Customer Reviews

Full Metal Panic! Volume 1

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note: i am a 16-year old male, named Mike Takahashi. so, obviously, this is written from a 16-year old male's perspective. not the actual account holder's (my father's)

For everyone about to click that "Add to cart" button: be warned that this is NOT a manga! the book shown is the first in a series of novels, which are still being released in japan. in japan these kind of books are known as "light novels", and they are generally aimed at young adults. light novels also have manga(anime)-like illustrations scattered throughout the book.

all that light novel stuff i just mentioned is simply to inform you that this is not a graphic novel. on the subject of the book however, in my opinion this is the among the best books i have ever read. speaking of book's i have read; there aren't that many i really wanted to finish. i bought this book yesterday and i can't stop reading it. i am a huge fan of the anime and manga, and this book was the inspiration to both! in fact, the third season of the anime (titled: Full Metal Panic! The second raid) only goes up to the 5th book! As of now, there have been nine novels (japan) and ten short story collections published, and a tenth (and possibly final) is in production. today, this book had me using all my willpower to restrain from laughing uncontrollibly after i finished one of my midterms. but take note that this book consists of so many more demographics than comedy, the book (and the series) have perfectly blended elements of comedy, drama, romance, action, and mecha (giant robots). what this book does, it does exceedingly well!

anyone who has watched the anime or read the manga will probably think that they have no reason to read the book. i disagree with that. reading this book made me feel re-introduced to the series, and i recently just re-watched all of the episodes from all of the 3 seasons (i'm an FMP! nut, what can i say?).

Very long opinion which i could delve into a whole lot further short: this book is an excellent read for anyone who loves the following categories: mecha, action, comedy, drama, and romance.

anyone who likes any one of these categories will be doing themselves a favor by buying (and reading) this novel.

Shouji Gatou is an excellent story-teller. You'll be completely caught up in his narrative. I enjoyed the time spent reading this amazing book and get to know what was on the character's mind and situation's details that only this novel can provide. I recommend this book very much, for fans and non-fans, you wont regret buying this.
Greetings from Brazil.

High-school secret agent Sousuke Sagara is assigned to protect honor roll student Kaname Chidori from a large band of international terrorists! What could they want from her?

"Full Metal Panic!!" is extremely funny. It is also very original, making it ten-times better. The translation is done very well, considering the fact that this is one of ADV Manga's first titles. The artwork is impressive, and very detailed. This is definitely worth a read at the price of $10.

by Matt Reeves

What do you get when you cross a Tom Clancy novel with a High School comedy? Apparently, something unabashedly awesome.

Set in a creatively altered version of history shortly before the new millennium, the world of Full Metal Panic is a somewhat eerie picture of what our world could have looked like had certain historic and technological conditions existed prior to the Cold War. With the Soviet Union still standing resolved and the KGB active, this strange mirror of time is made even more seemingly unstable by the invention of humanoid fighting machines, or "Arm Slaves" as they're called. Created under the Reagan administration, these tall mechanical robots, controlled by a single pilot inside, have devastatingly powerful weapons. Having been deployed by a number of governments as a part of their national security or wartime offenses, they represent a dynamic shift in control of the world's power. But amongst this volatile landscape stands a single group that exists in order to prevent an all out war. Self dubbed as MITHRIL, a group that has no country affiliation or ties, it secretly monitors potential threats and independently acts to subdue them, breaking numerous international laws in the process.

When Sousuke Sagara, one of MITHRIL's best and youngest Arm Slave pilots, is ordered to accept a new and highly hazardous mission in an effort to stop a possible soviet abduction, the seventeen year old is all ears. But when he soon realizes that his mission is to become a high school student in Japan to keep watch over a certain girl whose attention has caught the eyes of the KGB, his stamina is less than energized. The young Japanese native who was raised most of his life in the mountains of Afghanistan has next to no experience with civilization, let alone public school. Though Sousuke objects, MITHRIL places their faith in him and his team is assembled quickly for a departure for Tokyo.

However, what would seem to be the easiest military operation devised in recent memory quickly turns into a sizable culmination of mishaps, misunderstandings, confusion, partial nudity, girls' locker rooms, and a Korean terrorist hijacking that proves to be anything but simple. With a secret buried deep within the recesses of a young girl's mind, the socially awkward military high school student must find a way not only to save everyone's lives, but also himself.

To say that Full Metal Panic is anything but a nonstop comedy adrenaline pumping thrill ride is to be dishonest. Originally written in 1998, Shoji Gatou's novel proved to be an immediate hit and subsequently, over nineteen books have been released in the series. To this day, the books are still one of the top grossing young adult novels in Japan.

When I first saw the book, I already had a feeling I was going to love it. It's that sort of feeling you have when you're destined to meet. Only fate could have attracted me to it...or perhaps because it had a unique cover and story premise. Either way, the book proved immensely gratifying.

Written in simple-to-understand language, which many espionage or high tech novels fail to be, the story flows almost seamlessly from one page to the next. Filled with numerous characters that each have a distinct personality, this story is likely to be one you won't forget anytime soon.

Though set in high school, the author successfully manages to avoid most, if not all, the trappings that usually accompany American stories set in this backdrop. The aim of this novel is not romance--I repeat, not romance. A remarkable concept for many YA authors, I'm sure. Instead, this story concentrates on the characters themselves, their complicated relationships and the mystery surrounding the main female protagonist, Kaname Chidori.

Another commendable aspect of this book is its sheer diversity. Taking readers from countries like Russia to South Korea and representing nations such as Germany and China, the book strives to show on an epic world scale the stakes at risk in this fictional world.

TokyoPop's translation, while rough and somewhat simplified, is still an engaging read. I could only find a handful of spots that could have used a rewrite or had a typographical error corrected. Overall, I thought the book worked very well.

Whether someone is a fan of science fiction or not, I feel that Full Metal Panic finds a more than comfortable middle ground that could prove enjoyable to just about anyone. Combining futuristic technology, military terrorism, international disputes, and high school, this novel provides the perfect balance of gripping suspense and laughter.

For those who have seen the show, FMP is perhaps one of the best animes that has ever been created. The plot development, video quality, sound quality, and drawing is just brilliantly done. And the manga promises no less. Filled with plenty of plot turns, and comical stories, the manga is sure to not dissapoint.

Full Metal Panic manga is sort of a mix between the two seasons of Full Metal Panic; FMP original and FMP fumoffu. Sagara Souseke is assigned to protect high school girl Kaname Chidori; a pretty, all-around successful, 16 year old schoolgirl. Chidori has something terrorists want, and it's up to Sagara and his organization to stop them from taking it.

This first installment of full metal panic gets the reader well acquainted with the characters of the book through a sequence of many mini stories. Through these stories you also see a budding relationship between the two main characters in the book as well glimpses of Sagara's painful and unknown past. Those of you who didn't like Love Hina due to the lack of action, you won't be disappointed with FMP. FMP blends in the perfect combination of action and romance, promising an action filled plot while continuously developing a love relationship between the two characters that you love the most. While the first book doesn't exemplify this quality, there is a small amount of action as well as suspense that leads to an action-filled second book.

Drawing is a big part of manga books. Poor drawing, like Inuyasha and Ranma, which aren't aided by computer animation, tend to turn readers off to the books. But I guarantee you FMP is not the same. Gatou does a spectacular job at desiging perhaps the most well-drawn characters I have ever seen in a manga; and trust me I've read a lot. For 10 bucks? It's not even a contest.

"Full Metal Panic! Fighting Boy Meets Girl" is the first of several light novels in a very exciting series revolving around the exploits of a young mercenary named Sousuke Sagara. This novel is an odd, but charming mix of secret warfare, science-fiction, comedy, and a dash of romance.

Despite being a light novel this book contains a colorful cast of characters and intriguing scenarios described in surprisingly acute detail. Some of the author's descriptions of combat are very graphic, while in other instances he provides remarkably poignant insight into the characters' feelings. This combined with his ability to weave together several interesting plot threads makes for some very addictive reading.

What really makes this book engrossing, and hard to put down, is the incredibly tense action in the latter half of the story. The author does a fantastic job of gradually escalating the tension and raising the stakes until you feel like bursting. Each page will leave you dying to find out what happens next.

The series is aimed at teens and young adults, so people in a more advanced age bracket may scoff and be dismissive of it, but those who are open minded enough to give it a try may find some very enjoyable, if a bit light, reading.

Kaname Chidori has a boy at her high school who seems to follow her wherever she goes, and his chivalrous nature protects her from all dangers. She even reciprocates his feelings of attachment even though she won't admit it to him or herself. His name is Sosuke Sagura. He's such a great guy that he even busts through her window at home, swinging on a rope, ready to take down a threatening cockroach that Chidori almost steps on getting out of the shower. Yes, Sosuke is a weapons freak! And that's putting it mildly. For example, when someone leaves a love note for Chidori in her shoe locker, Sosuke deems that it would be safer to blow up the locker, along with part of the school! And the class president, Hayashimizu, seems to think that it was apporpriate too! Sosuke is actually an agent of Mithril, a super-stealth anti-terrorist agency, assigned to protect Chidori from anyone that would want to get their hands on her. Not because of her beauty, but because of the important information locked in her mind.

Anyone that has already seen either Full Metal Panic anime series will find a lot of stuff they've already seen in this manga. But it's still entertaining even if you have. Panic has always be a little more unique than other series because it blends two distinct storylines. There's the high-school hijinks that occur at high school, which is mostly slapstick interaction between Chidori and Sosuke. The other line is the mecha action that occurs in the terrorists wanting to kidnap Chidori arc which takes things to a more dramatic level. The characters are great and the humor is funny. Recommended.