Full Metal Alchemist Vol.1 - The Curse

After a failed attempt in trying to ressurect their deceased mother through alchemy (an illegal and very dangerous process), Edward and Alphonse Elric are lucky to escape with their lives. Alphonse left without a body has his soul transferred into a nearby suit of armour, by his elder brother, Edward, who loses an arm and a leg in the process.

The series takes us on their journey, in recovering their former states. Edward works hard into becoming a State Alchemist and learn more in the arts of Alchemy. A moving tale that shows the brother's admiration and love for each other, overcoming powerful users of alchemy and corruption within the State itself.

A fantastic tale that will make you laugh, cry and shudder as you join the brothers in their adventures. The characters are very well structured, even characters that do not remain in the whole series are written with depth that it is hard not to feel attached to some of them.

Excellent art work and a catchy soundtrack bubblegum pop soundtrack. If there's one anime series you'll want to see this year, make sure that its this one!


A great start to an incredible anime series!   February 10, 2007
James Snook (Wales)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

This DVD kicks off the increasingly popular anime series full metal alchemist. Volume 1 contains 4 episodes. The basic story is that two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric fail to resurrect their mother from the dead after using human alchemy. Alchemy is basically the transformation of one thing into something else that has equal value and ingredients. They soon suffer the consequences of performing human alchemy as Alphonses body is destroyed and his soul is fused into a suit of armour and Ed sacrifices an arm and a leg. Ed is then equipped with a metal arm and leg and hoping to get their bodies back to normal, they both set off on an epic quest. What follows is a well made series that can be funny, action packed, scary and emotional. The two brothers are very likeable as Ed is very loud and outgoing and he always hilariously freaks out when someone makes fun of his shortness whereas Al is quite timid and rational, you notice that he has a tough time controlling his brothers rashness and bad temper.
The animation in this DVD is simply superb, most of the scenery is very bright and beautiful and this leads to the viewer wanting to carry on watching. The animation also successfully conveys the atmosphere of a particular scene whether it be tense or happy,etc
This DVD is one of the few instances where I prefer the english dub. Even though the Japanese dub is good I think that sometimes the emotional scenes arn't as effectively portrayed as the english version. The DVD has few special features but the sheer brilliance of the episodes episodes themselves make up for that.
With its fun characters, interesting story and great action scenes, this is an essential purchase. FMA does not contain gratuitous violence, sex or language, therefore this results in an easy watch that you will most probably enjoy over and over again.
If you enjoy this, I suggest getting some of the other volumes as the story and characters develop further.
Full Metal Alchemist is an excellent anime and I would recommend it to any anime fan and even people who are not fans of the genre. If you are looking for an anime series that you have never watched before, why not try this, you may be pleasantly surprised.


Fullstar Alchemist   July 19, 2005
General Carville (England)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

Having seen this DVD, I am one to believe the hype that this anime has been recieving. The original Japanese voicing is near perfection, where the English dub is right behind it with the odd hiccup in places. The animation is also superbly done so that also adds to the value. The way it is made makes it easy to familiarise with the characters which makes understanding the story a lot easier. All in all, an essentail purchase for anime fans across the Uk.


Excellent!   May 27, 2005
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

The main reason I watched this anime is because of the hype it has been recieving all over the internet and the praise from magizines. So, taking their word for it, I decided that I would see what this whole Full Metal Alchemist (A.K.A Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi) was about and I was not in the least dissapointed! The artwork is simple yet stunning and the annimation is flawless, making it possibly the most attractive japanese animation out there today! The characters are likable and react to situations in a belivible manner.

You follow Edward Elric and his younger brother Alphonose on their quest to retrieve the legendary Philosopher's stone, an item which is said to bring unlimited power to the user, so that they can restore themselves to their original bodies (Al's soul is all that remains and he is must 'live' inside a giant suit of armor and Ed's right arm and left leg have been replaced with Auto Mail which basically are mechanical limbs).

The series is surpisingly dark, the opening scene showing us the two Elric brother's failed attempt to bring their mother back from the dead- a bloody, grusome opening to say the least! But the humour makes this anime lovable, the funniest parts are perhaps when someone makes a comment about Ed's height, to which he reacts to halariously (He is rather vertically challenged!).

There is little I can find wrong with this show, although the constant message that is shown at the beginning of each episode is repetitive to say the least but it is really not a problem (I'm just grasping at straws to find something negative about FMA - which is much easier said than done!)

The first DVD left me wanting more and I cannot wait to see it! Full Metal Alchemist is all you've heard and more - a definate must have for any fan of anime or someone who enjoys a great piece of entertainment! I have no doubt in my mind that this will go down as an anime classic and, in most peoples' minds, will be the best ever - it is certainly becoming a quick favourite amoung me and friends!


One of the best series around, anime or not   July 26, 2006
Philip Tomlinson
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Speaking as someone who isn't a raving anime fan, I can safely say that this is a fantastic series. Well written, expertly directed and, best of all, it comes with a brilliant English dub that is easily comparable to the original Japanese language track. There is no reason to not buy this; Full Metal Alchemist is a testament to how exhilerating, thought-provoking and mature anime can be.