It's rare when a show comes along that has something for everyone. Studio Bones have succeeded at this rare feat with their latest offering, Fullmetal Alchemist. It brings to the table elements of horror, action, and comedy set in a delightful steampunk world with both familiar technology and mystical alchemy. The characters are vibrant and refreshingly not bogged down by their emotional baggage. This is a series you just don't want to see end.

The series follows the adventures of Edward and Alphonse Elric, brothers who grew up with a devoted mother and an absent father. When their mother dies, they study alchemy day and night to attempt to do the impossible and forbidden, to make a human being. The attempt fails, and for violating the natural laws Alphonse loses his body and Edward loses some limbs. Al lives on, but by possessing a large suit of armor. Ed replaces his lost limbs with mechanical equivalents, and having proved his skill at alchemy he goes on to join the military so he can get access to restricted books and learn more about alchemy.

The characters are both fun and incredibly endearing. Al's giant metal body is offset by the hollow little boy voice emanating from somewhere inside of it, and his shy, gentle personality wins people over quickly. Ed is short and doesn't like to be reminded of that, but he is also incredibly strong-willed and full of fight and gusto for life. The two make a great pair that support each other and those they encounter and make for real heroes that you can get behind and root for. They play off each other well, and their protectiveness towards each other is sweet without being cloying. They are backed up by some very interesting support characters, from the young girl they used to play with when they were little to the wide range of unique characters in the military.

The first couple of episodes set the tone for the series, introducing the horror, action, and comedy elements as well as establishing some of the major themes that the show will be exploring. After that the series goes into a series of flashback episodes where how Al and Ed learned alchemy and the repercussions of trying to raise their mother and eventually joining the army are explored. This is somewhat out of sync with the manga, with some events taking place before they would have in the manga, but despite the occasional confusion of where in the timeline an episode is taking place it flows well and really helps introduce you to the characters and the world in a coherent manner.

In series with magic, the temptation is always there to use it as a deus ex machina, an easy and fast answer to any situation that the characters face, which can end up becoming very unsatisfying for the viewer. While the alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist is clearly mystical, they've made things more interesting by having it follow a set of natural laws that limit what it can do. You don't end up in a situation where alchemy can accomplish anything and everything, so the series doesn't rely on it as the answer to all tough situations. Instead the protagonists have to rely on their intelligence and instincts to get themselves out of sticky situations and to find out the truth behind mysterious and sometimes disturbing happenings.

Fullmetal Alchemist is also a beautiful series. The character designs are very expressive, with Ed's angry eyes and the almost sad cast of Al's helmet. They also adapt well to the comedy sequences, with Al's mask going to a simpler, almost super deformed style and E's features becoming exaggerated. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is a vibrant one with many different climates all drawn in excellent detail and painted with bright colors, the backgrounds are not just slapped together just to be there. The animation is uniformly smooth and delightful to watch. Action sequences in Fullmetal Alchemist are breathtaking to watch, both because of the smooth animation and the inventive ways they play out. The excellent visuals are matched by the great audio, with lots of fun background music and a really great opening theme.

Fullmetal Alchemist is a series that dares you to turn away from it. Matching a compelling and unique story with lovable characters and an interesting world, it's a very addictive series. It keeps the darker horror elements from dragging down the series while keeping the comedic elements from making the whole thing too silly to take series, a difficult balancing act indeed. This is definitely one of the must see shows of this season. - Angie 'Foodbunny' Dietrich