Fullmetal Alchemist

I might as well just come right out and say it to start with--I have never been a fan of Anime. In general, I watch it if it happens to be on, but more as background noise than for the actual plot content. But this series changed my mind about all that.

The first few episodes I watched were on Adult Swim. I liked the idea of magic being explained in a (somewhat) scientific fashion, so I found recordings of the aired episodes online (with subtitles) with the intention of watching them whenever I was bored.

I say without shame that I, who have not watched more than a half hour of anime in a single sitting, watched all fifty-one episodes in a single sitting. And it had me sitting on the edge of my seat every time. When a few of the episodes were corrupted, I even edited the videos manually with a hex editor to get them to play properly.

I was really turned off to Anime originally because of the way the Japanese animators use frame rates. You only really need one or two frames per second to show movement--and this contrasts with the relatively constant frame rate in American cartoons. It can look rather ugly if you're not used to it. For action scenes, though, they bring out the full 30fps, and the sudden contrast between 2fps, with the character standing there, and 30fps, where the character is executing these stunning martial arts moves, is an incredible sight to see.

But I would like to say that this series is a complete series. The last episode does, in fact, contain the conclusion--no premature terminations here. Most anime contains a "Lead-out" which gives the viewer something to think about. It makes it seem more like the characters are still doing something, still living, even after the series is over. I must say that makes the end of the series even harder to bear, because believe it or not, it's like saying goodbye to a close friend.

This series has definitely had a major impact on me. It is worth the time (or money) to acquire it. I wouldn't recommend watching all fifty-one episodes together like I did. The intrigue of the plot is intended to hit the viewers like a hammer, and it keeps them coming back week after week. If you watch them all together, it begins and ends so quickly you feel like you've been hit by a truck when it finally DOES end.

Full Metal Alchemist is a prime example of excellent story writing. It'll make you laugh and maybe even make a few of you cry, but one thing it won't do is leave you disappointed.

I was sick last year (2005 this is '06) for three days straight. So as a result I ended up 'channel surfing' all day and all night. I didn't get ANY sleep.

Eventually I turned the channel onto Adult Swim. Mostly because I had seen the title Full Metal Alchemist and was drawn in. I remembered the myths about alchemy although vaguely mostly from random books I had read.

The episode I ended up watching was the exam episode which should've been the actual beginning to the series but is actually around the third or fourth episode.

And was hooked. I had thought that anime was a useless Japanese art form. Man was I wrong! Intriguing storyline AND amazing animation. This was an aspiring animators dream world.

I ended up spending the rest of the year watching all the episodes on Adult Swim...I'd even wake up in the morning and think Full Metal Alchemist's on tonight! And plan my day accordingly. I also ended up buying the Manga which if you have cash to burn and love the series you should do so.

The story itself is pretty straightforward at first and seems almost like Inu Yasha where there's the same premise behind every episode but that's only for a little while until you know the characters and than it starts adding to the background situations starts to show whats really going on and whats really behind their quest.

The animation in itself just adds to the story with the rich backgrounds and the amazing fights.

Overall this would be a good anime to start with if your looking for one. There's only 51 episodes, a movie -Full Metal Alchemist and the Conqueror of Shamballa- and a couple of games so it won't burn too big of a hole in your pocket.

A friend raved about this anime, so I took a cursory scroll through it and found nothing worth noting. It just seemed so homogenized. The art didn't stand out. The characters seemed to be cookie-cutter determined types out to save the world. Even the name "Fullmetal Alchemist" seems completely avoidable with magic being the status quo in much of anime. I borrowed a disc anyways and watched it. I begged for the other discs in advance.

Fullmetal Alchemist has superb flow. 24 is the only thing in recent memory that has a comparable flow and that's only because that show supposedly happens in real time. In FMA, you have multiple reasons to continue each episode but the focus is not lost. It's always centered (unless if very appropriately not centered) on the two Alric Brothers who share perhaps the strongest bond in all of anime. This bond may be broken at any time, mainly because FMA takes place in a very dynamic world. A war may possibly re-surge. Fellow soldiers we meet rise in ranks and there are casualties. But amidst all this is a very pervasive mystery to which no one is safe. We are as blind to this mystery as the brothers and it's unnerving to stop watching, knowing that unseen forces may encounter our heroes at any time. Prepare to marathon. It's a continuous narrative, unlike that Cowboy Bebop crap.

Above all, FMA is a parable. We're told about the principle of equivalent trade, which is yin yang in other words, but we get much more than this taoist tidbit. We learn to deal with death. People do grow old and die. People do die for a reason. People do die for no reason. Some people may call FMA needlessly dark for a children's anime, but rather it's brutally honest. It's likely you will feel real pain. It's unlikely you'll forget the pain. Anyone we meet to whom a great misery befalls is so uniquely focused and blindly determined that the mechanics of his/her devastation become very clear. They seem proverbial, as though the Brothers Grimm were revived to create some of these characters. The series has enough fluff to get us through grim reality, but most of the time, it's really an opportunity to show how much heart many of the characters possess. It may seem odd for an anime centered around some teenage boys to have no sexual connotations whatsoever, but that'd just get in the way of the very strong emotions expressed in this anime. Friendship is the greatest form of love, and the one between the Alric Brothers is perhaps the greatest friendship in all of anime.

Concerning the Technical aspects once more, the animation is great where it counts (where there's action). Being a musician, I find it odd that I don't remember any of the music. It's definitely there and fitting, just not memorable. Doesn't matter. This anime could look and sound like crap and still be worth watching.

This anime is about two gifted brothers who are intelligent, kind and ambitious. They live in a world where Alchemy, and subsequently Alchemist, is the law of the world (vs. science in ours). With alchemy, one can do wonders... repair broken items....change physical properties of a matter...etc. However, alchemy is bound to one rule....one cant take (or make) a thing without giving something in return. With this simple rule, the two brothers go in a maze of exciting adventures, meeting wonderful characters and even sometimes, respectable enemies. The anime is 51 episodes long, which might seem a little too long initially, yet fortunately...each and every episode will tie you to your seat and make you crave for more. Story line is good, a mix of brotherhood, friendship, love, humanity and (like any other anime) the effect of war on people, not to forget the hilarious moments this anime is mined with. Character development is excellent. Drawing is top notch and music is entertaining. Unfortunately, this anime is not concluded after 51 episodes. The movie, and hopefully the conclusion, is to be release 23rd July 2005. This anime is worth every second....a must see.

Whilst most anime is an acquired taste, falling into the fighting (think Dragonball or Bleach) magical girl (Sailor Moon) or romantic (Chobits) genres, Fullmetal Alchemist rises above all this. As the story gradually unfolds, you are drawn ever deeper into a believable alternative world where magic replaces science and its practitioners (Alchemists) are held in high esteem. Yet, few are what they seem and you cannot trust anybody. The good are, in fact, capable of deeds of great evil, and the bad are often doing what they do for good reasons. And just when you think you're getting a handle on it, something comes along that shocks you in such a way you are left thinking about it for days to come. Whilst there are obviously anime elements (the look, fighting segments) the story and, above all, the willingness to shock the audience by hurting and killing characters we have come to know and admire, make Fullmetal Alchemist well worth your time. Of course, you will have to invest a lot of time - 51 half hour episodes and a movie means 26 hours or so of viewing. But it is time well worth spending.