Fullmetal Alchemist: Great Show, Great Lessons

Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return.  To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.  That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange.  In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth. 

These words, spoken by Alphonse Elric, open the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist.  This is the only anime series I have ever watched religiously (and I can't wait to buy Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood on DVD).  I tried to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender and may start up again, but it is nowhere near as good as Fullmetal.

The series chronicles the lives of the Elric brothers, Alphonse and Edward, who lived with their mother after their father had left them to become, as the show calls it, a "dog of the military."  The boys' mother, however, eventually dies and the children are orphaned.  Having studied their father's texts on alchemy, they try the most daring experiment in the discipline: to bring their mother back to life through human transmutation.

The plan backfires, however, as this is a violation of alchemy's law.  Alchemy follows one major rule: equivalent exchange. Unlike magic, which creates something out of nothing, alchemy creates a different rearrangement of something preexisting.  After gathering together all of the chemical components of the human body, the boys offered a bit of their blood to complete the process. 
 
This exchange appeared equivalent in their eyes, but they failed to take into account the human soul. Before they realized what was happening, Al's body suddenly began vanishing and Ed rushed to try to save his brother.  He was vanishing as well.  By the end of the ordeal, Ed had lost not only his left leg, but also his right arm.  Al's soul, through this action of attempted human transmutation, was sealed inside a suit of armor that was in the room where they attempted their fateful violation of alchemy's primary law.
 
The show chronicles the journey of the two brothers as they seek the legendary Philosopher's Stone, which would allow them to reclaim their bodies, and perhaps bring their mother back after all.
 
Along the way they encounter other alchemists and races of people who are after the same gewgaw because of the power that it holds.  They learn of genocide and other attempts at human and human-animal transmutation that result in the often blinded quest for this stone. 
 
This show has it all.  Remnants of the philosopher's stone are carried in homunculi, and come in the form of Envy, Greed, Sloth, Lust, Pride, Gluttony, and Wrath.  These homunculi are seemingly indestructible due to the presence of the philosopher's stone inside themselves, and they deceive and kill in order to exact their revenge.  Edward and Al, in order to defeat them and get back their bodies, must destroy them.
 
Enter the military and Colonel Roy Mustang , that seeks to use the impressive alchemical knowledge Ed and Al demonstrate, and you have a show that touches on human themes of corruption, destruction of others to gain a "good" (a relative term, as in Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy), love, loneliness,evil, and right and wrong. 
 
I have not even begun to discuss the many adventures Ed and Al embark upon, but the episodes offer lessons through subtle subtext and innuendo that we need to hear, like it or not.  But the nicest part about the show is that it is not preachy, but rather sees and portrays life for what it is, whether in the Elric's world or in our own.  The parallels are obvious but also subtle. One of the main villains who seeks the Philosopher's Stone is Fuhrer Bradley.
 
 It's a great show and I highly recommend it. If you didn't understand my introduction, perhaps you need to watch a few episodes to get a better sense of it. 
 
If I messed up any details let  me know, and happy watching.
 
“The philosopher’s stone. Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy. They gain without sacrifice and create without equal exchange. "  Hmm...maybe that's why everyone wants it so badly.