Fullmetal Alchemist

Reviewed By:   Carla Land

DVD  Viz Communications

Review based on first two disks (episodes 1-8)

Rated T (Teen)

What it’s (basically) all about: Edward and Alphonse Eldric are young alchemists who have broken alchemy rule number one- don’t bring people back from the dead. They tried to resurrect their mom when they were only about ten years old, causing Edward (the elder) to lose a leg and Alphonse to lose his entire body. His soul is now bound to a suit of armor, a feat which cost Edward one of his arms, too. Edward becomes a State Alchemist at the tender age of twelve and now he and Alphonse are on a search for the Philosopher’s Stone- which may be able to help them regain their bodies in full and make up for what they tried to do.

Nitty Gritty: This show is on Adult Swim and is big with the teens. The animation and voice work are well done, and the story is very engaging. There is minimal foul language (damn, bastard), no improper sexual situations, and nothing that would make this inappropriate for a YA collection. That having been said, children shouldn’t watch this show. It occasionally has briefly graphic scenes and situations that young children wouldn’t understand- for instance, the alchemist who uses his daughter and dog to create a talking chimera, the serial killer who likes to take young women apart with his butcher knife…not for kids, and could be traumatizing. I haven’t watched the show on TV, but since it is shown on Adult Swim even the folks at Turner don’t think little kids should watch it. It can get intense even though you don’t see a lot of gore. What’s implied and not shown can be more dramatic.

Special features include previews for shows in a similar vein that are teen appropriate. The DVD menu can be hard to read sometimes because of coloring, which is a minor irritant. The subtitles and dubbing are exactly the same, too, which is unusual and might bother some of your purist anime fans.

Survey says: The story is well written (though you do flashback a couple of years after the first two or three episodes, which can throw you off) and it is well worth the watching. Appropriate for teens and YA sections- this will be one you may want to stock up on, given its popularity. My nephews are sixteen and seventeen as of this writing, and they like it a lot.

Personal Ad: This show is one that my husband really likes, as well as my nephews. I’ve read some of the graphic novels and the show stays pretty true to them. It felt as if I’d seen most of these episodes before because of it. I wouldn’t put it in my top three favorites, but I really like it. I can’t stand that DVD menu though. It got on my nerves.