Fullmetal Alchemist 

When a failed alchemical ritual leaves brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric with severely damaged bodies, they begin searching for the one thing that can save them; the fabled philosopher's stone.

Stars:

Vic Mignogna, Aaron Dismuke, Romi Pak

Top Rated TV #111 | 3 wins.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Vic Mignogna	...	Edward Elric 51 episodes, 2003-2004
Aaron Dismuke	...	Alphonse Elric 51 episodes, 2003-2004
Romi Pak	...	Edward Elric / ... 51 episodes, 2003-2004
Rie Kugimiya	...	Alphonse Elric / ... 51 episodes, 2003-2004
Maria Tamar	...	Pinako Rockwell 51 episodes, 2003-2004
Travis Willingham	...	Roy Mustang 33 episodes, 2003-2004
Tôru Ohkawa	...	Roy Mustang / ... 33 episodes, 2003-2004
Colleen Clinkenbeard	...	Riza Hawkeye / ... 29 episodes, 2003-2004
Caitlin Glass	...	Winry Rockbell / ... 29 episodes, 2003-2004
Christopher Sabat	...	Alex Louis Armstrong / ... 28 episodes, 2004
Kenji Utsumi	...	Alex Louis Armstrong / ... 28 episodes, 2004
Megumi Toyoguchi	...	Winry Rockbell 28 episodes, 2003-2004
Michiko Neya	...	Riza Hawkeye 25 episodes, 2003-2004
Laura Bailey	...	Lust / ... 24 episodes, 2003-2004
Yûko Satô	...	Lust 24 episodes, 2003-2004
Mike McFarland	...	Jean Havoc / ... 23 episodes, 2003-2004
Ed Blaylock	...	King Bradley / ... 23 episodes, 2003-2004
Yasunori Matsumoto	...	Jean Havoc / ... 22 episodes, 2003-2004
Chris Cason	...	Gluttony / ... 21 episodes, 2003-2004
Yoshino Takamori	...	Sloth / ... 21 episodes, 2003-2004

Storyline

The Elric brothers' mother is dead and their father has long since abandoned them. Deciding to perform a forbidden human transmutation to bring their mother back, they end up losing their bodies. Now Edward must join the military in order to gain certain alchemical privileges, with his one goal being to restore his brother to his original state. But with war on the horizon it's only a matter of time before they are both forced to question their morals and ultimately decide the value of human life.

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Plot Keywords:

military | artificial human | supernatural power | steampunk | genocide | 

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Taglines:

The Philosophers' Stone: those who possess it, no longer bound by the laws of Equivalent Exchange in Alchemy, may gain without sacrifice, create without equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

adult swim Official site

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

6 November 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fullmetal Alchemist

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aniplex,Bones,Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min (51 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (English-language version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "introduction to alchemy" book in the 3rd episode is actually a dungeons and dragons book with a transmutation circle in it.

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Quotes

Colonel Roy Mustang: Don't look so gloomy.
Lieutenant Lisa Hawkeye: Your plan was perfect, but because I didn't make it in time...
Colonel Roy Mustang: There is no such thing as perfection. This world itself is imperfect.
[runs a hand through her hair]
Colonel Roy Mustang: That's what makes it so beautiful.

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Crazy Credits

In the end credits of the first episodes, you see a close-up of Ed who "turns to the camera" and casts a faint smile. In the 7th episode though - a tragic one, Ed's smile breaks into a big grin while his eyes are shining like he's about to cry.

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Connections

Featured in ScrewAttack's Top 10s: Top 10 Manliest Characters (2018)

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Soundtracks

Riraito
(Rewrite)
Fourth opening theme (episodes #42-51)
Performed by Asian Kung-Fu Generation
Music and lyrics by Masafumi Gotô
Arrangement by Asian Kung-Fu Generation

User Reviews

My favorite Anime

I was sick last year (2005 this is '06) for three days straight. So as a result I ended up 'channel surfing' all day and all night. I didn't get ANY sleep.

Eventually I turned the channel onto Adult Swim. Mostly because I had seen the title Full Metal Alchemist and was drawn in. I remembered the myths about alchemy although vaguely mostly from random books I had read.

The episode I ended up watching was the exam episode which should've been the actual beginning to the series but is actually around the third or fourth episode.

And was hooked. I had thought that anime was a useless Japanese art form. Man was I wrong! Intriguing storyline AND amazing animation. This was an aspiring animators dream world.

I ended up spending the rest of the year watching all the episodes on Adult Swim...I'd even wake up in the morning and think Full Metal Alchemist's on tonight! And plan my day accordingly. I also ended up buying the Manga which if you have cash to burn and love the series you should do so.

The story itself is pretty straightforward at first and seems almost like Inu Yasha where there's the same premise behind every episode but that's only for a little while until you know the characters and than it starts adding to the background situations starts to show whats really going on and whats really behind their quest.

The animation in itself just adds to the story with the rich backgrounds and the amazing fights.

Overall this would be a good anime to start with if your looking for one. There's only 51 episodes, a movie -Full Metal Alchemist and the Conqueror of Shamballa- and a couple of games so it won't burn too big of a hole in your pocket.