Fullmetal Alchemist

Writer: Shou Aikawa
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Production House: Bones
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Adventure, Science Fantasy, Steampunk
Vintage: October 2003-October 2004
Episodes: 51

'You can't gain something without sacrificing something else of the equal value. This is the principle of the equivalent trade.'


Synopsis

Our story centers around two Elric brothers, Alphonse and Edward, both alchemists who are searching for the legendary Philosopher's Stone, a magical stone thought to restore their bodies which Alphonse had totally lost during an attempt to bring their mother back through alchemy, and left Edward using mechanized parts for his arm and leg. Hailing from the village of Resembool situated in the country of Amestris, where the brother's live with their parents. A few years later, their father Hohenheim leaves home for unknown reasons, and a few years after that, their mother Trisha passed due to a terminal illness, leaving the two brothers alone. Following Trisha's death, Edward becomes obsessed in bringing her back via alchemy, an advance science where objects can be conjured from raw materials. They then researched Human Transmutation, which is a forbidden art where one attempts to create or resurrect a human being. The attempt failed, resulting in the loss of Edward's Left leg and Alphonse's entire body, and in a desperate attempt to rescue his brother, Edward sacrificed his right arm in order to infuse Alphonse's soul onto a suit of armor. Roy Mustang, an alchemist who works for the government, visited the brothers a few days after the incident, and urges Edward to become a member of the State Military to find a way to recover their bodies. After Edward agrees, his arm and leg are replaced with a form of prosthetic limbs known as automail, which was made for him by his close family friends Winry Rockbell and her grandma Pinako.


Edward then sets out to become the State Alchemist for Amestris, which essentially is an alchemist employed by the Military of said country, that also infamously annihilated much of their neighbors Ishbal's population over the past decade. Being the State Alchemist, Edward was branded as the 'dog of the military', but fortunately it also gives him power to use the extensive resources available to alchemists of his position. Edward maintains his good relationship with Roy Mustang, whom is also the officer he reports to, and thus gaining the freedom to search for the Philosopher's Stone as part of his research, as one of the expectations of each State Alchemist is to research any new techniques independently which may be of use to the State of Amestris, and thus setting off in the search for the stone as a means to regain their bodies. Edward and Alphonse encounter many antagonists throughout their journey, including some who are willing to do anything in order to obtain the Philosopher's Stone. A few of them are Scar, one of the few remaining Ishbalans seeking vengeance on the State Alchemists responsible for the destruction of his race, and the Homunculi, who are a group of human-like creatures carrying a piece of the Philosopher's Stone within their bodies, gaining supernatural powers as a result.

Edward and Alphonse soon uncovers the vast expansion of Amestris was the result of the Homunculi, who actually created and secretly controls the State Military. However, both the Homunculi and the State Government are secretly controlled by the Homunculi's creator, a man simply known as 'Father', who gained immortality by using a copy of the brothers' father Hohenheim as his new host body centuries before the series began. 'Father' hatched a plan to transmute the entire country of Amestris into the Philosopher's Stone, using the said country as a huge transmutation circle. Upon hearing this, the Elric brothers along with other members of the State Military sets out to confront and defeat 'Father' before his plans could come to fruition.


Chibi's Fullmetal Comments

Fullmetal Alchemist had become the biggest merchandising franchise when it came out six years ago, and was the biggest since .hack blew up about two years prior to its release. With big names like Square Enix (video game), Sony (soundtrack), Shounen Gangan (manga serialization), Bandai (action figures) and Bones (anime), the series merchandising covers almost anything imaginable from bath towels to toys and DVDs. Normally when we see so many big names behind one anime it's usually a Gundam series or a movie, and sometimes all this hype just diverts your attention from the glaring truth that the products marketed is better than the anime itself, but fortunately Fullmetal Alchemist lives up to all the unnatural hype surrounding it.

Fullmetal Alchemist ushered in a new age of anime in my opinion. It is very rare that an anime series could entertain from the very first episode and keep the audience glued to the seat from the start to its bittersweet conclusion. This 51 episode anime delivers be it from fast paced action sequences to extremely solemn moments, and if that is not enough (it usually isn't) the plot itself is more than enough to salivate over.


The setting for Fullmetal Alchemist seems to be in early 20th century Germany, in its industrialist era. In this era, a particularly fascinating science known as Alchemy exists, and largely is the root of the series' backstory. Alchemy quite simply is somewhat a form of chemistry where the subject's molecular arrangement is reshuffled or restructured, consequently changing the subject into something else. This process, called Transmutation, comes with several basic rules, which are:

1. To guide the flow of energy that will re-arrange the mass, a transmutation circle must be drawn.

2. Transmutation can only be executed between something of equal mass, withholding the same energy level even after the process is completed.

3. Almost anything could be transmuted, with the notable exception of human transmutation, with the reason only revealed towards the end of the series.

4. Even though human transmutations are deemed impossible, some alchemists would still attempt it, and when they fail, a being with the same human attributes is born, known as a Homunculus, and usually are devoid of a soul.


What drives the entire plot of the series are essentially rules numbers 3 and 4, due to the instance when an alchemist becomes so skilled and powerful, to the point where he is able to transmute the elements of nature itself (fire, earth, wind, water etc), he becomes curious in the extent of his abilities, and thus starts delving into the process of human transmutation. However, whenever human transmutation is involved, even when one follows the very context of the law of conservation to the letter, the results are always devastating, and more taboos and questions are raised as the issue becomes more and more complex with each passing episode.

The only loophole to the law of conservation is the Philosopher's stone, which is a gem when used with alchemy, allows the alchemist to execute transmutations outside the laws of conservation, including human transmutations.

The human side of the plot intensifies the complexity of the story further, so much so that the storyline is extremely unpredictable, which in anime is a godsend. Every character introduced in the series is an extremely complex individual, especially among the alchemists and the Homunculi, which together are in the hunt for the Philosopher's Stone.

The quest for the Philosopher's Stone had begun long before the leads in the series joined in the pursuit, and after they did, the quest takes them all around the continent, meeting all sorts of harmless and equally dangerous individuals, and are as equally complex and varied as the ones we meet in our daily routines. From friendly dog lovers obsessed with technology (the charming Winry) to evil alchemists who are centuries old that holds the secret behind the mystery of human transmutation (Dante, who also only appears in the anime, which I'll elaborate later).


Even though the main premise of the anime in question is essentially alchemy, what rubs me off the most is the tale of the unbreakable bond between brothers, and the love that they share. The protagonists Edward and Alphonse are inseparable throughout the series, and the brotherhood and friendship between the two is unchallenged, regardless of the trials and dangers that they both face. The series begins with the implied theme on the bond between brothers, and also ending on the same inseparability of their family ties, albeit on a rather sad and bittersweet note (curious?watch it for yourselves). The end of the series is in somewhat of a cliffhanger note, and there is the movie titled Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala that seemingly will tie up all the loose ends that remain.

Now a lot of people would argue and scrutinize the anime for the story changing midway through the series, inconsistent with the manga. Honestly guys, exactly what IS the big deal? Fine, Dante is a fictional character created solely for the anime (which is a huge no-no in the anime world), and the ending kind of frustrated some of the audience looking for a clear-cut conclusion to the story, but I beg to differ. Almost ALL other anime have had such similar setbacks, and almost all of them have failed miserably. But after sitting through all 51 episodes of this epic story, I can honestly say that I never had the pleasure of enjoying such a wonderful story of recent anime, given the oversaturated premise of anime nowadays. Even bona fide 'Classics' such as Dragonball Z and Naruto and even Bleach have had characters that do not exist in their respective mangas turn up on their anime, with admirably disastrous effects. Which makes this anime even more viable in that sense, coupled with a story and plot that has more twists and turns than 5 contortionists playing a game of Twister. With a story that has a lot of extremely exciting and addictive elements, in my opinion not many anime in history has a plot that could match Fullmetal Alchemist.


With the release of a sophomore series, named Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, many are quick to dismiss this as the 'fake' Fullmetal Alchemist, and are quick to recommend the new series instead. Even though production cost is higher and much more crisp due to the technological advancements since the first series, the overall story in my opinion is still suspect (the series has not yet ended at this time of writing), and has it's work cut out in terms of topping its predecessor.

In conclusion, do give this one a shot since it has the credentials to call itself a classic. With one of the most original storyline I have ever seen, Fullmetal Alchemist is not about robots, machines or even monsters. It is also not about Samurai mythologies or Ninjas from hidden villages, or incredibly powerful humanoid looking super aliens with strength capable of destroying entire planets. Fullmetal Alchemist is also not about intergalactic menaces or space cowboys, nor a front for ecchi and bishounen overtones, or some sexual fantasy between students and other aliens. It is not even about a cyborg or cybernetic entity trying to find their true identity, and not even about dragons and elves or monsters and goblins. I was hard pressed to actually find a story similar to this series, and in this day and age, that is a true testament to the creators' talents. Fullmetal Alchemist's story is the first of its kind and that's what made it so enjoyable for me. I'm confident it'll do the same for you.



Chibi's Review



Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 4/5
Originality: 5/5