Review of Full Metal Panic!
Hi! Time for Robert's Too Late Reviews! This time we're stepping all the way back to 2002 to take a look at Full Metal Panic!, a mecha comedy/action/light romance anime. I actually did a review on the latest season which was revived and aired in the past year, but didn't realize at the time I hadn't reviewed the beginning of the show! Today we're here to correct that! I'm going to be dealing with the dubbed version and only talking season 1. I might come back and update after rewatching the Second Raid. I plan for the season entitled "FMP! Fumoffu" to get it's ownreview as it's really a whole different pony show. As the overall number shows, I did quite enjoy FMP! and think there's something for most anyone's tastes to enjoy. However, this time I would suggest not giving up on it in the first few episodes, as it doesn't gel as quickly as other titles. Now let's get to it, see if we get some new wallpaper for the RTLR wall of mecha warfare!
Story: 7
The story is really your basic 'fish out of water' plot. We have this version built around a young lady that possesses information subconsciously that is of great power, being protected by a life long soldier who has an awful time adjusting to his new undercover assignment. The pair of course go through the story and develop feelings for each other, as such things often happen. As I've said before, and will likely say again in the future, knowing the general course of things doesn't mean we can't enjoy the ride. FMP! falls squarely in this territory, and yet, it's not really all that much of an issue.
Our female lead, Kaname, is an energetic high school girl who has information inside her that relates to what is called 'black technology' and the operation of a near magical power inside certain mech robots called the 'Lambda Driver'. This is a real Macguffin as the only mention of origin for this information is explained by telling her she's known it 'since before she was born'. As Kaname's parents are completely out of the picture, to the level of pointedly remarking on living alone a few times, there's no chance for her to really discover how she becomes one of the 'Whispered' with the information. That is one place you just have to roll with 'because' being the only answer to the question of 'why is she a Whispered?'
Because she has this information that somehow would greatly benefit anyone that could access it, a mercenary group not tied to any government but with morals that make Superman look like an ass, decides to send a trio of mech pilots to protect Kaname from shadowy, evil-type peoples. In the group is the blonde playboy Kurz, the kickass Melissa, and finally our male lead Sousuke. He's the only one of the three young enough to pass off as a student, so Sousuke is enrolled into high school to serve as Kaname's bodyguard, with all of this being unbeknownst to Kaname herself.
Of course, hijinks ensue as Sousuke has been a soldier for so long that he doesn't have a single clue how to even appear as a civilian, let alone operate a cover as one. His personal details, revealed throughout the series shows that he's been in war after war for pretty much his whole life. This is where our fish flops on the land. He operates as though there is an assassin or kidnapper in every corner, and takes every small thing as a huge tactical threat. At first, his ability to even laughably hold his cover is missing, as he's often pulling his gun on other students, tackling and interrogating people, and just generally acting like a 'military maniac' as Kaname calls him.
Even after the story stabilizes a handful of episodes in, FMP! keeps this humorous angle intact. Kaname, even after discovering the mercenaries and the truth of what's locked in her mind *still* smacks Sousuke around for being completely overbearing and nearly ruining her entire high school experience. Kaname is a bit of a fish out of water as well, when she learns she's in the center of a very dangerous situation by prospect of just being a Whispered in general. This often finds her in the middle of battles or having to be rescued by Sousuke and the team. This still doesn't keep him from taking a fan to the forehead, as she's a bit quick to convert her fear to anger and taking that anger out on poor Sousuke.
As FMP! moves down the stretch, Kaname and Sousuke begin to develop a relationship based on more than just military necessity. Like any number of other movies, tv shows, and anime, being in constant stressful conditions causes a bond between the two, though they don't make it as far as anything serious. The show is geared mainly around the battle actions and the comedy. I think this is a good call, as it keeps from bogging the series down. (A flaw I noted in FMP! Invisible Victory season)
We end up with awesome robot battles and sweet action framed by the slightly sweet but mostly funny relationship between Sousuke and Kaname, and together it works, maybe even better than the sum of the parts in general. Throw in a very menacing villain who has personal history with Sousuke, and the mysterious mercenary captain who is so much more than she seems and what comes out of the oven is a fun little show.
Art: 8
The mechs, that's the question, right? They look good, they are not this bland CG makes of more recent titles. Nor are they the overly busy 'Transformers (movies)' looking creations either. They are well drawn and fluid in their motions. In fact, they sometimes seem to be a little too fluid, leaping about nimbly in hand to hand combat and dodging incoming fire. These are not lumbering beasts by any means.
The overall artwork is nicely done, especially for the time frame in which it was released. There is, to my eye, a different aesthetic for anime artwork in the late '90's and early '00's. This title does not look nearly as dated as many from that same era, and the animation does not come across as overly dated.
My one complaint about the art, and its completely personal, is that I do not like Kaname's hair color and eye color combo. I don't know why. I like everything else, but her blue hair and brown eyes just irk me most of the time. Not enough to take away from the enjoyment, but enough to make this old man grumble about it.
Sound: 8
The sound is good, the mechs sound metallic enough, with the appropriate crashes and rattles as they move about. The gunfire sounds aren't remarkable in and of themselves, but are completely serviceable. The voice actors are very well suited to each of their characters, and everyone sounds pretty much spot on. The captain of the submarine, who is around Kaname's age, does sound, at times, almost too innocent and young for the portrayal needed.
The supporting cast voices are really well done also, with Kurz, Melissa, and the senior officers of the group all sounding awesome. In the case of Melissa and Kurz, they are most of the time very humorous as well.
The background music is well done, has a bit of brass fanfare to it in places, big sounds, but that's fitting as we're dealing with huge battling mechs. The theme songs are a bit subdued for the kind of action and comedy presented, but still work fairly well. My big complaint with the music is that in the theme songs, about halfway or a touch more through the season, they keep the exact same soundtrack, but change the lyrics. Just about the time I get the words down well, they go and remix the lyrics! It's not an overly jarring change, at least in how it sounds, but I would have been happy if they would have just kept the one version of each song.
Character: 7
Sousuke is a great character, he's always business, or at least always seems to be serious, yet at times kind of seems to grasp a lighter view. He does move from being somewhat clumsy as a bodyguard in the beginning, coming very close to completely blowing the trio's cover more than once, but after a handful of episodes he get the swing of things, and while is still just as maniacal about Kaname's safety but acts in a much more convincing manner. This is very noticeable once the main villain takes the stage, and once this growth happens, he doesn't change too terribly much. We do see him falling for Kaname in littler things he does and says, but perhaps he's not even admitted his feelings to himself by the end of the season. This works well, his fairly static nature, as he's the straight man in the comedy setup. Not only that, once he really gets rolling, he's shown to be an utter badass of the highest degree. While he is only in his late teens to early twenties, his abilities with the mechs are so well honed that he's given the only mech that has the ultra powerful 'Lambda Drive' in it. He does have a bit of a tragic past, shown throughout the series. Overall, however, he remains a soldier trying to desperately complete his mission of guarding Kaname with little to no clue how to do it within his mission parameters.
Kaname is just bubbly and fun, and while she does have her moments of getting into tight spots, she's not totally some damsel in distress. She's also actively involved a lot in her own rescue when she needs it, as her status as a Whispered somehow allows Sousuke to operate his mech's 'Lambda Drive' at a power level far beyond any other soldier in the outfit. She seems to be taken with him almost immediately after they are introduced, yet spends most of the season in denial, even after learning that she's a Whispered. She is a very tsundere character, and when the stress of the battle is over, she's quick to vent on Sousuke's head with whatever object is nearby. As all tsundere characters though, she does really come around and reach a point of caring deeply for Sousuke, not wanting him to leave when they believe the threat to her safety is over.
The villain is an absolute beast, killing remorselessly and once he realizes who Sousuke is, develops a psychotic infatuation with him. At one point, when it appears both Sousuke and the villain are to die together, the villain even tells him he loves him. At first blush one might think, 'haha what a funny thing to say' but the villain delivers the line in such a menacing manner, touched with an almost eagerness to die that it's utterly creepy. He's a bad guy for the books, that one.
The captain of the submarine that serves as the mercenaries' base of operations is, as I said, a young woman with a mysterious past of her own. She also becomes somewhat of a mild romantic foil for Kaname, developing feelings of her own for Sousuke. She's determined, sometimes naive, but has a good heart, and will do anything for her crew or to spare innocents. She's almost a touch overly goody-two-shoed, but just almost.
Finally to round out the character set we have Kurz and Melissa, Sousuke's fellow mech pilots and operatives on the protection of Kaname. Kurz is a blonde playboy that tries to be smooth, and thinks every woman wants him, and Melissa is a hard-drinking, hard driving babe that makes sure Kurz knows that most decidedly not all or even most women want him. He's always playing loverboy, making passes at Kaname the few times they come into contact, and constantly ribbing Sousuke to 'move in' on her. Though he's a bit a pig when it comes to women, he's a reliable sniper and adept mech pilot who always steps up when the cards are played.
Melissa is always throwing back a Budweiser and puffing a cigarette and giving Kurz a hard time. She's tough as nails and because she's the highest ranked among the three operatives, always leads by example. She fights hard, and she plays hard, and she's just one tough cookie! The only complaint I have about Melissa (who I otherwise love) is that she develops a very sudden case of competitiveness with the captain. This seems to come kind of out of nowhere, springing in suddenly one episode with little to indicate it was going to happen. She is the captain's polar opposite, so them not getting along perfectly makes sense, but it still hits as a little odd to go from only captain and crewman to prim and proper and loud and proud. It works, it's just a bit sudden when it starts.
Enjoyment: 8
Yeah, I know we're getting long again, aren't we? I can't help but talk about all the things I love, and I hope you guys, if any of you have read this far, can appreciate the passion I try to put into these pieces. So, FMP!, I did enjoy a good deal. I've actually seen season 1 a few different times, have used it as something to watch when I wasn't feeling up to keeping up with a new series. It's a fun little show with cool action and some really funny and great moments. Being someone who was a gamer in the '90's I nearly fell out of my chair the first time someone pulled out a Jane's magazine (they used to make *awesome* flight sims) and swung it around. There's several moments like this, some I know that went over my head in regards to weapons and tactics, but still, the overall experience is very satisfying.
A note of caution however: watch the series in order if possible. Or at the very least do NOT watch Invisible Victory (the latest season) first. I actually prefer to watch season 1, then The Second Raid then Invisible Victory as they all have the same framework. I watch Fumoffu entirely separately usually after the Second Raid, as it's not really a 'mainline' entry, and deals mainly with only humorous elements and not any heavy plot takes. For example there is a whole episode dedicated to Kurz and a couple other guys trying to peek in on the captain, Melissa, and Kaname in a outdoor hotspring. Sousuke of course uses military grade non-lethal (paintballs, etc) equipment to keep the girls' virtues intact (well, as much as Melissa's can be salvaged at that point) complete with a VERY well placed rubber duck. So yeah, know that Fumoffu is the wacky spinoff, and don't start with the latest season, it'll mess it all up for ya. That wraps us up, feel free to throw me some love or hate, depending on how much your eyes are bleeding from this essay, I always love hearing from people. As for the great RTLR wall of mecha knife fights, the captain (Tessa) makes an appearance for Mithril and all of FMP! Two thumbs up!