As one of the biggest problems with the first Full Metal Panic season was its constant fluctuation between serious and comedic, the second instalment of the franchise makes sure this doesn't happen again. 2003's Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is a 12 episode series which ditches the military/mecha aspects in favour of focussing purely on the relationship between high school student Kaname and military sergeant Sousuke, partticularly the latter's inability to use common sense amidst a high-school background. Unlike the first season which was made by Gonzo, Fumoffu was the first full length series animated by Kyoto Animation (which would move on to do Haruhi , Lucky Star and K-On! , among others). Unlike the first season which featured an ongoing plot with various story arcs, each episode of Fumoffu (with the exception of episodes eight and nine) are completely standalone, with many of them split into two shorter stories. Plots range from standard high school anime...

Originally a light novel series and then animated by popular studio Gonzo ( Hellsing , Strike Witches ), Full Metal Panic! is a series that garnered reasonably popularity both in Japan and the West and one I've been meaning to check out for a few years now. While usually I'd encompass multiple seasons of a show into one review, the noticeable different in tone between Full Metal Panic! and The Second Raid to the middle season, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu suggested I should perhaps look at each season one by one. The first Full Metal Panic! season originally aired in 2002, running for a total of 24 episodes. Sousuke Sagara: Great soldier, not so great socialiser The series follows Sousuke Sagara, a member of an anti-terrorist military organisation known as Mythril. Tasked with the mission of protecting high school girl Kaname Chidori, Sousuke moves to Japan to study at her school undercover while being aided by his comrades Kurz Weber and Melissa Mao. Lacking socia...