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 made their way to the Rockbells for some much needed repairs and relaxation. Al's memory is fading and Ed seems to know why, but he doesn't really let on. Instead the two make their way back to Central in order to check for Marcoh's notes. Unfortunately Scar had a battle that burned the library down, so the two had to find another way to get the information. This leads them to a strange laboratory located next to a prison and a fight with a pair of suits of armor akin to Al's soul bonding.

The episodes contained on this volume are: The Red Glow, Marcoh's Created Human, Fullmetal Heart and Bonding Memories.

The sixth installment starts off with Al still battling with number 66, but the fight is broken up by the appearance of Scar. Some questions are raised about the validity of Al's soul and if it is real or artificial. This all eventually leads to a break down between Ed and Al later in this volume, but before that can happen Ed has to get to the bottom of what's going on at the laboratory. He finds the means to craft a Philosopher's Stone, but again the price is very high and his goal is just out of reach.

We learn more about the Homunculus and there is a big fight with all three of them, the Elrics and Scar. After the first two episodes the volume steps back for a more retrospective look at the brother's relationship and how truly fragile it seems. Winry makes a house call as well and does a little tinkering on Ed's arm, without mentioning the little fact that she forgot a screw the last time she saw him. The sixth volume closes out on a touching somber note instead of the action packed ending of the last volume. There're plenty of mysteries surrounding everything and the boys haven't achieved their goal yet so the seventh volume should prove to be interesting.

Fullmetal Alchemist is 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. This volume keeps the show going in a forward motion and if you've been following the DVD releases at all you owe it to yourself to snag this one.

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 sixth release of Fullmetal Alchemist features a forced preview when you load the disc for Lupin 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 Maria Ross, Denny Block, Shou Tucker as well as Rick and Leo. The disc case contains a Scar card from the Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game, a preview for The Land of Sand book, and a sixth little Alchemy booklet that has seen prior editions in earlier volumes.

I simply can't get enough of Fullmetal Alchemist and this sixth volume keeps the intrigue going, though it stops for a little bit of character reflection near the end. 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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