Good Anime: Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

There's nothing better than a story world with clean, perfect rules. There are so many that handle magical effects as things that can be called forward suddenly and at will, the only real price being some sort of unspoken 'recharge meter', if that. In Full Metal Alchemist and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (from here on referred to as FMA and FMA: Brotherhood) however, everything comes at a price.

In the FMA universe two brothers Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric learn this the hard way. When the two misuse their alchemic powers at an early age, Edward loses his arm and Alphonse his entire body. Edward, who blames himself, vows to restore his brother's former body. However, such power is outside the realm of mere mortals, no matter how talented. They'll need some real juice to pull it off. They'll need the Philosopher's Stone, capable of feats that are normally impossible. But to attain that, they'll need some real credentials.

And so, their quest begins.

There's just one little complication. Not in the show (well, there certainly are plenty there or there'd be no show), but in the decision you have to make. Should you watch FMA, or FMA: Brotherhood, first? The answer, in case the title of this article wasn't a large enough clue, is FMA: Brotherhood. You see, the original FMA anime was made and completed at a much earlier point in time, 2003. It's a great anime, but the manga wasn't yet completed. FMA: Brotherhood was made close to a decade later, and it shows. The animation is slightly better, the story lines lead into each other a little better, etc., etc.

Of course, the earlier anime is still really cool and very much worth watching. So.... dealer's choice. Either way, give a shot, you won't regret this classic.

And hey, good luck at the State Alchemy Exams.

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