Anime Review: Full Metal Panic!

This will kick off the first of the Anime reviews, and all following reviews will be in this format. Just skip the post if you're not interested in Anime, there is also photo stuff on this blog.

Title: Full Metal Panic!

Studio: Gonzo Animation

Episodes: 24, 21 minute run-time

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

Synopsis: There exists a special breed of humans known as the Whispered, who have new bits of information pertaining to undiscovered technology in their minds. Every Whispered has a different bit of information; some have more, some have less. This information, called Black Technology, is being aftered by everyone from terrorists to this secret mercenary organisation called Mithril. Mithril has thus far maintained control over new Black Technology, and hence they possess equipment that is advanced by about 10 years or so as compared to current world military armaments. Mithril seems to be like a UN of sorts, maintaining order and peace, and also protecting their own interests. Enter Sagara Sousuke, a 17-year old Sergeant in Mithril. He was raised on the battlefield, having grown up as a child rebel fighter in Kazakhstan, but he must now learn to live a life of a high school student as he goes undercover to protect Chidori, a Whispered, from getting into the wrong hands. A military expert, he is adept at all sorts of weaponry, especially piloting the powerful Arm Slaves, but struggles to come to terms with a regular civilian life.

First Impressions: The action starts out pretty quickly with FMP! and doesn't leave you deciding whether to watch the next episode or not, it impels you to. We jump straight into the lives of the characters and also the scene is set for the rest of the series; Sgt. Sagara receives his assignment to protect Chidori Kaname, a Whispered. Solid first impression.

Art: I'm a fan of Gonzo art, so this get's top marks. Characters are well detailed and emotions are well reflected. Frequent use of traditional Japanese anime emotions like the famous drop of sweat. [-_-"]
4/5. Very Good





Voice Acting: Well done, convincing at all times, but by no means incredibly powerful. Suitable for the light-hearted nature of this series.
4/5. Very Good

Characters: Well developed 3d characters. Interactions between the characters are also kept real, though the medium of exaggeration can be overused at points. You tend to fall in love with the characters after awhile, especially as they develop. Some minor characters could be better developed, but that's why they're minor characters I guess.
4/5. Very Good

Storyline: Compelling stuff, with hardly a dull moment. Characters are well-developed and explained.
4/5. Very Good

Ending: The first season ends well, but leaves loose ends, as most anime series do. Some of them are tied up later in FMP:The Second Raid. Probably simple marketing.
4/5

Overall impressions: I really loved watching this anime, although I started with the second season, FMP: fumoffu, which focuses more on high school life and is exceedingly funny. This one, though still humourous, deals with less fluffy issues and can be quite poignant at points. There is certainly much more drama and a stronger story-line. This is a must watch to discover the back story of Sagara and also to track the development of Sagara and Chidori's rollercoaster relationship. Compelling. There are some cliches at points but nothing out of the ordinary for Japanese animation of this genre. Highly recommended top-notch stuff.
4/5

Additional Notes: Contains some level of violence and gore, as is typical of gonzo animation. However, this is not excessive and is sparingly used in this series.