Anime Review: Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid

With this review, I conclude the 3rd and (final?) season of the FMP series. The ending was left rather open-ended and there are definite distinct possibilities that this is the final season after a long 3 season run, based on the Gonzo press release. The next anime I shall be reviewing is an anime more suited for the ladies, but fun nonetheless to watch; Ouran High School Host Club by Studio BONES.

Title: Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid

Studio: Gonzo Animation

Episodes: 13 + 1 Special (The Captain's Day off), 21 minute run time, except for the special, which is about 40 minutes

Category: Action Comedy, With romantic elements. Mecha-based.

Synopsis: In TSR we see a return to the roots of FMP, the battlefield and the story continues on from where Season 1 left off. There is some slight overlap in the explanation of the experimental Lambda Driver, the ambivalent piece of weaponry that relies on human emotions to work. The Lambda Driver enhances attacks as well as acts as a shield by amplifying human emotions and translating them into energy. However, extremely strong human emotions are required and it is thought to be impossible to control emotions in such a manner. For this reason, Sgt. Sagara struggles to come to terms with the Arbalest, the experimental Arm Slave he has been assigned to pilot due to his incredible piloting ability. To him, a weapon that isn't consistent cannot be relied on. The irony is that until he learns to trust the Lambda Driver, it can never work for him. Sagara still juggles his missions with school work and as graduation year draws near, he has to study with increasing fervor even while on missions. In a bizarre twist, Sagara is suddenly recalled from his mission to protect Chidori, a Whispered and this brings him to a realisation of his feelings for her as well as his need for her. In the meantime, following Gaul's death, a new brutal terrorist emerges with a small contigent of special Venom-type arm slaves, which are also equipped with the Lambda Driver. Amidst the hole created in his spirit from having to leave Chidori, Sgt. Sagara must discover how these terrorist pilots are operating the Lambda Driver and he must face his toughest challenge yet in defeating them.

First Impressions: I was expecting a lot from the final season of FMP, given how much I enjoyed the first two seasons. It delivered instantly. No surprises.

Art: Remains similar, scroll down to take a look at the previous seasons
4/5

Characters: By far, the characters in this season receive the best treatment. With a good deal of exploration and also the filling in of several previously ignored loopholes in the previous season. The characters are now as complete as can be.
5/5

Storyline: TSR has the most plot twists in it amongst the 3 seasons. It keeps you on your toes and is extremely welcome. Nothing of spectacular brilliance though.
4/5

Ending: Though rather expected, the ending was emotively charged and provided a good climatic tie-up to the whole story. It was a tad rushed though, probably due to the fact that it was only 13 episodes.
4/5

Overall Impressions: The relationships are very well balanced with the Mecha aspect in TSR, as opposed to the first season, where Mecha fared a little too strongly and in Fumoffu, where there was far too little Mecha. The scriptwriters at Gonzo probably finally got it right after the first two seasons swung too strongly to either extreme. There are quite a number of repeated information bits, especially about Black Technology and the Arbalest, but this is understandable or viewers who just watch TSR straight will have no clue about what's going on. It is highly possible to watch TSR on it's own without having watched the previous two seasons and still enjoy it greatly. Though short, the plot and character development is quite self-contained. Very good. The only problem was that it was too short and it just whizzed by like the wind.

Additional Notes: The violence is still there, but it isn't overly much. As a point of interest, the opening theme(Minami Kaze[South Wind] by Mikuni Shimokawa) is highly enjoyable.


This series rocks! Go watch it!
*All the anime series I review here I have on hand. Feel free to contact me if you wish to borrow it. Unfortunately, for admin. purposes, I have to limit this offer to people whom I know on a personal level.*