it feels like there's a universal law in shounen class that requires notorious titles to pull a plot where the main protags are born from legendary and powerful fathers that are either gone or missing (e.g hunter x hunter, attack on titan). this time around, fma:b is also one that carries the notion. it follows a journey of the Elric brothers to gain back their original bodies after carrying out the ultimate taboo in alchemy: human transmutation. ever since their mother died from a plague, they've been struggling to bring her back to life using various prescriptions yet it backfired in the end, causing the elder brother, Ed, to lose his limbs and Al, the younger one, to lose his entire physical figure. their adventure to find the mythical 'philosopher's stone' which is rumored to be so powerful it can bring 'the dead' back into life eventually leads to a riveting trip that involves a lot of people and conflicts along the way. this is the vital element that makes fma:b standout, it introduces a handful of characters throughout the course, but each of them appears with remarkable strength and personality that make them exceptionally noteworthy. it varies from an arrogant colonel who also serves as a talented tactician, a young prince who appears to be silly yet holds a strong devotion for his clan, a vengeful macabre survivor, up to a highly combative "ice queen" soldier. literally no one that's ever introduced is left out because they all carry important roles to complete the progress of the story, even the minor characters.
speaking of story, fma:b breaks the dogma of action series with lack of deep plots. out of all 64 episodes, not a single one of them roles as a filler. they're heavily packed yet not draggy, and they're perfectly paced with proper intensity measures. the only drawback is i was slightly bugged by the slapstick-styled jokes at the beginning, it felt too much and didn't fit into some serious sequences, but thankfully as the story progresses it goes more balanced throughout. fma:b portrays a really dark theme with hefty political nuances, yet at the same time it offers interesting twists in every corner that easily hook the viewers' attentions. as an author, Hiromu Arakawa clearly put a profound research to bring up the theme of alchemy and historical views that are often taken from literature works. the idea is then supported with great animation, especially the fighting scenes that are choreographed extremely well they surely will take you to the grip of your seat.
fma:b indeed excels in extensive factors such as plot quality, story telling, and even voice acting. it doesn't only provide entertainment to its viewers but also numerous lessons about love, compassion, humanity, and of course life itself. it's definitely not the kind of series that will be easily forgotten after many years have passed, hell, not even when it eventually comes in term as being an old school classic. i believe it's nearly impossible to classify a single title as the best anime since every viewer's taste is relative and is comprised of varied interests, but good thing about fma:b is it has genuine appeal to broad audiences, for it holds a complete package of not only an enjoyable show but also another step to explore favorable values in real life. as a magnificent work, this one is too good to be missed.
