Full Metal Alchemist

Every now and then, a series comes along which brings something slight special and provides the exact right mixture of humour, drama, suspense and action to make it an instant classic. FMA (Full Metal Alchemist) isn’t one of these series. FMA is all this and more. I can quite happily say that this is definitely the greatest anime series and actual television series I have ever seen. Period.

The story begins simply enough, revolving around two alchemy practising brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric. In their world, the law of equivalent exchange rules, and alchemists can use the materials around them to manipulate their environment. Their appearances are not what you would cool usual: the older sibling, Edward, has in his possession a metal arm and leg, whilst his younger brother Alphonse is in fact just a suit of armour housing a soul. The poor lads are in this situation because they disobeyed a standing rule of alchemy: you cannot revive the dead. In an attempt to revive their dead mother, the brothers lost a vast deal by breaking this rule, which resulted in their current appearence, but it is their solemn mission to return each other to normal using the one method to bypass the law of equivalent exchange: the Philosopher’s Stone. Their travels to achieve this goal forces them to become part of the state military, something that Edward sees as a compulsory evil to achieving his quest. From this, the tale expands into an epic force involving the dark secrets that the government has attempted to hide, a scarred man with unimaginable power, and the terrifying and inhumane truth behind the Philosopher’s Stone.

Visually, FMA is very accessible and engaging, and has what I would describe as an apt style for it’s amazing setting and story. Whilst not having the most wonderfully crafted or hyper-realistic character design, i.e. such as Ghost in the Shell, the style employed actually creates the rare advantage of being able to successfully pull off both comedy, often through humorous exaggerated expressions (which never fails to make laugh), as well as the more deep, serious sides of the story. The music itself is particularly good, with several of those lovely jingles and riffs repeated throughout the series being very memorable, and the ending and opening theme songs accentuating the entire feel of the series.

The true strength of FMA is how the storyline evolves from a simple journey into something far larger and more sinister, whilst maintaining those strengths that drew into the series at the beginning. The ability of the narrative of each episode to draw out the whole spectrum of emotions is a power that few other series have managed, and to do it so fervently makes every viewing unmissable and unique, and leaves you wanting more as soon as the episode ends. Do not let the animation style fool you, this has some dark subject matter, dealing with ethical and moral questions that are approached in an intense, open and intelligent way, which makes this series ever more enjoyable as you move through each act, watching as the characters grow and change. It is no surprise that FMA has topped many polls all around the world concerning topics such as ‘greatest anime’ or ‘greatest anime character’. The cast of this tale are all unforgettable; be it the Elric Brothers, the cocky yet heroic Colonel Mustang, or the terrible Homonculi: each one of them is a unique character who helps to propel this series to a level of complexity and enjoyment that cannot be praised enough. The ending of the series, whilst I will try not to spoil it for you, is an emotional and amazing climax, and the fact I managed to watch the last 20 episodes in one sitting (something I have never done since or before) stands as a testament to the power behind this awesome series.

The 51 episodes that contribute to this masterpiece should be in everybody’s anime collection. If you enjoy an vibrant characters, compelling storytelling and rich, intelligent subject matter, this is the anime for you. And even if you don’t, but it for someone who does, and just wait to see their response.

Rating: 10/10

Paranoia Agent

Among the director elite in anime, there are a number of names which are revered by all: Otomo, Miyazaki, Tezuka. One of them is Satoshi Kon: the genius behind such great feature-length pieces as ‘Perfect Blue’ and ‘Tokyo Godfathers’. So when he announces he is going to release a 13-episode anime series, expectations are bound to be high, and many critics ready to hound him on every mistake. While the end result may not be for everybody’s anime tastes, it stands tall as an incredible achievement in animated storytelling.

Essentially, the main plot line follows how a supernatural phenomenon has been created by the stress and pressures experienced by a character designer of toy company, with the paranormal entity being named ‘Shounen Bat’, who has begun to go around and basically wallop people. In this way, this psychological being grows and is sustained by the reaction of society, namely the mass media interest. The consequences of this are wonderfully explored, as it begins to become apparent that people see this person as some sort messiah-like figure who will rid them of their worries and tribulations in a quick-fix sort of way. Unfortunately, the fact that the characters see this as a simple cure and refuse to face reality turns this situation in quite literally a gargantuan mess. The series as a whole presents a comment/criticism of the deep psychological handicaps that modern society creates by imbuing it with a physical form which is terrifying to behold.

The narrative and storytelling, being trademarks of Kon’s, are typically strong, providing an accurate and vivid account of this dark tale, in both an overall society-based sense, as well as at the level of the individual characters in the story. Speaking of story, the level of the director here is evident in the fact that only 10 of the 13 episodes are set in the main urban location, and used to directly tell the story through the main characters, which is more than sufficient. The other three, whilst in some way involving Shounen Bat, are tales assessing other aspects of society from which Kon has drawn inspiration, ranging from a suicide pact of three strangers who met on the internet, to the rather satirical tale of animation production and the aggravation that causes.

In terms of the technical side of things, the animation company that did this, Madhouse, have done an absolutely smashing job, pretty much the best animation in an anime series I have seen to date, definitely keep you’re eyes out for anything produced by Madhouse, because I know I am. In terms of audio, the same applies, as the animation is accompanied by a brilliantly chilly electronic soundtrack.

Overall, definitely a series worth at least delving into, but if you’ve got enough time, and in fact even if you don’t, watch this series, it’s definitely a worthy addition to anyone’s collection.

Rating: 9/10

This entry was posted on Friday, January 5th, 2007 at 2:58 am and is filed under Anime. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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