Hagane no renkinjutsushi

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.

It has been 2 weeks since I have finished this series and the ending is still lingering with me. I heard that this was an excellent series from a friend so I decided to check it out myself. Well, all I can say is that FMA has exceeded all my expectations and have become my favorite anime in recent years. It has actually surpassed my other favorites including Neon Genesis, Cowboy Bebop, Berserk, Escaflowne, GTO, and even Gungrave which is second on my list. The writer and director of this series has such a wonderful imagination. I just don't know how they come up w/ these ideas. The voice acting (Japanese), writing, animation, music, and action is awesome. I just can't praise FMA enough. This is definitely a journey worth taking for all those looking for a good anime.

Full Metal Alchemist, about 2 loving brothers who get thrown into a world a war and war craft just to receive a certain something, which therefore leads them into a completely different world, and opinion of their objective.

I have been a fan of anime for a while now, ever since I was very small watching Sailor Moon and Pokémon. But ever since then I was blinded from the world of anime and wasn't into it anymore.

Well, until I contacted my long lost ex-girlfriend after about 6 months on MSN, I can seriously say I was hooked, for the first time in my life.

So I downloaded all of the episodes and watched about 10 a day, my eyes couldn't move off the screen as they were fixed on only one thing, the show. Which then later got me into reading the Manga, well only the first 5 since I cannot find the rest.

The story and it's characters go through so much. From Ed and Al longing for the philosopher's stone to revive their dear mother, to despising it on learning how to create it, then to learning on what the Homculus group is really doing to Ed and Al.

I would definitely prefer watching this amazing Anime, then read the manga, believe me, it's worth the time.

If I were to pick one word to describe FullMetal Alchemist, Hagane no renkinjutsushi, it would amazing, or ohmygod, or simply just a drop of the jaw and "wow." But that wouldn't do something this great justice. For those of you have heard this series can't compare with Naruto and Bleach, no, it can't, it's 100x better. This series will make you laugh, feel a very deep compassion for the characters, want to make you scream in rage, make you want to scream with happiness, and yes, even cry. Yeah. I cried a couple times. And the plot, oh yes, the plot. It's one of the best I've ever seen. Some might say it's too dark, I disagree, it's just honest. It explains that what's gone is gone, and we can't bring it back, people die for a reason, people die for no reason, life isn't fair, you only get what you give, all good things come to an end and we can only make the best of what we're given. Now the Characters, from Edward to Envy, Winry to Hughes, Scar to Rose, Riza to Roy, all characters have something special about them, and it will make you feel a deep compassion for them, weather it's Edward or Roy. Each character is developed and deep to it's full extent. The music is great, the Japanese voice actors are amazing, and the English Dub is one of the best I've seen. In short: If your an anime fan, or just dipping your toes, FullMetal Alchemist is a showcase of wonderful characters and plot, action, drama, tears and laughs.

When I had heard that Fullmetal Alchemst, one of the most popular cartoons in Japan was coming to America, I must admit, I was a bit excited.

I had heard about it many times form several of my friends who were die-hard fans of anime of any kind. I myself am not a particularly big fan of anime - I enjoy one every so often, but this absolutely blew me away.

The tragic story is of the two Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse ("Al" for short). In a tragic accident, their mother is killed. Devastated, the boys decide to use the ancient art of Alchemy to bring her back to life - but there's one complication: The main rule of Alchemy. This rule of "Equivalent exchange" states that "Nothing can be gained without first losing something of equal value." The boys succeed in resurrecting their mother, but at a horrible cost - Edward's left leg is taken, as is Al's body. Desperate to restore his brother's life, Edward uses his own blood to inscribe an Alchemic circle in a suit of armor, binding Alphonse's soul to the metal. In doing so, he makes yet another sacrifice - his right arm is lost to the demons of the abyss.

To recap - Ed loses his right arm and right leg, and Alphonse's body is taken. Now, you'd think that would be an equivalent enough exchange - two body parts and a whole body for their mother's life. But then you'd be wrong, of course. The thing they bring back is not their mother, but an inhuman creature composed of hastily put-together body parts - something that is human and yet not human. An abomination that cannot move or think on its own. From that point on, Ed and Al set out to learn the secret of "Human Transmutation," the one Alchemic skill that would have any hope of bringing back their mother. But at a cost that they may be unwilling to accept...

Overall, the series is gripping. Well-written dialogue, intense plot, and the best voice acting I've heard in a television series in a long time. Vic Mignogna, the actor who plays Ed in the American cast is absolutely brilliant - the voice he provides is believable and emotionally charged, a task most voice actors tend to fail miserably at. Aaron Dismuke, the voice of the 14-year-old Alphonse is excellent as well - not only does the irony of an adolescent voice coming from a six-foot-tall suit of armor succeed in getting a few chuckles, but the voice represents the character well. The voice acting brings the characters to life in a way that no other anime ever has before.

Overall, it's an incredible series. I'd recommend this to anime fans, and fans of fantasy or sci-fi of any kind (unless you just can't stand Japanese cartoons). FullMetal Alchemist is definitely one of the best television series out there.