Geekatana Anime Review: Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid

Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid is the third season of the Full Metal panic series and is the second time that the  franchise is being handled by Kyoto Animation after getting the license for Gonzo. The series was originally released back in 2005 roughly two years after Full Metal Panic Fumoffu own release.

While the Full Metal Panic Fumoffu deals on the comedic aspect of the series, Full Metal Panic the Second Raid however dives into the far more serious aspect of the series which is the military and political side of things.

Full Metal Panic the Second raid takes place two months after the events of the original series. The group of Mithril has come across a shadow organization named Amalgam who has technology that rivals their own obtained from "Whispered" individuals. Things gets complex as Sousuke is suddenly relieved of his guard duty and Chidori is suddenly force to fend for herself against an unknown threat.

Very few does a sequel surpasses the original but Full Metal Panic the Second raid does exactly that. In fact for a military mecha series the plot centers more on the story, politics and individual struggles of the characters rather than focusing on the robot battles themselves. The robot fights are there but this time you care more of what happens to the story a bit more than who has the bigger robot.

Visually the graphics are way better than the original was and the mechs feel a bit more solid. The fights are intense and is pretty much in your face most of the time. If you're a bit squeamish at the sight of blood in an anime or someone's head being blown off then this is probably not a show for you. The series doesn't shy away from the death as every kill, gunshot and blood is pretty much shown in detail. It's definitely much darker than any of the Full Metal series before it.

Character development wise the story centers more on Chidori and Sousuke. The school girl hunted by a killer she can't see but she knows its there. A perfect soldier given an order he doesn't want to follow. Even the side characters aren't even spared as they are thrust into near death fights after another. The stakes are as realistic and grounded and in your face as it can get.

The series isn't without it's problem as to fully enjoy Full Metal Panic The Second Raid you need to have watched the original series. A lot of the terms, plot, characters and relationship won't make much sense. I also find the main villain to be a bit too weak being more as psychotic loonie than a calculative antagonist feeling like a side character with little attachment to the plot as just being a bad guy of the week sort of thing.

The last episode also feels too rushed and could have at least been two or three episodes longer. The idea of a protagonist suddenly becoming skilled enough to fight off multiple enemies in just half of an episode just cause he suddenly believe in himself is always bad story writing no matter which side you decide to look at it. Still that's only half episode of bad stuff that you can probably turn your mind off to. Also it does have plot holes that will make more sense in the next season of the series.

Overall Full Metal Panic the Second Raid is better in nearly every way than the origin series in terms of plot, character development, animation, action. It does stumble here and there but not so much. Also you do need to watch the first original season to get an idea on who is what to fully enjoy the show. If you are a fan of the original series than this is a must watch.