As this is one of the first series that got me into anime, I am a little biased towards it. Although I have seen many series since then, I still refer to this one as a benchmark. The story focuses on Sousuke Sagara, a teenage soldier assigned to guard a high school student, Kaname Chidori, from people who are hunting her for her mysterious powers as a "whispered". The global peacekeeping organisation Sousuke works for, Mithril, fight using their advanced mecha suits, but when a new suit is discovered called the Arbalest which is driven by unconscious will rather than force, Sousuke is forced to become its pilot.

The action is impeccably done, and the realistic nature of the fight scenes gave me shivers the first time I watched it. It is a true mecha anime, but at the same time it's backed up by well rounded characters and an interesting (if poorly explained) magical plot twist, in the form of the "whispered". The chemistry between Sousuke and Chidori is palpable, and the gentle way their relationship develops over the course of the series feels natural and unforced. The humour that comes from Sousuke's inability to fit in with Japanese student life relieves serious nature of the series, which can sometimes get a little bogged down in depressing fight scenes. The comedy is of course continued in Full Metal Panic! Fumofuu!?!, which breaks the action of this series and Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid.

The deliberate use of the exclamation mark in the title should give you a good indication that this is not a regular mecha anime. In many ways, it's so much more than that. (show less)

This anime, Full Metal Panic, needs more attention. I truly found this anime to be one of the best I've ever watched (of course putting aside the best ones like bleach, naruto, etc) but this anime has amazing plot. The characters in this anime are unique and are perfect for this setting. Each episode leaves you wanting you to watch the next, never leaving you bored.

It starts with a guy from a military group called mithril who's assigned to protect this high school girl because she's being targeted, you can imagine the funny stuff that happens between them, but that's just one bit of the anime. It gets a lot more intense and mysterious as you watch.

I strongly recommend this anime to everyone. (Start with this season and watch all the seasons! Including Fumoffu!) (show less)

This was one of the first anime that got me into anime and it is still one of my favorites. So far it has 3 seasons, the first and third is more serious while the second is all comedy. The action and story are pretty good but what this does best is comedy. It's just sad most people don't know about this little hidden gem:(
Animation would get 5 stars if anime-access has the remastered version...I don't know if they do or not.

Oh and I have a few questions for the anime-access admin. Most other anime download sites I know of have their anime removed all the time because of copy right and what not but you don't seem to...why? Oh and when I got on I saw the "Would you upload anime if you earned money ($) for every download your upload received? Yes or No" isn't it illegal to upload anime especially for a profit?...If you have some loop hole I buy anime all the time and have a ton I could upload:) (show less)