Review of Full Metal Alchemist: Volume 7

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 hunt for the Philosopher`s Stone reached a climax in the previous volume, as Ed and Al explored the mysterious 5th Laboratory, only to be faced with the ruthless Homunculi, who had been manipulating events for their own purpose. This 7th volume of Full Metal Alchemist: Reunion on Yock Island is a turning point in the series. The changing theme tunes are a clue, as episode 25 marks the end of the first season, although you don`t have to wait at all for season 2, the first three episodes follow immediately afterwards. For Ed and Al, as one story reaches closure, another adventure begins.

25. Farewell Ceremonies
Having just faced their toughest challenge yet, Ed and Al decide that for now discretion is the better part of valour, and decide to relinquish the search for the Philosopher`s Stone and instead, ostensibly look up their old Alchemy sensei for advice. That it will keep attention away from their friends doesn`t hurt either, but when Winry learns that they will be passing through Rush Valley, centre of automail excellence, she insists on joining them. Meanwhile, Lt Col Hughes continues to investigate the 5th Laboratory, but he gets too close to the truth for comfort. His evasive telephone calls convince Roy Mustang that it is time to return to Central. At the same time, a mysterious couple show up searching for the brothers.

26. Her Reasons
Ed, Al and Winry arrive in Rush Valley, just in time to enter an automail arm-wrestling competition. Winry is offended when Ed uses alchemy to win, and decides to get her own back on him. To this end, she recruits the aid of a local girl equipped with automail limbs. Back in Central, Mustang is learning that the corruption infecting the military runs deep indeed. And retribution is about to pay a visit to Ed and Al.

27. Sensei
Ed and Al`s former Alchemy teacher has finally caught up to them, and she is not too pleased with what they have accomplished with her teachings. Soon the brothers are trussed up and heading with her to her home in Dublith. During the train ride Winry gets the story of how the brothers met Izumi, and her rather painful philosophy of education and tough love.

28. All Is One, One Is All
Izumi decides that her star students require remedial lessons, and in a mirror of their first lesson, Ed and Al are marooned on an uninhabited island to fend for themselves. Soon the brothers are remembering their first ordeal in pursuit of alchemy, and what they learned. But this time, the island isn`t so uninhabited.

Video

The picture for Full Metal Alchemist comes in a 4:3 transfer and it is clear and sharp throughout, however this time there are a few hints of artefacting. Fine detail exhibits the occasional shimmer, and the final fade out on the last episode does so in a burst of compression. The transfer is lacking when compared to earlier volumes of the series, otherwise it is quite agreeable. 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.

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 can watch the show with translated subtitles or signs. I noticed one spelling mistake in the subtitles, but otherwise they seemed error free. No grammar kaflooies this time.

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 brand new textless opening and closing sequences, and in a nice twist, they are subtitled both in English and Romanji Japanese, so you can sing along should you feel the urge.

In a section called production art, you can find two slideshows, showing Models and Illustrations. The total running time is around 3 minutes.

Conclusion

The Full Metal Alchemist story goes from strength to strength, and this volume sees the introduction of Ed and Al`s idiosyncratic alchemy teacher and unveils another facet to the tale. That said, this is something of a bridging volume, and as someone watching the DVDs, I`m just a tad disappointed. It`s all understandable if you watch one episode a week, and have a long hiatus between seasons, then these episodes make sense in that context. Volume 6 was very much a climactic end to the first season, with Ed and Al coming close to the Philosopher`s Stone that they craved, as well as the reveal of the Homunculi and their own plans for the Stone.

The first episode on this disc, the final episode in the season is very much an emotional climax, as opposed to the narrative and action oriented climax of the previous disc. It`s very much an episode of transitions, with Ed and Al apparently giving up on the Stone and moving on, with Scar and the other Ishbalan refugees leaving Central for a safer sanctuary, and Roy Mustang deciding to leave the Eastern region and head back to Central to be closer to achieving his goals. Yet the final note of the episode is very much a kick in the teeth, and a stark reminder that not only isn`t the story over, but it promises to get much darker and serious yet.

Then come the first three episodes of season two, and it`s as if the tension and sense of immediate peril has been dialled right back, and despite a few references to the end of the previous episode, it all flows in a light and humorous manner. The start of the second season is very much an example of restating the show`s premise, of reintroducing the characters and reminding viewers of what the story is about. The way this is done is excellent, with the introduction of the volatile Izumi as the brothers` teacher. She demands to know why they have abused her teachings by attempting the forbidden, and after beating the boys senseless, she learns of their attempt to resurrect their mother and the price they subsequently paid. It`s neatly done with the aid of flashbacks, but avoids the peril of a recap episode by giving us new information about the brothers and their education. We knew that they decided to resurrect their mother, and went about becoming proficient in alchemy to do so. Here we see the previously untold story of those lessons, of how they first encountered Izumi, and their first lesson.

The story does progress in the meantime, we see how deeply the military is corrupted in Central, and Roy Mustang begins to gather loyal allies to him in an effort to root out that corruption. At the same time Scar and the other Ishbalans are off to look for a new sanctuary to avoid their foes, and the disc ends with the revelation of a mysterious inhabitant of the island where Ed and Al were tested.

Watching this disc is akin to a balloon being filled to the point of bursting, then all the air being suddenly let out. Fortunately there is no raspberry sound. Before I lose control of the analogy, it`s unrealistic to expect the dramatic climax and tension of the end of season 1 to continue into the next. Fortunately the story remains strong and the final three episodes on this disc are certainly enjoyable, revealing new facets of the characters and also moving the plot onwards. If I had to voice a nitpick, it`s that the visual quality is down a little on last time, but other than that this is another essential disc of Full Metal Alchemist.