One series I regularly recommend along with Fullmetal Alchemist is Kekkaishi, which doesn't have the political scope but does do the shonen magical adventure without being stupid about it -- including having good strong female characters. (Not coincidentally, both are by women.) In this case, the magic is based on traditional Japanese folklore rather than European alchemy.
(no subject)
Wed, Dec. 25th, 2013 11:35 pm (UTC)---L.