Rather than having three regular seasons, Full Metal Panic! (yes, the exclamation is part of the title) had one big 24-episode series, followed by a 12-episode comedy spin-off called Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu and a true second season of 13 episodes called Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid.
While in the past there have been separate releases of the original series and its spin-off, Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid has never been released in the United Kingdom before. Now that Anime Limited has all three licensed, we get this big boxset which includes an art book.
In Full Metal Panic!, an elite undercover anti-terrorist operative (and mecha pilot) has to protect a Japanese high school girl, and as he looks young enough to play the part he joins her class as a transfer student. High-jinks ensue when the two fall in love with each other, especially as the operative's lack of social skills makes him evaluate every situation as a combat mission. Full Metal Panic! is not exactly a classic for the ages, but it is an often fun series and it has its fans.
Therefore, let's have a closer look at this big bad boxset: here is a gallery of shots. Click on the edge of the pictures to scroll through them, or at the center of each to see a bigger version.
And here it is: a big boxset. This one rivals the Gurren Lagann boxset in sheer size.
In it, there is the art book and... another big box.
All contents removed. The inner box has three Blu-ray Amarays in it, one for each series.
In the past, Anime Limited used elaborate digipaks for these big editions, but while pretty, these caused them quite a lot of trouble as well. For this series they switched to Amarays in a padded box.
Which is OK I guess, safety-wise, but doesn't exactly look all that flashy.
The discs itself are fine though, containing all 49 episodes and a slew of extras, including the bonus OVAs and fun obscure stuff like the Japanese anti-piracy adverts.
All contents opened.
A closer look at the art book. The big advantage of these oversized boxsets is that this format allows Anime Limited to make the books a lot bigger as well.
This hardcover baby here is not an exception! Check the next slide to see some of its contents.
At 80 pages, this book isn't exactly the largest of its kind, but it is a very nice companion to the three series and contains a wealth of design art.
The end!
A solid release for a fun series of series.