Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu

Original Title: フルメタル・パニック？ ふもっふ
Romanized: Furumetaru Panikku? Fumoffu
Literal: Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu

Plot Synopsis

The Full Metal Panic gang is back in school and making more trouble than ever. Although things have settled down to a "normal" life, between Sosuke's misguided (and usually highly destructive) attempts at keeping the school grounds safe at the behest of the mysterious student council, Chidori doing her best to smack Sosuke into something resembling a normal human being, and the rest of their wild and wacky classmates going about their business, every day is a new self-inflicted adventure.

Review

Rating: 4 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2005-10-02

Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu may lack the drama and edge of the original series, but as a straight comedy it's far more successful at tapping the premise and collection of lively and likable characters. It's not high-brow entertainment, but it is an absolutely hilarious entry in the wacky high school genre spiced up with an extra little mean-spirited kick.

Though it's not obvious until well into the series, Fumoffu is a direct sequel to the previous Full Metal Panic, taking place shortly after the big denouement, once Sosuke and Chidori have returned to school. There's no establishment whatsoever, so people not already familiar with the story may be a bit disoriented, and even those who have seen the first series will take a bit to get their footing in this lighter, high-energy take on the scenario. But, once it gets rolling, it develops a comfortable rhythm.

If you're interested in comparisons, Fumoffu takes the liveliest of the "normalcy redefined" episodes of the original series, kicks up the humor and wacky schoolyard antics a notch, and makes a solid anime comedy out of it. Though it's noticeably sillier, the plot does basically fit (including starting right off with Chidori's beleaguered acceptance of Sosuke's weird ways). Sosuke's slight progress in being "normal" is reset, though, leaving him particularly nutty for the first half of the series. The plots, interestingly, are taken straight from the comic version, covering much of the lighter material and assorted weird minor characters that were cut from the first series.

I much prefer the Fumoffu run to the previous two seasons of Full Metal Panic, and it works even better as a light follow-up. It does lose some bite by cutting out the darker episodes and any thread of menace or consistent plot (and don't look for any explanation of the events in the original). But, since I thought the downtime episodes were where the original was at its best, a series made up entirely of them without bogging down in uneven drama is just what the doctor ordered.

That's it for the comparisons.

The formula for Fumoffu is simple: Take a wide variety of generic anime situations, apply Sosuke's ice-cold tactician's eye to every single one--from schoolyard challenges to haunted houses--and watch the chaos ensue. A simple formula, but man, does it work.

You know you've always wanted to see the good guy do anything it takes to win, and Sosuke delivers. Just pull a gun on that thug in the street or lob a grenade at the challenger in an honorable duel; no warning, no mercy. Efficient, unexpectedly expected, and bust-a-gut funny.

Original or unpredictable, Fumoffu is not--part of what makes Sosuke so funny is that you can see exactly how his methodical, if disturbed, mind works. And it does just enough to keep the already funny premise consistently fresh: Take a series of sufficiently wacky anime standbys with a military twist, slip in a few random parodies, drag it into the occasional just-plain-wrong situation, put it all together with laugh-a-minute pacing and an absolutely spot-on sense of timing, and hilarity is almost assured.

What really pushes Fumoffu from ha-ha to gasping for breath, though, is its willingness to take things that extra step too far. Most episodes build to a climax outrageous enough to satisfy even most jaded wacky anime humor fans, and on a few occasions it tosses in things that left me thinking "They did not just do that." And, despite a bit of sweet romance buried in there, it never lets cheesy sentiment get away unmocked.

One thing not to look for in Fumoffu is much in the way of plot; there is almost no drama or even ongoing story to speak of, just a series of wacky misadventures (almost all spurred by Sosuke's wild misinterpretations of everyday events or anime-standard cliches), one to two per episode. Fumoffu does do very well with small tie-ins, however. Once introduced, even minor characters often reappear, and there are enough references to past events to give the feeling that it's all tied together, even though it's almost entirely episodic in construction.

On that note, the series does have some closure; the final episode provides a slightly more dramatic framework that allows for a bit of character development. Of course, it also ends with what may be the single funniest closing line in anime history (beating out the former record-holder, GTO, in my book).

The other area where Fumoffu shines is the characters. Anyone who's seen the first series knows that Sagara, as annoying as his single-mindedness can be, is likable and very funny for his unswerving sense of purpose and straight-faced responses to Chidori's (justified) tirades. He's even better when his icy demeanor starts to frazzle under pressure (something we weren't treated to in the original series), which it does frequently.

Chidori is a great take on the lively schoolgirl, by turns cheerfully accepting of Sosuke's weirdness, cringing in shame at it, trying to beat him into shape, or just weakly giving in when she's had too much. Spunky, ornery, practical, and never afraid to dish out a good beating or a sweet smile when required, she alone could nearly carry the series.

Backing up this pair are a variety of fun minor players. There are all the familiar faces (including brief appearances by Mao and Kurtz, plus a visit by Captain Testarossa playing high school girl while on shore leave). There are also plenty of new folks, like a misogynistic, near-sighted Karate champ, a psychotic cop who'll remind you of a certain Arresting officer, and a spineless Rugby club begging to be whipped into shape. Lots of fun to be had, and plenty of amusing little interactions between the various folks wandering around the school.

Visually, Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu doesn't have quite the polish and flair of the original series, but the character art and animation are almost as good (meaning very good). The somewhat lower (but still high) budget is spent where it counts, leaving no noticeable weak points in the fast-paced animation. Most worth looking for are Chidori's never-ending range of expressions and body language, and perfect visual timing on a variety of throwaway gags.

The acting in Japanese, with the original cast reprising their roles, would be hard to find fault with. The variety of characters are cast perfectly and voiced distinctively, with the deadpan humor and dead-on timing deserving as much credit as the continuous histrionics. Top mentions go again to Chidori, voiced with personality, spunk, and a genuine undertone, and Sosuke, for his militaristic vigor and perpetually deadpan delivery.

The music, aside from the pleasant but unremarkable opening and end themes, deserves a nod as well--it doesn't stand out, but cheesy orchestral swells back up the drama-gone-wrong, and there are some funky little pieces to accompany the quirkier scenes.

All in all, Fumoffu is Full Metal Panic done differently, and in my opinion done right. It sacrifices drama for humor, combining wacky anime gags and situation comedy with a variety of great characters and gives the old standbys an infusion of originality with Sosuke's brutal practicality and unswervingly logical persona. The results are a bit juvenile at times, but also very, very funny. Not every episode is perfect, and it won't be to everyone's taste, but once it gets rolling it's a heckuva fun ride for as long as it lasts, and it's not long enough to get wearing.

Related Recommendations

The schoolyard craziness is probably most reminiscent of GTO, though a variety of other series share aspects--Jubei-chan (for the comic timing), Urusei Yatsura (the ultimate school-is-war comedy), and even Ranma 1/2 (of which this features some hilarious parodies) and harem-type shows like Mahou-sensei Negima. Daphne in the Brilliant Blue has a notably similar mean-spirited sense of humor, and Gokudo also deserves a nod, mainly for its similar unwillingness to let sentiment get even a foothold before being violently stomped down.

US DVD Review

ADV's DVDs, in addition to the usual, bump the English audio track up to 5.1 channels, and include clean opening and closing animation, Japanese TV commercials, art galleries, and "The Mysteries of FUMOFFU" booklets.

Content Guide

Occasional bursts of dirty humor earn this one a 15-up from ADV.

Violence: 2 - Some bits are humorously brutal.

Nudity: 2 - Does its best with well-placed "interference," but there's a fair amount of skin of both sexes.

Sex/Mature Themes: 2 - Quite raunchy at times.

Language: 2 - There is some rough language, although several scenes feature a hail of machinegun "bleeps" to add to the comedy.

Notes and Trivia

Several of the early episodes are broken up into two parts, each with it's own sub-title. As shown on Fuji TV there were only 11 episodes; the 2nd half of the first episode (Passing Hostility) and the 1st half of the 2nd (Uncompromising Hostage) were omitted, leaving the other half of those two episodes to make up the first as shown.

Availability

Available in the US from ADV on 4 hybrid DVDs, 3 episodes each.

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