Genre: Horror, Action, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy
Recommended Audience: 12 - 17 ( Not for the faint of heart! )

"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost." That is the First Law of Equivalent Exchange in the wonderful world of alchemy. Wow, it does sound like Chemistry, no?!
In my opinion, alchemy is a combination of both biology and chemistry (though it really is just a term used in the past for chemistry). It's basically the breaking of ionic or covalent bonds in substances and reconstructing them to form new products, with a balanced equation… ("Where are the physical states? Do you want to fail?" - Famous Quote from a Cempakan Chemistry Teacher)
Full Metal Alchemist (FMA in short), or known as Hagane No Renkinjutsushi in Japanese, features a world where alchemy, a type of science, is part of daily life. As with all sciences, there are rules and laws that must be followed in order to maintain the balance of nature. This is where the first and most basic law of alchemy comes in.
Now, proceeding to the basic sustenance of plot and theme, FMA revolves around two brothers, Edward Elric (Ed) and Alphonse Elric (Al). Ever since they were young, these two have had a knack for practicing alchemy, greatly believed to be influenced by their father. Their father, an established alchemist, left them while they were young and they grew up reading their father's alchemy notes. They lived in the countryside with their beloved mother and good friend, Winry Rockbell and her short but wise grandmother, Pinako Rockbell.
One day, their mother died of an unknown disease, and in their innocence and ignorance, they tried to revive their mother using the forbidden science, human alchemy. Their attempt failed and the effect was disastrous for the brothers lost something more than just their mother. Al lost his body and Ed lost a leg. In order to prevent Al's soul vanishing from the world, Ed sacrificed an arm to tie his brother's soul to a large suit of armor. The damage done to their bodies was a costly reminder of what had happened.
To regain what they had lost, the two brothers set on a journey to become state alchemists (a kind of title that is very prestigious) to gain access to the knowledge about the Philosopher's Stone. This is because the Philosopher's Stone holds the power to amplify an alchemist powers beyond anybody's imagination and Ed wanted to use it to restore his brother's body as well as to regain his own arm and leg.
The storyline of this anime is simply captivating. With its various plots and characters, Full Metal Alchemist is rated as the third best anime in the world. What makes this anime one of the best is the effect of alchemy itself. It's simply amazing, stupendous and marvelous to watch how alchemy is performed with or without a transmutation circle (a kind of mark that needs to be drawn on a surface of an object before performing alchemy).
Then there are the various characters which brightens up the plot by amplitudes. There is the coolness of the Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang, who is the Colonel of the state military and Ed's boss. Up next is the enigmatic Maess Hughes, Ed's close companion in the army who simply adores his cute daughter (he has never failed to show his daughter's picture to anyone he knew). Then there is Major Alex Louis Armstrong, the Iron Fist Alchemist, who never gives up an opportunity to show off his rippling muscles. Also, every anime has a mysterious character and in this one, bearing the name of Scar, is a man of shadow and mystery. Intriguing? Yes, very.
This anime is action-packed with timely intermissions of comic relief. For example, Ed Elric is, well, short for his age (an understatement!), and he doesn't like it at all. Because of that, he gets teased by being called a pipsqueak, rather frequently, causing hilarious outbursts of his already volatile behavior. To add more spice to the anime, there is a group of mysterious creatures called the Homunculus (Homunculi in plural) who plan to manipulate Ed to obtain the Philosopher's Stone for their own use. The anime also has quality drawings of the characters, which really makes it more enjoyable to watch. The intro and ending soundtrack is great and gives a tremendous impression to the viewers on how good the anime is.
As a conclusion, Full Metal Alchemist is a must watch anime to all fans. If this review is not enough (I'm truly sorry if it isn't), I have nothing else to say except, JUST WATCH IT!

P.S. Please do not draw transmutation circles on the school desk for it is an act of vandalism!

Story: 10/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Artwork: 8/10

Rating : 8/10