Customer Reviews

Full Metal Panic! Volume 9 (Full Metal Panic! (Novels)) (v. 9)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the final volume in the Full Metal Panic manga which brings it right up to the point where the first anime ended. Gauron has gained control of the Danaan and holds Tessa and Chidori's lives in his clutches. One false move and he won't hesitate to kill them. While Gauron knows that both of the girls are "Whispered" he has no idea that they can communicate telepathically. The girls hatch a desperate plan to take back control of the ship. Meanwhile, the Danaan's crew are virtual prisoners, locked by Gauron in the hangar, and he's thinking about cutting off their oxygen! Only Sousuke and Kurtz have gotten out and set out to rescue Tessa and Chidori, but they'll have to contend with some of the crew that turned traitor and now serve Gauron.

If you've already seen the Full Metal Panic anime series, there's really nothing new here. But that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of seeing a different interpretation of the same material. Retsu Tateo's art is spot-on and she has handled the mix of humor and action quite elegantly throughout the entire series. Most of volume 9 is missing comedy but the artist does a good job of conveying the energy and suspense leading up to the final battle between Sosuke and Gauron. The manga does a better job of conveying the affection between Sosuke and Chidori than the anime did. I'm sad to see this series end.

Sadly, this is the last graphic novel for the FMP series, according to the illustrator's notes in the back of the book. That said,

It does clear up and finish the main plot that has been building with Gauron, the Tuatha de Danaan, and Chidori. At the end of book 8, Kaname, worried about Sosuke as he returned from a mission, was verbally rebuffed by him and fled, crying, making her examine her purpose on board the TDD. As she flees, she runs into Guaron and two traitors, who hold her hostage and then take over the TDD in book 9!

Gauron, to assert his power, reprograms the computer to listen only to him, and then commences an attack on an innocent battleship nearby, but only after setting up a false Fire Drill to isolate most of the crew. Sosuke, feeling as though something is wrong, and realizing that he had been harsh to Chidori, defies direct orders and joins Kurz in a mission to save the ship and Kamane, who is just as determine not to "be annoying" and to save herself. Then Tessa plays her hand to rescue the day and her crew, but it is Kaname that saves everybody at the end (not spoiling it!). For another variation, see the end of the DVD series--Kaname's part is beautiful!

For more books on the FMP series, check out the Boku-Tachi website.