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

Mar 24, 2025

starcarver

Recommended

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is widely regarded as one of the greatest anime of all time, and for good reason. It masterfully blends action, adventure, philosophy, and emotional depth into a tightly woven narrative that remains engaging from start to finish. Unlike many long-running series that struggle with pacing or lose focus, FMAB is a rare example of an anime that maintains consistent quality throughout its 64-episode run. It delivers a compelling story with well-developed characters, an intricately designed world, and powerful themes that explore the nature of sacrifice, the consequences of human ambition, and the meaning of true strength.

The animation, handled by Studio Bones, is ... polished and expressive, with fluid action sequences that make every battle feel intense and impactful. While it doesn’t have the experimental visuals of some modern anime, it excels in detailed environments, character expressions, and dynamic fight choreography. The use of alchemy in combat is both strategic and visually creative, ensuring that no two battles feel repetitive. From large-scale transmutation circles to hand-to-hand combat infused with alchemic techniques, the action always remains engaging without feeling like mindless spectacle.

At its core, FMAB is a deeply personal story about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who embark on a journey to restore what they lost after attempting forbidden alchemy. The emotional weight of their journey is what makes the series so impactful. Unlike many protagonists in action anime, the Elric brothers are not seeking power or revenge, they are seeking redemption. Their struggles feel real because they are constantly reminded of the price they’ve paid for their mistakes. Every choice they make has consequences, and their growth throughout the series is not just about becoming stronger but about understanding their own limitations and learning what truly matters.

The pacing is one of the strongest aspects of FMAB. While the first few episodes move quickly to differentiate the series from the 2003 adaptation, the story soon settles into a natural rhythm, balancing action, mystery, and character development. There are virtually no wasted episodes. Each arc builds upon the last, steadily escalating toward a satisfying climax. Unlike some anime that lose focus in the middle, FMAB remains structured and purposeful, ensuring that every event has meaning in the grand scheme of the story.

The characters are another reason why FMAB is so widely praised. Edward Elric is one of the most well-written protagonists in anime, flawed, determined, and deeply human. His dynamic with Alphonse is the heart of the series, and their bond feels genuine, strengthened by their shared pain and unwavering loyalty. The supporting cast is just as strong, with characters like Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, Scar, Ling Yao, and even minor characters receiving meaningful development. The antagonists, particularly the Homunculi, serve as effective obstacles, each representing a different human flaw taken to the extreme. Father, the main antagonist, is a compelling figure whose motivations tie directly into the story’s larger philosophical themes.

The worldbuilding is rich without being overwhelming. Amestris feels like a fully realized world, with distinct cultures, histories, and political conflicts that shape the narrative. The presence of alchemy is not just a gimmick but an integral part of the world’s functioning, with clear rules and limitations. The series also explores the consequences of war, colonization, and blind obedience to authority, making its world feel lived-in and complex rather than just a backdrop for action.

The soundtrack, composed by Akira Senju, is exceptional, enhancing every emotional and action-packed moment. Tracks like Brother, Main Theme, and Lapis Philosophorum carry immense emotional weight, while the openings and endings remain some of the most iconic in anime history. The voice acting, both in Japanese and English, is top-tier, with standout performances that bring the characters to life.

As a blend of adventure, fantasy, and philosophical drama, FMAB executes its genre elements nearly flawlessly. The comedy is well-placed, preventing the story from becoming overwhelmingly dark without undermining its serious moments. The action is thrilling but never excessive, always serving the story rather than feeling like an obligatory spectacle. Most importantly, the emotional beats land with remarkable effectiveness, making the audience truly care about the characters and their struggles.

The conclusion of FMAB is one of the most satisfying endings in anime. It ties up every major narrative thread while staying true to the themes the series has built upon. The final battle is intense, but the true climax is not about sheer power, but it's about understanding, sacrifice, and the realization that true strength comes not from supernatural abilities but from the ability to stand by one’s principles. The Elric brothers’ journey ends in a way that feels both earned and emotionally fulfilling, leaving no major questions unanswered.

The moral themes of FMAB are thought-provoking and well-integrated into the story. The series challenges ideas of absolute power, human ambition, and the cost of trying to play god. It presents a nuanced take on sacrifice. While some sacrifices are necessary, others come at an unacceptable cost. It also emphasizes the importance of perseverance, human connection, and the idea that no single person has all the answers. Rather than glorifying strength, FMAB reinforces the value of intelligence, teamwork, and moral integrity.

While Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is often considered a masterpiece, it is not necessarily for everyone. Some may find the fast-paced early episodes a bit rushed, while others might prefer more morally ambiguous narratives rather than one with a definitive resolution. However, from a storytelling, worldbuilding, and character development standpoint, it is one of the most well-constructed anime ever made. It is not just a great action series. It is a powerful story about redemption, sacrifice, and what it truly means to be human. I fully respect why it is considered one of the greatest anime of all time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Mar 24, 2025

deereiss

Mixed Feelings

is Fullmetal Alchemist really a masterpiece?

Before I start I would like to make two premises:
- I don't think fmab is a masterpiece, although it's a very good anime, well written overall and I recommend it anyway, unfortunately I didn't find that spark of originality and genius that makes me think “wow, this is a masterpiece!”

- obviously what I’m saying is also be based on my subjective tastes, unfortunately for the most part this anime bored me, maybe because I've been consuming fictional stuff for a lot of time or maybe because I'm a little out of target, there were elements that piqued my interest, but ... nothing of what I saw really surprised me, I would have certainly appreciated it more if I had seen it a couple of years ago, when I had consumed fewer anime.

Characters:
A huge pro is definitely the fact that there is a woman's pen behind fmab and it shows in a positive way, the female characters are quite good, maybe they aren’t particularly original, but they have a nice personality, their own individuality, they do not depend on any man and are not sexualized. Unfortunately, however, most of the characters did not arouse my interest, the Elric brothers left me indifferent for most of the time, I did not find them interesting or innovative, the same goes for most of the cast, I liked Mustang during the last episodes, I loved Izumi and then there are Greed and Envy, who are the only thing in the whole anime that really captured my attention, they are well-made characters, not banal and have that extra complexity that I look for, their scenes (and the last 10 episodes) are among the few elements that did not bore me and genuinely piqued my interest.

Plot:
there are no plot holes or terrible flaws in the narration, but there are some points where I found fmab slow and for no reason, the narration times needed to be managed differently and comparing myself with some people, including some who loved fmab madly, they admitted that they also found problems with the narration times.
The plot is quite linear, nothing crazy and if it wasn't for the slowness I would have found it enjoyable, however the last 10 episodes were much more interesting and enjoyable.
One thing that I didn't like at all is the comedy, placed here and there randomly in an absolutely inefficient way, there are anime and manga in which comedy is used between serious scenes in a way that benefits the narration (like golden kamuy), but fmab doesn't do this well, I found really annoying the comedy moments in which Edward randomly screams because he's annoyed by something.
Speaking of the ending I have to say that I liked it, I would have preferred a more misanthropic and macabre twist, but this is something that depends exclusively on my subjective taste (I have a fairly pessimistic view of humanity), the ending is adequate for the work.
However, I must admit that I preferred Edward and Winry as friends, I liked their friendship because it was spontaneous and sincere and in general their relationship did not give me the idea of ​​a romantic couple, but of a solid and healthy friendship between a boy and a girl.
I would add that in my opinion the alchemy aspect should have been explored more, the magic system is really interesting, but all the potential that came from it in my opinion was a little wasted.

Do I think it's a masterpiece? no, but overall it does what it has to, I would define it as average/quite good, I definitely recommend it, but if you have been consuming fictional products and fantasy stories for a lifetime you might find it uninteresting, however I recognize that in the animanga universe it had its importance (but not as much as stuff like evangelion and madoka magica that deconstructed two genres or urusei yatsura that invented a way of doing comedy).
The message it conveys is positive, but I am definitely out of target to be fascinated by it.
I conclude this review by saying that what I saw was not what I expected from something that is described as an undisputed masterpiece, I can’t deny that I was disappointed.

P.S.
One of the things I like most about fmab is the fact that the protagonist has two prostheses, I think it is a well-made representation, especially because it’s shown the maintenance side of the prostheses and what is behind it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jan 3, 2025

RemanTheArchean

Not Recommended

Funny

It's kind of shocking to me how *this* is considered one of the best animes ever made. I wouldn't describe it as terrible, as it's reasonably well executed for what it is. The problem is that it's just so basic: a simplistic hero's journey with unambiguously evil villains and a fairly juvenile atmosphere throughout, despite the show usually taking itself very seriously. The writers were apparently scared of showing too much death in quick succession too frequently, so the heroes almost always refuse to kill the bad guys, and they neutralize henchmen by bonking them on the head and knocking them unconscious like it's a ... Saturday morning cartoon. There's nothing wrong with liking this type of stuff. I'll watch family films occasionally and enjoy myself. But I wouldn't call them, or this, transcendent in any way.

The show tries for comedy quite frequently, but the jokes rarely landed for me. Perhaps that's due to it having very few arrows in its quiver in this regard. It usually just involves characters overreacting in some goofy way. There's the "mistaking alphonse for the FMA" gag, the "Ed getting embarrassed about Winry" gag, the random shirtless scenes with Armstrong, and, of course, the many, *many* times that characters call Ed short. I don't think I've ever heard another series use the term "pipsqueak" as often as this one does.

The action scenes were also pretty lackluster. There's multiple layers to this. First, there's the show's inherent reluctance to show death, with characters getting stabbed with what should be grave wounds but end up just being moderately injured, or even shrugging it off entirely. Second, there's the classic anime mystery genre problem of characters simply manifesting new powers that resolve the situation whenever they're in danger, which rapidly conditions me to expect this kind of resolution whenever the good guys are in trouble. Third, the villains never seemed particularly committed to thwarting Ed and friends. They attack piecemeal and with little sustained intensity. I had thought this would be due to a later reveal that the bad guys had been purposely letting Ed disrupt their schemes, that it was "all part of the plan" especially given the scenes where Father is implied to be watching over everything, but this wasn't the case. Instead, it's revealed early on that Ed is needed as a "sacrifice" which effectively means he's immune from any major harm since the bad guys can't kill him, they can only harass his friends as an indirect punishment.

The mysteries and lore of the show were probably the best aspects, but that's a low bar to clear. Most of the twists could be predicted far ahead of time, and there were none that really shocked me.

Ed and Al are nowhere near as annoying as many other anime protagonists... but they're not particularly interesting either. They have fairly standard personalities and don't grow much over the course of the series.

The highest praise I can give Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is that it was decent enough to pass the time. If you're looking for something inoffensive then this show is fine I suppose. But there are so many other better alternatives out there.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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