Fullmetal Alchemist is undoubtedly one of the most popular Shounen anime series. With numbers comparable to Naruto, Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Bleach.
The story blends science, mysticism, fiction, and relationships based on love and friendship. A lesson in companionship and affection. It also shows what we are capable of to help others – especially if they are blood-related!
Table of Contents
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST – THE BEGINNING
The acclaimed work was written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa – being one of the few women in the 90s to carve out a space in the world of mangakas (Japanese comic artists).
With its first appearance in Japan in the magazine Shonen Gangan – a monthly magazine that publishes various chapters of manga, with Fullmetal Alchemist being its most famous – on July 12, 2001, the engaging story of Edward Elric captured the hearts of fans.
Compared to other series of the same genre, Fullmetal Alchemist remained on the shelves for nine years, concluding on September 11, 2010. The series of 108 chapters was distributed over 27 volumes.
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST – THE ANIME
The more traditional animes receive over a hundred episodes continuously and achieve great success. They even have various stories – as is the case with Dragon Ball – and many arcs.
However, most of the success of Arakawa’s series was due to the manga. The anime had two versions with a five-year difference in publication between them. The first saga was released on October 4, 2003, and concluded a year later, on October 2, 2004.
This first version was simply titled Fullmetal Alchemist, while the version released on April 5, 2009 was named Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, following the manga more closely. It also concluded a year later, on July 4, 2010.
The first had only 51 episodes, while Brotherhood reached 64 episodes. Both tell similar stories, but with different styles. The 2003 version had strong dramatic touches, while the 2009 series presented a more humorous and relaxed version to the audience.
One of the openings of the second version of the Anime:
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST – BRAZIL, GAMES, LIVE ACTION
In Brazil, the comic saga was published by JBC – a nipo-Brazilian publisher. The anime was aired on the subscription TV channel Animax. It also made its way to open TV, where young people watched it on the RedeTV! channel.
Although the anime does not have as many episodes as others, a medium that yielded many fruits for the author was the games. In total, there were thirteen, yes, games for the Game Boy Advanced (GBA), Playstation 2, Playstation Portable (PSP), Nintendo DS (NDS), and Nintendo Wii platforms.
Like Bleach and Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist received a live-action adaptation based on the manga. It premiered in 2017 in Japanese theaters and is currently available in Netflix’s vast catalog.
In addition to this film, there were also two others in animated versions. The first on September 8, 2006 with the subtitle Conqueror of Shamballa. On April 24, 2012, there was The Sacred Stars of Milos. Both approximately an hour and a half long. Although the stories are not part of the anime and manga, they are a good complement to all the richness that Arakawa built.
Another significant fact for the saga’s revenue was the six light novels – illustrated novels based on the anime/manga style – written by Makoto Inoue. Although she did not participate in the script, Arakawa illustrated each of them.
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST – THE PLOT
The main device to win the hearts of readers and viewers is the magic involved in the stories, whose main material of creativity is surrounded by alchemy.
Alchemy is the precursor of chemistry. In ancient times, this modern science was replaced by practices that involved rituals and procedures that, according to its scholars, would bring many fruitful benefits to humanity.
It was, obviously, a failed attempt by the “scientists” to believe that this science could yield what they were promising. One interesting point was that alchemists believed it was possible to turn things into gold. Shortly after – about 300 years later – it was discovered that protons are incapable of moving from the nucleus of the atom.
Thus, it was not possible to rub a dead rat’s skin on another material to transfer the proton particles until obtaining the number of protons of gold. This was one of the promises of alchemy.
However, the most famous – which has also been the theme of a movie featuring the famous wizard Harry Potter – is the philosopher’s stone. This mystical article had the ability to cure all diseases, including the most wicked of them: death.
Sometimes treated as a substance – despite the name stone attached to it – whoever ingested its contents would be cured of all ailments and could receive eternal life.
Manga of Fullmetal Alchemist
If you want to buy some volumes of the manga you can access below:
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST – THE PLOT
The universe of Fullmetal Alchemist tells the story of two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who face a penalty for trying to bring their mother back to life.
This world is a mix of the European industrial revolution era with a society where alchemy is truly a science – even being considered an art.
The failed attempt to bring their mother back to life caused damage to the brothers. Edward’s idea of using an extremely advanced alchemy ritual resulted in his brother losing his entire body and him losing his left leg.
To save Alphonse, Edward had to sacrifice his right arm to bind his brother’s soul to a steel armor. The feeling of regret, combined with the longing for their mother, drives them to seek the only jewel of alchemy capable of repairing all this damage: the philosopher’s stone.
However, there was no trace or even rumors that any alchemist had managed to create such an artifact. The only way Edward found was to join the Amestris Military State. With this, he could obtain the necessary materials for his in-depth study of alchemical arts.
This part of the plot is followed by Edward’s famous quote: “I know it was a stupid decision, but I will continue lying on this bed of thorns until I achieve my goal.” His goal was to bring his brother back in flesh and blood.
Edward’s genius made him the youngest alchemist to become a military. However, the only reason he joined the federals was the possibility of having the necessary materials for his studies.
The work of a military in the country of Amestris consisted of eliminating certain races belonging to the universe of Fullmetal Alchemist. Thus, Edward, while doing his service, gains allies, but also many enemies.
The majority of the races present in the series are humans who used alchemy to mutate themselves. The main ones are: humans, homunculi, chimeras.
One of the major enemies Edward makes – unintentionally – are the Ishbalans, another race present in the series. This people had a large part of their species decimated by the Amestris military. Scar is one of the few survivors of the Ishbalan race who is clearly seeking revenge for his people.
The homunculi are a powerful race because they contain pieces of the philosopher’s stone in their genetics – how? You’ll have to watch the series to find out. Later, they reveal themselves to be the main villains.
The first part of the saga makes readers and viewers become addicted to the Elric brothers’ quest to find the philosopher’s stone. However, throughout the development, it is revealed that the homunculi control the Amestris Military State.
“Father” is the name of the villain in this final arc of the plot. His goal is to transform all the nations of the universe. And there were only two people capable of stopping him, Edward and Alphonse.
TRIVIA ABOUT THE SERIES
– Having an influence from the industrial revolution and periods of war that actually occurred – such as World War II – one of the villains present in one of the arcs of the plot is Adolf Hitler.
– Despite the five-year difference between the animated series, the only anime that faithfully followed the manga was the Brotherhood saga. The first version from 2003 only followed the written story up to volume 25.
– All this creativity began after Arakawa read about the philosopher’s stone. This was the starting point for her to start researching more about the “science” of alchemy.
– After understanding how this fantastical universe worked, the author decided to give a touch of war and modern world to her stories. The Second World War was her biggest influence. She read several books and watched many documentaries about the war and post-war periods.
– A good example of war influence in the plot was during one of the most famous arcs of the saga: the Ishval War. Arakawa wrote this part of the narrative based on the accounts of various post-war soldiers.
– Just as J. K. Rowling had to shorten her name to avoid being directly recognized as a woman, Arakawa had to change the spelling of her name. Hiromi Arakawa is her real name, while the name Hiromu – in the Japanese language – is a masculine derivative.
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