FULL METAL ALCHEMIST
Reviewed by Dan Peterson |
| Synopsis |
| Having just started airing on Adult Swim, this insanely popular anime was aired starting just last year in Japan and was instantly seized up by Cartoon Network before all of the episodes had even finished airing in Japan. There’s good reason for this hasty action, as you’ll soon see. Full Metal Alchemist tells the tale of the Elric brothers, Ed and Al, who are alchemists in world that we assume is some sort of parallel universe to Western Europe in the 1920’s. The brothers lost their mother when they were young, so they tried to bring her back to life through the use of alchemy. When they did so, however, the younger brother Al lost his body and had to have his soul sealed to a suit of armor while the other brother Ed lost an arm and a leg which he had replaced with robotic “automail” limbs. Together, these brothers search for the philosopher’s stone so that they may be able to get their bodies back and undo the error of their earlier days. |
| PLOT: 100% |
| In a word, amazing. This is the most gripping plot of any anime series I’ve ever seen. Though it jumps back and forth in and out of flashbacks with very little warning towards the beginning, they do a great job with continuity. Every question you ever had about the characters is eventually addressed, and boy are there a lot of them! The mood ranges from lighthearted comedy to intense action to insanely depressing loss. Full Metal Alchemist has, in short, everything you’ve ever wanted in the plot of an anime…and possibly more. |
| CHARACTERS: 95% |
| Once again, FMA completely bowls over the competition. Almost all of the characters are multi-dimensional and recurring. Villains aren’t always bad, heroes aren’t always good, and no matter what, when someone dies, you feel like your heart’s been ripped out of your chest, no matter whether he was fighting against our dynamic duo or for them. Al occasionally gets a tad bit annoying with his naivete, which doesn’t really fit a suit of armor well, but I suppose that’s the point. Still, his character at times doesn’t sit well with me. All in all, though, the characters are finely-crafted creations that you can’t help but care about. |
| ART: 75% |
| Not really anything to write home about, but it has its perks. The characters are well-drawn, and the style is bold and colorful. There aren’t any annoying large eyes, but the anime is drawn a little too cutely for a show that features so many scenes of freely gushing blood. Overall, good, but not the best. |
| SOUNDTRACK: 85% |
| A good, solid soundtrack accompanies an amazing show. The music definitely adds fuel to the emotional fire you feel for all the characters, and most the intro and ending songs are solid and fun. Be warned: you may even get a few of them stuck in your head! |
| CONCLUSION: 91% Overall |
| If you haven't seen it yet, you're truly missing out. |
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