Full Metal Panic!

When I first started watching this series, I had very high hopes for this, due to many of my friends saying great things about this series. You can safely say that I was not disappointed.

This series follows a member of the Mithril organization, Sousuke Sagara. He has been assigned with the task of protecting a high school girl, Chidori Kaname, from terrorists and other bad people. To do this, he has to enroll in her high school. Of course, when Sousuke is a stiff with no experience or knowledge whatsoever when it comes to socializing with other people, trouble is predestined to arise.

The story of this anime series is pretty good. In one moment, you're watching an intense and serious battle situation, where giant robot fights it out with futuristic technology, and in the next, you're watching a really good high school comedy. This series changes between those two a lot, and it's done well, because you get a mix of genres, varying from mecha to high school comedy at its best. This makes the story really enjoyable. There's one flaw, however, and that's the all to open ending of the series. But then again, it has a sequel, so I'm okay with that.

I really loved the animation style in this series. It didn't have a lot of unique features, if any at all, so I can't and won't give it a top score. There was however no noticeable flaws, and some very cool CGI at times (usually I'm not a fan of CGI in anime, but it was done pretty well here).

The soundtrack of this anime was, well, pretty average. It can boast about good OP and ED themes, but aside that, it's not very much to listen to at all.

The series feature a lot of various characters, from the un-killable bad guy to the stiff, no-experience-in-socializing military kid and the ever so normal teenage girl. There's a lot of other various characters (like a pacifistic girl who's the leader of the good guys' organization (at least she's the captain of their main submarine)), and the woman-loving, easy-going guy. Yes, the characters can seem very unoriginal, but I still enjoyed watching them. There was not a lot of character development present; aside a teeny bit on Chidori and Sousuke's part.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable anime series, and I'm keeping my hopes up for the sequel, as well as the spin-off. If you enjoy some good action as well as high school humor, you should definitely watch this series.

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

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STORY
8/10
Basically, Sargeant Sagara Sousuke, from the anti-terrorism organization Mithril, goes undercover to protect Chidori Kaname, a girl who holds the key to "Black Technology" and is targeted by a terrorist and mastermind criminal. The twist is that Sousuke is socially retarded and he enjoys using his military knowledge in everyday life which causes all kinds of problems and hilarious situations. This definitely was not one of the more believable shows I’ve encountered. How could one of the world’s most feared and professional military units have a 16 year old commander who tolerates abuse from her peers and subordinates? If you can get past this (I did), the storyline was pretty good.

ANIMATION
7/10
As expected from GONZO, the animation was good. The character and mecha designs weren’t the most original I’ve encountered. One good point worth mentioning was the contrasting choices of colors. The battle/war scenes were expectedly dark and brooding, whilst the naïve and cheerful school environment was vibrantly bright. It was very nice and clean, and very colorful with the variety of characters' hair colors.The unimpressove cg for the submarine was the only thing that bothered me though. Most of the animation was pretty good, but it didn't really leave a big impression on me.

MUSIC
8/10
The OP and ED were extremely pleasant songs. The ED was especially serene. Even though I didn’t listen to it in full after all 24 episodes, it definitely was near to that. The voice actors also really fit their characters. From the emotional Chidori to serious Sousuke.

CHARACTERS
9/10
This is the forte of FMP. Each and every character is distinct and very likeable. It would be hard not to find a character in this show that you would not like. Also, the chemistry between Chidori and Sousuke really drives the plot forward. My favorite characters have to be Chidori, Sousuke and Testarossa. Chidori looks like an angel but can be a tough opponent the next moment. Enter Sousuke the professional teenage soldier who has no clue how to live as a normal student. Hence he keeps seeing a terrorist in almost every person, leading him to save her many times from things harmless. It was a joy to watch their relationship develop. I can't quite put my finger on why I like Testarossa but her being there added something to both Chidori and Sousuke characters that would otherwise be missing. She is also a solid character by herself, caring for her crew and trying to do the right thing but she is clumsy to the core and I suspect a hopeless romantic.

ENJOYMENT
9/10
Great series and theres still more! Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid still awaits and it has a bundle of surprises just like this series. I couldn't stop watching this series even if my arms were cut off. Pretty grotesque but thats how fun this anime was. I loved the bipolar nature of this series. One episode a light-hearted high school comedy, the next a serious action adventure.

I would recommend this without any hesitation. A fun, enjoyable and entertaining watch.

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What, that's it?

Despite not being much of a mecha fan, I decided to check this series out after a lot of strong recommendations from friends and online sites alike. I was expecting a compelling story, jaw-dropping action scenes, and decent humor. Those predictions went zero for three.

Instead, I got a series which seems to have no clue what kind of story it wants to tell. Is it a romance story framed around action and comedy? Or is it an action series with comedy and romance thrown in? This synthesis can work, as long as the director is talented enough, and as long as putting these different elements together actually makes sense. Here, it doesn't.

It's ridiculously contrived; there's no logical reason for a secret military organization to protect a Japanese schoolgirl, there's no explanation for why they would do so by any means other than kidnapping her, and there's no attempt at justifying a valuable military agent being used for that purpose. The whole pay-off here is supposed to be the humor in a naive member of the Special Forces going undercover in a Japanese high school.

Now, if this set-up was treated as something absurd in its own right, with the fourth wall being broken, it could work. But therein lies the problem. It's treated seriously, just like a 14 year old, pink-haired, cute girl with giant eyes and a soft voice being the supreme commander of our secret military organization is treated with stone-faced sincerity, also.

Then, the viewer is suddenly expected to care when the show takes a serious turn, and our Japanese schoolgirl heroine Chidori is kidnapped by an evil terrorist. It just doesn't work together; either stick with a humorous, light-hearted comedy approach, or go with a suspenseful action series instead.

Worse still, neither the comedy, action, nor the romance in this series is particularly good.

The humor was bland. A lot of canned, frequently repeated jokes from live action films, and too much of it based on a clueless military protagonist who doesn't understand civilians, a running gag which wears thin quickly. Most disappointingly, the show at no point mocks its own absurd premise.

The cast is filled with shallow, cliche characters, stereotypical and retarded anime conventions (high school girls beat up a highly trained military operative), and perplexing and unreasonable events. One can't make a solid romance in such circumstances, either.

The action was marginal at best, and an awful, mailed in job at the worst. The hand-to-hand fighting was stiff, awkward, and is worse than at least half the action anime from the nineties, let alone this decade. The mecha action was worse than any Gundam series from the mid 90's onward.

The positives of the series is that it has good pacing and at least tries to inject some comedy into the work. The animation is also nice. That's about it. Don't believe the rest of the hype.

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-- [ Full Metal Panic :: Eps: 24 :: Overall: 9 ] -

Full Metal Panic. Now, this is something which you will want to see! It's a very good mixture of humour, action and suspense. In fact, it balanced everything very well so that the anime is neither too heavy, nor too light. It's serious, without being too serious, if you see what I mean. Well, there aren't many things to criticize about Full Metal Panic (FMP), rather there are many things to compliment. Up to now, I found nothing particularly bad. Save perhaps for the lack of details here and there. But if you think a bit, or rewatch it, everything becomes clear. In brief, Animation is great. Sound is very satisfactory. Story is great. Characters are very detailed. And the enjoyment is ever present! What more to ask for? Let me start the detailed review then.

- [ Animation = 9 ] -

FMP was one of the first animes I saw. It must have been like 5 years before. But when I started watching, I found the animation extremely good. The colours were vivid, the play on lights was well made, the choice of colours rendered the moods well, and the overall animation was fluid. FMP is about mechas and other machinery. These were well detailed and very well designed, in terms of futuristic ideas and components. The characters too were well drawn, the eyes a bit too big sometimes which ruins the realism. However, they are cute, specially the girls. There are hardly any frame-reuse or things like that. The scenes too were good, although they are hardly animated (if you compare to the likes of Black Lagoon). However, FMP has a good standard. And also, note the use of CGI here and there, specially for the Dannan submarine and underwater scenes. For once, the CGI is good, and not bizarre like some animes portray. There are hardly any glitches in the animation, earning FMP a 9 for animation.

- [ Sound = 9] -

Sound rarely gets my attention. Here is was worth it. The music used is lively and suits the moods well. They can switch from heavy to lively in an instant, and through the use of sound effects, the transition is smooth. They did a good job on the soundworks for FMP. The OP and ED are good, although I have a preference for the OP's music. There are not much in-episode music, but when they come, they are good!

The voice actors too did their job, and did a great work at displaying the various emotions of the chracters, from the stern Sagara to the lively Chidori. It might just be me, but sometimes, I found the tones just slightly exaggerated. (However, this seems normal since all of Chidori's moods are exaggerated!)

- [ Story = 9 ] -

FMP packs a great story. I've seen animes revolve around mecha, displaying a wide array of fights and explosions, without a really good story. However, FMP did well again here.

The story is that of Kaname Chidori who is one of the Whispered, but who lives as a normal schoolgirl, unknowing of her own powers. The Whispered have special abilities that allow them to interact with machines and possess enormous amounts of knowledge on various things. They can design extremely complex machinery with their knowledge. Now, other organisations are after the Whispered to gain access to their knowledge, for the development of weapons and such. Sagara Souske is given the mission to protect Chidori, along with his comrades Melissa Mao and Weber Kruz. Sagara is a millitary expert and extremely proficient at his trade. He works under the command of Mithril, a high-tech mercenary organization.

The mission seems simple, but for Sagara who is foreign to normal school-life, things can get pretty dirty. Chidori things Sagara is stalking him, whereas he thinks he's protecting her. Expect lots of humour, ecchiness and fan-hits. Yes, paper-fan hits!

As you see, the story is quite complex and lively, and it ends beautifully. Not only that, there are 2 sequels afterwards, and 3 OVAs! If you want more FMP afterwards, check out FMP: Fumoffu (Joke episodes and fun) and FMP: The Second Raid (The second volet of FMP). The OVAs are pretty much humouristic than story-oriented.

I gave it an 8 because sometimes, the plot can be just a bit difficult to understand due to a lack of clear details.

- [ Character = 9 ] -

The characters in FMP, although not many, are very diversed. Sagara is too stern. Chidori is extremely lively. Weber is too relaxed. Mao is a perv. Tessa is an all-out Sagara admirer. Sagara? He lives in a nutshell like a hermit! :P

The characters and their behavior are very varied, and through interaction with each other, they evolve (no they are NOT pokemon!) and become better. It's quite fun to see this evolution, specially the haphazard one of Sagara!

Their respective backgrounds are also well introduced. Nothing is rushed and we are given enough details about them. Not too much (since the rest comes in the sequels). We also get to see the strange behavior of Sagara, like carrying a big arsenal of guns wherever he goes, and being over-protective of Chidori, who doesn't know she's protected. All these add to the fun!

- [ Value and Enjoyment = 9 ] -

FMP is really funny sometimes. The constant blunders of Sagara will always get you laughing. However, if you are looking for suspense and mystery, you'll also find it in FMP, when the stuff about Whispered comes up. If you are looking for mecha action and fights, you will be satisfied too!

There is also a fair bit of ecchiness for those who like it.. Also, expect violence and fights.

The rewatch value lies in going back to the fun parts of FMP, and also to check the mysteries again, just to get a better understanding.

- [ Conclusion ] -

FMP deserves a watch. It's a good anime, and well balanced at that. It's sequel too are good. So give it a try and you will not regret it IMHO...

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