Customer Reviews

Fullmetal Alchemist: Premium OVA Collection

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As the latest "Fullmetal Alchemist" series (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) is currently airing in Japan and is being streamed online courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment, the company has finally released the long awaited "FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: PREMIUM OVA COLLECTION" on DVD. The DVD would include the Interactive Experience plus one live and two animated shorts.

At Universal Studios Japan, back in 2005, those who took part in the "Fullmetal Alchemist Premiere Tour" ride were treated with an animation (specifically made for the ride) that puts a person on the ride to take on a role as the new member of the State Alchemists. As a rookie, you are introduced to certain key characters from the anime series but then immediately taking part in a battle between the State Alchemists versus the Homunculus. These shorts include a Preshow, Zone 1-4 and a Postshow and the duration is about 18 minutes long.

For the short collection (Duration: 16:48), the viewer is treated with the following shorts (spoiler-less summary):

* Live Action Featurette - This takes place after the television series with Alphonse Eric in his armor form in live/real Japan searching for Ed.
* Chibi Party - This is a humorous animated short in which the characters are in super deformed mode (chibi-small character mode) and celebrating after the filming of "Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa".
* Kids - We watch three children who look so similar to the Elric brothers and Winry Rockbell. But who are they?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

For the most part, there is of course animation differences with one being used for a Universal Studios Japan ride in Japan, one that is super deformed format and another that actually looks quite cool with its beautiful backgrounds and vibrant colors. The video is featured in 4:3 standard definition.

The audio is featured in English 5.1 Surround Sound and Japanese Stereo. The majority of the action sequences can be heard in the interactive story but dialogue and music comes quite clear through your front channel speakers and center channel.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The special features featured on the "FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: PREMIUM OVA COLLECTION" DVD include the following:

* Original Japanese TV commercial (with English subtitles) - (:41) The Japanese TV commercial for "Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa".
* Textless ending theme - (4:03) The ending theme for the anime shorts and video clips of Universal Studios Japan. Also, optional romanized and translated subtitles for the ending theme song.
* Trailers - Trailers for upcoming FUNimation Entertainment releases

When it comes to a popular series such as "Fullmetal Alchemist" and other popular long-running series, these OVA's are typically for the fans of the animated series and/or the voice talent. You either get a solid half hour of a storyline (that may or may not relate to the anime series) or an OVA that puts your favorite characters in a unique situation that may be full of humor and all-out fun! The latter is indeed the case for the "FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: PREMIUM OVA COLLECTION".

For the interactive segment, it may be hard to imagine a ride with video (for those who never experienced it) but with my experience of riding a few in Japan, I can say it's comparable for those who have attended such ride at Disneyland or Disney World, where you are shifted around through a ride (that is not like a rollercoaster but its constantly moving) while watching a storyline progress.

I could imagine after watching the Interactive Experience of how cool this ride may have been. For the most part, the interactive experience was quite fun to watch and see everyone together in battle. Not being part of the ride and watching it on DVD is still fun and enjoyable but I could only imagine how the interactive ride could have been during the action sequences.

For the animated shorts, fans of the anime series and film will definitely find these three shorts quite enjoyable and amusing. They are short in duration but for the most part, my favorite would have to be "Kids" which has an ending that may surprise fans.

Overall, "FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: PREMIUM OVA COLLECTION" is a fun, enjoyable and satisfying collection of shorts. It's also much more enjoyable knowing that retail stores are selling this for $10-$14, so it is quite affordable. If you are a big fan of the anime series, this DVD deserves to be part of your "Fullmetal Alchemist" collection!

It's tough to argue with the widespread adoration that developed from seemingly thin air (lame pun, I know) over Full Metal Alchemist. In a sense, I've often viewed the franchise as a bit of an Asian/ anime counterpart to the hysteria over Harry Potter we've endured here in the States. And while I haven't considered myself a dedicated fan of the series per say, I have enjoyed its unique premise and solid presentation in each encounter I've had thus far. Enter Full Metal Alchemist, Premium OVA Collection from Funimation. Based on the title alone, I really expected this release to be the definitive OVA collection of the franchise but with a total runtime of just over a half hour, something didn't feel quite right about that theory. But before I get ahead of myself, let's talk a bit about the cold hard facts.

Released across a single disc packaged within a standard dvd case, Full Metal Alchemist Premium OVA Collection comes in at a total runtime of 35 minutes and wears an appropriate TV PG (13+) rating.

Language options are of typical sub & dub variety meaning the choice of original Japanese dialog audio presented in stereo or an English dub track in Dolby Digital 5.1, and the option of running English subtitles within either.

Typically at this point of my anime reviews, I would take a moment to focus on the extras contained within but to be completely honest, this entire disc is essentially a collection of extras in and of itself; so let me take the easy way out by following the press release in saying that extras include original TV commercials, textless closing song, and some Funimation trailers.

That said, the "feature" here actually consists of four snips of Full Metal Alchemist that could, realistically, have been packaged as extras on any one of the series or prior OVA releases if for nothing else, due to the fact that all of them together only equal a half hour of entertainment. I will break the four pieces down in the order in which they are presented on the menu:

1) The Interactive Experience

This part of the DVD consists of six little lecture segments (a pre-show, zones 1-4, then a post-show) that basically get the viewer up to speed on the Full Metal Alchemist universe by addressing the viewer directly. The goal of this approach, presumably, was to emulate the feeling of military briefings but long-standing fans of the show will certainly be disappointed in the simple and lackluster recapping contained here. Calling the experience "interactive" is certainly a bit of a stretch but in this segment's defense, at least some of the humor works pretty well.

2) The Live Action Featurette

Great potential lost to time restraints and odd presentation. This segment is exactly what it sounds like; a live action little film where a character from the show attempts to visit Bones studio for answers on the meaning of his existence. Sure it sounds cool but the fact that it's only about two minutes long really cuts down on the storytelling element. Fans will be left wanting more and non-fans of the series that happen to be in the room will look at you as if you've lost your mind (which, may or may not be the actual case). Either way, everyone is sure to be disappointed.

3) Chibi Wrap Party (Short)

This segment is classified as a short and that's just what it is. It's a completely animated Full Metal Alchemist entry of the slightly super deformed (SD) variety with decent voice work in both the original Japanese dialog and the English dub. If I could have had any input on this entire project, I would definitely have tried to secure more of this stuff right here.

4) Kids (Short)

Finally we have another animated short- this time literally about three minutes long in which the year 2005 witnesses Edward Elric's 100th birthday party. There isn't much dialog here in either language option (then again the runtime would only allow for a sentence or two anyway) but the artwork here more closely resembles that of the original FMA series (moving away from the super deformed look of Chibi Wrap Party) with beautiful skies and rich textures. Again, the biggest flaw is that it's short- too short in fact for anyone who happens to find themselves without a terrible case of ADD.

In all, this will surely be a valuable little collector's piece to diehard Full Metal fans who've been awaiting an official Region 1 release of these nearly legendary Japanese segments but the rest of the anime community at large will likely find little redeeming quality about a release (especially one called the Premium OVA Collection) that is barely a half hour long. Keep in mind that a good portion of the total 35 minutes from start to finish is a simple recap up to current events and the fact becomes painfully clear that this collection will likely end up only on the wish-list of the hardcore FMA fan who seeks every single release.

Wow. As a big FMA fan, I had been hoping this would get released here. What a disappointment. About 30 minutes long is pretty lame, but for the material to be just as lame? Meh. Save your money for FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood coming next year.

I'll give it to you straight. There's an "interactive" video series that tells you a bunch of stuff about the FMA universe that you already know (that is, if you've seen the show). Then there's a fake wrap party for the movie that is best appreciated by those who've actually seen it. And the last one is a live action segment that's actually kinda lame. It's worth a look, but it's not nearly as good as the show.

The Fullmetal Alchemist Premium OVA Collection runs for thirty-five minutes, and includes four shorts: "Interactive Experience," "Live Action Featurette," "Chibi Wrap Party," and "Kids." On the DVD, you can choose to watch the shorts, choose your audio and subtitle options, or choose to see the extras. For audio, there is English 5.1 Surround Sound and Japanese Stereo. Subtitles are available in English.

The first short is "Interactive Experience," which was part of the "Fullmetal Alchemist Premiere Tour" at Universal Studios Japan in 2005. For this short, you are a new probationary member of the State Alchemists. You learn key concepts of the Fullmetal Alchemist universe, meet most of the characters, and "you" even get to help out on a mission. This particular feature runs for about 18 minutes.

Next is "Live Action Featurette," a short set in modern Japan. Alphonse (as the suit of armor) is wandering the streets, looking for Edward. He comes to Studio Bones in the hopes of locating his brother. I personally found this particular short to be rather odd.

This is followed by "Chibi Wrap Party," which depicts the characters in a chibi style. It's set at the wrap party after the conclusion of the Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa film. This is a very comedic short, and can really be appreciated if you have familiarity with the Fullmetal Alchemist universe. I enjoyed this short.

The final short on the disc is "Kids," which focuses on three kids who look remarkably like the young Edward, Alphonse, and Winry we see in flashbacks during Fullmetal Alchemist. They are going to see their grandfather (probably more likely their great grandfather). The short ends with the impression that the grandfather is Edward Elric. This was an enjoyable short.

There are three extras included on the disc. The first is labeled as "Original TV Commercial." This is a commercial from Japan for the Conqueror of Shamballa film. It runs for 41 seconds, and has Japanese audio and English subtitles. The second extra is labeled as "Textless Closing Song." This is the ending credits that appears after all of the OVAs are shown, and it's just the images and music; there is no text on the screen. The final extra are the trailers that are included on the disc for The Slayers, Kenichi, Heroic Age, Jinki Extend, Dragon Ball, Fullmetal Alchemist, xxxHoLic, and Origin.

While most of the OVAs included on this disc are enjoyable, this is definitely a release that's geared much more to the die-hard fans of Fullmetal Alchemist rather than to casual fans. If you're a Fullmetal Alchemist fan who wants to own everything on DVD, you'll want to own this one in your collection. However, be sure to shop around for the best price. I've seen this run anywhere from as low to $11 to as high as $20. Personally, I think the $20 price tag is a little high for what's included on this release.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of this DVD release that I checked out through the King County Library System.

I was not sure how great this would be after watching it I am so glad to have bought it. This DvD contains shorts one is a chiby wrap up party for the FMA movie two is Al in real life surching for Ed ( he is just a statue though )
three is images that were taken from a theme park ride where you are a new state alchemist and go on an adventure four is FMA kids I won't spool this one.If you love FMA and what more to watch this is great.

This is a cool show it is a bit violent so I won't let my 9 year old nephew watch it till he's a bit older but the characters are interesting and the writing is good and the story line is also interesting I mainly like the characters the artistry could use a little work but beyond that it's a cute show and I must admit that I am enjoying the DVD's I do think Inuyasha is a bit better as far as artistry and storyline goes but I like this show too but I did have to watch the first show first to figure out what was going on.

Perfect for die hard fans of the series....The casual viewer will probably want to save their money.

I own the whole FMA series and the movie. I wanted this to complet my set. its not bad, however it did not add anything new to my collection. Its a good time killer for the price. If your a FMA fan get this, if not just watch the movie. It will be time better spent.

This is a good little treat for the hard core fans of FMA, many who have already seen the japanese version. Sadly, the voice acting is a little off but the jokes in here are just as good as any the Japanes could pull and, as far as I'm concerned, they make more sense. This is good for those who truly love FMA but not so much for the casual watcher. Or maybe I'm wrong...