At the end of Winter Break, my friend Rajan recommended the anime Fullmetal Alchemist to me. Even though I'm Asian, I actually don't watch that much anime, so I was a bit skeptical at first. Regardless, I agree with most of Rajan's taste when it comes to TV shows and movies, so I decided to give it a shot. I began watching the first episode with most but not all of my attention, and as it progressed, I slowly got drawn into it more and more until I was completely immersed in it. After about 2 weeks, I had finished the entire series, all 51 episodes of it. So yeah, you can probably tell that I think that this show is ridiculously good, and boy are you right.
Before I proceed with this post, I want to say that I watched the 2003 version that drifts off from the plot of the manga, not the 2009 reincarnation, Brotherhood, which stays loyal to the manga and seems to be better according to everyone I've talked to. Rajan actually told me that he watched Brotherhood and wanted me to watch it instead of the 2003 version, but I was already 3-4 episodes in so I said to myself, "Fuck it." Anyways, I am watching Brotherhood now, and hopefully I'll finish the series before midterms come along and ruin everything. Until then, let's talk about the 2003 version.
Fullmetal Alchemist follows the journey of 2 brothers, Edward and Alfonse Elric. They reside in a fairly normal looking world in a time span which seems to be the early 1900's according to their technology. There's one weird thing about this world though: Certain individuals are capable of performing alchemy, a magical science which allows its users to rearrange the molecular composition of any object. There is only one rule, the conservation of matter, which they refer to as the law of equivalent exchange: You can't make something out of nothing. In order to obtain, something of equal value must be lost. So for example, you can turn a candy bar broken into two pieces into a complete bar once again: You aren't creating any molecules, you're merely rearranging them so that the molecules responsible for the break are linked together again. Other examples are the boiling of water, since you are merely making the molecules vibrate more, and the turning of a bar of metal into a sword, since you are merely reshaping it.
Ed and Al are both alchemists, a talent which they picked up from their father, who was also an alchemist, and his massive library of alchemy textbooks. However, their father left them when they were little, leaving only their loving mother to take care of them. One day, their mother passes away from an unknown illness, and it turns out that she was actually hiding it for quite a while in order to seem strong for Ed and Al and prevent them from worrying about her. Devastated, Ed and Al try what is referred to as the "ultimate taboo" among alchemists: Human alchemy, otherwise known as the bringing of the dead back to life. The operation is mainly led by Ed, and while Al is reluctant, his love for his mother and Ed's persistent insistence persuade him to join the effort. After lots of studying, both of them gather the ingredients of the average adult human body, offer a blood sacrifice to appease the laws of equivalent exchange (Ed rationalizes that every human originally started off as a single cell, and since their blood contains their mother's genetic information, this should work), and attempt alchemy. Their attempt fails disastrously, and what they create doesn't resemble their mother in the slightest; it's some sort of monster that you find out more about as the series progresses. The reason it failed is because there's no equivalent exchange for a human soul, so whenever human alchemy is attempted, the process goes haywire and takes something random but also of massive value from those who try it. Al ends up losing his entire body. Ed is much luckier and only loses his left leg. However, in order to bring back his brother's soul from the afterlife and into the real world once again, he offers his body as a sacrifice to fulfill the law of equivalent exchange and attempts alchemy once again. He ends up losing his right arm, but in return, he rescues Al from the clutches of the afterlife, tethering his soul to a suit of armor that was conveniently lying around.
Ed replaces his missing limbs with metal counterparts, known as automail, which eventually leads to him earning the title "Fullmetal Alchemist". After this, Ed and Al set out on a quest for a mystical item known as the "Philosopher's Stone", a powerful object that is rumored to allow its users to ignore the laws of equivalent exchange for alchemic reactions. Ed and Al have given up their quest to bring back their mother; now they only want to bring their bodies back, and the stone is their best shot. To aid them in their quest, Ed becomes a "state alchemist", an alchemist that is officially employed by the country's military, which appears to be a part of some sort of fascist regime. As a state alchemist, Ed gets access to a pocketwatch that amplifies his alchemic abilities, money, and many rare alchemic texts; however, he must do the bidding of the military, no matter how foolish or inhumane their desires may be. As Ed and Al look for the stone, they are exposed to the darkest corners of alchemy and see many horrific things. The pair are constantly faced with tough moral decisions, many of which involve the balancing of their loyalty to the state, which guarantees their continued access to its vast amount of resources, and their loyalty to humanity, which guarantees their continued ability to live with their consciences.
The first thing I want to touch upon is the two brothers, our protagonists, Edward and Alfonse. This show is incredibly character driven, and it doesn't take very long to fall in love with these characters and their depth, especially if you have a sibling of your own who you (hopefully) care for. The bond between them is incredibly powerful, and as the series progresses, it becomes more and more clear that, in the end, they live only for each other. While their strong love for each other is always apparent, the show doesn't resort to the generic "love conquers all" cliche that many lesser TV shows and movies often times do, remembering that all relationships need to be realistic in order to leave a substantial impact. Both Ed and Al have their strengths and weaknesses, and like any part of brothers, they also fight. As a result, the dynamic between them is easy to relate to, allowing it to easily resonate on a personal level with the viewer. Each brother contributes certain personality traits that are vital to their continued success, unlike many stories where a certain character sort of does everything (*cough* Hermoine *cough*). Ed, being the older brother, naturally takes the lead, spearheading most of their initiatives. However, Ed is more of the "Act first, ask questions later" type of person, a characteristic which usually ends up leading him straight into trouble. He also acts far more out of emotion rather than reason, thinking with his heart rather than with his mind. While this fuels his courage and determination and allows him to sometimes make the right decision quickly in dire situations, it sometimes leads to him doing really stupid things like I mentioned before. However, this flaw also makes him very easy to relate to on a personal level, both for us, the viewers, and for the other characters in the show who eventually deem him as a "champion of the people". Emotions are ultimately what define the human experience, and Ed is a wonderful representation of this fact.
Al, on the other hand, is far more calm and collected. Al is much more of a follower than a leader and often times acts as the voice of reason that Ed sometimes desperately needs. Because Ed is a very emotional character, an aspect which is amplified by his guilt for causing his brother to lose his body, his behavior is often times very swingy and drastic. Al is essentially the opposite. Al almost never acts unless he's completely thought things through, and he's a lot quicker to sympathize with characters that are flawed and have done bad things, unlike Ed, who is always ready to attack and destroy them. As a result, Al does a great job making allies for the two brothers, often times turning characters that were originally hostile towards them to their side. While Ed's character allows him to easily get caught up in the depressing atmosphere of their situation, Al is always there to provide optimism and encouragement, even during the darkest of times. The problem with Al though is that he's sometimes too trusting and forgiving; he often times gives bad characters a chance only to have it all blow up in his face afterwards. Additionally, Al rarely acts on his own; like I said, he's the follower while Ed is the leader. Without Ed, Al would almost certainly be lost. But without Al, Ed would get himself killed in a heartbeat. Ed provides the flawed core of their efforts, and Al provides the supplement necessary to perfect it.
The dynamic between Al and Ed very much reminds me of the dynamic between Frodo and Sam from Lord of the Rings. Because of the ring's effects and his own personality, Frodo's emotional state is very unstable, and as a result, his decision-making and behavior are often times swingy and drastic, similar to Ed. However, despite his flaws, he is still the leader, spearheading the mission of destroying the Ring and saving Middle Earth. Sam, on the other hand, is much more about loyalty than leadership. No matter what, Sam is always by Frodo's side, just like Al, and he's always there to lift up Frodo's spirits, also just like Al. But in the end, Sam is still the follower while Frodo's the leader, even pointing out at one point in Return of the King that he isn't capable of carrying the ring on his own. Sam also relies a lot more on reason than emotion, providing the cautious, more logical choice when Frodo throws all caution to the winds and does whatever he can to get extricate himself from danger (putting on the Ring) or get rid of the Ring as soon as possible (trying to make it through the gates of Mordor with the mercenaries). In conclusion, just like Frodo and Sam, Al and Ed are two halves of a wonderful whole; neither would accomplish much without the other, and the powerful relationship between them is always heartwarming and marvelous to watch.
What really surprised me about the show was how intelligent it is and how real the dilemmas were. Starting from episode 1, you're automatically plunged into a situation that can easily be extrapolated to real-life. Because of alchemy's scientific yet magical nature, there are many analogies within the show than can be drawn to the effects of religion and the dynamic between religion and science in real life. The show isn't afraid to get its hands dirty, delving into several dark issues that are all too real, including human experimentation, human sacrifice for the "greater good", genocide, and capital punishment. Like any great book or movie, Fullmetal Alchemist delivers many complex questions without giving real answers to them. Why can't we play God, even when we're trying to do good things? Does every life have some sort of intrinsic value, no matter what it's done? Exactly how far can you go when you are "following orders"? Should every life be weighed equally? Is there such a thing as a human soul? Is there some sort of flow to this seemingly everlasting chaos we call our existence?
An important topic that the show constantly brings up is what it means to be human. While this is constantly touched upon by its intense, difficult moral situations and wonderful character development, the show's discussion of the topic is mainly embodied by Al, because even though Al isn't human on a physical level, he is one of the most human characters in the entire show, similar to WALL-E and EVE in Pixar's masterpiece WALL-E, two very human robots stranded in a world of humans that are so brain-dead that they're essentially drones. Even though Al is merely a talking suit of armor, he's one of the most sympathetic characters in the entire show, realizing that in the end, every human being is a human being, no matter how heinous his or her actions have been. He's always ready to forgive, and amidst the sea of constant atrocities within this show, this personality trait is incredibly noble, to say the least. His relationship with his brother further highlights his humanity. Who would have thought that a talking suit of armor would possess a love so immensely powerful? Who would have though that a boy who resembles a robot would have a relationship so strong that it easily dwarfs any other relationship within the show? This topic is furthered highlighted when Al's identity as Ed's brother is questioned with a villain bringing up the possibility that whatever is tethered to Al's suit of armor is merely a collection of false memories fabricated by Ed, rather than an actual human soul.
Next, I want to talk about FMA's setting. Similar to a Miyazaki or Pixar movie, this anime earns massive points simply off of how creative the concepts behind it are. Alchemy is not only cool; it's brilliant. While alchemy is obviously a form of magic that couldn't possibly occur in real life, it's still tethered to real world concepts like the conservation of matter. The problem with many fantasy environments is that they're so over-the-top and unrealistic that they fail to resonate on a deep level, serving merely as forms of visceral entertainment. This limitation of alchemy to make it something more than just magic and render human alchemy impossible allows it to seem real. This really helps drive in the point that there's something more to humanity than what's on a physical level, that there's something more to us than the atoms that we're comprised of. The setting of FMA within this almost dystopic government is very effective too; similar to 1984, it presents the horrors of a government that's too powerful. Ed's position as a state alchemist is also brilliant, allowing the show to analyze the toll of being a soldier, a position that essentially requires one to assign greater importance to following orders over listening to one's conscience and acting in a way that preserves their humanity. This issue is expanded with the "Ishbal massacre", a "war" committed by FMA's government that is essentially a genocide, which resembles the Holocaust and left a massive emotional toll on those who committed atrocities within it because they were simply "following orders".
In conclusion, Fullmetal Alchemist is an amazing, incredibly intelligent anime that really caught me off guard, and I recommend it wholeheartedly. Remember, this show is quite dark overall and definitely isn't for the faint of heart, but its rewards are immense and it really makes you think. There is also a lot of comedic relief in the show, which does wonders to brighten the tone and alleviate the tension. There's a very Back to the Future-esque gag of Ed becoming very angry whenever someone brings up his small stature, and even though it may be annoying initially, you realize its necessity when you fully understand how incredibly dark this show can get. Also, this show's ending unfortunately doesn't provide closure. It makes you watch a movie in order to see the storyline completely resolve, and even when you finish the movie, you're left with a feeling that's quite bittersweet and still without the complete closure you desperately want. But despite this, the storyline, setting, characters, and everything else about Fullmetal Alchemist are all simply fantastic. If you have some free time, check it out on Hulu or YouTube with a simple search. Make sure to prepare yourself for a ridiculously crazy ride though; this show is an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. Enjoy.
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