Posted by : miestersean 
Posted on : 2008-07-19  
Plot: Weak, despite the outstanding first episode and decent few episodes after that. After it gets going into the main story, it's predictable and unoriginal: everything feels familiar, except done worse than before. The scripting is raw. Little is explained about the Whispered, the only interesting part of the story.
Music: Repetitive and disappointing. It's poorly composed and it adds nothing, sometimes even detracting from the show.
Voice acting: Average. Gauron's voice is notably bad. Kurz's is hilarious and Melissa's emotional, though.
Art: Uses repeated frames at times and is underwhelming -- the mecha scenes are sadly unimpressive. The drawings are often rough and lacking detail, particularly in the desert setting. The spliced-in 3D elements are tacky.
Emotional impact: Not much at all. The ending is poor and conflicts don't evoke much from the viewer.
Overall: Not recommended. It's derivative, unpolished, and way overhyped.
Posted by : Terentius
Posted on : 2008-07-16
Review based on ADV Films DVD.
Animation
As expected from GONZO, the animation was good. The character and mecha designs weren’t the most original I’ve encountered. One good point worth mentioning was the contrasting choices of colors. The battle/war scenes were expectedly dark and brooding, whilst the naïve and cheerful school environment was vibrantly bright.
Story
This definitely was not one of the more believable shows I’ve encountered. During the very brief interludes where I actually started thinking about the plot and story, I was just shocked into near disbelief as to how poor some of the situations and scenes were orchestrated. As mentioned in some previous reviews, the military chain of command of MITHRIL was a joke. I have seen rogue sub-ordinates in other shows behave with almost total disregard with respect to their commanders. At least it often involved individual characters but here, it took things to the level of a poor soap opera. How could one of the world’s most feared and professional military units have a 16 year old commander who tolerates abuse from her peers and subordinates? I found the story more entertaining as a light-hearted soap opera, rather than an action show.
Characters
The characters were OK, but I felt the show tended to treat them more as a comedic aid rather than a serious addition to the story. Considering the nature of FMP, I wasn’t expecting a Dickinsonian-like exploration of character development. Sousuke and Chidori made a very good double act on screen.
Music/Sound
The OP and ED were extremely pleasant songs. The ED was especially serene. Even though I didn’t listen to it in full after all 24 episodes, it definitely was near to that. The English dub was quite good and the cast brought out the same degree of humour that was evident in the original. I switched between the two soundtracks and enjoyed both of them equally.
Summary
I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by FMP. Perhaps it was the lack of a believable story and plot which contributed the most to its average performance. That is not to say I didn’t find it entertaining. FMP has one of the better double acts I’ve seen in anime and there were some funny moments every now and then. I personally found this introduction into the world of FMP to be decent and if I want something better I would definitely stick to either its direct sequel "Second Raid" or "FUMOFFU". Overall an average 3.5 stars.
Posted by : kevinchaosvs
Posted on : 2008-06-09
There really isn’t much to talk about for this series, as it’s rather average. It’s very much a very typical mecha series. There's nothing really impressive about the storyline progress either. Even the designs for the mechas aren’t particularly outstanding, and the animations for the fight scenes are also rather average and some are quite boring. The graphics design is pretty good, though, and the music is decent.
This is probably going to be my shortest review ever, as there really isn’t much to discuss. There's nothing fantastic to praise, nor is there anything really bad to rant about.
The saving grace for this series is the element of comedy and the characters. The personalities of the characters are what prevent me from giving this series a ‘fail’ rating, though sadly you don’t see much of them in the series as it concentrates more on the military aspect. My personal recommendation is to just watch the first few episodes to roughly know the situation, and then just proceed to watch Fumoffu.
Really, the comedy aspects are hilarious and we get to see more of the characters in Fumoffu. That’s where the real fun lies.
Story/Dev: 46%
Animation/Graphics/Design: 62%
Characters/Dev: 65%
Music: 65%
Personal overall rating: 53%
Posted by : ErwinRommel
Posted on : 2008-01-11
It is a good enough anime to watch once through. The story is adequate and the characters are pretty good. With some humor and action I can say this series will provide a satisfying experience; just don't come into it expecting the anime to be the next Evangelion.
With that said this anime suffers from mediocrity. Neither the story, character, and animation quality ever stands out. They aren't bad but if I were to point out something the anime does better than others than I'd be hard pressed to think up any.
The characters were pleasing but in the standard way. Kaname Chidori the main character is cute, and athletic. Sagara Sousuke is aptly named the military nut as he is a combination of Rambo and Mr. Bean. Those two were probably the saving grace of the series. Both the comedic and action scenes work well when the two are present.
There wasn't one story in the anime that I found to be provoking. Perhaps the best one I found is the return to Sagara Sousuke's homeland of Helmajistan. The story wasn't shy about killing off characters nor was it shy about the villains. In that one arc we can see Gauron, the main villain, at his best.
Overall the 7/10 is derived from the fact that the anime although not excelling in any particular area does a good enough job in all of them. The characters were likable. The comedy and action scenes in the story are alright but need improvement (The two have been improved substantially in the next two sequels).
Posted by : jamesabc
Posted on : 2007-04-16 
I really liked this anime series, as it was one of the first I watched. I found the main character, Sosuke, really funny as he does everything seriously in a military style. Chidori was also very funny when she gets angry with him, and whenever someone talks about him she acts all cheerful when if fact she is embarrassed and just doesn't want to talk about it.
I really liked the opening theme music of this anime, and I just managed to find the song yesterday, which was great. The ending music is also good, it is peaceful and lets you relax and reflect on what a great episode you have watched.
The graphics were really good with great color and facial expressions everywhere.
This is one of my favourite animes as it has a nice story with lots of laughs on the way. So this is a 10/10 for me.
Posted by : akira2
Posted on : 2006-12-26
Full Metal Panic!
After watching one episode, I wanted to move on to the next. It deserves a 9/10, let alone being an anime worthy.
Characters: Very nicely made, yet sometimes very cheesy. However, most of the times, it is quite serious, or quite funny. Let alone, some characters are just plain scary.
Storyboard: I admit, it could use a little polishing. After all, the entire series was based on one problem, literally caused by one man - a very well known man. Now how hard would that be? An entire series? Other from that, the elements seems to fit pretty nice.
Music: Loved it. Makes Full Metal Panic! itself.
Overall, I believe it is a excellent anime, even though it lacks a melting pot of a storyline. Since its flares among hits, it made sequels to the original, although the sequels did not have the seriousness, or rather just comedical.
Posted by : Nada_Zero
Posted on : 2006-10-25
Full Metal Panic!
Story
Found this story to be fun and yet kind of confusing at times. My major question is why is that little girl (Tessa) commanding such a important ship. Sure she has "special" capabilities but that still doesn't mean anything. A few other things here and there but besides that I found it fun and exciting to watch.
Characters
They were all strangley special in their own way. So basically I'm saying that I loved them all. All of them had that special tweak to make them into themselves. Although at times I was really bugged and bothered by Sousuke personality. Can a person really go without know basic human emotions? He almost knows nothing about real life communications and daily routines. I guess that this added to the humor though and in fact I did enjoy that humor. It just bothered me at times when it wasn't funny.
Music
Lovable! Adds a special element to the anime. It felt like a warning or a wake up call to get ready for the episode ahead of you. It was refreshing every time I heared it.
Overall
Great series and theres still more! Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid still awaits and it has a bundle of surprises just like this series. I couldn't stop watching this series even if my arms were cut off. Pretty grotesque but thats how fun this anime was. I loved the Sci-Fi elements with the AS system. It is a must watch anime.
Posted by : Molenir
Posted on : 2006-10-19
This series had so much promise to start with that I couldn't help but feel bitterly disappointed by how it turned out. The music was fine, the animation was decent, the characters were interesting. Chidori and Souske were great together.
The big problem for me was believability of the story. The supposed leader of this merc outfit is a 16 year old girl. A very pathetic girl who decides she is in love with one of her subordinates. I really tried to make excuses in order to justify this situation. If we assume that leadership was inherited, then maybe it would justify a 16 year old being in charge of this outfit. It wouldn't make a lot of sense, but it would be justifiable. But when common soldiers in the outfit get into a screaming match with the same commander, I began to wonder, where the heck is the discipline? Merc outfit or no, you don't get into a hair pulling contest with your senior commander. Nor would she put up with it. I was surprised someone didn't take her to the side and explain a little something about leadership.
After awhile, I simply couldn't take any more. I would give this series a 0 on story, an 8 for humor, and mecha. However all hope for this series is not lost. Fumoffu a sequel of sorts is definitly worth watching. I literaly fell out of my chair laughing. Pass on this one, and go watch Fumoffu.
Posted by : Hex
Posted on : 2006-09-02
A great anime in all aspects, Full Metal Panic is a gem that has a great deviation between action, drama, romance, Sci-fi, and a bit of mystery.
If you were a mecha fan, great. You will surely enjoy this as much as I did, regardless of the giant robots duking it out.
The story follows the exploits of Sagara Sousuke, who has recently been assigned to protect a young girl who attends high school in Japan, and the organization he is a part of MITHRIL.
This great series will surely be able to keep you entertained.
PS:
(personally I am a minor mecha fan, but I enjoy a more realistic type ex: gunparade/FMP than mechs from series like Daiking, where the machines have super special moves that the driver screams when he activates them.)
Posted by : xristyan
Posted on : 2006-07-09
Somehow Full Metal Panic wasn’t to my liking like other animes that I have watched. Maybe it was because it was a sorta old anime but then again I fawned over rurouni kenshin and neon genesis evangelion which are older than this one but still it didn’t give me that much hype.
Story wise it was lacking. Maybe that is one of the reasons they made a sequel to it. The ending, with lack of a better word for it, was bleh. They didn’t explain in full detail as to how things were.
I got little qualms with the animation though. It was done nicely with SD’s at the opportune moments.
The music was ok. I kinda enjoyed the OP and ED. And the background music was also somewhat complimenting the series.
Though there are some evident holes in the series you still might want to watch it and then see how the sequels would fare.
Posted by : Trivialpanda
Posted on : 2006-05-01
“Mithril” is a mercenary group that tracks down terrorist and deals with serious situations when things get hairy (kind of like "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six"). In this series, Mithril assigns three of its agents/soldiers to guard 24/7 Kaname Chidori a suspected "Whispered." That's where teen Stg. Sousuke Sagara comes in.
The picture quality is very clear and very well done. The colors vary from light to dark depending on the mood of the story.
The sound quality is very good and music is very memorable.
The story is very well done and very captivating. The first few episodes might seem to drag on, but trust me the series picks up after that. The story goes from cute and funny to serious and then to funny again.
Overall, this is a series that you must see. It brings a reality toward the giant robot genre as it focuses more on the pilots than the mecha themselves. It is loaded with lots of facts, realism, and actual modern-day locations and groups.
This movie is a must for military maniacs and romantics alike. A solid 9/10.
Posted by : DagetAwayMaN421
Posted on : 2006-02-26
I watched this, and I thought it was great, but then again, I'm a huge Mecha fan, so I'm most likely to ignore any crap that occurs while watching. But I thought it was funny as hell. The relationship between Sousuke, Kaname, and Tessa was funny at some points. I really think that this series kicked some serious ass.
Animation~ 8/10 I liked how the AS were drawn and how most of the characters were drawn. Most of the animation was pretty good, but it didn't really leave a big impression on me. Most of this looked pretty good, but I think Fumoffu and TSR looked better. One good thing, I liked the animation at the airport after the plane gets hijacked.
Story~ 9/10 This seemed to be a pretty good story to me, however I haven't read the manga, so I can't compare it to the manga, but I liked how it went. However, this was a love plot, triangle affair, although Sousuke looked to be completely outta the loop. Kurz was pretty good as a secondary character. The way the story progressed seemed to loop it together and tie a knot at the end, then TSR came out and undid that knot. But man, watch this because it's pretty good.
Characters~ 9/10 I liked how most of the characters mingled well and developed, although Sousuke was pretty much flat. Kaname develops pretty well. Kurz was hilarious and with the addition of Melissa, it seemed pretty good. To me, I think they did a good job with how they presented themselves
Music~ 10/10 Music was good, especially the opening theme song. Throughout the series, I liked how the music fit in very nicely and how it seemed to flow nicely. In my opinion, the music is one of the better parts of the anime.
Fun Level~ 10/10 I enjoyed watching this and I think everyone should watch it, especially if you're going to go on and watch Fumoffu and TSR, cuz this series is only the beginning
Posted by : heroic_decepticon
Posted on : 2006-02-05
Watched this series with little expectation; was just expecting your regular huge robots type anime series. The first 3 story arcs, until the plane hijacking one, was at least interesting and engaging. After that the Full Metal Panic! [FMP!] hits a plateau and then quickly rolls downhill until the end of the series. FMP!, despite the hype, was bitterly disappointing.
As this series sets up the events that happen in FMP?: Fumoffu and FMP!: The Second Raid, it kind of has to be watched to get a sense of the characters. My recommendation would be to stop after the plane hijacking story arc and then proceed to FMP?: Fumoffu and FMP!: The Second Raid, both of which are excellent series'.
STORY:
Like was mentioned that first three story arcs were not bad, they were even humorous. It is by no means Neon Genesis Evangelion, Robotech, Macross: Plus or Rah Xephon standard, but it's decent enough.
After that, the story quickly starts to suck. You get a lot of things shoved in your throat without any attempt at an explanation: for example why is the Danann's Captain a 16 year old girl? What/who exactly are the Wispered and what are their capabilities? Why the heck does the villan always seem to die but always come back to life uninjured [no he is not Hellsing or Wolverine for goodness sake].
I have a really big problem with the concept of a 16 year old Captain of a billion dollar submarine with billions of dollars of equipment onboard. Commanders are not that young because to command, it is not only intelligence that matters, it is experience. While Teletha would have been intelligent because she is one of the Wispered, there is no way that she would have the requisite experience to command an entire submarine much less the respect of her subordinates. Score- 4/10
PACE:
Again, after the first 1/3 of the series, it was no nail-biting affair but a frustrating hair-pulling experience. Very poor pace toward the end of the series. Score- 3/10
ANIMATION:
FMP! was done in 2002 but the animation pales in comparison to other animes that feature a mix of mecha and human like Neon Genesis Evangelion [1995], Macross: Plus [1994] or Rah Xephon [2002]. In fact the animation is so average that it lacks even the texture and style of Robotech [1985]. Personally, for an anime done after so recently the animation, backgrounds and fight scenes are shameful. Score- 1/10
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:
There are a handful of characters that the director attempted to develop: Sargara Sousoke, Kaname Chidori, Teletha Tesstarossa, Gauron, Melissa Mao and Kruz Weber. I would say that the results are sort of mixed. Each character did get his/ her screen time, but i still felt that they were very flat and one-dimensional... and in the end did not identify with them much. Score- 3/10
MUSIC:
Music is not only not memorable, it hardly even helps the feel of the anime. Score- 2/10
I must emphasize that although FMP! gets a low score, you should not be detered from watching FMP?: Fumoffu and FMP!: The Second Raid because these follow up series' are truly excellent and worlds apart from FMP! in every of the 5 aspects above. I would attribute the difference to the bad directing in FMP!.
My overall score is obtained from adding the scores from the 5 sections, converting that to a 100%, then divided by 10 to get a score out of 10. Fractions are rounded up.
OVERALL SCORE: 3/10
Posted by : MothMan
Posted on : 2005-10-24
What sounded like good fun and was for the first 3 episodes, quickly began to make me sick and bored.
The show had so much potential I nearly cried. It had wonderful animation, a humorous situation, generally good characters, a fair soundtrack. But all for nothing. The show degenerates into one of the worst series I have ever seen.
The show has a senseless way of dragging out stories that it's is hard to describe. Crappy wannabee music-like themes play with characters who are a dime a dozen throughout, trying to take their own stories seriously with no clear logic. It just goes crap.
Full Metal Panic may be enjoyed through it's Original Manga format presented by ADV, but please for your own sakes, steer clear of the anime series.
Posted by : ariq
Posted on : 2005-10-23
This was just a very fun show to watch, there were some good things about it and some bad things about it.
good things:
1. great animation with characters and mecha
2. nice comedy in it
3. very fun characters
4. action was pretty good
bad things:
1. not much of a story to it
2. do not know why some people put it in the romance genre when there is no romance in it, only some girl haveing a crush on a guy
3. music can get repetive, and I thought it was pretty bad
4. ending was just not an ending, I do know that the sequel (the second raid) continues from this anime, but the sequel and this anime is seperate.
In conclusion, this show is just great for people that started watching anime, cause the show is very easy to follow, and the characters are very fun to watch.
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