FMP! The Second Raid OVA

Well, while it is a day in the life of COL Teletha Tessarosa, it's an atypical day as the title literally means "A Day of a Squadron Commander with free time and no assignment".

Tessa has a dream of the TDD1 under attack but her XO and bridge bunnies have all morphed into Sousukes who confess their love for her. Waking up on the bridge but thinking she is still dreaming, Tessa chances upon Sousuke in the hangars and procedes to sexually harass him. (The rest of the screencaps will concentrate on Tessa and Mao-nee. For a more balanced set, please see Omni's entry.)

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What can I say? Absolutely fabulous, darlings! Excellent blend of good story-telling (including OP and ED time), beautiful beautiful animation, humour and character development. I might have found Sousuke's sudden power-up a bit over the top but watching too much Kira Yamato in GSD has numbed me to this kind of thing. Also, dealing with an enraged Kaname is certainly much more frightening compared to fighting five Cordarl ASs and facing down the MITHRIL governing council. Would have liked more of Mao-neesan but am content with the evening dress in Ep 5. Two thumbs up for Kyoto Animation!! d_(^_^)_b

Screencaps concentrate on Chidori beating up Sousuke and Tessa's Happy Little Dance. Head over to Random Curiosity for a proper summary and full range of screencaps:

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Sousuke follows the trail of clues to his old nemesis First Season Crazy Guy aka Gauron who gives useful background about his motivation, Amalgam, the Whispered, the Xia sisters and Second Raid Crazy Guy aka Gates. Gauron provokes Sousuke into killing him by telling him that he has had Kaname murdered.

Meanwhile COL Teletha Testarossa shows LTC Richard Mardukas who's boss and also restores the faith of the TDD crew in Sousuke. Marvellous character development, epitomised by Mardukas' thought: "You've grown stronger." A pity that the next episode is the last for Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid.

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One of the search teams finds a dead body with a cryptic message; it seems to be a link to Sousuke's past. He later recalls how First Season Crazy Villian called him "Kashim". So finally Sousuke's mysterious past will be explored in the next episode. One thinks this will probably be good - we can get to know more about him as a character. Also hopefully he can transcend his dark past and build a new future - hopefully with Kaname. I am still surprised at how much the Second Raid has converted me - from merely tolerating the Sousuke-Kaname interactions to positively rooting for them as a couple.

The prostitute who was a Kaname-lookalike was also an interesting plot device. While it might be a tad convenient that she and the shopkeeper that gave Sousuke the bottle of liquor both spoke reasonably good Japanese, it's not entirely improbable. Hong Kong is a very open economy and a longstanding hub of Northeast Asian trade. It wouldn't be at all surprising that those who cater to foreign customers would be able to speak a smattering of Japanese and/or Korean. Her appearance served to reinforce how much Sousuke missed Kaname as well as to prep him for the Helmajistan clue by tweaking his guilt at abandoning his mission and comrades-in-arms.

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I really enjoyed knowing more about Mao-nee-san's history. Not that surprised that she was in the Marines but the circumstances of her joining up were hilarous! Her father, a retired USAF bomber pilot, had arranged for her to be married off to a rich Harvard-educated type. But she was a runaway bride, turning up at the Marine recruitment office in her wedding dress whereupon she played on her recruiters' inter-service rivalry to get herself signed up. Later she was expelled from the Marines and hung around in Hong Kong (her mother's hometown) for a few months before joining up with Mithril.

Thought I'd record this since my usual reads on FMP!TSR, by Omni and Ren, didn't mention it. Felt sorry for Tessa as she passed Sousuke but I don't really blame him for his attitude and going walkabout - it's a big personal crisis of self. The character development of the FMP!TSR, compared to Fumoffu? and the first season, is really fast and furious. Contrasts even more vividly with how under-developed Shinn was in GSD.

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Another terrific episode set in the rain. I have gradually come to like and sympathisize with Kaname as a character in a way I found difficult during the first full season of Full Metal Panic! In the Second Raid, I've come to admire her resourcefulness, her expression her feelings for her warm ole security blanket, Sousuke, as well as being able to steel and pick herself up after a traumatic experience. It's also good to see Leonard Testarossa show his face at last. While he's very the much the pretty boy, I am relieved that there's at least a major villian who isn't completely bonkers. And that knife blocking move was oh so cool!

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Well, there are lots of better anime blog entries on this episode of Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid like by the Fastest Gunslinger in this Town Omni or good insight into character development by Ren.

My own quick thoughts - after Sousuke and Kaname, it's Tessa's turn to break down emotionally. I thought it made her a lot more interesting; she showed vulnerability mixed with the responsibility of authority as well as a touch of jealousy. The new lieutenant is a bit too good and too "been there done that" though. Hopefully he will be a better mentor to Sousuke than Athrun was to Shinn but I am not entirely sure that "Your anger will make you powerful" assumption works in the FMP! universe. As such, I didn't enjoy the mecha fight that much as it was all a setup. Mao and Lieutenant "Bel" seem to go way back and more. A touch of playful flirting in their exchange. Now that would get Weber really mad.

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I've been enjoying Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid very much. Pity it's only going to be 13 episodes. The main reason for my turn around on this series is that the Sousuke x Kaname relationship has developed a lot more depth in this series, moving beyond the tired old routine of 'Sousuke overreacts to the innocuous, Kaname overreacts to his over-reaction by flattening him' for cheap and dubious laughs.

In this episode, Sousuke is humiliated by Wraith, rubbing salt into the wound of already being distraught at his separation from Kaname. For Kaname, her Whispered senses alert her to the threat from the Xia sisters and suddenly Sousuke's approach doesn't seem so paranoid anymore. She then realises to her shock, that the protection that she found mostly chafing and only recently began to appreciate more, has now been stripped away. Excellent character development. Interesting plot developments as well.

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Torture. Tessa's squeamishness at Vincent Blueno's interrogation caused me to revisit the old debate about means and ends. I haven't read the manga so I don't know if this will have any bearing on the plot but if I may draw a parallel to GSD, Dullindal's words of peace seem to be undermined by his use of lies (Meer as Lacus) but the dilemma is neatly made irrelevant when his Destiny Plan aka Brave New World isn't something much to be desired. I wonder if the TDD1 crew will start to face this dilemma under pressure from Mithril's structural problem of its mercenary recruitment and/or threat from Amalgam.

Haircut. This was a really tender scene and one of the few Sousuke-Kaname interactions that I actually enjoyed. The contrast in Sousuke's reaction to the commercial hair stylist and Kaname couldn't be clearer. Both confided in their complete trust in each other which Sousuke clearly displayed by being able to fall asleep. The way Kaname played his hair was also very sensuous.

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Without a doubt, this episode belongs t0 Mao-nee-san who inflitrates a Mafia stronghold to capture the traitor Vincent Blueno. That wig really suits her. As does that evening dress. ^_^ Good grief, I am developing an Oneesan complex!?