Fullmetal Alchemist
For those of you who love anime and haven’t already watched Fullmetal Alchemist, I highly recommend it. Even those who are not interested in anime may become impressed by it. In addition, I recommend the manga, which is still being published. The storyline is more well developed and both the storyline as well as some characters are way different in the manga than in the anime.
You may be thinking 51 episodes is a lot and that animes with this many episodes usually lose interest appeal half way through, but there wasn’t a single episode or moment when I was bored with this series. Even little incidences you find trivial at first becomes an important part of the plot.
Upon first impression of the first episode, you may think this show is just about two boys on their journey to regaining their original bodies and atoning for their sin of committing the ultimate taboo in alchemy, human transmutation, which is apparently more magical than scientific. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is a fantasy after all. But this story covers many different genres including action, adventure, comedy, and drama. Also, issues involving religion, politics, history, science and technology, philosophy, and psychology are also taken into account.
The characters are well developed and have distinct physical and personality characteristics. Edward Elric, the main protagonist, appears angsty, uncaring, and rude at times, yet he also has morals. There are times when fear can overpower his sense of rationality and intellect, and his mind freezes. There are also moments when you realize he’s just not the kind of person who would kill others even as a means of self defense when his life is in danger. He also has silly traits such as, if anyone calls him the “s” word in regards to his height, he automatically blows up and attacks him/her without mercy. Alphonse Elric, the second protagonist, is a foil to Ed. He towers over his older brother, has a caring and kind personality, but is at times too trusting of others, to the point of letting others brainwash him. Both Ed and Al are talented alchemists who are intelligent and strong willed, and overall mature for their age. Most importantly, the love and strong bond between them is phenomenal.
The villains are convincingly evil with goals. Some villains stay consistently the same, while others develop and change, bending towards the grey area between good and evil. You may even justify some of their actions to an extent. Some villians are even among my favorite characters in this series because they are so well developed. Some actions of “good” people may also be immoral, or may be just as bad as some things the villains do, yet there are qualities that set them apart, which involves the ways they resolve their problems as well as their psychological reactions towards their actions.
Emotions and facial expressions are well portrayed. The music really adds to the emotional atmosphere in dire moments. This anime contains many tragic moments, deaths not only to minor characters but major ones as well, and can make one cry, laugh, become excited, and can even instill a feeling of fear.
I also love the music in this anime, though I’ve only listened to the opening and ending songs a few times. I finished the series in three days, so to cut back on time, I skipped the songs. There are a total of four opening songs and five endings songs for this series. I think my favorite is the second opening song, though I also like a song aside from openings and endings called Brothers. I like the version sung by Vic Mignogna, the English voice actor for Edward Elric, mostly because the original version sounds too feminine, since it’s supposed to be sung by Edward. I know, the Japanese voice actor for Edward is female, but she’s also very talented and sounds convincingly like a teenage boy. The original song, Brothers is Russian though and definitely did not sound like Edward.
One aspect that may be marked down a bit is the art. It’s pretty simplistic and I’m one of those people who loves eye candy. Yet the well developed storyline and characters as well as the continual interest appeal made up for the simplistic style. I’d say this is just one of those shows where the development of the story is more important than the appearance of its characters. Don’t get me wrong. The characters aren’t drawn horribly or anything, but it is pretty simplistic for the most part.
Also, the last few episodes seemed a bit rushed, death upon death, bloodshed, major parts of the plot are revealed, new concepts introduced in such little time. Yet this acceleration in action and revelations makes the climax even greater. The movie also helps resolve issues in the anime, and the way the anime was resolved hints that the movie would not only be a great addition to the anime, but also add a final resolution to the series.
A resonating theme throughout this anime is the importance of life, and the value of being human. Living was important, not only to Ed and Al, but also to the villains. All is one, and one is all is one of the important quotes from the series, and this concept is expressed beautifully in the anime.The definition of what is human, and the concept of human superiority and inferiority are also themes from this show. I also like the concept that life (or the world) isn’t perfect, but that’s why it’s so beautiful. A quote that is used repeatedly at the end of each episode with variations in application to prior events that take place helps unify the major themes. This quote, only completed in the last episode, is currently my favorite quote ever. It’s in my livejournal profile and somewhere on my quotes page (search Alphonse Elric) if you really want to know what it is, but some people may like it better if they watch the entire series and have it slowly reveal itself. By the way, this series contains many memorable quotes both hilarious and philosophical.
Once again, I highly recommend Fullmetal Alchemist to anyone who hasn’t seen it and has just read my review. If you’re still obsessing over the show after watching the series and movie, watch the OVAs, the special, and of course read the manga. You might even read the manga first before the anime, but there won’t be a resolution as of now since it’s still being published. Yet the monthly wait for each chapter is worthwhile I think. I can say with confidence that this is my favorite anime of all time, after watching around 28 different anime series. The movie is also my favorite among 23 other anime movies.
Edit: 4.22.08 Forget what I said about the art. It’s pretty amazing. I was just comparing it to Nana, but that’s shojo so yeah. The animation is pretty fluid so that part really impressed me. The people’s moves in battles are really intricate and realistic. Their kinesthetics are truly admirable.
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- i loved the way the villains developed, first from sinister, almost invincible forces of mystery into very plain, understandable ‘people’. fma’s development of humor is also awesome, how small jokes carry on in the series and add richness and content to it. they stop being just gags, but really flesh out the world.
well said! each character doesn’t just dies like in some series, they have their own importance in the story. and as you have said, an all around great series!
Though I was only able to see one episode of this anime, it seems very very interesting! Now that you’ve written a review about it, I’m going to add to my must-see list. Thanks for sharing!
I used to watch it, but then I got lazy and stopped halfway
I’m going to pick up my anime habits after my exams are over though xD
I’m just no fan of that show, a friend of mine’s been begging me to watch it and every time I do I end up bored or annoyed, lol.