This attempt wound up carrying grave consequences for them. In exchange for the horribly failed transmutation, Edward had to lose his left leg, and Alphonse had to lose his entire body... But before Al’s life could be lost completely, Edward was gifted with an immense wealth of alchemical knowledge, which he used to transfer Al’s soul to a nearby suit of armor, at the cost of his own right arm.
Having been shown the error of their ways, the two torn brothers set off on an epic quest to get their old lives back.
This series was met with resounding popularity right from the start, and after only two years of it’s ten year run, the demand for an anime adaptation was overwhelming. Studio Bones took up the production, but with the manga not even a quarter of the way finished, they were left with a pretty big lemon to deal with. Fortunately, they were able to make lemonade by writing an entirely new story using the material they were given. The resulting anime was an immediate success, among fans and critics alike, winding up on more than it’s fair share of top ten lists since then. And yet, despite the fact that it was universally loved and critically acclaimed across the board, there was still heavy demand for a more faithful adaptation. Thus, in 2009, only one year away from the manga’s end, Brotherhood was born. Let’s see how it holds up.
From an animation standpoint, both shows were working with a relatively low budget. This is nothing new, of course... Japanese animation has always used a lower frame rate than American animation, and often look cheaper as a result. Low budgets are fairly common, but what really differentiates is how different shows manage their budgets. By using key frames, speed lines and other useful tricks, you can cut corners where it won’t be noticed, and save your money for the moments that need to move more fluidly. If you do this well, most audiences will never notice the difference. The original series was incredibly good at this, but unfortunately, Brotherhood is not. The key frames are a lot more blatant, as frozen heads can move their lips for several seconds at a time while people in the background just sort of freeze into bluish blobs.
I rarely ever complain about an anime‘s artwork, as it’s rarely ever a problem for me, but it has to be said... Brotherhood’s artwork is lazy. I know, it looks practically the same as the first series, but look closer. It is plagued by choppy, jagged outlines. You may not notice it in far shots, but whenever any character has a close-up, it can’t be avoided. The only exception, that I’ve seen, is with it’s openings.
While we’re on the subject of openings, both of these shows are rightfully notorious for having phenomenal openings and closings. But if I’m being perfectly honest here, Brotherhoods are better. It’s not easy to improve upon perfection, but Again by Yui does it effortlessly.
As for the English dub, let’s keep this brief. It is every bit as good as the original’s. There are a few changes made, but none of them are bad, and yes, Maxey Whitehead deserves to have a statue built in her honor.
So, with all that out of the way, let’s talk about what really matters... The story.
When I first decided to try out this series, a friend of mine warned me that the first few episodes were basically a rehash of the material from the first anime. What she failed to mention is that by a few episodes, she meant the first thirteen, and by rehash, she basically meant cliff notes. Brotherhood gets off to a horrible start, pushing out a pointless Ice-Alchemist episode purely for the sake of fan-service before moving onto the rest of the rushed material. 26 episodes are crammed into thirteen episodes, and by god it feels it. The pacing is jarringly terrible, the stories are rushed, we get barely any background material devoted to the Elric brothers’ childhood, and key moments of their past are told to us rather than shown to us.
Remember how the fate of Winry’s parents was revealed to us in FMA? We opened on Winry, as a child, crying her eyes out at the table while taking her anger out on the boys. Not only were her actions genuinely and believably child like, but it gave serious insight into Pinako’s distaste for the military, and foreshadowed the fate of Trisha Elric. How was this key plot point revealed in Brotherhood? Winry sat next to Hawkeye and told her about it. No emotional impact, just exposition. And that’s just one example. Show, don’t tell, people. This is basic stuff here.
One of the biggest problems with the anime is shown right off the bat during these episodes, and never really goes away. From a dramatic standpoint, Brotherhood suffers greatly at the hands of it’s own poorly timed gag humor. Some of the most deep, emotional moments of the series get their serious tone blown away by ugly, unfunny super-deformed moments. Even when the boys are lying on the ground in pieces after an encounter with Scar, they still can’t escape this.
There are a few exceptions to this rule, the best example being the Nina Tucker storyline, which is one of the only moments of the series that was actually executed better in Brotherhood than it was in the original show. There’s also the
death of Maes Hughes,
In any case, once this little catch-up session is over, the story starts to get a lot better. The pacing finally becomes bearable, as bold new ideas... At least they’re new to those of us who haven’t read that far into the manga... Are introduced. Familiar characters like Kimblee, Scar and Dr. Marco wear out their welcome, but at the same time, a flurry of compelling characters are introduced. Ling Yao, Lan Fan, and May Chang are outstanding, and their arrival placed a stamp of individuality on the show that it frankly didn’t have until then. We’re introduced to the country of Xing and the practice of alkahestry, two concepts that were never introduced in the original show, for obvious reasons.
Lust, who’s been spoiler’d by this point, is sorely missed, but not so much that we can’t appreciate the presence of Olivier Armstrong, one of the most captivating characters in either story. Many mysteries from the first show are finally explained, from ‘why are the Homunculi named after the seven deadly sins” to “why is Ed so short?” A small selection of characters are actually handled and developed better than they were in the original show, with a few examples being Riza Hawkeye and Envy. Some interesting ideas are explored through Gluttony, but I still miss his puppy-dog loyalty to Lust.
This high point goes on for a very long time, to the show’s great credit. Unfortunately, it’s at this point that I have to talk about the ending. So, yeah, spoiler alert.
In talking about the ending of this series, there are three points I’d like to analyze. First, the relationship between Edward and Winry. EdWin, as I understand it, is a very popular pairing amongst fans. The most common gripe about the first anime is that the pairing never became canon. And, well... Here’s the thing. There are definitely feelings between the two characters. But there’s also a deeply developed family dynamic. See, the two of them were childhood friends, and were practically raised as siblings. Hell, they even kind of look like brother and sister. They’re attracted to each other, but in the original anime, that attraction was more confusing than inviting. It’s played with subtlety, but the two were never going to end up together, because in the end, Winry is Ed’s big sister... Not by blood, but by bond.
In Brotherhood, and by extension I’m assuming in the manga, this bond is ignored, and instead of displaying the relationship with subtlety, they use such tired anime clichés as “show the girl in the bath to sexualize her to the audience” and “build up pseudo-romantic tension by having boy walk in on girl changing.” For more examples of these clichés, check out Sword Art Online, half of Gainax’s work, and every single harem anime ever.
Since Brotherhood did manage to gloss over the childhood years, and gave Winry some excessive character development, I don’t mind so much that Ed awkwardly confessed his feelings to her at the end. I actually found the scene kind of cute. But really, did they have to show us a picture of the two of them in the future, with a couple of kids? Did they not want to leave anything to our imagination? It’s like they’re just pandering to us. “Hey, you like this pairing? Then they end up together and live happily ever after! That makes you happy, right?” I became so angry when I saw this that I almost forgot how angry I was at the fact that Pride was resurrected as a human baby... A decision I will never begin to understand.
My second point is with the final battle. Now, this is speculation on my part, but I don’t think the main antagonist of the first series was any of the actual characters. I believe Ed’s real struggle was against fate itself... After learning what he had to do to get a Philosopher Stone, he refuses on principle, and decides to find an alternative, despite being told that their is none. Carrying the ideals he lives by on his back, he struggles against the realities of a cold, indifferent world, facing numerous evil entities on the way there, striving to overcome what he dreaded in his heart might be the truth. His struggle proves to be for nothing, as the Philosopher’s Stone is created through the exact barbaric methods he’d been trying to avoid. Even knowing this, he finally compromises, willing to sacrifice his life AND his principles to bring his brother back.
The true antagonist of Brotherhood is some stereotypically evil rejected ghost pokemon design, who he takes down in a fist fight while all of his supporting characters cheer him on. I haven’t seen a final battle this shallow and disappointing since Soul Eater. I kept waiting for Ed to scream “Friendship punch!”
The final point is just how manipulatively happy the Brotherhood ending was. In the original, people had to sacrifice greatly to achieve even the smallest versions of their goals, and not all of them were allowed to live long enough to redeem themselves. But in Brotherhood, everything comes up roses! Scar, Marco, Yoki, and Pride survive, and for no discernible reason. Ed and Al get their bodies back, mostly, and it’s mentioned that Mustang and Havoc are going to have their injuries healed. Because screw character development. Aside from Hughes’ death, the good guys come out okay, and almost completely consequence-free, while the bad guys get wiped out. Honestly, it’s like watching a version of how To Train Your Dragon where Hiccup’s foot magically grows back in the end. Or Watchmen, if Ozymandius was defeated, and mankind just decided to retreat from war without his help. It’s not a happy ending, it’s an insulting ending.
The end of Conqueror of Shambala... Which was an okay movie at best... Sees Ed and Al stuck in the human world, possibly forever. There’s no Winry, no alchemy, none of their friends... The only comfort they get is the knowledge that they’re human, and that they’re together, and you know what? That’s all they need. It’s the beautiful, bittersweet ending that the manga author herself was incapable of constructing.
In Brotherhood, and by extension I’m assuming in the manga, this bond is ignored, and instead of displaying the relationship with subtlety, they use such tired anime clichés as “show the girl in the bath to sexualize her to the audience” and “build up pseudo-romantic tension by having boy walk in on girl changing.” For more examples of these clichés, check out Sword Art Online, half of Gainax’s work, and every single harem anime ever.
Since Brotherhood did manage to gloss over the childhood years, and gave Winry some excessive character development, I don’t mind so much that Ed awkwardly confessed his feelings to her at the end. I actually found the scene kind of cute. But really, did they have to show us a picture of the two of them in the future, with a couple of kids? Did they not want to leave anything to our imagination? It’s like they’re just pandering to us. “Hey, you like this pairing? Then they end up together and live happily ever after! That makes you happy, right?” I became so angry when I saw this that I almost forgot how angry I was at the fact that Pride was resurrected as a human baby... A decision I will never begin to understand.
My second point is with the final battle. Now, this is speculation on my part, but I don’t think the main antagonist of the first series was any of the actual characters. I believe Ed’s real struggle was against fate itself... After learning what he had to do to get a Philosopher Stone, he refuses on principle, and decides to find an alternative, despite being told that their is none. Carrying the ideals he lives by on his back, he struggles against the realities of a cold, indifferent world, facing numerous evil entities on the way there, striving to overcome what he dreaded in his heart might be the truth. His struggle proves to be for nothing, as the Philosopher’s Stone is created through the exact barbaric methods he’d been trying to avoid. Even knowing this, he finally compromises, willing to sacrifice his life AND his principles to bring his brother back.
The true antagonist of Brotherhood is some stereotypically evil rejected ghost pokemon design, who he takes down in a fist fight while all of his supporting characters cheer him on. I haven’t seen a final battle this shallow and disappointing since Soul Eater. I kept waiting for Ed to scream “Friendship punch!”
The final point is just how manipulatively happy the Brotherhood ending was. In the original, people had to sacrifice greatly to achieve even the smallest versions of their goals, and not all of them were allowed to live long enough to redeem themselves. But in Brotherhood, everything comes up roses! Scar, Marco, Yoki, and Pride survive, and for no discernible reason. Ed and Al get their bodies back, mostly, and it’s mentioned that Mustang and Havoc are going to have their injuries healed. Because screw character development. Aside from Hughes’ death, the good guys come out okay, and almost completely consequence-free, while the bad guys get wiped out. Honestly, it’s like watching a version of how To Train Your Dragon where Hiccup’s foot magically grows back in the end. Or Watchmen, if Ozymandius was defeated, and mankind just decided to retreat from war without his help. It’s not a happy ending, it’s an insulting ending.
The end of Conqueror of Shambala... Which was an okay movie at best... Sees Ed and Al stuck in the human world, possibly forever. There’s no Winry, no alchemy, none of their friends... The only comfort they get is the knowledge that they’re human, and that they’re together, and you know what? That’s all they need. It’s the beautiful, bittersweet ending that the manga author herself was incapable of constructing.
All in all, this series was quite disappointing. The first thing anybody says to promote it is that it's faithful to the original manga, but that often feels like more of a restriction than an advantage. With fans world-wide clamoring about it being better than the original, I had high expectations for it. It’s not better... Not by a long shot... It never reaches the depth or complexity of the original, but as a stand-alone, it’s still a pretty decent show. It’s got some serious, jarring flaws, but it still brings to life an exciting fantasy adventure that fans of all ages can enjoy.
I give Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood a 7/10.
