With a new director and studio, the series felt like a breath of fresh air. Honestly, it almost felt like the series never left us despite the 13 year gap. I also confess that Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid is among one of my favorite mecha series so expectations coming into this for me were high. If you haven’t watched that season, do yourself a favor and do it now. Invisible Victory isn’t going to spoonfeed you information especially since this season takes right off without absurd recaps.
For starters, the first episode made it clear that there’s a quiet and looming threat. It felt like an atmospheric episode that brings back Sousuke and Kaname together but not in the happy-go-around way that some fans may expect. This didn’t come as a surprise to me as the franchise is known for its psychological elements. Sousuke and Kaname deals with a terrorist threat that puts their friends at risk. It also didn’t take long for Kaname to realize she is in trouble. Remember Amalgam? Well, they are back this season in full force and stops nothing to capture her. It shouldn’t take fans long to realize what they are in stored for. Up to this point, Sousuke and Kaname has been through a lot together but there’s always the curiosity of what may happen do they if they’re not careful. Invisible Victory carries an unpredictable suspenseful plot that shows how the pair deals with their own personal demons. Neither character has changed much as their personalities will be familiar with fans. However, it’s their raw emotions that surfaces at times which highlights their personas.
In addition, this season also introduces a new girl named Nami. Now, I’m not a big fan of new major characters being introduced in this franchise especially when one seems like a potential love interest. There’s already characters like Tessa to fill that role from previous seasons. However, I will say that Nami is a character to keep an eye on especially for her tomboyish personality and courage. The season spends a decent amount of screen time for her and Sousuke to bond during Kaname’s absence. It almost feels refreshing as Sousuke is able to interact with someone who is different than others he’s met before. In later episodes, the show really puts Sousuke’s emotions at stake when dangerous enemies like Kurama enter the story.
I have mentioned Tessa before but in this season, she does get a meaningful role. I’ve never been a big fan of Tessa and she still maintains a strained relationship with her brother, Leonard. Yet, Tessa is valuable in the conflict against Amalagam. In the later episodes, she provides key information that proves to be imperative for Sousuke and his allies. Similarly, Sousuke continues to fight the good fight and maintain his image as a soldier. At this point, the conflict against Amalgam has become much more personal for him and the show capitalizes on the stakes.
Adapted by Xebec, I was initially optimistic about this adaptation. Sure, the animation quality looks familiar to the previous seasons. However, they produced some questionable anime in the past like Tokyo ESP and Triage X. Luckily, Invisible Victory is safe from broken animation and mostly remains intact with the quality that I expected. The CG may take some time to get used but not too distracting once you get used to it. The battle choreography remains sharp to capture the vivid details of the violence. There’s minimal censorship so watching close up duels between Sousuke and others is a gift to the fans. Furthermore, character designs still remains generally the same as previous seasons. There’s some minor fan service in the case with Kaname and Nami but nothing really too distracting. The real fan service is the psychology in the character emotions shown their expressions. The music and OST sometimes reflects this too through their clever timing. As this is perhaps one of the more serious seasons, the theme songs even shows a bit of their colors.
Invisible Victory is a 12 episode series that give the fans what they wanted and that’s a new season of surprises. It’s been a long time since the franchise aired on TV and I feared that the time gap may have done its damage. However, this season lived up to its expectations while raising the stakes it needed to. While the plot may not be too refreshing, it still captures the essence of the franchise that I loved all those years ago. To me, the revival of Full Metal Panic is a victory in itself.
