Full Metal Alchemist (Hagane No Renkinjutsushi)

Reviewed by Jay Quidem
July 2004

Publisher: Viz Studio: Perriot Original Work: Aikawa Sho

To gain something you need something of equal value. That is the basic Philosophy of Alchemy. Produced by the studio Perriot, this new comedy/horror genre will appeal to most audiences who have been dying to see what the year 2004 can offer them. The story takes place in a time where both Alchemists and humans learn to co-exist with one another. The story takes place around two brothers, Edward & Alphonse Elric. It was several years after the war and still they see no sign of their father returning. As the years progress on, their mother succumbed to a fatal disease, leaving the two boys to make a terrible decision. In the world of alchemy there are unspeakable things you must never do…the most important one is to never attempt to resurrect the dead. At first the experiment goes well, until they lose control and nearly submit towards the dark energy they conjured. The botched ritual leaves Edward with one leg & arm, and Alphonse without a body. Using what little alchemy he could produce in this weakened state, Edward transmutes (fuses) alphononse's soul to a suit of armor, while replacing his lost limbs with auto-arms (metallic artificial limbs). Their final hope lies in the legendary Philosopher's Stone, the ultimate power source for any alchemist. And going through some of their father's old research appeared to be the theory that it can restore the body of the user. But before you can be allowed to have access on the alchemist research, you must be an accredited state alchemist. This and their search for the hopeful stone take them all over their world. Some adventures are terrible ordeals that try both their sanity to the brink, while some are so laughable that all the boys can do is fall down. Those of you who have thirsted for a worthwhile anime will find that this is an oasis.

The series runs to about less than half an hour per episode and a new one is presented each week. As of now the whole series is only available in Japanese with English subtitles. But keep an eye out on Cartoon Network's Toonami, because in the next few seasons you might see it appear in their regular schedule. Already the demand for more of the metallic duo has caused the game company Enix to base a game on them, but also is only available in Japanese. Hopefuls are expecting Full Metal Alchemist to go the way of other animes and will offer its fans a full feature movie . But for now you can go through the world of alchemy through their DVDs.

I'm quite satisfied with the progress of the series. It may contain the basic elements of an average anime, but they twisted the borderline between unstoppable laughter and psychological thoughts have created a winning combination. The characters and even those who make just make a one time appearance are very rememberable. Also I believe that the idea of taking the ancient form of alchemy and the legendary philosopher's stone and creating it into a form of magick is pure genius. The only problem that new fans may have to deal with is the availability of the episodes. Though not difficult to obtain, it is still a time consuming job just to see the first twenty-seven episodes.

Also some episodes I believe are too morbid and disturbing, therefore not suitable for younger fans that have only seen the censored types. But not since the creation of the top animes such as dragonball and sailor moon have I been more pleased.