Title: Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)
Genre: Shounen, Action, Adventure, Magic
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
For the sake of this review I am going back in time to when Fullmetal Alchemist was the only version released. I will not be comparing the plot points Fullmetal Alchemist vs. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood vs. Fullmetal Alchemist manga. I do plan to write about that so don’t worry.
Note: The anime loosely adapts Fullmetal Alchemist manga (Hagane no Renkinjitsushi manga), but only volumes 1-3 (chapters 1-12). After chapter 12 it completely breaks from the manga (with Hiromu Arakawa the mangaka’s permission) and has it’s own original plot.
General Set-Up: Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric try to bring back their mother using Alchemy. Failing, Ed (Edward) loses his leg and Al (Alphonse) loses his whole body. In a desperate attempt to bring back Al, Ed sacrifices his right arm to bind Al’s soul to a set of armor. The two brothers set off and join the military in order to hopefully one day regain their bodies. However, in the country unrest continues as both the military and the brothers face many foes. To say that Fullmetal Alchemist is a series only about Ed and Al restoring their bodies is really a farce. While restoring their bodies at first is the main force driving this show, many other conflicts become more important and restoring their bodies goes on the back burner.
Characters: The rather extensive cast of characters are well written for the most part. If I had to complain about any of the characters it would be the homunculi. At first they seem to be the villains that you hate and don’t have to justify. However, later in the series several of the homunculi get backstories trying to gain your sympathy. It confuses me. Are the homunculi the reincarnation of evil? Or are they something more?
The main cast of the show: Ed, Al, Winry, Mustang, and Hawkeye are well written. Ed and Al really have the feeling like they are brothers and are willing to do anything for each other. Think the Sam and Dean of anime, but SO much better than even that duo. Winry, while not having a lot of screen time, is well developed and acts as a bigger sister to Ed and Al. Mustang, the flame alchemist, and Hawkeye, the sniper, deliver all the awesomeness ascribed to their titles and then some.
Plot: While the show is a Shonen, the plot is extremely emotionally driven--something that becomes apparent after the first season. Good or bad, it is what it is.
There are three ways to drive a plot: emotionally, with the characters, or by plot. Fullmetal Alchemist is very emotionally driven, meaning you will learn right where those heart strings are! Most shows that are emotionally driven are either happy-go-lucky shows like Fruits Basket or tragedies like Anohana: The Flower We Saw that Day. Fullmetal is more like the later. While I wouldn’t call it a tragedy, loss is a major driving force that motivates most of the characters. More than most shonen shows, you get to see how real death is (and how it crushes your own heart).
This show has several “fillers.” Yes, I used the F-word of anime. Several episodes (namely in episodes 1-20 which roughly follow the manga vol. 1-3 only before having its own original plot) don’t really have a point. You meet some characters and solve a problem and never use that information again. However, with a few exceptions, these filler episodes were entertaining enough to watch again when I re-watched this series.
Ending: The ending concludes in the movie called Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa. While the ending went with where the plot was going, is was very bittersweet, being more bitter than sweet. I would even go as far as saying the end was a tragedy. The ending not is not a happy one, but a somber one.
Sound: The sound is one of the best things in the show. The track “Brothers” is the crux of the music, even having lyrics in Japanese, English, and Russian. The songs throughout the series never felt out of place. They have the authentic "Western" feel that so often lacks in anime that takes place in the west. The soundtrack is something that I would listen to while doing things such as writing or cleaning that makes those tasks at least 4x better. The songs are emotional and make various moments in the series that more memorable. The opening and endings of this show are also well done. With the time the passes, the animation gets better for each opening and ending and many fans say that the music gets better as well.
The voice acting is also notable all around the board. If you have a basic understanding of Japanese I would recommend the sub. In the sub you realize just how rude Ed is! Rarely (if ever) using honorifics or keigo, he comes off as a rude kid who swears a lot. However, the sub does not grasp how westerner talk very well. It can't decide if it wants to use western terminology (ex. Doctor Marco) or Japanese terminology (ex. Maruko-Sensei). This makes the sub down-right awkward to watch at times knowing that the staff tried to be westernized, but failed. However, the sub is solid along with the official subtitles.
The English voice cast is amazing! Although, there is no way to translate Ed's rudeness into English, the voice actor Vic Mignogna does an amazing job playing Ed's role. The rest of the cast has very solid voice acting including Al, who was voiced by a girl in the sub, is voiced by Aaron Dismuke who is around Al's age. Seriously, unless you can understand Japanese watch the dub--it is one of Funimation's best work.
Animation: For the time that Fullmetal Alchemist was released the animation was good. Not the best, but nothing to sneeze at either. While it easy to see that the animation is dated when compared to the reboot, it still looks better than low budget anime does today. The animation seems to get better the further you get into the anime as well. Something notable in the animation was the fighting scenes. These scenes had a mix of martial arts and alchemy (magic). Being short (much like Ed) and having done some martial arts and self-defense these scenes look amazing. Not only are they accurate, but some serious bad-guy butt gets kicked.
Things to watch out for: The latter half of the show is rather dark which is deceiving considering the first episodes in the show. Like it makes Brotherhood look like a walk in the park--which it is not. There is blood during the fight scenes. Language can be a problem, but I didn’t think that it was overly vulgar or excessive.
Other Media: Fullmetal Alchemist has a manga by the same name and a reboot anime called Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Where to watch it: Fullmetal Alchemist is available on Hulu and Netflix for free.
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