Ranked #297

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala

I’m going to have to diverge my opinion from the consensus here. Though I had been a long time fan of the series, the movie was a dull, disconnected effort to recapture the quality of the former.

Story 7/10
This is where things fall apart. The general premise of the story was high quality yet the execution in relation to its source material was poor, largely because the end of the series left so many plot threads to be explained. Unfortunately, the movie spends less time attempting to address these numerous plot threads and more time creating larger questions of its own. This is fine by itself but Shambhala is inherently a continuation of the series rather than a stand-alone piece. It begins with an unanswered series of questions, brings forth a new series of questions, and in the end, doesn’t conclude in answering any of them.

Art 9/10
Beautiful and fluid as always: even more so since this is a feature length film.

Sound 8/10
Far above average. The film is lacking in truly memorable pieces in the vain of its predecessor series (Brothers, Heavenly Spirit) but it manages to capture the viewer into the world it creates. It melds well into the background and there’s little to be said otherwise. A notable exception is the movie opening, Link, which easily ranks among the best of the franchise.

Character 7/10
And this is where the story comments arrive into effect. The returning characters are handled well; the newcomers on the other hand fall victim to the films limited length. So much time is spent on the original characters that Noah and Dietlinde appear as cardboard cutouts. The villain becomes prominent towards the second half, acts in the stereotypically evil manner, espouses a tacked on, clichéd motivation for its actions, and proceeds to be literally dehumanized thereafter. Other new characters are treated in a similar manner with two sentence reasons for what motivates them.

Enjoyment 8/10
Interesting enough. If you take it as a continuation of the series, it often fails to reach a conclusion for plot threads espoused within it, while if you view it as a stand-alone work it still has some glaring problems in the character department. Still, its imaginations should manage to capture any viewer’s attention and many of its other qualities are top notch.

Conclusion 7.5/10
The overall presentation was gorgeous but the story and character flaws were often to glaring to ignore. An above average score but not that of a masterpiece. read more

Full Metal Alchemist: the Conqueror Of Shambala Review by realanimefan


This is a brilliantly written film that works in the tension of post WWI Germany to the plot exceedingly well. The people who wrote this film know their history and their folk lore, using aspects of the Nazi society (including Hitler’s supposed obsession with the occult) to pen an enthralling experience. I went and looked up a number of the references made in the film to find out most of them were real. The setting also leads to lots of character conflict. For instance, Hughs (the Maeyz of our world) is a soldier in Post WWI Germany suckered into joining the Nazi party out of desperation. He genuinely thinks the Nazis are doing the right thing (remember, none of these characters have the luxury of knowing where all this will lead) which puts him at odds with Ed. It’s very moving.

The characters from the TV series are all there. Ed takes center stage, with the majority of the film taking place in our world. Al and his alternate version feature prominently, though. Al’s bit in the underground city with Wrath and Gluttony is amazing. Some of the other characters, like Winry and Hawkeye, are somewhat cheated of screentime, but practically every character from the show gets to make an appearance, even if it’s just their alternate version (there’s one cameo at the very end of the movie that’s absolutely hilarious).

The animation in this movie is non-stop eye candy. The fight scenes and action sequences are all fluid and choreographed to perfection, but that’s only the half of it. The backgrounds and environments are lush and detailed and are just dripping with beauty, even when the setting is the dank bowels of a castle. I’m so thankful I got to see this film on the big screen.

It’s hard to rank Conqueror of Shambala. If you’ve seen the TV series you will adore this film. If you haven’t seen the show, you’ll like all the pretty animation, but the story will go completely over your head. Still, if viewed in the proper context, this film is worthy of a 9 to 10 rating. And if you haven’t seen the TV series, do yourself a favor and go check it out. You’ll be glad you did. Full Metal Alchemist is one of the best things to come out of Japan in a long time.


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5 WORDS OR LESS REVIEW: Must watch after the series

Want a real conclusion to the events that happened in Fullmetal Alchemist? Then you should watch Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie – Conqueror of Shamballa. In my opinion, it is impossible to get some real closure from watching the series alone.

If you watched the series and followed it religiously like I did, you probably also marveled at how close Ed and Al are that they are willing to risk their lives for each other. If that’s the case, then you were also probably shocked that the series ended with the two brothers separated, Ed on Earth, specifically in Germany in the year 1923, and Al stuck in Amestris, specifically in Resembool. In the movie, Earth and Resembool are treated as parallel to each other, and you see how they interact with each other while in the process, the two brothers try to reunite themselves. It’s definitely a wonderful storyline that will give viewers the conclusion they’re looking for.

I guess to keep things fresh and exciting, the characters were given new looks to go with new storylines. Ed and Al certainly have matured (and they look cool!), and the same goes for minor characters such as Winry and Roy Mustang. I don’t want to spoil anything, but here’s a hint – dead characters are even brought to life in the movie, however they have different personalities. All the characters still have their respective voice actors from the series, but there are also new additions to the cast such as a gypsy girl named Noa (Miyu Sawai), who I don’t really like because she whines too much, and a new villain, Dietlinde Eckhart (Kazuko Kato).

Even the visuals of the movie were new and improved. The character design became sleeker, the backgrounds are more detailed and attractive, and the color coordination is better than in the series. I especially like how the colors in Earth have a slightly weathered look, while the colors in Amestris are bright and vibrant.

Michiru Oshima, who worked on the music of the series has returned to compose music for the movie as well, but I have to say I like the music of the series better. The music in the series was more striking and memorable compared to the music of the movie. L’Arc~en~ciel also sang the opening and ending themes of the movie, and just like the series, they also came up with catchy tracks for this one too.

As much as I liked the movie, I have to say that I like the series more. It’s not because of the plot per se, but I was disappointed that there was less talk of alchemy in the movie. Alchemy was so important in the series that it made the plot, but that wasn’t the case for the movie. Moreover, Al and Winry, two of my favorite characters, didn’t get enough screen time, so that disappointed me a bit.

However, I still recommend in watching the movie, because like I said earlier, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie – Conqueror of Shamballa will provide closure for the series. read more

Personally, I would not recommend this movie to newcomers. If you watch the movie before the series, the plot will make little or no sense to you whatsoever. It will also spoil the end of the series as the movie picks up from where it left off. Anyone who is new to the franchise should watch the series first - you will not be disappointed.

The movie is a satisfying conclusion to a great series; it does a good job of tying up the loose ends. The story is well written and original; I especially liked the addition of real people such as Adolf Hitler and Fritz Lang. The movie takes place in 1923, a few years after World War I ended, and the year before Hitler was sent to prison. Clearly a lot of effort has been put in to this movie - it's very well researched in terms of history, making the movie believable and intriguing.

The contrast between the two settings, Munich and Shamballa (also known as Amestris) is quite subtle. There are the character likenesses and the differences between modern science and alchemy - it's interesting to compare them.

However, although the movie is good in many ways, it is not flawless. I thought that the movie was slightly disappointing as it felt like there was something missing. Compared to the series, I think that there is not as much emphasis on alchemy in the movie. It was one of the main themes in the series; that's partly why it was compelling in the first place, due to the fascinating concept of how alchemy works (in the Full Metal Alchemist universe, at least).

Also, the movie doesn't make a good stand-alone piece; you may feel the need to watch the series, either to refresh your memory of what happened previously or to get a better understanding of the plot. Overall, the movie is worth watching, especially for Full Metal Alchemist fans or fans of the fantasy genre. read more

This movie is a direct continuation of where the first TV series leaves off and it’s STRONGLY suggested you watch the TV series first in order to understand this movie, and to see this movie as a complete closure to it as well. A good portion charms I feel of what defines the TV series are still present, and the returning characters do have presence, but not to their fullest use in my opinion. Mustang does his thing, but I think in some way they could have still developed his character. But for general character development with Ed and Al as well as their relationship, it really does the job which I feel you have to see for yourself on how that pans out.

Yes, it does give closure, but some of the movie does have some unsolved questions. Such as it doesn’t explain why Noah has the power to see somebody’s life just by touching them. And outside of that, she really has no use to the story though her presence does symbolize that gypsies were scorned by the Germans just to make emphasize the history going on in Germany at that point. Another factor I didn’t like was how little significance the opening becomes after that. It’s supposed to be something important and you get an idea of what it’s supposed to be (based on your knowledge of science and history), but after that, it really has no overall contribution of the story, nor did I felt it really established anything.

Take what I said about the TV series and times it by 2, and you perfectly get the quality of the art and animation of this movie. The moment that Ed’s mechanical arm first appears, it’s so detailed and rendered and yet syncs perfectly with the 2D art. The designs of the characters are simply for the sake of theatrical quality, but of course shows maturity to the features as well. Specifically, not just Ed by growing taller, but by placing his pony tail closer to the crown of his head to symbolize that he’s an adult and to make him more scholarly looking. And my thoughts on the environments and action sequences still remain the same and the qualities are still there, but obviously better.

Pretty much what I can say about music and voice acting has already been said in my review of the TV series. The voice acting in both English and Japanese is still a quality that I consider a standard to look up to. In addition to new characters, we got new seiyuus. Noah is played by Sawai Miyuu, who actually happens to play Sailor Moon in the live action version. She does a great job of being scared, isolated, and yet curious, as well as her actress in English. Alphonse is played by Oguri Shun, who was also in the live action versions of GTO and Gokusen, and also played the voice of Asakura Akio in the anime version of Wangan Midnight, an anime that I also previously reviewed. I thought he had a good chemistry with Park Romi, the voice of Ed in bringing a new kind of sibling relationship between the two characters.

The music is just incredible. The opening and ending themes, Link and Lost Heaven are both sung by L’Arc~En~Ciel, the 2nd best J-Rock band of all time (behind X-Japan), and if you recall, they also sang the 2nd opening theme of the TV series. Their style for these songs are more in tradition of being hard, but yet still captures the franchise’s romanticism.

If you’ve already seen the first TV series, then it’s a highly likely possibility you’ve watched this already. But if you haven’t the TV series and have been meaning to watch it or currently watching it, then naturally you’re going to watch this anyway. In the extras, it is revealed the original first draft was going to be between 2 to 3 hours long and I felt that a 95 minute movie was really too short to really give this installment of Fullmetal Alchemist a little too small of a conclusion. Personally, I think maybe an OAV series based on the initial script could have worked, or maybe just made the movie based on that script in the first place. There are anime movies out there that are over 2 hours long, so why give this the shortening treatment? It adds some confusion to some things, but the big picture is….forget it….it’d be a spoiler if I got into that, but I got about around a good portion of what I wanted out of it.
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After watching and enjoying Full Metal Alchemist the series, this movie was a major disappointment. It almost felt like watching a strange AU fanfiction made into animation. The film has many plotholes and never really feels complete, plus the characters you got to know from the anime didn't seem "in character", giving the whole feel to the series a touch of awkwardness. The animation is also a little "weird" compared to the series and the ending felt far from satisfying ((but then again, the whole movie was far from satisfying)). The action is purposeless and there's not many entertaining moments.

I wouldn't even recommend this movie to fans of FMA since it doesn't really make sense within the realm of the series and feels like pointless, useless filler, but I also wouldn't recommend the movie to newcomers to the FMA world since the story takes place after the anime is over. As a conclusion, there's nobody to really recommend this movie to. read more

Conqueror of Shamballa picks up where the final episode of Fullmetal Alchemist left off. Ed and Al are now in alternate dimensions, worlds which differ in the path technology chose to follow. Ed's world is our own, set in pre-World War 2 Germany, while Al remains in the world of the FMA series. While the brothers try to find their own ways to reunite with one another, the Thule Society in Ed's world is preparing to prop up the new Nazi government under Adolf Hitler. Seeking the power of alchemy, the Society searches for a way to cross over to Al's world. On their journey to be with each other once again, Ed and Al will have to face a maniacal enemy bent on domination of both worlds.

Shamballa is a pretty good film: animation is in line with that of the series (if not a bit more detailed and polished) and viewers should expect comparable audio. The storyline, while necessary for those of us left hanging at the end of the series, is a little too ambitious for even a nearly 2-hour film. While the plot is strong overall, the ending and enemy both seemed forced and left me with questions. In some cases, those questions were answered, but the answers were not satisfying. For instance, how is the primary enemy, a mere human from the other world, suddenly a beast with alchemic powers which prove a match for even trained state alchemists? And more importantly, what is her motive for wishing to destroy and conquer "Shamballa?" She gives viewers an answer, but it is pretty weak and is easily the low point in the movie.

On the bright side, fans should be pleased with how the movie brings the main storyline to a wrap: the two-world system is explained, we find out what happens to Ed and Al, and we see whether Roy Mustang remains a bum for the rest his life.

In Shamballa's case, the pros outweigh the cons. Animation, audio, and storyline are all enjoyable; it's nice to see the characters one more time, and the underlying premise is well-developed throughout. Apart from what felt like a forced dramatic ending battle and final enemy, Shamballa is a hit.

Overall Score: B+

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If you slept through high school history, and you know who you are, your appreciation of the depth of this movie will be greatly enhanced by reviewing the following things: Treaty of Versailles, Weimar Republic, rise of the Nazi party (including history in the 1920's), the Manhattan Project, the Thule Society (yes, it's real), Shambala (yes, it's real), Nazi occultism, and, if you somehow missed it, the Holocaust. Japan's opinion of nuclear weapons should be obvious to anybody with a basic grasp of the history of World War II. They're never portrayed as a Good Thing in Japanese media, and frankly, I can't blame them. They represent the end-all be-all of total destruction and horrific weaponry, a symbol of the Apocalypse. This race-memory seems embedded in Ed and Al from the moment they hear the term "Uranium bomb", even though they live in pre-1945 parallel-universe Germany. This entanglement with world history is prevalent throughout the movie, and while sometimes a little heavy-handed, it's good.

Sometimes I have to wonder if "Conqueror of Shambala" is being deeper than I should give it credit for, but given the stunning depth and quality of storytelling displayed in the TV series, I am inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt. I was shocked and dismayed at the behavior and petty idealism of one of my favorite characters from the TV series as portrayed in Weimar Germany (I'll give you a hint: his daughter just turned three), as he was one of the most accepting, intelligent, and gentle people in the series, but we are a product of our circumstances, and as a modern-day American I feel I have no right to stand in judgment of those who were members of the National Socialist Worker's Party in the 1920's. It started out sounding like a true people's revolution, and Adolf Hitler was a true charismatic leader. I just would have expected better of you, Hughes, especially when you outspokenly buy into myths about every race but the Aryan. I pray he came to his senses before Kristallnacht or later became a defector. I guess the upcoming new series will tell.

I guess that was the biggest problem I had with the movie. I felt as though it would be more in-character for Hughes to be an anti-Nazi activist, but our idealizations often do not match with reality. And this brings me to the theme pervading the movie: people destroy so much that they do have searching for idealizations that do not exist. L'arc~en~Ciel expressed it best in the ending theme: "we're letting go of something we never had". Whether it's the mythical land of Shambala, a country for the German people, a scapegoat, Equivalent Exchange, Mustang's ideals of reforming the military, etc, each of the characters faces the realization that he or she must live with the reality life has given, even when it's not pretty, and even when it's heartbreaking.

I find it interesting that Lior and Munich were linked through the parallel universes; both cities were devastated and eagerly looking for a prophet to come and save them and restore them to former glory. This is the destructive side of idealization; people make themselves vulnerable to being used by charismatic leaders. They make themselves gullible. They make themselves terrifying in their devotion to that ideal, even if it means destroying things they see as interfering with their ideal world. Sometimes those things are a scapegoat. You see where this is going. Etc.

I guess this is my very roundabout way of saying that this was a stellar movie, all things considered. It hit me square in the chest and made me tear up, and it ties up many of the loose ends left by the end of the TV series. Roy Mustang is back with a vengeance ready to kick ass, and I hope that he and Hawkeye finally get together. My heart almost broke for Winry. She has become an even stronger, smarter, and more resourceful girl--no, woman--than she was in the TV series. Alphonse is still painfully naive, and, returning to an underlying theme, his idealism and naivity come to bite him in the ass hard toward the end of the movie. Edward has become a little calmer, a little wiser, and a little more distant, but ultimately he is still the same hot-headed, stubborn boy--no, man--that he was in the TV series. The artwork is supurb, rich and realistic, and the music is sweeping.

Though the movie was written to be able to be viewed as a stand-alone, it's enjoyable on a quantum level beyond if you have seen the entirety of the TV series. And, if you plan on seeing the TV series EVER, the movie will spoil it utterly. I cannot recommend it enough to FMA fans. It's bittersweet, strange, and painful, but ultimately, a solid ending to the saga. read more

As a non-anime fan, I was pleasantly surprised by the series, but the movie was a great disappointment, and has me continuing my quest - for the sake of my Otaku husband - to find at least ONE anime that I can say I fully enjoyed.
What exactly was wrong with this film? I suppose it was the film itself. The series ends with this whole gate thing - which I was not a big fan of, especially compared to the fantasy world dominating the rest of the series - and therefore, the movie continues with the gate, and our world beyond it. It was not a great ending to an otherwise clever and fun series.
Plus, some of the best characters; Lust, Scar, Hughes... they were all already dead by the time the movie came around. The series should really have ended with just the series, and a sappy-happy fairy-tale ending would have been a much better ending for this series, which is not something I'm prone to say, but it would have been far better than the ending it actually had. read more

A must see for those of you who loved the FMA series...

The movie starts where the show ends and that makes me happy because although I loved the show I wanted more, I couldn't be left hanging like that. The movie dose a good job at staying true to what the show was all about and that one reason why I liked this movie so much. Overall the movie is a great ending to one of my favorite shows ever.