Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Just_Micaela
I have never been more pissed off in my life watching an anime. Sousuke doesn't have a backbone and lets all these annoying people walk all over him. No one respects boundaries and the power dynamics are weird and uncomfortable. Chidori is not a likable female love interest and always has something to complain about. She makes me want to rip my hair out along with the rest of the characters. I understand this anime is from well over 2 decades ago but, euuuyuck!!!! can't believe this was EVER anyones peak anime.
I am just irritated and annoyed and will continue to hate watch the next season.
Read at the sourcecolelouch
It’s hard to believe this series originally debuted over 20 years ago, especially as a light novel, given how well-structured and mature the content feels compared to many titles released in today’s market. While it doesn’t fully commit to a seinen tone, it sits somewhere between shonen and seinen, balancing serious themes with lighthearted anime moments. Despite being a mecha story, it avoids glorifying war or objectifying women, and instead presents a surprisingly civilian-friendly, socially aware message, something even morally complex franchises like Gundam or Evangelion often shy away from.
That’s why it was so surprising to learn about the author’s controversial remarks regarding Greta Thunberg. It’s difficult to reconcile those comments with a work that, by Japanese standards, come…
Read at the sourceJasonL24
1st I really Recommend this anime, it's not #1 anime in the world but it's Complete.
It has Emotion, The Joy, The Fear, The Struggle, The Songs It's full of Emotion to go with this anime.
It's not a Masterpiece by any means, but it's an underdog that catches Hearts. It's not the Highest resolution nor does it have crisp Sound Effect or animation, But It's a complete Package, I fell in love with this anime over and over again.
It's not perfect but it's perfect in my eyes.
From the sound track, the story it tells, and it make you laugh, feel sad, and worry for the character.
It's like a family with it issues but it's a special one. Something like that.
That's why It'll Always be my favorite.
Once you watch it with patience and try to know it.
I'm sure you'll understand and enjoy this ani…
Read at the sourcejoemaamah
I was a big fan of this back in the day, and enjoyed it immensely. I just finished a re-watch after god knows how many years. Sadly I can't say this has withstood the test of time well. Not unworthly, but seems shopworn today.
Art work was good for its time, but looks only so-so today. Characters and mechas were already trope-ridden, and today they are simply cliche. The animation work is something of a mixed bag; some good and some not so good. Overall it was about average for its day. But it's hardly anything impressive anymore.
The narrative is hardly inspired. I got the solid impression this viewing that a lot of this is a direct ripoff of Martian Successor Nadesico, without Gekigangar or the cooking, in a sub rather than a spaceship. Tessa seemed a direct cut and paste of Ruri. Baka…
Read at the sourcekemptea
I first watched this show years and years ago. I've probably watched it four or five times now, including Fumaffu and Second Raid seasons (only seen Invisible Victory once). It's practically a comfort watch, which is weird because it's basically a mecha-military show with high stakes and a lot of discomfiting violence.
Or is it a rom-com?
Or is it a fish out of water?
Or is it a high school slice of life?
Or is it a cartoon-ultraviolence, farcical comedy that parodies rom-coms, fishes out of water, and high school slices of life?
Depending on which season you're watching, it could be any or all of the above. And that's what makes Full Metal Panic so great. One episode you'll be laughing until your gut bursts and you spill your wine/apple juice, and the next you'll be biting your nails…
Read at the sourceJoshhhp
Full Metal Panic! is cute. It's a series where you have to appreciate many of its flaws to be fond of it. Which might not be an easy task for many viewers, myself used to be one of them as I discovered it during 2022 and in my first time viewing it I did not like it very much. Here's a little summarize before going through my opinions: Full Metal Panic! is a story about a young sergeant named Sousuke going on a mission to protect Kaname Chidori (a teenager who unconsciously holds breakthrough scientific knowledge and is considered a "Whispered") from intelligence agencies and other organizations pursuing her abilities. And from there, many shenanigans between the two main protagonists will begin. To begin with, I though its inconsistency was way to evident as the tone constantly jumps betw…
Read at the sourceMarco_Yooo
THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
On my quest to watch every Kyoto Animation work, i stumbled over “Full Metal Panic” a show that has been on my radar for a very long time now. This first season however is animated by Studio Gonzo, a studio that peaked in the early 2000s. Going into this show, i wanted classic military mecha action, and that is exactly what I got.
Story – 7/10
The story is a wonderful mix off comedy and action. There are a number of very intense and serious military story arcs which are intermitted by light-hearted comedy episodes. The mix works really well in my opinion. i have seen some criticism online from people who say that the story does not know what it is, but i wholeheartedly disagree. The comedy episodes help to know the characters better over time, so during the…
Read at the sourceLevixAckerman
This is my first review, so forgive me if it's nothing spectacular :)
Firstly, I wanted to say that I probably had more luck than many others, as I only recently started the Full Metal Panic series and finished it completely within a few days. Maybe after 13 years without a continuation, I would have lost interest or lost hope that it would ever continue. It was unusual for me that I, who have already watched a lot of anime (503), somehow discovered this beautiful anime only very late. But now let's get to my first review ^^
Story - clear and understandable until the point where you hear about Whispered, black technology, or Lambda Driver. Nevertheless, it was fun to watch. 7/10
Action - yes, there is, but it's not overwhelming. 6/10
Comedy - mostly when Sousuke and Kaname are in schoo…
Read at the sourcePurpleMagic
From episode 1 I could tell this was nothing special. The comedy was bland and unoriginal usually resulting in Chidori getting mad at Souske and then hitting him. Are your laughing yet? NO.... well get used to it because that's at least half of the series. The other half is a military mech fighting show that barely scratches the surface of what it could be because it decided it wanted to focus on highschool comedy too. The writers did a terrible job with these two concepts because they don't mesh together at all. It doesn't help that the music is limited at well it has like 4 soundtracks and they're generic.
I put this as background noise after episode 4 and I'm glad I did because my instincts were right. This anime is boring at straight up 5/10. Sousuke and Chidori are terrible main cha…
Read at the sourceJastereich
Full Metal Panic! features two distinct styles in its storytelling. The first is comedic, starting with Sousuke's struggles to fit in at school and moving on to other topics. The second is the harsh reality of a Mythril soldier, which includes political intrigue, terrorism, sci-fi weaponry, and mecha action. If these two elements had been better integrated, Full Metal Panic! could have been an award-winning series. However, the two styles never really blend well, and the story progresses in awkward chunks as it switches between them. Although both styles start out strong in their respective sections, it's unfortunate that they soon become mediocre. The comedy stops being funny, and the seriousness is mostly dull, except for a few moments and a reasonably strong finale. As the series comes…
Read at the sourcelamaraptor
Full Metal Panic is a unique blend of serious mecha military drama and high school slice of life the likes of which can only be found in the medium of anime. What other entertainment medium could flip so easily from a story about your entire platoon being wiped out in a horrible desert ops massacre to preparations for the school festival? It's actually a kind of black humor the way they treat Sousuke Bousuke as a joke for being so stiff and not understanding how a normal high school boy should act even though the reason he's that way is because he's only known the battlefield since he was a child.
So the show tries to keep a very light tone despite it's potentially heavy subject matter and for the most part manages to do so. It can actually be pretty funny at times. And because it's an an…
Read at the sourceJoe_Devaney
Note: This will be a review of the series in its entirety.
Overview:
"Full Metal Panic!" is a military mech anime with a twist, combining the genre with the painfully plain world of high school, and showing the struggles of an overranked young soldier attempting to fit into such an environment. Much hilarity ensues as a result of this concept but the series is ultimately the sum of its parts, and as a result can be rather lacking in certain areas. However, while far from the smartest series I've seen, I nevertheless consider it to be one worth your time, especially for fans of the mecha genre who want a series that departs from the norm.
Story (7/10):
The story is set in an alternate version of Earth, where military organizations employ the use of mechs known as Arm Slaves, and revolves…
Read at the sourceMoeTie
A Full Metal panic Review (Spoilers Ahead - LR);
Strong Beginnings - Establishing a Setting;
Fmp immediately starts us off, thrown into the action. The setting is about as vague as "somewhere in Russia" but like much in the show, concise context keeps the scene easy to digest and our focus on what's important, that being foreshadowing for later and most importantly establishing our hero.
Sousake is presented to us in the same way that his Mech is, he is a machine of war both in ability and personality. He embodies the classic anime trope of "Strong brooding type" yet stands rather at odds to it. He may be "Military Mad" and social inept but his history gives him more then adequate reasoning for this. To add to this his skills are top-notch, the show opts to show us this, rather then tell…
Read at the sourceCoomcumber
When i started this series i had very low hopes because it was a 7.5 out of 10 on mal. this one of my favourite series because it has all of my favourite genre in one anime, if you like action, sci-fi, comedy, a little romance, war and shonen all in one anime then you will like fmp. in my opinion this show is very under rated, even though it has a low score on mal i will still recommend to anyone.
the characters are so perfect, they got every character done perfectly. In my opinion the first season is the best out of all 4 of them.
this series has everything you would want to see in a good anime.
Not once in this anime did i get bored which is another reason i gave this a 10 out of 10.
For me this is a must watch anime for everyone.
Read at the sourceYuiHirasawa-
Have you ever put up with something you really didn’t like, just because there was a singular, redeeming aspect that made the entire experience worth it? Maybe it was the pain relief that came with getting a tooth filled. Maybe it was the degree at the end of a long four (or five, or six) years in college. Or maybe it was Full Metal Panic S1, a show that I found so unenjoyable but stuck with entirely because of one character.
This show, specifically S1 but the entire franchise in general, is a black sheep for me. I don’t like military shows, mecha shows, or anything with blood or extra violence. I don’t like shows with predominantly weakly-developed characters, annoying characters, or flat characters. I don’t like shows with wildly varying animation quality, questionable directing, or fa…
Read at the source_gaze
Full Metal Panic! is an undoubtedly interesting mecha series, but it has many weaknesses.
Story [7+]
The story is divided into two main plot lines: the mecha one and the high school rom-com one. Full Metal Panic! greatest accomplishment is how it blends these two genres together: even if the mecha plot line has more screen time, the rom-com parts are at the same time fun and essential for the development of the main characters.
The plot itself is quite simple, and the obscure mysteries around the mechas’ technology keep the viewer’s interest high.
Art [7]
In the first place, the character design of the main characters is very good; despite this, the animation is not always on point, and even if it’s never really bad, it’s not great either.
Besides that, even if the action scenes’ choreog…
Read at the sourceFelix_Bertoni
Wow. Just wow. This anime has some minor flaws, some incoherence but overall :
- Story is clearly well done, simple enough to be understood easily, but deep enough to not be guessed to much. Alternating light comedy and serious drama.
- Art is really nice, especially if you like anime of this epoch, old-and-simple style.
- Sound design is well done, and some musics are really cool, inspiring, and from an original creating comparing to music you usually hear in animes.
- Characters are various, well balanced and well developed.
Enjoyment : Maximal in my opinion.
Overall : DUDE ITS 2020 in less than one month, this anime aired in 2003 and some of the series aired in 2018 as a reminder, how come you didn't watched it yet ?
Read at the sourceAnimationPower
[REVIEW WITHOUT SPOILERS]
Full Metal Panic! is a particular anime in every aspect.
Is it a robot/mecha anime? I expected so, after all there is a "Full Metal" right in the title, cover images show you those robots, so it has to be a mecha title.
Well, yes and no.
Mecha's are present and are a good part of the action, you will find battles and strategies and more. Yet, that is not the primary focus of the anime.
What is it about then?
It's really all about the final part, "Panic!": mind the exclamation mark ("!"), because that's the most important part. Let's see better.
THE FULL METAL: STORY, ART, SOUND (8)
The story is rather interesting, although it is not particularly complex. It flows well, there are good and evil ones, battles and more, but don't expect particular twists or surprise…
Read at the sourceCravenunicorn68
Interesting trivia: FMP can be viewed as a huge tribute to Neongenesis EVA as even the main characters are inspired by it.
Kaname has a feisty spirit of the German Vixen Asuka Langley.
Mellisa Mao is a straight up copy of a Misato and even a voice actress is the same. Shinji (Sagara's nerdy classmate) is light touch on Shinji himself with a bit of sanity and a phenis control. They are both motherless with a ... less than ideal father.
Kurz Weber is rather similar to Kaji Ryuji not only in looks and character, but in their desires for Mellisa / Misato and other ladies.
Love this anime to bits, especially given it was my gateway to anime world.
Read at the sourcesuchosyg
Beautiful anime, it has it all!, drama, funny moments, romance, great main characters, mechas and bad ass antagonist, I like the background of Souske Sagara and how it tries to fit in Japanese society meanwhile protecting Chidori, the most beautiful anime girl I have seen, also nice Mechas in story, It fill my senses, very nice, 10!
Opening and ending themes are fantastic, I am from Bolivia and I would like it to have been doubled because of Fummoffu is something great, but in japanese you engage with Main character Sagara Souske unique personality and all his struggle to set free from military standars.
Read at the source
