Customer Reviews

Full Metal Panic! Volume 4

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

 

 

Another great novel by Shoji Gatoh. If you enjoyed the first three novels, or the anime, there's no reason you won't enjoy this one too. The author does a fantastic job of ramping up the excitement until you feel like you want to jump out of your seat.

This particular novel was the basis for the FMP Second Raid anime, however you will notice some differences between this and the anime. I won't spoil it for you; You'll have to read it to find out what was changed for the anime.

This will probably be a limited print run, so you should snap up a copy while you still can!

I should point out that the review and description given are for the 4th volume of the -manga-, not the novels. This volume is the source material for more or less the first half of the FMP: The Second Raid anime version.

I was doubting it would ever happen...

Almost 3 years after it was supposed to be released in North America, The Ending Day by Day finally has an English release. With both halves combined into one volume no less.

Compared to it's anime counterpart Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid, The Ending Day by Day is a touch anemic. Fans of the show will feel like crucial parts have been eliminated, even the book came first. However though the anime expanded and intensified things, the book does contain small details that'll interest the hard-core fan.

Even if you're not all that interested in reading a novel of something you've already seen in anime form, buy it anyway. Maybe then us Westerners will get a chance to see the remaining 7 FMP novels released in English.

This review is for those who have seen the anime "Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid". As you may well know, the pop novel "Full Metal Panic: Ending Day by Day" is what the anime was based on. So what's different and what's the same? To start out, the eccentric villain Gates is not in the novel, and the twins, here boys, are in it, but not much. The Sicily incident plays an even more prominent role in the novel. The scene where the prostitute tries to pick up Sousuke is missing in action.

Some things I thought the novel did better and some things the anime did better. Kaname and Sousuke are torn apart due to a decision by the higher-ups. In the anime, you could feel Sousuke's anguish in every frame like it was going to reach out and tear your heart out. That's present in the novel, but not as intense. I think; however, that the novel's ending is better than the anime's epilogue.

So is the novel worth getting? Of course! Everyone should be used to adaptations and the works they were based upon being different. You may have to pass it off to an alternate dimension, but at least you're not getting the same ol' story you experienced before. Besides, if we want TokyoPop to publish more of these novels, we have to buy them. I'm on a very limited salary, but I purchased the book from Amazon as quickly as possible, and I purchased the main copy instead of from "used & new" like I usually do, so that TokyoPop would know people were buying this book. Please join me in my crusade.

I have been a fan of the Full Metal Panic! Novels since they started being translated, and I started believing that there was no other Volume that would beat the first; I was wrong. Ending Day By Day is the best in the Full Metal Panic! as of yet.

Unlike the ones before, this one is more dark and serious, diving into the character's minds and character development, and is extremely good to read and easy to follow. Tension does not die down starting from end of Chapter 1 until the end of the Novel so it may feel really hard to let it go so most of the time you'll feel the need to continue onwards. Be warned, almost all chapters end in cliffhangers (Novel itself does not though).

Overall, definitely the best from all the ones released so far. Really should give it a read.

Here we have the long awaited Ending Day by Day. Tokyopop decided to be kind and publish parts 1 and 2 in a single volume, instead of making us wait 2 years for the second half!
If you have seen FMP - The Second Raid, then you have a good idea as to the story here. The anime is not a slave to the novel though. There are differences between the two. The mission in the tunnel at the beginning is only mentioned in passing. Events in Italy are also different. One of the major differences is in Gauron's proteges. In the anime, he had raised twin girls. In the novel, the pair are male, and not quite as adoring of their benefactor. The events surrounding Sousuke and Kaname also differ.
The differences make reading this well worth it, if for nothing else than different perspectives of Sousuke's well-intentioned missteps.

This story is basically a more in depth look at what happens in The Second Raid anime. The characters are portrayed in an amazing way that grabs my interest and makes me want to follow what will happen to them next. This volume is twice as large as Volume 3.

Sosuke, while not admitting any romantic feelings for Chidori, finds himself disconcerted when Kawa, an old flame of hers from junior high shows up on the scene. Sosuke decides to follow them on a date to an entertainment park to see if Kawa is on the level or just an enemy terrorist trying to get close to Chidori. Things get more dramatic when Capt. Tessa appears at Sosuke's apartment with a prisoner in tow, on the run from A-21, a terrorist organization that has acquired an Arm Slave and needs the prisoner because he can activate the "Lambda Driver". Did I also mention that the prisoner is slightly psychotic due to mind-altering drugs administered during his training?

This volume of Full Metal Panic was a complete success because it melded comedy and action together effortlessly. The scenes where Sosuke fights some yakuza harrassing Chidori is especially funny as he takes them on wearing a giant hamster costume to hide his identity! There was also a little more romance instead of the usual hitting Sosuke over the head bits. The art is great. Just don't expect any profound character development here.

Check out the original Full Metal Panic anime and its sequel Fumoffu for more adventures and comedy.