Anime: Hagane no Renkinjutsushi

Review
Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist, or FMA for short) struck the industry with a bang. Inspired on a famous shounen manga and bringing to the table some heavy themes such as reviving the dead, regret, and brotherhood, it was just a matter of time before the community swarmed over it. The time was right too, there was never such an inspiring amount of great shows airing and riding this quality wave was something that could only boost an interesting idea.

So did FMA. The tale of Edward and Alphonse Elric, two young alchemists in a fantasy world, was filled with thrill, drama, and action. It starts as they, as children, attempt to bring their dead mother back to life, a taboo that costs Edward's right arm and Alphonse's whole body, the later barely saved by putting his soul in an old medieval armor. After the disastrous failure the two brothers decide to unravel the mysteries of alchemy to get back what they lost, a journey that would bring to light much of the darkness enveloping the kingdom where they live.

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1. A shounen epic
   The two brothers' journey is a bag of mixed genres. It starts much like how Trigun did a few years ago, brimming of comedy, jokes about Ed's stature and how big and badass Alphonse's new body is. Yet the background shown later provides the true nature of this tale, one that tackles the heavy loss of two children and their desperate attempt to make things right, which ends up only creating a bigger problem for the duo. The course of the adventure to have their bodies back, however, is also filled with action, pursuit, investigations, and a fight for life against supernatural foes and political machinations.
   
   And it's all decently packed
   The world of FMA hides much beneath the surface. The alchemy used by its inhabitants may look like a silly superpower at many points, but what moves the scenes is the military that employs the best alchemists of the land, to whom the two brothers enlist. There is a lot of scheming behind the higher branches of the military, the mysterious homunculi, the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone which the Elric brothers seek, and the nebulous recent war where the army's alchemists took part.
   
   And it's about humans
   Perhaps what makes FMA a much more grounded tale than most other shounen's around, however, is how human the two brothers are in terms of power. Although they are declared as genius alchemists, the moments where they triumph are rare and the threats they face are much bigger than what they can handle. Edward and Alphonse end up fleeing many of their encounters to survive, winning fights by a minimal margin, or suffering a devastating defeat that pushes them against their ultimate goal. They are teenagers in a world of war and death, and it's amazing how the show let this becomes obvious at many points, especially those where the dark atmosphere of the tale kicks in.
   
   And a support cast
   There are a lot of people in the world helping or fighting against the two brothers. State alchemists, a childhood friend, friendly people, a past teacher, a struggling researcher, the survivor of a military massacre, the homunculi, and many more. These people can be simple staples of a stereotype to provide a fighting challenge or complex allies with comical value as well as a deal of seriousness and purpose. The hit or miss with these characters can be somewhat common to shounens, but the way they all serve the tale and are rarely wasted is extremely satisfying. If the two charming brothers are not enough for you, certainly the friendly colonel or someone else will catch your liking.
   
   And it's Bones at its finest
   FMA also has the quality in its production. It ranges from a professional voice acting to a stellar soundtrack and goes into an amazing animation quality and consistency. The art style also helps to give the show an identity capable of enduring years to come, perhaps one of the very best works from studio Bones.
   
   The controversial ending though
   FMA has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The later, however, is surrounded by controversy because, when the show aired, the manga was far from finished. The show writers took a decision to craft an alternative ending so they could finish what they started, which, of course, infuriated fans. This alternate ending, however, can be quite satisfactory to what it proposes, only leaving many holes in regards of the setting but not in regards of the two brother's journey. The dark tone of the show also aided to give this new ending more logic and sense, which helps to keep away much of the stigma superpower shounen shows have always carried.
   

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Comments
FMA is a behemoth. It is a shounen at its heart, but there is so much more to it than you can see at first glance. The tale of the two brothers is filled with questioning, disturbed allies, unexpected deaths, and a fight for survival against foes they could never defeat even with all their talent. The machinations of the army, the secrets behind human transmutation, and all the charming characters contributing to it make it stand a notch above your average enjoyable shounen. There is a deep and smart charisma to the relationship between the two brothers and the loss they had, a charisma that from time to time echo in the support cast and grows beyond the comical jokes about Ed's size or Hughes' cute daughter.

Shounen fans must watch it. There is no other way around. You could see the newest iteration released in 2009, but that is just a more complete version of the setting where the young shounen aspects win over the darker atmosphere. Watch this first.

I originally watched FMA on Cartoon Network way back when and finally decided to finish the series by watching the whole thing subbed in the full glory of the original language.

FMA is an interesting adventure following the Elric Brothers' pursuit for the sorcerers stone, hoping to regain their original bodies lost when they attempted to transmute their mother back to life.

The series can be fairly dark at times and explores many themes such as what it means to be human in great detail.

The series starts a bit slow but it quickly picks up the pace resulting in many cliffhanger endings, which induces rapid chaining.

This is a very good classic and should be enjoyed by a wide variety of anime watchers.

Animation:
The animation is very good considering when it came out. There is some annoying CGI occasionally but it doesn't interfere significantly. There are a lot of battles and lots of special effects, all of which were done very nicely. While it isn't as crisp in style as current animes, it still comes off as being one of the better ones.

Sound:
To be honest, the OP/EDs and BGMs weren't all that memorable to me. The BGMs did complement the series well, but doesn't stand out as something I'd want to get the OST for. The VAs do a very good job as there are a huge range of emotions that all the characters have to go through in this series. Only one question remains: how does Al talk while just having his soul attached to an armor?

Music: 3/5, VA: 4/5

Story:
The story of FMA is very detailed and many events from earlier in the series will return to play a part later on in the series. The plot line is very well planned out and will lead to some very ironic or tragic moments.

There are many mini arcs as Al and Ed become more famous for their actions around the nation, but these are minor compared to the second half of the series, which just explodes as a mass of intensity.

The plot line throws many twists which keeps one wondering who is really on the good side... and whether any action IS good.

The story builds to a large climax near the end where many secrets of the world and alchemy in general are revealed. It seems interesting how they tied the ending together, and how they made it relate to real life.

The only qualm I have with the entire series is the ending, and the open nature of the conclusion. However, hopefully FMA2 will answer all the questions (and not turn into SNS2, where character development was completely thrown out in exchange for pure action).

Character:
There are dozens of characters in this series, all of whom play an interesting role in the series. The characters are well explored, and many episodes will give details about a character that may make one reconsider what they thought about that character.

The series plays with one's senses of where the line is drawn between good and bad actions, and good and evil characters.

Value:
What is the value of your life? Is there an equivalent trade that one would make for their life? or is it as priceless as Mastercard says. FMA asks some very philosophical questions in addition to providing a strong set of characters and plot line to ponder upon. There isn't much in terms of romantic development as the show is action/adventure based, but the show is a great watch overall. Possibly a bit long for a full rewatch but certain arcs are definitely worth it.

Fullmetal Alchemist is among the best anime I've ever seen. It has some problems, but they're quite minor. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Animation:
The animation quality is very high, and most of the design is fairly good. On the downside, some of the characters bear a disturbing level of resemblance to each other.

Sound:
The voice acting is very good, and the background music is fine. I don't particularly like any of the openings or endings, though.

Story:

The story is very good, and usually well told. The only real problem I have with it is that occasionly filler episodes creep in. They tend to be of a different tone from the rest of the anime, and mess with the pacing.

Character:
Almost all of the characters have a fair amount of depth, and are interesting. The heros are likable, and it's possible to understand why the villains act the way they do.

Full Metal Alchemist is the story of two scientists/ brothers trying to regain things they've lost to God; with a strange technique called alchemy.

Animation

FMA's animation is pretty well done, not excellent, not exceptional, just good. Above average. One thing that I can say about it though is that it kept the same quality through out all of it's episodes which is praiseworthy.

Sound

Beautiful, every OP and ED are excellent and all of the voice actors are perfectly matched. Also, the soundtrack was great.

Story

Meh, it's pretty good. Nothing exceptional after a while. Even though it starts off excellently.

I didn't care for the ending much either, yet the movie cleared everything up and I am once again a fan of this series thanks to it. However, techniques and designs were all very original, and set in a time period not often used in Japanese animation also. Kudos to the mangaka for those feets.

Characters

The relationship between the two protagonists and Winry they're childhood friend is pretty good... but they're all boring or either annoying after a short time. Ed's constant attitude about being called short even though he's really short... SPOILER: and Alphonse's constant wondering about his memories being fake are pretty overused. And Winry reminds me a lot of Kagome from "Inuyasha", one of those girls who is so in love, with a bright personality yet still timid, so she never mentions her feelings. FMA seemed to be a more mature anime so I must admit I expected their relationship to escalate more than it did.SPOILER/

Value

Well, it's licensed and popular so, 9. In all honesty I wouldn't watch any of this anime over again though, not because it's bad but because the storyline flows excellently so I'd end up watching the whole thing over -_- [well until close to the end].

Enjoyment

Even though it starts off very fun and new FMA gets pretty boring and you seem to notice that your only watching it because your close to the end. Well, that was at least how my friends and I saw it.

All in all, it was good, great in the beginning and doesn't end well either, it's pretty over rated too. I don't see whats the big fuss about it, there are surely animes out there better than this one.

I will tell you right off the bat that this anime deserves its' spot as #3 on the top 200 list of this website. This is one of the best animes I have ever seen and is an all-around terrific anime.


The animation, while not as beautiful and stunning as some of the more recent animes, is solid.

The soundtrack is very catchy, and this is one of the few animes that I can listen to the soundtrack while not watching the show. The variety of the songs in this anime is also very noteworthy, as this series does not merely repeat the same two or three songs over and over again.

As to the story, this is one of the best storylines I have ever seen for an anime of this length (51 episodes). The ability of this anime to be this long and yet have almost no filler is amazing. Every episode, though it may seem like filler at first watch, turns out to be critical to the overral storyline. Also, the many plot twists and stories keep the story interesting and keeps you on your toes.

The characters, especially the main characters Edward and Alphonse have great depth and personality. Even side characters like Colonel Mustang and others are given background to improve depth and make them more than just a supporting cast member. Even villians like Lust and Greed are not one-dimensional; they each have their own individual goals and aspirations, and background stories to explain why they are taking the actions that they are.

The value of this anime is very great, as seen on this website many people rate this anime 9 or 10 out of 10, and for that reason alone it is very worth the rent or buy.

I really enjoyed this anime, and would definately put it on my top 10 animes of all time list.

Wow, another fma review and very very very late too. Anyways, I've always heard how awsome and great and "what a must see" fma was. I've always had something against what I felt were over rated animes but eventually after being pestered so much I took a look into it. wow. Now I see why it was rated so well.

Full Metal Alchemist. Hagane no Renkinjutsu. etc etc etc. It's about two boys, brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric who have committed a taboo and lost parts of themselves in the process. Ed losing his arm and leg and Al losing his body. And so they travel to regain what they have lost through something called the Philosopher's Stone. Kay, enough of the summery, onward.

Animation:
I felt that the animation was done cleanly. Nothing so overly fancy that it got annoying or so simple it just looked degrading. But nonetheless, there was nothign absolutely out standing about it. I did find some styles annoying such Gluttony and Pinako Rockbell but that is something out of my own opinion. All the same, there were some excellant styles such as Edward, Lust, Sloth, Envy, Mustang, etc. I also found some of the transmutation circles both interesting and created. Some were down to the simplest pentacles. Others were unique and complex (but pretty) designs such as the ones drawn on Scar's arm. All in all, it's above average but nothing spectacular.

Sound:
Music - this where I felt was worked poorly. Though the bgms were done well and fitted the situations nicely, they weren't exactly memorable. I only recall wanting to listen to two bgms, the russian song one and the eerie music played at Dante's house. Other than that, it did the work. It made the difference between whether a scene was depressing or action packed. But a majority isn't really to the point where you scream at your ost chan to hurry up and release it. Or even want to dl it :/ Another thing is the ops and ends. I enjoyed pretty much all the ends but once again, nothing too big. Except the 2nd ending which I found to fit the series very well, especially cause of the later themes. The intros, on the other hand, i felt were done poorly. The first was good. The second was done so horribly I skipped it all the time, never bothered listening through the whole thing. The third I just skipped outta habit but now that I actually bother to listen to it, it IS worth listening to. And the later eps it was played on I didn't skip it...course could just be because i wanted to see the part where Greed and Ed fought. The fourth was nothing special. I didn't like it. I didn't hate it. But i found a lot of people to dislike it so...meh.
Voice Acting - unlike the music, the seiyuus for these characters seemed to be done quite well. they portrayed the character's emotions well. Also, the people bothered to make the voices sound different pending on the situation. What I mean is like the hollow sound Alphonse has to correspond with his hollow body. The slight lisp Ed once had when he had a bad bruise on the side of his face. And also, one of my major pet peeves about voice actors is when they try to sound emotional such as scremaing or crying or laughter but it just sounds oh so dry and forced. I didn't find too much of this in fma. The seiyuus managed to actually make the characters actually sound like real people in the situation rather than ameteurs talking into a mike.

Story:
The story of fma. That is something difficult to rate. Fma has no relatively linear story, imho. Though it stays on task and the main idea, it tends to veer off into a lot of side roads but in the end it goes back to the main highway. Oh...and the misplaced humor. That was another thing that ticked me off. Though there were times when these jokes made me laugh, there were also many times when i just wanted to throw soemthing at the computer. One infamous part being when Mustang said something about having all women in the military wear miniskirts. And Armstrong constant boasting of his heritage and muscles. And the ever so annoying Hughes going on and on and on about his daughter. But thankfully, there were only two comedy based eps and even still, they weren't completely fillers. Well...not COMPLETELY.
The main thing about the story is the CONSTANT meeting of new characters. And later on, seeing them again in the most unexpected cases, which was nice but like stated earlier, sometimes this constant meeting (and oftentimes, discarding) characters veered the story off plot.

Character:
Wow...despite the rating I gavet his section, I must say, the characters was actually what amused me the most. The wide wide wide diversity and well done chemistries between character to character. They had just about every type of person imaginable. The guy who has a problem about his height. The out of ordinary mechanic girl obsessed with machines. An overly obsessed father. The peacemaker that tries to look at all sides of a person. etc etc etc. But as good as these characters were, sadly, they tended to be discarded before they were fully explained. The best example of this is probably Greed who seemed to have had an important part prior to this series and his identity which was never ever ever explained fully. Rather they just shove him in for like 5 minutes, shove him out and show Wrath for like 15 episodes, shove him back in for 2 episodes and poof. That's it. Another was Gluttony who is constantly shown but golly...we know NOTHING about this guy cept that he's constantly hungry. And lastly, Winry. Please excuse me for being rude but I seriously do not know WHY so many people like her excusing those who just go for her innocent and cutsey looks. When I first saw her, I had expectations that she'd be the lover of Ed. The classic main character coupling stuff seen in way too many series. Thankfull this overused tradition did not take palce but it really made Winry looked like a waste of animation time and moeny to pay another seiyuu. She did literally nothing other than fix stuff. This pissed me off even more because of how much screening she got in the intros and she even had an ending only showing her. But getting off the cons, there were many many more pros to outweight this. The characters are very realistic like the plot. There is no completely good guy. And no completely bad guy. Just when you think you wanna smack someone or murder another or just hate some character slapped down somewhere in the series. They tend to show off a softer side that you could make you pity that person.

Value:
Well...don't look too much into this as I tend to find perfect value in just about all series i enjoy. Not too sure what the diff between value and enjoyment is here but I'll just say value is what the anime taught me and shown me and made it worth remembering. Which fma did have a lot of. It talks a lot about how tough life is. And it shows that you can't just say a person is just evil or just good. Yes, say i'm some sorta crazed psychologist, I don't care. This series is also memorable because of the different kinds of characters there are. Which Greed and Lust left imprints in my mind. Yes, I'm a sucker for evil people that act tough when they really got a good side or evil people that in the end turn off the the bad side cause they realize what they were doing were wrong.

Enjoyment:
I can't say. You know what, why do they even put this section here? How am I supposed to say whether you'll enjoy it or not. Ahh, oh well. I did enjoy this anime a lot. Though was disappointed in the ending, it was very worth watching and I just finished the last ep a few hours ago and am begging for a marathon with my friends :P That is how good it is. But I will say that though this IS a good anime and highly rated, it is not for certain people. I mean people who don't like the gory bloody war stuff, people who expects a lot of ecchi and hentai-ish stuff, or comedy humor lovers. This series is very dark and often times depressing not to mention, it is not afraid to show a lot of blood spewing out of nowhere. So if you are one of the mentioned three, it is probably not advised to watch this series.