Full Metal Panic! - Mission 01
In this winning comedy-adventure, writer Shouji Gatou and director Koichi  Chigira combinemechabattles, psychic abilities, and teen-age romance,  infusing the mixture with a rambunctious comic energy reminiscent ofGenerator Gawl. High school student Kaname Chidori may be a "Whispered," an  individual who possesses vast, untapped mental powers. The KGB and other sinister  organizations want to capture individuals with those powers, so the  anti-terrorist mercenary corps Mithril dispatches a mismatched trio of officers to protect  Kaname: Melissa Mao, Sousuke Sagara, and Kurz Weber. Sousuke tries to blend  in at Jindai High, but his military bearing, hair-trigger reflexes, and  literal-mindedness get him into trouble with the teachers and Kaname. At a time when  many anime series feel like variations onEvangelionand a few other  prototypes,Full Metal Panicoffers an upbeat, appealing originality.  (Unrated: Suitable for ages 14 and older: violence, brief nudity, alcohol use,  risqué humor)--Charles Solomon