Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

After a horrific alchemy experiment goes wrong in the Elric household, brothers Edward and Alphonse are left in a catastrophic new reality. Ignoring the alchemical principle banning human transmutation, the boys attempted to bring their recently deceased mother back to life. Instead, they suffered brutal personal loss: Alphonse's body disintegrated while Edward lost a leg and then sacrificed an arm to keep Alphonse's soul in the physical realm by binding it to a hulking suit of armor.

The brothers are rescued by their neighbor Pinako Rockbell and her granddaughter Winry. Known as a bio-mechanical engineering prodigy, Winry creates prosthetic limbs for Edward by utilizing "automail," a tough, versatile metal used in robots and combat armor. After years of training, the Elric brothers set off on a quest to restore their bodies by locating the Philosopher's Stone—a powerful gem that allows an alchemist to defy the traditional laws of Equivalent Exchange.

As Edward becomes an infamous alchemist and gains the nickname "Fullmetal," the boys' journey embroils them in a growing conspiracy that threatens the fate of the world.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Elric, Edward Main

Park, Romi Japanese

Elric, Alphonse Main

Kugimiya, Rie Japanese

Mustang, Roy Supporting

Miki, Shinichiro Japanese

Hughes, Maes Supporting

Fujiwara, Keiji Japanese

Greed Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Hawkeye, Riza Supporting

Orikasa, Fumiko Japanese

Yao, Ling Supporting

Miyano, Mamoru Japanese

Rockbell, Winry Supporting

Takamoto, Megumi Japanese

Armstrong, Alex Louis Supporting

Utsumi, Kenji Japanese

Armstrong, Olivier Mira Supporting

Soumi, Youko Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Maruyama, Hiroo Producer

Yonai, Noritomo Producer

Irie, Yasuhiro Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, 2nd Key Animation, Key Animation

Reviews

Apr 18, 2024

TrueScientist777

Recommended

Very nice, well-contained story. there are many good plot twists and the story payoffs are very satisfying. characters are well-written and their development throughout the story is fun to watch. for a shonen, there's only like one or two filler episodes that aren't bad at all. Honestly, lives up to its name as the best shonen. The villains were also properly fleshed out and were a great part of the cast. the art style wasn't bad and the animation was also okay until fight scenes hit and the budget comes out.

the power system is implemented deeply into the show, as it couldn't be replaced ... with any another power system and still make sense. this show dives into alchemy and shares some neat lore in this world and makes sense to where there doesn't seem to be any unbalanced powers/abilities and said abilities are used creatively. A great anime to recommend to others!

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Mar 12, 2024

XD_eric

Mixed Feelings

This is a very unique shonen. It has many interesting plot twists, deep characters and great storytelling. I like this anime. That's said, it's not for everyone. Years ago this was a 10 for me, but after watching other shows, I realized FMAB was not revolutionary, not even for it's time, even less nowadays. It's solid, it's good, but it's a shonen from 2010. If you like this kinda of show, you'll probably love FMAB. If you don't like the genre, you'll probably dislike it. And even more, if you're watching for the hype, especially if you had many anime shows in your watched list, ... you'll probably be frustrated.

Being number 1 on the score list in this site was a monumental mark for FMAB, and although many tried, FMAB always rise again to the top. At the time of this review, Frieren is in #1 for a solid 0,08 points, more then FMAB has over Kaguya-Sama, #12, at a 0,07 difference in score. Frieren maybe deserve #1, but probably the list will change again in favor of FMAB. Now, I'm not mad or anything that FMAB is the number 1, it's a public review score, the show is popular and easy to get into. The problem is that if you see this anime at the top of the list, many will think "this is the best anime ever made". And it's not. For me, it's not even the best shonen ever made, that title go to HxH.

I recommend the show. But not for everyone. For shonen fans, who want a solid experience. For people interested in the series not for the spot in the list, but because it got the atention of them. This is a good show with great action sequences, great animation, great power system, great story and that's it. It's great overall, but treating it as more than this, for me, is not a good thing. I see a lot of 1, 2 and 3 scores for this anime, and it does not deserve such notes in any means. But the hype cause frustration, and the frustration affects the apreciation.

Watch this show if you think it's for you. It's a quality shonen. But don't go on expecting to see the best piece of media you ever put your eyes onto. Go with a realistic view, and you'll like it more.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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May 31, 2024

Quaker020

Not Recommended

I see why people like this show for it's setting, but I only enjoyed watching FMA:B for about 5% of the time.

- The main characters lack depth, growth and consistency. I feel like most of the main characters are almost entirely the same, from beginning to end. The same motivations, the same actions. There are a few exceptions, but that is nowhere near enough to redeem the rest.
-- Ironically, the side characters are WAY more fun / interesting.

- The plot is predictable from beginning to end, with the exception of some minor plot twists. Moreover, it's quite THIN. In my opinion, it really felt like ... nothing happened for about 40 episodes, leading up to the predictable finale of the show.

- As a result, pacing felt horrible. I found myself sitting through a few dozen episodes, because I knew what was coming and it just kept taking longer and longer.

- The art is sometimes incredible, but almost always boring. Mustang's fire blew my MIND at times, but the endless still frames and unimpressing visuals really tired me.

- Combat feels very weird for power level / plot reasons. The main characters have so much power, yet barely use any of it, often times. (What is the POINT of hand-to-hand combat if you can crush people between brick walls?)

+ The main redeeming part of this anime is the power system. Such cool intricacies, variations, flavors, visuals. And the underlying mechanics are super interesting!

I restarted FMA:B three times after dropping it before. I sat through it because I wanted to know why it's so loved. Sadly, I did not enjoy it and I would definitely not recommend someone watch 64 episodes of it. I found it VERY unrewarding, the whole way through.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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