Review of Full Metal Panic!

So here we are again. This is my second time watching Full Metal Panic, and i have kind of a long history with this anime. Back when i first started my anime journey, this was one of the first Mecha related anime`s that i watched. It was not because i had heard anything about it, but because i fell in love with Full Metal Panic Fumoffu, which is an anime that you can fully enjoy without watching this one. Nevertheless you will have a stronger love for the characters, and get an even better enjoyment out of it, by wathcing this one first. That is alsowhy i give this anime 7/10 now, with a medium rewatch value, compared to my old 9/10 score.

For me the first season is the weakest. It have some holes, here and there, were Sousuke manages to do think, they should not be able to do. Get in positions that does not make sense in the story. Still it have a charm to it, with it`s loveable character that is grounded in a very good way. Still it is clear that the anime does not know it`s strong point, which is its characters. The story itself is pretty mediocre, and i find myself wishing for some more slice of life/ school like elements, because i just want to enjoy the characters, and see them interact with one another. When it starts to propel itself through its story, it does not really catch me, even though it should. It is possible that it is because that it is an old anime, and because of that it have a slower pacing compared to todays anime. still i think people should give this a chance, and it will more than pay off when you watch Fumoffu, because that season plays to it`s strenght.

Something that really exceeds my expectations, is the art of the anime, especially when it portraits its characters and some of its still frames. It is able to comepete with todays anime(2018) with some of its artwork, and that is very impressive for an anime made in 2002. It will drop in quality when action happense, but that is to be expected and it is the best artwork i have ever seen for an anime that old. And in Fumoffo they up it even more! when i watched it in 2011 i thought it was new, because it was better animated than all the animes released that year, despite being made in 2003.(and that is amazing!) Fumoffo is able to comepete with some of todays anime in the art department, but this one falls short.

Still enjoyable, and even if you don`t like mech, it deserves a chance. And if you desite that you can`t watch it, at least watch Fumoffo, because it has no mech in it.