Fullmetal Alchemist

This is one of those well known anime. The show concentrates on two brothers, Edward and Al, who decide to join the military as alchemist. Their objective is to search for the Philosopher's stone to restore something they lost.

Edward Elric
The stubborn and hot tempered boy who is enraged with any comment about his height. But he is smart to solve cases for the military. Even though he is talented in alchemy, he is shown to have a great athletic ability, instead of relying on his alchemy. Even though he is teenager, he acts mature for his age, showing great concern for his brother Alphonse.

Alphonse(Al) Elric
Despite his appearance, he is actually the younger brother of Edward. He is a bit more calm and sensible compare to his older brother. Always tries to do the right things, making sure that Edward is on the right track when on a mission. But he is not as proficient in alchemy compare to his brother. However, his fighting ability is top notch.

The other characters do not have much presence in the show until later. Once you go through several episodes, the characters do bloom and start to develop to be more interesting. But the show mostly concern these two characters.

This story is pretty interesting. It has a mix of science and religion and seems to show the battle between these two perspectives. Each episodes seems to hold on its own, however, they will probably make more sense when you watch consecutively. The beginning is pretty quick, so nothing too boring until later.

The music of the show is just horrible in the beginning. During those comical scenes the music is not all that great. But the music does improve with the. nice orchestra music for the climatic or resolution scene. But when it needs to be emotional, it just right. For the opening and the endings, personally, they were not that great. I just hated it.

The animation of the show is overly decent throughout the show. The characters design is nothing too spectacular. The eyes are a bit more flat on the top, to give a more serious look to the characters. Also, the hair can be a bit stiff. However, the characters are not so skinny and a bit more board to give a more mature feel to the show. Cause this show is really about war. With the scenery and background, it is well done, fitting criteria of a world being plagued by war and strife. With those action and alchemy scene, it is interesting to see how objects are made through exchanging another thing of equal value.

The voice actors were a bit off for me compare to the other animes I watched. Personally, I prefer Al to have a more boyish voice. His voice is just a bit too high, sounding younger than his actual age. Compare to the English dubbed it can be a bit awkward and stiff. And Edward voice in the English dub sounds the most unusual, just because he sounds too old. Japanese dub is the best.

Manga differences between the anime is many. So many that it is another story of its own. Overall,

the characters apparently have different name, especially with the Homunculus. On second thought, the Homunculus characters are different for the most part. The only similarity is the brothers' beginnings.

The brother struggles to have something to even be in the military. However, their struggles bring in a different path, different from their desire. The show tells us that no matter how much we try or wish, we can never bring the dead to life. Even if we try, it always go wrong. That's why we say "Rest In Peace".

This shows also concentrates on equivalent exchange, to get something you must give something of equal value. This truly reflects our today society. People try to give and receive the same value. As a result, our society has become less giving and as a result more people give nothing.

Verdict: This is an interesting anime where there is a combination of religion and science. But not for those who are fully devotees. Definitely not like the manga so can surprise viewers. A very depressing plot for almost every episode, and the humor is not really all that funny. So not one of those shows one can have a good laugh.

If you want something like the manga, watch Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Do you prefer this Fullmetal Alchemist storyline? Or do you like manga that stay true to the manga?