Why the Early Recap, Full Metal Panic!?
Dear Full Metal Panic!, Why the Bad Recap?
An Early Recap Episode Done Bad
Most fans of the original three seasons of Full Metal Panic! will probably agree with me in saying that Invisible Victory is everything we wanted. The action is picking up immediately where we left off and hasn’t given us a real moment to breath in the first four episodes. It is as emotional as it is action packed. Watching Tessa resign herself and her crew to potential doom in the second episode was almost too much to handle. What really is too much to handle is a recap episode 4.5 instead of episode 5.
Admittedly, a recap of the series would be great. It has been quite a long time since many fans have actually seen season 1 through 3. If episode 4.5 had taken a breather to step aside and remind us who Mithril and Amalgam are, we might be a little more appreciative of a recap. Instead we are tortured with a summary of the last four episodes. The last four episodes.
Its not uncommon to see a recap of a series right at the end of the first cour, the first twelve/thirteen episodes. Not every series does it and not every series does it the same. Full Metal Panic! IV is only running for twelve episodes as is, and certainly does not need to be wasting a week on the reflections of Chidori.
Hopefully the numbering on the episode as #4.5 means we will in fact still be getting episode #5 through #12 additionally. Please Xebec, this season has been amazing. Don’t tease us with four fantastic episodes to kick-off the season and drop this on us.
In the mean time while you wait for a proper episode #5, here is the full OP to remind you why you are watching week to week. Its arguably my favorite of the FMP OPs, but once again, its been too long since I watched them.
[Further Reading]
[Streaming on Crunchyroll]
[Otaku Voice FMP Season Preview]