"You can't gain something without sacrificing something else of the equal value. This is the principle of the equivalent trade."
The story takes place in Amestris, in the early 1900's. Two brothers, Edward and his younger brother Alphonse Elric, live with their mother, Trisha, in the small village of Resembool. Although their father left home when they were still very young, his sons inherited his passion for alchemy and practiced it on their own. In 1909, Trisha dies of an unknown illness, the boys' father still nowhere in sight. When Ed finds out about human transmutation from one of his father's books, he and Al engage in intense training in order to be able to perform the ritual that will bring their mother back.
In 1910, the Elric brothers cross the forbidden line; unfortunately, the resurrection attempt is a complete failure, as Ed loses his left leg and Al — his entire body. In a last desperate attempt to undo the damage, Ed binds his brother's spirit to a nearby suit of armor, at the further cost of his right arm. After recovering, the two embark on a journey to find the legendary Philosopher's Stone, rumored to facilitate alchemic tasks without the requirement of equivalent exchange, in hopes of getting their original bodies back.
Story & Characters
If you watch only the first two episodes, the sense of the story is straight to the point: They are searching for
something. You meet the brothers, as well as the strangers following them. The plot itself gets deep midpoint through
the series... sometimes you can't even tell who's on whose side... strange twists to the story make it
original and appealing. Everything is centered on the Philosopher's Stone and the story branches out from there,
including the characters themselves. Every single one of them is unique, each with different personalities; even down to
the minor characters of the story. Each individual character has its own desires, ambitions, even down to why they do
this or act a certain way. Their characteristics (Hughes is comedic yet serious... Hawkeye is serious but has a certain
attitude change among different people). It's just like taking a bunch of random people, placing them in situations
like in FMA, and seeing how they would react.
~The Good Side:
- The story is extremely well done and very through.
- Storyline leaves many cliffhangers that go can go either way per episode.
- Even though the story is very dramatic, comedic and humourous scenes here and there make it lighthearted.
- Each person is unique... very in-depth (even if it's just a minor character).
- Character relations with certain people and mutual hatreds with others... something common in reality as
well.
~The Bad Side:
- I don't know about others, but I didn't like the extreme cliffhanger at the end of the series. Sometimes it
just makes you wonder... a lot (I can't tell you how many days I would wander through the day wondering what would
happen next in the storyline).
Rating: 10
Art
The animation is graphically nice. There's a certain level of difficulty since you have to make it look like
alchemy is transforming something, and even that is very smooth. Battles are realistic and subtle things as sunlight
reflection, moonlight, and rain are all portrayed very well, giving it a nice realistic element to the anime
series.
~The Good Side:
- They went far on the sounds... to the point where echo noises from metal clashing against metal is heard in a distinct
yet subtle way. That itself is worth noting.
~The Bad Side:
- I can't see anything bad in this one.
Rating: 10
Sound
Music and sound effects were very clean. Object and sound effect noises were very clean, concise, and timed perfectly.
There was very little overlapping of music to sound effects (we all know how disturbing that can be), and no overuse or
reuse of music and sound effects (I mean, some of the battle scene ones can be considered as exceptions, but even then
there is a small change to make it unique).
~The Good Side:
- Very clean, clearly heard when needed.
- No overuse or major reuse of sound effects or music.
~The Bad Side:
- I can't see anything bad in this one either.
Rating: 9
Presentation
The way the storyline is laid out is very specific and organized. Each arc revisits the previous arc in one way or
another, and even though the timeline may sometimes jump around, you can actually tell. The side jokes and humor stints
during the episode, although funny and humorous, are sometimes a bit off in my opinion; the placement seems like
it's there to release tension more than anything.
Other Notes:
A very enjoyable series that is full of suspense, humor, and drama to anybody who watches it. A central theme revolving
around the plot (down straight to the "Law of Alchemy" described early in the series), and anybody who wants
to watch an enjoyable and suspenseful series should definitely take their time to watch this.
Rating: 8
Final Verdict
9.1667 (very good)
Reviewed by joeshen, Jan 06, 2007