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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Wednesday, 26 April 2006 00:00 |
 Another disc of Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU, another healthy dose of Sousuke-inspired mayhem and comedy. Between theme-park thugs, ponytail-obsessed pesterers and the not-too-successful mixing of artillery and art, there's plenty here to keep you smiling. Oh, and don't forget the first appearance of no-holds-barred Bonta-kun...
4a - The Hamburger Hill of Art
"Humans and Nature" is the theme of Kaname's class sketching exercise, and the class have headed out to the park. Figuring his specialist skills would make him the perfect person to stand still for hours on end, Sousuke's been picked as Class 4's model - and normally, that would also a good way of keeping him out of trouble. Unfortunately, he's taken Mizuhoshi-sensei's lecture about "becoming one with nature" a little too seriously and has gone into hiding. Mizuhishi-sensei won't let them pick another model, so the race is on to track Sousuke down while there's still time to complete the assignment - but Sousuke's determined not to be caught...
4b - Single-Minded Stakeout!
Kana's getting a little frustrated with Sousuke's inability to adjust to normal life (that's what happens after one too many grenades in class), and to Kyoko's surprise she's talking about putting some space between Sousuke and herself. Running into old flame Fuwa-senpai doesn't help her mood, and you know it's serious when even Sousuke begins to twig on that she isn't quite her usual self. Kyoko decides to step in and help: Kana and Fuwa have arranged a date for the weekend at Fumo-Fumo Land, so Kyoko brings Sousuke along so he can see for himself what's been going on. When Kana attracts the attention of some undesireable characters, Sousuke's ready to step in - but first he has to find a way to do it without it being obvious it's him...
5a - The Pure Yet Impure Grappler
A small problem with some back-street brawlers introduces Kaname to Tsubaki, head of the school's Karate Club. The club needs evicting from their clubhouse (it's due to be torn down), but as they're refusing to go voluntarily, a forceful eviction may be needed. Sounds like a job for Sousuke, but while the three "regular" members of the club prove no match for him, their captain's no pushover, even given Sousuke's inability to deal with the concept of 'unarmed combat'. And their captain is - Tsubaki...
5b - Trespassing on Good Faith
Tsubaki's fallen for Kana in a big way & has challenged Sousuke to a duel over her. That he's still pissed at having lost to Sousuke in the previous story is entirely incidental, of course. When innocent bystanders start getting hurt, however (thanks to Tsubaki's short-sightedness), the Student President suggests a less violent alternative...
6a - The Hard Sell Fetish
There's a pervert on the lose, pestering the girls from the school - a very strange pervert who wears a horse's head, says nothing but 'Pony!!' and has the modus operandi of making his victims wear ponytails. Whatever floats your boat, I guess. With a little help from a seriously-deranged cop, it's up to Kana and Sousuke to unmask him...
6b - The Patient of Darkness
Kana & co are doing their best to scare Sousuke with horror stories, but it's no good - the guy has no imagination, so no matter what they tell him it simply has no effect. So it's off to the abandoned (& apparently haunted) hospital in the next town in an attempt to find something - *anything* - that *will* scare him. Even before they enter the building, though, Kana begins to notice that something's not quite right. It's still not getting through Sousuke's thick skin, but Kana is definitely scared...
FUMOFFU's one of those series that invites short reviews, as once you know what to expect there's really not much else to say, and this volume very much sticks to the tone of the first one. The notable events hear are the arrival of Tsubaki as a rival of sorts for Kana's affections (although everyone knows he's got no chance), and the first use of Bonta-kun as a replacement for Sousuke's Arm Slave. There's just such a disconnect between cute & cuddly Bonta, and him being used as a weapon of mass destruction, that you can't help but laugh at how crazy the whole idea is - and that's just what the writers want you to do.
Bonta gets two outings here (in his new, improved, military-grade version the second time around), and those two stories are probably the highlights of the disc. Tsubaki I found hard to warm to - mainly since you know he's just filler - so his two stories are less interesting (although the school janitor's reaction to his & Sousuke's "good deeds" at the end of episode 5 should be a classic). The pony-tail stalker story is also a good laugh - look out for his confession on why he did it at the end of the story. Worryingly, he's probably got a point!
Overall, then, still as shallow as hell, but still huge fun to watch. Definitely worth checking out.
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