Review of Full Metal Alchemist: Volume 3

Introduction

Alchemy is the art of the transmutation of matter by means of an incantation, a mystical circle, or sheer willpower alone. For centuries charlatans and the deluded pursued the creation of gold by alchemical means but to no avail. But in Full Metal Alchemist, alchemy is a realised science. Set in an alternative world during the early years of the twentieth century, the transmutation of elements is indeed a reality, and the state regards such talent highly indeed. Full Metal Alchemist tells the story of brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, two precocious alchemists who are on a quest. The young brothers had attempted the unspeakable, resurrecting their mother. But the Law Of Equivalent Exchange cannot be flouted, only objects of equal mass can be transmuted, and the dead cannot be brought back to life. The attempt failed disastrously. Now, Alphonse is a disembodied spirit bound to a suit of animated armour, while Edward has replaced his leg and arm with metal automail, but it`s his prodigious facility with alchemy that has earned him the name, Full Metal Alchemist. Now they search for a means to restore their bodies.

The previous volume saw Edward and Alphonse begin their training to become State Alchemists, as well as the traumatic events that marked Edward`s graduation as a `dog of the military`. They also learnt of the Philosopher`s Stone and the hope that it may restore their bodies. Volume 3 sees Edward begin his career working for the military, aided unofficially by his brother. There are 4 more episodes on Volume 3 of Full Metal Alchemist: Equivalent Exchange.

9. The Dog Of The Military`s Silver Watch
Edward`s first official mission as a state alchemist takes him to Youswell, to evaluate the coalmines there. After a subdued farewell to Winry, the two brothers set off by train. As alchemists they get a warm welcome, until the mineworkers realise that Ed is a pawn of the military. It turns out that the town is under the control of the corrupt Lieutenant Yoki and his alchemist Lyra, who together tax the townspeople until they bleed.

10. The Phantom Thief Psiren
With the story of the brother`s childhood, training and first steps as alchemists out of the way, this is the perfect place to jump forward in time and rejoin the older brothers Elric after their failed attempt to get the Philosopher`s Stone in the first two episodes of the series. Returning from the city of Liore, Edward takes the first chance to avoid reporting to Col. Mustang and they stop off in the water city of Aquroya, where they are promptly arrested. Once the little misunderstanding is cleared up, the police draft them to catch a thief who is plaguing the city, using alchemical abilities to make off with the city`s treasures.

11 & 12 Earth of Gravel, Parts 1 & 2
These two episodes conclude this disc neatly. Following a tip, the brothers pursue rumours of the Philosopher`s Stone to the town of Xenotime. They get there just in time to save a little girl from being crushed by some mining equipment. Eliza`s family is grateful, but when the brothers introduce themselves, they are cast out as impostors. It appears that Edward and Alphonse Elric are already resident in the town`s mansion, helping the leader Mugwar create a Philosopher`s Stone. Xenotime was once renowned for its gold production and Mugwar wishes to bring back those days of luxury. Ed and Al are determined to unmask the two who are trading on their notoriety, but when they confront the two, they find two brothers who have more in common with them than is apparent at first glance. Meanwhile the experiments to create a red stone continue, and the townspeople begin to sicken.

Video

The picture for Full Metal Alchemist comes in a 4:3 transfer and it is clear and sharp throughout, without any hint of artefacts. The anime looks gorgeous, with distinctive characters, detailed retro world design and atmospheric animation. Once again, an anime blends traditional line animation with 3D design and the results are exciting and vibrant. This disc particularly stands out for the design of Aquroya, a town based on Venice with its canals and elegant architecture.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 5.1 English and DD 2.0 Japanese. I chose the original language track for preference, and the Japanese track is indeed clear and dynamic enough for a stereo track. Full Metal Alchemist also has some stunning music, most noticeably in the opening and closing themes. The English dub is something I just spot-checked, and while the main character voices are pretty good, the same cannot be said for the voices of the incidental characters. The surround is pretty good, with a fair bit of ambience and it reflects the action well. You have a choice between dubtitles, translated subtitles or a track that just translates the signs.

Features

MVM once again include a small number of extra features with their anime releases. You get the usual jacket picture as well as multi angle credit sequences depending on which language you watch in.

You can see the textless opening and closing sequences, in a nice twist, they are subtitled both in English and Romanji Japanese, so you can sing along if you feel like it.

In a section called production art, you can find three slideshows, showing Line Art, Models and Illustrations. The total running time is 5 minutes.

Conclusion

After the jaw dropping intensity of Night Of The Chimera`s Cry, I had a small concern as to how Volume 3 could hope to compete with that level of drama. It was a misplaced concern as Equivalent Exchange doesn`t try to, and quite rightly so. After putting Edward and Alphonse through the emotional wringer in the afore-mentioned episode as well as against a serial killer, the episodes on this volume ease back on the drama and inject a good deal of lightness into the proceedings. The episodes on this disc continue to tell the story in a fresh and original way, with compelling and well-rounded characters.

The disc kicks off by winding up the opening arc of the story, and sees the newly graduated Edward assigned to his first mission as State Alchemist. Given the more intense experiences he has just been through, his first mission is refreshingly straightforward. All he has to deal with is a comically corrupt Lieutenant who has been exceeding his remit in the town under his control. The brothers` actions here see them begin to forge the reputation that will precede them later on. The first two episodes threw is into the middle of the Full Metal Alchemist story 3 years after the beginning, with Ed and Alphonse seeking the Philosopher`s Stone in the desert town of Liore. The second episode on this disc picks up just after this point, with Ed and Al stopping off in the city of Aquroya on their way back to report. While the first episode was more of a light drama, The Phantom Thief Psiren is played wholly for laughs, starting off humorously and descending to the absurd, as the brothers display an uncharacteristic gullibility. As I mentioned before, given the climax of Volume 2, these first two episodes are a welcome change in intensity, and the comedy works exceedingly well with the characters, especially with Edward who since the beginning has always been sensitive about his height. The final two episodes return to the balanced mix of comedy and drama, and continue the story as the brothers follow up a lead to the Philosopher`s Stone. They meet a pair of alchemist brothers who by providing a reflection of sorts lead them to question their own motives. It`s a useful reminder of the story and the characters that were introduced in the opening episodes and as such this two-parter mirrors the first two episodes well.

Volume 3 is another strong showing from Full Metal Alchemist, with a selection of episodes that after the dramatic intensity of Volume 2, tend towards the more comic. While there is nothing on this disc that matches up to the gut twisting power of Night Of The Chimera`s Cry, it still provides 4 entertaining and high quality episodes. The final episode also adds to the overall story, with the enigmatic return of one of the characters from the first episodes. If I do have one reservation, it`s that with the brothers pursuing the Philosopher`s Stone, Full Metal Alchemist could potentially fall into the routine of the brothers following a lead into a new town, not finding the stone, but solving a crisis on the way to a new lead. Fortunately there is no sign of this yet, but it is something I`ll be watching out for in subsequent volumes.

Four more great episodes maintain the quality of the earlier volumes, albeit with a lighter mood. If you are collecting this entertaining series, you should get that order in PDQ.