Based on the popular manga, Fullmetal Alchemist the anime is doing wonderfully on Cartoon Network and has found its way onto DVD. The show tells the tale of two brothers in search of something called the Philosopher's Stone to undo a mistake from the past. When Edward and Alphonse Elric were younger the disobeyed basic fundamental rules of alchemy and attempted to bring their mother back from the dead. The process literally claimed the brother's lives but thanks to the magic of alchemy and some nifty machine work the two pulled through.

Unfortunately they weren't able to escape the tragedy completely unscathed and as a constant reminder of the blunder their bodies were altered. Edward lost his right arm and left leg forcing him to have them replaced with mechanical limbs called automail. Alphonse lost his body all together but his soul was saved (thanks to Ed) and fused to a nearby suit of armor. Up to this point in the series we have seen the Elrics come closer to their goal of redemption though the road hasn't been an easy one.

In the last volume the brothers discover more information about Marcoh's research and square off with a villain named Scar who is hell-bent on butchering every State Alchemist. The encounter left the Elric's in pretty rough shape but fortunately they escaped before their journey was cut short. The quest for the Philosopher's Stone carries on but before they can go any further though they head back home for some repairs and a little R & R.

The episodes contained on this volume are: House of the Waiting Family, Marcoh's Notes, The Truth Behind Truths and Soul of the Guardian.

The fifth installment starts off with Ed and Al hobbling their way to the Rockbells. Grandma and Winry get to work on repairing Ed's limbs while Al tries to stir up some memories from his youth. It seems that he's forgotten a lot since having his soul attached to the armor and there's a touch of mystery that pops up when Ed hints that he knows why his memory is fading. Once the two are all fixed they head back to Central so they can hit the library and check out Marcoh's notes about the red stone.

Unfortunately the library has burned to the ground and it seems that Scar is the main suspect in the arson. With the book that they need in ashes, the Elrics are forced to seek alternate means of researching the work. This leads them to an abandoned laboratory that is conveniently located next to a prison. Ed believes that this location is vital to the production of a Philosopher's Stone but there is definitely more here than meets the eye as the brothers soon discover.

Fullmetal Alchemist is proving to be one of those rare shows that takes a step ahead of the pack and instantly separates itself from any other anime out there. Everything about the series is different and you won't find any mecha, busty girls with guns or fan service anywhere in the show. The show features some great character development, balance between action and humor and a great amount of sentiment.

With a style all its own, Fullmetal Alchemist is one of my favorite anime a big part of that is because it breaks the mold of what an anime should be. If you haven't checked out this series, you are definitely missing out on a unique experience. If you're not sure that the show is quite your thing, just give it a moment of your time to catch it on Cartoon Network and it'll suck you in.

Fullmetal Alchemist is presented with a 1.33:1 full frame ratio and features an absolutely gorgeous transfer. The image is very clean but there is a little bit of grain in some parts that appear in darker areas. Since the show was produced recently, I'm a little disappointed that there was no widescreen treatment, but I suppose you can't win them all. This is an extremely vibrant looking show with some great character designs, fluid animation and strong use of color. It is easily one of the more attractive anime to come along in a while.

There are three separate tracks to choose from, each with optional English subtitles. There are Japanese and English 2.0 stereo tracks as well as an English 5.1 for all your surround sound needs. The 2.0 tracks are competent enough if you don't have a home theater set up and the 5.1 option features some nice directional sound and distribution. Overall the audio treatment for Fullmetal Alchemist is top notch compared to other anime. I particularly enjoy the musical direction for this show and feel it matches the many dramatic moments perfectly.

This fifth release of Fullmetal Alchemist features a forced preview when you load the disc for Samurai 7 as well as the usual textless opening and closing animations. It also features production art with streaming illustrations, line art and character model galleries for locations and people found in the episodes houses here. There are also a few character profiles which have little snippets of information for Armstrong, #66, #48 and Sheska. The disc also includes the first episode of the Mr. Stain on Junk Alley series. Also featured on the disc is an audio commentary for The Truth Behind Truths with some of the voice actors chiming in. They crack a few jokes and talk about points of the episode but it's certainly not the best commentary I've heard before.

I simply can't get enough of Fullmetal Alchemist and this fifth volume keeps the momentum of the show going. The journey of the Elric brothers is proving to be one of the most entertaining anime I've seen in a long time and I can't gush enough. It's unlike any other anime I have seen before and features a perfect balance between action, comedy and sentiment. While it doesn't offer a widescreen presentation, the visual quality is very good and the disc has some great audio to boot. There are a decent amount of extras and even though there's nothing landmark here, it's more than you see on other releases. If you haven't sat down to watch it yet you are definitely missing out on something special. Highly Recommended

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