Dealin' Reel - Episode 8: Full Metal Panic!

Full Metal Panic! -- otherwise abbreviated as FMP! -- is a companion anime to a manga written by Shoji Gatoh.  I personally was introduced to the series by one of my best friends, Melissa.  I've come to love the series, and even enjoy it with my husband at times.  It's a great anime for both guys and girls.  The guys get their fill of action with some comedy on the side, and the girls get a really awesome action series packed with comical romance scenes.

Set in Japan in 1998, the story is fictional, but is put into play by some actual events as well.  The main characters are a seemingly normal highschool girl, Kaname Chidori, and her protector, Sousuke (pronounced "So-skay") Sagara.  Souske is a member of an elite anti-terrorist group known as Mithril.  Kaname, on the other hand, is a student being targeted by terrorists in search of the "black technology" she harbors. 

Mithril's organization is kept secret.  This is made possible in part by the fact that much of their work is done aboard a submarine.  For land operations, they use mechas, which are robotic machines operated by a soldier.  Some of the later models apparently have the capability to inflict more damage than a small army in  less time.  The soldiers who operate these mechas are mostly teenagers.  Sousuke, the ship's captain, Teletha Testarossa (Tessa), are two of these teens, though the captain only pilots an AS (their term for mechas) once in the series that I can remember.  Two others, Melissa Mao and Kurz Weber, also play big roles in the series.  Together, those who make up Mithril protect "the whispered" among others targeted by international terrorist organizations.  "The whispered" are those who are subconciously aware of the "black technology". "Black technology" is a form of extremely advanced technology used to create various weapons. 

When Kaname is discovered to be a potential candidate for being one of "the whispered", Mithril assigns Sousuke as her 24/7 body guard.  They enroll him in Jindai High as her fellow classmate.  Having been a mercenary since the age of 8, he often finds it difficult to adjust appropriately.  He constantly treats daily occurences and events as though he is in the world of the military.  This is where much of the humor comes in.  To Kaname, Sousuke is a probable pervert with military buff tendencies which create trouble for her. 

I highly recommend watching the entire series.  I think that many couples can relate to Kaname and Sousuke on a special level.  The series offers a deeply serious plot mixed with some "cutesy" drama and ties them together very well.