Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

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

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

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

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Elric, Edward Main

Park, Romi Japanese

Elric, Alphonse Main

Kugimiya, Rie Japanese

Mustang, Roy Supporting

Miki, Shinichiro Japanese

Hughes, Maes Supporting

Fujiwara, Keiji Japanese

Greed Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Hawkeye, Riza Supporting

Orikasa, Fumiko Japanese

Yao, Ling Supporting

Miyano, Mamoru Japanese

Rockbell, Winry Supporting

Takamoto, Megumi Japanese

Armstrong, Alex Louis Supporting

Utsumi, Kenji Japanese

Armstrong, Olivier Mira Supporting

Soumi, Youko Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Maruyama, Hiroo Producer

Yonai, Noritomo Producer

Kurashige, Nobuyuki Producer

Reviews

Dec 8, 2024

avidayeet

Recommended

I'm well overdue for a rewatch for full metal but what I can say is this anime is still my favorite shonen- The animation was good, it wasn't anything crazy but still they served nicely- I got attached to the characters pretty quick they gave them a very nice design- the openings and endings made it to my anime music playlist I loved them (I didn't understand a word being said in either of the songs)- the plot was really good, it was a nice build up and I loved the POVs as well as casualties we got from the characters doing taboo.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Nov 20, 2024

MrSlamboni

Mixed Feelings

I have mixed feelings because a lot of minor complaints add up. FMAB is a jack of all trades, master of none. This is amazing if you compare it to the average shonen. However, there are true masterpieces that are more deserving of the top spot. Not to mention that there are shows out there that completely break the norm. FMAB doesn't break the norm, it just rises above it slightly.

First of all, I think the superpower system is pretty average. The law of equal exchange might have been interesting on paper, but in the show it's just Edward putting his hand on the floor ... and shooting rocks at people. Similarly, Roy just shoots fire but in the show he has a circle on his glove. That's two people whose superpower is "shoot stuff at you".

The characters are weird because the more important the character, the less interesting they are. My favorites weren't the Elrics or Roy Mustang, it was Hawkeye or Hughes. However, most of the cast is pretty average.

The ending of the story is pointless. You spend 64 episodes watching the Elrics run around the world trying to fix their problem, but none of their side-quests really matter for their end objective. It feels like the story of the side characters is what actually matters, not the Elrics.

This is made worse by the fact that some arcs seem pointless from the start. The Elrics get dragged into side quests that last a pretty long time, achieve nothing, don't tell a relevant story, and aren't that interesting anyways. You see the start of an arc and think "is it really important to do this right now?" and sometimes the answer is no.

The show is fine, I just wish it wasn't hyped so much. It made me expect more than the show really offers.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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May 31, 2024

Quaker020

Not Recommended

Funny

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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