Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist, or FMA for short) struck the industry with a bang. Inspired on a famous shounen manga and bringing to the table some heavy themes such as reviving the dead, regret, and brotherhood, it was just a matter of time before the community swarmed over it. The time was right too, there was never such an inspiring amount of great shows airing and riding this quality wave was something that could only boost an interesting idea.

So did FMA. The tale of Edward and Alphonse Elric, two young alchemists in a fantasy world, was filled with thrill, drama, and action. It starts as they, as children, attempt to bring their dead mother back to life, a taboo that costs Edward’s right arm and Alphonse’s whole body, the later barely saved by putting his soul in an old medieval armor. After the disastrous failure the two brothers decide to unravel the mysteries of alchemy to get back what they lost, a journey that would bring to light much of the darkness enveloping the kingdom where they live.

A shounen epic

The two brothers’ journey is a bag of mixed genres. It starts much like how Trigun did a few years ago, brimming of comedy, jokes about Ed’s stature and how big and badass Alphonse’s new body is. Yet the background shown later provides the true nature of this tale, one that tackles the heavy loss of two children and their desperate attempt to make things right, which ends up only creating a bigger problem for the duo. The course of the adventure to have their bodies back, however, is also filled with action, pursuit, investigations, and a fight for life against supernatural foes and political machinations.

And it’s all decently packed

The world of FMA hides much beneath the surface. The alchemy used by its inhabitants may look like a silly superpower at many points, but what moves the scenes is the military that employs the best alchemists of the land, to whom the two brothers enlist. There is a lot of scheming behind the higher branches of the military, the mysterious homunculi, the secrets of the Philosopher’s Stone which the Elric brothers seek, and the nebulous recent war where the army’s alchemists took part.

And it’s about humans

Perhaps what makes FMA a much more grounded tale than most other shounens around, however, is how human the two brothers are in terms of power. Although they are declared as genius alchemists, the moments where they triumph are rare and the threats they face are much bigger than what they can handle. Edward and Alphonse end up fleeing many of their encounters to survive, winning fights by a minimal margin, or suffering a devastating defeat that pushes them against their ultimate goal. They are teenagers in a world of war and death, and it’s amazing how the show let this becomes obvious at many points, especially those where the dark atmosphere of the tale kicks in.

And a support cast

There are a lot of people in the world helping or fighting against the two brothers. State alchemists, a childhood friend, friendly people, a past teacher, a struggling researcher, the survivor of a military massacre, the homunculi, and many more. These people can be simple staples of a stereotype to provide a fighting challenge or complex allies with comical value as well as a deal of seriousness and purpose. The hit or miss with these characters can be somewhat common to shounens, but the way they all serve the tale and are rarely wasted is extremely satisfying. If the two charming brothers are not enough for you, certainly the friendly colonel or someone else will catch your liking.

And it’s Bones at its finest

FMA also has the quality in its production. It ranges from a professional voice acting to a stellar soundtrack and goes into an amazing animation quality and consistency. The art style also helps to give the show an identity capable of enduring years to come, perhaps one of the very best works from studio Bones.

The controversial ending though

FMA has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The later, however, is surrounded by controversy because, when the show aired, the manga was far from finished. The show writers took a decision to craft an alternative ending so they could finish what they started, which, of course, infuriated fans. This alternate ending, however, can be quite satisfactory to what it proposes, only leaving many holes in regards of the setting but not in regards of the two brother’s journey. The dark tone of the show also aided to give this new ending more logic and sense, which helps to keep away much of the stigma superpower shounen shows have always carried.

FMA is a behemoth. It is a shounen at its heart, but there is so much more to it than you can see at first glance. The tale of the two brothers is filled with questioning, disturbed allies, unexpected deaths, and a fight for survival against foes they could never defeat even with all their talent. The machinations of the army, the secrets behind human transmutation, and all the charming characters contributing to it make it stand a notch above your average enjoyable shounen. There is a deep and smart charisma to the relationship between the two brothers and the loss they had, a charisma that from time to time echo in the support cast and grows beyond the comical jokes about Ed’s size or Hughes’ cute daughter.

Shounen fans must watch it. There is no other way around. You could see the newest iteration released in 2009, but that is just a more complete version of the setting where the young shounen aspects win over the darker atmosphere. Watch this first.