Running from August 25 to November 18, 2003, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is a spin-off of Full Metal Panic! Unlike the original show, Fumoffu doesn't have a central story. Instead, each episode (sometimes it's a single episode, sometimes it's 2 episodes put together) is it's own little story, involving most of the cast of the original FMP. Also unlike the original show, most of what's going on is very funny, and there's very little of the mecha combat or political intrigue that was the basis for the original.
So that starts off Fumoffu's first positive. The humor in this show is very much of the slapstick variety, as one of the main characters, Sosuke, is often shooting, blowing up, or punching something that doesn't need to have one the mention forms of violence applied to. Even if he isn't the focus for something goofy or silly, and he usually is, then one of the other characters is doing something goofy instead.
Fumoffu's second positive is it's shift from the original FMP. I've never watched the original Full Metal Panic, but from my understanding it was much more gritty & dark. This version on the other hand, does a complete 180 (with the exception of a few moments) and heads in the comedy and light romance direction. For fans of the original Full Metal Panic who want something a bit different, Fumoffu definitely fits the bill, and for somebody who want a nice comedy show, then it'll most likely satisfy that person.
The third positive of Fumoffu is the voice acting. Unlike my last review, where the voice actors just sucked, the voice actors in this show do a great job with the characters, especially since they're the same actors from the original FMP. Much like that show, they do a great job here of bringing out a character's personality and emotions. Only this time around, they're a lot more funny.
Fumoffu's 4th positive is the visuals. This show came out back in 2003, right around the time that computers started to supplement traditional animation skills. Ironically, this show doesn't look any different from Full Metal Panic, as they were both made by the same studio. The only thing that really separates the two shows is that Fumoffu mostly takes place at the high school the characters go to, and other upbeat settings like a beach or the woods. For fans of the original FMP, it's a refreshing change.
Fumoffu's 5th positive is the time length. Coming in at 12 episodes (last about 22 minutes), this is a great series to watch over the course of a few days with a couple friends.
Fumoffu's last two positives are pricing and availability. I got a used copy of the complete series originally released by ADV Films (R.I.P.) at Genericon just a little while ago for a price that I can't seem to remember at the moment, but Funimation managed to pick it up back in 2009 for a re-release. As far as finding the ADV complete series, you can find a handful of new copies starting at 34 dollars. If that's a bit too expensive for you, there are plenty of used copies on sale starting at just under 10 dollars. Curiously, there are also numerous copies of the season on individual DVDs for sale, with prices ranging from $3.15 to close to 10 dollars for a new copy of the various DVDs. Funimation, on the other hand, has released the entire series together on DVD & Blu-Ray. New copies of both cost anywhere in the 20 dollar range on Amazon, with the DVD release around 20 dollars, and the Blu-Ray release starting at 25 dollars. Not that much of a difference, if you ask me.
Unfortunately, Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu has two dark spots blemishing it's otherwise perfect image. Luckily, they can be explained in a single paragraph. The first negative is the content of the show. If you've never watched the original FMP, then you'll get confused by who's who and what's what. Fans of the original FMP will easily get what's going on, but new comers who've never seen FMP will get a little confused. Fortunately for me, I bought the show for the humor, and I learned what's was going on just by watching the first episode. The second negative is the pacing. Much like my Comic Party Revolution I did last year, I explained that you can pretty much watch the show in whatever order you want (unlike that show, you don't have to watch the last two episodes back to back). Also like that show, the episodes in Fumoffu have their own stories and are presented in a haphazard manner, but not as bad as Comic Party Revolution.
Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu gets a 9 out of 10. It's incredibly funny, the focus has shifted to more lighthearted themes, the voice actors do a good job, the visuals look nice, the length of time is decent, and it's plentiful and easy on the wallet, but it can be confusing for people who've never seen FMP, and it's pacing is a bit akward.
Until next time, stay Otaku!
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Ironically, this was the 3rd show I discovered while I was back in college (when ADV was still around). I didn't remember it as much back then, and I still haven't figured out why. Here's the original trailer that I saw for the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1bAVLCL50o
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