I’m a rather large fan of the Full Metal Panic! trilogy, and doubt I can do it justice with my written words, but there are a few of you who haven’t seen the first two series, so let me touch on those first.

The original season (Full Metal Panic!) started it all by introducing us to a young, 16 year old boy named Sousuke Sagara. Sousuke is a unique guy, having been involved in some military situation or another for his entire life. Throughout the trilogy, Sousuke is an elite member of a group known as Mithril. Mithril is an independent organization, working hard to put an end to terrorism around the globe. Under the command of a young girl, Tessa, Sousuke fights in his giant robot, Arbalest, with the help of his fellow elite Mithril members Mellissa Mao and Kurtz Weber, who fight alongside Sousuke in their slightly less impressive giant robots.

The plot, itself, of this first season is for the most part inapplicable to TSR. However, here are some things that are worth noting. Sousuke is on a mission to protect a young high school girl by the name of Chidori. In order to succeed in his mission, he must blend in with his surroundings, becoming a highschool student himself. This never works out very well, since he tends to blow everything up.

The reason that Chidori must be protected is that she is a “Whispered,” that is, her genes were modified at birth in order to implant a certain type of knowledge within her own biology. This knowledge relates to “Black Technology,” an extremely powerful technology which can be used by the Arm Slaves, or giant robots. An example of Black Technology is the “Lambda Driver” of Sousuke’s Arbalest, which he can only activate under emotional stress. The same goes for Chidori; her knowledge is useless unless she is in a life-or-death situation. The only other “Whispered” we know of is Tessa, Sousuke’s commanding officer, who captains an impressive submarine.

The second season (Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu!) has no plot, it just lets us dwell on how awkward Sousuke can be during his mission at Chidori’s high school. I like it because it is very silly. Sousuke and Chidori have an odd sort of relationship… Sousuke keeps messing things up and Chidori keeps on having crazy fits of anger. They look like they would make a perfect couple.

This third season (The Second Raid) promises to combine the storyline of season 1 and the humor of season 2 into a masterpiece of Japanese animation. It takes place immediately after the events of the first season. An enemy organization has learned of “Black Technology” from other “Whispered,” and Sousuke’s mission to protect Chidori may be called off. Can their relationship last, despite these difficult circumstances?