Quite a nice review, but I think you reveal a bit too much in the story part XD and I think the art section is a bit not well done... and maybe you should break the review into paragraphs :) but other than that, I think this is a nice review :)
Fullmetal Alchemist tv Review
"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
This story is about a pair of brothers, namely the Elric brothers. The older Edward elric, while the younger Alphonse elric. When they were young they live in a peaceful and small town of Rizenbool. Their father had left them when Alphonse was born. And from then they lived with their mother till a few years later when both brothers left the village to follow their teacher to learn the art of alchemy. When they completed their training, the returned to the village only shortly after that, their mum passed away due to a serious sickness. Edward held a grudge to their father, as he knows that his mother has been waiting for him from the day he disappeared mysteriously. Then, both brothers tried to resurrect their mother with the forbidden part of alchemy, human alchemy. The experiment failed. Not only did they create a monster, they paid the price of equivalent trade. In the laws of alchemy, you only receive if you have sacrificed the very something of the same value. Thus as a price for practicing the forbidden art, Edward lost a leg while Alphonse was pulled into another dimension. In order to not lose his brother, Edward attached his brother’s soul to nearby armour using the blood seal. With that, Edward paid the price of losing an arm. Alphonse awakens in his Armour and bring his brother to their childhood friend, Winry. Winry is an automail mechanic and attaches a mechanic arm and leg to Edward. Thus from there, the brothers set off on their journey to regain what they had lost, their original bodies. Edward decides to become the state alchemist, as serving the state enables him access to official information and he can thus carry out individual studies. From there, he travels with his brothers and get caught up in many problems. They face the Ishbal riots, meet homunculus (the soulless yet human like form that evolves from people who experiment with human alchemy.), and then discover the truth of the philosopher’s stone…watch the anime for more information!!! Its funny, mysterious, exciting, interesting and sometimes even touching...
Rating:
Art
The art of this anime is visibly different from regular well known anime like Saiyuki, rurouni kenshin or even inuyasha. It may be different, but it is nonetheless very appealing. The characters just sort of grow one you. There are time in the anime whereby the background takes up a darker tone. The setting of the anime is kinda like a semi modern civilization. And the details are very well taken care of. The state building located in the central is very impressive and shows the dominance of the military over the country. When the Elric brothers travel to poorer parts, the tones get darker and darker. Not onli that, the Ishbal citizens-the ones that area discriminated- are very well drawn. It becomes very obvious to viewer why they were discriminated. With their blood red eyes and slightly darker coloured skin, this become the most recognizable trait of the Ishbal people. Therefore the verdict…well done!!
Rating:
Sound
I think the voices of the character match them very well...although i think alphonse's was a little too girlie for my liking. I totally enjoyed the part whereby edward defends his height...haha...Very very enjoyable music. My personal favourite would be the song that plays at sad moments which is called Brothers. It is sumg in foreign language. The first set of opening and closing themes of the anime-Melissa and Kasenai Tsumi- has become a favourite among the viewers. The series has a total of about 4 sets of different op and closing. However, if you ever get a chance to d/l or buy the cds...do pay attention to roy's image songs...i thorough enjoyed them. They were sung by the seiyuu himself and there is even one done as a duet btw roy and hawkeye...very funny!
Rating:
Presentation
Boy...the humour is there!! It is more obvious in the beginning of the anime before things start to get more
complicated. I think the story is quite original and I especially like that the homunculus was named after the seven
deadly sins. Lust, sloth, greed, gluttony, wrath, pride, envy. Very sleek indeed. Alchemy itself is by far a very
intriguing subject for me. Not only that, I agree about the rules of alchemy. Especially the part about equivalent
trade. In the anime, we get to look at science versus religion, racial discrimination, fights between authority for
power and many many more issues. The show is very enjoyable as the revelations come one by one. It is at a rate whereby
the audience can digest it slowly. Plenty of killing is involved thus it is clearly not very suitable for a younger
crowd. The alchemy is divided into different kinds for different individual. All alchemists share the same basics and
skills. But as the explore deeper, they soon find their niche. Roy is known as the flame alchemist. He is able to
control fire. Edward handles with metal. He is able to change the shape of metal into any weapon of his choice. There
are also many other kinds shown in the anime. Such as, the bomb alshemist, biological alchemist, strength alchemist (Mr.
Louis Armstrong for that matter…am I right?), plant alchemist and many more. Very interesting.
Rating:
Final Verdict
9.1667 (very good)
Reviewed by animefreakzzz, Jun 19, 2005
Comments
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tareren Jun 19, 2005
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LostChild04 Jun 19, 2005
Nice review. A little to much revealed though.... but other than that it's good. Maybe shorten the paragraphs a bit....
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royaldarkness Jun 25, 2005
pretty nice review
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meatwadcrazy Jun 25, 2005
kinda cool but not really good
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aznteen097 Jun 27, 2005
nice review and fullmetal alchemist
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Rusty15 Jun 30, 2005
Nice reveiw, but you did reveal spoilers, for the american audience who dont download further into the series
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animefreakzzz Jun 30, 2005
haha...so sorry...yeah i did revel a little too much...
i apologise to that...
haha...gomen gomen... -
Stavers Jul 11, 2005
great reveiw, told me alot though
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longinuz Jul 16, 2005
good review but i agree with anyone that revealed too much but it was good.
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fudgeCake Nov 10, 2005
great reveiw. but it was kinda long. kinda long reveiws are kinda boring
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animefreakzzz Nov 12, 2005
actually...there is a word limit to the reviews...so i havta make them long...if not...they do not allow me to post it up...haha
do forgive the length..haha -
Sanisa Sep 22, 2009
Thanks for the review!
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UberDog Mar 23, 2015
What a nice review, very well structured and detail, good job.
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