Full Metal Panic! - Season 1

Full Metal Panic's first season is an unusual blending of two of anime's most common genres; romantic comedy and giant robots. I wouldn't call it the best of both worlds, since some of the pitfalls of both show up sometimes, but it's still an interesting mix and a very enjoyable show. The primary focus of the season is the action though, with the comedy aspect being mostly a subplot. Sousuke is a former child solider who's been recruited by a mercenary group to defend the world from terrorists. On a mission, he has to go undercover in a high school to protect Kaname, an apparently important girl. They quickly develop feelings for each other, but since this is an anime, their relationship is more of a series of blunders and misunderstandings than anything real. As the show goes on, they continue to butt heads as they encounter troubles that usually lead back to one man, Gauron, the season's villain. Their's a suitably dramatic and tense finale that wraps up the arc while leaving the door open for more adventures.

The show looks decent, not great, but not bad. Once in a while there will be a 3D-rendered vehicle, but most of the time everything is hand drawn and well designed. The animation is decent if rarely truly eye-catching. Despite a couple filler episodes that break the flow for a bit, the pacing is decent as the stakes are ratcheted up as it goes on. The comedy is pretty typical and not that unique, but it's never painful or boring. The characters are well developed and you get attached to the important ones, and you find yourself rooting for the guy and the girl to get together even though you know it's going to take forever if it even happens. The next season is more of a side-story that's purely comedic stylistically, so it will be interesting to see if they maintain the enjoyability without robots blowing each other up.