Full Metal Panic Fumoffu

Alternative Titles
English: Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
Synonyms: Full Metal Panic Fumoffu
Japanese: フルメタル・パニック? ふもっふ

Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Aug 26, 2003 to Oct 18, 2003
Producers: Kyoto Animation, ADV FilmsL, FUNimation EntertainmentL
Genres: Action, Comedy, School
Duration: 24 min. per episode

synopsis
In contrast to the original series, there is little plot continuity between episodes and most of them can stand alone, needing very little recap, if any. The only break from this pattern is a handful of two-part stories which are told over two episodes. Most of the stories in Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu are adaptations of plots from the original Full Metal Panic! short stories written by Shoji Gatoh and published in the Dragon Magazine.

The creators of Full Metal Panic! planned to give the new series title Full Metal Panic? - with the exclamation mark exchanged for a question mark. However, they quickly realized that such a minor alternation was insufficient to properly differentiate between the new series and the original. For that reason, it was decided that the fictional word "Fumoffu" would be used.[citation needed]

"Fumoffu" is the sound made by Bonta-kun, the series' fictional mascot, which resembles a human-sized, yellow teddy-bear, seemingly parodying Gonta-kun from the educational show Dekirukana. It is a personal armor suit, designed by Sousuke for the purpose of providing aid in tactical situations. Even though only capable of moving with human running speed and limited by its size, the suit is essentially a miniature Arm Slave. However, due to the suit's main computer's malfunction, all syllables uttered by the pilot are changed to either Fu, Mo, Ffu, or Ru. The suit's Operating System immediately crashes if the pilot tries to deactivate the voice changer. For that reason, Kaname has to translate what Sousuke wants to say using a headset radio, which is a frequent cause of humor in the series.