Full Metal Panic Overload

Publisher
ADV Manga
Writer
Shouji Gatou
Artist
Shikidouji, Tomohiro Nagai
Country of origin
Japan
Length
4 volumes
Year
2001

Full Metal Panic Overload GN 1

By David Rasmussen
14th Aug 05

It�s the Summer of 2005, and right now that means the biggest thing coming out of a book store would be Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. After all it DID sell 6.9 million copies in 24 hours! But let�s say, for the sake of argument, that you are NOT a Harry Potter fan, then what? You want to get something to pass the summer away reading and yet you do NOT want to get the latest adventures of that teen Wizard sensation Harry Potter, then what? How about a bunch of mangas of titles worth reading? Like this week�s recommendation of Full Metal Panic! For starters?

And why not start with a new Full Metal Panic that�s� NOT so new?
Full Metal Panic Overload may be new to me and you, but according to when it first released it came out two years PRIOR to the Full Metal Panic books I�m reviewing this week (GN 6 & 7) so it�s abit older than those� odd. Anyway this series is different, and not just in the story as in other things as well.

First thing you no doubt have noticed is the cover art is abit different than that of the regular Full Metal Panic series. This is because FMP! Overload sports a different Artist (Tomohiro Nagai as opposed to FMP!�s Retsu Tateo), so the artstyle is different than what you might be used to seeing.

Second these stories are supposed to be FMP as you�ve never seen them before. So no talk of Mithril, nothing about the �whispered� (I talk about that briefly in my FMP GN 6-7 review), and just all out madness with Kaname, Sosuke, Kyoko and the rest of the gang� more or less. However in this case �madness� equals gun and explosives play, not the subtle stuff of the regular FMP. While the humor in the FMP series is abit more subtle (and not always gun/bomb laden) that is not the case in FMP : Overload! In fact the entire thrust of the humor of Overlad centers around the destructive nature of Sosuke and his endless potential to cause chaos with his misinterpretation of things, as well as his readily available arsenal of firearms and high explosives.

Let�s start off with the first story, �He Enters With A Bang�, and go from there.
In �He Enters With A Bang�, it looks like Kaname is late to school and within the first four pages Sosuke does something that may give those in the �nanny state� of mind reason to ban this book� he blows up the front of a subway train! Actually he just uses explosives to knock the train off it�s tracks (zero fatalities), and ground it for half a week, but the implication of bomb + train alone is enough to make some cringe in light of the recent events in the UK� yeah, nobody�s banning a title like FMP anytime soon but still, it might touch a raw nerve in a few readers all the same.

From there the explosions do not stop, nor does the gunfire.
In this chapter he saves Kaname from a bomb he placed on her schoolgrounds only to lose his memory, and become no more or less a pain in the rear than he has been since the start of this book.
Then the comedic elements become not too unlike the instructions on a bottle of shampoo.
Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

In �Crazy First Period� he uses explosives to get Kaname to school (more or less), waves his gun around (shoots it too), and then uses his military training to embarrass Kaname by relating her activities the night before via a security report that is sure to make her harm him all the more. Why? Because she can, and harming Sosuke is always a readily available source of quick humor in this title.

In �How to Spend Study Hall� he puts Kaname�s life at risk helping her �study� military techniques to keep her safe after he blows up the classroom when Kaname fails to properly explain what �study hall� is to Sosuke. Guns, explosives and the use of chemicals all in one story.

After that we have �Together with Sosuke�, �The Lure of the Pool� and �Warnut & Festival Nut� which all bank on the comedic element of guns, explosions, and the ability of Sosuke to get the wrong notion about just about everything normal (go figure). That, of course, means if you fell in love with the pacing of the regular FMP series you might be abit jarred by the over the top pacing of FMP Overload. Thus while FMP (the regular series) has a nice blend of comedy that is both up front (guns and explosions and Sosuke getting out of hand) and subtle (Kaname worrying herself sick about what Sosuke is up to or something like that), this title is not so well rounded.

Yeah. It�s nice and all that we have a new FMP series, but mind you this title takes the same jokes and runs with them throughout (over and over). Sosuke getting out of hand, Sosuke shooting or exploding things, Kaname going off and wailing on Sosuke something fierce, etc. etc. etc. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
And then there�s the fact that we�re missing some of the characters from the regular series. No Onodera, no Kazuma, no Tessa (seemingly), and even Kaname�s class doesn�t seem to have the same individuality seen in the regular series (they seem to be kind of generic in Overload). The only characters you see that should be familiar to you is Kaname, Sosuke, Kyoko and the teacher (who gets a bigger role here than she does in the regular FMP), which is a little light on the characters.

Another problem is the whole �no Mithril� and �no Whispered� thing. Why is that so important? During �Crazy First Period� Kaname asks why Sosuke has to guard her� well, without the context of the above (he was sent by MITHRIL to protect her since she is a suspected �Whispered�) he only gives her vague answers! Also, well, because the above is missing there seems to be more, in fact an overabundance, of focus on how Sosuke used to be raised on �the battlefield�.

A brief sampling from several chapters.
�Look, I know you grew up on battlefields all over the world, but this is Japan!�
�I realize he grew up on the battlefield��
�As soon as I reach a new battlefield, there are many things that have to be done.�
�If you want to survive on the battlefield, you need to have a firm grasp of the situation you�re in.�

Thanks. I think I got that point the FIRST time it was mentioned. No need to repeat yourself� a half a dozen or so times in one book� thanks anyway.

When it comes right down to it this is FMP gone wild, drenched in acid (the kind you find in NARC), and armed with explosives. Most definitely not the FMP experience you have seen before. Ok. Breakdown.

FMP the Overloaded Breakdown (the 1st)
What�s Hot?
Yeah, it�s FMP and it�s good. If you are a follower of the series (at least the manga at any case like I am) then another FMP title is something you are in dire need of. This�ll fill your need as you wait for FMP GN 8 and the upcoming FMP Overload GN 2.

What�s Not?
However it�s not as subtle in it�s humor like the regular series. Everything is done over the top and with lots of flair and flash� also it tends to hang on certain things like the humor of Sosuke going wild, or Sosuke shooting up things or exploding things or stuff like that. I�m sure there�ll be some variety, and it won�t all be the same situations over and over again, so I really have no complaints. It just came out, it�s another chance to get your FMP fixation, what more can you ask for? The few complaints I have can probably be ignored if you are a true blue fan of the FMP series.

Moments to Remember?
You�ll find them, sure enough. You didn�t have a problem finding your favorite moments from previous FMP books so you won�t have any problems now.

What to Ignore?
I�d like to ignore the endless talk of the �battlefield� and how we can�t seem to forget that Sosuke was raised on a battlefield� or just raised in a game company�s offices of Midway (they who are known for their violent video games)� one or the other. Anyway thanks but I got the whole �battlefield� thing the first time I heard it, repeating it for my benefit wasn�t necessary.

Overall?
It�s FMP, it�s new, it�s a spinoff series that takes the series in a different direction, why not! The series is a brand new slice of addiction for you fans of the series, and another chance to get your fix of FMP right here and right now. And since the Harry Potter fans got their fix on this Summer why shouldn�t fans of some of the best Anime/Manga series out there also get their fix? FMP being one of those groups in question who need a fix to get them through the hot summer months.

If you are a fan of the FMP series, seen the Anime, watching FMP : FUMOFFU now on DVD (or waiting for it to hit in Region 2 format), and are enjoying the mangas then you�ll love Overload. I don�t know if this is the right title to start a new collector on, I�d go with FMP GN 6-7 for that, but it is something to consider since it should find a wide appeal amongst readers out there. Give this little explosive slice of acidic joy a shot, you might find you like it� and that�s a good thing.

-- David Rasmussen 14th Aug 05