Fullmetal Alchemist

Synopsis:

Alchemy, the magical art of equivalent exchange. For example, to magically fix a radio the broken one must be traded in the process. So is the fictional world upon which two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric reside in. Their father being a powerful alchemist himself sets out to the constant lure of adventure and to further his knowledge, both Edward and Alphonse also posses some of their fathers power and constantly seek to further their abilities as alchemists through constant research and practice. But as time moves on their mother becomes ill and eventually succumbs to her illness and passes on leaving Edward and Alphonse alone and in the care of Pinako Rockbell, a long time friend of the Elrichs. However, Edward decides to use the forbidden art of alchemy, transmutation, to return their mother to life but doesn't consider what the equivalent exchange could be which turns out to be Edward's right arm and left leg and... Alphonse's entire body. In an attempt to save Alphonse, Edward binds his soul to a nearby suit of armor, and he is also fortunate enough to have his missing arm and leg replaced with robotic counterparts. As Edward and Alphonse set out to find a way to get their original bodies back little did they realize that the thing that they revived wasn't their mother but something more deadly, emotionless, and not of this world.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 51


Review:

I gotta admit, when I read about all the praise this show was receiving along with the sheer length of the series I was hesitant to even start watching it because I thought that it has to be all hype. But I figured I might as well give it a try and to my surprise it was actually quite a compelling tale about the supernatural set in a parallel universe to our very own. Fullmetal Alchemist does a great job of immediately pulling in the viewer with the tale of what is going on currently in the Elric brother's lives. A little bit is explained about the powers they have and why Alphonse is a big walking suit of armor but not so much as to incite boredom with lengthy explanations but rather quickly shows some intense battle sequences that also hold enough mystery to warrant explanation about the fighting styles. This is where Fullmetal Alchemist gets your attention and makes you want to move onto the next episode to find out the real truth as to what is going on. The series then delves into the brothers' past and shows how they got started in alchemy and the tragedy that befell them when trying to bring their mother back to life. Things eventually catch up to the present day timeline the series started with and then you move onto the adventurous future that's in store for the Elrich boys.

Now with all this magical hub-bub coming at you, you may think that it sounds like one big complicated mess and the thing is... it's really not. Fullmetal Alchemist does a fantastic job of explaining everything that is going on through it's dialog without coming across as heavily scripted crap that sounds more like someone reading an encyclopedia rather than actual dialog. So not only are you going along a journey with the Elrich brothers but you're also learning about the laws that govern the land as well as the difference in cultures of the many denizens that inhabit this fictional world. Even the outcomes of the many hand to hand combats that take place are explained through witty one-liners during battle which, is pretty damn smart, when you think about it.

Fullmetal Alchemist is not without it's amazing cast of characters that each and every one shows a huge amount of individuality and are in no way lumped together as a cardboard cutout when they're compared to anyone else in the series. Everyone will also get a mini-sode at one point or another that focuses on just that one person for a time which is kind of a relief because... you will get a tad bored always following the Elrich brothers around and when a question about that one person arises you can be assured an episode dedicated to them will be just around the corner. With such a huge cast it truly is fantastic at how Fullmetal Alchemist can juggle each character around the main story and make sure that no one is lost in the shuffle and are always kept within the big picture. Hell, even the antagonists each have their own story to tell and it only adds fuel to the fire of how much you want to see the Elrich brothers overcome any and all obstacles.

Sure, it's a long-ass series but it's got enough originality, top notch story-telling, and one giant cast to tell it's tale, all put with decent animation, Fullmetal Alchemist deserves to be watched whether you like anime or not... you owe it to yourself. Honestly, I found it to be relatively average over all but it's appeal to the masses can't be denied. Rent it and watch it, or catch it on Cartoon Network if you're lucky.

Fullmetal Alchemist (opening)

Recommendation: |Above Average|


*Note - A little side rant. As a subtitle viewer, I was rather disappointed with FUNimation's presentation of the series. Not only do you get FUNimation's sub-par video quality but the subtitles had numerous typographical errors and were poorly timed at places making sentences appear far before or disappear long after a line of dialog was spoken. Not only that but sometimes causing lengthy conversations sometimes to flash by too quickly causing me to use the pause button at times. I didn't bother listening to the dub because FUNimation's dubs are amongst the most horrendous I have had the displeasure to listen to and have just given up on them altogether. This is sad news for anyone who prefers subtitles.