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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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.

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.

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.

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.

Though the movie is titles "sequel" to the FMA2003 (in short FMA03) series, it's not really end the series as the series went by but gave "end" to the series than continue it.
The reason for that is, what I so loved about the FMA03 series that made me love it so much was the character development and the alchemy theory which didn't went easily without further explanation, so sure, the series has end with some points to continue - Ed looking for way back to Amestris world with rockets to space and Al learning all over again alchemy to find a way to return his ... brother with his memory lost and some other points that left open, but the movie didn't care a bit not only about those points but also make some other plot holes and placed some characters in a way that the series didn't putted them there.
When I saw this in the movie I had told myself that maybe the movie will explain, continue as the series went to explain how things moved that way, not only it didn't happen but took course of things that the series never went, through the movie I asked myself: "why?" but as the movie continued to failed and disappointment it was clear enough for me - the movie didn't care really what was in the series, I mean, if the movie should had go the way the series went in the same "conqueror of shamballa" storyline, it would won't end with only one part of movie but two or even three, but the movie don't care about how-things-were-in-the-series but to give the expected end, even if it means to smooth things up without really clear explanation or even reasonable actions, the movie wanted to do the expected end and it's not a spoiler - to reunite Al and Ed, in what cost? it doesn't matter if it make sense or unreasonable, the important things is that it will happen.
Don't get me wrong, the watcher can "understand" why alchemy in the Other World is suddenly can be done or what happened to some character, but the way the things are in the movie is just not how the series will deals with, the series will give much more explanation about Mustang, Wrath and Hoenaim than just jump through things, the way of the movie dealing with is more close to FMAB way of "if this 1 and this 1 so that's why this 2", in FMA03 on the other hand I would expect much more to end the open stories.
Now that I had cleared myself I would say this - this movie though all I had said is actually a good movie, unlike usual FMA style most of the story is mainly based on the Other World that based on the WW2 Germany side of hating foreign nations, and the story takes good advantage of that to create the evil side of the movie, so yeah, there's one good story here besides the Ed and Al looking to be reunited again, but then again, this "Other World" story though to be good isn't much explained as much the fans of FMA03 will want.
Without the Story part, the art and the OST went really well to take a different and dark theme in the movie, I really loved the ending theme than the opening theme, can't get it of my head.

I will just finish and say - though all I had written, the movie isn't bad, it's really interesting with some good action battles (though the last battle could be written better, it's not the art but the way it's written) good animation, excellent OST and good story, My only bad point really is that the movie disappointment me in the way it's continue the series, I don't complain about the end (that was expected) but how the movie took the way of the sreries.

After watching Fullmetal Alchemist i was left upset with the way it ended, I was actually kind of disappointed, but then very shortly after i had found out that it was not the actual ending to the series. Fullmetal Alchemist decided to end the series in a movie... kind of pointless.. why not just extend the length of the series? but either way it was very well done and i enjoyed it even more because of the Nazis! Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa was a very good ending for the series.

A Review of Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa

Initial Review for Newcomers: Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa is a sequel to Fullmetal Alchemist. It continues the story from both the brothers' viewpoints as they live separated from one another. The sequel continues its dark themes as the brothers mature and finally accept their place and role in the world that they live in.

Dub or Sub?: Both. They used the same voice actors.

Story/Characters (7/10): Ever since the ending of Fullmetal Alchemist, I thought that it would be impossible for anyone to continue the story from that point (The ending was good on its own.). ... Fortunately, it turns out that you can continue the storyline after the the series ended. Unfortunately, it did not turn out the way that I expected it to be.

The Elric Brothers: The brothers, Edward and Alphonse, have regressed since their quest of atonement and discovery. Over the course of the movie, Edward seemed a bit useless since he can no longer use his alchemy and Alphonse became his brother in their home universe. Their new goal is to find Edward a way back home. To say anything else would spoil the rest of the film so I leave you with the hint of a disappointing yet accepted ending.

The Supporting Cast Members: Most of the supporting cast do make minor cameo appearances but it is still not enough to alleviate the desire to see them again; other than rewatching the show all over again.

The Villains: The villains are the Thule Society of pre-Nazi Germany. This has been hinted near the end of the show when Edward met up with his dad on the other universe (If you don't remember, WWI zeppelins were attacking Great Britain). I felt that the Nazis were nothing but ignorant villains who were given knowledge of power but were unable to understand or use it properly. In addition, their ultimate goal (to conquer Amestris) seemed very unrealistic.

Art/Animation (10/10): The art/animation is similar to the show's.

Sound/Music (10/10): The sound/music was good enough.

Enjoyment (8/10): I enjoyed it but the plot, characters/villains really took my level of enjoyment down a peg.

Summary/Overall (8/10): The story could have been better. The character development was minimal (since most of it was shown in the show) and the amount of satisfaction after watching this was decent.

Review #8

My main hope coming into "Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala" is that it would provide me with some explanations on some of the details that the series failed to clear up on. I did not find what I was looking for. What I found instead is a movie that simply continues on where the series leaves off and essentially mops up the story. Though an enjoyable movie in its own right, "The Conquerer of Shambala" feels a little disappointing. It's not that there's all that much wrong with it, it's just that comparisons against the series is inevitable, and the series is so exceptional ... that it'd take something special just to avoid a massive disappointment... and this movie ain't that special.

Presentation wise, "The Conquerer of Shambala" retains the art style from the series, but it looks more beefed up and polished in general, and the colours seems more rich. The background music is completely new, but has similar style to the ones heard in the series. It's pretty good, but I do have one qualm with it: "Brothers", the song that, for me, encapsulated much of the feel of "Fullmetal Alchemist", does not appear to have been used in this movie. To omit the track that was at the heart and soul of the original series is a grave error in my opinion. Aside from the presentation, the setting for the story is also different compared to the original series. Ed's half of the adventure is set in "our" world, where alchemy is rarely seen.

Even though everything about this movie has a similar feel as the original series, I just did not feel the same thrill as I did watching the series -
perhaps the lack of alchemy in Ed's half of the story takes the edge off the excitement just a bit (I guess this highlights the importance and the strength of the fantasy element in the original series), or perhaps the story just isn't as good. But like I said, it would have been a tall order for any movie length anime to recreate the awesome feel of that amazing series. Still, in spite of this, I feel that as far as sequels go, it does serve as an adequate conclusion to the "Fullmetal Alchemist" saga. Now that "Fullmetal Alchmist: Brotherhood" is out though, it's not such a bad idea to just go straight on to that and forget about this alternative ending, because there really is no contest as to which one is better...

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STORY
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Considering in the original manga, our world wasn't even involved; and that the 'ending' of the 2003 animé was dreamt up by those producing it; this film is a surprisingly good way to extend on the series' plot threads.

I particularly liked the way in which they interconnected the events of the plot with the rise of the Nazi Party (integrating entertainingly well with the Nazi's obsession with the Occult, etc.). It clearly wasn't perfect, but they made a great job of what they had; an hour and three quarters well spent, in my opinion.

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ART
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Nothing really stands out; it isn't super-detailed, or artistically magnificent. But it's ... consistently visually pleasing, slightly improving on the similarly-satisfying quality of the series; with some very nice visual effects thrown in here and there. As with most animé of the last half-decade, it's primarily computer-rendered (nice crisp lines, and precise colours); but they haven't done what often happens, namely where they try to integrate 3D-renderings with the 2D environment/characters and fail horribly. Which is always nice.

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SOUND
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The soundtrack is orchestral, and was both well-written, and was of very good sound quality. Most of the seiyuu reprised their roles from the series, and all of them were not only appropriate to their characters, but knew how to speak in a way that conveyed the tone of the scene without once sounding ridiculous or annoying. Japanese women sometimes fail at this, but this was a success.

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CHARACTER
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I won't go into all of the characters from the main series, since it would take too long and get boring; but suffice to say pretty much all of those ones who are in this film get 10/10. The only let-downs in this area (in my opinion) were that the main Antagonist of the film was somewhat insufficiently explained (and their motives felt a touch forced right at the end); and that the appearance of the Homunculi didn't really make that much sense.

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ENJOYMENT
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This was a fun and exciting film; where the action sequences were well represented, and the story-progression scenes were consistent and interesting. A few scenes even combined the two well. In fact, there was nothing which detracted from the actual enjoyment of the film; but of course it simply didn't contain the epic-ness, spectacle, or sharp wit which would qualify this film to be a "masterpiece".

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OVERALL
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This film was very good. I can't really give it a 9, mainly since there was nothing particularly innovative about it, nor did it reach really significant epic-levels; but if you enjoyed the 2003 series, watch this film.

Don't watch it if you haven't, since it assumes a lot of knowledge from the series. Which is good, because if it had any recap scenes, in my opinion it would have detracted from the viewing experience.

If you watched the anime then this is the perfect conclusion to the story that was left behind. Every other aspect of the movie is better explained with my review of the anime so you can understand its greatness:

" The story is something never seen before in another anime, and the way it is told is superb. From the first episode you can see how great it is going to turn and believe me when I say that you wont be disappointed.
The visual quality is top notch and doesn't drop in any episode.
Every song is a true masterpiece and really goes with the different situations ... that are presented.
The character development is the best I've ever seen in an anime. Everyone's motivation is coherent and you really get the feeling of getting to know every character. There's one character (I wont spoil it to you) that you really get to hate and understand at the same time (even though you keep hating him), and it's this little details which makes you get into the world.

I have no complaints with this anime whatsoever, as it manages to bring together all the aspects of a great anime: action, mystery, betrayal, friendship, laughs and almost every color that makes up a true human being.

If you haven't watched it yet then you really have missed a lot.

As a final comment, if you're going to watch it I recommend the japanese voices over the american dub. The japanese cast's voices are better suited for the personality and age of every character than the english voices. "

~Warning: This review may contain spoilers from Full Metal Alchemist (TV Series.~

Anime: Full Metal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala

Type: Movie - 1 episode

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Shounen

Plot Synopsis:
The Conqueror of Shambala takes place in Munich, Germany, 2 years after Edward Elric had been taken from his world into the "real world". Edward no longer has his alchemy powers and has to live by the physics of the real world. He spends most of his time helping a man named Alphonse Heiderich, a man who is a striking resemblance of Alphonse Elric, Edward's brother that he left behind in the alchemy world. In the real ... world, Edward has been trying to find a way to get home and return to his friends and family while in the alchemy world, Alphonse Elric has been searching for a way to bring Edward back through alchemy. Both worlds are collided together and havoc is unleashed when some evil people from the real world discover a way to break into the the alchemy world.

Story: (8/10)
The story line of this movie follows and sticks with the story line of the TV series almost 100 % accurately. Also, historical events from the Post WWI era are represented in the movie. Hitler and the Nazi Party's failed attempt at the Munich Putsch takes place while Edward is in the real world and references to the Treaty of Versailles are shown as people are shown complaining about the government being taken over by communists. Standing alone from the TV series, the story line will seem confusing and many references to characters from the anime will not be understood. To fully enjoy this movie, I recommend that anyone should watch the TV series before watching the movie so that they can get a better feel for the connection between the brothers and experience the character developments through the TV series beforehand.

Character: (9/10)
The characters in this movie were excellent. Many of the characters from the alchemy world had a counterpart in the real world and vice-versa. To add historical significance to this movie, historical figures such as Adolf Hitler, silent film director, Fritz Lang, supposed clairvoyant Erik Jan Hanussan, and geopolitical professor, Karl Haushoffer were also involved in the story. Although some of the characters are given a lot less screen time than Edward, the creators did a good job in executing their appearances and integrating them into the story.

Art/ Animation: (10/10)
Beautiful, stunning, and great quality. The animation moved smoothly and was enhanced by the beautiful art and design of the characters and scenes.

Voice acting/ Music: (9/10)
The dubbed version that I saw had smooth voice dubbing and the music did a good job accenting the scenes in the movie.

Overall: (9/10)
This movie was a great adaption of the TV series and did an excellent job at showcasing the characters and giving them significance. The movie also did a good job at giving the TV series a satisfying conclusion and had both funny and tragic aspects in the story. The overall execution was done very nicely and I would recommend this movie to any Full Metal Alchemist lover.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Watch the 2003 FMA series before you read this review. It may contain spoilers.

When I saw the cover for this movie, I was left with a "Hmm... I don't know" sorta feel in my head. The ending for the original FMA series was well done and even the author of the FMA manga approved the ending for the anime adaptation, but fans were like "the ending is bullshit!" or "WHAT?! This ending is a disgrace to the series!!" when the series ended. So Studio Bones and the FMA series team decided to make a FMA movie that ended the series right and that ... answer was Conqueror Of Shamballa. The movie was loved by everyone and it become a cult hit among all FMA fans and was officially declared as a "true ending to the original show". Well, I decided to buy it and while it is a damn fun movie, it isn't the best thing I ever saw and for a FMA movie, it has some big flaws that many FMA fans missed on looking at.

Conqueror Of Shamballa takes place 2 years after the original series, as we see Edward Elric living in the real world in Munich, Germany and he is studying rocketry with Alfons Heiderich, who resembles a lot to his younger brother Alphonse and finding a way to escape this world and getting back into his world. That is until Ed rescues a gypsy woman named Noah, who has the power to read people's thoughts and dreams, who's being chased by a bunch of man who work for a Nazi organization called The Thule Society, who are led by Eckhart and Karl. They want to open the portal to find a place called Shamballa, which is a paradise with no war, death or even corruption in any way they can imagine. Meanwhile in Amnestris, Alphonse has been learning a bunch of new alchemy powers in order to find Edward, so he can recover his forgotten memories that he lost during the final episode of the series. And thus begin an adventure of a lifetime for The Elric Brothers once again and could this mean that they can be together without causing more destruction and bloodshed this time around?

The plot is good, but with some flaws. I like how the story gives these theories of science and alchemy like what if science and alchemy can be combined from two different worlds and how we can utilize it to make a change into this world. I'm no expert in science and alchemy (it takes years to study all those theories), but regardless, it gives very interesting stuff. Also, the new characters Noah and Alfons are surprisingly well developed in this movie. I cared for Alfons because he wanted to be a proud citizen of Germany and would do anything to make a difference in the war. As for Noah... Well, it's hard to describe, but for me, I think it's because she is a lonely and sad person, due to that people treat her like shit, because she is a gypsy and that they claim that gypsy's were a bunch of thief's in their time, but Noah is a very gentle person and all she wants is acceptance to live amongst the people in the world. Also, Fritz Lang, who you might know as the legendary German director for his famous film Metropolis from 1927, is also a very interesting character and I love the scene where he explains to Edward the portal to Shamballa.

The villains Eckhart and Karl are terrible. They weren't interesting, their motivations were beyond stupidity and the final battle with Edward and Eckhart was a huge letdown (BTW, Eckhart and Karl were actually real people from the history of World War II). The relationship with Alphonse and Edward, while still deep and memorable, felt extremely short. They have a happy reunion, a sad depressing moment, a battle scene and the ending and I was expecting the relationship of The Elric Brothers to be longer. Another flaw is the subplot with Hitler and really, how in the world did The Thule Society convince Hitler to use a magical portal that can take them to another world to use it and win the war? It's just not right and I'm surprised that Hitler didn't have a HOLY SHIT! response when he saw a portal that could take him to another world.

The action and animation is nice. While the action is kinda shorter this time around, at least it satisfying as hell and the fights are still well animated and the fight with Wrath against Gluttony is pretty epic. Hell, each fan favorite character gets their big moments in the film, unlike Sacred Star Of Milos (which I will review later) where all the fan favorites FMA characters were barely useful in the movie. The animation by Bones is still spectacular to look at, the backgrounds are gorgeous with fluid detail and coloring, the character models are still pretty to look at, while getting major upgrade on their coloring scheme designs and the art is still awesome as always. Voice acting is also a high plus, every original English voice actor from the FMA series is here and they all do a brilliant job in their performances, even Jason Liebrecht gives a very deep performance as Alfons. The music, while not as groundbreaking as the series tremendous music, it's still serviceable.

While it doesn't reach the heights of the FMA series, Conqueror Of Shamballa is a nice effort from Bones and delivering a fun experience while staying true to the source of the 2003 FMA series. Just don't expect this to be groundbreaking like the series or you will be extremely disappointed after watching this anime. Overall, If you're a FMA fan, it's worth the look.

as everyone wondered what happened after the finale to the original fma. we were blessed with this movie which took place on the other side of the "gate" in pre- ww2 Germany.
now ed is working in rocket science with Al's counterpart who barely gets screen time but i was interested in the character. in this movie we see old faces through the counterparts like Hughes , scar and Bradley which helped the movie.
the movies setting switches between dull Germany to light amestris and is not bad in switching between the two.
the characters do develop a bit but not as much as in the series ... of course but Al's character really annoyed me as he resembled his brother too much and lacked individuality. the animation is good and so is the sound.

Basically its worth the watch after finishing the original series but its nothing to special so be warned.