Manga author Arakawa Hiromu's 2001-2003 Enix publication, Fullmetal Alchemist, has stood the test of time with two animated series and films and further posterity on home release platforms. Given this, I guess the next obvious step would be to take things further and test the waters with a live-action approach, a feat that is never easy to do and especially with a story as big, sprawling and emotionally compelling as this one.
It brings us the story of two brothers, held together only by the bond as strong as their skills in alchemy following one of the most peak, tragic moments in their childhood, and an act of blasphemy that would gravely change their lives. It's a story that only thickens more and more as you go with military drama and upheaval as part of the central narrative, and with characters both real, and twice as supernatural. There's conspiracy, danger, espionage and intrigue all on an interdimensional plane that now has director Fumihiko Sori daring to cover the necessary bases for this live-action offering, and I, for one, am curious. Very.
SYNOPSIS:
Edward Elric, a young, brilliant alchemist, has lost much in his twelve-year life: when he and his brother Alphonse try to resurrect their dead mother through the forbidden act of human transmutation, Edward loses his brother as well as two of his limbs. With his supreme alchemy skills, Edward binds Alphonse's soul to a large suit of armor.
A year later, Edward, now promoted to the fullmetal alchemist of the state, embarks on a journey with his younger brother to obtain the Philosopher's Stone. The fabled mythical object is rumored to be capable of amplifying an alchemist's abilities by leaps and bounds, thus allowing them to override the fundamental law of alchemy: to gain something, an alchemist must sacrifice something of equal value. Edward hopes to draw into the military's resources to find the fabled stone and restore his and Alphonse's bodies to normal. However, the Elric brothers soon discover that there is more to the legendary stone than meets the eye, as they are led to the epicenter of a far darker battle than they could have ever imagined.
Last year's teaser was a nice little attention-grabber while some fans weren't too impressed. Hmk... well, Warner Bros. Japan is here to peak your interest with a new extended teaser that briefly introduces you to the backstory of the Elric brothers as the preamble to the epic battles that await them.
Hey! Say! JUMP! member Yamada Ryosuke leads the cast as the elder Elric, next to the younger sibling whose soul he keeps bonded in a knight's armor, sans identity of the performer in question to date. Rounding out the cast is Honda Tsubasa as Winry Rockbell with Fujioka Dean as the military's own in-house flame alchemist Roy Mustang, Kunimura Jun as Dr. Marco, Sato Ryuta as Mustang's best friend and close comrade Maes Hughes, and Ishimaru Kenjiro who plays Cornello, a corrupt small town priest intergral to introducing the Elrics' to one of their first fights of their lives as State Alchemists.
Fullmetal Alchemist opens in Japan on December 1. Watch the new trailer below!
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