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A few years ago in my freshman year of college, I had a number of friends who were extremely into anime. Other than watching a little bit of Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Naruto as a kid, I had little familiarity with anime. I proceeded to watch a few Miyazaki classics, and then FMA:B as my first "serious" anime series with. So understand that this rave review is partially due to nostalgia from those days, and you may not think it is as good as I do for that reason. Nonetheless, I probably should've started with a different anime, because after watching FMA:B it is extremely difficult to find anything that compares.
As you can tell from the synopsis, the plot is incredibly original. But the synopsis doesn't quite tell you how deep the plot runs as it deals with some heavy and dark themes. It is all delivered with brilliant execution that has you on the edge of your seat for the entirety of the series, especially after the first fifteen episodes or so. Though the pacing is a little fast at times (especially at first, though this is mostly because it is assumed the viewer has seen the original first or has some familiarity with the manga), there is very little to complain about.
As it is a remake of another series, it is difficult to write a review without comparisons. First of all, I would recommend seeing the original first; I did not and I missed a few details in my first viewing of the series (I have since rewatched a few times after watching the original). It is not absolutely necessary to watch the original and Brotherhood certainly can stand on its own, but it does help a little to be at least familiar with the original.
Brotherhood starts out largely the same as the original series (and the manga), though paced a little faster. For various reasons, largely because of the slower pace and better character development, I prefer the beginning of the original series. After episode ten or so, Brotherhood goes off in a very different direction from the original to better follow the manga. This is where I begin to significantly prefer brotherhood as it thematically covers far more ground and develops a number of the other characters in a superior way (most notably Scar, Envy, Edward, Mustang, and Wrath). Edward, especially, is far more dynamic in Brotherhood and has a better connection to the theme of the show. While the original dealt more exclusively with the ethical implications and nature of human equality, Brotherhood deals with those themes more subtlety as well as the fallibility of human knowledge, cultural and philosophic differences between the East and West, the brutal nature of war, the ethics of retributive justice, and the role of science and religion in the formation of ethics. All of these themes are dealt with in a common thread of deep humanism, and the ending is more complete and more satisfying than the original. I could go on for days about the numerous thought provoking themes this anime delivers, but I won't and it's really impossible to do justice to the plot in this review. I give it a 10/10 for plot.
When it comes to art, Brotherhood is slightly better animated than the original, mostly because of technological advances between 2003 and 2009. Though the animation isn't the best feature of this anime and is hardly the best Studio Bones has produced (that honor going to Sword of the Stranger), it is still substantially above average. What really artistically stands out about FMA:B is the directing style. Though it is action-heavy like most shounen anime, it avoids all of the pitfalls of the genre. There’s no campy battle cries, the battle scenes (if you can even call them that) are actually well directed and not action-for-the-sake of action, everything isn’t immediately explained to the viewer by the participants in the battle, and the points of interest are not the battle scenes in the first place or even the powers the characters have through alchemy--but the quiet scenes where the characters reflect on their situation. It is the only shounen (other than perhaps the original) I’ve seen that I could call cerebral and reflective. There are a number of fascinating camera shots and interesting directing decisions throughout the series. For example, the way the entire end scene of the episode “Backs in the Distance” is directed is some of the best cinematography one can ask for (you’ll know what I mean when you see it). Though there are a couple moments, especially near the beginning, where the atmosphere of the anime is a little tainted by some childish humor and over-done jokes about Ed’s height (it’s easy to forget amongst all the genocide and references to classical epistemology that this was marketed to a younger audience), it is overall very well directed. It gets a 9/10 for art.
When it comes to sound, there’s a bit of a dilemma here. It may be a controversial opinion, but this (and the original) is the absolute only case where I prefer the dub to the sub. Ed’s voice in the sub sounds like a stereotypical and--to be honest--a little annoying shounen protaganist that does not do justice to the depth of his character, and Alphonse just comes off as whiny in the sub, almost reminiscent of a uke in a bad yaoi. Other than that, the sub is decent and doesn’t really detract from the series overall; but the dub is where this anime really shines. Vic Mignogna does a brilliant job as Edward Elric, and the rest of the cast, with a few exceptions, act very well.
The soundtrack also bears worth mentioning. I actually paid $50 plus shipping from Japan to the US to buy this soundtrack, that is how good it is. I listen to it quite a bit and many of the tracks are beautiful and match the scenes they are put in perfectly. This is among the best OSTs for anime you will find out there, and even overshadows some of the elements I do not like at the sub. That said, the OST probably could’ve used a bit more tracks as it gets a little repetitive towards the end. For this reason, I give it a 9/10 for sound.
The characters in this anime are also extremely well done. Almost all the major characters are highly dynamic with deep back stories, and even the more minor characters are highly likeable and contribute significantly to the plot, with a few exceptions. And the connections between this anime’s intricate plot and deep themes and the characters go well beyond what almost any other anime does. Most of the characters are also vehicles for symbolism. Brotherhood goes far beyond being good in the department of character symbolism, and ventures into being an exemplar of what anime can be as an artform. 10/10 for characters.
Clearly, given the way I’ve been raving about it and the fact that I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve rewatched it (I’d guess around six), it’s fair to say that I think this anime is enjoyable. And not just enjoyable in the sense of entertaining (though it certainly is) or even enjoyable in the sense that you tend to lose yourself in the story (though you certainly do), but it is enjoyable in the sense of being completely enlightening thematically, as I’ve said before. If you want to think deeply about an anime, look no further than brotherhood. I even went as far as to use brotherhood in a college paper to illustrate some philosophical implications of Richard Rorty’s rejection of Cartesianism (granted, it was for a seminar on anime). Even if you don’t really want to think about an anime intellectually, it is enjoyable just for the sake of being a good story that you can lose yourself into. Whether you want a deep thoughtful anime, an action-packed shounen that you can get excited about, or just a good story to simply enjoy for its own sake, Brotherhood delivers. I typically use it as the go to to introduce newcomers to anime, and as you can see from its place in the rankings, it is much beloved by the most experienced of anime viewers. 10/10 for enjoyment.
As of the writing of this review, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood sits at number two overall on the MAL list, and has historically taken the number one spot on many occasions (and probably will again in the future). If you haven't seen this before, then, you are probably approaching it with extremely high expectations. Typically when people approach a show with that high of expectations, they are disappointed. FMA:B is an exception to this. It competes for my absolute favorite anime, and tops the favorite lists of many others, for a very good reason. Call me an otaku fanboy, but I can’t rave about it enough. There are only two animes I’ve ever seen that I’ve given a 10/10, and this is one of them.
