Anime Review: Full Metal Alchemist

This anime is centered on Alphonse and Edward Elric; two brothers who attempted to revive their mother from the dead using alchemy. In their failed attempt, Ed loses his arm and leg while Al loses his entire body. To save his little brother from dying, Ed creates a large set of armor that is empty, but carries Al’s soul inside. Afterward, Ed gets a metallic arm and leg made of material known as Automail. From that point forward, Ed and Al set out to find the legendary Philosopher’s Stone in order to restore their bodies to normal.

This is your typical action anime. There are a few characters that are generally silly acting and bring a classic “anime humor” to the mix, and then at some point in the show things get serious and fights break out. Honestly though without these fights, I might write this off. Don’t get me wrong, I still watch the show on a weekly basis, but at the same time there is something lacking. The fights aren’t all that great. Some episodes are much better than others about this, but overall they aren’t that great. The use of alchemy is pretty cool, but for a show about alchemy, to only see it performed once or twice an episode is pitiful. The one other saving grace for this show is the character development. The show is actually really good at getting you attached to the characters. In one particular episode, an annoying supporting character passes, but instead of being happy that he is gone, there was a great sense of remorse. This story has a way of keeping you attached to everyone involved in Ed and Al’s adventure.

Either way, for such a popular widespread anime, this is worth you attention.