Boy, there sure are a lot of high school comedies in anime, isn‘t there? It’s a cliché anime genre that seems to be a favorite among many anime/manga artists our there. You got Azumanga Daioh, Cromartie High School, and a few others whose titles I forget. But this particular series is different. Full Metal Panic? Fu… Fumuf… Fumo… however you pronounce it, is one of those high school comedies and introduce a nice blend of romance and military extravaganza. Full Metal Panic? …Fumoffu? Yeah, I think that’s how you pronounce it--takes place during the events of the original series Full Metal Panic! You have war nut Sergeant Sosuke Sagara who is on a mission to protect the every so “animated” Kaname Chidori from the evil organization that they confront in the original series. Although that evil organization never makes an appearance, the two love birds have their plates full with other problems (Japanese society to be precise).
Full Metal Panic? Fumufo …sorry--”Fumoffu”--basically follows the mishaps of Sosuke, Kaname, and company. From crazy janitors to boys attempting to peep into the girls side of the hot springs, the series introduces wave after wave of laughter filled moments. The series also introduces the ever so popular scenes of girls undressing themselves and flashing their “goods” at the viewers …well, they don’t get a very good look the “goods“, but still! It’s something I find quite tiresome and annoying after watching anime after anime with 95 percent of bunch I viewed having half-naked girls running about smacking innocent bystanders in their faces with their obscenely huge boobage. Actually, it’s kinda amusing when I think about it, but you get the idea!
The series is 26 episodes, which I believe is the limit for the average anime series otherwise you end up with Inuyasha. Although it’s short, it will leave you satisfied in the end.
One thing I noticed about Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is that it almost closely follows the events of the Full Metal Panic! manga. Only without the seriousness of the original anime series. You definitely see some similarities, but that’s all. I’ve never finished the whole manga version of Full Metal Panic! so I can’t be entirely sure.
The voice acting is actually pretty good, I have to say. And I have to tip my hat to Mr. Patton who did an excellent job doing the voice over for Sosuke Sagara. Like the voice actors in Azumanga Daioh, the voices actors for Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu were exceptional!
So overall we give Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu a 5 out of 5. I argued with the others to give the series a 4 out of 5 because of the useless sexual innuendo scenes, but I was graced with the ever so popular response: PISS OFF!!!
Azumanga Daioh! Of course, I’m talking about the animation and not the Manga for this is a review team that reviews anime, not manga. Get over it!
It’s a 26 episode comedy series that follows the average day life of a group of friends at school. Very cliché. However, every “average” day is filled with comedy filled moments. It’s a concept much like Seinfeld, so this particular anime series is very special (and I’m not talking about the blag-eh-guh special). What I mean is that this particular series stands out amongst the others because it is the first anime series that we’ve seen ever that isn’t about half-naked girls running around with their obscenely huge boobage flopping around hitting innocent bystanders in their faces. It’s a series about a group of girls experiencing high school life. Sure there are moments of where sexy like things become a topic, but it’s done in a respectful manner. There’s no “hey my breasts are bigger” and then they actually compare chest sizes. There’s none of that, just discussion in a comedic fashion.
You meet all kinds of animated characters, each with their own history and characteristics. The series brings these characters to life in ways you’ve never thought possible. Especially that Mr. Kimura guy who looks like a perverted zombie and needs to have his head destroyed. I recommend a sledgehammer, BUT ASIDE FROM THAT, the characters are very entertaining to watch as they try to overcome many obstacles in the most ridiculous way they know how.
The voice acting is also incredibly good. The voice actors portray these characters as if they were actually them and are actually talking to each other in real life, you can’t detect any signs of “acting” in the dialog because the voices sound natural and realistic. Well, okay, you get some scenes where you can detect the “acting” easily, but that’s beside the point! I can say the same for the English Dub. Now if they can only get these English voice actors to voice act in certain English Dubbed Japanese games then the world would be a better place.
Although the series is rather short, it is an enjoyable one and when it finally ends you cry your little eyes out because the group of friends in the series that you’ve just became friends with have grown up and are now departing to begin their own lives. So now you’re left with the wonderful memories of that wonderful, comedy-filled journey.
Now, we were upset with the fact that the anime version left out so much great material that where professionally crafted in Kiyohiko Azuma’s infamous four-panel comic strips. So many stories and jokes were left untold that would’ve done well in the anime version. Sometimes we reread the manga to fill in some of the gaps so we can fully enjoy the Azumanga Daioh experience. We recommend you do the same.
Occasionally we’d rewatch the episodes. The comedic moments aren’t at funny as when we’ve first watched the series, but they are still very amusing.
So overall we give Azumanga Daioh a 5 out of 5. While there are better anime series out there in terms of art and story, this series gets a 5 out of 5 because of its uniqueness! And we love anime series that stand out amongst the others.
Here’s something that I NEED to point out. And that is the character of Tomo Takino. Many find her completely annoying and all I have to say is that if you find Ms. Takino annoying then you’ve never had a cheerful, energetic, and optimistic friend who knew how to lighten the mood you miserable person.
