Chobits, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu Recommendations
It should be noted that this show is defnitely more focused on comedy than romance, so fans looking for some humor will definitely be pleased; this show is one of the funniest I've seen so far, right up there with Heaven's Lost Property on my list of favorite romantic comedies, and unlike HLP, this show relies far, far less on ecchi fan service to generate laughs (though it isn't entirely devoid of it).
FMP? Fomuffu places the socially maladjusted role on the male lead Sousuke, though the reasons he's so awkward are drastically different than those of Chii. He is a human, though he's been an
operative of a large scale military mercenary group since a young age. Thanks to that, most of his logic and reasoning are drawn from his experiences on the battlefield and in war. Basically, he never lived the life a normal child would. Given the duty of protecting the female lead, Chidori, he's forced to attend high school and live a civilian life in order to stay close and keep an eye on her.
What this leads to is him often blowing even the smallest of problems way out of proportion. For example, at one point he finds a stray hair stuck to his locker and realizes it's been tampered with. His solution? Detonate a C4 and blow it up; there could have been bomb rigged to blow up in there after all. Of course, his general mannerisms carry this same wierdness leading him to be completely oblivious to Chidori's feelings, giving him an air of innocense. It may not be the same type of innocense as Chii, but it is there, and considering his background, the difference makes perfect sense.
As for Chidori, I'm just going to throw this out there; she's very quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. Far from being a damsel in distress (despite Mithril deeming a bodyguard necessary), she has a personality similar to Tomoyo's during the first half of Clannad's first season, though she isn't quite as...abusive...towards Sousuke, she isn't afraid to play a little rough in order to teach him how to be civilized. Understandable considering he's doing things like setting up electric shock traps just to protect some baked goods from the possibility of getting stolen.
And that's where the story shows some similarities with Chobits. Despite him being there to protect her, Chidori is often saddled with the task of attempting (fruitlessly) to teach Sousuke how to behave like a normal person. This often backfires in spectacular fashion, causing him to go to extremes in trying to solve common, everyday issues. At one point she tries to explain to him that if he wants to get some of the best food from a popular stall before they run out, he has to show some "spirit" in getting through the crowd so he can get what he wants. His solution? Fire a warning shot from a loaded gun and demand the crowd disperse so he can get a roll of bread. Common sense; not his strong point obviously. It leads to more awkward and hilarious situations than you saw in Chobits, and that's a good thing really.
That's not to say Chidori doesn't have a soft side; thats where the relationship between the two comes into play. Throughout the show, Chidori tries (again, fruitlessly) to hint at her feelings towards Sousuke, who remains completely unaware of her advances. There are quite a few times where you really feel for her, she tries so hard to get his attention, but all he seems to care about is protecting her...until he starts to realize he has some different feelings himself. And that's really about all there is to the love story, it's nothing too spectacular, but it wasn't really meant to be since this show was an intermediary between the first season of FMP and TSR. Still, Sousuke's loyalty and determination in keeping Chidori safe is more often than not sweet, and the whole thing is similar to Chii's constant attempts at making Hideki happy, though Chidori's tougher demeaner and Sousuke's various absurdities put a unique spin on it.
In the end, if you're okay with the lighter romance plot and the roles being assigned to opposite genders this time around, I'm sure Chobits fans will find FMP? Fumoffu an awesome experience...and to be honest, I'd recommend it regardless. Despite being a spin-off of a serious mech action/drama, this show is a huge success as a SoL-ish school action/comedy. Add on the fact that the show is completely watchable without needing to see a single episode of the first FMP season, and you seriously would never know where it got its roots from.
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