kurama. Can't wait to see him and Lemon in the anime!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Lemon = Eric Vale

Perfect fit for the character, IMO, so long as we skip doing a cheesy French accent (please don't go that route in the dub).

I was thinking of potential replacements for Kalinin, and....yeah, nobody can possibly match Kleinhenz. However, if I had to pick someone all the same, I believe that Jason Douglas could at least get the right tone with his deep-sounding voice.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Hand drawn mechs. That was oddly enough my biggest fear for a new FMP anime. The hand drawn mechs just look so good in the old series, it would be so jarring to lose them.

But you guys speculating length should keep in mind that this anime will probably have a standard production order if only for a television slot. I would guess 50 episodes would be the best bet with some comedy filler sandwiched in there. I don't know exactly how they could do it (not having read the light novels), but it seems like the safest bet without dragging out the story further.

As an aside, what light novels did the original series adapt and how many episodes did they devote to them?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Season 1 adapted volumes 1-3, and was 24-episodes long, but with 7 of those episodes being filler (8, and 13-18), with 7 episodes devoted to the first book, 4 to the second, and 5 to the third.

Season 3 (TSR) adapted volumes 4 and 5, and is 13-episodes long, but as I already explained, contains about 3-4 episodes-worth of filler material, though this time actually co-written by Gatoh himself, which is why it's integrated in seamlessly with the book material so well.

The full main series is 12-volumes long, so that leaves 7 left to adapt.

[Avaitor]

You know what would be perfect?

If Toonami aired the first three series just before a dub was ready for the new show.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

That would be awesome, though I doubt that they'd ever really do it, since they aren't too keen on airing older shows unless they are popular battle shonen series or Cowboy Bebop. On that note, it's so strange to think of even TSR as old, now. It's only ten years old, and was only a year old when I first watched it.

I just realized that I've been a fan of FMP for nine years....almost a decade, now....

[Foggle]

But you guys speculating length should keep in mind that this anime will probably have a standard production order if only for a television slot. I would guess 50 episodes would be the best bet with some comedy filler sandwiched in there. I don't know exactly how they could do it (not having read the light novels), but it seems like the safest bet without dragging out the story further.

They could easily slip some comedy filler in there at the beginning, maybe directly after the first arc, but after that...

The full main series is 12-volumes long, so that leaves 7 left to adapt.

If they averaged six episodes per book, they could give two episodes each to the important side stories and hit a traditional broadcast number of 48!

[Spark Of Spirit]

Oh yeah, I know it gets really serious later, I just figured they'd slide in filler if needed just to hit a magic number. Not that I mind, I liked the filler in the first season.

The full main series is 12-volumes long, so that leaves 7 left to adapt.

If they averaged six episodes per book, they could give two episodes each to the important side stories and hit a traditional broadcast number of 48!

Put in two filler episodes at the beginning, and there's 50!

Either way, it seems pretty doable to me. Shame it took so long to happen.

[Foggle]

50 would be perfect, since if you count the TSR OVA, that would make the final installment episode 100!

Shame it took so long to happen.

In hindsight, it makes sense, I think. The novels only finished four years ago, and I think their plan the entire time was to wait before continuing the anime to prevent continuity and/or quality issues. Then, after the final book came out, they had to spend some time planning the best and most efficient way of finishing the story in animated form. They also probably made Amagi Brilliant Park as a sort of test to see if Shouji Gatoh anime would still sell in the current market.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

[nitpick]Actually it ended five years ago.[/nitpick]

[LumRanmaYasha]

That would be awesome, though I doubt that they'd ever really do it, since they aren't too keen on airing older shows unless they are popular battle shonen series or Cowboy Bebop.

It's not completely out of the question, since they are currently airing Mitchiko & Hatchin, which is josei and from 2008. Space on the block and availability of other, newer shows would probably factor in more into if they ever air it.

As for the shows' length, I'd assume they want to cover the series in as little amount of episodes they possibly can, so I'm not expecting many filler episodes. It really all depends on how much sponsorship/funding they have and such. Durarara!! X2, for instance, has been covering about 10 light novels in three cours, and that pace has worked fine for that series. I don't know how long the Durarara novels are in comparison to the FMP! novels, but assuming they are about the same in length and content, then I'd think that three cours would be perfectly enough to cover the rest of the series.