Full Metal Alchemist
- sarahwilk24
- Jun 19, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 19
To view the brick set associated with the show, Full Metal Alchemist, be sure to visit the Anime Table outside!
Automail Heart
182 pieces | Buildify: Heart
Assembled by Hunter Williams, January 2025
Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)
Premise: Two brothers, after a horrific alchemical accident while attempting to resurrect their dead mother, had their bodies maimed and destroyed. It sets them on a quest to find the mythical philosopher's stone, which will restore their bodies to their original states.
Favorite Thing About the Show: The in-universe rule of equivalent exchange, which posits that you can't gain without sacrificing something of equal value, is both a prominent rule in the world and a theme throughout the show. The plot centers around what happens when you try to subvert it. It's interesting how equivalent exchange echoes through the plot, and it resonates with real life to a degree—you have to put in effort to get something you want.
Set Significance: The couple chose the mechanical heart because it reminded them of automail, which is the universe's equivalent of prosthetics, but with a steampunk twist. The gears in the heart evoked the steampunk vibe. It also brings to mind one of Hunter's favorite quotes from the show: "There's no such thing as a painless lesson, they just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary. You can't gain anything without first losing something. Although...if you can endure that pain and walk away from it, you'll find that you now have a heart strong enough to overcome any obstacle. Yeah...a heart made of Fullmetal."
Where It's Streaming: Netflix and Crunchyroll; the finale aired in 2010.
Reason They Watched: This is one of Hunter's favorite shows, and arguably one of the best anime ever made (you could argue otherwise, but you'd be wrong). Hunter's only tattoo is a symbol from the show: Flammel's cross, which the brothers wear.
