The first disillusionment I had on my return to anime (end of 2002) was a noticeable lack of decent mecha titles. Gundam SEED had been airing a few months back then, and it totally made me lose confidence in Sunrise's ability to produce anything beyond mediocre. Sure Macross Zero just came into the picture too, but the snail pace of OVA releases tested the patience of even monks in meditation. Nonetheless, to satisfy the mechanical fan in me, I continued deep diving the seabeds and prying open clamps in search of that beautiful pearl. That search brought me to Full Metal Panic!, a series that totally surprised and left me with mixed feelings, entertaining me from an unexpected dimension.
The onset of the show portrays a not-too-distant future where political unrest around the globe is on an upsurge. A clandestine peacekeeping consortium known as "Mithril" has been formed to deal with militant and terrorist violence with swiftness and efficiency, disappearing without a trace. There are also a variety of other secret "Black Technology" that are held within special individuals known as "The Whispered". Mithril must protect them from an evil organisation eager to obtain those secrets.
Identified Whispereds are assigned (without their knowledge, since they do not know they carry valuable information themselves) a team of bodyguards who go undercover and blend into their environment watching out for their safety and well-being. One such character is Japanese schoolgirl Chidori Kaname, and Mithril Sgt Sagara Sousuke being of Japanese origins gets assigned to act as a classmate of hers.
And here is where all the trouble, and fun, begins. Sousuke being bred and trained for survival in a war-torn third world country, knows nothing about Japanese pop culture. Everything is a battlefield in his eyes, and it's non-stop laughter seeing him struggling to decipher common items and daily lifestyle into something sensible, and always end up perceiving military threat. Incident after incident of wrongly-diagnosed situations invokes the (amusing) wrath of Kaname, and giving her an incredibly powerful personality that is not in your everyday damsel in distress. For that she remains one of the most vivid characters in anime, along with Sousuke's unforgettably unique antics. GONZO has done a superb job here translating the jokes of the original light novels into full animation. This title is a must-watch just for these alone.
While the political background makes for very rich soil for to grow tasty fruit, the same level of quality cannot said for the progression and development of the solemn military operations. Inbetween the funny episodes, the story takes breaks to delve back into the supposed "real thing" - combating the enemy organisation, Amalgam. Although the Arm Slaves (mecha) of Mithril looks sleek and overall art/animation quality is good, the action does not make up for the playout of events; which is mainly by the use of villainy, one that is absolutely grating. The Unmistakably-One-True-Villian, Gauln, time and again makes appearances in such annoying fashion, one can be lead to believe exterminating the cockroach from all the lands of the earth is an easier job. The story spent way too much time on Gauln without developing him or Amalgam. I was just hoping all the action would end quickly so that I could see more of the comedy.
So if you are looking for "military grade" anime carrying the legacy of Macross or Gundam (none of that post-UC trash, please), prepare to be disappointed. If you are actively seeking funny military tactics, prepare to be have your stomach hurt so bad from laughter. This is a comedy first, and sci-fi second. Make no mistake about it.
Overall rating: 7/10
Comedy format one of a kind; hilarious; sleek clean art; brilliant characterisation
Pesky villian; poor "enemy" AS designs; crippled story and development