'Fullmetal Alchemist' Live-Action Film Shares Behind-The-Scenes Reel

The Fullmetal Alchemist live-action adaptation has gone on to great success both critically and commercially in Japan, and a major part of that is played by its impressive visual effects.

But how exactly did they bring the anime series to life? Warner Bros Japan released a new look at the behind the scenes making of the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist, and it shows just how much the visuals played a part in bringing in altogether.

The behind-the-scenes reel shows how they made Lust's extended fingers happen, Colonel Mustang's impressive fire alchemy, and even showcases how they brought to life the moment that started the series, Edward and Alphonse trying to bring their mother back to life with alchemy.

For those unfamiliar with Fullmetal Alchemist, the series was first created by Hiromu Arakawa. The story follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who learn alchemy in order to bring back their deceased mother. After a terrible miscalculation, however, the two brothers pay a terrible price with Alphonse even losing his body and linking his soul to a suit of armor. As the two boys search for an alchemy that will restore their bodies to their original forms, they join the military and deal with a whole host of new political, ethical, and moral issues.

The series ran in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine from August 2001 to June 2010. It was collected into 27 volumes, and was localized for an English language release by Viz Media. It has sold 67 million copies worldwide, and was later adapted into two anime series from studio Bones.

Bones' first attempt in 2003 successfully ran for 51 episodes, but was marred by fans for its pacing issues and deviations from the original source. Bones produced a more faithful adaptation in 2009 with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and most fans assumed the live-action film would parallel this series since it was pretty much beat for beat with the original source.

There is a live-action version of Fullmetal Alchemist that has been recently released and has been well received by both fans in Japan and critics. There are currently plans in place to screen the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist films for a wider U.S. audience, but no announcements as to its wider distribution have been made. Since the first film has been received as well as it has, and a possible sequel lies on the horizon, expect news on this sooner rather than later.