Full Metal Alchemist

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Full Metal Alchemist (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi) has become an extremely popular entry among anime offerings, driven by a complex, well-developed world and engaging characters coupled with consistently excellent animation and stories by turns harrowing and comedic. A 51-episode television show based on a manga of the same name, Full Metal Alchemist (FMA) was created by Hiromu Arakawa. The anime, produced by studio Bones and directed by Seiji Mizushima, debuted in Japan in 2003 and was introduced to North American audiences by Cartoon Network's Adult Swim in 2004. The storyline of the anime diverges from that of the manga in about the middle of the series, and ends differently from the ending planned by the manga's creator.

Set in an alternate universe with some resemblance to Europe in the 1900s, the world of FMA, rife with civil unrest, an oppressive military, prejudice, and hardship, is also steeped in alchemy. Edward and Alphonse Elric, young sons of an alchemist father who's been missing for most of their lives, are left alone in the world when their mother dies. When they attempt to bring her back—the single most forbidden act of alchemy—the resulting debacle ends with Edward sacrificing an arm and a leg to keep his younger brother's soul in the world and anchor it to a suit of armor. With a new arm and leg of automail provided by family friend Winry and her grandmother, accomplished automail mechanics--automail, like alchemy, is an integral component of the FMA world--Edward is on his way to becoming the Full Metal Alchemist.

The quest the Elric brothers undertake is to find some way to return Alphonse to his body and Edward’s lost limbs to him. This will seemingly require the Holy Grail of alchemy, the Philosopher’s Stone. The first step along this path is for Edward to become the youngest State Alchemist ever, a “dog of the military,” in order for them to gain access to the state library in Central with its wealth of history and information on alchemy. Here they come under the command of the Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang. They also travel around the country on missions for the military, encountering people in need and trying to help them. Along the way, through the mysteries and tragedies that confront them, evidence of a greater mystery begins to unfold around them. While Ed and Al try to use alchemy to help people in the course of their quest, a thirst for power drives others to use alchemy in cruel and terrible ways. As they become more deeply entangled in the larger mystery Ed and Al come up against homonculi, beings created whenever a human has attempted a transmutation to bring the dead back to life; chimeras, twisted mergings of human and animals made by alchemists; and a wide cast of other characters. No one is entirely evil--or entirely good: they all have a history and facets of gray.

Edward eventually discovers that the price for the creation of a Philosopher’s Stone is the brutal sacrifice of human lives, a price too high. But the homunculi are determined to have one created in order to become human. FMA does not shy away from death, loss, or moral quandaries. By turns moving, comedic, adventurous, violent, and elegiac, it has the scope of an epic novel with occasional bouts of chibi. Ed and Al’s quest through a war-torn world, among people faced with unbearable choices and losses, is, like life, neither easy nor predictable--but it is kickass anime.

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