Fullmetal Alchemist started out as a manga series created by Hiromu Arakawa (and is still going). Studio Bones adapted the manga into 51 episodes for the anime; which was directed by Seiji Mizushema. Fullmetal Alchemist first aired on Japanese TV on October 2, 2003 and ended on October 2, 2004. A one-hour OAV Fullmetal Alchemist: Reflections was released in 2005, and in March 2006 a DVD with 3 new OAVs was released in Japan, (so we only have to wait a few more years for those to come over here). This series has been very popular in both Japan and North America, and has also won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 2003. The 2005 TV Asahi web poll saw Fullmetal Alchemist voted the most popular anime prize in 2003. The of all time in Japan. But unfortunately the anime series has finished and there are no more plans to continue it.
At the start of the anime we see the main characters Edward (the older brother) and Alphones Elric try to bring their dead mother back to life using alchemy. Their attempt fails and results in Edward losing his left leg and Alphonse losing his whole body. In a desperate attempt to save his brother Edward sacrifices his right arm in exchange for Alphonse’s sole and attaches it to a suit of armour. After this ordeal Edward is fitted with automail to replace his lost limbs (this is an advance for of prosthetics).
Edward decides to join the state alchemists’ in order to gain access to the vase library’s they have; in an attempt to find a way to get their bodies back. Edward is the youngest person to ever be accepted into the state alchemists’. He is very short for his age and is very touchy about his height. This leads to him flying off the handle whenever anyone comments on how short he is or mistakes Alphonse for him. When the brothers learn about the philosopher’s stone they decide to set out and find it. The brother’s quest leads them into some very funny as well as some very dark situations.
(the ending in this AMV is not the ending in the series I'm not that cruel)
Fullmetal Alchemist is not your average anime. The plot has many layers and unfolds throughout the series smoothly with a climatic bang at the end. The main characters grow throughout the series at the start the brothers are very naïve. As the series progresses and the brothers’ encounter new people and are put into more and more dangerous situations their out look on life and the world around them is changed. This anime had me rolling around the floor with laughter and misty eyed in other parts. Fullmetal Alchemist will not let you down and will leave you wishing Studio Bones would continue the series.