Anime: July 2010

I decided to finish watching "Fullmetal Alchemist," because the two season box sets are each available for $30 on amazon.com.

The end of the original "Fullmetal Alchemist" is a thrilling series of episodes packed with high-adrenaline action and engaging discussions about the meaning of alchemy.

There were points in the last five episodes, where I honestly thought the series would never give a proper explanation of the major law of alchemy, equivalent exchange. Fortunately, the show settles with an insight into what really happens when a person performs alchemy to repair something.

Although the series was a whirlwind journey through numerous locales, the series manages to cover plenty of ground. Ed and Al were already an inseparable duo, but the emotional tensions especially rise in the final battles of this television series. The best battles take place when Ed and Al finally face the dreaded homunculus they thought they left behind years ago.

It's hard to close the lid on this series, but "Fullmetal Alchemist" manages to pull off the hefty task of explaining what actually happens in an "equivalent exchange." The characters tend to rush the dialogue in the last few episodes, but the pace actually helps to raise the adrenaline in the battles afterward. The fights make for some intense, but insightful looks into what it really means to be human.

The ending of "Fullmetal Alchemist" features some of the goriest scenes in the series. However, the wonderful conclusion provides the main characters with the possibility to create an ending above and beyond the boundaries of the medium of animation. Although "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" may have served as a more truthful retelling of the original manga, this anime serves as a simple, fitting conclusion to this saga about magicians and metamorphosis.

Seasons 1 and 2 are each available for $30 at amazon.com.

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