Spotlight on Fandoms: Fullmetal Alchemist
Hellooooo everybody, and welcome to this edition of Spotlight on Fandoms, where today we shall be delivering you a special pizza in the form of FMA.
Starting things off
To start things off, what exactly is Fullmetal Alchemist? It started off as a manga drawn and written by Hiromu Arakawa (that is still continuing), and then adapted into an anime by Studio BONES (which has already ended). From there it gained extreme popularity, making it one of the "mainstream series" among anime.
One thing that makes FMA unique compared to other animanga series is the difference between both mediums. Usually, an anime series based off the manga will stay as true as possible to the original story, with minor changes (or, not so minor, but they don't drastically change the story too much). However, FMA reaches a point where they branch off into two completely different stories-- even the events both mediums share tend to start and end differently.
Which is better? It's an ongoing debate among the fans and everyone has their own opinion. Let's just say that both are awesome in their own ways, and it also gives you the chance to fully enjoy the series in both animation and in a drawn format.
Basic Story Summary
The story begins with Edward and Alphonse, who at a very young age were aspiring alchemists and had the skill to become so. After a few years of practice they eventually became good at using alchemy, but their mother had also become fatally ill and soon passed away. This left them devastated, and both agreed to bring her back from the dead using alchemy, back when they believed it was capable of doing everything.
They ignored the warnings that human transmutation was both impossible and illegal for very good reasons. The night they attempted the transmutation, they both lost even more and didn't gain a thing: Edward lost his left leg, and Alphonse his entire body. In an attempt to keep his younger brother alive, Edward sacrificed his right arm in exchange for affixing Alphonse's soul into a nearby suit of armor.
After what could be called a Really Big Mistake, they both decided they would try to get back their bodies to the way they were before they performed the human transmutation, so then they began their journey to find all the answers to what they needed.
Amestris & Alchemy
To give the basic history of the area, Amestris is a landlocked military state where during the Middle Ages alchemy developed into the prominent science. While steam and other technologies exist, alchemy is the forefront of scientific advancement. Alchemy, it is said, is to be used for the people, but the state has harnessed the science by certifying some of the most talented as 'State Alchemists' who hold rank equivalent to Major in the military and, in exchange for grant money and access to the best libraries, swear loyalty to the state and the Fuhrer. Used on the battlefield as human weapons, they agree to two rules: "Do not transmute humans. Do not create gold."
Alchemy itself is difficult to explain but the first law is that of Equivalent Exchange which is defined by Ed as "To obtain, something of equal value must be lost." One can transform almost anything, but the end product will contain an equal amount of mass and matter as the beginning materials. During the course of the anime and manga, radios are fixed, toys are made, weapons are produced, hot air balloons are flown, and many, many walls, boulders, lifts, and doors are made using alchemy.
While alchemy may seem like magic to us (and indeed not a few of the authors of this see it that way), in the world of Amestris it is very definitely considered a science. Biology, chemistry, and physics along with advanced mathematics need to be learned in order to perform alchemy, and the chemical structure of an item must be understood before it can be transmuted.
Characters Summary
Edward Elric - Edward's the reason the story happens in the first place. It's his childish arrogance that makes him convince Alphonse that they can use alchemy to bring their mother back after she dies because, in his estimation, human transmutation is only forbidden because the grownups can't do it. That type of thinking is Edward's trademark throughout the series. He's brilliant, arrogant, caring, and absolutely determined to fix his mistakes and bring his brother's body back. He is recruited by Colonel Mustang to become a State Alchemist and, even while being tentative about the military aspect, jumps at the chance to further his and Al's research into the philosopher's stone. He also is decidedly short and will over-react dramatically if that fact is even alluded to by anyone.
Alphonse Elric - The younger of the two, all though he is often mistaken as the older one because of his appearance. Because the attempt to transmute their mother failed Al ended up having his soul affixed to a large suit of armor; he can still move around as normal, but he isn't able to feel anything, and with no physical body he can't eat or sleep either. Al is considered the more rational of the two with a calmer nature, and at times hopelessly optimistic. A running gag through the series is his fondness for cats; realistically they are his favorite animal and he likes them quite a lot, but the omake comics and official art like to exaggerate on this by a lot.
Roy Mustang - Colonel Roy Mustang was responsible for recruiting Edward into the state military. He found out about the boys' attempt at a human transmutation and supplied Edward with the means of becoming a state alchemist at his young age. At first glance, Roy is a career driven and a self centered bastard. His one goal is to become Fuhrer and he's willing to manipulate and use people to get there. There's more behind it, though, and Roy is actually a caring leader who has done some bad things for the wrong reasons. He's set on making up for his mistakes and anyone who fought with him, will follow him no matter what. He's also very much a big dork who likes women, miniskirts, dogs and women. And also, miniskirts.
Winry Rockbell - Ed and Al's childhood friend who also lives in Risembool, she followed in her grandmother's footsteps instead of her parents' and became an automail engineer. Winry loves mechanics-- she becomes very riled up when she sees something new and will beg to take it apart to see how it works. She becomes Ed's mechanic whenever he had to get automail of his own. The three of them are practically family, but the Elric brothers have a tendancy to not tell her what's going on, so Winry is constantly worrying about their well being.
Pinako Rockbell - Winry's grandmother, and also an automail engineer. Whenever Ed and Al's mother passed away, she took them in and became their guardian.
Izumi Curtis - The series' own resident ninja housewife. In the southern town of Dublith, along with her husband wife, they both run a butchery business. She is also an alchemist, and an extremely talented one at that, along with skills in martial arts. Izumi is Ed and Al's teacher, and even though she is extremely strict with them, she cares about them as if they were her own sons.
Riza Hawkeye - First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye is Roy Mustang's aide, bodyguard, assistant,... She's a lot of things. She's always with Mustang and when she isn't, she's on a job for him. She didn't steal her last name as she's an amazing shot and knows how to kick ass. During the series she confesses that she doesn't like the military, but she joined to protect someone (read: Roy) and as long as he needs protecting she won't hesitate to pull the trigger. She's loyal and smart and she's Roy's touchstone. She keeps him level and has his back no matter what and while she's his subordinate, she has no problem ordering him around or telling him when he's being an idiot. And she kicks ass oh so very much. She's actually a whole lot more than this, but her character's much more developed in the manga. Go read the manga.
Maes Hughes - There is one rule when you watch FMA and that's that you have to love Hughes. Hughes is a part of the Investigations Division and he's Roy Mustang's best friend. He never seems to be actually working and spends most of his time rambling about his wife and daughter much to everyone's annoyance. Despite Ed's protests that the guy is annoying (mostly for continually making people look at a picture of his daughter), Hughes actually has a great fondness for the Elrics and seems to take the boys under his wing. Don't be fooled by his apparent light treatment of his duty, Hughes is a lot more than meets the eye.
The Subordinates (Havoc, Fuery, Breda, Falman) - These four together with Riza Hawkeye are Roy Mustang's direct staff. They might be minor characters, but they're all awesome in their own way. They each have their own skills and are all loyal to a fault to Mustang. Without them, Mustang would be nowhere and he knows it.
The Homunculi - A homounculus is the embodiment of an alchemist's sins. (Literally - there are seven of them named after the seven Christian deadly sins) At first glance, they seem to be the Elrics' antagonists, but, like everything in this series, nothing is as it seems.
Scar - An Ishbalan man with a large scar across his forehead (thus the name he was given), he goes across Amestris murdering State Alchemists because of the damage done during the Ishbal Massacre. Ironically enough, he uses alchemy in order to kill them.
Anime & Manga Differences
All of the above characters have counterparts in both the manga and the anime though for many of them, there is quite a large difference in their characters between the two due to the early splitting of manga and anime canon plus different emphases on events and aspects. Plus, by this time, the manga canon has gone on quite a bit longer than the anime so we have quite a few additional characters just in the manga...
Ling Yao - A prince from the country Xing of the Yao Clan, he came to Amestris in order to find the Philosopher's Stone and the secret to immortality for the emperor of Xing.
Ran Fan - One of Ling's bodyguards. She is completely devoted to him and will do nearly everything for him, whether he commands it or not. She takes anything said or done to him very personally.
Fu - Ran Fan's grandfather and also one of Ling's bodyguards.
Mei Chan - A princess who is also from Xing, and also an alchemist who specializes in rentanjutsu (a different kind of alchemy, where as most alchemists in Amestris use renkinjutsu). She came to Amestris for similar reasons to Ling's, but she does not travel with him and is actually from a rivaling clan. She travels with a tiny panda named Xiao Mei, who is considered her best friend and companion.
Oh, yes, there's a movie, too...
In 2006 a movie called The Conqueror of Shamballa was released. It is set two years after the anime ends and involves many of the same characters as the anime. It's... well, opinions on the movie vary. Let's just say that you should not watch it as an introduction to FMA canon.
Clips
Here are just a few clips, to give you a slight idea of what the series is like!
I tried my best to stick with the dub only, but I have no idea where some of the disks are for them, so... Hopefully you don't mind fansubs? Anyway, enjoy!
Human Transmutation - The very first scene in the very first episode. It gives you a good idea of just how happy and cheerful everything will turn out to be :D
Roy is a dork - He really is, and that's why we love him.
Flame vs. Fullmetal - Edward needs an assessment to keep his certification so challenges Mustang to a duel. This is the result.
After Scar Fight - Right after an unfortunate encounter with Scar, Al decides to give Ed the verbal smackdown.
Bunny Trauma - Ed and Al try to figure out how to eat a bunny. And fail miserably at it. Thus, bunny trauma.
Subordinate Dorkiness Ahoy - Not only is Roy a big fat dork, but the people who work for him are too. This episode is made of crack and win.
The reasons the watch this craziness
im_fullmetal: When Jara pimped FMA to me, she told me to watch the anime first. I refused because a) I'm stubborn and b) I was about to travel and didn't have time to download it all. But she'd gotten me far too interested to wait a week until I got home so I found myself in London, walking into a bookstore and buying the first two books of the manga. The rest, as they say, is history.
What do I love about FMA? Nothing is as it seems. None of the characters are one-dimensional, not even the villains or the minor characters. The plot is intensely character-driven, and the characters are some of the best I've come across in a long, long time. But beyond that, it's a series (both manga and anime) that examines consequences. Every action, good and bad, has a consequence in FMA that the characters have to deal with. It's a series that doesn't shy away from questions of war, genocide, war crimes, questions of how responsible you should be for actions taken under orders, and so on. Amestris is so definitely a post-Nurmberg, post-UNHR world, and the examination of it is interesting to watch.
My favourite characters are basically all of them. Mustang and Hawkeye win all (shippy or not), and Edward fits into my love of boy heroes who have to grow up too fast to fulfill their responsibilities. I have a huge adoration for episodes 45-51, but the Ishbal arc of the manga remains my absolute favourite.
light_a_spark: I actually started watching the series because of the FMA in game. The eps were still for a huge part on youtube and I needed a distraction from Avatar. And then I got hooked. It's simple why really, FMA has the most awesome characters around. It's rare that I love every single one of them but FMA manages it. It wasn't until a few months later that I started reading the manga and now I can't stop.
I can't particularly say which is my favourite moment or what are my favourite episodes. There's such a wide range of choices going from cracky to sad and just downright painful and the more you watch, the better it gets. And please don't ask me if I prefer the manga or the anime because they complete each other so wonderfully while being oh so different. Unsurprisingly my main focus lies with the more adult characters, though. I simply adore the bits that give us an insight into what happened during the Ishbal war and my favourite characters are Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye. In shippy or non-shippy way. They win all. It's as simple as that.
kitty__fetish: I got hooked into the series when I happened to catch it debut on TV one night and decided it was shiny enough to continue watching. And somehow I managed to actually keep up with it (even after I got impatient and got the entire series from elsewhere... Hum ho). Anyway, it's GOOD and SHINY. It has an amazing, unique plot that does an awesome job of balancing the comedy and the drama. All the characters are great and they all get to serve a purpose in the series. And, I love the themes-- the consequences of your actions, the meaning of family, what it means to be human, and a whole bunch of others. My favorite characters are Alphonse (this is your cue to act surprised!), Maes Hughes, Barry the Chopper (specifically, his manga counterpart; cvnksh3i so hilarious), and Mei Chan. I'd go into detail why but that would take me a loooong time to explain ;)
That said, omg, watch and/or read FMA. It's amazing and a truly touching story.
Where to obtain this series made of awesomesauce
The anime is available on DVD from Amazon as well as rental outlets like Netflix or Blockbuster. The episodes are sorted four to a disc making the 51 episode set rather expensive (though worth it).
Volume 1: The Curse
Volume 2: Scarred Man of the East
All the rest of the 10 discs
The Conqueror of Shamballa
The manga is published in English by VIZ Media up through Volume 13 (chapters 1-52) and sold by Amazon.com as well.
Volume 1
All Currently Published Volumes
However, FMA is published up through chapter 72 in Japan and there are quite a few places to find the English scanalations for the later chapters including ZOMGFTA. (Though obviously we encourage supporting the publishers buy buying the books when they come out in English etc...)
That's all for today \o\ Comments, questions, pie? Or coffee. It's early, need coffee.
Starting things off
To start things off, what exactly is Fullmetal Alchemist? It started off as a manga drawn and written by Hiromu Arakawa (that is still continuing), and then adapted into an anime by Studio BONES (which has already ended). From there it gained extreme popularity, making it one of the "mainstream series" among anime.
One thing that makes FMA unique compared to other animanga series is the difference between both mediums. Usually, an anime series based off the manga will stay as true as possible to the original story, with minor changes (or, not so minor, but they don't drastically change the story too much). However, FMA reaches a point where they branch off into two completely different stories-- even the events both mediums share tend to start and end differently.
Which is better? It's an ongoing debate among the fans and everyone has their own opinion. Let's just say that both are awesome in their own ways, and it also gives you the chance to fully enjoy the series in both animation and in a drawn format.
Basic Story Summary
The story begins with Edward and Alphonse, who at a very young age were aspiring alchemists and had the skill to become so. After a few years of practice they eventually became good at using alchemy, but their mother had also become fatally ill and soon passed away. This left them devastated, and both agreed to bring her back from the dead using alchemy, back when they believed it was capable of doing everything.
They ignored the warnings that human transmutation was both impossible and illegal for very good reasons. The night they attempted the transmutation, they both lost even more and didn't gain a thing: Edward lost his left leg, and Alphonse his entire body. In an attempt to keep his younger brother alive, Edward sacrificed his right arm in exchange for affixing Alphonse's soul into a nearby suit of armor.
After what could be called a Really Big Mistake, they both decided they would try to get back their bodies to the way they were before they performed the human transmutation, so then they began their journey to find all the answers to what they needed.
Amestris & Alchemy
To give the basic history of the area, Amestris is a landlocked military state where during the Middle Ages alchemy developed into the prominent science. While steam and other technologies exist, alchemy is the forefront of scientific advancement. Alchemy, it is said, is to be used for the people, but the state has harnessed the science by certifying some of the most talented as 'State Alchemists' who hold rank equivalent to Major in the military and, in exchange for grant money and access to the best libraries, swear loyalty to the state and the Fuhrer. Used on the battlefield as human weapons, they agree to two rules: "Do not transmute humans. Do not create gold."
Alchemy itself is difficult to explain but the first law is that of Equivalent Exchange which is defined by Ed as "To obtain, something of equal value must be lost." One can transform almost anything, but the end product will contain an equal amount of mass and matter as the beginning materials. During the course of the anime and manga, radios are fixed, toys are made, weapons are produced, hot air balloons are flown, and many, many walls, boulders, lifts, and doors are made using alchemy.
While alchemy may seem like magic to us (and indeed not a few of the authors of this see it that way), in the world of Amestris it is very definitely considered a science. Biology, chemistry, and physics along with advanced mathematics need to be learned in order to perform alchemy, and the chemical structure of an item must be understood before it can be transmuted.
Characters Summary
Edward Elric - Edward's the reason the story happens in the first place. It's his childish arrogance that makes him convince Alphonse that they can use alchemy to bring their mother back after she dies because, in his estimation, human transmutation is only forbidden because the grownups can't do it. That type of thinking is Edward's trademark throughout the series. He's brilliant, arrogant, caring, and absolutely determined to fix his mistakes and bring his brother's body back. He is recruited by Colonel Mustang to become a State Alchemist and, even while being tentative about the military aspect, jumps at the chance to further his and Al's research into the philosopher's stone. He also is decidedly short and will over-react dramatically if that fact is even alluded to by anyone.
Alphonse Elric - The younger of the two, all though he is often mistaken as the older one because of his appearance. Because the attempt to transmute their mother failed Al ended up having his soul affixed to a large suit of armor; he can still move around as normal, but he isn't able to feel anything, and with no physical body he can't eat or sleep either. Al is considered the more rational of the two with a calmer nature, and at times hopelessly optimistic. A running gag through the series is his fondness for cats; realistically they are his favorite animal and he likes them quite a lot, but the omake comics and official art like to exaggerate on this by a lot.
Roy Mustang - Colonel Roy Mustang was responsible for recruiting Edward into the state military. He found out about the boys' attempt at a human transmutation and supplied Edward with the means of becoming a state alchemist at his young age. At first glance, Roy is a career driven and a self centered bastard. His one goal is to become Fuhrer and he's willing to manipulate and use people to get there. There's more behind it, though, and Roy is actually a caring leader who has done some bad things for the wrong reasons. He's set on making up for his mistakes and anyone who fought with him, will follow him no matter what. He's also very much a big dork who likes women, miniskirts, dogs and women. And also, miniskirts.
Winry Rockbell - Ed and Al's childhood friend who also lives in Risembool, she followed in her grandmother's footsteps instead of her parents' and became an automail engineer. Winry loves mechanics-- she becomes very riled up when she sees something new and will beg to take it apart to see how it works. She becomes Ed's mechanic whenever he had to get automail of his own. The three of them are practically family, but the Elric brothers have a tendancy to not tell her what's going on, so Winry is constantly worrying about their well being.
Pinako Rockbell - Winry's grandmother, and also an automail engineer. Whenever Ed and Al's mother passed away, she took them in and became their guardian.
Izumi Curtis - The series' own resident ninja housewife. In the southern town of Dublith, along with her husband wife, they both run a butchery business. She is also an alchemist, and an extremely talented one at that, along with skills in martial arts. Izumi is Ed and Al's teacher, and even though she is extremely strict with them, she cares about them as if they were her own sons.
Riza Hawkeye - First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye is Roy Mustang's aide, bodyguard, assistant,... She's a lot of things. She's always with Mustang and when she isn't, she's on a job for him. She didn't steal her last name as she's an amazing shot and knows how to kick ass. During the series she confesses that she doesn't like the military, but she joined to protect someone (read: Roy) and as long as he needs protecting she won't hesitate to pull the trigger. She's loyal and smart and she's Roy's touchstone. She keeps him level and has his back no matter what and while she's his subordinate, she has no problem ordering him around or telling him when he's being an idiot. And she kicks ass oh so very much. She's actually a whole lot more than this, but her character's much more developed in the manga. Go read the manga.
Maes Hughes - There is one rule when you watch FMA and that's that you have to love Hughes. Hughes is a part of the Investigations Division and he's Roy Mustang's best friend. He never seems to be actually working and spends most of his time rambling about his wife and daughter much to everyone's annoyance. Despite Ed's protests that the guy is annoying (mostly for continually making people look at a picture of his daughter), Hughes actually has a great fondness for the Elrics and seems to take the boys under his wing. Don't be fooled by his apparent light treatment of his duty, Hughes is a lot more than meets the eye.
The Subordinates (Havoc, Fuery, Breda, Falman) - These four together with Riza Hawkeye are Roy Mustang's direct staff. They might be minor characters, but they're all awesome in their own way. They each have their own skills and are all loyal to a fault to Mustang. Without them, Mustang would be nowhere and he knows it.
The Homunculi - A homounculus is the embodiment of an alchemist's sins. (Literally - there are seven of them named after the seven Christian deadly sins) At first glance, they seem to be the Elrics' antagonists, but, like everything in this series, nothing is as it seems.
Scar - An Ishbalan man with a large scar across his forehead (thus the name he was given), he goes across Amestris murdering State Alchemists because of the damage done during the Ishbal Massacre. Ironically enough, he uses alchemy in order to kill them.
Anime & Manga Differences
All of the above characters have counterparts in both the manga and the anime though for many of them, there is quite a large difference in their characters between the two due to the early splitting of manga and anime canon plus different emphases on events and aspects. Plus, by this time, the manga canon has gone on quite a bit longer than the anime so we have quite a few additional characters just in the manga...
Ling Yao - A prince from the country Xing of the Yao Clan, he came to Amestris in order to find the Philosopher's Stone and the secret to immortality for the emperor of Xing.
Ran Fan - One of Ling's bodyguards. She is completely devoted to him and will do nearly everything for him, whether he commands it or not. She takes anything said or done to him very personally.
Fu - Ran Fan's grandfather and also one of Ling's bodyguards.
Mei Chan - A princess who is also from Xing, and also an alchemist who specializes in rentanjutsu (a different kind of alchemy, where as most alchemists in Amestris use renkinjutsu). She came to Amestris for similar reasons to Ling's, but she does not travel with him and is actually from a rivaling clan. She travels with a tiny panda named Xiao Mei, who is considered her best friend and companion.
Oh, yes, there's a movie, too...
In 2006 a movie called The Conqueror of Shamballa was released. It is set two years after the anime ends and involves many of the same characters as the anime. It's... well, opinions on the movie vary. Let's just say that you should not watch it as an introduction to FMA canon.
Clips
Here are just a few clips, to give you a slight idea of what the series is like!
I tried my best to stick with the dub only, but I have no idea where some of the disks are for them, so... Hopefully you don't mind fansubs? Anyway, enjoy!
Human Transmutation - The very first scene in the very first episode. It gives you a good idea of just how happy and cheerful everything will turn out to be :D
Roy is a dork - He really is, and that's why we love him.
Flame vs. Fullmetal - Edward needs an assessment to keep his certification so challenges Mustang to a duel. This is the result.
After Scar Fight - Right after an unfortunate encounter with Scar, Al decides to give Ed the verbal smackdown.
Bunny Trauma - Ed and Al try to figure out how to eat a bunny. And fail miserably at it. Thus, bunny trauma.
Subordinate Dorkiness Ahoy - Not only is Roy a big fat dork, but the people who work for him are too. This episode is made of crack and win.
The reasons the watch this craziness
im_fullmetal: When Jara pimped FMA to me, she told me to watch the anime first. I refused because a) I'm stubborn and b) I was about to travel and didn't have time to download it all. But she'd gotten me far too interested to wait a week until I got home so I found myself in London, walking into a bookstore and buying the first two books of the manga. The rest, as they say, is history.
What do I love about FMA? Nothing is as it seems. None of the characters are one-dimensional, not even the villains or the minor characters. The plot is intensely character-driven, and the characters are some of the best I've come across in a long, long time. But beyond that, it's a series (both manga and anime) that examines consequences. Every action, good and bad, has a consequence in FMA that the characters have to deal with. It's a series that doesn't shy away from questions of war, genocide, war crimes, questions of how responsible you should be for actions taken under orders, and so on. Amestris is so definitely a post-Nurmberg, post-UNHR world, and the examination of it is interesting to watch.
My favourite characters are basically all of them. Mustang and Hawkeye win all (shippy or not), and Edward fits into my love of boy heroes who have to grow up too fast to fulfill their responsibilities. I have a huge adoration for episodes 45-51, but the Ishbal arc of the manga remains my absolute favourite.
light_a_spark: I actually started watching the series because of the FMA in game. The eps were still for a huge part on youtube and I needed a distraction from Avatar. And then I got hooked. It's simple why really, FMA has the most awesome characters around. It's rare that I love every single one of them but FMA manages it. It wasn't until a few months later that I started reading the manga and now I can't stop.
I can't particularly say which is my favourite moment or what are my favourite episodes. There's such a wide range of choices going from cracky to sad and just downright painful and the more you watch, the better it gets. And please don't ask me if I prefer the manga or the anime because they complete each other so wonderfully while being oh so different. Unsurprisingly my main focus lies with the more adult characters, though. I simply adore the bits that give us an insight into what happened during the Ishbal war and my favourite characters are Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye. In shippy or non-shippy way. They win all. It's as simple as that.
kitty__fetish: I got hooked into the series when I happened to catch it debut on TV one night and decided it was shiny enough to continue watching. And somehow I managed to actually keep up with it (even after I got impatient and got the entire series from elsewhere... Hum ho). Anyway, it's GOOD and SHINY. It has an amazing, unique plot that does an awesome job of balancing the comedy and the drama. All the characters are great and they all get to serve a purpose in the series. And, I love the themes-- the consequences of your actions, the meaning of family, what it means to be human, and a whole bunch of others. My favorite characters are Alphonse (this is your cue to act surprised!), Maes Hughes, Barry the Chopper (specifically, his manga counterpart; cvnksh3i so hilarious), and Mei Chan. I'd go into detail why but that would take me a loooong time to explain ;)
That said, omg, watch and/or read FMA. It's amazing and a truly touching story.
Where to obtain this series made of awesomesauce
The anime is available on DVD from Amazon as well as rental outlets like Netflix or Blockbuster. The episodes are sorted four to a disc making the 51 episode set rather expensive (though worth it).
Volume 1: The Curse
Volume 2: Scarred Man of the East
All the rest of the 10 discs
The Conqueror of Shamballa
The manga is published in English by VIZ Media up through Volume 13 (chapters 1-52) and sold by Amazon.com as well.
Volume 1
All Currently Published Volumes
However, FMA is published up through chapter 72 in Japan and there are quite a few places to find the English scanalations for the later chapters including ZOMGFTA. (Though obviously we encourage supporting the publishers buy buying the books when they come out in English etc...)
That's all for today \o\ Comments, questions, pie? Or coffee. It's early, need coffee.