Ranked #49

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu

I am very skeptical about giving 10 as a score simply because achieving perfection IS NOT POSSIBLE. The thing is, every now and then I come across something that does what it is supposed to do SO WELL that whatever minor mistakes that it have pale in comparison to the rest, and the result is truly a 10... Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is one of those rare cases.

----------------------------------
Story
----------------------------------

This will be a bit brief, but not because there isn't any, simply because the show exists of short bursts of story development instead of a coherent big arc, this makes for a "non continuum" world but at the same time help flash out one of the best aspects of Fumoffu, it's randomness.

You never know what to expect from the next minute of the show, and when they manage to keep this feeling untouched for twelve episodes it's hard to complain about the plot or the lack of it, specially because this characteristic puts the mood on the exact pace and you are never confronted with one dull moment.

On any other show, I would count this as a bad thing, but since this works so wonderfully in the context , here, it is actually one of the strongest selling points.

----------------------------------
Art & Sound
----------------------------------

Art wise it is on par with what you would expect from an anime from 2003, but don't mistake this comment as an average one because backgrounds are done beautifully and the animations are simply gorgeous! There is one particular episode where the subject is rugby when the animation really got me breathless, it's VERY good.

Now, when we take into consideration the style of the show we can up the bar a couple of notches, specially on the characters. Each one of them have a special care with expressions, and when we consider each character is rich and detailed, the fact that so much attention went to portraying each one specific characteristics really shows a well rounded job. It is so good that from time to time I had to rewind a few scenes just to take a closer look on their faces, specially Sagara's ones (him jumping on the pool specially comes to my mind right now).

The sound does it's job, and while I didn't like much the theme songs I can't build up a strong enough case to complain about them either, sure enough, it keep up in terms of quality with the rest of the aspects of the show but never outstands on its own.

Now, one thing that the audio department does really well is the VA's. The voice in this show is unparalleled, and even with the insane amount of uniqueness the art manages to portray for each character, the voice of them is never behind and the synergy between the two is really really great.

Anyway, taking detailed backgrounds with smooth animations and astonishing character expressions makes up for a near 10, and since the audio while nothing astonishing in it's own merits (aside the voice actors) manage to keep up, it's hard not to be amazed by the level of quality the show achieved on this category.

----------------------------------
Characters
----------------------------------

Fair enough, some characters might fall on stereotypes every now and then (moe) but the fact is, each one is unique and vibrant enough to be excused from these moments, specially when the other 90% of the time they are simply groundbreaking.

From Sosuke with it's uneasiness caused by all the attritions between himself and his surroundings to Chidori and her love / hate affair with his actions, going all the way trough Tessa with it's cute and yet somewhat extreme attitudes toward everything (especially Sagara) all of them worth a few paragraphs of text to explain how great each one are, and how much attrition everyone goes by (without exceptions) always being thrown around contexts that doesn't suit them... it's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole all the time, it's just priceless!

Luckily since all the characters (main and support) are simply so good I can save some time and resume everyone with one word: outstanding. Even if all the other aspects of the show are top notch, the characters alone are what make Fumoffu so damn good!

...and I don't even have to take my time talking about Bonta-kun, all you need is a picture of him and you will understand why he is so freaking cool!!!

----------------------------------
Enjoyment & Value
----------------------------------

It's a show to have a blast the first time you see it, and even after a couple or runs still find amazing! Not only that, but it is so damn good, that the roughly 24 minutes of each episode are not enough, and I constantly got myself re watching scenes to take notice of small details I missed on the first way trough.

Sure, it is not a serious anime, but it is probably the best and funniest fanservice anime I have ever saw, and use the term "fanservice" with caution because todays iterations of it consist nothing more then slapstick and tons of unnecessary sex... Fomoffu takes a more elegant and yet much better route while also keeping violence, sex and FUN to extreme levels.

It's addicting, and not only that, but one of the rare series that you will end up watching again and again and again but never getting dull or repetitive, and still after your twelve run or so still giggle from it's jokes, still relate to the characters and still want to watch it again by the end of it! read more

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