Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Story: Well this story is nothing short of amazing. It is so entertaining, and just interesting to watch. The comedy, and action are outstanding. It all blends in perfectly. Some moments are more breath taking than others, and I mean that in two ways. 1. The comedy often had me in tears, and breathless because of how hard I was laughing, and 2. Heart filled moments just hit you like a damn bus. 10

Art: Oh my god the art is great. I am sure there were some flaws, because there are flaws in everything, but honestly if there were flaws I never caught them. The ... character design is great, but even just the scenery is fantastic. 10

Sound: The ost for this show is perfect. The voice acting for it is also perfect. I don't think I have watched another anime where I love the Japanese voices and the English. Fantastic job from everyone. 10

Character: Oh my god again perfection. The characters are all great. You basically grow up with Ed, and Al. There physical, and mental transitions are so subtle that you really feel like you are watching them grow. Some anime have time skips where they just skip like seven years and then just throw you in, but not This anime you watch them grow it is amazing. 10

Enjoyment and overall: My enjoyment is through the roof. FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood is a masterpiece that I think is going to stand the fates of time well. I was never bored like I am with some anime. I was always hooked. My enjoyment and overall score are both 10.

If you haven't watched this series I really really really recommend you dive in, and just let it hit you all at once.

I was dreading having to make my way through Brotherhood at some point considering my high regard for the first series and not really liking the manga adaptation's more conventional plot developments. But considering enough people were praising the daylights out of Brotherhood and some even boasting that the first series was no longer relevant, I decided to check things out for myself and see what got people giddy over this adaptation of the series. And after venturing my way through Brotherhood, I would have to say that those calling the first series irrelevant are ridiculous considering both titles have completely different takes on their ... source material and the handling of them that whichever series you prefer would depend on what you are looking for in an anime.

In Brotherhood's case, it takes the Fullmetal Alchemist manga and makes a more closer adaptation of the source material which is quite focused on world building and creating a grand scale plot coming out of the Elrics finding out details about the Philosopher's Stone and eventually finding out about a national conspiracy and heinous plot connected to the Homunculus and powerful figures in the Amestris military. This take on FMA does follow a more conventional plot than the first TV series as much of the complex characterization found with prominent characters in the original series is greatly toned down with Brotherhood creating a more plot-focused series and morality with many characters being more black and white as the series has more purely "good" and "bad" characters with the former being always right in their convictions within the series and the latter having no redeemable traits and being wrong in their actions. With me believing that good characters in an anime should be morally grey with flawed heroes and villains with redeemable traits, I wasn't digging Brotherhood's conventional take on characters.

Brotherhood did have some elements that I did get some enjoyment out of. With Brotherhood being more focused on world building and plot advancement, the series expands more on the world of the series than what the first series did by introducing more branches of the military and some other countries neighboring Amestris, particularly Xerxes and Xing. This also allows the introduction of some new characters in the series with several characters from Xing and within the military that Ed and Al befriend and ally with when dealing with the Homunculus and the conspiracy they uncover. In addition, some characters from the original series who were underdeveloped and not having much screen time (Hohenheim, Alex Armstrong and Roy Mustang's men being prominent examples) are given more focus in this series, get some moments of fleshing out and are given bigger roles to play.

Still though, there are enough issues I have with Brotherhood that outweigh the praises I give it above. The show's first 12-13 episodes run at a fast pace providing little time to connect with characters introduced and with the events of those episodes having been portrayed in the first series, Bones appeared to have intentionally sped through the events to get going with what wasn't covered by the first series. With Bones more closely following the manga's storyline for Brotherhood, these earlier episodes had featured a major flaw to FMA manga-ka Hiromu Arakawa's earlier chapters in that her fast advancement of events gave little time for emotional investment from readers in regards to how characters reacted to major events that shook their resolves as the lack of time and depth on plotting in earlier chapters did kill their quality to a great extent. With the slower pacing and greater character focus found in FMA's first series, Arakawa had adopted these elements to a degree with her storytelling in later chapters which helped improve the quality of her writing.

I also found myself getting quite irritated with the show's comedy getting in the way of more serious moments. This was quite prominent in Brotherhood's earlier episodes where moments of slapstick and characters going super-deformed killed the suspense of serious moments. While the series does tone down on these moments in later episodes as the plot gets darker and more serious, they still pop up on occasion and when they do, I still found them to be a mood killer during most scenes.

Despite the praises I gave for new characters and expanded depth on underdeveloped characters who appeared in the original series, I couldn't give the same thing for a majority of other characters who appeared in the first series. Brotherhood's portrayal of these characters are more conventional and less complex as heroic characters aren't confronted with any possible flaws to their actions and personal beliefs; as well as all the villains being so shallowly evil that they're laughable and I could care less if they get beaten up and killed off.

The final episodes to a good extent also felt quite contrived with how things progress just to allow all the surviving characters to have a good ending. A number of moments were deus ex machina thrown in for villains to be defeated through means which the series never explored and they kind of cheapen how I felt about the hardships faced by the Elrics and other prominent characters to get what they desire.

In terms of presentation, visual details with Brotherhood are a bit simpler than the first series with color tones being more subdued. This is especially prominent with background designs in many shots as their quality looks quite washed out compared to scenery found in the foreground. Still, character designs of those from the original series still look the same as they were from over five years ago. While animation shortcuts are apparent in a good number of shots in Brotherhood, the series does have its animation highlights with the occasional fluid fight sequence and some good fight scenes involving Envy's true form.

For music, much of Brotherhood's insert music consists of stringed and piano pieces that do well at complementing the peaceful and intense moments seen throughout the series. On the other hand, many of the OP and ED musical choices chosen for the series consisted of some generic J-Pop and J-Rock that hardly grabbed my interest, though the first OP, Yui's again, did well at fitting with Brotherhood's mood.

Overall, I found my perceptions of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to be no different from when I read the manga. It goes for a more conventional style of storytelling compared to the first FMA series and while it does have its moments of good quality involving character focus and world building, its more plot heavy and conventional focus drives it to lose much of the complexity given to prominent characters of the first series and the poor quality to its plotting in its beginning and ending episodes does kill quite a bit of the plot buildup that I would be expected to care about. While a worthwhile watch to those craving an epic-style action-adventure series or wanting a more faithful adaptation of the FMA manga, those wanting better characterization and solid drama with the series (in my case) would be better off seeing the 2003 anime adaptation of FMA.

Why do people give this such a high rating!


I saw FMAB because of the high rating and amount of praising. I was skeptical to see why it was rated highly. So, I watched it out of curiosity assumed that I would enjoy it because everyone else did. But, It’s so basic in writing that I feel bad for saying that. Also, I feel bad for saying this but FMAB fans just do anything to keep this anime #1 and they only say it’s good because everyone else says it’s good. when others animes with the same aspects of FMAB have way better storylines, characters etc. ... So anyways, I came in with no initial thoughts didn’t look at reviews ignored the rating even though the score was quite high and look at what it was offering. Now for what it truly offers and it’s not a memorable experience. Not to say fmab is bad but it wasn’t as great as I expected it to be. After I finished I looked at the score and baffled at why the score was even this high.

Pros: Great ending.
Pros: Some characters are very well written.
Pros: Simple animation and art style.
Pros: English dub VA’S match characters voice.
Pros: Great hand-to-hand fighting choreography, When there is hand-to-hand combat.

Cons: Basic story without strong story aspects as other shounen.
Cons: Underwhelming suspense/ Breaking point.
Cons: Comedy moments in serious moments.
Cons: Lots of caricature’s with 1 personality instead of multiple.
Cons: Pretty repetitive, Boring and predictable.
Cons: Underwhelming story for a long length shonen.
Cons: A lot of Uninteresting anticlimactic fights.
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Story: 5
Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood’s story feels disguised as complex but it’s really simple. Now don’t get me wrong the premise is very interesting, “It is impossible to create something out of nothing. If one wishes to obtain something, something of equal value must be given. This is the law of equivalent exchange; the basis of all alchemy.”

Now the story is about 2 brother’s that lose there mom (Alphonse and Edward) So they use a alchemy technique called human transmutation a forbidden alchemy technique to bring there mom back from the dead without knowing the consequences. Alphonse loses his whole body while Edward loses a leg. Since Alphonse’s whole body is gone. Edward tries to bring his brother back by sacrificing his arm and placing a transmutation on a suit of armor. They are traumatized by what happened. They’ve lost their bodies and are in search of the legendary philosopher’s stone to get there bodies back. Now as bad as there poor suffering sounds.

The story becomes so predictable because of Edward he is literally a beta male (too kind person) can’t blame Alphonse for following him. Besides he’s the younger brother anyways. They’re too kind to take risks for what they truly want. Since they don’t want anyone to suffer. Really hypocritical for them to continuously say that how they’d do anything to get there bodies back. Then someone sacrificed there life and they were still the same characters throughout the series WHY?? There were so many instances where they’ve could’ve got there bodies back. If i’m correct the brothers had contact with a philosopher’s stone over 5 times. But, Since the philosopher’s stone is made out of basically already dead souls and humans wanting to die the brothers just denied it because they don’t want suffering souls to suffer. That brings me to another point the story changes midway because of there betamale act. They give up on finding or trying to use the philosophers stone. They now want to go find another way to get there bodies back so then Alphonse gets memories of being dead and in “the gate truth” this randomly got brought up midway and they want to perform a stupid complicated way to get there bodies back. Also there was lots dumb tropes to keep the MC alive for instance. MC was on the verge of death because he was in a fight and the fucking villains said “Aye I think the kid is badly hurt let’s save him”. What an lazy way to add a trash filler character.

The climax is handled so poorly that it’s like eating rice and bread this one villain reveals himself and the person he revealed himself to (without getting to much into spoilers) was like “Oh yeah so you were the villain?” Then the person goes tells others about the villain they have the most predictable boring reaction. Now a Anime becoming predictable is not a bad thing. But, the way FMAB predictable aspect is handled makes The story becomes bland and uninteresting as shit because tension, suspense, Turning points are poorly handled that it just isn’t at all emotional it’s bland and once you think there is emotional moment it just lands a anticlimactic feeling after that. This just makes the story uninteresting. because there is no connection with how the characters are reacting.

Also, for the fairly long length of the anime it could’ve focused on Ling’s and all the other clans struggle deeper and made him more interesting. But, They barely explored his struggle which is unfortunate because it was interesting.


Sound: 7
The english voice actors match really well with the characters my compliant but the voice acting feels monotonous which I normally don’t notice in dub but I noticed here, Great Ost and soundtrack are played alot but I don’t really notice anything at all some ost’s are great I guess. But emotionally wise they ruin it with dumb comedy during dark moments or beautiful ones making it lose suspense while the series is playing and the jokes consist of the MC being short. Charming at first and quickly got repetitive. Some examples were a baby was getting born this is a beautiful moment. Yeah let’s throw a fucking side gag.

Characters: 6
The characters are done so poorly they are basically like caricatures
They represent litterally one personality except Homheim and homucolus they are actually very great characters but they got bad character treatment. Still very amazing characters. For the sheer length of this anime they could’ve explored many characters. My compliant about Edward Elric has something very traumatic happened to him yet he doesn’t have a realistic side to him he just stays a betamale no development or change. That’s really unfortunate could’ve made a great MC because of what he went through. Also there were some characters used for Roy mustang’s development. But it was used in a lazy way that didn’t build character tension. Also Winry is probably one of the most poorly written characters. Anyways i’ll list off some caricatures:

Maes Hughes: “LOOK ISN’T MY DAUGHTER SO BEAUTIFUL”
Izumi Curtis: “I’M NOTHING BUT YOUR EVERYDAY HOUSE WIFE”
Alex Armstrong: Says Armstrong generation in every line.
Edward Elric: Beta male.
Barry the Chopper: A “I’m a evil villain” that’s goofy and can’t be taken seriously.



Art/Animation: 7.5
The art style is simple which i admire. As for the animation i didn’t notice anything wrong or bad. It was consistent but not flashy kinda of underwhelming because bones always has very amazing animation. for other series like MHA, Noragami and Mob psycho 100 Coloring looks neat. not much to say except it’s overall good

8/10 for art style and coloring
7/10 for animation.

Enjoyment: 6
Now I was bored of this series 6 episodes in it’s just so predictable. suspense and tension couldn’t even covered this because it was handled so boringly. it’s not fun to watch or gets you on the edge of your seat it’s a dreadful experience. Some parts are fun to watch sometimes the comedy can be funny. Animes and manga rated under 9.22 are way more entertaining to watch then this and have way better story aspects then FMAB. I kept I watched this anime just alone no other anime to distract my watching experience and took me about 3-5 months to finished. I found it mediocre and over scored.

Overall: 6
This had some potential if it wasn’t a shonen a seinen more like it. Throw the side gags away, Expand more on the concept of alchemy make Edward a character that would truly do anything to get his body since that’s already a realistic goal. Make more interesting characters. They’ve could’ve did already interesting characters and their triats much better. Like Armstrong family history, Ling’s struggle, Make Izumi more realistic, Edward.

To this day my writing is influenced by Fullmetal Alchemist. I read the manga about ten years ago, but I still remember most of the characters by name. The author's vision and its execution were not without flaws, but the overall end result was sheer brilliance. The themes of loss, sacrifice and transformation are seamlessly integrated into the plot and character backstories.

What makes this story exceptional is how universal its subject matters are. Everybody goes through growing pains, but in the case of the Elric brothers Edward and Alphonse, their transition into adulthood is nothing short of hardcore. The boys lost their mother, who they ... literally tried resurrecting, but in addition to failing miserably with the alchemical ritual, Edward lost two limbs and Alphonse his entire body. Turns out, despite the sheer magical potential of alchemy, it can't be used to bring people back to life.

There's a good reason why Fullmetal Alchemist has few peers. A story like this is impossible to create unless you've survived fucked up shit, possess the social support and intelligence to make sense of it and have the skills as a storyteller to convey those experiences. The author clearly thinks ill of shortcuts to personal growth (miracle cures, religion, etc.), evidenced by the first episode alone.

It seems obvious to point out the inspiration to this series is human darkness - even ethnic genocide makes it into the plot. It's astonishing how deep Fullmetal Alchemist goes with its harrowing concepts, yet rarely feels depressing. The characters talk about their emotions, then keep pushing forward, make new allies and grow as people. To be fair though, they don't actually get many chances to lament their misery, because the intense plot constantly whips them forward.

The main mysteries involving the plot are discovered shortly into the series, but the bad guys quickly clean house and cover everything up. This killing creates an incredible tension that sets the pace for the entire rest of the series. Not only that, but on many occasions the episode's cliffhanger is just brutal, reminiscent of Attack on Titan. Friendly advice: DON'T watch this series before bed, make the time to binge it!

The cast of characters is varied in genders, ages and body types. Their designs are focused and simplistic, though not without depth. Unlike how females are often drawn in anime, in Fullmetal Alchemist they look nice, but not overtly sexualized. There's also just about no fanservice. Even some of the evil characters are surprisingly humane, which indicates the author's ability for deep empathy. That's a real feat, considering the eyes she has for true darkness.

Fullmetal Alchemist, a story about 2 brothers going on a journey in a magical fantasy world, which brings us as the audience closer to the interesting idea of equal trade. “Giving something in order to get something” A very realistic idea but in this universe much more effective. To make a material out of another, a dream of the ancient alchemist to create gold and probably an idea that will occur to us in a distant unknown future. Fullmetal Alechemist is an anime I only can look fondly back to.

7 years after the original anime fascinated many of viewer studio Bones decided to make ... Fullmetal Alchemist again, with a slightly inproved art style and more accurately following the manga and it seems like that Brotherhood is even better than the original, at least the majority of people on this website think so.

I think it is quite understandable why the Brotherhood series is more popular and more liked than the original, at least on this website. It is also my biggest problem about it. Firstly, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood had more action scenes and secondly, a bigger and at the same time better explained storyline. That seems quite good doesn’t it? Well the problem is Brotherhood explains every detail of the story, as if the storywriters think the audience can’t think for themselves. The character constantly reminds you of several things so you absolutely can’t forget them. Half way through an episode it also has to remind you of the anime you are currently watching, with shouting its name out loud, just to make sure. Jokes aside, this penetrating need to explain everything goes way beyond normal story explanations. I mean, I understand that "show dont tell" isnt always the best choice (even though i normally prefer it), but a story shouldnt lay out all its cards. It just bothers me when villain out of no reason start telling you their whole plan, or what evil stuff they already did, especially when they don’t need to. Why would they do that? And when they tell you everything about their plan why do they stop there? Why not telling the audience WHY they did that, WHAT motivations they had? Maybe going a little bit into the depth of characters? Sadly we dont get any of that in this anime.

But let’s go to the analysis:
As previously established the story had a more immature writing style. As further proven by the fact that you can’t take a show seriously that constantly includes comedy parts, with a funny artstyle, which doesn’t even spare villains. From the story part, compared to the original there isn’t any uniqueness anymore. The anime really tries to be in the shounen genre since it lacks of consequences, motivations and logic in many cases. Even though this anime explains everything there are still many open question to it, which are very important once, maybe even plotholes or contradictions and not some simple questions like in the original, which are a matter of your own creativity.

The pacing for the show changes a bit. First it starts of very fast, as if it wants to go through the story that the original had as fast as possible, and then it comes to a normal pacing. Besides the fast start the pacing was quite enjoyable. The start was a pretty important and emotional part in the original. But Brotherhoods because of the rushed pacing doesn’t manage to create the same effect as the original at the start.

Like I said before the animes main thematic is equal trade. It was everywhere in the original. So many little details were made, from the beginning to the ending to bring this realistic idea closer to its viewers. The “Brotherhoods”-series lacks so many of these points. At the start you can see it, but the more the story progresses the more it goes lost until it’s completely forgotten in the end. It is unbelievable that the writer of the manga doesn’t even get the point of his own manga, why else would he make such a consequence free story.

The anime is also very popular because of its action scenes. But they are way too uncreative. Think about it, in this world they could make every material out of everything (at least they make steal out of stone, so silicon into iron + carbon(you also have to consider the high temperatures that have to be created), which is already hell of a transformation) It is idiotic to fight just with your “sword” when you have such an ability. You could create a vacuum or make the bottom liquid and then trap them. There are sure even far more greater ideas than that.

But Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood not only wants to be shounen it also tries as hard as it can to be accepted for mature audience as well. The unfitting and forced inclusion of dark gore themes and making some appearances especially bloody, but sadly they didn’t manage to do that in terms of characters and basic of story. It’s a childish story wrapped up with mature themes, explained to the audience as if they were kids.

A very big shounen inclusion and a very annoying story-part is the love story they written into it. In the original the fact that the blond mechanic chick is so unimportant to Ed is a very nice thing. It’s a story about 2 brothers going on a journey not a typical love story. Therefore the inclusion of such a thing only makes it feel like the storywriters tried as hard as they could to make it appealing to as many viewers as they can. And dont get me even started on how bad the consequence free, deus ex machina ending was... but it was pretty fitting for a shounen anime.


The character are written more to appeal to a younger audience as well. You can clearly see that. Ed and Alfonse act only a little bit differently than in the original but its significant change made there. In the original they had childish attitude and believes, but unlike in shounen anime the show doesn’t give them the opportunity to change the world. The thing that bothers me about shounen anime is the fact that the storywriters take a childish main protagonist who thinks that he alone could change the world and the storywriters give him the ability to do that. The drama in such shounen anime is reduced to pathetic written melodrama and the invention of motivations hasn’t been done in any kind of way.

But let’s go back to the protagonist and his brother. The thing is, in the original they followed a goal which they wanted to accomplish with everything they did. The grow over the duration of the show and get more mature. In brotherhood they rather help everyone out, what makes them common “hero-typed, being nice to everyone, expect for the bad guys”- characters. They never grow and never learn anything or change their behaviour.

All the other characters in Brotherhood are either annoying or unfocused or badly written. You have for example arrogant, very little knowing characters as the “good” guys, whom the storywriters use to explain the plot to the audience and we got emotionless, unmotivated and idiotic enemies who have not the slightest abilities to come up with a working plan and therefore aren’t able to create any threat to the audience.
Just look at Van Hohenheim. In the original a serious guy with a goal, for which he even could make sacrifices to achieve it. And a caring father for his children, while keeping his distance. He has his secrets which makes him interesting. In Brotherhood: A typical whiny guy, who cant see anyone dying and who wants to save everyone, without goal and with a past that is completely idiotic.

I also have to mention the homunculi, which are a very important group of character. For those who doesn’t know the original: The homunculi are the anti-heroes or the enemies if you like. The original gave them background story and motivations. Normally I don’t think it is important for an action based anime to go into the depth of characters especially villains, but besides the fact that Fullmetal Alchemist has a lot of character conversations it’s also every time a nice thing to do. In this case it feels also very special, since the homunculi represent the 7 deadly sins. Everyone acts like the deadly sin he represented which makes everything quite accurate and detailed.

The homunculi are now in brotherhoods not only rather unimportant but completely forgotten in terms of personifications, depth, motivations and everything else that made them likeable in the original. They have no background story or any kind of focus.

The homunculi don’t act like the deadly sin they represented anymore. Envy acts arrogant all the time only saying he is envy, but there is no explanation why. Greed also has to tell the audience that he is greedy else you wouldn’t know. The characters have to tell you what they are, they can’t SHOW you. The whole story has to be told to you to explain it and can’t be shown to you. And Wrath said something like: I’m proud of being a homunculus. Sloth is the worst of all because he is working overtime. In fact Brotherhood doesnt have any vilains that are interesting, or that could create any sort of threads.

Artstlye and soundtrack of "Brotherhood" were very good.The animations looked clean and the backgrounds and characterdesign was very well and detailed drawn.
Soundtrack was better in the original but "Brotherhood" had a lot of nice tracks as well.

In conclusion Fullmetal Brotherhood was an enjoyable anime and maybe it would have been even a decent one, if there wasn’t already an anime that is the same thing, only superior in every important aspect. Brotherhood only shines in the shounen aspect with illogical inclusion, annoying overused character, lack of motivation or any kind of uniqueness and plotholes unable to count.

While FMA brotherhood offers an overall neatly wrapped full experience in anime and is a very easy anime to watch and be entertained by, it seems like many of the series'huge flaws which hurts its overall artistic quality are either being glossed over or are just not being talked about enough. In this review, I'd like to mainly address these issues and hopefully bring forth discussion. Is the anime good? Arguably, yes, it has a lot of great crowd pleasing aspects. Is it perfect and deserving of a 10/10? Sadly, far from it. If this review sounds in anyway cynical and pessimistic, I apologize, ... for I only think the pages of praise this anime gets needs to be balanced out with a bit of honest criticism. I also felt that I couldn't give an adequate critique without using points in the plot as examples, so I'm sorry in advance for there are some spoilers included.

Firstly, I found that brotherhood was ridden with far too many lazy convenient plot devices and shonen cliches for it to be enjoyable. What do I mean by this concretely? (spoilers ahead) If you look at episode 34 isn't it too much of a coincidence that sloth showed up right when the Elric brothers did in the exact same room? Consider the area sloth has to cover and how many times he actually emerges, isn't it too much of a coincidence that he showed up at Briggs right when the brothers was at the basement? Rather than having a story which melds encounters together naturally and smoothly, we get a cheap device made purely to advance the plot on very questionable grounds. There are other examples as well where we can see characters coincidentally being brought together if you watch the anime again. This is a terrible example of bad story writing and plot advancement.

What about shonen cliches? Just count the number of times in a fight where at the last crucial moment another character shows up to hit the enemy/ally to save someone. I realize that's a really badass shonen cliche, and when used sparingly, it can be somewhat epic, but in this one, it felt too tired and predictable.

The anime is also just far too naive and the actions and consequences of its characters are far too oversimplified. Brotherhood's predecessor might have its weaknesses, but it shines in it's realistic gritty overtones, and character growth in the Elrics as they journey through a bittersweet coming of age tale. In Brotherhood, there is only the illusion of character growth as they all have their respective emotional private dialogues, but these don't wallow past melodrama and towards episode 60, the elrics, mainly ed, are still the self righteous naive kids as they were when they started their journey. They don't murder under any circumstance for one but that morality is never explored because that's too much thinking and moral ambiguity confuses the audience I guess. In the original FMA, Ed had to resort to murder because of the situation and as dark as it was, the maturity was visible and there was a lot to be taken from that experience.

Often times moral themes in this anime don't get explored beyond "X is wrong so don't do it!" just like that annoying scene towards the end (spoiler)where everyone tells Mustang he'll become a different person if he takes his satisfying revenge on the homunculus who's committed multiple unforgivable crimes against humanity, but never goes into depth about the nature of revenge or why Roy will become evil if he takes vengeance in this instance. The nature of Roy's revenge wasn't even an explored theme until this moment, and all of a sudden everyone gets on envy's side and turns their teeth on Roy for no other reason but to tell kids on the other side that acts like this is bad because it turns you into a fiend for some reason. Was I not the only one shouting for them to end envy's life already? This was after the blunder of them not ending one of the world's most dangerous beings before by "putting him in a jar and giving it to a girl to be taken on a far journey" without assessing all the risks properly. The homunculi were dehumanized in contrast to the original FMA and made completely unsympathetic (save wrath and old greed) , and we are suppose to sympathize for them at the end for some reason when they were made to barely unlikable? It seems like everyone protects envy throughout the plot. There is "explaining morality through well written actions and subtext" and there is "preachy" Brotherhood is definitely on the side of preachy.

Mustang as well as everyone else's involvement in the Ishballan war was also not exposed enough I felt. There was not enough psychological explorations on that dark. evil event in history. In the original, there were enough time dedicated to show us the gravity of what happens during war, specifically the massacre of innocents and the guilt state alchemists have to bear, but all that was glossed over in brotherhood, and I felt the weight of war in general was not conveyed well at all when the anime had multiple opportunities to do so. (not just the ishballan war, but the civil battle at the end as well) and instead, we get shallow melodrama, plenty of light comedic relief, and not much food for the mind for us to ponder on. It feels like at times, the anime is almost afraid to be depressing. Compare Hughe's death sequence in both versions and tell me the one in brotherhood has more of an emotional impact.

Speaking of comedic relief, the chibi comedy moments in this anime really ruined a lot of potential serious moments. Often times, there was too much light relieving, there was nothing left to relieve but we get comedic relief'ed anyways. The atmospheric tones was much too inconsistent at key times where the director doesn't grip you in any major emotion for a significant amount of time. For an anime which uses so much comedy, FMAB suffers from the curse of just not being funny. I get it, Edward doesn't like to be called short, ok, I had a chuckle the first couple of times it was mentioned, but for the gag to be in almost every other episode was just straight overkill. I found laughter more in the subtler gags such as ed's terrible design sense.


Another naive and convenient moment was when all of kimblee's men happened to be good guys. They needed someone to rescue ed and be dependable, so hey, the two chimeras who were just trying to kill him a minute ago turns out to be genuinely good people because we'd have a dead main character otherwise. They couldn't kill the two chimeras in the room with scar who were tied up because the anime isn't dark enough to do that, so hey, Al trusted them at their word and they happened to be good people incapable of betrayal because everyone has good in their heart and just need to be trusted and the world is a great and simple place just like that! and just like that two allies were added to the roster out of nowhere because Arakawa couldn't write herself out of that predicament any other way.. changes of hearts are not gradual and realistic, but are rather handed out like Jesus pamphlets. Scar didn't have a second thought when the elders in his tribe whom he trusts questioned his actions, but switches sides just like that when he meets an ishballan soldier for the first time? I'm just suppose to buy that and go along?

The author also ignores too many possibilities regarding the use of alchemy while writing this. In an anime about alchemy, you'd think it'd be used more. When Al and Marco's car got a flat tire at the end, where was alchemy? when ed and gang was fighting hoards of zombie homunculi, where was the alchemy to simply bind them to the ground or wall? when the gold toothed doctor was taking his sweet time to draw a transmutation circle, where was the simple attempt to clap the ground to disrupt it? These were all techniques shown to be utilized in earlier episodes but not used so the plot could unravel at a contrived pace which makes questionable sense.

What the anime excels in is the fluidity of fight scenes, and the masterful animation with fine attention to detail all throughout, to the point where we can see the scar on Roy's hand healing scene by scene, episode by episode. I found characters in general to be paper thin and ill characterized because the episodes were more plot concentrated (but then again so was geass, but it dedicated enough time to character exposition at the same time) .I really wanted to like brotherhood...but really walked out feeling I just watched an above mediocre shonen which doesn't break the chains of its genre down to the last cheesy, sappy line uttered by its protagonist at the end.

“Mesmerizing, fun, funny, beautiful all encompassed in the –probably- most epic anime show of all history… in other words THE masterpiece.”

REVIEW FREE OF SPOILERS!

FMA: Brotherhood THE highest ranked show on this site. But for me is something more important than that, so let me try this again…
FMA: Brotherhood THE FIRST anime show I ever watched.

Let me be honest with all of you, I started watching anime 3 years ago –and manga a few months ago-, so in all honesty I am a newbie, but since the start –my start- I’ve been able to watch some of the most fantastic histories/shows of my life, leaving aside ... “real” –and by real I mean with actors in flesh and blood- shows like: Twin Peaks, 24, Lost and others.

I am lucky to have friends that have immersed themselves since children’s in the anime world, an those friends showed me an amazing way to start watching anime, and amazingly, now I’m doing this review for a friend of mine –and of course all those- that want’s to start watching anime.

Since the first time I started watching FMA: Brotherhood I heard very mixed reviews. Some call this one a masterpiece, some others call it a shameful thing in comparison with 2003-2004 FMA version. But for me both versions are amazing, but I hold dear this version a little bit more for being my first anime show.

FMA: Brotherhood is one of those “weird” anime that has everything and still their foundation holds perfectly because all the plots, all the drama, all the fights and scenes are “one for all and all for one” or in the words of the joker “They complete each other”.
So let us begin –finally- this review.


-STORY: 10-
To put it bluntly the story is neither great nor good. It’s fantastic, original –word that I don’t use very often- amazingly developed, in other words an EPIC MATERPIECE.
FMA: Brotherhood attempts –very closely- to follow the line designed in the original manga as opposed in the original Show.
It’s a story of friendship, of brotherhood, of moments filled with happiness and saddens, of regrets and treasured memories it has EVERYTHING.
And it has one of the most –or probably- the most AMAZING ending of them all.


-ART: 10-
In all honesty “huge pockets” will always save everything, whether a movie, a TV SHOWS or an anime.
It’s easy to see that the team that made “FMA: Brotherhood” a reality had a very good budget just by looking at the art. But let’s not “mess” with the amazing work made by the ART Designers of this show, for it doesn’t matter what we are talking about –in the art department- it is easy on the eyes. So beautiful and inspiring.
The characters are probably my favorite part/design in an anime that was made perfectly.


-SOUND: 10-
Let me tell you this, FMA: Brotherhood soundtrack is the first soundtrack I downloaded -from an anime- it’s mesmerizing, it’s perfect.
If I remember correctly no other anime has made me sing their main theme: “Again” by “YUI” or a song like “Lapis Philosophorum”.
And most importantly it doesn’t matter if you watch the anime subbed or dubbed, it’s amazing.

It’s a soundtrack that is memorable, a soundtrack that can change the mood of the moment by itself without the need of words nor actions.


-CHARACTER: 10-
To call anything in this show “the jewel of the crown” is honestly a waste of time after all, the wholeness of the show IS THE “jewel of the crown”. But I WILL waste my time by naming the CHARACTERS of this show THE “jewels of the crown”.

Every single character is memorable and distinguishable. All of them are entertaining and most importantly everyone shines on their own way. Ed in all honesty is one of my favorite characters of all time, Roy Mustang is a character filled with life… wait EVERY SINGLE one is filled with life, something that isn’t easy to make, they shine whether individually or in a group. Enough said.

-ENJOYMENT & OVERALL: 10-
This is one of those shows that everything is perfect.
It’s a masterpiece, an anime worthy of your attention and love.

As I stated before “most epic anime show of all history… in other words THE masterpiece.”
That line is enough to describe this show.

Thank you for reading.

Before I go into this review, I'm just going to say that I actually like FMAB. It is a good anime, and definitely a must watch. That said, there are just a few things about it that just rub me the wrong way.
First of all, the story. It starts out dark, atmospheric, and complicated, just like the first anime, but unfortunately the story loses most of that atmosphere about a quarter of its way into the story, where as FMA was able to maintain that feeling of brooding tension from beginning to end. The pacing is terrible as well, ... and the reason of this is also the main reason as to why the story loses its feel: the first act. Arkawa wrote the manga in a fairly clean three part story;
-the first act (which concludes with Greed's spoiler)
-the second act (Briggs)
-the third act (Promise Day)
The problem with the first act isn't in its composition, indeed, in terms of composition I'd say that that the first act is the best of the three. Its all in the manner in which the story is told. The entire first act is blasted through in about 15 episodes, followed by a choppy, confusing transition into the second part. The rest of the story suffers as a result, as the second act is entirely plot driven with little space for development with the main characters, which in turn leads to the feeling that you're not actually watching a story as much as you are just watching people you don't care about do things for hours on end. The third act is admittedly outstanding, but there is still a slight feeling of indifference radiated by several characters and certain events take an absurd amount of time to come to pass. There is a reason for this pacing problem, that problem being that the show seemingly expects people to have watched the first series and tries not to bore them with the first act. Which is completely and utterly idiotic given the unbreakable golden rule of adaptations: never assume that the audience has seen the original or read the book. The ending is a mixed bag as well. Its undeniably satisfying, but it is also far too simple and happy for such a complex series.
The cast of Brotherhood is a mixed bag, some characters (Ed, Alphonse, Scar, Izumi, Major Armstrong) are solid, but not as good they were in the original. Others (pretty much just Mustang and Winry) are better than they were in the original due to a higher level of focus and more interesting subplots. A few characters, unfortunately, are either boring archetypes or just plain useless. May Chang and Yoki have practically no purpose in the story other than to be love interests or comedy relief. There is no depth to their characters and no real purpose (May Chang does introduce a new kind of Alchemy to the main characters, but that could have also been done just as easily by Ling giving Ed a book or something), so when they get in danger or die, the audience has no reason to give a damn other than "Well, I thought she was kind of cute.". The worst character, however, is easily Olivier Mira Armstrong, and believe me (or hate me, which is probable) when I say that this character is the literal epitome of almost everything wrong with modern media. So many people these days fall in love with characters just because they subvert gender/racial stereotypes, which isn't even remotely close to being a reason to like a character (unless if you in turn are racist or sexist). Olivier Mira Armstrong isn't well rounded, has no character development other than a cliche growing of fondness towards her "weak" brother, and does absolutely nothing other than order others around and act like a badass (and by badass I mean backstabbing old guys and getting her ass handed to her by the dumbest character in the series). We never see Olivier laugh, cry, get scared, or do anything other. Good character my ass. As for the villains, there is some good and some bad. Pride and Kimblee are awesome, though I still prefer the orginal Kimblee. Envy is a decent one as far as generic psychopaths are concerned, and the Azula moment that he pulls against Mustang towards the end is spectacularly handled. Wrath on the other hand is a badass but forgettable, and his moment of goodness in the end felt horribly contrived. The big bad lead villain works, but is basically a less subtle Voldemort with a vendetta against God. Once again, badass, but forgettable.
As far as art goes, FMAB is okay. Some things look a bit too round (Mustang literally looks like a five year old) and Edward's hair takes even longer to get used to. The action, animation, soundtrack, and voice acting are all brilliant and help ease you through the story where the pacing and the tension fails.
Overall, Brotherhood is a pretty good series, as long as you don't think too much about the ending or tha pacing or the characters. Just enjoy the ride and don't expect the masterpiece that the MAL community might pressure you into believing it is.

It's been one month since I had finished FMA:Brotherhood and planning to re-watch important fight in the weekend.

story(10/10):
Story is great, there are many emotional scenes and strong brotherhood.
FMA: Brotherhood more closely follows the story line of the original manga, rather than the original television series which featured an original story line. Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric are raised by their mother Trisha in the remote village of Risembool. Their father Hohenheim, a noted and very gifted alchemist, abandoned his family while the boys were still young, and while in Trisha's care they began to show an affinity for alchemy. However, when Trisha died of ... a lingering illness, they were cared for by their best friend Winry Rockbell and her grandmother Pinako. The boys traveled the world to advance their alchemic training under Izumi Curtis. Upon returning home, the two decide to try to bring their mother back to life with alchemy. However, human transmutation is a taboo, as it is impossible to do so properly. In the failed transmutation that results, Al's body is completely obliterated and Ed loses his left leg. In a last ditch attempt to keep his brother alive, Ed sacrifices his right arm to bring Al's soul back and houses it in a nearby suit of armor. After Edward receives automail prosthetics from Winry and Pinako, the brothers decide to burn their childhood home down (symbolizing their determination and decision of "no turning back") and head to the capital city to become government sanctioned State Alchemists. After passing the exam, Edward is dubbed the "Fullmetal Alchemist" by the State Military, and the brothers begin their quest to discover the nature of the fabled Philosopher's Stone, under the direction of Colonel Roy Mustang. Along the way, they discover a deep government conspiracy to hide the true nature of the Philosopher's Stone that involves the homonculi, the alkahestrists of the neighboring nation of Xing, the scarred man from the war-torn nation of Ishbal, and their own father's past.

sound(10/10)
the sound before fight is so great.The ending and opening theme songs were also great.The respective opening and ending themes for the first 14 episodes are "Again" by Yui, and "Uso" (嘘?, lit. "Lie") by Sid. From episode 15-26, the respective opening and ending themes are "Hologram" by Nico Touches the Walls, and "Let It Out" by Miho Fukuhara. From episode 27-38, the respective opening and ending themes are "Golden Time Lover" by Sukima Switch, and "Tsunaida Te" (つないだ手?, lit. "Tied Hands") by Lil'B. From episode 39-50, the respective opening and ending themes are "Period" by Chemistry, and "Shunkan Sentimental" (瞬間センチメンタル Shunkan Senchimentaru?, lit. "Sentimental Moment") by Scandal. From episodes 51-62, the respective opening and ending themes are "Rain" (レイン Rein?) by Sid, and "Ray of Light" by Shoko Nakagawa. While episodes 63 and 64 do not use opening themes, they use "Rain" and "Hologram", respectively, for the endings.[6]

Animation(9/10)
animation is very good, every character is unique and not overlapping, many animes have similar face characters which is very difficult to distinguish on watching 1 or 2 episodes but in FMA:Brotherhood characters are so peculiar and great in art.

character(9/10)
character are neither too many nor too less, Elric, Edward and Elric, Alphonse are the main characters and present throughout the series.There are many other supporting characters.

Enjoyment(10/10)
There are many funny scenes when people thinks Elric, Alphonse as Edward and Edward gets angry when he is called Shorty...Too funny

overall(10/10)
It's a great masterpiece anime.

Okay, so this is only my third review at this point, meaning that my reviewing pants are still a little tight and don't cup the goods just right yet, but I'm a firm advocate of sink or swim and, this being a review of one of the most popular [and currently highest rated] shows on MAL, I figure that I'll either be met with wild success or consigned to the murky depths of obscurity.

Right, so I'd like to go into this saying that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a shining beacon of hope amongst the fetid mire of what counts for shounen today. My own personal ... biases aside, I have never seen an anime that so completely earned its rating of 10 by being so consistently competent in just about every category. The merits of its predecessor, Fullmetal Alchemist, may be widely disputed, but there is no doubt that Brotherhood is one of the best anime that I've had the pleasure of watching and arguably the most well rounded shounen out there. Now, being the pleb that I am, I've never actually read the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, and therefore cannot attest to how closely the show follows it, but those of you who watched the original will find that, up to a certain point, it treads pretty much the same ground as its predecessor; beyond that point, the two stories diverge wildly with the introduction of the neighboring country of Xing [China, basically] and the squinty-eyed badasses that hail from it. On an off note, I always thought it odd that, in most anime, the Japanese characters look for all the world like young white teenagers, but when you introduce a Chinese guy, it's all "harrows" and squinty-eyes from there. At any rate, the Xingese characters really put the militaristic regime of Amestris [the setting of most of the story] into perspective, but I'll get to them later.

The story itself is excellently paced, chronicling the Elric Brothers' journey to get their bodies back and their subsequent discoveries about the nature of alchemy itself. This sets the perfect premise for an exciting story that explores the consequences of human transmutation and the myriad of other complex moral issues presented by something such as alchemy. It also [frequently] touches on the physical and emotional repercussions of war, and the use of alchemists as a military asset, but my favorite part of the story is perhaps that it finally elucidates on Houenheim, the boys' father, who was an enigmatic figure throughout the entirety of the original, and his curious relation to the show's behind-the-scenes antagonist [of whom, by the way, is far more interesting than the original's]. I would elaborate more on the story itself, but I'll abstain from it for fear of spoiling any plot twists or revelations, of which there are many. The only real complaints that I have are that FMA:B suffered once or twice from your typical stilted anime dialogue and odd anime morality. This isn't to say that the characters weren't all consistent and believable in their decision making, they really were, but there was one point where a character, in an incredibly justified fit of rage, was about to kill someone who clearly deserved to die [that he'd been looking for throughout the whole show in fact], but was stopped. Why? Because afterwards he "wouldn't be the same." I imagine not; he'd probably have quite a load off his chest and walk with a little more skip in his step in my opinion, but everyone else may as well have been quoting Star Wars, what with their "if you strike him down in anger, then you’ll give in to it yourself,” as though avenging countless lives is paramount to joining the Dark Side. I'd say that scene was absolutely confusing, but it actually contributed to an interesting bit of characterization for one of the bad guys; and besides, only a Sith deals in absolutes.
Another [in fact, the only other] gripe that I had was with how they treated the beginning, which, as I mentioned before, is roughly the same as the original's [which was quite dark], except for some reason they thought it’d be a good idea to throw more Cartoon Faces in there. I mean, I understand throwing in a little humor for the sake of levity when things are getting too grim, but when a girl is contemplating murder after being coerced with promises of reuniting with her deceased boyfriend, having her aim at the wrong person just to throw in another "haha, Ed is short" joke doesn't quite cut it. Not to mention that one of the times Al went into "cartoon" mode during a funny scene it struck me that he looked an awful lot like a big grey condom, a thought which I just couldn't shake off for the rest of the show. Aside from that, the story is pretty much flawless.

Interestingly enough, while Ed and Al are obviously the main duo, what with them being featured prominently on the box art, they can't really be said to be the only main characters. Brotherhood also follows a fairly sizable cast of interesting characters, showing no particular favor to any one of them, instead opting to diligently flesh out each and every one of their individual journeys; including among them an ambitious military officer's campaign to root out dangerous enemies on the inside and rise among the ranks of his fellow soldiers to the esteemed title of Fuhrer [which I understand sounds suspicious to anyone post 1945, but despite obvious comparisons, Amestris isn't Nazi Germany], to the survivor of a domestic genocide [okay... maybe it is] and his quest for vengeance, with a whole array of compelling characters in between.

While I'm on the topic of characters: if you were to ask me which of those were my favorite, I'd be a genuine loss; every one of them is consistent and interesting, and they compose what is certainly one of my favorite casts in anime or media in general. I must, however, award special merit to a few: King Bradley, for perfectly encapsulating all that is man; fearless, pertinacious, and unrepentant. Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang, for being the most well-rounded female character and the most relatable badass respectively. Houenheim, for having a beard worthy of Rider himself, and...
Actually, you know what? Never mind, all of them were amazing. Not to mention that FMA:B sports the biggest cast of female badasses that I've seen since Black Lagoon. A few characters are necessary to mention however, such as the new Xingese characters, Ling Yao [and his guards Lan Fan and Fuu], and Shao May [possibly one of the most refreshingly competent kids I've seen in anime], who are introduced around the time that Brotherhood starts coming into its own, and add a lot of supplementary lore about the world surrounding Amestris; also the Homunculi, because I really enjoyed how most of their deaths seemed to be accompanied by some underlying theme that corresponded to their respective traits. While there is so much to love, the thing that I find most impressive about the characters is that seemingly all of them are relevant. Honestly. I can't tell you how many characters were introduced that I immediately pegged as throwaways, but come the end of the show there they are, doing things. Important things. No single character can be considered the product of bad writing and they all experience growth and development in their respective arcs, oftentimes as a result of their novel interactions with the rest of the cast. By the way, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the battles, this being a shounen and all. The animation is top notch for the fights this time around and you can tell that the development team went all out on each and every one; this show sports some of the most well animated fighting that I've seen. Not to mention that the action is pretty clever, and revolves around the use of tactics as opposed to power levels, meaning that the winner of any one confrontation was entirely circumstantial and therefore appropriately suspenseful. Every encounter is fast paced and exhilarating, and thankfully so, because there are plenty of them.

Lastly, the music and voice acting are superb. I personally watched Brotherhood dubbed, and would highly recommend it myself, because how often do you get to enjoy a genuinely outstanding dub? I tried the sub as well and found the voice acting similarly inspired; I really only chose the dub for the sheer novelty of actually getting to listen to a competent English cast. Each voice actor did an amazing job and matched their character perfectly. Ed and Al were voiced splendidly, easily conveying an entire range of emotions, Bradley was a warm family man and a menacing leader in the same breath, you could hear Roy's pain at his past molded into fuel for his ambition for the future, and of course, I could listen to Alex Louis Armstrong FOR GENERATIONS! The music was likewise impressive; this was actually one of few anime where I listened to every single opening song, every time. The OST as a whole was grand and, though some were perhaps initially overused, I never once found the BGM to be jarring or unfitting to the scene. Brotherhood also knows when to use silence; a valuable skill that many shows haven't quite gotten the hang of. Absolutely no qualms in the audio department.

All in all, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a breath of fresh air in a stagnant pool of trite shounen anime; the story is captivating, the fights are thrilling, and the characterization is exemplary. Sure it may have its flaws, like that stupid “no confirmation of [romantic] feelings [to each other] until the very end” thing that anime does, but that’s a minor thing when compared to the tour de force of competency that is Brotherhood. There’s a reason that it’s resting comfortably at #1 after all.

I, personally, love everything about Fullmetal, for not only is it an amazing anime, full of an incredible amount of heart and soul, but it was also the first anime that really introduced me to the beautiful world of manga, anime and Japanese culture. Whilst not being the first anime i ever watched, (dragon ball z being the first, followed by Nartuo (which i personally never really liked), it was the first anime that i completed fully. So, to my surprise, in 2010, after about a 3 year break from anime, when i came across the title Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, i was surprised that ... the story wasn't over yet, (i never had access to the internet until the age of 13, this being in 2010, and the library where i got my manga didn't have the complete volumes of Fullmetal), yet i decided to ignore it, only until recently i decided to watch it, due to my passion for anime coming back in 2013, and i gotta say, every moment, every minute was absolutely astonishing and to this day Fullmetal Alchemist will always have a special place in my heart and will always be my favorite anime. :3

Story: The story of FMA:B is basically the tale of 2 brothers, Ed and Al, who after performing a forbidding type of Alchemy called Human Transportation to bring their dead mother back to life end-up not only failing to bring their mother back to life but also sacrificing their bodies, Ed losing his arm and leg, whilst his brother AL is locked to a suit of armor. The story of Fullmetal Alchemist is rich, full of brilliant themes and ideas that at times can be absolute tear-jerkers, to dark undertones, such as genocide, corruption, lust, greed, envy and wrath. The whole story is essentially a journey to reclaim what has been lost and a chance at redemption (for example ED AND AL trying to re-gain their lost limbs). Everything about the plot to full-metal is almost flawless, the ending is absolutely spectacular leaving absolutely no plot holes.

Art: the art is simplistic, yet captivating. I absolutely loved the art style, i found it very re-refreshing and the character designs where amazing, all handled by my personal favorite animation company BONES.

Sound: The music in Fullmetal is absolutely brilliant, especially the opening and closing songs. All music does a fantastic job at showing the themes and the underlining feel of the show, a chance of redemption and to find what has been lost. Over the Dub and the Sub, for fullmetal, i would have to go with the DUB, every performance is top-notch, not one bad bit of dialog, yet you can never go wrong for the 2, sub and dub, both are top-notch.

Characters: i refuse to explain how incredible they are, watch it, for the love of god, watch it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Enjoyment: I gave the anime a goddamn 10/10, i love almost everything about it.

Overall: WATCH IT, READ IT, BUY IT, worth all of your money.

(compared to the original i believe they are both amazing peaces f work that must be seen)

Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood is one of those anime that can be called ”unique". FAB is an action,adventure,psychological,thriller,drama,comedy anime also having a slight touch of romance. The anime has done an exceptional work in combining all the geners and has balanced it perfectly.

FAB tells the story of two brothers who lost their bodies while trying to bring their dead mother back to life. So they go in search of a stone which amplifies the power of an alchemist called the philosepher's stone.

FAB has got an amazing story which makes you wanna keep on watching it and each episode has got its own twist. Every single episode is ... crucial and even skipping one could make you totally clueless. Also, its got an unusual attraction and watching each episode will make you wanna see more.

Then comes the characters. Every single characters are likable and respectable. As the story progresses there is a very good character development. The feelings, emotions, friendship, love and resolve of the characters leave a deep scar in your heart.

The anime has got a good Art. Also the detailing and the way the characters are potrait are all magnificent. The characters are potrait in a way which goes well with their personality.

The anime seems to be a perfection in whatever way you look at it. Especially, in sound. The voice given to most of the MCs are top notch and it matches the characters. Also, I think the English Dubbers did a good job, mainly Edward Elric's voice actor.

FAB is an anime which delivers a promise to the people that just reads its name. The anime is sure to give you a taste of some fine exitement and suspense. Unlike others, this one can be a treat for your whole family.

Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood is an anime having its own class. A mind blowing piece of work that can make everyone satisfied of their life. Personally I think FAB is a hundred times better than FMA. So those who haven't watched it till now can go ahead and watch it and I garuntee you that at the end of the series you'll definetly say 'AWESOME'..

Have you ever gotten that feeling of overwhelming sadness once you finish an anime/manga because you know there will never be another one like it in its genre? That was the feeling I got when I finished Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

After the controversy of the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime deviating greatly from the manga, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was created as a completely faithful adaptation of the manga. Despite being a shounen series, Brotherhood adopts a unique, more mature approach to action shounen anime while still retaining the basic qualities of the genre.

The series takes place in a small, but powerful country called Amestris that mirrors Nazi ... Germany. Amestris is a militaristic totalitarian country in which its most powerful figure (well, sorta) is the head of the military, addressed as Führer. There are many other historical references, including imperialistic desires, trench warfare, and an event similar to the Holocaust, and they help us to understand the situation Amestris is in at the start of the series.

The story follows the journey of teenage alchemists Edward and Alphonse Elric, brothers determined to get back their original bodies after a deadly accident following a failed Human Transmutation. As they try to find the legendary Philosopher’s Stone, an all-powerful item that can purportedly return them to their bodies, it becomes apparent that this mysterious object is tied in to every single conflict Amestris has been in. Unlike other shounens’ plots, which are tailored to maximize fighting, FMA’s plot is intriguing and full of genuine suspense. At its core though, the series is an endearing story about the resilient bond between two brothers who’ll never give up until they achieve their goal, despite seemingly impossible odds and obstructing obstacles.

In the series, alchemy is a blend of supernaturalism and chemistry that essentially takes an object and changes or transmutes it into a different object. A highly practical ability, alchemy can be used for medical purposes, fighting, building, etc. As an aspiring science major, this is one part of the series that really impressed me. For instance, there is a scene where Ed is forced to fight a character that can shield his body with diamond, one of the hardest substances on earth. After realizing the makeup of the shield, Ed transmutes the diamond into graphite (both are allotropes of carbon), a much more brittle substance. All the carbon atoms were still present, but now they were rearranged to weaken the shield. The incorporation of chemistry gives the fights so many possibilities. The Law of Conservation of Mass is somewhat applied to alchemy in the concept called Equivalent Exchange. Whatever the amount you use is the amount you receive. Of course, one of the powers of the Philosopher’s Stone is the ability to defy this rule of Equivalent Exchange, a reason why it is so coveted.

Much of the fighting in this series is relegated to close combat (until the final battle). Usually, the combatants are armed with some type of weapon, or if they’re alchemists, they can also transmute projectiles. But sometimes, the fights are as simple as hand to hand combat. Few people have truly unique abilities, especially since most fighting alchemists have similar abilities and the normal people can’t use any supernatural abilities anyway, so you won’t see crazy destructive powers like those of Naruto or Bleach. However, don’t misconstrue the fights to be any less exciting. The action is just as exhilarating, and with the inclusion of alchemy, we often see incredible environmental manipulation. Strategy is important, so the alchemic principle of understanding is sometimes crucial in fights. However, as a shounen that is more plot-driven than most, some of the fights are rather one-sided. After all, fights are supposed to be decided quickly, not take up several episodes and waste our times. Many of the fights serve to advance the plot, so more than anything, we see character development and learn more about the events preceding the series during these fights.

The characters are easily the best part of the series. There are many of them, and they all serve specific roles in the series. The most important ones are given fleshed-out backstories, and through these, we learn about their unique personalities, values, and internal conflicts, as well as get a sense of what exactly happened to lead up to the actual events of the series. Each character has some sort of goal that they hope to achieve, be it a return to a previous life, revenge, becoming the next Führer, or achieving immortality. The main antagonists of the series are the Homunculus, an immortal group of near-invincible creatures with human exteriors. There are seven of them, each one representing one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and much of their personalities and goals are based upon their respective sins. Their mysterious “Father” is the one who created them. These characters are far from one-dimensional. Their psychological conflicts and emotional backgrounds really help you empathize with them. In fact, Fullmetal Alchemist has spawned a number of my favorite characters.

Now, despite all the praise I’ve given to Brotherhood, it does have a few setbacks, although whether these can be called setbacks depends on the viewer. The show often likes to resort to light-hearted slapstick comedy typical of a shounen series. Accompanying this is the occasional use of the chibi style of art. Some people may find this aggravating, although I personally have no problem with it. Also, the pacing of the series is somewhat inconsistent. Initially, the series moves rather quickly, resolving conflicts in only one or two episodes. At times, this gave the series an episodic feel. However, the pacing becomes much more streamlined towards the middle. Towards the latter part of the series, the pacing slows down considerably, and the final arc pretty much occurs within the span of a few hours. Again though, I found no problem with this personally, and the way the show was paced at different parts worked well with the occurrences in the plot.

The music is very suitable for the atmosphere of the show, giving an eerie, serious, ethereal, heartwarming, tragic, or lively feel depending on the scene. It’s not exactly memorable though, but it works. All the OPs and EDs are fairly good as well. On the other hand, the voice acting is perfect for the characters, especially Ed’s voice. Emotions are flawlessly conveyed through the voice actors. The animation is also fantastic. The fight scenes are exciting and flow well. No choppy movements. Occasionally, the faces do look somewhat disfigured and disproportionate (often times Mustang’s), but other than that, the artwork is detailed and generally solid.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was an amazing experience. Its world is so intricate, but gradually, everything is explained in full detail, and it truly is beautifully crafted. This isn’t just another shounen anime. Its incorporation of political, religious, psychological, and philosophical elements and its focus on plot over fighting definitely make it a much more mature series than your typical shounen. At the same time, its slapstick comedy and grand fights are the reason for its shounen tag, but that’s not a bad thing. Also, this is the only action series that has invoked any serious emotion in me, showing that I actually cared about these characters. It is unfortunate to see it end, but all good things must eventually come to an end. This is a shounen that’s done right.

People tell me that I am too old for Japanese cartoons (those people are specifically idiots that prefer to say cartoons rather than anime). Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood aired 5 years ago so it classifies as an old anime but get this, I am never going to be too old and too late to watch FMA: B.

For some reason, otaku members in MAL may or may not be tired of seeing reviews that has a score of ten in FMAB. To those who are sick of seeing reviews like this saying how awesome Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is, well you guys better get used ... to it. After all, this show is by far the most epic thing I have ever seen in my entire life and I’m not just saying that because I am a fandom of it. The moment I first watched it, I was completely addicted and it became my instant favorite. (You may want to skip the third paragraph because I went through a long way before watching FMA: B but if you are interested on the story, fine with me.)

Okay, this anime was never my decision to watch and it comes with a whole journey of doubt. Last 2010, I was amazed after seeing Soul Eater and I became a huge fan of it. I used to go to this website called animecrazy.net (You guys may never heard of this website but it was removed some year ago or years ago) and it has this section called “Most Popular Anime of all time” and every time I view it I see Soul Eater at number 9 which makes me happy; however, as months pass, it goes to spot #13 and I was completely mad and to think the anime that beat Soul Eater was Fairy Tail and Full Metal Alchemist/Brotherhood. I had a huge grudge on those two shows so I promised that I will never betray Soul Eater (hardcore fan girl right?) but that assurance was broken until now. I watched shows that were really crappy before seeing Full Metal. For example, 12 anime shows that completely tell nothing but friendship and getting a boyfriend and some shows with potential but with plot holes and open endings. I never really felt so bored. Not even a single anime left me with an incredible impression for the reason that most of them never gave me a superb feeling like what SE handed me years ago. Until one day, I was watching Baccano! And saw a recommendation about Full Metal so I did it and broke my pledge. I deceived SE but I never thought that it was going to be my best decision EVER!

Full Metal Alchemist has a great story because each arc has a connection with one another. The first arc is the goal of getting Al and Ed their bodies back. The second arc is the villain’s plan which I will not tell you because I am not going to be a spoiler. The third arc is a clan’s mission in finding immortality in order to save their culture. The fourth arc is the anti-hero’s plan of seeking revenge on the military. If you think that’s all, think again. There are more back stories, more characters to invade, more unexpected happenings and more development on every character’s relationship. What makes it unique is that it uses Alchemy which is an ancient part of Chemistry (which is being taught to students of our era). Alchemy for some people claims to be magic of some sort but believe it or not it helped produced Chemistry that we know of today. This show is mainly talking about alchemy and it made it look so damn good. Some people will think that it’s going to be a boring show because it talks about a philosophical science but it is more than that. There will be a unexplainably awesome adventure for you guys with comedy, drama (lots of it), action, and surprisingly, a little subtle romance. I give the plot an outstanding 10 because face it, Arakawa-sensei made a story like no other. It is unique, incomparable and marvelous in a million levels. Sure, people will think that I am exaggerating a bit and yes there are flaws in this anime like there are some cliché ticks; nevertheless, it is quite different because there are no fillers and Brotherhood is straight to the point, a little fast paced and of course, the episode that capped everything is undoubtedly superior and satisfactorily complied with my expectations and even surpassed it.

Aniplex and Funimation had become popular in every anime show. Both organizations never fails to amaze me with their techniques when it comes to graphics but I won’t lie, the art is just very good and it did its best for a 2009 show by depicting very iconic styles and motifs. The background can be a little simple like its lacking details and animation. The colors were just nicely done. They know when to make a vibrant scene and a when to put a shadowy effect. Everything was just balanced and pleasing. People may observe it as mediocre but it did a splendid job for the graphics. Considering how it has a more modern impact unlike the original 2003 FMA, it also has great animation schemes.

One of the best points in FMA: B is their OST or original soundtrack. Every anime that has Bones as their producer really has excellent music that you won’t absolutely ignore (take OHSHC, CB and SE for example). For the opening songs, my biggest recommendation and the song that I really liked is Yui’s Again. It has a rather lavishing drama and courage mixed into it. It has a dramatic entry at first but it has a catchy tone in the latter part of it. The third opening, Golden Time Lover is also convincing and fun to listen to because it has rock music and it is also upbeat and likable. The fourth opening is great too, Period by Chemistry has a slow and not too quick rhythm but it uses electric guitar as its main tune. The second opening is full hope and has more happiness into it. Rain is just too all over the place but the video that comes along with the song helps. It is good but it just wasn’t notable for me. The endings were just as grand as the OPs. The best among the rest is Miho Fukuhara’s Let it Out (which is better than Frozen’s Let it Go) because it is the song that never gets out of my head. It is very iconic and very dramatic. It made me cry so hard every time it plays with a very sad moment in FMA: B. I loved it so much and is willing to make it as my favorite Otaku song. Uso, Shunkan Sentimental, and Ray of Light were all good and aspiring to hear. The blend of RnB and Alternative Rock was splendid (am I right). For Tsunaida Te, I disliked it because of the rap that goes along with the piano it didn’t blend with the slow and steady melody. For the sound effects, some were quite repetitive but hey, that’s what makes it iconic and memorable. When it plays somewhere you’ll know that it is Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood’s soundtrack. The voice actors were flawless. They placed all the great emotions at the right time and the right place. Whether they need to be funny, sad, and emotionally fine they did it at the greatest quality as possible. Although, I am not fond of the English dub in many anime shows, FMA: B’s English dub was distinct. The Japanese dub is great too but the English dub was more hilarious. I was just a little concerned with Ed’s voice in the Japanese dub because Paku Romi is good at Edward’s younger voice but when Ed became a little older, she should’ve made her voice a little deeper but no sweat, she is a girl after all. In the English dub Vic Minogna’s voice was flexible at all costs. Kugimiya Rie and the English dub actors of Alphonse did an exceptional job (they were too many I can’t distinguish who was who). The others were awesome too making this anime lively and entertaining.

Characters are also one of the strongest potential of Brotherhood. Of course, Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric were a great main character duo. Both were entertaining and somehow have various personalities. Individually, they are different but both are awesome protagonists. The supporting casts were explicit from Roy Mustang to the villains. I didn’t hate any character in this anime. Each and every one of them was lovable and funny. Yeah, so some of them have the common personality like the pervert, the overly protective main character and the defenseless girl but somehow they are all fantastic when seen together and they also have unique characteristics. (Take Note: I mistook Edward as a girl and Al as a robot, I am so stupid, am I the only one though?)

If giving enjoyment an infinity I would've done it by now but sadly it’s only a ten. This anime has outstanding puns, dramatic parts, a little romance, overwhelming action scenes and an ending that no words could describe my feelings because it was the best one. (Thank you Arakawa!) FMA: B was the first shounen anime that made me cry. There were episodes that were just too intense that I never expected to shed a tear. The jokes were funny and were not corny. Yeah sure some of it was always shown but they place the jokes at the right time without confusing the person and making the viewers say “what the hell am I watching?” There weren’t too many ecchi scenes in Brotherhood because like I said it is pretty straightforward. Action scenes were not too dull. They preserved the specialness in every character’s strengths and weaknesses in order to give out their true power in the end. Romance? Well, I can't believe that it has one but don’t worry, the show doesn't focus much on the love story.

With a great story line, lovable characters that you won’t forget, unmistakably exquisite music and sound effects, a different art and amusing parts there is no denying that you should really NOT miss FMA: B. I am not saying this because I am a fan, I am saying this because I am a victim of watching an extraordinary anime that never left my mind. I was thinking about this anime for like weeks now and there isn't a second or a minute that I never wait for the next episode. I will always admire this anime because of its strong capability to make a person learn about sacrifices and pain. Life is cruel but in the end, you’ll know that everyone needs to lose something to gain what you really want. Just like what Edward said, “A lesson without pain is meaningless” so you have to stand and endure it. You shouldn't miss Fullmetal but instead have the time to watch it and you will be captivated. It wasn't ranked as number one in MAL for no reason. Because of FMA: B, I finally learned to move on and keep moving forward. If you haven't watched it yet, you will lose half of your life and your limbs.

I have seen both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood) and both are good to watch. In the first version (Fullmetal Alchemist), the first half of the series is really good. The fight between Edward Elric and Roy Mustang & the State Alchemist test taken by Edward Elric are notable ones. In second half, the story takes lots of twists and turns and I find it is not as impressive as the first half.
Anywayz, Fullmetal Alchemist is, in a way, unique. It is very much a mainstream series, with the appeal of a huge cast of unique characters, action that commonly involves special powers, a fairly ... straight forward story with some mostly obvious symbolism, and a mix of comedy, action, drama, and even some romance. These are all common staples of long running anime series that lean towards a more commercial and public appeal. And yet, for a mainstream series, it manages to continually surprise with a very mature and serious tone. There is a great deal of tragedy and some moments are even frightening and memorable. Few series achieve such a perfect balance of mainstream entertainment and gut wrenching drama and tragedy.
And I will finish by saying that if you are going to watch one anime in the entirety of your life time, Choose FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood

The original Fullmetal Alchemist was a fantastic anime back in 2004. It had a fantastic story, and amazing characters, but unfortunately, the pacing was slow, and the ending was somewhat bittersweet. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, it's remake, on the other hand manages to fix just about every problem the original had, and even manages to improve all the good points from the original.

The story of the Fullmetal is one not to forget. The story revolves Edward Elric, and his brother, Alphonse Elric, who are searching for a way to return back to their original lives after committing a dangerous taboo, human transmutation. The story revolves around ... the idea that in order to receive something, you must sacrifice something of equal value. The brothers live in a fantasy-like militaristic nation that has a great focus on the use of alchemy called Amestris. This is an incredible story that uses it's time wisely, with just about every moment having a importance in the grander scheme of things. Not everything is as it seems, as they are some really clever plot twist you won’t forget. Despite the fact the the story is massive, it never seems to complicated. It explains everything in a way that it doesn't talk down to you, but you never feel like you've been given to much info to keep track of either.

The best part of the anime by far, are the characters. The show has a huge cast of likable characters, each with own interesting personalities. None of the characters feel like stereotypes, and they are all given enough depth to make them feel alive. There’s the main dou, Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers who are searching for a way to get their original bodies back, and their childhood friend, Winry, who is always making sure the two brothers are safe. There’s also the members of the military, Roy Mustang, a man who wishes to become the fuhrer of Amestris, with his devoted team, and a loving father and husband, Hughes. And, of course, the antagonists of the show, the mysterious homunculi whose motives see, unclear at first, and a man looking for revenge, Scar. I haven’t even mentioned the side characters. Ninjas, Alchemy teachers, engineers, and a runaway father. Hell, I don’t even know if I can call these side characters. They're all so important, with their own different goals and character development, they could be considered all to be part of the main cast. They are all so varied, you’re bound to have your own favorites.

The animation for the show is great too, although some might prefer the originals art style over this one. It looks a bit more simpler compared to the originals, but that’s mainly because the original had some fantastic artwork. I will say this, though. The animation is great and has some incredible action scenes, and nice facial expressions. The art style is beautiful as well, creating fantastic environments, with a great use of distinct colors. The animation does fall once in a while, but it’s so rare, you’ll hardly notice it.

And finally, the sound. This show has a fantastic orchestrated soundtrack, with solid voice acting. The anime has five opening and ending songs, and they’re all a joy to listen to. The music complements the show greatly. Every scene is backed up by a great track, giving them all it’s intended atmosphere. It can make scenes intense or relaxing, exiting or melancholic, and most importantly, meaningful. The only complaint I would have is that some of these tracks are played too often, but it never really bothered me. The voice actors for this show are great as well. There’s not really a weak voice actor in the bunch, and some of them really do help push the characters to seem more believable. You can’t go wrong with either subbed or dubbed.

I can’t stop praising this show enough. The show is incredible, with practically no flaws(I tried my best to even find the few nitpicks that I did find). You’ll end up finding these episodes passing by too fast, with these 64 episodes will all hold something memorable. This is not a show you want to miss.

You've probably heard of Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood, as it is widely known through the anime community as a fantastic and incredible anime. The main rule of this anime is of Equivalent Exchange; To gain, something of equal value must be lost.

So, what's the Story?
The story follows brothers Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric in a journey to find a mythical gem known as the Philosophers Stone in order to bend the laws of alchemy and receive the bodies they lost trying to bring back their mother after her death at the hands on an illness. That is the basics, though the second half of the anime is ... very different and the story becomes a lot more serious and the entire tone goes from a selfish journey for their own benefit and turns into a massive story that is absolutely fantastic.

The story of the anime, as a whole, was clear and enjoyable, and kept the overall feeling of the anime constant, always adding suspense, comedy, sadness, and any emotion possible.

The characters are amazing. From main characters like Edward, to background characters, each is given a motive, story and enough time to actually create a connection. Every character was understandable and somewhat likable or relatable.

The sub and the dub are both amazing, and the dub is one of the best ever for any anime, every character's voice is great, well used and memorable. Not a single voice sounds wrong. Every character sounds exactly like you'd expect them to and it makes the entire anime a lot easier to watch as well as a lot more enjoyable, creating a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere.

The animation style is incredible, fluent and beautiful. It works perfectly, and somehow they use the same animation style effectively no matter what emotion they are attempting to convey. Comedy. seriousness and sorrow are all presented fantastically

This anime is easily one of my all time favourite anime, and I have yet to meet someone who genuinely dislikes it. It's worth a shot, and I know you'll fall in love with it, just like I did. Watch it all and there will definitely be a least one character you love and at least one part of the story you will always remember.

FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood was released in 2009 and it is a remake of the FullMetal Alchemist, where the story takes another path and twist from the original. Brotherhood is considered to be better than the original from most of its viewers.The whole animation has deep meanings as its designed based on facts and different cultures, Its not just a random put-together. It has a good way of transmitting the anime's emotions such as comedy style and drama, and will definitely make you laugh sometimes , and other times feel sad or even cry.
The anime consist of 64 episodes which by my opinion is a very ... good amount that doesnt tire you and its not too short either. There are also some stand-alone side stories: Blind Alchemist, Simple People and Tales of the Master.

Graphics: The graphics on this animation are much improved than its predecessor. The graphics engine changed and if you watch this animation on more than 720 p you are gonna love it! The movement is smooth and the physic in the anime are as realistic as they can considering its a fantasy world with super extra special effects! It has Naturalistic colors which will not make your eyes hurt and the design of things around is pretty interesting as well. For an anime released in 2009 it has awesome details. Characters are well designed and give you the exact face expressions depending on the situation.
Art: The openings and the ending of the series are awesome as they have great music and awesome design. As every anime openings of course they are kinda spoily as they show things from the series that have not happened yet. The anime has awesome soundtracks in general where they fit perfectly on the situation.

Plot: We are in a world where in contrary with ours the people can apply Alchemy! Alchemy is the science where you can take matter , Understand it , dissolve it and then put it back together in something different. All people there can do it pretty much , at least people that are practising the art. Out protagonist tried to follow a forbidden alchemy type when their mother passed away. Wanting to bring their mother back they applied what can be said as human alchemy. The process backfired and Edward lost his leg while his little brother lost his whole body. Edward not knowing what to do he sacrificed his arm to tie his brother soul on an iron armor. After they survived Edward had surgery to apply prosthetic parts and his brother remained as an armor. Now Edward applies to work for the military thinking that he has a chance to find a way to discover the Philosophers Stone, a legendary ingredient which will help him and his brother recover their bodies. The questions are so many that they dont know where to start looking. What are the creatures called homunculus that have the name of the seven sins? What is their connection with the Stone and the way to immortality? Will the two brother stay together until the end or will the guilt consume them?

In General: The plot is very well made and i can tell you that it is so complete that it doesn't let you any holes or blanks when the anime ends. It is deeply mysterious and very moving in such ways that it will definitely make you cry! The plot doesn't only move around the protagonists as all characters in the series are interesting and have an awesome story.

In Depth Details: The whole world in the animation seems to be Germanized as for starters there is a Fuhrer in the anime. The state alchemists are called dogs of the military and in general the story is very militarized. There is this extermination of the Ishval where i can connect it with gypsies due to their lifestyle , cultural similarities and the fact that Germany killed about 1 million Romans(gypsies) during the war and also the war on multiple fronts. There is also an obsession with the occult in the high ranking members. If you have watched the original FullMetal Alchemist you will see that at the end of the series and the movie, it takes place in Germany 1923 on hitler's age where the German Nazis are looking for power to invade other countries.
According to the writer: Arakawa has stated she didn't use any specific countries or cultures to create Amestris, but rather a combination of several European countries from several different periods between the 17th and 19th centuries and, more specifically, the changes that occurred in the Western Europe during the Industrial Revolution (with a greater inspiration in England). According to her, however, there's no implied relation or comparison to any specific country, time, or government.

Before watching Brotherhood, I've watched the original series few years back. FMA 1 was good and awesome too, but the thing I hated about it is that the ending is not tragic and is not satisfying. So, knowing that there was an another adaptation of the series made me all curious about it.

Since I enjoyed watching Brotherhood, I never realized I finised watching the whole thing in just one week.

"Why?", you may ask? Well, at the first few episodes, the pacing of the plot was pretty fast, for someone who have watched the original FMA before. But, if you were not aware of the original ... series, maybe the pacing would be okay for you. It was not as detailed as the first series, but since there are new additions to the plot, new friends and enemies, and fuller character development, especially with Winry [who was just a minor supporting character in the original series] and of course, with the Elric Brothers, you won't bother about the pacing and embrace these awesome changes instead.

The story plot was different from the original FMA; the first 6 episodes were adapted from FMA1, and the next episodes were all different. Since this plot was faithful to the manga, you'll be surprised... and happy, that there are new things to discover in Brotherhood, as I've mentioned above. The addition of the east country of Xing and the northern Briggs, and their corresponding characters, was like a breath of fresh air to the series, as we can see and expect more stories and more types of alchemy and auto-mail. Also, the origins, forms, and the battles against the homunculi were totally different too. The fight scenes were all amazing. Yes, there are bloodbaths here and there, but that's the part I love the most while watching them fight, whether by weapons, alchemy, or simply a fist-to-fist battle.

Maybe the part I love the most in watching FMA is on the last few episodes. The ending was simply touching, since Edward still sacrificed something for his younger brother, but in Brotherhood, he sacrificed something different... and less tragic. I also loved the part where Ed, Al, and Hohenheim worked together when they fought with Father, and I simply cried when Hohenheim said to Trisha's grave that he's happy that at last, Edward called him "Dad". The ending of FMA 1 was disturbing and not really satisfying, whereas in the ending of Brotherhood, you will love it so much you will wish for a sequel... or an afterstory perhaps.

The art and animation in Brotherhood was clearer, more crisp, and lot more contemporary than the original, as expected from a recently-produced series. I'm not really that particular about how the anime was drawn or animated, but Brotherhood was one of the exemptions to it. The battles were not crappy, and I really got creeped out when the "immortal army" was released [the white doll-like humans] from the Central underground.

The seiyuus have done a good job in portraying their roles in Brotherhood, especially Ed and Al's. I also love the OPs and EDs used in Brotherhood, especially "Hologram", which was the second OP and surprisingly the last ED of the series. The background music used were perfectly synched with the scenes in a particular episode. After watching the series, you will definitely want to listen to the whole OST.

All of the kinds of characters in Brotherhood-- from the heroes, supporting characters, new characters, and to the villains-- it wasn't possible NOT to love at least one of these kinds. I even loved the character of Greed, who was a bad-turned-good character, and in the end, found satisfaction from his comrades. Also, the guys from Xing were also amazing, especially May, which inspired Al to study eastern alchemy in the latter parts of the story. Also, the addition of Alex Armstrong's older sister was also awesome, and also one of my favorite new characters.

And most especially, I love how Winry was turned into a REALLY important character in the series, and how Ed masked his OBVIOUS liking to her.

I loved the series. I laughed with it. I cried like a baby, especially whenever Ed shows his selfless nii-san love for Al. I was intrigued with every ending of the episode, which was one of the reasons I finished the whole thing in a week. The series was not a disappointment in my part, and it made me wish that all of the other remakes would be AS GOOD as this. This is a quick recommend to my friends who love to watch shounen and for those who were familiar with the original FMA, because Brotherhood was told in the manga's point of view, and the story came in full circle in the end.

Right now, I am suffering from a post-anime series depression, which I think will last a few weeks or more. It's not because the series was bad, rather, Brotherhood was too good for me to finish quickly. All my friends who've watched Brotherhood had the same feeling: the feeling of not watching any anime series for a few weeks before moving on, since when you finished watching Brotherhood, it would feel that a part of you ended with it. After watching the series, I was stunned for a few minutes, and told myself "This is it; I finished FMA Brotherhood. What will happen next?"

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a good addition to the anime series you should watch before you die [LOL, but seriously]. If you like more action, NO filler episodes, and a satisfying ending, this one's for you.

So in honor of FMA Day 2014 (I know I'm a bit late), I've decided to write a review for my #1 all-time favorite anime (and manga), Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Honestly, I don't know what I could say about this show that hasn't already been said, but I'll give it a shot anyway.
I'm not going to do what I typically do for a review which is listing the categories and what score I gave them; just know that everything is 10/10.
I'm also going to address some critique that I've seen of the show and why I agree/disagree with it.
Also I'm avoiding talking about the 03 ... anime because as far as I'm concerned it doesn't exist.

I apologize in advance for this wall of text.

The story of this show is absolutely phenomenal. Not only does it manage to tell the story of the main two characters, Ed and Al, it also gives ample time to all the other characters to show where they come from and how they think. And the show does this all without losing steam or taking long breaks from the action, and also without having characters monologuing in the middle of fights. There's also plenty of comedy, but it never once ruins the mood of the show (cough cough Pandora Hearts).
People like to bash on the rushed beginning of the show, but the reason for the rushed beginning is called Fullmetal Alchemist 2003. Brotherhood quickly sped through the episodes that the 2003 anime had already covered because the good stuff was yet to come. If the pacing at the beginning isn't appealing to you, I'd suggest also watching the corresponding episodes of the original anime. That pacing is more true to the manga's. Plus, after the first 13 or so episodes of Brotherhood, the pacing slows down but, once again, without losing steam. Once the show hits episode 15, new characters that weren't in the 2003 adaptation appear and immediately take part in the story. But the new characters don't stop there. They keep appearing for a long while after that.
Everything in the story is so flawlessly executed that even this type of anime isn't your thing, you can't help but admire how perfectly everything fits together and how many pains the author took in planning every step of the story. Then when you go back and watch the show again, you realize all the subtle foreshadowing that was carefully placed and not obvious enough that you pick up on it before it happens.
This show is technically classified as a shounen anime, though I tend to cringe at that because FMAB isn't really a shounen. If you compare it to a more typical shounen such as Soul Eater, you begin to realize just how different it is. In Brotherhood, there's no yelling out the names of attacks, no long breaks in fights to monologue about plans, and the alchemy used isn't seen as an unquestionable staple of the world. Alchemy itself constantly called into question and many times the characters are forced to ask themselves if it's morally right to use alchemy to change the course of the world (whereas in Soul Eater they don't really debate the morality of the souls they collect).
Overall, even people that don't like anime like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I've gotten several of my friends (as well as my dad) into anime using this show as a beginning step. If you watch the dub and ignore the obvious fact that it's animated, it doesn't seem like what people typically perceive as an anime at all. It's on a whole other level from everything else I've seen.
In addition, Brotherhood sticks to the manga nearly perfectly (the only things cut out were some minor character development and comedy scenes). Considering Studio Bones has a tendency to deviate from the source material (see: Ouran, Soul Eater, Noragami, FMA 03, etc.), with this show they did an admirable job with delivering an adaptation so accurate that you can read/watch one and not have to watch/read the other, even though I'd recommend doing both because of the anime's gorgeous art and music and the manga's few forgotten moments and the slightly different chapter divides.
Because Brotherhood was put into production when the manga was wrapping up, the show avoids filler episodes (possible exceptions include episodes 1 and 27, in which 1 simply introduces the characters and some foreshadowing and 27 is basically a recap episode that also provides some hints at foreshadowing). If you miss an episode of the show, chances are you'll be very confused as to what is happening. Each episode smoothly leads into the next and they're pretty much unskippable. If it's your first or even second time watching the show, I wouldn't recommend skipping even the fillers because of the foreshadowing they provide. I've seen firsthand how confused the "fillers" can make people while I laugh and say that it'll be explained later. And it will. Everything gets explained so clearly, yet all the subtle ways in which the plot points connect amazes me every time I watch the show.
As far as worldbuilding, I give triple thumbs-up to Hiromu Arakawa. She created multiple countries and while we don't get to see too much of life back home (I still want a Xing spinoff), the ideology of the foreigners and how it conflicts with the Amestrian characters' clearly shows. On top of that, Arakawa designed a government system which plays a crucial role in the story (then again, everything plays a crucial role in the story), as well as all of the laws and finer points of how the country is run. I've seen several other animes in which the government is used a plot point, but none of them use government quite as effectively as Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood does. So many side stories and spinoffs could potentially grow out of the complex world Arakawa created.
Sorry for writing so much about the story, but there's a lot to write about.

The art and animation are amazing. Not as sharp as Attack on Titan, maybe, but it definitely fulfills all expectations. The battle animation is fluid and well executed, there's subtle use of CGI at certain points, the alchemy lightning is pleasing to watch, and the backgrounds are nicely detailed and do well to set the mood. Some people have said that it's simpler than the 03 anime's style, but I honestly can't see it. If anything, I find it more detailed. There's a few moments in which the same shot is used for more than a few seconds, as well as moments where the characters don't move around very much, but this is a minor detail and excusable considering the top-notch fight animation. There are no dips in quality throughout the show, and everything is handled as one would expect a high-budget anime to be handled.
One of the things I especially love about the art in FMAB is the subtle aging of the characters. They age gradually, like real people, and you don't even notice the process happening until you look back on their appearances at the beginning and realize how much they've changed.
In addition, the women of FMAB are completely unsexualized as well as totally kickass. After watching other animes with copious amounts of fanservice, only now can I appreciate this anomaly and not take it for granted

I really loved the music in this show. While I felt that some tracks were overplayed in the beginning, this becomes less of a problem toward the end of the show because tunes you haven't heard before are suddenly revealed. The opening and ending songs are also very pretty and catchy (though I'm not too big a fan of the third ED), with my personal favorite opening being the last one. However, the first and fourth openings are awesome as well, and I think the first one in particular captures the mood of the show. I also loved the synchronization of some of the sequences to the songs, which I think is a very nice touch.
As far as voice acting, I've seen this anime both dubbed and subbed, and while I like the dub more, both versions are really good. The actors are spot-on as their characters, and I love how they managed to get most of the voice actors from the 2003 anime back for Brotherhood. Even Alphonse's '03 dub actor, Aaron Dismuke, came back, though not as Al because he was too old at that point; instead he voices a minor but important character. Overall, the voice acting in both English and Japanese was really good, and it's safe to go with whichever one you're more comfortable with (though personally I'd say go with the dub because that way you can concentrate on the pretty art and animation).

The characters are simply outstanding. Not only do they all get their backstories thoroughly explored, they all develop and change throughout the show. I've seen a lot of people griping about the fact that the show pretty much completely changes themes from the beginning, but the theme change is BECAUSE the characters changed. Wow, characters can change? Like real people?! I had no idea!
Whenever I'm getting people into this show, I tell them, "If you see a character that you kind of like, don't worry, because their backstory will be explained." And they always seem kind of doubtful, but in the end they realize that it's true.
Another reason why I hold this show in the highest regards is that there are many different races, cultures, and religions being portrayed; and while some characters make racist comments, the cultures themselves are treated with the highest respect. The episode detailing the events in Ishval is one of the most grim of the show; the Ishvalans being handled by the story as carefully as if they were a real race.
The romance in this show develops subtly and beautifully and never once hijacks the plot. In addition, while it's amusing to watch Ed and Winry struggling with their feelings for each other, Ed does something pretty atypical for a protagonist: He blames himself for making Winry upset, and not because she got mad at him, but because he knows he should have been there for her. It's not all that often you see the male protagonist apologizing for causing the female protagonist grief.
On top of how well-rounded and three-dimensional all of the characters are, they're all very well designed. Each one of them looks and moves differently according to their personality, and a lot of the characters change outfits regularly (which doesn't seem like much, but it's the little things that count, especially considering most animes don't do this and a lot of them have some kind of uniform, school or otherwise, to avoid having to have the characters changing outfits).
All in all, every one of the characters in FMAB leave a lasting impression on the viewer, whether they were in the show for one episode or all of them. It's so hard to pick a favorite.

Even though this show, at 64 episodes, is the longest anime I've seen yet, it's such a fast watch that it honestly doesn't feel like it. While I personally haven't set any records with the speed of my watching, friends of mine have finished the show in time periods from 2-4 days, because of the sheer addictiveness of it. And the show IS addictive. Every few months I get a strong urge to rewatch it and cry all over again. And while I'll never completely forget every detail, every time I rewatch it I'm still blown away.

This show draws you in with the seriousness of the story, the depth of the characters, the gorgeous art and sound, and pretty much every other detail you can think of. To sum it up, if you want a viewing experience on a whole other level from anything you've seen, if you want an ending that will make you break down and rethink your life, if you've seen the original FMA and enjoyed it, watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It's not the #1 rated anime on MAL by accident, and it'll definitely always be my #1.