"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 an alternate world from ours in the early 1900's. Two young brothers, older Edward Elric and younger Alphonse Elric, live with their mother Trisha in the small village of Resembool. Their father left home when they were still very young, but Ed and Al inherited his passion for alchemy.

1909. On a fine day, Trisha dies of an unknown illness, leaving her two sons orphans. Ed blames his father for Trisha's death and wants to find a way to bring her back to life. At this time, Ed was 10, Al 9. When Edward finds out about flesh forging in an alchemy book that belonged to his father, he engages in an intense training with Al in order to be able to perform a human transmutation.

On February 1910, the Elric brothers cross the forbidden line trying to resurrect their mom. The attempt ends in a complete failure. In the process, Ed loses his left leg and Al his whole body. In a last try full of despair, Ed uses alchemy to restore his brother's spirit putting it in a suit of mail, at the further cost of his right arm. When Al wakes up in the armour, he suddenly realizes what happened and takes his unconscious injured brother to the neighbours, the Rockbells.

After that day, the two decide to embark on a journey to find the legendary Philosopher's Stone, rumoured to create anything from nothing, in hopes of getting back their original bodies.

Story & Characters

Unlike many animes out, Fullmetal Alchemist isn't the typical anime you would expect. It's located around Germany, rather Japan, and Edward Elric isn't your typical high schooler. He probably already had his life planned out by some form of a deity.
Having failed the Human Transmutation, that is forbidden and yet he believed that he would be able to pull it off for some reason, he and his little brother, Alphonse Elric, set out in search for the Philosopher Stone. With the Stone, Edward will attempt to undo all his mistakes that he's done.
Within this anime, it's filled with many dramas, twists, action and even comedy in it. It also has very few flashbacks and filler, that mainly everyone hates. However, if there is a flashback, it rather succinct and goes along with the storyline.
Rather than a pure fantasy, Fullmetal Alchemist links to our actual world seeming more realistic. It has many Earthly things such as betrayal, courage or fear. Instead of the famous "Knightly act," There are reactions that many people can relate to.
Even as relative to us as our world, there are many things within Fullmetal Alchemist that is left, unexplained.

Rating: 10

Art

Rather than the big-eyed, long-haired school girls, Fullmetal Alchemist actually has a diversity in the shape of the characters eyes. Also, in action scenes, the artists don't just get lazy and draw it all blurry with action lines. They actually go into detail with the fighting; whether it's blocking a punch or taking a hit, it's all shown. Aside to all the detail, Fullmetal Alchemist has very few recycled scenes and are mainly recreated for a variety of footage. Also, in many fighting scenes, the artist gets lazy and has an effortless character with poor animation, Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't have any significant ones that stand out. If there was any, the storyline was so intense you'd never notice it.
The emotions found within Fullmetal Alchemist seemed to be priceless. Their emotions aren't very common but they match that moment in time.
The artwork here was also matched the story. It wasn't a brightly colored anime with shining lights. Instead it was a bit dull-but not to dull, you'd notice it but it wouldn't really matter because it seemed to fit perfectly into it.

Rating: 10

Sound

The beginning and ending theme songs really happen to fit the anime as a whole but aside from that, there were 4 opening songs along with 4 ending songs. Each song seemed to match that certain section of the anime. In my point-of-view, the openings and endings that stuck out the most to me were- Ready, Steady, Go!, Rewrite, Kesenai Tsumi and I Will. Rewrite moreover all the others because the whole story is basically about trying to rewrite his life.
Other than openings and endings, the sound that was in the actual anime seemed almost flawless. The voices for the characters matched them and their personality entirely.

Rating: 9

Presentation

Overall, Fullmetal Alchemist had a steady pace but did happen to drag along at time-piling the suspense. Near the end, it did seem to be rushed quite a bit but it could also be that the producers planned it that way. They wanted it to be so much at one time to increase the drama and intensity.
What made Fullmetal Alchemist such a prized anime, was that it had just a bit of everything-not to much or not to little. Filled with lots of humor, intense action and even the horrors of reality.
Fullmetal Alchemist is overall not the average predictable anime that you'd expect. For one, not everything turns out perfectly.

Rating: 9

Final Verdict

9.50 (excellent)

Reviewed by dizburazngurl, Oct 03, 2008

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