Reviewed by: Jacky Poon
Ratings:
Genres: fantasy, action
Year: 2003
Series Length: 51

Fullmetal Alchemist is a very popular series. But at first glance, it appears to be yet another anime about a spiky-haired-blue-eyed kid who battles random bad guys with cool magical… sorry, “alchemy” skills, every episode until eventually facing off with whoever was pulling the strings. That is in fact, exactly what happens.

Unlike the magic of other fictional universes, alchemy cannot create something out of nothing, unless the user has the mythical Philosopher's Stone - the equivalent of a coupon for a free lunch.

Edward Elric is the spiky-haired kid, and with his sidekick/younger brother Alphonse, who also has alchemy skills, they go on a quest for Philosopher's Stone and along the way liberates cities, stops criminal gangs, battles monsters… things along those lines.

However, the series is so popular not because its plot is a cliché, but because underlying all this was a parable about the misuse of science and what it truly means to be human.

You see, alchemy is actually a metaphor for science. Science that can be used to heal, kill, create and destroy, and like any form of power there are those who seek to use it for their own personal gain.

And in alchemy as in life, everything has its price. Maybe even a free lunch.

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