An excellent anime. FMA follows Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers searching for the Philosopher's Stone. Not for money, power, or anything like that, but just to give Alphonse (Al) his body back, and Edward (Ed) his right arm and left leg. How? With Alchemy.

This is a world where science and superstition battle for dominance. In this world, Alchemy is very scientific, and very common. Everyone who practices Alchemy knows about equivalent exchange: to gain something, you must first give up something. If you want a gold necklace, you need a bar of gold so Alchemy can change it into a necklace. This law applies to all things in all places, but especially to Alchemy. Shunned only by deeply religious people with red eyes, Alchemy is widely accepted and widely used throughout the world. However, Human Alchemy, or trying to bring someone back from the dead, is illegal. The Elric brothers watched their mother fade to nothing with a disease, then tried to bring her back to life with their exceptional Alchemy talents. Not only does it not work, it strips Al's soul of his body and Ed of his left leg. In order to save Al's soul, Ed used his right arm as material for Alchemy... one that transfered Al's soul to a suit of armor lying in the corner. Quickly replacing his lost limbs with AutoMail, or mechanical limbs, Ed becomes a State Alchemist in order to futher his search for the Philosopher's Stone. And that is where the problems really begin.

This anime is good not in that it only emphasises how corrupt government systems can become, but that the work of a few good guys can change that situation. This is only a small piece of the background plot, but an important one nonetheless. Ed and Al wander around the world, fulfilling this task or that, and occasionally doing State work. Most of the time, however, the duo do their best to do good and stamp out corruption. Whether it be a false prophet trying to rouse his supporters into a killing frenzy, or a sly, sexy thief out to get her way, Ed and Al pull out all the stops to help the common man, especially when it gets them closer to finding the Philosopher's Stone.

A large part of the story is the confusing yet interesting battle waging in the hearts and souls of the two young boys. For while they are powerful, and immensely wise for their ages, they also happen to be mere teenagers. This is a lot to handle, and the two constantly fight with themselves over it. Should they really do all of this, or just sit back and accept it? It is the battle of the crying child and the angry father we see in those two. This is one of the best parts of the story.

The characters in the series are tightly wrapped (with or without loose screws) and very detailed. From the ever-posing Strongarm Alchemist to Mustang, the Flame Alchemist with a penchant for mini-skirts, to the lovable-yet-annoying Winry, ever ready to take machines apart while laughing at Ed for being so uptight about his Alchemic watch. Even the Bad guys (who I will let you discover for yourself, but there are quite a few) squabble among themselves, or are not fully revealed until absolutely necessary.

Twists and turns abound in the series, as the mass-murderer turns into the defender of God's Will, and the kindly father turns into the mad scientist willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to further his research. Such strange sequences only serve to highlight the battle between Good and Evil in a world where mere survival is the path most walked.

This is not an entirely serious anime. Hilarity ensues as puppies and kittens are taken off the street to find new homes... sometimes even in Al's chest cavity. Also, it is continuously pointed out that Ed is short for his age, and he always goes berserk at such comments, providing comedic relief in an otherwise emotionally straining anime.

Just Like Akira, Eva, Ghost in The Shell, and X, FMA will hurt the brains of us lesser mortals as we try to comprehend each and every layer of the many subplots, and how each new twist changes the outlook. My solution was to simply ask a friend that had seen the series six times, so I had it easy. For those who have no such resource, the series can be quite frustrating. Still, I greatly enjoyed the series even before talking to my friend, so I would still suggest this series to anyone remotely interested or becoming interested in anime/manga.

Great anime,
thanks for the info n_n
i really love Ed *¬* kyaaaaaaaaa so hot!

Thanks for all that info! That was a really great post. :)

I didn't expect to like Fullmetal Alchemist much at all, but one episode, and I was totally hooked. I'm really glad that it aired on tv. Otherwise, I might never have given in a chance.

When I first watch Fullmetal Alchemist, it is fun and very interested. However, it sure deals with a lot of issues in society. Cloning. Somehow, I stopped watching it. I just don't feel that Fullmetal Alchemist is my type. Moreover, I don't think kids under 13 should watch this anime. However, I do see a lot of them watched it without understanding the meaning of it.
As I remember, somebody in this web site said that they use to write an essay about Neon in their English Class. I should prefer that Fullmetal Alchemist will be a good anime to watch and write an essay. It can be used for Education.

I dont know if you could pass your Chem. class watching this series but however I do agree that this show is a complete addict lol I can tell I'm not alone by the size of the intro post (crazy, by the way thanx) umm yes I agree that this series should be viewed by someone who understands there periodic table lol its such a fun story line and I love the brother concept it's completly the opposite of Inuyashas family ordeal all in all this show is one of the better ones around :)

In my opinon i think this series is great
i cant wait till they put on the second series on cartoonnetwork
awesome show

I think its a very well done and a very creative anime. I realy enjoy it ^^

I think it's good, but I think I would have to watch it all in one sitting to really enjoy it. I still haven't finished the series yet, though I've see about 25 episodes already. I really like the characters, and the story really pulls you in, although it's really depressing sometimes. The manga was at least amusing at some points. But that's okay. I really like the series, and eventually I'll finish it. ^^

FMA is one of my favorites, of all time anime. I like how everything was done.. Music, design and all that stuff. To be honest, I downloaded all 51 eps when I was watching it (Which was like last october-november? xD) and then did nothing but watch (well except for sleep, eat, shower, and that everyday stuff of course Oo). After that I downloaded the manga, as well as the OST xD. In my opinion, the dubbed version of it isn't that bad, but it's not as good as the subbed. And nice post ^^.

This is really my favorite anime for a lot of reasons, I also need to download the manga xD the files songs and soundtracks are cool. Arakawa is a genius xD!

My opinions are mixed about this anime. When it started, I was completely wrapped in it. Characters were interesting and I wished to view how they changed. Mysteries would crop up and that would further my want for next week's episodes. However, when it hit episode 40, I think my enjoyment of the series flaked. It just didn't seem as emotional or provide enough draw to watch the episodes again, to see if I missed anything or to get a better grasp on the story.

The ending was kind of unimpressive, too. It was begging for an ending for the studio to milk.

I haven't seen much of the anime version, though I've read a lot of the manga. I like both a lot. By no means my absolute favorite, but probably somewhere in the top ten. I don't get the whole "Ed (or Roy) is soo hot!" deal, though. If you ask me, teenage Al (In his natural body, of course.) is the sexiest man in the cast. Yowr. :]

But I digress. It's a great series, plenty of comedy, action, and just the right amount of drama. Probably one of the best anime to come stateside in the past couple of years.

Ed is like so cool!!

Hehe

i rekon the ed in london is the sexies man in the cast ^^
pity he cant use 1 leg and 1 arm, but still he is much hotter in "real life" ^^
but the ed that can use alchemy is cool too :) sooo...hmm tough decision :P

Dude, this series rocks, my favorite anime ever^^

So sad what happened in the last epiosde T.T