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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Thursday, 09 March 2006 00:00 |
 Full Metal Alchemist starts off with a cautionary tale about the dangers of messing with powers you don't understand, which also serves the useful purpose of giving brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric a good excuse to go in search of the legendary Philosopher's Stone. Anyone expecting Harry Potter to join the quest will be disappointed, but your average anime fan will likely find something here that may well appeal to them...
1 - Those Who Challenge the Sun
Edward Elric and his younger brother Alphonse thought they had mastered the art of alchemy when they tried to resurrect their dead mother, but the basic principle of alchemy - the Principle of Equivalent Exchange - was quick to prove them wrong. Their attempt left Al's soul trapped in a suit of armour, his body destroyed, while Edward lost and arm and a leg. As for their mother... well, let's just say that sometimes partial success is no success at all. Fast forward three years, and the brothers are searching for the legendary Philosopher's Stone - an artefact that can amplify an alchemist's powers, and which may help them restore their bodies and make another attempt at reviving their mother. Theyre currently in a city where the Sun God, Leto, is worshipped by the residents, and where his "representative" Carnello is held in high regard - but Carnello isn't all he appears to be, and the brothers set about proving his teachings to be fake...
2 - Body of the Sanctioned
Carnello seems to have a piece of the Philosopher's Stone, that he's been using to fool the townsfolk into believing he has a hotline to God. With Rose now aware of what's been going on, there are going to have to be some changes around town, but frankly, that doesn't really concern Ed & Al just now - they're just after the Philosopher's Stone. Carnello's isn't about to give it up without a fight, but Ed & Al have more tricks up their sleeves than just alchemy...
3 - Mother
Rewind a few years, to when Edward was only six years only and he and Al first used the power of alchemy - to create a doll for their friend, Winry. Not that she was overly impressed at the time. Ed & Al's father was an alchemist, and given how young they were able to begin learning the art it seems the natural talent ran in the family. When Winry's parents are killed in the war, it gets Edward thinking about how much his mother means to him, and what he would do if she died. In theory, it's possible for an alchemist to resurrect a human body, if he has the right "ingredients". The technique is Human Transmutation - a banned practice, and something that's never been successfully done before, but when Edward finds some notes on transmutation amongst his father's papers, he's determined to use them to bring his mother back...
4 - A Forger's Love
Ed and Al leave their village and begin the journey to Central City, where both hope to pass the examination to become State Alchemists. While on their way, Ed becomes aware of Majhal, an alchemist who may have some knowledge of human transmutation, and who also had connections to their father. Rumours of the dead coming back to life only held to pique Ed's curiosity. A young girl name Clause tells Ed how her younger sister had died around the same time that another villager long thought dead had reappeared. Has Majhal been experimenting with human transmutation..?
The series starts off covering several story tracks & doing a bit of jumping between past & present. The opening two-parter serves to introduce the brothers, gives a little bit of background to why Al is stuck in a suit of armour & what they're searching for, and introduces the first set of series baddies in the form of Envy, Lust and Gluttony. With names like that, I have a sneaky suspicion there are another 4 of their colleagues yet to make an appearance. After the rather grizzly opening scene, what we get from there seems to be something of a cross between Trigun - with its regular breaks into SD humour - and King of Bandit Jing, with its standalone stories and "girl of the week" as the brothers search for something that will give them their bodies back.
Episode three starts to fill in the past, and explains nicely how Al ended up in a suit of armour and Ed lost his arm & leg. It also introduces Roy Mustang, a military officer who's aware that Ed & Al have attempted human transmutation & is very impressed that they survived the attempt. Mustang wants Ed to come see him in Central City when he's back in one piece again, and his invitation sets the brothers on the road to becoming State Alchemists.
So far at least, there's a good mix of comedy & action here and it certainly keeps the interest. Edward can come across as a bit of a bastard on occasion, but his heart's in the right place. Al's character is bit more bland - figure the obedient younger brother & you'll get the idea. I'm hoping they'll develop him further as the series progresses.
Is it any good? Yup, it is. There's nothing particularly outstanding here, it's just all put together in a way that seems to work. How much of an ongoing story there is to develop remains to be seen - we do have a resident evil character whose true intentions have yet to be revealed, and there's a definite quest for the brothers to work on, but many's the series that has started off with that and managed to fluff it completely. So far, though, so good...
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