Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist (2009), FMA, FMAB

Japanese: 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST

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Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 64

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Apr 5, 2009 to Jul 4, 2010

Premiered: Spring 2009

Broadcast: Sundays at 17:00 (JST)

Producers: Aniplex, Square Enix, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Studio Moriken

Licensors: Funimation, Aniplex of America

Studios: Bones

Source: Manga

Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

Theme: Military

Demographic: Shounen

Duration: 24 min. per ep.

Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Statistics

Score: 9.10¹ (scored by 2,043,523 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #1²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #3

Members: 3,217,831

Favorites: 219,601

Available At

Official Site

@hagaren_anime

Resources

AniDB

ANN

Streaming Platforms

Crunchyroll

Funimation

May be unavailable in your region.

9.10

Ranked #1Popularity #3Members 3,217,831

Spring 2009TVBones

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Episodes: /64

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Synopsis

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]

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Background

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Fullmetal Alchemist
Alternative version:	Fullmetal Alchemist
Side story:	Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Specials, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos
Spin-off:	Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - 4-Koma Theater

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

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

Armstrong, Alex Louis

Supporting

Utsumi, Kenji
Japanese

Rockbell, Winry

Supporting

Takamoto, Megumi
Japanese

Armstrong, Olivier Mira

Supporting

Soumi, Youko
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Yonai, Noritomo

Producer

Maruyama, Hiroo

Producer

Irie, Yasuhiro

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

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Opening Theme

	1: "again" by YUI (eps 1-14)
	2: "Hologram (ホログラム)" by NICO Touches the Walls (eps 15-26)
	3: "Golden Time Lover (ゴールデンタイムラバー)" by Sukima Switch (eps 27-38)
	4: "Period" by Chemistry (eps 39-50)
	5: "Rain (レイン)" by SID (eps 51-62)

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Ending Theme

	1: "Uso (嘘)" by SID (eps 1-14)
	2: "LET IT OUT" by Miho Fukuhara (eps 15-26)
	3: "Tsunaida Te (つないだ手)" by Lil'B (eps 27-38)
	4: "Shunkan Sentimental (瞬間センチメンタル)" by SCANDAL (eps 39-50)
	5: "RAY OF LIGHT" by Nakagawa Shouko (eps 51-62)
	6: "Rain (レイン)" by SID (eps 63)
	7: "Hologram (ホログラム)" by NICO Touches the Walls (eps 64)

Reviews

Jan 25, 2010

tazillo

Recommended

First of all, I have seen the original FMA and although it was very popular and original, the pacing and conclusion did not sit too well with me. Brotherhood is meant to be a remake of the original, this time sticking to the manga all the way through, but there were people who thought it would spoil the franchise. That myth should be dispelled, as there's only one word to describe this series - EPIC.

I admit that as I've seen the original and read the manga, the pacing of Brotherhood seems to start off being VERY fast (I finally got used to the pacing after ... watching the first fifteen eps or so). Events that took up half a volume of the manga and had spread though a few episodes of the original anime were now shown in just a single episode. However, after trying to look at it from the perspective of someone who's new to FMA (not comparing it to the manga nor the original), I believe that the pacing works and it manages to tell an intriguing story effectively with little confusion. The plot is full of clever ideas and unpredictable twists that link various parts of the story together. By the final episode, all loose ends are neatly tied up and what's left is a hugely satisfying epilogue.

The animation in FMA Brotherhood is crisp and very well done (although it does sometimes dip a bit in quality). Compared to the original FMA it's a bit simpler but that's just because the original set a very high standard to follow. The facial emotions of the characters are also perfectly presented. The action scenes are brilliant and VERY well animated, with a variety of alchemy techniques and other talents being displayed nearly every episode. The various battles are consistently exciting to watch, but somehow get even better towards the end of the series.

The voice acting is of an excellent and consistent quality, and I think that pretty much all the characters have voice actors which suit their personalities. The majority of the openings/endings are a pleasure to watch due to fantastic animated sequences and theme songs. The background music which play during the episodes usually fit very well with the situation, although some tracks seem to be overused a little at first. This becomes less of a problem as the series progresses, with plenty of new music being introduced to support the story as it reaches the finale.

Moving on to the characters (best thing about this series), the original FMA focussed mainly on Ed and Al and on their struggles to regain their bodies, whereas Brotherhood also explores other characters to great detail at the same time. The majority of the spotlight is still on the two brothers, but it highlights their interactions with new characters which were not present in the original anime. New characters include a group of people from Xing (a neighbouring country), another person from the Armstrong family (who I think has become one of the coolest members of the supporting cast), and a new main antagonist. For me, the Xingese characters in particular (Ling Yao and Mei Chang among others) provide a new dimension to the FMA world, by showing us a different culture to the militaristic one we're familiar with. I think the new antagonist is an improvement on the original FMA, as this person has a much stronger and clever link to the Elric brothers' father. Returning characters from the original FMA, such as Mustang and Scar, are much more awesome and developed due to the fact that Brotherhood is 100% faithful to the manga. Plus, Winry Rockbell now has a much more active role in the story. I can say for sure that this anime has one of the best main/supporting casts I've ever seen, and you'd probably find it difficult to label any of the recurring characters (whether they are good or evil) as being either boring or unnecessary in terms of the storyline.

One of the many good things about this series is that there has been absolutely no filler at all (yes, I'm thinking of Naruto, Inuyasha, etc), which prevents the story from losing momentum. All the episodes are concise and every scene is important as part of the huge plot. The dialogue fully explains everything and is straight to the point. As multiple characters are explored there are lots of side stories, but these are all perfectly intertwined with the main story of the Elric brothers and more often than not directly influence their journey too. Like most anime series, there are things from the manga which have been left out, but these are usually just restricted to comedy moments. There has been one episode which shows a lot of flashbacks of events so far, but that's forgiven as it shows the most epic moments of the series, and also provided us with some history on the father of the Elric brothers.

FMA Brotherhood will be sorely missed now that it's finished. It is excellent in every aspect and has very little, if anything, that can be called a flaw (maybe rushed character development at first due to the fast pacing, but this quickly subsides). Each episode feels like it's too short, a testimony to how much it draws you in to the story and characters. There are moments which leave you smiling, laughing, sad and simply amazed. Try this anime, it's recommended for absolutely everyone, to newcomers and to those familiar with Fullmetal Alchemist.

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Jul 29, 2015

M0nkeyD_Luffy

Mixed Feelings

Since I couldn't find any legitimate objective analysis in any of these fanboy reviews, I decided put my own review:

Here's why FMA:B and it's Manga counterpart don't work:

It's just a disjointed piece of art. The initial premise of the narrative: two young siblings that horrifically lose their mother and parts of themselves is incredibly dark and powerfully poignant. Their journey to find the philosophers stone is one that's objectively adventurous but the endpoint is still inherently adult and sophisticatedly gritty; especially as it delves into the implications of bringing a dead person back to life early on in the series.

So why is it disjointed? ... Because there's a mistranslation of tonal nuance throughout the entire series. Now I don't mean stylistic aspects such as art style choices e.g. Chibi segments (because those are minuscule details in the grand scheme of storytelling devices), but rather the way they're implemented in the story. For example, one second we're dealing with the introspective reconciliation of human birth and how beautiful it is and the very next we drop it for side-gags just to transition into the next topic/character development. It just doesn't fit. It's formulaic. It's predictable storytelling at it's finest and it absolutely ruins the pacing.

It's a huge shame because the character development and dialogue in the series is exquisitely written (some of the best in any story I've ever seen); e.g. Edward's speech about his existential crisis provided a deep psychoanalytical view into his personality and character. This is amazing character development! However it actually lessens the impact of the narrative and my personal enjoyment of the series because it contrasts heavily with the tone of the series. Right down to the very commercial transitions with the quirky voice-over of the title; every little stylistic choice is presented as a complete antithesis to the themes of the series.

Fullmetal Alchemist should NOT be sugarcoated with a light-hearted aesthetic. This is something I'd hate to say in any other series because pretentiously "dark and gritty" series (*cough* Tokyo Ghoul *cough*) are the bane of my existence but this is the one exception. If the themes of the series are of complex adult issues, why is the tone appealing to childish humour and zany adventurous antics?

With all that being said, I totally understand why Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is considered one of the greatest Animes of all time because it is substantially provocative and extremely complex behind the aesthetics much like many other great Animes like One Piece, Hunter X Hunger, Cowboy Bebop and Dragon Ball.

Personally, it just doesn't work from a narrative perspective because it feels disjointed and unfocused in the way it clashes with stylistic ambiguity. Through this loss of tone, the series becomes a chain of loose threads that are vaguely commentating on the overall themes of the narrative which is why I rated Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and the Manga: 5/10.

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Dec 4, 2010

BiddingGortonio

Not Recommended

*Spoiler Warning

Aside from the usual everyday anime Art and Sound standard(of which most animes pass anyways), there are essentially three main factors that I see as important in Anime:

1. Complexity(detail) (which adds Depth)
a. Characters
b. Plot
c. Setting

2. Progress (which adds Depth)
...

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

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Characters & Voice Actors

Elric, Edward

Elric, Alphonse

Mustang, Roy

Hughes, Maes

Greed

Hawkeye, Riza

Yao, Ling

Armstrong, Alex Louis

Rockbell, Winry

Armstrong, Olivier Mira

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

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Information

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Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

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Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

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