Fullmetal Alchemist - Season One Part One Box Set

Review Date: 2009 January 02 09:52

Reviewed by: Priss

Released by: FUNimation

Age Rating: 15

Region: 2 - UK

Volume 1 of 3

Length: 390 minutes

Subtitles: English

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1
Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1

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Summary

Spanning the first 16 episodes, this new 4 disc edition features the first epic instalment of one of the most significant titles in the past 10 years of anime. The acclaimed animated adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa's alchemy adventure manga has excellent production values, courtesy of Bones - the studio holding such classics to their credit as Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, Ouran High School Host Club and Soul Eater.

Set in a world reminiscent of pastoral Europe of the early-mid 20th century, Fullmetal Alchemist presents a precarious state of human imbalance, beset by chaos and corruption. As society stands poised on the precipice of change, rural life clashes catastrophically with the industrial and the unrest burns between the military state and the people. The almighty schemes of the state are underpinned by intrigue, concealing connections to darker schemes and alchemical abominations.

The story follows the path of the Elric siblings, Edward and Alphonse, two alchemists who restlessly seek the Philosopher's Stone in hope of reclaiming the pieces of their shattered lives.

After attempting to resurrect their mother's lifeless body, the young brothers learn the cost of abusing fundamental alchemical law and the principal of "equivalent exchange". The practice of human transmutation is forbidden and their trespass costs them dearly, stripping away both flesh and innocence, as their childhood is immersed in a baptism of fire.

As the story traces their trials and travels through time as the boys search for the stone, an artefact of legend that is said to be imbued with sublime power and restorative properties.

Review

Fullmetal Alchemist is one of those wonder works, widely publicised and internationally sensationalised. It was a franchise pushed to the fore by a fleet of major corporate backers ranging from Square Enix to Sony. Taking the anime world by storm in a massive operation of multimedia and merchandising does not necessarily guarantee greatness in a series itself. Fullmetal Alchemist, on the other, hand lives up to legend remarkably well an explosion of elements conjured from a formidable fusion of horror, psychological drama, comedy and adventure.