Minimum Tempo

There are significant spoilers in this review.

Being an arrogant guy, I thought mainstream anime such as Naruto and Bleach were trash. Stupid as it was, I specifically tried to choose anime aimed at a niche, although this didn’t work out too well at all. Fullmetal Alchemist is mainstream; it was quite common even among casual anime watchers and apparently extremely huge in Japan. I can’t recall the reason for downloading it, but that first episode had me hooked from the very beginning. There was no denying that the show certainly knew how to entertain its fans. Lots of action and a possible “COOL!” plot that possibly had good morals and in its own way, very different from what I perceived mainstream anime to be. Although my memory of the first 32 episodes are hazy (I took a break at this point, exhausted by anime in general), I do recall that I mostly loved it. It teetered toward the end of those episodes, and perhaps that was what lost my focus. The latter chunk of episodes does a great job with twists and turns, but the ending was absolutely terrible and left me unsatisfied and outraged.

Lots of action in Fullmetal Alchemist.

Fullmetal Alchemist takes place on an alternate early 20th-century Earth where alchemy seems to have replaced science. Alphonse and Edward Elric are two young boys that learn and (try to) use alchemy to resurrect their dead mother. Despite warnings from their research and mentor, they disregarded them and attempted to transmute a pile of carbon and other elements in life forms, but the results were disastrous. Not only was their creation a hideous, deformed beast that only vaguely resembled their mother, Alphonse’s body was converted into a metal suit of armor and Edward’s arm and leg were taken away. His neighbors, Pinako Rockbell and her granddaughter Winry, patch Ed up and provide him an automail arm and leg as replacements. A mysterious military soldier named Roy Mustang visits around the same time and suggests that the two boys become State Alchemists, or alchemists employed by the State Military. The remainder of the show focuses on Al and Ed’s desires to bring back their mother and return their bodies to their normal states using the Philosopher’s Stone, a device that can bypass the law of equivalent trade (explained below).

The show offers a diverse and interesting cast, and every viewer will have a character they like. The main two protagonists, Edward and Alphonse Elric, are very different in nature. Edward is loud and immediately goes berserk at any mention of his height. Alphonse, Ed’s younger brother, is often more considerate of others which often leads to hesitation and less confidence. Winry Rockbell is the Elric’s childhood friend who later accompanies the brothers on a portion of their trip and also assists in the repair and installation of Ed’s automail. Colonel Roy Mustang, famously known as the Flame Alchemist, is Ed’s boss and is known for his ambition to become the top military commander. Scar is an Ishabal survivor who has an incredible arm that is able to kill State Alchemists with ease. There are plenty more I won’t go into, but that’s a brief look into some of the main characters.

Here are the awesome military characters (except Maes Hughes who is not in the picture).

Fullmetal Alchemist, on the surface, focuses on two main rules or principles. The first is the the law of equivalent trade, which says that something must be given in exchange for something of equal value. This is more or less a restatement of the law of conversation of matter, which states the matter cannot be created nor destroyed in any chemical change or process. This law of equivalent trade is the most important rule of alchemy and is often applied to real life situations by Ed and Al. It is necessary to note that the Philosopher’s Stone, as previously mentioned, can be used in alchemy to circumvent the law of equivalent trade; thus the ability to create from nothing is enabled. The second is that human transmutation is impossible; there is no way around this. Every failed human transmutation (which is every attempt at it) will result in something that I will not explain (spoilers for the very few that have not watched or read the series), but is highly essential to the understanding of the plot. Even though the majority of the show furiously drives those points into viewers’ heads, the anime itself crushes the law of equivalent trade outside of alchemy.

I suppose the anime has a few good lessons. It teaches that people should not focus on bringing back the dead but should simply move on with their lives because nothing they can do will change that. War is a terrible thing. Fullmetal Alchemist attempts to incorporate its main plot and intricate subplots into some grand old story with seemingly deep messages. Unfortunately, it boils down to something like… “go with the flow.” Unless I have misinterpreted, Cameron Probert sums this issue the best.

Not only that, but the central message is: Sure you can challenge the powers that be, but you’ll end up with nothing but pain and loneliness.

The art direction and quality of Fullmetal Alchemist is fantastic to a point; for some reason I experience this feeling of “flatness” when I watch it. Despite its vivid colors and heavy detail, something about the animation seems flat and lacking in depth. The typical anime-staple character expressions and reactions are in here, sometimes in inappropriate times to make a serious situation a bit lighter. I won’t go on about sound too much, so let me sum it up: decent. The OPs and EDs were memorable, but beyond that, nothing in particular stood out or detracted from the overall enjoyment.

The main country has a lot of parallels and similarities to Nazi Germany.

During my first (and currently only) run-through of Fullmetal Alchemist, I loved the anime. The plot, at the time, seemed filled with exciting twists, pumping action scenes, and lots of good morals. The long break in between episodes 32 and 33 (for me) provided enough time to clear my mind and return to the show, only to enjoy it even more. Learning more about Ed and Al’s pasts, as well as Winry’s, was ever more intriguing and intense. The ending, which featured events that completely boggled my mind, is perhaps the most disappointing conclusion I have ever watched. Tremendous buildup led to a pointless ending with a frustrating aftermath; it’s almost as if the entire show was unneeded! Nevertheless, many people will adore this show, and I admittedly do recommend everyone to watch it.

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Verdict: It’s a long 51 episode series, but it’s packed with many surprises and action. There’s something here everyone and the flaws are actually pretty negligible. Recommended… but if you have access to the manga, read that instead.

This post is tagged Anime & Manga, FMA, Fullmetal Alchemist, Review

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