Full Metal Panic! Vol. #08

By Eduardo M. Chavez     October 11, 2005
Release Date: July 26, 2005



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:Gatou Shouji/Tateo Retsu
Translated by:Amy Forsyth
Adapted by:

What They Say
Summer's almost over, Sosuke's ringing in the school year with a bang! He's got a romantic island getaway planned for his schoolgirl sweetheart - on the very remote and very remote... Mithril Merida Island Base? Kaname's in for more submarines than suntans, but their battle with Sosuke will have to wait, because there is a new enemy at sea, and he is in the market for a high school hostage!

The Review
Packaging:
Once again, ADV uses the same cover art as the original. This cover features a solemn image with Sosuke and Kaname in front of the submarine Tuatha de Danaan. ADV uses their own DVD logo instead of the original, which is kept on the back cover and happens to be in English. ADV's logo is okay. Some people on these boards say they like it but I would rather keep the original. The original is in English, come on! For some reason they changed the font on the volume header (the first colored page). It was just like the font on the contents page which has a military look and works better in my opinion than the stylish font they replaced it with (yup, the title was in English even in the Japanese header page).

Colored pages are a nice touch that I wish were more common with other studios. The black and white printing is a little too heavy for my taste. You cannot see the detail in most uniforms as well as expressions of characters when they are in toned shadows. The screen tone turns to black when it was gray, so I found a few pages where some fine detailing was not visible. At the end of the GN ADV keeps a long ato-gaki from Tateo-sensei followed by a glossary of terms and ads for the Cromartie High School, Yotsuba&!, and FMP Overload.

Artwork:
Tateo's art is solid. Character designs are cute and stylish. Personally, I enjoy these designs a lot more than the anime version. While I enjoy Horinobu Osamu (Gonzo's character designer) works, the faces are not quite as detailed as Tateo's designs and her detailed expressions really help a comedy like this. There is some frontal nudity but it is not detailed.

Backgrounds are pretty detailed and the layout is very nice. So far, action scenes are very fun (sometimes darn right hilarious) and the perspective used in the layout really makes for a fast read with a good flow.

Text/SFX:
he SFX are translated much better now, so they no longer sound like awkward aside text. SFX are often subbed (many of them are shadowed), the size is good and they do not distract too much. Unfortunately, the aside dialogue is also translated with subs. This is a bad idea as it is distracting and covers up too much art.

The translation for this volume is very good. I did not notice any problems with context at all, which has been a gradual improvement from ADV. I was impressed by how they translated the ato-gaki by maintaining the context and the mangaka's personality well. Furthermore, the few translator notes they typed up at the end of the GN were pretty insightful.

Contents: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
It is summer time again and it is time for festivals and celebrations to shake off the previous semester and welcome the upcoming vacation. Some kids turn this into a time to start new friendships and relationships in hope to further develop them at the beaches, pools and amusement parks that summer is all about. Some of them have to spend their summers playing sports. Then there are others who hit the books in preparation for the future. Nevertheless, in everyone's hearts summer should be about memories. Memories that will be relished for in a few years long summers will become hard to come by.

Sagara has a plan for his summer already and Kaname has a major role in it. Imagine flying off alone with someone you care for. Upon landfall (waterfall), you transfer to a ship for a quick cruise with some friends. On the ship, you celebrate with the crew. Food, drinks, games, singing and dancing with good people before you disembark on a remote island in the Pacific. Sounds heavenly from this perspective. And to Kaname it had all the makings of the romantic getaway she has dreamed of. No blowing up balloons in the park. No shooting watermelons at the beach. No kidnappings while on school vacations. And definitely, there are no nosy friends getting into her business when she wants to be alone with her man friend.

But how could Kaname forget that this is Sagara Sosuke we are talking about. This might sound like a trip for two perfect for young love, but it has to have some paramilitary or just straight up military angle to it.

The small island in the Pacific is really a Mithril island base used for training and refueling. Sure it might be in the middle of nowhere and its beaches are pristine and beautiful but the main thrill here is the landing strip, port big enough to support a giant submarine and a barracks with enough warm food and warm beds for at least a few hundred. To a military man this is heaven. This is a place to refuel and restock mentally and literally.

So maybe it will not be as bad as she thought. She might not get to hang out by the beach sipping tall tropical drinks watching the waves, but maybe she will be able to hang out with Sosuke whenever he has breaks from his drills. They could go fishing together, spend some times talking and go for a walk. If she makes an effort, she can make some memories out of this, as different as this trip might be. Imagine the possibilities for romance that could come up... And imagine a war starting up on the island and ruining all of that. And imagine if Gauron is the one behind all of this.

Nothing is ever easy with these two and who said romance was easy.

Comments
I know I am starting to sound like a broken record but I seriously feel that FMP! is not the same without the full metal mech action. The action scenes give an opportunity for these characters to step out of their conventional roles and create some much needed tension and excitement.

Take this volume for instance. Gatou-sensei starts it off with much of the same fare that he has been using over the last 4 to 5 volumes. The romance comedy element is even predictable for the cast. Kaname almost cannot believe that her summer has been spent putting out the fires that Sosuke accidentally put her in. Now that a chance to do something special comes up, she jumps at the chance. Maybe she has her doubts but she cannot pass on an opportunity like this. He then pulls the switch-a-roo and makes Kaname's worst dreams come true. At the same time, it gives her and readers a chance to see Sosuke’s world up close.

Gatou does this carefully. He has the cast walking around talking about the ship. Kaname mentions how she feels it is cramped, but to a seadog, the Danaan is spacious and almost luxurious. We get to see what down time is like for Sosuke and the rest of the crew. Outside of the setting the reactions are similar to anyone else’s. Casual, fun and even a little rowdy since most of the crew are adults it is fun to see these hardened soldiers relax and have their guard down for a while. Yet, Gatou does not forget that there is something else brewing, so he often reminds readers that this will be short lived.

When we get into the action Kaname starts to worry about her new friends and tries to do what she feels is right - help. Maybe that will only bring more trouble for her and the rest of the crew but it is a device that I find works perfectly in this series. By having Kaname caught up in situations like this we are tricked into feeling this is a damsel in distress. We feel we need a hero like Sosuke to save the day, but Kaname is pretty capable in her own right. She often overcomes adversity herself through cooperation and the support of those around her. I think this not only is a more exciting idea, but it is much more active than the clunky comedy that relies on slapstick and makes me wonder why she would even be attracted to a gun-freak like Sosuke in the first place (I almost pity her for not playing the field more). However, when we see Sosuke really crack under pressure in this, Gatou finally gives a solid reason for Kaname to seriously doubt her feelings. No harisen or bats here, her heart is truly hurt.

This is why I enjoy these moments so much. It almost makes all the filler feel like it was never there. The writing is so different. The tone is somber. The characters seem a little more angsty. The pacing and art is a little more refined to set up the finale in the next volume. I really feel I get to see more of the personalities in volumes like this. What troubles the characters have and how their lives are not as simple and happy as the school chapters made it out to b. Here we get to see how much do these two care about each other. Are they willing to risk their lives? Kinda cheesy, I know, but what is FMP! without the cheese right?

Perfect time to pick this series up again and just in time before it ends.