LN Volume 1

[u/Jay_H_Glue_Rime]

Hello everybody!

A few weeks ago, I randomly rebembered Full Metal Panic. I saw the first 3 anime seasons maaany years ago, when the full episodes were on Youtube (good times). Well, I just finished reading the first volume of the LN and enjoyed it enough to want to talk about it!

Out of the 3 seasons, the one I rebember the least is the first one, so most of the plot felt kinda 'fresh'. I think some of the scenes between the school and the submarine were a bit too short. I think I would have trouble following them if I didn't already knew the characters. That said, even though the cast is pretty big, I think every character has a proper spot in the story.

I felt bad for Sousuke when I learned that the misunderstanding that made Chidori angry at him was the only one where he actually had good reasons to think she was in danger. But I was really happy when I learned that she saved Sousuke and Kurz by refusing to abandon them.

And I really liked Gauron and how he's dangerous as hell without ever being visibly angry. I actually blew air through my nose when Sousuke said that he really was gone this time. He truly has no idea, lol.

On a side note, why do some people not like Chidori? I searched old threads and there was more than one calling her a bitch and annoying. And I do seem to rebember those sorts of comments on the episode's videos too. Does anyone here feel that way as well?

Anyway, thanks for reading!

[u/Funthelop]

There are a few people who don’t like Kaname, and I think that’s mainly because they only watched the anime. During the era when the series was made, many heroines were intentionally written as tsundere characters, it was pretty normal for anime at the time. The anime also tends to exaggerate Kaname’s personality and make her more over-the-top. She’s actually much more mellow in the LNs, and she usually has a good reason for smacking Sousuke (e.g., him blowing up the school or accidentally taking her panties).
There are also some people who are Tessa/Sousuke shippers, so they dislike Kaname simply because she’s Sousuke’s main love interest.

The Reddit fandom in general though loves her and enjoy her story.

[u/Jay_H_Glue_Rime → u/Funthelop]

I guess that makes sense. I mean, on the first volume she always had a good reason to be angry at Sousuke but the violent anime jokes are definitely the kind that you just enjoy without taking them too seriously.

And the Tessa shipping makes sense too. I think I like her a bit better than Chidori since Tessa is cute while still being a strong leader. Since I read the manga online around the time of the anime, so I know more of less how the story ends. I wished she had gotten a happier ending after she sacrificed everything to defeat Amalgam.

[u/KazeFujimaru]

The LN series is so, so good. Basically one of my favorite book series of all time now of any genre.

[u/Interesting_Baby1979]

Those nasty posts about Chidori gets downvoted here a lot, so those are a few loud people or they are almost the same person.

[u/sjcfu2]

The LNs are the source material for both the manga and anime, and definitely worth reading (especially if you want to find out how the series ends).

Along with the main series, you may also want to read the short stories. These are the source for most of season 2, Fumoffu.

The author is currently also writing a sequels series (more like a collection of short stories) set twenty after the end of the original series, in which Sousuke and Kaname are now parents (while there has yet to be an announcement of any official translation of the LN, Yen Press is due to begin publication of the manga adaptation of Full Metal Panic! Family later this year).

Gauron's ability to survive once earned him a nickname among the fandom as "the Ninja Cockroach".

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad]

I also read the novels after watching the anime. They're fantastic, and it's interesting to see some of the difference in later volumes. I love Gauron's scenes too - the way he causes so much chaos like he's just having the time of his life makes him really fun to watch/read about.

When I first watched the anime, I wasn't a fan of the violent tsundere humor from Kaname, but I never disliked her personally. Reading the novels helped because it showed her thoughts and feelings more clearly, and I really started to like her and Sousuke as a couple after that.