As a sci-fi fan, I’ve watched a lot of mecha anime over the years. However, the one I would say is my favorite, All-Metallic Panicit actually doesn’t feature the robots as much as some fans would like – but that’s exactly what makes it great.
All-Metallic Panic follows Sousuke Sagara, a former child soldier now working for the anti-terrorist organization Mithril, who is assigned to protect a young Japanese student named Kaname Chidori. Kaname is a “Whispered One”, a special person who possesses an incredible intuitive understanding of technology and is considered capable of creating technology far more advanced than modern technology. Many evil organizations are after the Whispered and their knowledge to further devious plans, so Sousuke must protect Kaname from these groups for the good of the world – and Kaname.
The series focuses first on the characters and relationships
You may have noticed that I didn’t even mention the giant robots in that series description; in fact, the series’ mechas, known as Arm Slaves, don’t even appear until episode 5. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t integral to the plot. The Arm Slaves were created using knowledge gained from the Whispered, and Kaname’s Whispered specialty appears to be these robots, making her a prime target. Arm Slaves are a fairly realistic take on the genre, being much smaller than their counterparts in other series and developed and deployed much like modern military equipment.
Although the series pays a lot of attention to its robots and the way they are portrayed, the story is always first and foremost about its characters. Sousuke’s story as a child soldier in Afghanistan is fascinating, completely different from any other anime protagonist, and he has the trauma to prove it. Being so rooted in real history gives him a very different outlook, even compared to other heroes with tragic pasts, and adequately explains how he is so well trained at such a young age.
Sousuke’s relationship with Kaname, which develops very slowly, is at the center of the story, and its gradual progression from her annoyance at his presence to her absolute care for him and complete trust in him is well executed. Kaname herself can be a somewhat divisive character, as she is one of the most violent “tsundere” characters out there, and this is often unjustified. Despite protecting her being the main objective of the series, Kaname is surprisingly capable of defending herself, although there is obviously a limit to what she can do against armed opponents.
Full Metal Panic’s setting is quite unique among Mecha
All-Metallic Panic is set in a world that is not very different from the real world, which has diverged from history as we know it due to the presence of these Whispered Ones, who only emerged in the 1980s. As a result, it has a complex and richly developed alternate history, which is very further expanded in the light novels on which the anime is based. In this world, the Soviet Union continues to exist, for example, in part due to its success in developing the Gun Slaves.
This modern setting gives a very different feel than most other mecha anime, which tend to follow Gundam and have complex but completely fictional worlds. This helps the robots feel more realistic, as they are used and deployed in the same way as other pieces of high-tech military hardware, and often in conjunction with standard military technology such as tanks and planes. However, despite this, the Whispered add an almost mystical element to the series, as this small group of people possess some extraordinary abilities, such as the ability to communicate telepathically.
The slow introduction of Arm Slaves into the series keeps expectations in check
While many other Mecha series start with flashy battles between giant robots to get fans excited for what’s to come, this often tends to be a bad example of what the series will actually be like. After all, big battle scenes are expensive to animate and must be budgeted carefully; not every episode can have a big battle. By delaying the introduction of the Arm Slaves until episode 5, the beginning of All-Metallic Panic gives an accurate representation of what the series will be like – a story about Sousuke and Kaname’s lives, first and foremost.
I’ve certainly been disappointed before by series with epic battles in the first episode, only to find out that there won’t be another one for half a dozen episodes or so. I felt a lot more like I knew what I was getting into All-Metallic Panicand it turns out that delaying the introduction of the mecha was a great idea. When giant robots actually start fighting, you know things have gotten really serious. The fights are easy to follow and, although they get a little more sci-fi as the story progresses, they manage to accurately convey the sense of danger that the characters are experiencing.
Sometimes it can be easy to forget in fandom spaces, which often focus on minutiae and details about robots, that a mecha anime ultimately needs to tell a good story and have good, solid character development. While there are many excellent mecha series that can do this, it often feels like the robots are the star of the show, not the humans who pilot them. I feel this All-Metallic Panic manages to find a good balance between its mecha and characters, preventing the robots from overshadowing the human characters that give meaning to the story.
Those who come to the mecha anime genre just for the big fights may not agree with my perspective here, but I can say that I remember All-Metallic Paniccharacters with much warmer feelings than almost any other mecha series, and that’s what I want from any story, giant robots or otherwise.