Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師 Hagane no Renkinjutsushi?, lit. “Alchemist of Steel”), commonly abbreviated as FMA or Hagaren, is a manga series created by Hiromu Arakawa and serialized in Enix’s (now Square Enix) Monthly Shonen Gangan. It has also been adapted into an anime TV series and a movie sequel, as well as several spin-off novels and video games.
The manga is still running in Japan, and 18 volumes have been released so far. The anime, on the other hand, is finished, and consists of 51 episodes and a full-length movie sequel. Both incarnations (the manga and the anime) have seen massive popularity in both Japan and North America. The series won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 2003. In September 2005, the anime was voted #1 most popular anime of all time in Japan in a TV Asahi web poll,[1] and was #1 again in 2006.[2] In 2005, Anime Insider named it “Series of The Year.”[citation needed]
It was nominated in six of the eight categories for which it was eligible at the American Anime Awards in February 2007, winning awards in five of them: Best Long Series, Best Actor (Vic Mignogna), Best Cast, Best DVD Package Design, and Best Anime Theme Song (Rewrite by Asian Kung-Fu Generation). It was also nominated in the category of Best Anime Feature for Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa. Awards were given in twelve categories, and no other anime won more than two.[3]
Rinciannya
- Volume 01: The Curse (Ep. 1-4)
- Volume 02: Scarred Man of the East (Ep. 5-8)
- Volume 03: Equivalent Exchange (Ep. 9-12)
- Volume 04: The Fall of Ishbal (Ep. 13-16)
- Volume 05: The Cost of Living (Ep. 17-20)
- Volume 06: Captured Souls (Ep. 21-24)
- Volume 07: Reunion on Yock Island (Ep. 25-28)
- Volume 08: The Altar of Stone (Ep. 29-32)
- Volume 09: Pain and Lust (Ep. 33-36)
- Volume 10: Journey To Ishbal (Ep. 37-40)
- Volume 11: Becoming The Stone (Ep. 41-44)
- Volume 12: Truth Behind Truths (Ep. 45-48)
- Volume 13: Brotherhood (Ep. 49-51)
Each volume presents unique cover art that usually signifies important characters of the volume. The North American front cover art for each box features character images over a background that shows 1/12 of a transmutation circle in rotation. The thirteenth volume displays the same spot on the transmutation circle as the 1st volume.
All thirteen DVD volumes, as well as the movie, The Conqueror Of Shamballa, have been released in the United States. A limited special edition of the movie was released on November 14, 2006. MVM had released the first eight volumes in the UK; however, Funimation gave the rights over to Revelation Films.[citation needed] They will be re-releasing the first 8 DVDs on February 12 before finishing up to the last DVD in 2007.
English opening quotes
- Episode 2–36, 38–42: Alphonse Elric:
| “ | 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. | ” |
- Episode 37: Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye:
| “ | Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. Here at Central Headquarters there was a group of brave soldiers all willing to make that sacrifice in the name of peace. This is a tale of love and courage, a tale of the Flame Alchemist Colonel Mustang and his loyal team. | ” |
- Episode 43–50: Edward Elric:
| “ | The Philosophers’ Stone: those who possess it, no longer bound by the laws of Equivalent Exchange in Alchemy, may gain without sacrifice, create without equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it. | ” |
- Note: FUNimation’s 11th DVD volume incorrectly uses the first monologue (episodes 2–36) at the beginning of episode 43. Both the Japanese and North American TV airings use the correct monologue.
Opening and ending themes
- Openings
- “Melissa” by Porno Graffitti (episodes 2-13)
- “Ready Steady Go” by L’Arc~en~Ciel (episodes 14-25)
- “Undo” by Cool Joke (episodes 26-41)
- “Rewrite” by Asian Kung-Fu Generation (episodes 42-51)
- Episode 1 does not feature an opening theme song.
- The beginning of “Melissa” is played in a loop on the main menu of the Aniplex DVDs.
- “Ready Steady Go” (episodes 2-41) and “Rewrite” are the only openings played on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and YTV’s Bionix because of a deal with L’Arc~en~Ciel and Asian Kung-Fu Generation to promote their songs.[citation needed] The DVD releases from FUNimation include all openings in their original places and format.
- “Rewrite” won “Best Theme” for Fullmetal Alchemist at the first American Anime Awards on February 24, 2007.
- Endings
- “Melissa” by Porno Graffitti (episode 1)
- “Kesenai Tsumi” (“Indelible Sin”) by Nana Kitade (episodes 2-13)
Episode 7’s closing animation was altered slightly based on events in the episode’s storyline. - “Tobira no Mukō e” (“To the Other Side of the Door”) by Yellow Generation (episodes 14-24)
- “Motherland” by Crystal Kay (episodes 26-41)
- “I Will” by Sowelu (episodes 42-50)
- Episodes 25 and 51 do not feature a closing theme song.
- Episode 25 – Features the funeral of Maes Hughes, and dialogue from a number of characters.
- Episode 51 – Alphonse reads:
| “ | 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. But the world isn’t perfect, and the law is incomplete. Equivalent Exchange doesn’t encompass everything that goes on here, but I still choose to believe in its principle: that all things do come at a price, that there’s an ebb and a flow, a cycle, that the pain we went through did have a reward, and that anyone who’s determined and perseveres will get something of value in return, even if it’s not what they expected. I don’t think of Equivalent Exchange as a law of the world anymore. I think of it as a promise between my brother and me. A promise that someday we’ll see each other again. | ” |
Each of the theme songs were performed by artists under Sony Music Entertainment Japan’s label, whose anime distribution unit, Aniplex, handled the production and music production for the series. All of the music score was composed and arranged by Michiru Oshima.
All the ending theme songs and animation on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim are edited down for time. The DVD releases from FUNimation include the unedited full endings. The ending of episode 25 consists of a piece of very short music from the series followed by “Tobira no Mukō e”. The end credits for the episode on DVD are presented on a black background. The bombing of London by zeppelins in episodes 49 and 50 is accompanied by a music track titled “Unmei”, also known as the first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
In Japan, some time after the series’ end, all four opening and all four ending songs were released together in a single CD titled Fullmetal Alchemist Complete Best, including a special DVD containing the series’ creditless openings and endings. An American version of Complete Best was released recently, with the DVD features containing only the textless ending of “Kesenai Tsumi”.
Episode 51’s ending is from the English version. This episode includes two performances of a piano piece called “Wakare no Kyoku”, also known as Frédéric Chopin’s Etude in E major op.10 no.3. The first performance, a piano solo, begins when Lt. Hawkeye begins to cry over the body of Gen. Mustang (whom she believes to be dead) and continues through Envy’s disappearance into the gate. The second performance, piano accompanied by oboe, begins when Winry sees Alphonse and Izumi off on their train through Edward’s packing for his journey to where he can study rocketry with Hermann Oberth.
Original soundtracks
- TV Animation Fullmetal Alchemist Original Soundtrack 1 (Released 24 March 2004)
- Fullmetal Alchemist Complete Best (CD+DVD) (Released 14 October 2004)
- TV Animation Fullmetal Alchemist Original Soundtrack 2 (Released 15 December 2004)
- TV Animation Fullmetal Alchemist Original Soundtrack 3 (Released 18 May 2005)
- Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie Conqueror Of Shamballa OST (Released 20 July 2005)
- Fullmetal Alchemist Hagaren Song File -Best Compilation- (Released 21 December 2005)
Other releases in music
Many image songs, complimenting the anime series, have been released in Japan.
- Romi Paku (Edward Elric)
- “The Place Toward Tomorrow” (明日への場所 Asu e no Basho?)
- “Returnable Memories”
- Tōru Ōkawa (Roy Mustang)
- “Far Side of the Moon” (月の裏側 Tsuki no Uragawa?)
- Rie Kugimiya (Alphonse Elric)
- Megumi Toyoguchi (Winry Rockbell)
- “Boy Friends!”
- “Silver Watch” (銀時計 Gindokei?)
- Keiji Fujiwara (Maes Hughes)
- “And Then, Today the World is” (そして今日も世界は Soshite Kyō mo Sekai wa?)
- “Angel Heart”
- Multiple voice actors
- “Fullmetal Heart” (鋼の心 Hagane no Kokoro?, lit. “Heart of Steel”), by Romi Paku, Rie Kugimiya, and Megumi Toyoguchi
- “A Rainy Day is a No Thank You” (雨の日はノー･サンキュー Ame no Hi wa Nō Sankyū?), by Tōru Ōkawa and Michiko Neya (Riza Hawkeye)
- “Oh Boy, Oh Trustworthy Companions” (少年よ、信じるなかまよ Shōnen yo, Shinjiru Nakama yo?), by Tōru Ōkawa, Mitsuki Saiga (Maria Ross), Keiji Fujiwara, Tomoyuki Shimura (Heymans Breda), Yasunori Matsumoto (Jean Havoc), Tetsu Shiratori (Kain Fuery), Takehiro Murozono (Vato Falman), and Hidekatsu Shibata (King Bradley)
- “Trance to Homunculus”, by Mayumi Yamaguchi (Envy), Yūko Satō (Lust), Junichi Suwabe (Greed). Yoshino Takamori (Sloth), Hidekatsu Shibata (Pride), Yasuhiro Takato (Gluttony), and Nana Mizuki (Wrath)
- “Love Reference Book” (恋愛参考書～Love reference book～ Ren’ai Sankōshō?), by Megumi Toyoguchi and Naomi Wakabayashi (Sciezka)
- “Play with Papa” (パパと遊ぼう Papa to Asobō?), by Keiji Fujiwara and Mayumi Yoshida (Elysia Hughes)
- “Last Meetings”, by Romi Paku, Rie Kugimiya, Megumi Toyoguchi, Tōru Ōkawa, and Keiji Fujiwara
- “Good!”, by Romi Paku, Rie Kugimiya, Megumi Toyoguchi, Tōru Ōkawa, and Keiji Fujiwara
Other merchandise
Toys
Action figures, busts, and statues from the Fullmetal Alchemist anime and manga have been created by leading toy companies. The primary of these companies are Medicom and Southern Island. Medicom has created high end deluxe vinyl figures of the characters from the anime. These figures are exclusively distributed in the United States and UK by Southern Island. Southern Island has also released their own action figures in 2007 of the main characters Edward, Alphonse, Gluttony and Lust. These figures and a 12″ statue were scheduled to release in 2007. Southern Island has since lost their contract with FUNimation, putting the figures on permanent hiatus.[10]
Video games
Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir (PS2)
Video games based on the Fullmetal Alchemist world have also been released. However, the storylines of the games often diverge from those of the anime and manga. Square Enix has released three RPG titles, Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel, Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir, and Fullmetal Alchemist 3: The Girl Who Surpasses God, and one fighting game, Fullmetal Alchemist: Dream Carnival, for the PlayStation 2; Bandai has released two RPG titles, Fullmetal Alchemist: Stray Rondo and Fullmetal Alchemist: Omoide no Sonata, for the Game Boy Advance and one, Fullmetal Alchemist: Dual Sympathy, for the Nintendo DS;[11] and Destineer will release a game based on the trading card game in North America for the Nintendo DS in October. Of the seven games made in Japan, Broken Angel, Dream Carnival, Curse of the Crimson Elixir, and Dual Sympathy have seen international release; the others, Stray Rondo, Omoide no Sonata, and The Girl Who Surpasses God, have not been released internationally, though The Girl Who Surpasses God is scheduled to be released in the United States in 2008.
In addition, a fanmade Dōjin soft title for the PC called Bluebird’s Illusion, based off the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, was created by X-Ocean, and was only sold in Hong Kong. There were only around 100 copies of the game made, and that they were auctioned off on Yahoo! Auctions Hong Kong.[citation needed] The game is in violation of copyright, and thus cannot be found on the market anymore.
Recently, FUNimation licensed the franchise to create a new series of Fullmetal Alchemist related video games to be published by Destineer Publishing Corporation in the United States. Destineer released its first Fullmetal Alchemist game for the Nintendo DS, a translation of Bandai’s Fullmetal Alchemist: Dual Sympathy, on December 15, 2006, and has commented that this will be the first of many titles that they plan to release.[12] On February 19, 2007, Destineer announced the second game in its Fullmetal Alchemist series: the Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game. This title was released October 15, 2007. [13]
Novels
Six novels, authored by Makoto Inoue, have also been written as sidestories or spinoffs to the original manga. The first five have been translated into English by Alexander O. Smith and distributed by Viz Media in the United States.
- Fullmetal Alchemist: The Land of Sand (ISBN 1421501554, release date October 4, 2005)
- Fullmetal Alchemist: The Abducted Alchemist (ISBN 1421502224, release date January 10, 2006)
- Fullmetal Alchemist: The Valley of White Petals (ISBN 1421504022, release date May 16, 2006)
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Under the Faraway Sky (ISBN 1421513978, release date October 16, 2007)
- Fullmetal Alchemist: The Ties That Bind (ISBN 1421514311, release date December 18, 2007)
- Fullmetal Alchemist: A New Beginning
Novelizations of three of the PlayStation 2 games — Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel, Curse of the Crimson Elixir, and The Girl Who Surpasses God — have also been written; the first was authored by Makoto Inoue and the rest by Jun Eishima. None of these have been translated for distribution outside Japan.
Drama CDs
So far, there has been two series of audio dramas; one is based on an alternate interpretation of the manga, and the other are shorts found in audio CDs with purchases of the Shonen Gangan magazine.
- Manga drama CDs
- For this series, the voices of the Elric brothers are different (Junko Minagawa voices Edward). However, the Tringham brothers are voiced by their seiyū from the anime.
- Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 1: The Land of Sand
- Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 2: False Light, Truth’s Shadow
- Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 3: Criminals’ Scar
- Specials
- There are 2 stories in this series, each with two parts. The first is included in Shonen Gangan’s April and May issues for 2004, while the second story is found in the November and December issues.
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Ogutāre of the Fog
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Crown of Heaven
Trading card game
A Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game was published in 2005 by Press Pass Inc. Since then, six expansions have been released: Blood & Water, Artificial Human, A Hero’s Passing, Alchemist’s Gate, Seven Deadly Sins, and the final expansion, Sacrifice, released in February 2007.[14][15] Production of the game was discontinued on July 11th, 2007.
Concert performances
During the month of December 2004, “Tales of Another Festival” was staged in Tokyo and Osaka, featuring performances by several of the musical artists from the television series as well as narrations by the voice actors/actresses. The Festival was extremely well attended, drawing over 30,000 fans. Excerpts of the events have appeared on several fansites, and a DVD of the concert entitled Fullmetal Alchemist Festival – Tales of Another was released in Japan on April 27, 2005
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