Ranked #49

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu

Okay, first things first. One: If you haven't watched the original Full Metal Panic! series, watch it beforehand. Knowing the characters *will* make the humor better. Two, if you didn't like the part of the original series that was about Sosuke and Chidori's everything but normal high school life, turn around, because that's all Fumoffu is about. Okay, let's get to reviewing.

The story in Fumoffu follows, as mentioned, Chidori and Sosuke's wacky high school life, and has none of the mecha aspects that FMP! had. This means that there is room for tons of comedy - given that you liked that part of FMP! You'll see everything from bacteriological weapons to flirt contests in this series, and not to mention, Sosuke's total lack of "street smarts". There is no continuous story from episode to episode, except two episodes which were tied together. Some of the episodes also feature two mini-episodes at around 10 mins. each instead of one full-length episode. While this system wouldn't have worked with, let's say, FMP!, it works perfectly for an all-out comedy show like Fumoffu. I see some people rate the story with a 4 because it's really no story (and I kinda agree with them on that), but I'm giving it a 9, because I consider what happens in each episode as well in my rating.

The artwork is as great as it was in FMP!. The coloring is better than most series out there, and other effects are okay. And while above average overall, it's nothing really spectacular, and so it ends up on a 9.

The soundtrack isn't much to brag about, and the worst aspect of the series, if you ask me. I hardly noticed it was there, and when I did, I can't say I was impressed. The only exception is the OP/ED themes, which were great, but not good enough to raise the music to a score of 8.

The characters are the same old people I learned to love in FMP!, and that love was enough to cover up for the big lack of character development - they were the same old characters throughout the 12 episodes. But then again, I didn't really expect much character development since it's a comedy show. The side characters that were introduced were really hilarious, especially that crazy police woman. I'm stuck on an 8.5 here, too bad MAL doesn't have the ability to put in X.5 scores >_<

All in all, I enjoyed the show a lot, and I laughed almost all the time. To summarize: If you liked FMP! and it's characters, and most importantly, the comedy aspects of the show, you have to watch Fumoffu.

To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =) read more

If you are not aware already, Full Metal Panic Fumoffu is a spin off of the more serious Full Metal Panic. It seems to be set in point somewhere halfway through the series. Unlike its big brother, it contains no arm slave battles and only a few hostage situations. Instead it focuses on the high school lives of Souske and Chidori and is overall very lighthearted.
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu is probably the funniest anime I have ever seen. It routinely places Souske's vast military expertise and relatively little common sense into the spotlight. This show is filled with explosions, rubber bullets and misunderstandings. No matter what the problem is, it can always be solved by a combination of Chidori's level headed approach and Souske's arsenal of wacky weaponry.
Speaking of wacky weaponry, this show also introduces my favorite anime character, Bunta-kun: a six foot tall, heavily modified and armed theme park entertainer.
This show is way out there, very funny and a must see for any military otaku.
I would recommend watching the first two or three episodes of Full Metal Panic before seeing this, but it is not necessary. read more