Ranked #24

Fullmetal Alchemist

Story: 10/10
Fullmetal Alchemist is about Two Brothers, who, after they loose their Mother, attempt a forbidden rule of Alchemy. (Alchemy is the science in which matter can be taken to form an object of the used material. Etcetera.)
But, the main rule of alchemy is that you can’t make matter out of nothing, something else must be offered in return. “Equivalent Exchange.”

They attempt to bring their mother back to life, but in doing so, Alphonse, “Al,” (Younger Brother) ends up loosing his entire body and Edward, “Ed,” (Older Brother) looses his leg, and then looses his arm in return for attaching his brother’s soul to a suit of armor.
Both of them are forced on the road, in search of a way to regain what they’ve lost, and encounter many challenges.

The story is very powerful and impacting, about wins, losses, and moral decisions.
The comedy element is never out of place and provides a little more humanity, and when the drama and seriousness comes into play, I found myself holding back tears, or opening my eyes up in suspense.

FMA is unusually relatable, and gripping, I was honestly touched at certain points in the story.
The real connection between the two brothers is amazing, and the connection to its audience is equally as strong.
I believe the story is the height of the Anime.
Now it is known of this Anime that the story is very different from its Manga counterpart, there is a splitting off point in which the Anime takes a completely different approach then the Manga. Some fans like this, some fans don’t.
That jump has rarely been a big enough leap to land on the other side. However I am happy to say that the Anime’s different portrayal of the story has been successful. Even if you prefer the Manga better, the story is still completely amazing on its own.

Animation: 10/10
The Animation is very smooth, it matched up to the essence of the show absolutely perfectly, and it’s just fun to look at. “BONES.” is known to have unique styles of Animation, and they did not disappoint with this Anime.

Music: 10/10
The music for Fullmetal Alchemist was composed and arranged by Michiru Oshima, and is just beautiful.
It’s EASY to see that great care was taken with the soundtrack for this Anime; it is probably one of the best soundtracks out there.
It always matches up to the scenes, and completely gives life to those emotional or comical moments.

Voice Acting: (Dub) 10/10
I have to say, Fullmetal Alchemist has one of the best Dubs I have ever heard, and this is not just because the cast was so huge.
It’s the fact that every character voice, was spot on, the actors are very talented. You could tell they put a lot of work and heart into their roles.
Vic Mignogna gave Ed such an amazing humanity, beyond any performance from a voice actor I have EVER heard.
I was so impressed; there are many little moments that I was just blown out of my mind. In my mind, he is Ed’s heart and soul. He actually gave me chills more then often!
Aaron Dismuke gave Al the sweet and sensitive nature that worked so well with his character. Considering how young he was when he did the role, his performance was great!
Travis Willingham gave Mustang a competitive, cool, and sometimes, arrogant tone. Caitlin Glass gave Winry a girly and flamboyant sound. Dameon Clarke made Scar serious and solemn. The Homunculi fit in with their personalities, the Military was perfectly cast. Even the EXTRAS were just awesome!

Characters: 10/10
The characters were rich and engaging. Aside from the Two Brothers, there are many other elements that worked in their favor when it comes to the characters.
They would focus on other characters from time to time, and instead of being impatient for them to focus on the main characters; I started connecting with the others characters as well. I didn’t hate a single character, well, aside from Envy, but even he had a small ounce of likeability.
Nothing was black and white, there was no good or evil. There were just people, making either good or bad decisions. And that might have been the reason the cast was so relatable and likable.

Over-All: 10/10 (Masterpiece)
A simply brilliant Anime, it should be in everybody’s top 5. Genuinely BREATHTAKING story telling. It fired on all cylinders.

Link to Full Review: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SpeedyAlchemistReviews/737171/ read more

Of the 30+ series that I've seen over the years, I've never seen an anime series so complete, so perfect, and so flawlessly done as FMA.

Honestly, this series is more complete and more "beefy" than even series with 200-300+ episodes. The entire series flows almost like a movie. EVERYTHING in EVERY episode has a meaning and relate to the ultimate story line. There is *not a second* in the series that doesn't have some ultimate meaning to contribute to the story or the ending. The story line is so intricate that you could probably write an entire thesis on it.

To best describe the series as a whole without giving away too much detail.....the first 40 or so episodes are basically puzzle pieces. Alot of random information that can be confusing and you're trying to figure out the meaning and significance. After the first 40 or so episodes, the rest of the series puts all the puzzle pieces together.

In my opinion, FMA is the only series that you will find new things every time you re-watch the episodes. Its like the pulp fiction of anime.

Final Verdict?

~FLAWLESS~ 10/10 read more

Fullmetal Alchemist is honestly one of the best anime series you'll ever see. It's humerous, full of action, mystery, has some sad parts, and has a great list of characters. I used to love Naruto, but after seeing this show, that has become number 2 on my list and FMA has taken the number 1 spot. It's definitely worth seeing and buying on DVD. It's really a series that you can never get tired of watching and will want to watch over and over again. The plot is fantastic and you'll fall in love with the characters. If you haven't seen it yet...WATCH IT!! = ) read more

--Spoiler Free Review--

First full anime that I started to watch, aside from DBZ. It was the English dub and the only english dubbed anime i've watched. I have yet to watch the Japanese subbed version, but it is on the list.

Story: 10
The story is likely the most intricate i've seen. Many twists and turns, with just enough information to keep you guessing what will happen next. Nearly every episode contributes to the overall plot. Relating to real Earth events makes the story even plausible.

Art: 10
Wonderfully animated. Each explosion, each weapon, each character is drawn extremely well with great detail. Fight sequences may rival that of live action films.

Sound: 10
Opening and ending themes work very well.
Sound effects are spot on.
Voice acting for English dub is surprisingly well done, with even some memorable character work.
Cannot comment on Japanese voice acting.

Character: 9
The main protagonists complement and play off each other very well. The supporting cast each have their own respective mannerisms which i've come to enjoy.

Enjoyment: 10
I consider any anime that forces me into the early morning hours to be extremely enjoyable, and FMA is no exception. Only pausing for snacks and short bathroom breaks, each episode is as compelling as the next and you want to keep going till you reach the 51 episode affair.


Overall: 9.5
Since I cannot rate in decimal digits, I am forced to grant a 9.

It is a very well done anime and after watching numerous series, it is still one that I hold in high regard. Now to find time to watch the Japanese dub. read more

In 2001, I began reading the manga series "Fullmetal Alchemist". Over the span of about two years, I fell in love with the characters, plot, setting, and artwork. Within those two years, I began thinking of the possibilities of an anime adaptation, my favorite characters being animated and given their own voices. And then, to my extreme delight, it was to be adapted into an anime.

At first, despite my happiness, I was worries about the changes that would, undoubtedly, befall the link between the FMA manga and the FMA anime. I knew from experience that there would be plot changes (after all, the manga was no where near being completed when the anime began), personality changes, and, perhaps, even name changes. However, I was in for a surprise.

The FMA anime is, just as its manga counterpart, one of the most well-developed and interesting series I've ever watched. Despite being more familiar with the manga's plot, the anime's plot is just as amazing. The characters, despite changes in their personalities, are brilliant, and the setting is amazing. The animation, specifically fights and the movie, is beautiful. The music is simply amazing, and the voices chosen for both the Japanese and English version fit the characters perfectly. BONES (and, later, FUNimation) did this series justice.

I highly recommend this series! read more

Fullmetal Alchemist (A+) – the ultimate in story telling, personal and epic at the same time. Rich, depressing, uplifting. Even the so-called “filler” episodes beat out most other main story arc episodes on other series. It also has the strongest opening scene of any anime.

The story is not really about one character, but two. The brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric have perpetuated the greatest of taboos and have paid dearly. Though both brothers had their distinct personalities and traits before their tragic accident, this moment transforms and traumatizes them forever. The hotheaded Edward is a great character, one who comes with a bit of a “Napoleon complex”, and acts like an adult. But in his greatest moments reminds you that he is still a child who misses his mother and feels terrible guilt for what has happened to his brother. The younger Alphonse is now merely a soul bound to a suit of armor, trying to live normally. He seems to be way too innocent and childlike at times even if he appears to be walking metal monster.

The supporting characters also have strong personalities and it appears everyone is connected and has some tragedy of their own. Two of my favorites are actually bad guys, the homunculi, Envy and Greed. Greed may personify his name completely, but someone how he becomes a sympathetic character that shows heart and (dare I say) qualities you find admirable in a person. Envy is the kind of character that is so heartless and powerful that he transcends his role. As a matter of fact, he and Major Hughes have one of the best scenes in the show. As Major Hughes becomes another transcendent and memorable character.

Episode by episode the plot is tightly woven and told better than any other story I’ve seen. Everything is well thought out and interconnected, the beginning, middle and end are all equally as important and there are no throw away episodes. The show flawlessly goes from pure horror to light-hearted fun, and back again. Even the silly episode dealing with Major Armstrong’s family and a haunted warehouse has some meaning to the overall plot.

The action in the show is also smart and exciting and varies greatly. We see moments of terror as a character try to escape serial killers. We see the fantastic action of alchemy against alchemy and also sword and gunplay. The action definitely shows off its shonen roots. And many of these fights become heart wrenching, always giving the life of a person, any person, its proper weight in the story. Some of my favorite battles are Edward versus Colonel Mustang, Edward versus Greed and Edward and Alphonse versus Sloth.

The deaths of people are never glossed over or taken lightly in this series and I think that that is the shows greatest message and legacy. There are MANY deaths in this show, major and minor characters alike, and there are many tragedies as many people foolishly or ignorantly meet their end at the cruel hands of a fate and malice. No matter what though, the show always finds time to ask what the price of life is.

The ending for the series certainly throws a curve ball at you as some nagging mysteries are finally revealed. In a way, the ending was satisfying even though everything wasn’t neatly wrapped up. But honestly, the real ending is the fantastic Fullmetal Alchemist movie, which may be one of the most satisfying anime ending you’ll ever see.

Edit: I know the 10's across the board may seem a bit "fanboyish", but I honestly and personally didn't find any flaws in the show to make me downgrade the scores. It is a perfect example of not only shonen, but what anime is general can do. read more

Well, just click unhelpful and don't bother to read this review since I didn't give Full Metal Alchemist a perfect 10 across the board. Okay, now that the brainless people have gone away, those who really don't want another praising review for this series can read on.

Full Metal Alchemist is an interesting anime. No kidding. Two brothers basically get their balls rearranged when they decide to mess around with alchemy to try to bring their mother back from the dead. Oedipus complex aside, they are messed up, physically. One loses his limbs, the next one loses their body and all they managed to bring back is a festering pile of flesh called "Mommy". In atonement for this, Edward, the older brother decides to find the Philosopher's stone to fix themselves. Instead of just going to Hogwarts and asking Dumbledore for it, he and Al travel all over the world and do junk related to alchemy and meet a lot of sad things and people and cry a lot and make people watching this cry a lot.

If you like to cry, I guess you can watch this anime. Filled with so much hanky-sap in it to get you a-sobbing for nearly every episode.

Art was tremendously mediocre. No detail, no good animation, nothing. And the theme songs were annoying and completely unfabulous.

However, the characters are average. There's Ed, who isn't really deep since he spits out every emotion he feels aloud because if he didn't, the vapid audience wouldn't get through simple action or subtlety that he was sad or depressed or something. And Al is a hunk of metal who acts like a little boy. If he had tear ducts, I would expect him to cry every episode. Too bad he blasted them off when he decided to meddle with the powers of the Almighty. Then there's this chick called Winry. I think she wants to jump Ed's bones, but he's missing a lot of bones, so there's nothing really to jump; instead, she fixes their mechanical parts and does nothing else, really.

FMA is one of those anime people will love, especially people between the ages of 11 to 17. If you're that age, I suggest you watch this. If you don't want a melodramatic action series that drags on waaay too long, then watch something else. Like, I dunno, the paint peeling off a wall. read more

Alchemy has advanced the world. People have learned much from it's endless possibilities. To perform alchemy, to transmute, one must understand, decompose, and reconstruct and object into another object with the same mass.

Human transmutation, the forbidden alchemy, is when an alchemist attempts to revive the dead. This has always failed, and the result is something that is not human, that has its own unique ability. This creation is called a Homunculus.

Human transmutation is only possible with a legendary artifact called the Philosopher's Stone. The Stone allows for bypassing the Principal of Equivalent Trade, meaning an alchemist can perform any kind of alchemy without having to use the Principal, allowing for limitless possibilities.

Central City, the home of the State Alchemists, the dogs of the military, has proclaimed that human transmutation is illegal, and anyone who performs such crimes will be sentenced to death.

The Elric Brothers are one such pair who tried to use human transmutation to revive their mother....They failed. Alphonse, the younger brother was sealed inside a suit of armor and Edward, the older brother, lost his arm and leg.

Now, nearly 6 years later, the brothers are on a quest to get their old bodies back. They will stop at nothing to return themselves to who they once were.

Join their adventure as they travel around the country in search of the Philosopher's Stone. Along the way, you'll meet an incredible cast of characters and be awe-inspired by the wonders, and horrors, of alchemy.

Full Metal Alchemist is the perfect combination of action, comedy, adventure, and suspense, as the Elric Brothers not only find out the truth of the Philosopher's Stone, but also the truth behind a forgotten war and the military's crimes. You'll be laughing, crying, and gaping in wonder as the brothers face danger after danger to fulfill their dream, and witness the horrors and atrocities of the sins of mankind.

Watch Full Metal Alchemist today and discover the power of magi-science!

read more

Like everybody else in the United States with access to basic cable, I had seen bits and pieces of this show out-of-order on [adult swim], and had picked up most of the story through osmosis just by being involved in anime fandom. Maybe that is why I felt as though I could put off a total watch-through for so long. There were three shows that, for most of my high school career, everybody was obsessed with: Naruto, Bleach, and Fullmetal Alchemist. I'm none-too-fond of Naruto, and Bleach is fun but not a favorite, but FMA had always intrigued me. I remember seeing it available through fansub when it was still running in Japan, and wanting very badly to see it--it reminded me of Folken from Escaflowne, my current obsession, who was a sorcerer/alchemist with a metal arm, and I'm obsessed with arcane sciences and magics--but, alas, for whatever reason, I never got around to it. And here I am, a junior in university, finally having sat down and watched all 51 episodes in order.

Whatever. That's neither here nor there.

I do not give out 10's lightly. I give out a lot of 9's, even 8's, but 10's are the shows that work their way under my skin, tug at my chest, and express so beautifully the things we already know deep down, but could not put to words, or consciously conceptualize. Fullmetal Alchemist is a singular show in that regard. It is a singularly imaginative, beautifully-written masterpiece on par with the greatest works of literature. Some of the political commentary feels a little heavy-handed, but then again, when does it not? The oppressive, violent military is not portrayed as a singular body of "AMERICA FUCK YEAH" heathens, but a diverse body of human beings with individual motives, value judgments, and sacrifices. The Ishbal people are not portrayed as selfless martyrs--usually, the oppressed people have to be perfect to garner any sympathy, but in this case, they are flawed humans as much as anybody else.

Ultimately, the show does not make any black-and-white assertions of right-and-wrong, truth-and-myth. Everything is still shades of gray when all is said and done. The only conclusion that can be made, as Al so beautifully states, is that there is no one law that governs the world--it's too complicated and flawed. Life is unfair and sacrifice does not guarantee gain. And yet, the power of determination is not undermined. It is not wholly pessimistic nor wholly optimistic. That would be too simple. That would be too clean. Life is not like that.

This is one of those shows I feel I can recommend to anybody. It is universal, it is powerful, and it is not dogmatic in a way that would turn off somebody who does not agree with that central dogma. It represents fundamentalist religious activists and atheist scientists with equal humanity and flaw. Ultimately, nobody is shown to be in possession of the one, and only, truth. read more

Story (7.7) - Interesting, simple and clear..easy to understand and it goes in a good pace, i mean, neither too fast or too slow. It starts with 2 boys, who did an forbiden transmutation trying to get theis mother back from the dead. The price for that was high, one lost his body, and the other 1 arm and 1 leg. After the incident they decide to find someway to get their bodies back, but on the process they get involved in the secrets of alchemy and in the middle of some fights caused by homunculus, with the objective of acheiving their main goal..get the philosophers stone, that requires thousands of lives to be created..
Its a good story, however some parts could habe been better worked.

Art (7.2) - Character design is fine, but nothing great.. the graphic aspect is not the strongest point in this anime.

Sound (7.9) - I think its good enough, i liked some of the op and ed..

Characther (8.2) - In this point my opinion is different from this evaluation of this aspect.. Taking my personal opinion out, some characters are very well made and well develloped. My opinion is influenced by the fact i didnt like the characthers at all, with some exceptions..some are really really anoying and others only appear 2 or 3 times :(...i would give this only a 7, but i admit most of them are well develloped, and even if i dont like them is no reason to not give an 8 on this one.

enjoyment (8.8) - Its the strongest point. Lots of action, nice effects,special moves, suspense..well, each point individually are nothing great, but toghether they make this anime very good. I enjoyed watching it so there´s no reason in here to give less than a 9.

overall (8.0): I see why this one is on the top of the best rated anime. Its really a good anime and i believe than even those that are not fan of this style of anime will admit that this is a very good 1. My opinion is no different from most of the people, i reccomend. read more