Yep, that's a long title.
Full Metal Panic! is a light novel series that received three anime seasons (with a fourth one in development at the time of this post). The first season was animated by GONZO in 2002, while the second and third seasons were under Kyoto Animation in 2003 (FUMOFFU) and 2005 (The Second Raid). All three seasons were under Kadokawa Pictures in terms of licensing. While the first season has its serious and comedic moments, FUMOFFU is a straight-up high school comedy while The Second Raid returns to its serious routes.
In terms of English licensing, the first two seasons were released under ADV Films before Funimation rescued them and acquired The Second Raid along the way. Over here in the UK the ADV titles made it over but The Second Raid was never released at all. In 2014 Anime Limited acquired all three seasons for the UK & Ireland.
Anime Limited first released the series under the Ultimate Edition label, the idea at first sounded cool but the outcome turned out to be a disappointment for many - the price didn't please folks and the content was lackluster. Now they have finally put out standard editions for all three seasons, but FUMOFFU has a three month wait, as the original plan of the Ultimate Edition set was to make that season exclusive but was then later revised after negative feedback, so the standard edition will be out around June 2017. This version that I have is a special 300 only unit with all three standard edition sets together with a collector's edition box. Gurren Lagann received similar treatment but this one is only available on Anime Limited's online shop. I got the early bird for £39.99.
The discs themselves are the exact same as the Funimation releases years ago, since the Japanese masters used the same as Funimation's in terms of Blu-ray upscaling. All three seasons are upscales in case you ask, and all were done in-house by Funimation. What's interesting about this release compared to the Ultimate Edition is the fact that they have different cover art, and this one even has reversible covers. The subtitles for all three seasons are optional, which makes sense as this was an older Funimation title. The regions are both A & B compatible, like the US release.
Blu-ray Specs - Full Metal Panic!:
Languages: Japanese, English
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 [Japanese], Dolby TrueHD 5.1 [English]
Video: 1080p SD Remaster (Upscale) 4:3
Region: A B
Subtitles: English [Japanese language & On-screen]
Subtitles Locked: No
Discs: 3
Blu-ray Specs - Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU:
Languages: Japanese, English
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 [Japanese], Dolby TrueHD 5.1 [English]
Video: 1080p SD Remaster (Upscale) 4:3
Region: A B
Subtitles: English [Japanese language & On-screen]
Subtitles Locked: No
Discs: 2
Blu-ray Specs - Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid:
Languages: Japanese, English
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 [Japanese], Dolby TrueHD 5.1 [English]
Video: 1080p SD Remaster (Upscale) 16:9
Region: A B
Subtitles: English [Japanese language & On-screen]
Subtitles Locked: No
Discs: 2
Plot Synopsis (via Anime Limited Info sheet):
Kaname Chidori's one of the most popular girls at her high school - unfortunately, it’s her growing popularity off campus she should be worrying about. Unbeknownst to Kaname, terrorists are plotting her abduction, believing she possesses the rare and coveted abilities of "the Whispered."
That’s where Sousuke Sagara enters the picture.
He’s a hotshot soldier from the clandestine counter-terrorist organization known as Mithril - and he’s going undercover at Kaname's school to try and keep her safe. He may be an ace in the cockpit of an Arm Slave mech, but there’s no training in the world that could prepare him for the warzone of high school.
That’s where Sousuke Sagara enters the picture.
He’s a hotshot soldier from the clandestine counter-terrorist organization known as Mithril - and he’s going undercover at Kaname's school to try and keep her safe. He may be an ace in the cockpit of an Arm Slave mech, but there’s no training in the world that could prepare him for the warzone of high school.
On-Disc Extra Content (Full Metal Panic!):
Jakoichi Chigara x Shouji Gatou Special Interview
Japanese Piracy Warnings
Original TV Spots
Textless Songs
Trailers
On-Disc Extra Content (Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU):
Original Japanese TV Spots
Textless Songs
Trailers
On-Disc Extra Content (Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid):
OVA: Tessa's Eventful Day
Location Scouting in Hong Kong (parts 1-7)
Location Scouting in Hong Kong (parts 1-7)
Textless Songs
Trailers
Collector's Edition Exclusive:
Collector's Box, only 300 units available.
Full Metal Panic! is available on Blu-ray from Anime Limited.
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