MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW

Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid is the third installment in the anime adaptation of Gatoh’s original series, with the first a lackluster Gonzo plot tracker, the second a raunchy but hilarious episodic comedy by Kyoani, and now the third, plot-based again but this time with the excellent art and music I’ve come to expect from Kyoto Animation. Three things need to be said before getting started: firstly, there does exist the fourth installment (FMP The Invisible Victory), released in 2018 by Xebec, but as I haven’t seen it, it won’t enter this discussion. Secondly, I’m writing this review after that of Fumoffu and before that of the first series, so expect some revision in the future. Finally, in the interest of saving space this review will actually forego my general approach to review writing (music, art, characters, and plot) for the first release – there’s a lot to say about this anime, and those additions will need to come in a later revision of this review.

If you’ve read my Fumoffu review it will be obvious that I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I’m not a big fan of many of the characters, as I find them either too irritating, too flat, or too stereotypical to be interesting. I’m hopelessly annoyed by the female MC, Chidori, for her endlessly archetypal tsundere tendencies. However, unlike some actually likeable tsunderes, Chidori has almost nothing actually redemptive about her in any of the first two series. She obviously is attracted to Sousuke (for good reason!) but values her normal life above everything else, almost to a ridiculous degree. She chooses to berate him rather than appreciate him, regardless of the number of times he saves her life, doing relatively little to accommodate his difficult shift from military to school life. Chidori refuses to accept that her unique power is accompanied with a stringent duty to protect herself and those around her, constantly accusing the very person who works tirelessly to keep her safe. I’m similarly frustrated with the villain of the series, Gauron, whose character exists solely in vague evilness and a refusal to die. Even midway through the very first series, it’s painfully obvious that Gauron lacks the depth that would really bring a level of intrigue to the story. He is your unkillable, power-hungry antagonist of so many archtypical fantasies. The other antagonists of The Second Raid are portrayed more as insane, senseless, controlled, but Gauron’s sheer two-dimensionality make him an unlikable but ultimately boring character.

On the other hand, you’ll also remember that I absolutely love the series’ MC, Sousuke. Mercenary from his childhood, Sousuke simply does not understand the concepts of failure, unloyalty, and disregard for duty. While Chidori remains amicable with Sousuke merely due to being attracted to him, Sousuke does not need such romantic connection to obsessively stand by her. His mission is enough, and he stops at nothing to uphold it. Why in the world would I appreciate such a seemingly flat, depth-less character? The answer is fairly simple – Sousuke is the opposite of the lackluster, wishy-washy, indecisive male protagonists seen in so many other KyoAni works and those from other studios. Sousuke has principles that he sticks to regardless of the cost, something that works out excellently for comedies such as Fumoffu but also surprisingly well in the seriousness of The Second Raid. Sousuke is the constant in a sea of variables, and is the face of good in a sea of mystery. He is the character you root for when all else seems hopless.

However, Sousuke alone isn’t enough to revive the series for me. The lackluster remaining characters, coupled with the excessive fanservice (this isn’t rated 18+ just for the violence) and lacking the sometimes-excellent humor of Fumoffu, would drive this show down to average or worse on my rating scale. The saving grace of The Second Raid comes in the intense and passionate character development that occurs in the MCs within the last few episodes, development that is almost completely missing in the first two installments. Let’s dive in.

As those who have watched the series recognize, the show doesn’t truly begin until episode 6, when Sousuke is ordered to cease duties as Chidori’s bodyguard. For the first time across the entire series, we see the faintest glimpse of a question in his head. Up until this point, his duty had always been his passion, but now, something within him sees a disconnect. But it’s quick and painless – stuffing those feelings aside, Sousuke recognizes that his duty has moved elsewhere. He packs up and departs immediately, just to be disparaged by his superior for his perceived, if even so slight, interest in protecting Chidori. The viewer sees the gears churn in Sousuke’s head. Why is it that his duty now seems to conflict with his morals? Why does he, someone who has killed so many others during his life as a mercenary, suddenly value the life of an individual who became his friend, how derogatory she may be? But duty is duty, and Sousuke pushes feelings to the side.

However, something similar is happening to his female counterpart. Chidori, outwardly gleeful that her one block to a normal life has vanished away, begins to feel some legitimate concern for his wellbeing. This concern first manifests in the typical tsundere romantic desire for a love now departed, but more quickly develops into something more tangible. She feels suddenly that she is being watched, surveyed from afar, and everything Sousuke stood for filters slowly back into her mind. In perhaps the first and only act of unselfishness that Chidori feels, she runs to his apartment just to find him gone, departed, vanished just how she desired. But rather than feeling relief, she feels fear, and finally arms herself as the Sousuke of the past so desired. Chidori – in the events that follow – is assaulted and left destitute, finally taking into her own hands the protection that she so disregarded in the past.

What, then, of Sousuke? The nagging feeling, of a loyalty that extends beyond duty, comes to a head in the poor teenager’s mind. The psychological horror of his failure – abandoning someone he cared about – pervades his psyche, leaving him to abandon his mission and walk, in a dazed confusion, through the streets of Hong Kong. It is only in the unlikely encounter with alcohol and a prostitute who looks oddly like his former charge, that Sousuke returns to his senses. But this time, something has changed. Sousuke realizes that while he can abandon his duty, his loyalty is absolute. He charges into Gauron’s stronghold, where the fabricated death of Chidori drives the solder into a inhuman frenzy. He returns to the battle, duty thrown to the wayside. Sousuke charges forward convicted by devotion alone, reuniting with Chidori and defeating the enemy – both physically and to his responsibility as a mercenary, demanding that his old bodyguard position be reinstated. Sousuke changes more in 7 episodes than he does in the entirety of the former series, and I can’t help but appreciate the sheer rawness through which it occurs.

So what else can I say? The Second Raid is an interesting series. The art is generally really good, the soundtrack (battle scenes included) is epic, and while the characters are generally frustrating and lackluster, the excellent character development in the MC cannot be disregarded. Yes, it is a mature series (and not exactly something I’d choose to watch for fun), and yes, it has its weak points, but I found myself appreciating Gatoh’s development much more in this installment than in the prior two. Sousuke alone is pretty much the reason why I’m (eventually) going to watch the fourth series, but I can’t help but admit that I have pretty high expectations following the end of this one.