Full Metal Panic!

Concept

Kaname Chidori was born with a strange ability. This ability has enabled her to solve complex mathematics and science problems. She has went her whole life being able to do this and she is not sure why. In fact, she doesn't even seem to question it and seems oblivious to it being abnormal. Unbeknownst to her, a trio of soldiers from Mithril have been assigned to protect her from terrorists that want to gain her knowledge and abilities, and use them for their own plans. One of the Mithril soldiers has been assigned to protect her as a bodyguard. That soldier is Sousuke Sagara. The problem? She is not to be told that she is being watched and protected. This proves to be rather difficult because Sousuke is a professional soldier, but is still expected to act like a normal high school student.

Main Characters
Sousuke Sagara
Sousuke is probably the show's main protaginist and deservedly so. He is a professional soldier that has yet to be matched when it comes to his ability to operate his AS (Arm Slave) and he has excellent abilities in every other area of combat. When protecting Kaname, he always ends up drawing attention to himself due to his inability to adapt to life as a Japanese high school student and this makes life really hard for Kaname. Despite a lack of common sense, he has a great sense of what his duty is and always has a polite and calm manner. He is definitely the best character.

Kaname Chidori
Kaname has a fiery and somewhat outspoken personality. She is constantly telling Sousuke to stop being reckless and never gets a moments peace. As the student council vice president, class representative and prettiest girl in Jindai High, she gets a lot of attention, and this just heightens Sousuke's paranoia. However, with the knowledge she has, it's no wonder Sousuke is paranoid. She does have a soft side to her too, and this is what enables her to form a close friendship with Sousuke. This relationship continually grows throughout the serious, and it's the best relationship that you can find in any anime.

Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa
Mithril's submarine Tuatha de Danaan is run by its captain, Tessa. She rose to her position very quickly, and people find it hard to believe she is the captain, despite only being sixteen years old. However, she is very intelligent and can cope with very high pressure situations and is always able to make the right call. When she forms a friendship with both Sousuke and Kaname, she becomes Kaname's rival.

Opinion
Plot
The bulk of the series is focused on Sousuke's constant battles with a terrorist named Gauron. This is usually done with them facing off with their AS's. However, there are some filler episodes that are designed to give us a break and add a bit more comedy to the mix. Some people feel it was a bit too fragmented this way, but I prefer this way. It's good to get a break because we can't be expected to pay attention for a whole 26 episode season or remember every little detail if there aren't regular breaks. There are some great moments when it comes to action, comedy, drama and romance. Sousuke and Kaname's relationship has always been my favourite relationship.

Audio
The seiyus do a fantastic job. Seki Tomokazu is on equal with Sugita Tomokazu as my favourite seiyu. I feel he has a talent for being able to alter his voice for whatever the situation calls for. Yukino Satsuki does a great job with Kaname and she has the perfect voice to fit Kaname's personality. Its soundtrack is worthy of mentioning. The background music fits and serves its purpose well. In fact, it's actually good to listen to on its own. The opening and closing theme songs are performed by Mikuni Shimokawa, and they're near the top of my list of favourite songs. They are both just so great to hear.

Animation
At the time, the animation was pretty damn good. Some people say Gonzo messed it up but I really don't have a problem with it. Yes, it may not be as good as later seasons of Full Metal Panic!, but I still stand by it and proudly say it still a lot better than most anime. Everything has incredible detail. If you want to see what I mean, look at the jet engines the ASs use when they take off. Also, Kaname and Tessa are officially the prettiest anime girls, ever.

Final Thought
There's not much to say because everything about it is just so great. The story, relationships, comedy, romance, action, soundtrack, voice acting and character development are just marvellous. All you need to do is watch it. Trust me, it will blow you away.