Hey, nice armor!

No, seriously, the packaging for season two of Fullmetal Alchemist could only be made sweeter by the addition of some sort of merchandising swag (figures, necklaces, etc.). The box is fairly bulky, easily housing the four slim DVD cases and the somewhat thick slide-out compartment for the episode guide books. Each DVD cover sports a widespread illustration featuring different character pairings from the series and the main box cover is simply of Alphonse against a solid black backing. There are so many illustrations included in the packaging that it would take far too long for me to list, but each are of excellent manga quality. The DVD menus themselves are fairly basic and use images taken from the packaging as menu backgrounds to accompany mood-setting music. The Japanese voice cast is superb, but the English voice cast is also of high quality and makes the show easy and enjoyable to watch in either language.

Turning lead into gold.

This box set is just brimming with extra content. The most easily noted is the thick stack of seven series guide books that have been inserted within a special box of their own into the collective box. Each book features episode summaries, various screenshots, and character designs. They all seem to have randomly different content inclusions like commentaries from the English voice actors, conceptual illustrations for the animation, character profiles, and more. These books make up the heart and soul of the extra content for this set. Disc four is a DVD set aside solely for the rest of the extra features. Coming standard on this disc are textless songs and Funimation trailers for anime titles such as Project Blue Earth SOS, One Piece, Case Closed, and more. There is also a commercial for the SquareEnix Fullmetal Alchemist videogame. Episode 51 comes with actor commentary, as well. But the best of all on this disc is the inside look into the English production of the series. It’s so engagingly interesting to see the voices of your favorite characters get so emotional as they talk about their experiences and connection to the show. It’s also amusing to find how much some of the actors look just like their animated counterparts (this is even commented on by Hohenheim’s actor). Really, if you have 30 minutes to spare, I highly recommend watching.

A package worthy of Envy.

Fullmetal Alchemist, season 2, is an absolute must-have. Not only do you find yourself engrossed in the evermore tragic and heroic tale of the two Elric brothers, but also viewers will find themselves relating to even the most minor of characters in endearing ways. The story is so intricate and appealing on a basic human level and that’s what has garnered it such wide popularity. Funimation only sweetens the rich pot with a robust selection of extra content and awesome packaging. Viewers new to the series must be strongly cautioned, though, because this is not a series you can jump right into and instantly know what’s going on. The storyline runs so deep that it must be started from the very beginning of the first season; otherwise a lot of the subtler storylines of other characters will be missed. But it’s that depth that makes Fullmetal Alchemist an integral addition to anyone’s anime collection.