The beloved story of a boy, two girls and the Mecha that the boy uses to destroy the bad guys. Yep, that is right. I know that all you Anime Fans are familiar with Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid, but for all of those who are not it is a story you should get to know. There are many reasons why Full Metal Panic or FMP has such a large fan base that the act of bringing it out on Blu-ray was only natural and exciting to see.
Highlights
Sousuke is the tormented young man who more often than not is consumed by his dedication to the mission. He has been given a great opportunity but sees it as a burden and does not want it. The opportunity is that he is the pilot of a Mecha called an Armed Slave with leading Black Op technology. For some reason it only works when it wants, not when he wants it too.
The other issue Sousuke has to deal with, is that he has two beautiful young women in love with him. But Sousuke just doesn't get it. Sousuke is assigned to be the body guard one of these girls, Chidori. The other, Tessa, is his commanding officer. Man this dude is in a tough spot, but he just does not get it. His Armed Slave is not responsive and he does not understand why. The bad guys, Amalgam, has access to the same Black Technology and for some reason can make it work at will. Not to fear, the good guy just might get lucky, again.
Overall
These 13 episodes take us through a rather serious part of the FMP Saga, and for every laugh there are several exciting battles and some life altering moments that have a bit of dramatic humanism played out. The FMP franchise had been known in the prior two series for its light hearted and funny approach to the story line, but in this segment the laughs are somewhat set aside to add some character development and bring the story to another level.
The fact that the relationship between Sousuke, Tessa and Chidori give some serious undertones and with Sousuke figuring out that the weakness of his armor is not the machine but himself is rather poignant. These characters are given a real persona not just the almost cookie cutter personality in the prior episodes. They show real emotion that brings that humanity closer to the forefront. There are also hidden treasure revealed about our main characters that are well worth the price of admission.
Seeing this on Blu-ray was much better than I thought it would be. I always thought of the animation as mediocre at best, but with the added clarity and sharpness provided by Blu-ray, I have come to have a much greater respect for the artistry that was brought to the series. I was grabbed at the opening and held under the spell until the very end.
The extras were well worth it. Dawn of the Light Novel was a learning experience and I enjoyed the discussion provided. The OVA and episode 000 where not as wonderful, and in fact I was disappointed in them. Location Scouting in Hong Kong was fun but at times very tedious. I would have to say that the extras were a welcome addition and they added to the Full Metal Panic experience. Most importantly this is gorgeous, and if you are serious about you FMP then I would say this is a buy.
ComicsOnline gives Full Metal Panic: The second Raid on Blu-ray, 5 out of 5 Electroactive Polymers.
