FMA Day: What Could Equal The Value Of A Human Soul?

All fans of Hiromu Arakawa's Full Metal Alchemist series - okay, a lot of them at least - know that in the FMA 'verse, October 3rd is a very special day. It is the day when our fearless alchemist Elric brothers set off on their journey to conquer the very art that had cost them two limbs and a body as well as their mother. Their journey would take them across unusual terrain, fascinating characters, and have them facing down the sinful homunculi and their mad creator.

Today's date is seen engraved inside the fob watch that Edward carries around, reminding them to never forget why they are doing what they do, why they set their childhood home on fire and walked away from it forever so they can get their true bodies back. It has become Full Metal Alchemist day for fans, an unofficial fan holiday in its own right.

I remember first interacting with the story of Alphonse and Edward when I caught the first episode of the original anime on Adult Swim (when [as] still showed anime in their regular programming block!). I was utterly entranced by the story of these two young men, and I ended up starting to read the manga because I was too impatient to wait for next week's episode. It has spawned two series, several films and OVAs/specials, and has become a classic series in a seemingly short amount of time.

I'll be spending some time today reflecting upon one of the best manga/anime series I've had the pleasure of reading/seeing - how about you?