ALARIS' REVIEWS

2nd January 2010
Full Metal Panic (2002)

I made it to episode 6 of this anime series before the panty shots killed it for me.

The premise actually isn't too bad: three young soldiers belonging to a secret mecha justice force are assigned to protect an exceptionally pretty, apparently ordinary schoolgirl - Kaname Chidori, who's in danger of being kidnapped by nefarious, unknown forces.

The main character seems to be Sousuke Sagara - an earnest, straight-laced, and emotionally underdeveloped soldier, who begins to develop feelings for Chidori after going undercover as a - you guessed it - high school student.

The first few episodes are okay, with the soldier-out-of-water hijinks reasonably easy watching. But once the serious plot kicks in, everyone's brains seem to take a hike (enemies and allies alike), and the series starts to come down with a bad case of 'feisty schoolgirl vs. brooding protector' (Fushigi Yugi, 1995, fell to the same unfortunate blight). Not to mention the increasing number of panty shots.

If I had nothing else to watch, Full Metal Panic would probably be okay. Maybe I'll even pick it up again one day. But after watching series like Ruroni Kenshin (1996) which has better troubled characters; Vision of Escaflowne (2000) which has a better female lead, better mecha, and better story logic; and Bleach (2004) which has better female characters, better battle scenes, and doesn't need mecha, Full Metal Panic just feels like it falls a bit short everywhere.

Verdict: A mediocre teen mecha series that could be better, but could be worse.