Full Metal Panic!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

COOL! I just found out that my Library which I haven't visited in over a year now carry's anime DVDs in their DVD library collection, and among them I found the FUNimation DVD set for FMP: TSR. I'm totally going to take advantage of this opportunity to re-watch the whole series and then review the shit out of this series. I've been wanting to review this one for a while, and seeing as how its been a long-ass time since I've done a review for this site, I figured that now would be as good a time as any.

[Angus]

Nice find! The FMP:TSR DVDs also have subtitled actor commentaries from the Japanese VAs for a bunch of the episodes.

[Foggle]

Noice! Good luck with it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The first season is on youtube courtesy of Funimation.

I'll give this a go. 

[Avaitor]

All three series are. Hope you enjoy it.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Its probably all subbed, which is fine but I prefer the dub, personally, if only for Chris Patton and Mike McRae.

Anyways, keep in mind that the first season may not be your cup of tea. I'm not sure, but most people find it to be mediocre or just plain don't like it. Personally I find that it has a good number of high points, and Gauron is an awesome villain, but its nothing outstanding on its own. That said I think it keeps things fairly interesting most of the time. The 2nd season, Fumoffu, is straight up comedy and most people like it for what it is. The 3rd season is straight up action and drama and is A LOT darker than the previous seasons, and its widely regarded by fans to be the best anime adaptation of FMP so far. Its really worth getting into even if you aren't too hot on season 1. Keep in mind that even people who disliked season 1 of FMP still end up loving TSR. Its also probably the only thing that KyoAni has ever done that I honestly feel that they actually deserve praise for.

Overall, though, I like each season of the anime for very different reasons. The first season is a little bit lop-sided in retrospective but it has a good blend of action, drama, and the right touch of comedy in between. Season 2 is a fun but shallow comedy, and season 3 takes a lot more risks but pays off by pushing the series much higher in quality than it ever was before. The later novels are great too.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Actually, they have both the sub and the dub up right now. I watched the first episode in sub and the next two in dub.

I'm on episode 3, and I like it. It's pretty funny, and I'm sure when the action kicks in, it will get better. The characters all seem pretty interesting at this point, and it will be interesting to see where it all goes later on. I think we just met Gauron in an earlier scene, so that should be fun. 

No complaints so far, since this is way less frustrating than reading the manga was.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'm not sure which manga you read, but the manga that covers the first 3 novels (which is also what this anime covers), is pretty shitty, IMO. The manga that covers everything after that (including the 2 novels covered in TSR), is MUCH better, as it is handled by a better artist and writer (the story is still by Gatoh, or based off of his novels with slight changes that are actually approved by him, but the story itself is adapted by a different writer). The thing is FMP has a bunch of manga adaptations, including various spin-offs, and each series is handled by a different writer and/or artist. So the one who did the first manga was pretty sub-standard at best.

The anime is a much better adaptation of the first 3 novels. It still has some hiccups, but its still a pretty fun anime. Its main strength is combining both sci-fi action, a bit of drama, and humor. The characters are mostly likable but none of them get too much depth or development in this season. In TSR you'll see 2 or 3 particular characters go through A LOT of change in a very good way.

Anyways, I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the anime so far. It gets better up to episode 7, then kind of slows down with a relatively weaker arc (but certainly not bad). The 2 arcs after that are much better and overall I find it to be a good and enjoyable anime. Nothing standout, but a very fun watch that kept me entertained most of the way through.

[Spark Of Spirit]

As far as I recall, the manga I read was mostly focused on Kaname (as opposed to the anime that seems focused more on Sousuke) and was pretty damn boring most of the time.

The anime is marked improvement for being focused on the better characters.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Kaname is kind of annoying in the beginning of the series. That's kind of intentional since she's supposed to be a regular high school girl, and while its kind of understandable she's not all that interesting as she constantly only serves the bratty damsel in distress character who constantly needs to rely on Sousuke to be rescued. One of the things you'll see in TSR is that she is forced into a situation in which she has to develop as a character to survive. You'll see what I mean when you get to that series. She definitely becomes A LOT more likable by the end of it.

Sousuke gets REALLY interesting after TSR. I mean, he had interesting character development both before and during it, but in the later novels....damn....Not only does he become a certified bad-ass, but he probably has the most interesting back-story and overall has the most interesting parts of the story by the time it all starts reaching its climax. Shouji Gatoh clearly put a lot of effort into writing his character later on. It actually gets quite touching and emotional.

BTW, I would recommend reading Voice from the North, either the actual translated part of the short story or the manga chapter that adapts that story. Its short but very insightful into Sousuke's character, and there are no spoilers in it since its not part of the main story-line (it just shows his and Kalinin's pasts). Kalinin is another important character who has a significant relationship with Sousuke, but that aspect won't get touched upon until much later on in the story. The anime only skims over that aspect of the series which is kind of disappointing (in the anime, you never really get the feeling that Sousuke looks up to Kalinin like a father-figure), but the books go into much more depth and detail about that.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The first arc was pretty damn good. I think I read it in the manga, but it was a hell of a lot better here.

I can't wait to see where this goes next; Gauron is one scary motherfucker.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'm glad that you liked it. pay close attention to Al, BTW. He was introduced in this arc (its the AI that's part of the ARX-7 that Sousuke got to pilot at the end of the arc). Later on he becomes another really important character (yes, the AI is actually a character). Its one of my favorite aspects of the series though the anime only really touches on it in TSR. Its still interesting to take notes on how Al develops his thought process and understanding of humans over time, though.

Also, so as to not totally disappoint you, expect a general down-turn in quality for the 2nd arc. Its not bad or anything, but it tends to feel kind of slow-paced. Its really short, though, so its not much of a problem. The 3rd and 4th arcs are really good, though, and Gauron is fucking AWESOME in the 4th arc. A true psycho villain to the core (and I don't consider it a spoiler to say that he's still alive after the first arc, because I think its made very obvious from the fact that you never actually see him die).

[Spark Of Spirit]

So, hey.

[Foggle]

Full Metal Panic! Another? Really? They couldn't call it Another Full Metal Panic!? Damn it, Japan!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

That title has been out or months. Its hardly a surprise by this point. Keep in mind that its being handled by a different author than Shouji Gatoh (though he gets to supervise and approve of the final version of the story), so if the retarded title is any indication and this novel turns out to be a really lame waste of a spin-off, then you can just blame it on the "new guy," instead of Gatoh.