Ranked #112

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu

After watching all the FMP seasons I have to say that, without a doubt, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is the best one. FMP F are just spin-offs, side stories that take place right after the first Full Metal Panic! and before Second Raid season. If you are looking for a good laugh this is definitely one of the best options around.

Does this anime really have a story? Almost every episode is divided in two sub-episodes parts, that equals two stories per episode. Mostly one has nothing to do with the other episodes. Now if Fumoffu doesn't have a story why is so good? Easy: in the first season the anime focuses, almost all the time, in the belic conflicts that "Mythril" has with different terrorist organizations. But the thing is that they've created amazing-over the top characters, characters they have to show off in another way, in a theme that accentuates more the master work they've done: a comedy theme, and not in the serious-storyline theme that characterized the first season. This is called fan service my friends.

Now which place is the most popular for an anime to take place and to develop? The answer is simple: school. This ambience is used now in almost all animes simply because is part of the formula, a formula that is successful. This season is made mainly because of the lack of that "school development" that the first season has. If you watch Fumoffu carefully, you'll notice that almost every single thing is school-related. In the end no story at all, only fan service, very well done fan service.

The art and design are not that different from the original Full Metal Panic! The characters keep looking good and smooth. The only thing that changes is the locations that, this time, are more detailed. In Fumoffu the school location is a lot more detailed: new sub-locations inside the school are shown (club rooms, school council room, principal's room, etc.) and new characters are introduced to compliment the roles inside the school. Note that in this anime you ain't seeing Mechas (well if you can count Bonta-kun as one xD!).

Regarding opening-ending and BMG's I have to say that FMP is superior than Fumoffu. However Fumoffu does take the voice acting to new horizons. The voices of Chidori and Sagara are a lot more relaxed and funny. Also love the Fumo!!! Fumoffu! sound that Bonta-kun does, it may seen childish but at the end it's really one of the most hilarious stuff this anime has to offer. Nice sound but as a "sequel" it doesn't outstand it's predecessor.

Full Metal Panic! has always characterized for having one of the best casts of characters around. Well Fumoffu does really make this characters look better, if possible, than the original FMP. The way Sagara and Chidori go to school every day, Sagara's paranoism and Chidori's violent personality do help Fumoffu reach the pinnacle in comedy anime. I mean is obvious if you watched the first FMP that the characters are just unique in many ways.

I definitely enjoyed this anime from the first minute to the last one. FMP F offers 100% guaranteed entertaiment, even if you know nothing about FMP this anime is a must watch. Fumoffu is almost at a masterpiece level, the only problem with this show is that it can be VERY random but, then again, that is what makes it funny, isn't 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

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

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.

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Story
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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.

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Art & Sound
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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.

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Characters
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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!!!

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Enjoyment & Value
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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

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is a school comedy series that features the several misadventures going on from the school life of Sousuke Sagara and Kaname Chidori. For an anime series that provides no mecha and little action aspect, it is really entertaining on the comedy aspect.

For the story itself, it provides a setting of several different stories taking place in Fumoffu. Among those different story settings, they provide a good basis of comedy that does well in many areas. There are several elements of the comedy aspect that fit really well such as Sousuke's military nature not fitting in normal society or Kaname Chidori's tsundere side in getting irritated from Sousake's actions. The comedy aspects of Fumoffu bring along a very good flow and certainly will not disappoint many viewers that like the comedy side from the original FMP! series.

Along with the fact of being entertained from Sousake and Kaname's characters from this series, there are other familiar characters from the original FMP! series that bring along their familar personalities. There is also a cast of new characters that are introduced in the comedy series and some manage to bring along good results from the humor aspect in Fumoffu such as the crazy police woman.

The animation also provides its good visuals in Fumoffu. The character designs are certainly drawn well and the coloring of the animation brought along its similar positive results from the original FMP! series.

As for the sound portion, the bgm's are somewhat decent in their results so nothing special should stand out to the audience. The opening and ending theme songs are generally good and catchy to listen to, especially since they fit the theme of a high school comedy well.

All in all, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is a comedy series that executed its funny moments very well in the different story settings. If you have seen the original FMP! and enjoy the comedy aspects from it, then Fumoffu is certainly something worth checking out. read more

The reason that this comedy succeeds where so many others have failed is that it's primarily based on character-driven humor, and from what I've seen most other comedies rely on the standard "random cute girls do random cute things, repeat ad nauseum" nonsense. I don't understand why that sort of stuff gets aired all the time, but luckily, the humor in Fumoffu comes from the plausible yet wacky situations that the characters get themselves into, and their reactions to those situations. The show mostly revolves around the kind of "fish-out-of-water" type scenarios that result when a dude from a shadowy mercenary organization (and sometimes his friends) ends up in a Japanese high school. The highlight is probably the rugby team episode, which features a hilarious segment lifted straight from the Kubrick movie Full Metal Jacket. Switch to the dub for that one.

Although the premise seems repetitive, the cast of diverse characters and their rather eccentric personalities prevents Fumoffu from feeling tired and drawn-out. The art and animation seem fine and appropriate for this kind of series. And I could swear the ending theme rips off Santana's Game of Love. But I digress. Fumoffu's lots of fun and has endless replay value. read more

Before I begin: You have to be at least acquainted with the FMP series and its basic background if you want to appreciate this series.(Oops! I already began)

Sousuke,a military nut who has spent almost all his life upto now surrounded by terrorists and war has to guard Chidori, normal Japanese girl and act within the 'common' common sense. Yeah, so how hilarious can it turn out to be.. not much? Wrong! Trust me, you'll hardly get a greater dose of humor elsewhere.

This story just goes on to incredulously display how dangerous and dumb and droll it can be to have a man whose mind is a 'combat-oriented manual' live a normal high-school life. The abundance of humor utilizing normal, usual situations and satire directed at inane military attitude coupled with the absence of sexual innuendos and ecchi references makes this anime a really rare one (Though you will find censored 'terminologies' in an episode. And I don't loath ecchi humor btw). In my opinion, although a side-story, this anime is undoubtedly excellent and displays the ingenious talent of the team to create fresh humor from simple, sometimes inconspicuous, situations and some truly insane ones. And if you liked FMP, you'll more than like this.

Most of the plot basically moves around the school life of Chidori and Sousuke and their friends. The episodes are independent events (some episodes have two independent stories) so there's hardly any link or depth throughout the series. But each of the individual events has been skilfully crafted from the aspect of location, situation, dialogue and timing. Love-letters, confessions, dates, school lunch, beach holidays, Rugby death-matches and bacteriological weapons - the diversity of situations it utilizes is really good and the impact it creates is even better
[!!Spoiler: Who the hell would fire a real gun at a shooting arcade, Just how much dumb do you have to be that you really 'capture' the girls and train players like recruits, How dangerous can a deranged caretaker become and Question: How do you split watermelons?.. with a shotgun of course!.... XD -- just imagine the impact]. So irrespective of overall plot development or depth or whatever it scores for being witty and clever and hilarious and I'll give the story a 9/10. (btw I do not think that a central developing storyline is essential to a great comedy, not anymore :D)

The art and graphics of Fumoffu are quite similar to the FMP series, the exception being that there are no mechas or intricate artillery displays (but guns and bombs are used a lot)-- the characters are well designed and proportioned similarly, the coloring scheme is also similar but some different areas are explored by introducing new locations (school clubs, playground, cafeteria, hospitals, recreation parks, hot springs etc.) and characters. The motion is fluid and some of the scenes like that of Sousuke escaping the patrol car on bicycle, battling the butler and the battle at hot springs are stunningly well depicted.

The music choice in Fumoffu is.. good, I think. The OP "Sore ga Ai Deshou' is beautiful(I so love it) but doesn't seem quite apt due to a serious sort of theme, the ED is fine. The BGM frequently has some serious or throbbing tones which are meant more as a mockery than otherwise and the romantic tunes are also great but those actually meant as comedic are not spectacular. So to say other than the soundtracks that explicitly convey laughs the choice is better than standard, thus even though the BGM is great its not very appropriate. The synchronization and timing are good.

Fumoffu fully exploits the well-developed character base of FMP while also introducing its own cast. The characters of Sousuke, Chidori and Tessa are extebsively used but hardly developed and maintain a status-quo ( They're not inanimate but they are static). But the Student council president, school staff and students (Ono-D, Tsubaki etc.) along with others like Yakuzas, Police lady and most notably Bonta-kun are nicely introduced and characterized. Bonta-kun is one of the most hilarious and enticing characters of the series and you'll see why if you watch. I love the series so I'll give a slightly biased 8/10 to the characters.

This is one of the most enjoyable comedy series I've ever watched- it doesn't resort to stale or recycled humor or cheap tricks or gap-filling fan-service and not even ecchi humor and still manages to provide a great entertaining experience. The events are brief and hardly any time is wasted on developing a central storyline or theme, the conversations are concise and comprehensible, the sense of satire is modest and a quite a few scenes are like - OMG! OMG! and you clench your stomach twisting with laughter..
What this means is that you get a show with nearly 100% comedy since almost every bit of time is utilized in doing so. A value for your time and laughter for your heart.. You've gotta see this one. read more

Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu (FMP:F) improves on its bipolar predecessor by focusing only on comedy. FMP:F is essentially a collection of filler episodes that could of been taken from the FMP story line. Therefore, there is no plot or character development or AS (Arm Slaves) fights, just the antics of Sousuke and the rest. So those fans looking for a continuation of FMP are not going to find it in FMP:F instead watch Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid. A nice thing about FMP:F is that you don't have to watch the first series to enjoy this. There aren't many references the first Full Metal Panic and all you need to know is Sousuke has live all his life as a solider and for the first time in his life he has to adapt to normal Japanese high school life. This time around instead of GONZO animating FMP:F Kyoto animation took the job.

Most of the comedy does rely on Sousuke's inability to adapt to normal Japanese life. With this type of catalyst FMP:F runs the danger of being repetitive. Thankfully it never does as there are a variety of situations and characters. Hell some of the characters are just as crazy as Sousuke. The scenarios we encounter are pretty standard for a HS based anime. However, the FMP:F take on these scenarios are absolutely hilarious. They take seemingly normal situations and exaggerate them to the point of complete hilarity. Also, they seem to take the insanity far enough to be funny but not to the point of absurdity and stupidity. This is a very delicate balance that far too many anime titles fail to get right.

One of my favorite parts was the variety of homages or parodies FMP:F has, from "Your under Arrest" to "Goldfinger." The FMP:F take on sports anime was a personal favorite. A stereotypical sports anime would be something like this. We have a group of losers that’s about to be disbanded if they don't win. Of course the team is missing a critical player. However, a coach comes and magically turns the team around and finds the missing player. I guess I'll let you use your imagination as to how FMP:F work with this idea.

I guess my only real complaint is that some of the earlier episodes were a bit weaker than the later episodes. Yes they were funny but not as funny. The further development of Sousuke and Chidori relationship felt weird within the context of FMP:F. FMP:F is an episodic series with no real story or continuity. So it follows the format of, stuff happens, development, and reset. However, admittedly if FMP:F were to be taken as lost filler episodes for the first Full Metal Panic then maybe it works, but not within the context of FMP:F.

There’s not much else I can say about FMP:F besides that its one of the few shows that still make me laugh after repeated viewings. Hell its one of the few shows that makes me laugh period. Sure there are a few weak episodes but what anime doesn't?
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First of all, the only reason I gave the "Story" category a grade of "9" is because Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu isn't actually a story. It's more of a compilation of mini-stories or events and mishaps of our high-school couple.

The artwork is astounding. You'll feel every facial expression as if you were really there, the figures are all proportional, the color is vivid yet simple at the same time, and the environment is rich with detail, with next to no flaws in anything.

It sounds great. The OST is perfect; the OP and ED themes are strongly reflective of the complexities brought about in the lives of teenagers. The Voice-Acting is amazing; you'll feel different emotions with every word. Kaname's voice goes from calm to angered to saddened with perfect transitions and matches perfectly with what you'd expect from a 16-year old girl such as herself. Sagara's voice isn't to be overlooked either. His sincerity and seriousness are perfectly accurate in terms of the war-obsessed soldier he's designated to play. And everyone else always has a full glass of emotion with their speeches so there's never really a dull moment.

The characters are awesome. The two main characters have come to be two of my favorites, because of what an amusement they are. Their compatibility speaks for itself, and though they don't develop too much, Kaname, Sagara, and the rest of the Jindai High School staff and students will keep you happy and fruitfully amused.

If you need something to enjoy; something to be happy about, look here. FMP? Fumoffu has so much humor involved, and the characters are well-rounded while equally unique from one another, and when thrown together like this, make combinations that will have you on the floor, and even rewatching the series entirely.

It's a relatively short series, so even if you're pressed time-wise, its manageable 12-episode count is neither shorter or longer than it needs to be; the perfect length. I found the series just next to flawless, therefore earning a well-deserved 10.

Hopefully you enjoy the series as much as I did. ;] read more

Let's say if I only was able to take one anime from each genre (drama, comedy, etc) with me to a deserted island which ironically had a tv with a dvd player (don't ask me where the electricity comes from) for the the comedy one, I'd take FMPF.

Why? Well...

Story
Well, there isn't any! Ha! Got you there. Ok well maybe there is a small story, but it's meaningless for this show and well it's genre which is comedy. Not many comedy shows have stories, other than slice of life type of format which this anime seems to portray. Besides comedies are made to make you laugh your butt of and well, this show accomplishes that in a multitude of ways from slapstick to ridiculous situations to so far fetched ideas, that you just have to laugh!

Art
Well, isn't spectacular, but the effects and artwork certain helps in making this show hilarious. For example when Sousuke punches one of the 3 Kung Fu brothers in the nuts! Ouch! Or when Kaname throws Sousuke in front of a car hilarious!

Sound
The voice actors did a create job for this show, both English and Japanese. In fact I like the English version a lot more just because they maintain the hilarity. Chris Patton (Sousuke) does an awesome job in this one as does Luci Christian who plays Kaname. Their chemistry in this show is great. A big plus especially in comedies like this! Music wise, ehh it isn't that great, but it isn't bad either, pretty average.

Characters
What!!! This is the best part of the show, Sousuke and Kaname start or get into so many funny situations you just can't help but laugh. Sousuke's naivety is usually the start of many of these situations. Kaname is there for the ride and she doesn't disappoint. You have other characters like the President who in English gives off some hilarious quotes. In short, they do what they are suppose to. Make you laugh!

Enjoyment
Come on now seriously? I love this show. It makes me laugh even after watching it many times and it is in my opinion one of the best comedy animes ever. Seriously, you'll love it if you like comedy (yeah it has some slapstick stuff, but it's hilarious not childish!) and no it doesn't retain any seriousness like it did for FMP and FMP: The 2nd Raid, but that's not what it's meant for, it's meant to make you laugh out loud and it certain does that! Definitely recommend it. read more