Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Fullmetal Alchemist

Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師, Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, lit. "Alchemist of Steel"), commonly abbreviated as FMA or Hagaren, is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The story centers around a fictional universe in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scientific techniques, resulting in different technological developments. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is based on the countries of Europe during the Industrial Revolution period as well as several experiences from the author's life. The plot follows the adventures of two brothers, alchemists named Edward and Alphonse Elric, who want to recover parts of their bodies they lost in an attempt to bring their mother back to life.

Edward and Alphonse Elric are brothers living in the village of Resembool in the country of Amestris. Their father Hohenheim left home when Edward and Alphonse were still very young. Years later, their mother, Trisha Elric, dies of a terminal illness. After their mother's death, Edward becomes determined to bring her back through the use of alchemy. However, this attempt failed, ultimately resulting in the loss of Edward's left leg and Alphonse's entire body. In a desperate effort to save his brother, Edward sacrifices his right arm to affix his brother's soul to a suit of armor. After that, Edward's left leg and right arm are fitted with two sets of automail, a type of advanced prosthetic limb.

Edward sets out to become a State Alchemist, enabling him to use the resources available to State Alchemists to discover a way to restore what he and Alphonse had lost. The brothers eventually learn of the Philosopher's Stone and set off in search of it as a means to restore their bodies. Along the way they discover secrets about the Philosopher's Stone they never wanted to know, and find others who seek it as well, doing almost whatever they can to get their hands on it.

The stories of the manga and anime separate soon after the encounter with Greed, and weave vastly different tales. The most prominent of the differences is the primary antagonist. In the manga, this is a man known simply as "Father". Father is the creator of all the homunculi in the manga series and commands them from behind the curtains of the High Command of the country Amestris. It is suspected that Father plans to use Amestris as a gigantic transmutation circle to create a Philosopher's Stone, but the homunculus Envy hints that, although close, this is not the whole truth.

Father's counterpart in the anime is a woman called Dante, a former lover of Hohenheim. Centuries ago, the two were masterful alchemists and perfected methods for making the Philosopher's Stone and a form of immortality in which they use others' bodies until they age. Hohenheim eventually fell in love with another and left Dante, taking with him the perfected Philosopher's Stone formula. Although Dante is still able to jump from body to body to cheat death over the centuries, she is able to spend less and less time in each body as it decays faster with each jump, and each jump results in the stone she possesses to lose its power over time. She uses the Homunculi to spur Edward and Alphonse, along with other Alchemists as desperate as they are, into creating another complete Philosopher's Stone for her.

Edward Elric (エドワード・エルリック, Edowādo Erurikku), commonly nicknamed "Ed", is the main protagonist of the series. Edward is famous for being the youngest State Alchemist of the country winning the title of "Fullmetal Alchemist". Edward is of short stature, and typically reacts in an exaggerated manner to any remarks about his height. After losing his right arm and left leg as a result of a failed human transmutation and the binding of Alphonse's soul to a suit of armor, he received automail prosthetics. He starts searching for the Philosopher's Stone in order to recover the body of his younger brother as well as his missing limbs.

The Fullmetal Alchemist manga has sold over 30 million volumes in Japan and has generally been well received by critics. Though the initial volumes were felt to be formulaic, critics noted that the series grows in complexity as it progresses. Arakawa was praised for being able to keep all of her character designs unique and distinguishable, despite them many wearing the same basic uniforms. The characterization of the protagonist Edward balances between being a "typical clever kid" and "a stubborn kid", successfully allowing him to float between the series more comical moments and its underlying drama without seeming false. Reviewers celebrated the development of the characters in the manga, with their beliefs actively changing during the story forcing them to grow in maturity.

Kon, a Singaporean critic, said that this is a very good manga and anime though he feels that the anime was lacking a little in what the manga had. Overall it is a good time spent on watching this series.

FUNKY COOL {7:42 PM}