Full Metal Panic!

Publisher
ADV
Director
Koichi Chigira
Production
Gonzo Digimation, WOWOW
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
24 episodes
Year
2002

Full Metal Panic! Series Review

By Stephen Lerch
14th May 05

Full Metal Panic is a 24 episode television series that ran from January 8, 2001 until June 18, 2002. It was followed by a sequel series, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu and rumor has it a third series is in the works.

This review covers only the first series, Full Metal Panic.

Series is available on 7 Region 1 DVDs, which this review covers.

Character names appear in Japanese order.

Short Synopsis:

Sagara Sousuke is an operative for the secret peace keeping organization known as Mithril. His mission? To protect Kaname Chidori from being captured by the enemy and forced to impart secret ‘black technology’ to them which would change the balance of power in the world.

Sagara is a 16-year-old boy who has been trained in the art of war since he was 8 in the imaginary country of Helmajistan where he was a guerilla. He has taken part in many operations, from assassination attempts to rescuing other kidnapped people. His hardest mission is his current. He has to pretend to be a normal boy, mask his attempts to protect Kaname and deal with feelings he doesn’t seem to understand.

Kaname may be a whispered, a person who has knowledge of ‘black technology;’ this knowledge is something some are born with. She has no idea what a whispered is, if she is one, that people are after her and that she is being protected. She just think Sagara is a military nut and isn’t entirely sure why she finds him so interesting.

Other Mithril operatives directly assisting Sagara are Kurz Weber and Melissa Mao. Together they attempt to teach Sagara how to be a normal high school student and also assist in protecting Kaname.

Another important character is Teletha Testerossa, 16-years-old and the captain of Mithril’s unique submarine, the Tuatha de Denaan. She is also the superior officer to Sagara, Kurz and Melissa. What makes her important is that she is a whispered and she is also interested in gaining Sagara’s affections.

What you have is a clueless boy caught in a very peculiar love triangle, even if he doesn’t realize it for himself.

Video:

The animation on the show is spectacular. Yet another high mark on a very impressive report card for the studio behind it, Gonzo. 3D special effects meld with traditional style animation, and although you can tell, the two methods accentuate one another and are very well done.

All on screen text is soft subtitled, with the opening and ending credits being in English. There are a couple of episodes where the end credits are in Japanese because they are unique endings, and they are followed after the next episode preview by English credits scrolling on a black background.

This series has a very nice DVD transfer over all. There are a few instances of the video seeming to be a little soft, but it’s hard to tell if it’s DVD issue or if that is the way a scene was designed.

Audio:

You can view this show in Japanese 2.0 stereo, English 2.0 stereo and English 5.1. The English mixes don’t seem to be at the same volume level as the Japanese audio, with the English being a little quieter. The audio is clear in both languages; just know that you may need to turn your volume up a little for the English audio.

The Japanese voices match the character’s attitudes perfectly. I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing the parts of the main characters.

I only spot check the English audio tracks, so the quality and accuracy of the characters is something I will leave for other viewers to debate and decide upon.

Extras:

You are given clean opening and endings, production sketches and Japanese piracy warnings. As with most discs, you are also provided the staple previews for other shows released by the studio (ADV in this case).

Packaging:

On each of the seven discs, the front cover is adorned with the Full Metal Panic logo, along with a different mech from the show. On the back is a short synopsis of the disc, a list of extras and some screen captures. The background colors/images really mix with the feel of the show.

Each cover is reversible, and on the reverse side of each cover has a different main character from the show. The back cover of the reversed cover also has show descriptions.

Included with each disc is a fold out poster with facts and descriptions of different characters, the mecha and some times some clarification on some plot points. The poster artwork is high quality and a nice addition to the package.

The first disc in the series is available in one of two flavors. You can purchase the disc only or the disc plus a special artbox to hold all 7 of the discs in the series. The artbox is a foil type design and is quite sturdy. Also included with the box as an extra is an XL tee-shirt featuring Kanami, Sagara and the Arbalest with the Full Metal Panic English logo. On the back is the ADV Films logo.

Another release of Full Metal Panic! was released not long ago. This version use the thin pak DVD cases, but uses the same artwork for it’s box as what was used on the full sized box. The cover art is the same for each disc, though I do not know whether the thin pak covers are reversible. This set does NOT include the fold out posters or inserts.

Final Analysis:

Full Metal Panic is an amazingly addictive show for those that enjoy it. I find myself rewatching it from time to time, which given the size of my collection, speaks volumes about this show’s content.

From the voice acting, the animation to the music, this series screams of quality. The animation is high quality Gonzo, the music matches the theme of the show (and reminds one of the A-Team with it’s military feel) and voice acting that is spot on.

For fans of the Manga, the Anime doesn’t follow the story exactly, though it relates. If you are looking for a 100% faithful interpretation, then you will be disappointed. If you can watch with the mind set that things can and will be different, then you will enjoy this show. There is less comedy in this season than what the Manga possesses. If you want the comedy aspect and a near faithful interpretation, look into buying Fumoffu, the second series of the Anime.

If you are a fan of clumsy romantic comedy, giant robots and a good story, then look no further than Full Metal Panic.

-- Stephen Lerch 14th May 05

Full Metal Panic! Images