Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa

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.

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.

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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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.

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa would have to be the most unrecognized piece of anime I've come across, compared to what it really holds within. This is a movie and it clearly has a high budget behind it. At the time the manga was incomplete, the anime having to recourse the story on its own route with its own image of itself. Also, coming from that, one shouldn't be confused with what this movie really is. This isn't a side-story like Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, this is the ending of the original series. And no, this isn't another Lunar Legend Tsukihime. ... While the movie re-explains some basics early on, this isn't a good sample of the show to get a friend into the franchise either. This is literally the ending of the series, and one can only be in a state of denial to think it as anything else. It's recommended that, before watching this movie, one finishes the entire 2003, television series.

This anime movie is in a line of movies that surprised me by being one of the most memorable parts of their respective series (some being: End of Evangelion, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Cowboy Bebop - Knockin' on Heaven's Door). That could be because a movie and a television show are two different things, somewhat similar to how literature and any visual representation is. A television series allows for more down time and more complex setups. A movie doesn't have the run-time to allow for such things if it still wishes to balance its priorities, but it does allow for a format that makes it tolerable to watch something in a larger period of time by inserting a good deal of style and by giving the audience a great deal of respect. A good movie balances its priorities just right with that in mind, and I feel that is actually the weakest part of Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa. That may be surprising to start with what seems like a negative, but it may be even more surprising to say that it isn't even a negative.

FMA: Conqueror of Shamballa is a movie and is limited to what it can present. It does make sacrifices in aspects that aren't particularly necessary for the overall enjoyment, but still creates lacking elements that some who were hoping for them in particular will be let down. In this way some have spoken down this movie for giving them something that wasn't what they expected or hoped for, delivering something different. For this reason more now huddle to, the sister series, "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" which carries a more acceptable ending. I would like to go back and ask why being different is a bad thing? This movie is certainly different and places its priorities in odd unexpected situations with unexpected and seemingly unnecessary outcomes. This, however, creates an interesting setup where the movie feels capable of going in any direction while still sticking to the plot elements created by the end of the television series. It works with those elements and connects a surprisingly fitting story, which will be more delved into.

One thing this movie is criticized for is that it doesn't build up the elements of the story that much. It more works off of the unknown of the story, while simultaneously working closely with what is known from the series. It's true that if the movie had more time to build up the plot elements of the series, by bringing more explanations, that the entire film would have been more enjoyable. However, this movie is not three hours long and can only work with something near a six-episode length. This brings back the reality of priorities, and also leads to another point. If you have seen "2001: A Space Odyssey" (and if you haven't, watch it now), there is definitely a lot of working with the unknown being done by the end. The same can definitely be said for FMA: Conqueror of Shamballa. So why then does this movie not ring with the same acclaim as 2001? While building up plot elements is definitely a plus, it isn't necessary. When taking into account that we have different people working on the entire ending than who wrote the original manga, it may even be better to just not break what isn't broken.

Even if one is to still stand beside that criticism, it still seems unreasonable to not take into consideration what is literally being seen and heard from the film. People will praise Ufotable for their visual work and, while it is respectable, Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa has something even greater. The original Fullmetal series already had some pretty good animation for its time, but to suddenly rise from that to this makes one wish for even more. The animation and art is top-notch the entire time this movie is playing. The background art is astounding, nearing to the level of Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door. The art style is that of the television series, but the quality control was set on ultra-high and there is never a time when that quality doesn't meet full potential. The frames-per-second is also increased for much of the highlights of the movie, and this animation is good enough to not even require to be watched with SVP smoothing software (while it still makes it better).

Also, the directing for this movie is some of the best I've ever seen in anime. This director, Seiji Mizushima, needs more attention both from the industry and from the public. Seiji has talent, and this movie is likely his best example. While his work in the 2003, Fullmetal Alchemist series was still great, his grasp on all of this budget allowed him to work with no limits in that form (not taking into account of other possible and unknown factors). He treats timing perfectly and was able to fit in a huge amount of content in a roughly, two-hour movie and make it carry no aura of rushed pacing. He did push things to the limit, but he did so wonderfully. A movie is not a television show, and priorities come back again into how Seiji would now treat this part of the series as something more fitting to this form of media.

The spectacular soundtrack of the original series takes up a lot of the movie in brilliantly-rehashed orchestrations, this time presenting itself in a movie format allowing the indulgence of the entire involvement of the audio rollercoaster. Even so, there's still some new music to be heard, but it's mostly involved with new theme-songs to better fit changed settings and characters. The themes for much of the series are still in place, yet nothing ever feels redundant. In-fact, the movie makes the soundtrack feel as though it was supposed to be experienced in such a way to begin with. The sound in general is astounding and it's a shame to known that I'll never be able to experience this film in a theater.

There were certainly no budget-cuts made with any aspect of the budget for this movie, also linking to the storytelling and the screenwriting. This returns to how fitting this ending really was for the series, but first let me take note of the screenwriting. If one was impressed with the dialogue of the 2003 series, I will be happy to inform that this movie raises the bar from that point. The dialogue always stays interesting and feels as if it was read over numerous times to leave out filler conversation and thoughts. This is high quality dialogue, along with some in-depth screenwriting. While the writing doesn't explain the plot elements from the series, it relates them astoundingly well to this next phase of the story. This phase is a game-changer, and a story like Fullmetal Alchemist requires some work and some style to keep the quality storytelling on high marks. Well, Conqueror of Shamballa again raises the bar with the massive amounts of research its staff members must have done to create the movie.

I've written a lengthy examination of their research, in the blog on my profile, and the setting of this movie was definitely treated with care. They chose not to break the story with attempted reasoning, but instead made interesting setups and relations with the television series' plot to what is now on the table. They researched the setting, what was going on at the time in: politics, entertainment, and the society. This movie is also the point where many may start to notice the relationship of Buddhism to the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise as a whole. Without going into a lengthy explanation, "Shamballa" is a metaphysical kingdom in ancient Buddhism that obviously has a place in the story. Take note again that the staff working on the last half of the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist was not the original creator and had to basically deconstruct what she had already constructed to continue the story (as it was too famous to halt production at the time). That's likely why the original series of Fullmetal Alchemist has more of a European feeling, from the simple coincidence that the majority of what was finished at the time shows visualizations similar to Europe from the cars to the clothing. In the original manga the setting diversifies, but the 2003 series sticks with such a different outlook of itself leading to a more consistent theme. Coming the time of this movie, that theme is treated with care for it to carry depth in itself by making solid connections to justify the risky plot-turn they already took in the series.

People shrug off this movie for being wasteful and useless, but they lack to remember that this is the ending of the series and its main goal is thoughtful closure. Some will immediately hear that and say it's still lacking, but when I say "thoughtful" I don't mean "considerate". This movie still takes an interesting turn in the fate of the characters and to which character receives the spotlight. By the ending of the series and the movie, basically every character receives thoughtful closure, but the strange and "cruel" direction of that closure is what's the problem for some. That's fine, but it shouldn't motivate to deter others from giving this movie a try. Opinions are opinions and one isn't better than the other, but it just feels tough for someone to justify a 3/10 rating or lower for this movie. Sure, for some visuals aren't everything, but this movie still knocks it out of the park. Sure, for some sound isn't everything, but I'd like to ask for a scene where the atmosphere wasn't engrossing. Finally to the story, not everyone will like every story, and the direction the 2003 series took is definitely different from the usual. Even so, such superficial parts of a story shouldn't be taken as such great negatives if they are still treated well.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa is heavily controversial and some may still hate the way it chose to give its characters closure and I could agree to disagree with that, but I couldn't agree for someone to consider this movie as a waste of time and as something to not acknowledge. If such superficial aspects make someone not want to acknowledge a story's ending, considering it "fanfiction" would still ironically backfire into the person in question filling in a “fanfiction” ending of their own. Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa is the ending to the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. All you're expected to go in with is a bit of tolerance for the direction it might take.

Also, if you want to see my examination of the movie, go here: http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=760355

Now I can only wish for a remake of the original series in a movie format, like Kara no Kyoukai, that reaches this level of budget constantly. With a bit of fine-tuning, that would definitely be the best anime around.

I've talked about Fullmetal Alchemist before, both the first anime and Brotherhood. It was largely positive, with both series having a lot of good elements. Well, the original series had a film based on it and that's what we're looking at today, Conqueror of Shamballa. Does it live up to the rest of the franchise, is it an embarrassment? Let's find out.

Story:

The film opens with a scientist showing Alphonse his new bomb, mistaking him for the Fullmetal alchemist. What a novel idea, we've never seen that before. He wants a State Alchemist to help him present his bomb to their higher ups. Alphonse refuses and ... the scientist gets angry and attacks him. Which is just a bad move on his part. You'd think he'd be better off finding a State Alchemist who would listen, but that would show common sense and not result in an action sequence. Ed bursts in and the brothers manage to fight off the scientist. Who uses human transmutation in a last ditch effort to stop them. This results in him going through the gate and never being seen again. We cut ahead to Edward in a world very much like ours relating the story to someone who looks very much like his brother, who laughs it off since the idea of alchemy as a legitimate scientific practice is absurd. Which is a bit head scratching since his world has people with unexplained psychic and magic powers.

The two join a group of Roma going to the carnival in order to show off their rocket. Ed excuses himself from the demonstration just in time to see a young Roma woman named Noah being chased by a trio of thugs. He steps in and manages to rescue her. Which results in him coming to the attention of the Thule society, you may remember them from your history as a group of occultists who sponsored the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, which was reorganised into the Nazi party. The Thule society is trying to open a gate into Edward's original world, which they call Shamballa under the pretense of gaining an invincible army so that the Nazis can take over Deutschland and then the world.

Let's start with the things that are wrong with the film, shall we? The big one is that a lot of the plot points don't make much sense. The Thule Society's plan is patently stupid. They've had three people cross over from the other world, Edward, Hohenheim & Envy. Two of them are ordinary people who don't even have alchemy in their world and the third they manage to capture with no trouble whatsoever. So, how exactly is this world supposed to give them an invincible army? Of course, the woman in charge has a different plan and it is even dumber so there's that. We also get some real plot contrivances. For instance, Winry shows up to bring Ed a new automail arm and leg, knowing exactly how much he's grown so that she could compensate because she read ahead in the script. There's also the issue of the gate itself. In the series proper we saw that opening the gate has terrible consequences for just about everyone who does it. In this they open it several times without a bloody thing happening, save for that initial incident with the scientist. Some characters die, but they all die of reasons un-related to opening the gate. The closest connection we get is that some of them die as a result of someone else opening the gate.

Now on the positive side I do like the idea of these two parallel worlds and how people on both sides can share an appearance. I also do think there was potential in Edward's story arc about learning to live in the world he's in instead of dwelling on the world where he was even if this film doesn't handle it well.

Characters:

You get to see pretty much the entire cast of major characters from Fullmetal Alchemist. Of course, the film screws some of them up. Roy Mustang in particular. Apparently between the ending of the series and this he decided to take a demotion and go off to a remote area to be emo. Yeah, that makes sense for a character who took his angst from a war and channeled it into strength to try to grab political power. Then we have the original characters. They're a pretty one-dimensional group with flat motivations. Maybe that's why our villains are Nazis. Since you don't really have to try to give them motivations or fleshed out personalities. You can just make them evil and everyone will nod and say “yes, that's how Nazis are.” You win this round, Conqueror of Shamballa, but I'm still calling it lazy. And it could have fleshed out Noah and some of the other non-Nazi original characters.

Art:

I will give the film credit, the visuals are really good, mostly. The character designs are just like the ones in the series and the backgrounds are detailed. What's more mixed are the action sequences. They use some effects that don't really work, sometimes giving them a jarringly different animation style. Some of the fight scenes are kind of badly done too. The fight between Wrath and Gluttony is just weak and there's also the pathetically easy way that Envy is captured early on.

Sound:

The original cast reprise their roles and they all do well. No worries there. There's nothing wrong with the acting whatsoever. The music is good too, at least the instrumental stuff. Some of the lyrical stuff is outright badly done.

Ho-yay:

There really isn't any in this film.

Final Thoughts:

Conqueror of Shamballa is the worst thing I've seen from Bones. It's not a bad film, but it is definitely weak with a lot of story problems and some characterisation & art issues. In the end, it's a weak and disappointing way to end the original anime series. My final rating is a 4/10. Next week I'll look at the second 3x3 eyes OVA. For those of you who are curious about when the Gintama review will be up, expect that on the 20th.

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.

The Conqueror of Shamballa plays out like a poorly written fan fiction whose only purpose is to turn the gun sideways to kill shot the series. It's not the ending that FMA fans deserved. It's not an entertaining movie. It's only purpose was to finish off the series once and for all.

Note. Before we get into it I have not seen Brotherhood to date. Also, I give the FMA 03 series a 9 out of 10. It's almost a masterpiece outside of the unfinished ending.

The problem with this movie is it's plot. The ending of FMA left a lot to be determined. Certain main antagonists ... still deserved development. Instead because of this movie you are forced to accept the lazy explanation for the way certain characters bowed out. Instead this series introduces new villains. The main villain of them is just terrible. With a little more work she might of turned out okay, but as it stands things come off too rushed. They don't make you believe in the character enough. She is just evil because she is dumb.

The setting obviously takes place in the world that the original series left off. Which is cool, but also lame at the same time. If this was a one time movie that led into more anime than it would be nice. However, this makes the series more or less finish off entirely in a foreign setting with foreign(ish) characters. It doesn't even fit thematically with the rest of the series.

Then the ending of the movie makes it's purpose clear. The ending they shaped was designed so no more of the anime could take place in its familiar setting. It was the kill shot to the series. They wanted it to end with no way that it could ever come back.

The music is good. Art is good. Fight scenes are good. All other aspects are just a let down. I know some people like this movie, but I simply cannot see it. I would rather the anime end on episode 51. The only thing that needed to be wrapped up wasn't wrapped up anyway.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a PROFESIONAL reviewer I’m only a anime fan trying to give feed back to other anime fans with that said one to the review.

This is probably on of the worst endings ever nothing is resolved WTF it left so many plot holes opened, first of all the whole parallel universe theme was actually really good and I kinda liked it, in some way they could of used it to better the story instead of trashing it.

Now this did have some sad moments in it and I liked seeing how Al had grown and what he became in the alternate universe but ... it still went Al, I didn't like seeing Ed get put through all of this of having your brother with u=you but he's not you actual brother or not knowing if he's alive, I mean come on the point of an ending is to pull at your heart but in a good way not I'm going to put your favorite characters through hell.

theres not much I can say about this except that it was bad it didn't add anything to the story it made me hate envy even more then I already did like if that was even possible and overall it just sucked DON'T WATCH THIS IT WILL RUIN FMA FOR YOU.

Well, after the masterpiece of Fullmetal Alchemist gets a terrible ending, this movie "solves" the ending. Was it better than the original? NO. Well, there might be spoilers in the following review, so you have been warned.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!

Story (3/10) Well, I wanted to see more of the world of the original fma that we all grew to love. But instead, this movie got involved in some plot about the Nazis. So yeah, very disappointing. At least we saw a little of the original. But I hate the story because it literally goes nowhere....except for the screwed up ending. Literally, the choice Ed made at the ... end of the movie was so stupid.

Art (7/10) Well, the art was actually a little worse. The animation was still fluid, but the art was so dull and gray. In the original series, it was beautiful to look at, but here, it was just gray everywhere, dark, dull, just not as good. It wasn't horrible, but was a real letdown.

Sound (7/10) Okay, but still, lacking compared to fma. That's all I have to say.

Characters (6/10) Well, the original characters (some of them at least) come back very well. Alphonse came back much diferrent, but the movie didn't have ENOUGH OF HIM!!!! You wanna know why? Because the movie put focus on useless characters that literally had no development or anything interesting about them. One of them even DIED! Wow, such a waste. At least Armstrong came back though.

Enjoyment (2/10) Boy, I really wanted to quit this movie in the middle of it. No, all of it. I hated it. I was extremely disappointed. I know most of you don't agree with me, and that's fine, but I had no enjoyment at all except for the few scenes when some of the original characters came back (for about a minute)

Overall: Pros:
+Some things from the original series are resolved.
+Nice to see some characters come back.
Cons:
-Everything was a step down from the original FMA.
-Awful story
-The art, while still decent, was very lacking compared to the original.
-New characters have nothing interesting about them and have no development whatsoever.
-Even worse ending then the original FMA.

Overall Score: 5/10
My Score: 3/10

I don't recommend this film to anyone, neither newcomers nor FMA fans.

This movie is horrible the only thing that saves it from being a 1 is the art. This movie tramples on every message established by the end of FMA. I guess the point was to give the story a more satisfying conclusion, but they couldnt even manage to do that. The ending of this movie is 10x more unsettling than the series'. Its so stupid that I have a hard time convincing myself I didnt make it up and that people actually approved of this garbage. This movie has an obsession with killing off important characters from the series and replacing them with the most ... forgettable pillocks known to fiction. The main female support is very insufferable, this is because she herself is a raging troglodyte and also because she's a ripoff of Rose, who nobody has ever liked. The main "villain" is also stupid, she's introduced last minute with no real motivations and poses no threat compared to the old antagonists in the series. I can think of at least 5 characters that would be more suited for her role had the movie not randomly killed them off. Tldr this movie is bad. The only interesting part was when they made Hughes a nazi but that is never touched up on afterwards.

Well, this is my first review. So here we go...

I started watching this movie hearing mixed things about it. Sure it had a pretty good score on this website, but some people I know who had seen it said it was just OK. But I started watching it still hopeful that they could be wrong and it would be great. But it ended up being just OK, like they had said.

Story (6/10): The end of the TV series left a lot of questions. All this movie does is add more questions to your mind and then answer them poorly or not at all. The story ... was just plain confusing, and the setting made it not even feel like Fullmetal Alchemist. It was slightly interesting about the beginning, but my interest started to slip towards the later portion of it.

Art (8/10): The art was pretty good. It's better then the TV series, which is expected considering that it's a movie. One thing I didn't like was that they are these armored suits in the movie, and when they move they are shown in this awkward 3D animation. I've never liked 3D animation mixed with 2D, so this kind of turned me off...

Sound (7/10): Nothing outstanding. The music blends in well in the background (I didn't really notice it), and the opening music is pretty good.

Characters (5/10): I feel this is where it mainly fell apart. It felt like it tried to squeeze in all the characters from the original series, and it did a poor job of doing so. A lot of characters you see for like five seconds, and then they are gone from the movie. And the ones they did show a lot didn't really act like themselves. The ones introduced weren't amazing either. I liked Noah, but the main antagonist was just your stereotypical villain who was very bland and not interesting.

Enjoyment (6/10): Another mediocre area. I was enjoying the beginning, but I began to get kind of bored 30 minutes in. The action was kind of monotonous and felt forced, and the only reason I didn't forget I was watching a Fullmetal Alchemist movie was because I saw Edward on screen. It was not nearly as epic as the original show and everything felt out of place.

Overall (6/10): This movie was mediocre. Nothing about it really stood out to me. I felt it was unnecessary, and slightly tarnished the original 2003 series, which already didn't have an amazing ending. The ending for this movie was not very good, and the setting and characters felt like they were from another show. It had some good elements, but was not nearly as enjoyable as the anime. Edward felt like himself, but Al didn't at all. I would tell you if the other characters did or not, but they only appeared on screen for five seconds, so I couldn't say. I wish I could say more about the ones that had more screen time, but then I would be spoiling stuff.

So is this worth watching if you watched the original anime? I don't think so. But I won't say you shouldn't watch it. It definitely could have been worse, and not everything about it is bad. I may sound a bit overly negative in my review, which is probably because the ending left a bad taste in my mouth. The movie really isn't BAD. It just isn't GOOD.

Well, that's my first review. Sorry if it's a bit messy, or if it's lacking detail or great reasoning. I just really had to review this one after seeing it's overrated score. It's a decent and unnecessary movie, but it could have been worse.

As someone who has only just recently had the chance to watch Fullmetal Alchemist despite reading some of the manga a few years back. Now I will preface this with: No I haven't finished reading the manga nor have I watched Brotherhood. Saving up my money for that.

Onto The Conqueror of Shamballa.

Honestly to sum up: Save the 2 hours you could spend watching this and rewatch the original anime or read some of the manga, or watch Brotherhood if you can - they are all better than this.

This movie has just no real weight, nothing is really accomplished and the worst part is - ... I didn't really care for the characters at during the film. Yeah I understand that's the point of a non-canon film but really even the fight scenes are not really worth sitting through the two hours because they are short and there's better action in the original series.

The best action sequence happens in the first 5 or so minutes of the film. The best scene is just seeing Alphonse and Edward goof off in the first few minutes as they would in the anime but that's the problem - it doesn't last.

Most of the film is spent with the many disconnected subplots which we don't really care about. Sure we want Edward and Alphonse to see each other again but we spend most of the movie building up to that with boring dialogue and explanations that no one cares about. Also they never explain how Alchemy just suddenly starts working in the otherworld again despite the ending of the anime stating that it couldn't be used - looks like they just threw continuity out the window there.

Otherworld Al is building rockets, he's only known Edward for 2 years - the time it's been since the last anime - so they don't really act like brothers, Alphonse and Edward don't understand each other's feelings. Edward is too busy moping about not being able to see Alphonse so he doesn't even feel like the cheerful Edward we spent 52 episodes getting to know. The other Alphonse can't remember his experiences so he doesn't feel like the strong little soldier we know from the anime either. That's the problem everyone feels like shells of their former selves from the anime. Even Mustang is moping around.

Despite all my complaints about this movie's Al, he does show off some impressive Alchemy and a nod to his soul being attached to the armour by being able to bring suits of armour to life by putting a bit of his soul in them. I still feel like that contradicts some of the logic of alchemy from the series but oh well none of this is canon anyway.

The only drama here is everyone being depressed until the portals open in about the last 20 minutes of the movie. Leading to fights with villains no one cares about and we know are going to lose because they are in a world with magic they don't truly understand the advantage to Edward and Alphonse is obvious.

Sure the voice actors are all giving it there best shot to try and make you care but the plot is just so empty and meaningless. There are plenty of cameos of old characters from the anime in the otherworld but since it's a parallel dimension none of them really act like themselves, if they ever show a hint of their real personality it doesn't last and it all just feels like a strange crossover that no one was asking for, why would anyone want a Nazi Maes Hughes? He was one of the nicest characters yet they made him a Nazi?

I guess you could say my main problem with this movie is the plot. How all the characters don't feel like the ones we know and love but rather empty depressed shells.

The music and animation is pretty much standard though nothing compared to that of the anime - the music also seems to start and stop in odd places here and there that ruin the dramatic tension for me. There are some parts where the animation is noticeably poorer only to have the next few seconds be in overdrive which is somewhat jarring. Mostly in the Wrath versus Glutton fight.

The voice acting is the same overall quality from the series but since the writing isn't near as memorable it doesn't carry the same weight or purpose.
Essentially that made me completely unable to enjoy the film.

The action is pretty subpar in comparison to the anime, in fact everything plot wise and action wise is boring and subpar compared to the anime series, why are you watching this when you could be watching that is all I'm wondering.

-Spoilers-

Also Alphonse and Edward care for Winry far too much to leave her behind like that, I expected better from Edward and Alphonse.

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.

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+

For snapshots and a high quality download check out my blog, http://animefiend.blogspot.com

Proper endings are so rare in the anime industry. Because of the way the industry operates, telling complete stories rarely works out to be the most profitable option, and any anime fan can tell you about at least one series they found enjoyable but had a final act that was obviously rushed, bloated with filler to drag the series out, or even ending on a giant 'go buy the manga' cliffhanger. In this regard, Fullmetal Alchemist has been very lucky in that BOTH of its anime series received proper, conclusive endings (although being a critical and commercial smash-hit DOES tend to help your luck). The ... 2003 series comes to its conclusion in 'The Conqueror of Shambala', a thrill-a-minute action flick that keeps the hauntingly bittersweet tone the original series is known for.

Story:

I won't lie, the story isn't 100% airtight if you really want to dig around. There are a couple plot conveniences and the opening scene includes some obvious exposition meant to get any newcomers to the franchise up to speed. But if you're willing to overlook that and enjoy the Rule of Cool going on on-screen you'll get to see the Elric Brothers fight ROCKET NAZIS. And while not flawless, the plot holds together more than well enough it won't distract from anything else. The tone of the story is also consistent with the rest of the FMA universe: bittersweet, as things don't always go the good guy's way and even the best intentions don't always lead to positive outcomes.

Art:

What happens when you take a smash-hit manga with an internationally famous anime adaptation during a financial boom time for the industry and turn it into a 100-minute movie handled by a major studio? You get stellar animation quality. 'Shamballa' brings excellent fluidity and consistency in the animation depart. There's also very little of art-shift humor Brotherhood is known for, but I won't say if that's a plus or minus. However, a definite mistake occurs in the editing- 'Shamballa' often uses long blackout cuts, even when the scene it cuts to clearly happens right after the previous scene. I usually don't pay much attention to the fine details of editing and scene transitions, but this bugged me. Otherwise, excellent art.

Sound:

The OST doesn't have anything worth remembering except for one folk song that plays near the denouement. 'Shamballa' keeps the home-run voice cast of the original series, however, and that's more than enough to score points in the sound department.

Characters:

FMA has always separated itself from the competition in the Shonen demographic by its excellent character writing. The series loves breaking its characters down and reforging them by the experience. Some of Mustang's choices seem a bit iffy, but Al makes up for it with his arc. 'Shamballa' also takes advantage of the parallel worlds the original series established for the sake of irony ( let's just some of the decisions made by Our World Maes Hughes will be.... interesting.... to those who know his character). The main villain Ed fights at the climax is pretty weak and forgettable in that their motivation really isn't that clear or well-defined, and comes out of nowhere with no real build-up.

Enjoyment:

A big, explode-y FMA romp. Excellent as a Rule of Cool film.

Overall:

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala is a very entertaining film that isn't completely perfect, but does provide definitive closure on the Original Series storyline. A must see for fans of Hiromu Arakawa's masterpiece.

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.

Once again, a perfect 10 for FMA. Certainly, until episode 50, you'd never would have suspected this would happen, but they made it work. It was simply so absolutely amazing. If you are into those heart-wrenching, grief-stricken stories, like most of the series was, you won't be disappointed in the movie. It obviously doesn't follow the original plot of getting their bodies back. The 'after-plot' as I like to call it, was well developed, though. They are only trying to find each other, and the sacrifices they've made, it all really does come back to you, plus the new sadness it brings. I don't want ... to give too much away, so I understand if this feels a bit confusing. I really liked how they use our world in the story though.

Art: They use the original art from the show, and like in the show, the fight scenes were amazing. I especially love the body movements. They seem so natural, and yet so much more fluid and incredible. It really makes you think that some of the incredible stunts they do are possible

Sound: They only use like three different songs throughout the movie. The one for the opening credits wasn't too out-of-this world. There was a really short song though, that the Gypsies sing, which I really enjoyed. The trade-mark song for the movie, though (or at least the one I think to have made most of an impact) was the one for the very ending. 'Lost Heaven' was very appropriate and I believe it to be of great quality. In English, I think the character voicing was superb, as expected, and they all represented their characters well.

Characters: Trust me, this movie wouldn't seem so sad if you didn't feel for the characters. They are all very realistic I think. The German Hughes, I think, was a nice touch, since it's quite a contrast from Central Hughes. It's good because it makes you realize that even though they look the same, they're their own person. Of course, on the new characters, they couldn't elaborate too much because of time limit, but they did excellent in creating them. They are not flat, meaningless characters--they are part of the plot, from the very beginning too, even if you don't realize it at first. Also, I have to note, you can tell Ed's grown up so much.

Enjoyment: You'll probably hate the ending, but not because it's badly written or too cliche. On the contrary, I don't think there could have been a most befitting ending, but what HAPPENS will tare you apart.

First off, may I say the art is very good. It is beautiful and is an upgrade from the series. Also the voice acting is very good. The original Japanese voices are good (although they might throw you off if your used to the Brotherhood voices). The dub is good although the german characters do not have german accents which is odd. Also the soundtrack by Michiru Oshima is beautiful as well. Now I will get to the unpleasant part.

I do not understand why anyone would like this movie for any other reason besides the beautiful art, the good voice acting or to hear the ... beautiful soundtrack. The movie is awful! The original anime series was amazing. The character development for the brothers was great. The other characters (Winry, Mustang, Hawkeye, Izumi, etc.) were enjoyable and good characters. To be honest I liked the ending to series. I LOVE german history, especially in the 1920's to WWII.

Now in Conqueror of Shamballa we are introduced to the most bland characters Bones could think of. Say what you want about Rose but she was a decent character in the original anime. So instead of giving her a role in the movie (she had a big role in the anime) we get her cardboard cut out alter-self. Also instead seeing more of Alphonse (the second most important character) we get his cardboard cutout too! I mean this is pathetic, Edward just replaces his brother! Also the villain! She was so bland in comparison to Dante.

Now on to the returning characters, Mustang is turned into a woobie for no reason. The anime set up that his character was going to move on and help the new government. He looked happy. He was going to progress past what happened in Ishval. Instead he just regresses. Also we wanted more on Ed and his father, right? No, Daddy just abandons Ed again! Their relationship gets no closure. Then with Winry, she is carrying around automail for Ed on the off chance that she will see him. How did she know the automail would fit? This is pathetic. We know Winry is good but not that good. Also by the end of the movie, Winry is tossed to the side like trash.

Look I am going to be honest, if Bones wanted to do this alternate world twist than they should have done another 50+ episodes. A movie is not going to do this story justice (especially considering the large cast). My favorite fanfiction of all time (He Who Searches For Himself by Yuuki Hikari) is a beautiful example of what bones could have done. Edward could have gotten a better relationship with his father. He could have befriended people who weren't cut outs of his friends from home (Rose, Al, Hughes, etc.). There could have been a compelling story about his journey home. We could have seen Al become a fine alchemist in his own right.

Bones messed up. This movie is not good. I feel like it's sole purpose was to make the future remake (Brotherhood) look better. If Conqueror of Shamballa had been a good sequel than I would rank the original higher than Brotherhood. I can't though because of how this movie takes a beautiful series like FMA and just destroys it.

The ending of FMA (2003) was very compelling and this movie was pretty much just missed potential. It doesn't do anything but present a bland plot and ruins all our favorite characters (in favor of introducing cardboard cutouts!). I am sorry but in comparison to the two series, the manga, the light novel's and Milos, this movie cannot compare. Bones has made some great animes but they have also made some duds.

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.