Full Metal Panic! Vol. 3 2002 ADV Films Official US Website Buy It Now Official Japanese Website

I know that there have been a few that have been a little turned off by Full Metal Panic simply because of the fact that while the covers have shown us a few glorious mecha's, that's really been the least focused upon part of the series. They certainly are there, and there have been some interesting uses for them, but more or less, FMP has been put across as being somewhat of a romantic comedy, but with more of an action and science fiction edge to it. However, if you've been craving some giant robots creating havoc in the streets of Japan, this is the volume that's going to pull in those that thought the series was going to be all comedy and no bite.

Already over two volumes, we've had quite a bit of information and mystery reveled about Chidori, but never enough to outright give the plot away. There's also been the situation with her attempted abduction, and though it seemed that Sagara might move on to other things, he's been stationed in Japan to further protect Chidori. There's also been slight elements of romance that have blossomed, and it seems like things can progress even farther, but that's completely incorrect.

The third volume enters into a short, but very well thought out, mini story arc. If you thought, or even had hoped, that Sagara and Chidori would move further along, than you haven't watched enough anime. True to form, the "other woman" comes into the picture. Tessa, Sagara's captain, comes to Japan after a nearly deadly encounter with a terrorist organization. It seems innocent enough, except that Chidori simply doesn't believe that she's Sagara's commanding officer, and that brings in some tension. But, that's nothing compared to what the terrorists have in store, and that's going to include them coming to rescue their brother in arms, Takuma, and will culminate in him managing to pilot his mecha, the Behemoth, a monstrosity of a machine that makes all other mechas pale in comparison.

Romance aside; there is plenty of action in this volume, including some mecha combat and plenty of minor destruction. I have to give credit to FMP as it's one of the few new series that has managed to stay true to anime and instead of resorting to using computer animation to simulate fire and explosions, we get old school hand drawn artwork, with some minor bits of digital touch ups of course. Though the series does use CG, it's always been a minor part of the animation itself, and not such an eyesore as you might find in other series. I've enjoyed FMP right from the start, and these four episodes are, so far, some of the most enjoyable from the show, packing in just about everything that you could want, and then some. However, there are a few things I'm still curious about, but that will come all in due time I'm sure.

The extras on the disc are of the more mild variety. No matter how much I enjoy the show, I just can't handle the opening theme nor the ending, so clean versions of either really isn't something that impresses me. The anti-piracy warnings though have always been great, and I appreciate the fact that ADV has been including just a little bit at a time instead of giving us all of them in just a couple of volumes. There are production sketches of course, and those are always great to look at. FMP has also stuck with using reversible covers, something that's becoming quite commonplace when it comes to anime, so there's no deviation here, and though the drawing of Tessa is very good, and I do like the back cover for the reverse side better, I'll stick with the picture of the Behemoth. Lastly, there is an enclosed poster that gives information on the mechas as well as many of the characters and costume variations on one side, and a full picture of Takuma on the other. All in all not its not too bad, but not spectacular either.

But, it's the episodes that are the real meat of this volume, and again, these four are fabulous. Current fans of the series won't be disappointed, and those that were close to maybe just abandoning collecting all together are in for quite a treat. FMP has vivid artwork, memorable characters, and a good blend and balance of all the other elements that have made other series such as Noir and Hellsing so memorable. If there were a single word used to sum up the series, it would have to be fantastic, and though it still may not beat out one of my current favorite mecha series, RahXephon, in terms of being an epic series, it ranks right up there and has a very interesting approach to the genre. This is the one episode that's bound to keep fans craving for more.

Episode 9 - A Dangerous Safe House

Sagara and Chidori have returned to Japan, but the only thing that's changed is the absence of terrorists, his nature of being a bit too war obsessed still lingers, causing more problems. Tessa on the other hand has managed to find trouble of her own. The group has recently managed to capture Takuma Kugayama, a member of a terrorist cell known as A21, but what's worse is his group comes looking for him, causing Tessa to have to flee to the only safe place she knows: Sagara's apartment, and with her terrorist prisoner in tow.

Episode 10 - Run Running Run

Sagara doesn't think his apartment is safe with a terrorist present, and so he, Tessa, and Chidori head for the one place they believe is safe: the school. Chidori still can't believe that Tessa is in fact Sagara's superior, and thinks there's something more to the situation. That will have to wait though when the terrorist cell comes back, looking for their friend, and end up taking him and the girls with them.

Episode 11 - Behemoth Awakening

With the girls captured, Sagara and Kurz head off in pursuit. Luckily, Sagara has given Chidori a bracelet that acts as a tracking device, so it seems that their target will be easy to capture. A simple distraction may be enough to get them in and get the girls out, but when Takuma gets into his oversized mecha, Behemoth, it's going to be more than anyone can handle.

Episode 12 - One Night Stand

Sagara and company take to fleeing from the Behemoth, and things go from bad to worse when Takuma uses the Lambda Drive, meaning the normal mechas won't stand a chance against it. It may be hours before it finally runs out of power, but Tessa has a way that they may be able to overcome the situation, and it means Sagara gets his own mecha.

-mike-
 

Genre: Action Comedy   Series Director: Koichi Chigira   Directed by: Episode 9 - Hiroyuki Tsuchiya Episode 10 & 11 - Akihiko Nishiyama Episode 12 - Koichi Chigira   Written by: Episode 9 - Kouji Ueda Episode 10 - Fumihiko Shimo Episode 11 & 12 - Seiji Sogo   Based Upon the Manga by: Syouji Gatoh & Retsu Tateo   Voice Cast: Tomokazu Seki (Sousuke Sagara) Satsuki Yokino (Kaname Chidori) Michiko Neya (Melissa Mao) Shinichiro Miki (Kurz Weber) Yukana (Tessa Testarosa) Akio Ohtsuka (Major Andrei Kalinin) Masahiko Tanaka (Gauron)

DVD Features: Dual Language Japanese/English English Subtitles Production Sketches Clean open and close Japanese Piracy Warnings Enclosed Poster Reversible Cover Contains Episodes 9 - 12