Anime Blu-ray Review: Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid

“Not a problem.” Get used to hearing that phrase because Sousuke Sagara is back in “Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid,” the sequel to the original anime series.

The 13-episode series takes place three months after the events in “Tuatha de Danaan.” Sagara is once again living the dual life of undercover high school student and member of the elite mercenary group Mithril. Now, Sagara must deal with the threat of Amalgam, an unknown element with advanced mech technology, while protecting the life of his spry and comical romantic high-school love interest, Kaname Chidori.

As a high school student, Sagara is completely aloof to the normal world around him. His childhood was riddled with political strife and war, so blending into the pop culture world of Tokyo results in several humorous scenes. For example, in one scene Chidori takes Sagara to get a haircut. Sagara tries to convince himself that regular things like a towel on the head is not a beautician’s strangulation instrument and that shampoo is not poisonous. But, when the beautician goes to cut his hair, Sagara pulls a gun on him thinking the barber is an assassin. Needless to say, the beauty parlor kicks him out .

Though “Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid” has a strong plot and engaging characters, the series tends to lose momentum from episode to episode. The series struggles to find its place as both a teenage dramody and a mech series. Chidori is the typical Anime teenage girl who can’t express her feelings to the guy she likes, except through physical violence. Sagara plays the role of the guy who has no idea that multiple girls like him. This humor is further portrayed in the Blu-ray bonus features, which explore Captain Teletha Tessa Testarossa’s feelings for Sagara. The mech fighting doesn’t hold up against more dedicated mech-series like Aquarion.

The Blu-ray release helps boost the exceptional animation of the series. There are moments where the blacks don’t pop as much as they could, but these moments are fleating.

I was pleased to see that this Anime release was so packed with bonus features. As I mentioned before, there is an embarrassing tale about Captain Teletha Testarossa. The bonus featurette explores the personal lives of the members of Mithril. For example, we learn that Closeau, Team Leader of the Special Response Team, has a secret anime lust.

There are also some original Japanese behind-the-scenes featurette showing off the in-depth location scouting that went into creating the parallel world Tokyo world of Full Metal Panic. This is presented in SD, but it’s still great seeing the real life locations that inspired the Anime.

Though “Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid” is hardly one of the best Anime series of all time, it is a series that deserves to be watched. The humor is believable and doesn’t feel overdone. The best moments come from Sagara’s undercover high school life. Funimation made this an excellent Blu-ray release by packing it full of bonus features.

Bonus Features:
Bonus Episode 000
Bonas OVA
Dawn of the Light Novel
Location Scouting in Hong Kong – 7 part Featurette
Textless Songs
Trailers