Synopsis
In this world there exist alchemists, people who study
and perform the art of alchemical transmutation—to manipulate objects
and transform one object into another. They are bounded by the basic law
of alchemy: in order to gain something you have to sacrifice something
of the same value.
The main character is the famous alchemist Edward Elric—also known as
the Fullmetal Alchemist—who almost lost his little brother, Alphonse, in
an alchemical accident. Edward managed to attach his brother's soul to a
large suit of armor. While he did manage to save his brother's life, he
paid the terrible price of his limbs.
To get back what they've lost, the brothers embark on a journey to find
the Philosopher's Stone that is said to amplify the powers of an
alchemist enormously; however, on the way, they start uncovering a
conspiracy that could endanger the entire nation, and they realize the
misfortunes brought upon by the Philosopher's Stone.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a re-telling of the story from the manga's point of view.
Alternative Titles
English: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Synonyms: Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (2009), Fullmetal Alchemist (2009), FMA
Japanese: 鋼の錬金術師
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 64
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 5, 2009 to Jul 4, 2010
Duration:
24 min. per episode
Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Review
First of all, I have seen the original FMA and although it was very
popular and original, the pacing and conclusion did not sit too well
with me. Brotherhood is meant to be a remake of the original, this time
sticking to the manga all the way through, but there were people who
thought it would spoil the franchise. That myth should be dispelled, as
there's only one word to describe this series - EPIC.
I admit that as I've seen the original and read the manga, the pacing of
Brotherhood seems to start off being VERY fast (I finally got used to
the pacing after watching the first
fifteen eps or so). Events that took up half a volume of the manga and
had spread though a few episodes of the original anime were now shown in
just a single episode. However, after trying to look at it from the
perspective of someone who's new to FMA (not comparing it to the manga
nor the original), I believe that the pacing works and it manages to
tell an intriguing story effectively with little confusion. The plot is
full of clever ideas and unpredictable twists that link various parts of
the story together. By the final episode, all loose ends are neatly
tied up and what's left is a hugely satisfying epilogue.
The animation in FMA Brotherhood is crisp and very well done (although
it does sometimes dip a bit in quality). Compared to the original FMA
it's a bit simpler but that's just because the original set a very high
standard to follow. The facial emotions of the characters are also
perfectly presented. The action scenes are brilliant and VERY well
animated, with a variety of alchemy techniques and other talents being
displayed nearly every episode. The various battles are consistently
exciting to watch, but somehow get even better towards the end of the
series.
The voice acting is of an excellent and consistent quality, and I think
that pretty much all the characters have voice actors which suit their
personalities. The majority of the openings/endings are a pleasure to
watch due to fantastic animated sequences and theme songs. The
background music which play during the episodes usually fit very well
with the situation, although some tracks seem to be overused a little at
first. This becomes less of a problem as the series progresses, with
plenty of new music being introduced to support the story as it reaches
the finale.
Moving on to the characters (best thing about this series), the original
FMA focussed mainly on Ed and Al and on their struggles to regain their
bodies, whereas Brotherhood also explores other characters to great
detail at the same time. The majority of the spotlight is still on the
two brothers, but it highlights their interactions with new characters
which were not present in the original anime. New characters include a
group of people from Xing (a neighbouring country), another person from
the Armstrong family (who I think has become one of the coolest members
of the supporting cast), and a new main antagonist. For me, the Xingese
characters in particular (Ling Yao and Mei Chang among others) provide a
new dimension to the FMA world, by showing us a different culture to
the militaristic one we're familiar with. I think the new antagonist is
an improvement on the original FMA, as this person has a much stronger
and clever link to the Elric brothers' father. Returning characters from
the original FMA, such as Mustang and Scar, are much more awesome and
developed due to the fact that Brotherhood is 100% faithful to the
manga. Plus, Winry Rockbell now has a much more active role in the
story. I can say for sure that this anime has one of the best
main/supporting casts I've ever seen, and you'd probably find it
difficult to label any of the recurring characters (whether they are
good or evil) as being either boring or unnecessary in terms of the
storyline.
One of the many good things about this series is that there has been
absolutely no filler at all (yes, I'm thinking of Naruto, Inuyasha,
etc), which prevents the story from losing momentum. All the episodes
are concise and every scene is important as part of the huge plot. The
dialogue fully explains everything and is straight to the point. As
multiple characters are explored there are lots of side stories, but
these are all perfectly intertwined with the main story of the Elric
brothers and more often than not directly influence their journey too.
Like most anime series, there are things from the manga which have been
left out, but these are usually just restricted to comedy moments. There
has been one episode which shows a lot of flashbacks of events so far,
but that's forgiven as it shows the most epic moments of the series, and
also provided us with some history on the father of the Elric brothers.
FMA Brotherhood will be sorely missed now that it's finished. It is
excellent in every aspect and has very little, if anything, that can be
called a flaw (maybe rushed character development at first due to the
fast pacing, but this quickly subsides). Each episode feels like it's
too short, a testimony to how much it draws you in to the story and
characters. There are moments which leave you smiling, laughing, sad and
simply amazed. Try this anime, it's recommended for absolutely
everyone, to newcomers and to those familiar with Fullmetal Alchemist.