Full Metal Alchemist: Volume 1 - the Alchemist's Curse [DVD]

The main reason I watched this anime is because of the hype it has been recieving all over the internet and the praise from magizines. So, taking their word for it, I decided that I would see what this whole Full Metal Alchemist (A.K.A Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi) was about and I was not in the least dissapointed! The artwork is simple yet stunning and the annimation is flawless, making it possibly the most attractive japanese animation out there today! The characters are likable and react to situations in a belivible manner.

You follow Edward Elric and his younger brother Alphonose on their quest to retrieve the legendary Philosopher's stone, an item which is said to bring unlimited power to the user, so that they can restore themselves to their original bodies (Al's soul is all that remains and he is must 'live' inside a giant suit of armor and Ed's right arm and left leg have been replaced with Auto Mail which basically are mechanical limbs).

The series is surpisingly dark, the opening scene showing us the two Elric brother's failed attempt to bring their mother back from the dead- a bloody, grusome opening to say the least! But the humour makes this anime lovable, the funniest parts are perhaps when someone makes a comment about Ed's height, to which he reacts to halariously (He is rather vertically challenged!).

There is little I can find wrong with this show, although the constant message that is shown at the beginning of each episode is repetitive to say the least but it is really not a problem (I'm just grasping at straws to find something negative about FMA - which is much easier said than done!)

The first DVD left me wanting more and I cannot wait to see it! Full Metal Alchemist is all you've heard and more - a definate must have for any fan of anime or someone who enjoys a great piece of entertainment! I have no doubt in my mind that this will go down as an anime classic and, in most peoples' minds, will be the best ever - it is certainly becoming a quick favourite amoung me and friends!

This DVD kicks off the increasingly popular anime series full metal alchemist. Volume 1 contains 4 episodes. The basic story is that two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric fail to resurrect their mother from the dead after using human alchemy. Alchemy is basically the transformation of one thing into something else that has equal value and ingredients. They soon suffer the consequences of performing human alchemy as Alphonses body is destroyed and his soul is fused into a suit of armour and Ed sacrifices an arm and a leg. Ed is then equipped with a metal arm and leg and hoping to get their bodies back to normal, they both set off on an epic quest. What follows is a well made series that can be funny, action packed, scary and emotional. The two brothers are very likeable as Ed is very loud and outgoing and he always hilariously freaks out when someone makes fun of his shortness whereas Al is quite timid and rational, you notice that he has a tough time controlling his brothers rashness and bad temper.

The animation in this DVD is simply superb, most of the scenery is very bright and beautiful and this leads to the viewer wanting to carry on watching. The animation also successfully conveys the atmosphere of a particular scene whether it be tense or happy,etc

This DVD is one of the few instances where I prefer the english dub. Even though the Japanese dub is good I think that sometimes the emotional scenes arn't as effectively portrayed as the english version. The DVD has few special features but the sheer brilliance of the episodes episodes themselves make up for that.

With its fun characters, interesting story and great action scenes, this is an essential purchase. FMA does not contain gratuitous violence, sex or language, therefore this results in an easy watch that you will most probably enjoy over and over again.

If you enjoy this, I suggest getting some of the other volumes as the story and characters develop further.

Full Metal Alchemist is an excellent anime and I would recommend it to any anime fan and even people who are not fans of the genre. If you are looking for an anime series that you have never watched before, why not try this, you may be pleasantly surprised.

If your interested in buying this product you probably already know that people are branding this as the best anime ever made. I'm not sure about the best ever but it would certainly rank in the top three (along with Evangelion and Cowboy bebop). The character design and development is brilliant, all characters are beautifully designed and their interaction with other characters in the plot and the way they play out their own role is perfectly done, also the voice acting is brilliantly portrayed (I haven't actually seen this version yet so I don't know what the English dubbing is like). Also the plot is very involving, if a little convenient (almost all the characters you met in the earlier episodes seem to turn up near the last episodes and completely turn the plot around), in the whole of the 51 episode series I only found 1 episode boring, so a 98% success rate isn't bad at all in my opinion.

That was kind of a review of the whole series, as for this individual DVD you wont really find much in terms of shocking plot twists (just wait till episode 7 in the next volume for that ;) ) its more an introduction for the two main hero's, Edward and Alphonse Elric. The first two episodes (a two parter) are set in the current anime timeline with Al and Ed investigating a corrupt religious leader. The next two episodes are set four years before, and teach you about Al and Ed's past and what set them on their quest to find the philosophers stone. These episodes are well structured and very entertaining with some good comedy (the recurring joke of people making fun of Ed's height and Ed's reaction to it never grows old).

This anime is highly recommended and once you see the whole series you'll understand why people are calling it the best anime ever.