Fullmetal Alchemist ( 鋼の錬金術師) is a 51 episode shonen action series based on the manga of the same name by Arakawa Hiromu. The original TV anime series aired between 2003 and 2004.
Edward and Alphonse are desperate orphans. Using the knowledge they gained from the library of their absentee father, Hohenheim, they use alchemy to try and resurrect their recently deceased mother. Things go horribly wrong and they realize why using alchemy to bring back the dead is forbidden. The 'science' is guided by laws of equivalent exchange, something given for something gotten. The price they paid for trying to revive their mother was Al's body and Ed's leg. In an act of desperation Ed sacrifices his arm in order to bind Al's soul to a suit of armor.
Their goal, realizing the error in their ways, is to do whatever they can to restore their bodies. The pair is driven by the idea of a power source that will allow them to amplify their alchemy, the Philosophers Stone. Ed chooses the path of joining the military as a State Alchemist in order to access greater knowledge and research possibilities. In their studies and subsequent travels they begin to unravel a dark history of war and sacrifice. The brothers realize they may not be able to atone for their sins without loosing their humanity.
I'm not sure why I never did a review of this series. More than likely it is because I watched it before I began my blog over 10 years ago. So after watching it with my kids I figured I could review it properly. As I get into it there will be some spoilers, but the series is old enough and popular enough it shouldn't matter too much. It was nice to return to this series which I enjoyed quite a bit. The artwork seems to of held up over the years and the story was engaging like I remember it from 12 years ago. But in the end I remembered the one thing that was nagging on me, it loses a bit of steam. The series had this world that it had been building up, the first half sticking well enough with the manga. Due to the series coming out prematurely, the second half trails off course from the manga's progression. It starts to get a bit weird in the second half and the origins of the homunculi differ from the manga. In the end the series ties into the real world through The Gate and at one point Ed finds himself in London during an air raid.
In the end of the series you are left on a down note. It doesn't end nice and tidy, the good guys aren't necessarily victorious. This is one thing that sets it apart from its shonen action brethren. Other things that make this series stand out is it's message of humanity and lose. Ed and Al struggle the entire time though overtly selfish desires but their compassion see's them doing everything they can to help those that are helpless. Even one of their main enemies, Scar, earns their respect and understanding at one point. Some people complain they don't grow and mature in the series. That their personalities don't change enough from beginning to end. But honestly, that's how people really are, set in their ways. The biggest struggle they face is how much of their humanity they want to sacrifice to gain what they want.
In the end Fullmetal Alchemist is a fantastic series, but even with 51 episodes it could have done with about 3 or 4 of them and still told the story well. The story wrapped up really well with the feature length movie, Conqueror of Shamballa. The license to distribute it in North America expired March of 2016, so snag up the disc releases while you can at a good price. They won't last long and there is no word on when it will be renewed. For the time being it is also available on FUNimations website and Hulu.
Edward and Alphonse are desperate orphans. Using the knowledge they gained from the library of their absentee father, Hohenheim, they use alchemy to try and resurrect their recently deceased mother. Things go horribly wrong and they realize why using alchemy to bring back the dead is forbidden. The 'science' is guided by laws of equivalent exchange, something given for something gotten. The price they paid for trying to revive their mother was Al's body and Ed's leg. In an act of desperation Ed sacrifices his arm in order to bind Al's soul to a suit of armor.
Their goal, realizing the error in their ways, is to do whatever they can to restore their bodies. The pair is driven by the idea of a power source that will allow them to amplify their alchemy, the Philosophers Stone. Ed chooses the path of joining the military as a State Alchemist in order to access greater knowledge and research possibilities. In their studies and subsequent travels they begin to unravel a dark history of war and sacrifice. The brothers realize they may not be able to atone for their sins without loosing their humanity.
I'm not sure why I never did a review of this series. More than likely it is because I watched it before I began my blog over 10 years ago. So after watching it with my kids I figured I could review it properly. As I get into it there will be some spoilers, but the series is old enough and popular enough it shouldn't matter too much. It was nice to return to this series which I enjoyed quite a bit. The artwork seems to of held up over the years and the story was engaging like I remember it from 12 years ago. But in the end I remembered the one thing that was nagging on me, it loses a bit of steam. The series had this world that it had been building up, the first half sticking well enough with the manga. Due to the series coming out prematurely, the second half trails off course from the manga's progression. It starts to get a bit weird in the second half and the origins of the homunculi differ from the manga. In the end the series ties into the real world through The Gate and at one point Ed finds himself in London during an air raid.
In the end of the series you are left on a down note. It doesn't end nice and tidy, the good guys aren't necessarily victorious. This is one thing that sets it apart from its shonen action brethren. Other things that make this series stand out is it's message of humanity and lose. Ed and Al struggle the entire time though overtly selfish desires but their compassion see's them doing everything they can to help those that are helpless. Even one of their main enemies, Scar, earns their respect and understanding at one point. Some people complain they don't grow and mature in the series. That their personalities don't change enough from beginning to end. But honestly, that's how people really are, set in their ways. The biggest struggle they face is how much of their humanity they want to sacrifice to gain what they want.
In the end Fullmetal Alchemist is a fantastic series, but even with 51 episodes it could have done with about 3 or 4 of them and still told the story well. The story wrapped up really well with the feature length movie, Conqueror of Shamballa. The license to distribute it in North America expired March of 2016, so snag up the disc releases while you can at a good price. They won't last long and there is no word on when it will be renewed. For the time being it is also available on FUNimations website and Hulu.
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