Country: Japan
Genre: Drama
Year released: 2003
Running time: 51 Episodes
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Cast: Vic Mignogna / Romi Pak / Aaron Dismuke / Rie Kugimiya / Caitlin Glass / Megumi Toyoguchi
Review by: M. Douglas
Date of review: 09/15/06
Every couple of years, an anime series comes out that is of the highest caliber. A couple of years ago, it was a show called Neon Genesis Evangelion. A few years before that it was Gundam Wing and before that it was Sailor Moon. It was well overdue for an anime to take the throne as the next great anime series. After viewing the anime Fullmetal Alchemist, I believe this is the anime to recieve the crown, and it is a show that deserves every praise it has received.
By judging Fullmetal Alchemist from the outside, it might seem like an anime for younger kids, but it is absolutely not. The story of Fullmetal Alchemist is actually a story of redemption. The two main protagonists, Edward and Alphonse, are on a journey for the “Philosopher’s Stone”, a stone that grants the user the power to bend the laws of alchemy. They hope that if they control find stone, they will be able to return their bodies to their original form; Edward to receive his limbs back and Alphonse to receive his entire human form back. Edward is the older of the two, and he feels personally responsible for what happened to his younger brother on that fateful day they attempted to resurrect their mother. What makes Fullmetal Alchemist’s story so great is its ability to convey real emotions. The characters decisions in the show are all feasible, and the outcome of their choices, no matter how awful, they deal with them.
The character development is also something to speak volumes of. Each character in the show has a background, and by the end of the series, we can relate to certain characters, as well as the decisions they choose to make. For a show with 51 episodes though, it feels great to say that there are absolutely no filler episodes whatsoever. Each episode pertains to the overall plot, giving the viewer insight to key points in the story without giving too much away. The episodes are engaging and they absorb you into unpredictable plot where by the end of an episode, you are already anticipating the next one. The story is one of the best I’ve had the pleasure to watch.
As for the music in the series, it is some of the best in recent memory. The music was composed by Michiru Oshima, and performed by the Moscow International Symphonic Orchestra. The soundtrack fits the show perfectly, within the realm of an epic anime the music should be epic nature, which it does excellently. The opening themes and ending themes are great too and I personally enjoyed every one of them.
Since this is a recent show, the animation is crisp and clean. The animation was done by Studio Bones (they also did the Cowboy Bebop movie, as well as the Rahxephon Series) and they give the anime great visuals to go along with the story. One of the stronger additions to the show.
As for my final words on Fullmetal Alchemist, I have to say it is definitely in my top five pertaining to anime and I personally suggest it to anime fan as well as non-anime fan alike, you will not be disappointed. A definite anime classic.
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Final Score
A+
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Trailer
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