The main character is a firm believer in the "science" of alchemy, and likes to dispute miracles and that sort of thing, at least in the first episode. The show's creators have other characters with religious faith, and they don't shove any specific ideology down your throat thankfully.
So don't let the religious stuff bother you basically, thus far it doesn't seem offensive or anything like that, and I have trouble believing it will end up that way.
you can call it a debate, i dunno, i may be wrong on it entirely. basically the whole town is fully religious, but the two main characters pop in and tell them that whatever is happening is due to alchemy and that they're being decieved. which is true. because the villian in that episode is going beyond the boundries of what the laws of science will allow. but the villagers still don't fully believe them and claim everything as a miraculous act of god.
it's still science vs. religion in the end though. i don't want to say it's a full on debate, or that it's a full on denouncing, but that first episode is definitely a battle between what's in front of you and can be proven, and what your beliefs are and what you percieve it to be.
download it (if you haven't). i think you'll enjoy it. things are/are getting to be interesting come the second episode. it's a nice break from the series that dwell on religious overtones, and series that are all about the scientific studies of this, that and the other.
Peace Maker Kurogane is a great show. Especially if you watched Rurouni Kenshin since the story revolves around the Shinsen Gumi. Most people say it's a mix of Naruto and Kenshin cause of the Shinsen Gumi aspect and the fact that the main character is an annoying little Naruto-esque kid.
Edit: Alchemist seems really cool too. I only watched one episode so far though.
I'm really enjoying this one a lot... The somewhat dark premise is nice, but I think what I'm enjoying the most is the fun ensemble cast. "Mustang's Heroes" is the oddest bunch of folk in uniform I've seen in quite some time... good stuff, episode 18 sparked some pretty interesting plotness. I've also been reading the scanlations of the manga at Toriyama's World, and it's kind of interesting to see how much it changes (or doesn't change) in the anime.
I'm somewhat interested in the game as well, but undecided as of yet if I want to try it... hrm.
I've only watched through episode 9 or 10, but I really love this series; I also have the manga but have yet to begin reading it. The style and story really make this series a standout anime amid a lot of me toos. I hope this series gets a decent domestic release along with a good translation of the manga and possibly the localization of the videogame (though that might be a long shot). I think FMA could really be a hit for whoever decides to pick it up.
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