Okay, one of the elements that worked so well in the original series was how Sousuke would react to anything as a military threat, regardless of the context of the event. Anything out of place would immediately draw his suspicion and he would overreact in the civilian world whereas his military instincts worked fine in the field. The mech-robot action of the original series was great but I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that the material centered in his high school exploits (when he was protecting Kaname) adding the right touch of comedy. Well, with the military threat erased for the moment, this new series (whatever Fumoffu stands for will be explained in the future) takes the focus back to the school hijinks where Sousuke is literally out of touch with reality to the point where he becomes a danger to everyone around him. The romance element was downplayed this time and Kaname would almost always end up embarrassed by Sousuke's actions but the overall show was often hilarious as the couple interacted with one another.

The episodes on this volume included 1) The Man From The South/ A Hostage With No Compromises; 2) Hostility Passing By/ A Fruitless Lunchtime, and 3) Summer Illusion of Steel. The general thrust of the episodes would deal with Sousuke attacking on his military training as though everyday events were full scale military operations. From a vindictive coach to a love sick girl to a gang wanting revenge, he handles each matter with a precision that those around him would marvel at, not knowing his real identity as the bodyguard of Kaname. The DVD managed to keep the material fresh without resorting to the same old plot with a different set of circumstances, something I wish other series would explore in the future too.

Of interesting note was how the hostage episode was described in some liner notes that pointed out how a situation in Japan prevented it from being aired as it was made but the DVD version seemed to be much more complete. Otherwise, I enjoyed revisiting the characters again since they were always interesting as was the situation they were thrust into. I'm going to rate the DVD as Recommended even though I would have preferred seeing at least four episodes included. The themes discussed were very relevant in this day and age, and the over the top manner in which Sousuke handles things might give us all pause as to how our country handles situations on a larger scale. Regardless, it was fun and interesting to watch with some decent replay value for those who wisely purchase it.

Picture: Full Metal Panic?: Fumoffu: Full Metal Pandemonium!was presented in 1.33:1 ratio full screen, as expected with a modern day television released anime. It looked clear and crisp with a solid DVD transfer to enjoy. The colors were somewhat clearer than I remembered volume four being, perhaps due to the settings. The images were crisp in most cases and I saw no compression artifacts while watching the DVD.

Sound: The audio was presented in a few choices: English 5.1 or 2.0 (with optional song subtitles) or the original Japanese stereo track with English subtitles. Like the picture, the sound was exceptionally clear and well planned but I preferred the original language track. There was some dynamic range to the vocals and music but most of the time, the center speaker was where the audio action was at.

Extras: My favorite extra was a glossy paper game called "Bonta-Kun board game" that allowed fans to play a game based on the characters. Paper inserts seem rare these days so a good one like this merits attention. There was also a short text feature called The Mysteries of FUMOFFU that described a bit about the series and how it was altered when a situation in Japan caused the producers to revisit the episodes (just as if there had been a bit about terrorist blowing up a couple of large skyscrapers in New York, it would've been changed). Lastly, there was the usual clean opening, closing, Japanese television spots, and some trailers with some artwork sketches.

Final Thoughts: Full Metal Panic?: Fumoffu: Full Metal Pandemonium! was a cute way to revisit the cast of characters that I had originally appreciated in the first season series by ADV Films. You could expand the themes used here to a wide range of other things if you gave it some thought and the bottom line is that the show appeared as fresh as the first time I saw the original. I can only hope the following volumes handle the material in an equally interesting manner. If you haven't seen the original series or read the Manga release, you'll still have a lot to enjoy this time so give it a shot if you enjoy the kind of humor employed in a high school setting as seen through the eyes of a military man and his girlfriend/assignment to protect.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVDTalk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003 and Best Of Anime 2004 article or regular column Anime Talk