Full Metal Panic! Mission.01 (2002)
Animation Production: Gonzo/Digimation
Released by: ADV Films
Official Website: Full Metal Panic
Episodes: 4
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

Just finished watching volume one of Full Metal Panic! and I am hooked! I have never seen this TV series before nor was I really familiar with it, so going into it I was not sure on what to expect from this anime. I am happy to report that after seeing the first four episodes, I have become a huge fan of Full Metal Panic!

Story

“Black Technology. A forbidden knowledge born into a select few, thereby made capable of producing exotic weaponry that could drastically alter the balance of power on Earth. To halt the proliferation of this terrifying power, a secret military organization armed with the latest cutting-edge technology—MITHRIL, stands as the guardians of peace in a chaotic era still dominated by the hostilities of the ongoing Cold War.

With the unexpected arrival of mysterious transfer student Sousuke Sagara to Jindai
High School, honor student Kaname Chidori's tranquil existence is about to be turned upside down. Unbeknownst to Chidori, the naïve, military-minded Sagara is actually
an operative with MITHRIL assigned to protect her, and the potent secrets she unknowingly carries, from those who wish to exploit her knowledge for military gain.
With neither teachers, classmates nor sculptures being safe from Sousuke’s vigilant defense of Kaname Chidori, will this strong-willed beauty even survive Sousuke’s “protection” long enough to actually need the help of this strange young man when trouble finally does arrive? “ -- ADV's Full Metal Panic Page

Review

As the show begins we are immediately thrown into the middle of an explosive rescue mission, it’s here that we first encounter the secret organization in charge of protecting the planet from forces that threaten the global balance, a task force known as MITHRIL. After this initial scene ends we are then introduced to the members of this group as they receive their new orders, to protect the young high school student Kaname Chidori from any and all dangers that may threaten her. From here on the series begins to carefully snowball into a very engaging story that mixes the intrigue and dangers of a secret global conflict with the struggles of everyday teenagers attending high school.

Full Metal Panic! is a peculiar hybrid of different anime staples that seem to come together seamlessly and with little effort. I was surprised at how well it manages to balance its more dramatic moments with its comedic scenes. This type of balance is not an easy one to achieve, but somehow Full Metal Panic! accomplishes it with minimal effort or strain in the flow of the story’s narrative.

In the first 4 episodes the humor is mostly achieved through the classic fish-out-of-water situation. In this case by placing Sousuke Sagara,one of MITHRIL’s best agents in charge of Chidori's security, as a student in her high school; his lack of real world experience and interaction typically resulting in very amusing scenes as he tries to fit in with the rest of the student population. I found these to be some of the best moments in the episodes I’ve seen so far.

Balancing out these comical segments are some very intriguing moments in which we begin to explore the world of MITHRIL and the people its trying to hunt down so as to preserve the current world balance. These scenes are in sharp contrast to the lighter and more colorful high school storyline. What surprises me the most is how well integrated these two different segments of the series are and how they work in unison to advance the story, slowly building up into a more powerful and addictive narrative.

On the more technical end Full Metal Panic is also a very accomplished TV series, featuring silky smooth animation and some very fluid movement throughout. I am also really impressed by how well it integrates classic animation with more modern computer rendered graphics. Unlike past attempts and experiments in anime, the fusion of these elements is accomplished with no difficulties or visual problems here. Nothing looks out of place, which seems has been the case in many earlier attempts to combine these two different animation techniques.

The DVD itself is a great package, featuring the first four episodes of the series, which include:

Episode 1: The guy I kinda Like is a Sergeant
Episode 2: I Want to Protect You
Episode 3: Lingerie Panic
Episode 4: Kidnap

It also comes with a small poster insert that contains information on the characters and mecha introduced in this volume and a cool piece of artwork on the other side, depicting one of MITHRIL's giant robot systems. In addition the DVD also comes with both the original Japanese soundtrack and an excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 recorded English dubbed track, which features some really good voice acting!

Final Thoughts

Interested in something new that's both fun and intriguing to watch? Look no further than Full Metal Panic! It is one of the most addictive and fun anime series that I've have seen in recent times. Can't wait to see how the cliffhanger in episode 4 is resolved on volume two of this great series!

Jeffrey Couto