"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth."

Full Metal Alchemist (2003) is a 51 episode anime, produced by Bones and FUNimation and airing from October 4, 2003 to October 2, 2004. Now, you might be wondering, what's this? I know of a FMA:Brotherhood, but it's not that old. Yes, this anime is actually the first adaptation of the classic work by Hiromu Ayakawa. And now your second question would be, doesn't the first one usually suck, if there is a second adaptation of it? Well, I can thankfully prove you wrong here, and say that this is one of the few anime that can hold its ground against its (arguably superior) big brother. Sure, the theme, story and even the setting and major characters may be the same, but this version was produced when the original manga was only 1/3rd of the way complete, so most of it presents to us a brand new story. And believe me when I say, despite not being the original story, it is definitely packing a lot of punches.

Plot:
As the title will verify, the story revolves around the theme of 'Alchemy', the fundamental science of this world, where almost anything can be transmuted, given the right ingredients of equal value are utilized. However, there is one taboo, something which cannot, and must never be transmuted, and that is a human soul. After having their father leave on an unknown journey, our central characters Edward and Alphonse Elric tragically lose their mother to disease. Unable to bear this loss, the young brothers (aged only 12 and 11 at that time) tried to use the power of alchemy to perform a human transmutation and bring their mother back to life...with devastating results. Not only does the transmutation fail, Edward loses a leg, while Alphonse loses his entire body. In a desperate attempt to save his brother, Ed performs a second transmutation to bind his brother's soul to a suit of armor, which also costs him an arm. However, the brothers, having learnt their lesson, are determined to get their lost body parts back, and thus set out to find the mysterious 'Philosopher's Stone' - an artifact which is said to ignore the law of Equivalent Exchange.
FMA is mainly an shounen action-adventure anime, with military and fantasy elements well-incorporated into the entire setting. Even after the point where the anime crosses the original manga, the story progresses nicely. Plot details are timed properly and revealed with suspense (such as the secret of the Philosopher's Stone), while some story arcs have even better buildup than Brotherhood (namely, the Hughes part). The main characters have a good amount of focus and development, and the secondary cast and antagonists are also highlighted sufficiently. However, due to running out of source material early on, this adaptation does tend to struggle in the latter parts. The story can feel a bit forced, character interactions somewhat unnatural and a few plot points remain unexplained. The viewer won't feel that anything drags along, but it can feel a bit inferior, especially compared to Brotherhood. In my opinion though, the anime does a remarkable job of making a fresh new storyline, and in all honesty, the ending felt even stronger, more moving to me than Brotherhood's.

Rating: 8/10

Characters:
Our central protagonists are the brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric. Edward has a colorful and quirky personality, with a good mix of classic shounen characteristics and more mature, seinen bits as well. For example, he tends to be angered extremely easily when someone calls him short (poor kid's only 4'11" at the start of the series) and can seem a tough customer to deal with, but also displays startling amounts of maturity, tactical thinking and compassion for his age. His younger brother Alphonse is much more mellow, being kind and soft-spoken with nearly everyone and having a huge love for street cats. While Edward has one of the best personalities I have seen in shounen anime, Alphonse seems almost drab beside him, almost being reduced to a side-character at times. Fortunately, the main antagonists (the Homunculi) are vividly portrayed, each with a unique morality and perspective. The Homunculi of FMA are different from Brotherhood, providing the added bonus of enjoying a different enemy for those who already watched the latter. Unfortunately, many of the side characters that made Brotherhood stand out are absent from this series, making the entire cast a bit weaker. Still, it's one of the greatest gaggle of characters for its time and age.

Rating: 4/5

Artwork:
The artstyle of FMA is reminiscent of the early 2000's style, yet also showcasing glimpses of 'modern' art. Characters are well focused and stand out from their backdrop, mainly due to the black outlines and prevalent colors. The environment has decent texture and details, but doesn't really feel like anything special, being 'normal' at best. The use of alchemy is well drawn though, with rich transmutation sequences and powerful battle scenes. It's not anything that memorable, but there really is nothing to complain about either. In fact, considering it's a 2003 anime, the artwork is more than appreciable.

Rating: 3.5/5

Animation:
FMA takes on a standard, no-nonsense approach to animation styles. It will make you feel like you are watching standard shounen from 2005 (which is a good thing actually). No exaggerated expressions, no out-of-the-word battle sequences, nothing that will make you jawdrop. All scenes flow smoothly (and the comedy snippets are masterfully executed), and there are almost no animation glitches. Similar to the artstyle, nothing spectacularly good, but not bad at all.

Rating: 4/5

Voice Acting:
One of the stronger sides of the anime, most of the VA crew of FMA was actually retained while casting Brotherhood, which goes to show how good it is. Ed is voiced by the famous Paku Romi (Toshiro from Bleach, Walter of Hellsing Ultimate), and Al by the even more (in)famous Kugimiya Rie (probably the only famous non-tsundere character she voiced). Other notable actors include Ookawa Tooru voicing Colonel Roy Mustang (Heathcliff of SAO) and Okiayu Ryotaro voicing Scar (Byakuya of Bleach and Berserker of F/Z). The tones and words are superbly conveyed by everyone, and one can almost feel the emotions poured forth. Not only this, even the English dub is a cut above the usual, so watching either one is perfectly fine.

Rating: 5/5

Soundtrack:
Another of FMA's positives, the OST is poignantly fitting to the story, conveying a tale of loss, dreams and friendship more in music than words. Most of the compositions are brilliant illustrations of the characters and the plot, with 'Brothers' and 'Way Home' being especially beautiful pieces. Even the battle themes are well constructed. The openings and endings, while not being of Brotherhood level, do the job perfectly fine, and notable mention goes to the 4th opening 'Rewrite', which still remains one of my favorite openings to this date.

Rating: 4.5/5

Progression:
As I have already mentioned, lack of source material is the main drawback of this adaptation, and it shows clearly as the plot progresses. Initially, what looked to be a grand adventure starts to peter out towards the end, as things get murkier and characters are suddenly eliminated from the whole picture. Some characters who looked to have great significance to the plot end up doing almost nothing at all, while a few characters almost inexplicably become central figures later on. Some character development can also seem off-focus. Wham moments are not in short supply though, and the viewer won't get bored easily, so for a hlaf-baked adaptation (as people tend to say), it gets the job done.

Rating: 3/5

Enjoyment:
Now, say what you will, but this is one anime I really enjoyed. The best thing about taking an idea from a source, and then making a near-unique story out of it is that, if executed properly, the viewers will never know what to expect. I remember throwing tantrums, skipping meals and what not, all to catch those 30 minutes it aired in Animax all those years ago. If I couldn't make it in time, I would be sure to tune in to the rerun that aired the next day. That was how addicted I was to the show, and for good reason too. This is probably the first anime where I cheered with the characters, laughed with them, cried with their tears, and felt truly alive while watching anime. If I had to credit one show into making me the anime lover I am today, it would be this.

Rating: 9/10

Final Words - If you haven't watched Brotherhood, make sure to watch this first. Even if you have, try it anyway. Treat it like an 'alternate-reality' setting, and who knows, it may be a nice surprise!

FINAL RATING: 8/10