The time is here! The Fullmetal Alchemist Ultimate Editions are preparing to ship and we thought it was time to show off our baby to the world! Some copies are left on zavvi.com, alltheanime.com and a limited number will soon hit amazon.co.uk too.
About Fullmetal Alchemist
In an era of war and corruption, State Alchemist Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse desperately search for the Philosopher’s Stone. The legendary artifact is their last hope to restore what they’ve lost – but how far will they go to get it? From the ashes of their childhood, Edward and Alphonse quickly rise to fame within the ranks of the military, realizing along the way that the power to create is only ever a breath away from the power to destroy. And whether they’re up against monsters, madmen, or military officials, the bond these brothers share will be the greatest weapon they have in the fight for their lives.
WHAT’S INSIDE? WHAT’S ON THE DISCS?
This Ultimate Edition comes with a boatload of stuff (almost enough for a human transmutation). Including:
The complete 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist TV series (51 episodes) on Blu-ray with both the English dub and original Japanese audio with subtitles.
It will come in unique packaging that is an impressive replica of “The Gate” from Fullmetal Alchemist. It will be made from Resin and limited to 1,000 in the world!
There will also be a 280-page large sized artwork artbook (26cm x 26cm) that will be shipped along with ‘The Gate’ in a custom mailing box.
Two Rigid Cases and digipacks to store the entire series. In addition to this each case will 7 art cards making it a total of 14 art cards that are included.
On-disc extras:
Episode Commentaries
The Transmutation of a Phenomenon: An Inside Look
Japanese Commercial
L’Arc~en~Ciel ”Ready Steady Go” Video
Ura Hagane: Comedic Previews
Textless Songs
A must have for any fan of the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise! Limited to 1000 units only with not many units left at this stage (under 300 last we checked).
WHAT DOES THE FINISHED PRODUCT LOOK LIKE?
So, with everything above in mind it’s time to show you an unboxing video Jeremy prepared before flying AND photos of the finished product. You can click on them to enlarge them too!
Video unboxing:
THE INITIAL BOX & UNBOXING:
The outer box, yours will come with a sticker on the barcode as that changed since print :).
Instructions on both sides for postmen / couriers on which way up the package is meant to go and that it’s fragile etc.
First thing you’ll see on opening is the artbook, with a plastic wrap round it to keep it safe!
Underneath the book is cardboard to keep the polystyrene underneath all safe.
Polystyrene – as you’d expect to keep The Gate safe and sound!
Small warning – don’t try lifting The Gate from one side only, the magnets holding it together are strong – but not THAT strong!
Remove the first layer of polystyrene and you get your view of The Gate, covered by plastic again for safety. If any polystyrene does get through, a quick blow or dusting should fix it.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
Fresh out of the box, the Gate and the book
The Gate is huge! We’re very happy with the result.
How big? Well here’s a ruler to give you a bit of context…
Open The Gate and what’s inside…? Well it’s sort of the secret to transmutation…
Parts 1 & 2 themselves:
The Elric brothers, side by side on the digipack side of the spine.
Side 1 of both rigid cases – good and bad clearly labeled there…
The other spine
The final side of the rigid cases – the red there stands out if you run your finger over it too!
Part 1 with digipack – both the brothers posing dramatically for your pleasure…
Discs! And the digipack’s other side. But what lies beneath it?
Sorry! Someone was practicing their alchemy here earlier it seems…probably Jeremy before he went on holiday!
The seven art cards that come with part 1, the far right promo art is one we adore here too if we had to pick a fave!
The whole Part 1 laid out for people to look at.
Part 2’s back – some group shots for people’s enjoyment…
Discs again! But what lies under them?
More alchemy practice, I swear when I find who did this…
The seven art cards with Part 2, with another promo art on the right allowed for use with the set, we love all of the cards though!
And the full Part 2 shot for folks.
ARTBOOK:
Split into four sections: Characters, Settings, Artwork in Progress and finally an Art Gallery
The character guide comes with a spoiler warning – we recommend reading that part after you’ve seen the series (you were warned)!
Settings – this section is a real labour of love for us! Let’s show you a bit of what we mean…
Firstly we compiled all the alchemy symbols for reference.
The real labour of love though was when we assembled the image boards (rough sketches of locations) and ordered them by location AND episode. So as you watch the show, you can see how artists imagined it would look – going page by page in episodic order. Pretty cool isn’t it?
This section is a bit secretive for us as we want you to enjoy it! We’ve laid out artwork in rough line-art form on one side and then on the other side we’ve laid out the final art. It’s a rare glimpse into the art process and we owe a huge thank you to the committee for letting us do this!
Here’s a snap of the corner of one of the artworks we show off (it’s the same one as on the cover of the book…)
Finally an art gallery – broken down by type of artwork but there’s a LOT of images for this show used for promotion and we’ve laid it out cleanly and clearly for people’s enjoyment. Which one is your favourite?
The back of the book for folks curious what was on it.
The last artbook we know of for FMA released came in A4 size – just to give you an idea of the artbook’s size, here’s an A4 page vs the book, as you can see, it’s a fair bit taller…enjoy!
Finally – a shot of the four parts of the Fullmetal Alchemist Ultimate Edition
And that’s it, shipping on Mondy and still available from zavvi.com, alltheanime.com and a limited number will soon hit amazon.co.uk too. Are you excited? We are as our copies are coming on Tuesday!
Received mine this morning.
-Grand Cascade Alchemist
-Service Number: 86
I was surprised by the weight of it as well as the size of the Artbook. Was expecting it to be this little thing about the same size as one of the Digipacks (Didn't actually look at this Unboxing Article until today).
Needless to say I am loving these 'Ultimate Editions' (also have 'Gurren Lagann' and 'Escaflowne') and can't wait for the next one. Also hoping that maybe one day down the line, we'll get one for one of my all time favourite Anime, 'Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still'. In my mind, an anime that defines 'Epic'.
Now I'm off to open the Gate of Truth. Good thing is, I already know what I'm going to lose when I do. Time. Specifically the time I'll be spending watching Fullmetal Alchemist.
G0d_Ginrai
November 16, 2016 7:44 pm
Received mine this morning. -Grand Cascade Alchemist -Service Number: 86 I was surprised by the weight of it as well as the size of the Artbook. Was expecting it to be this little thing about the same size as one of the Digipacks (Didn't actually look at this Unboxing Article until today). Needless to say I am loving these 'Ultimate Editions' (also have 'Gurren Lagann' and 'Escaflowne') and can't wait for the next one. Also hoping that maybe one day down the line, we'll get one for one of my all time favourite Anime, 'Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still'. In my mind, an anime that defines 'Epic'. Now I'm off to open the Gate of Truth. Good thing is, I already know what I'm going to lose when I do. Time. Specifically the time I'll be spending watching Fullmetal Alchemist.
Helencassia
October 2, 2017 8:29 pm
How much to send to Brazil? What are the paying ways?