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Fullmetal Alchemist: Premium (OVA)
The popular manga
Fullmetal Alchemist concerns two brothers, Edward and Alphonse, who
inhabit an alternate universe in which alchemy is revered as a potent if
clandestine art. During their attempts to resurrect their mother via
means of the forbidden process of Human Transformation, the pair suffer
severe damage to their mortal bodies, in addition to failing at their
initial aim of bringing their beloved mama back to life. Edward shortly
thereafter joins the ranks of the State Alchemists of Amestris, the
organisation largely responsible for annihilating the population of
neighbouring state Ishbal. As the siblings try and locate the
Philosopher’s Stone in order to increase their own power and restore
their damaged bodies, they are threatened by a surviving Ishbalan native
hell-bent on revenge, as well as a group of human clones known as
Homunculi.
Sounds brilliant doesn’t
it? Well, it is. Unfortunately little of the above material is
included on the present set. Instead this curious little half-hour
feature takes the form of an interactive debriefing in which the viewer
is addressed directly and assumes the role of ‘rookie’ in the Amestris
military. As the training, such as it is, progresses the premise of the
Fullmetal Alchemist universe is expounded to an extent, but a moderate
amount of prior knowledge is still assumed and on the whole things are
bound to remain confusing for those unfamiliar with the manga or its
subsequent anime. The final ten minutes, furthermore, are all but
nonsensical to those who aren’t well-versed in the back story, and the
sudden ending provides little in the way of resolution or
enlightenment.
Less a feature in its
own right than a whirlwind introduction to the world of Fullmetal
Alchemist, this release can intimately only appeal to hardcore fans or
DVD collectivists intent on purchasing every disc in existence
regardless of quality. The brevity is ridiculous- the feature runs
barely 35 minutes and the only extras are a textless closing song and
some Madman trailers. There is also an annoying and superfluous running
joke regarding the Colonel meant to be conducting the training-
basically he’s out shagging one of the nurses from the base when he
should be inducting trainees into the tenets of alchemy, and this is
meant to be highly amusing. Or something. Truth be told I stopped
caring after about five minutes.
Ultimately this
frustratingly short and somewhat pointless release is less concerned
with transmuting base metals to gold than turning drivel to profit. It
doesn’t advance the narrative of the series in any meaningful way, and
although the animation is fine, voicework excellent and the premise may
appeal to younger viewers I really think Madman are shooting themselves
in the foot here. I know I wouldn’t throw away $20 or $30 of my
hard-earned on such an uncharacteristically truncated and half-baked
release, and would urge you, dear reader, not to either.
Though the premise of
Fullmetal Alchemist is promising and imaginative this is by far the
weakest release of the series. It is even of little use in even serving
as an introduction to the franchise, given the box set of the first
season is so readily available and explains the premise much more
clearly than is done so here. In a word, pointless. Best used as an
expensive coaster, or given as a gift to someone you despise. |
