Furu Anime Panikku

It’s the 24th of December. What day is it?

お誕生日おめでとう!!!

Of course, it’s the birthday of the 2 Full Metal Panic Heroines. Happy Birthday Kaname Chidori and Teletha Tessa Testarossa !!!

Besides wishing the 2 attractive lasses Happy Birthday, I shall grab this opportunity to embark on a brief rant about the 100% awesomeness of Full Metal Panic.

For those of you who have watched the anime till The Second Raid, good for you. And for those who have taken the trouble to go beyond the anime by reading the novels, you have my respect as a fellow FMP fan.

If you thought the anime was the best thing ever, wait till you read the novels. After just completing 2 books which covered the events after Ending Day by Day (The Second Raid), I must commend Gatou Shouji for being such a genius. TSR pale in comparison with the events in the 2 novels, Dancing Very Merry Christmas and Continuing on My Own. The latter is filled with intensive action and has an incredible storyline that surpasses TSR and even the first anime series.

My favourite novel so far would be Continuing on My Own, where Mithril and Sousuke fight their own hopeless battles. By the end of the novel, I could feel the despair that the characters were engulfed in, with Mithril losing numerous men, equipment and their HQ, and Sousuke losing Chidori and his ARX-7 to Amalgan.

One thing about Full Metal Panic which captures my interest is the realistic combat, which is perfectly displayed in Continuing on My Own. No one has a “Instant Win” button, and at the same time, nothing is perfect no matter how strong it is. Despite the Behemoths possessing the Lambda Driver and being almost impossible to down using normal weapons, the members of Mithril were still able to down them all with teamwork, despite fighting a losing battle. Also, the self sacrifices made touched my heart.

I know it may sound stupid crying over a novel, but the heart-warming story of sacrifice to ensure the survival of one’s comrades, despite them being mercenaries, were really worth the welling up of tears in my eyes.

Some people might state that the Lambda Driver ruins the series, but I have never considered it to be true. The Lambda Driver has many flaw, such as easily overheating. Also, there is no definite success in using it. It is not an instant win button. Sousuke may be powerful with his ARX-7 possessing the Lambda Driver, but his true power is drawn from his combat skills and tactics. Even without the it, I strongly believe that he would be equally as capable. However, he is not undefeatable, which shows a realistic side of him. After all, he is only a human being, not some combat god.

I am unable to comprehend why KyoAni refuses to drop their Key-related projects for something this epic. Another thing that I am also unable to comprehend would be the lack of large scaled FMP mecha figurines. With Armslave designs and weapons that can kick any gundam’s ass, they should be given the spotlight.

Please bear in mind that I have not fully covered the novels, Burning One Man Force and Come Make My Day, so whatever that I have said so far is truly an understatement.

Damn, I need to level up my Japanese to read the novels up to the latest developments, and the side story novels too.

Lastly, on a final note, the next novel Full Metal Panic: Semaru Nick of Time is scheduled for release next year, 20th February 2008. How EXCITING !!!