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EP. REVIEW: Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory

While it is cool to see sleek mecha battling and the Lambda Driver in action

Wait...What?

While M9s are considered to be one of the latest models, I don't ever recall them having Lambda drivers.

This raises the question of whether or not Mr. Lemon, who is apparently affiliated with some third party, agreed to hang around and finance her team because he did have some inkling of her true nature. His agreement to bankroll the team always seemed a little too convenient to me. Whether he's there to keep an eye on Nami or not, he provides another element of intrigue to look forward to.

Also, did anyone notice one of the guys Lemon's group capped ended up in that processor? That's a darkly funny background image

I didn't expect her to be killed this quickly or meaninglessly. This is one case where I actually hope the series pulls something out of its ass to reveal that she's not dead, but given the finality of the episode's end and the way it slams the door on the Namsac story arc, I'll be shocked if they do.

I was surprised when I read that part too, but I don't think it is meaningless. It really gives Sousuke a taste of reality that he has been essentially cheating by saving everyone when he is present. We had that section in TSR where people kept telling him that they didn't need his protection, but he still managed to save everyone in the end. The first arc here started on darker turn, but he really did still end up saving everyone. Yeah, Chidori had to give herself up, but he knows Leonard wants her for something which gives him time to get her back. He hasn't really ever been there and forced to watch the person he wanted to save die.

I think this is an important moment to really build that desperation which he doesn't really have at this point. Sousuke, despite losing Mithril, was still very calm and calculated about his plan from the second we saw him in Namsac. He still expected things to work out.

While I agree it wasn't totally pointless, I still think that it was wasteful, not only of her but also Kurama.

Her dying so quickly and trivially really sapped much of any emotional reaction to rest of the episode from me, especially how Kurama was just like "Ah fudge it, I'll just kill her". The piggish police chief even calls him on it, and while killing her would certainly get Sousuke after him, I'm not sure why Kurama would want that. Maybe he thought he could take Sousuke, but it seems short-sighted on his part, especially from one who seemed so practically minded in his villainy, and had previously set things up to be unfavorable for Sousuke.

The plotline that Nami may have been a Whispered is pretty much up in smoke as well, unless things are not as they seem.

I can see your point about Kurama, but I think letting Sousuke kill the guy was a necessary silver lining for a bunch of the recent events for the audience. Sousuke lost Chidori, Mithril was gutted, Nami died, and Sousuke got critically injured in the fight. Seeing someone finally pay for some of that felt pretty satisfying to me. I think Kurama's death was also necessary to advance the story. Being swayed basically on a whim as he was bleeding out to give Sousuke information already felt a bit forced, but him doing the comical villain act of spilling the beans on all their plans would be a bit much.

I thought that was the strong point about the scene. It just happens really quickly as if to show how fortunate he had been every time before this because it can all end in an instant.

I think it wasn't just about getting Sousuke to come after him. Sousuke obviously would do that to save Nami and get information on Chidori. Amalgam knows he is looking for Chidori. I think the point was to have Sousuke recklessly go after him which is exactly what happens. Sousuke had the option of coordinating with Lemon and his team, but he rushes in on his own and very nearly dies. Kurama made several comments showing that he fully respects the threat Sousuke presents. You mentioned Kurama being practical minded, but this is actually pretty practical. The guy knows he could very well lose if Sousuke gets to set the pace just like Gauron and Gates. In fact, the only reason he doesn't win according to plan is because Lemon's group distracted him, and Kurama didn't know they even existed at the time.

I think the real point of that is in how she was suppose to parallel Chidori and show what could have happened to Chidori on multiple occasions if the odds had not gone in his favor every time.