It’s hard to sum up the eclectic collective that is the Fullmetal Alchemist Premium OVA Collection. It’s like they took everything that should, by all rights, be considered extra content to the main series and slapped it on a single disc and called it an OVA. There are a couple of animated shorts. One is called “Kids” and is simply child versions of Ed, Al, and Winry venturing into a city to visit their granpa for his 100th birthday. There’s a nifty twist at the end, but this is just a sweet slice of life kind of episode. The other notable short is the cast wrap-up party, in which the entire notable cast of Fullmetal Alchemist is present and represented in a chibi style. They are all out of character and mingling, and it is by far the most amusing feature of the disc. Just a note, the wrap-party takes place after the movie Conqueror of Shambala.
Then, there is another animation. It’s an “interactive” experience in which the majority of the story is from a first-person perspective. The narration is generally done, when needed, by Havoc as the viewer (a new state alchemist recruit) takes part in missions integral to the series. Think of yourself as an “Alan Extra,” one of those generic background characters that no one notices or misses. Don’t worry, though, you won’t need to be wearing a red shirt for this experience. What’s most interesting about this bit is that, aside from busting down the fourth wall, you get a more in-depth understanding and explanation of Alchemy and how the State operates, as well as other facets of the series that were never explained in great detail before. It is slightly annoying that the first-person gets dropped half-way into the show and only gets picked back up at the end, but other than that it’s pretty enjoyable.
The rest of the DVD is given to live-action content such as interviews and other, less notable things. It’s hard to understand why FMA Premium was a separate release at all, given the nature of its content. But, fortunately, the DVD is wallet-friendly and books for less than ten dollars used on Amazon.com. If anything, it is worth it for the amusing Chibi Wrap Party and the useful information given in the interactive animation. It makes an entertaining extra for fans of the series, but it’s not really recommended for anyone who hasn’t seen Fullmetal Alchemist.