Full Metal Alchemist was one of the animes and manga that I followed when I first became interested in the genre. While like most other animes and manga, it fell out of interest to me when I caught up on the manga and anime and was encountered with filler or at least what felt like filler. But I decided to give Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood a try on Netflix to see what the difference was with the original series. (I should also note here that the American Netflix is missing like the last season of the show, leading to having to find it elsewhere.)
The show is about a world in which alchemy is a legitimate form of science with some humans able to actually change the material and composition of matter. One of the fundamental laws of alchemy, equivalent exchange, essentially says that for every transformation there must be an equal cost paid. Alphonse and Edward Elric pay the ultimate price in the idea of equivalent exchange when they try to bring their dead mother back to life, causing Edward to lose his right arm and left leg and Al losing his entire body and having his soul entwined into a suit of armor. Now they are on a journey to look for the legendary Philosopher’s Stone as a possibility of getting their bodies back.
The world that FMA takes place in continues to be flushed out as the show progresses and with it the characters as well. The characters might be the largest strength of the show with both the heroes and villains being complicated and having goals that just aren’t about being the way they are just for the sake of it. There are surprisingly human moments in a fictional world where a talking suit of armor is the norm especially tense issues like genocide and war.
My largest complaint (not even that large really) is the trope in anime where characters facial expressions alter out of the normal art style to a more cartoonish one when something offensive or funny is said. For FMA, this can happen in serious moments when a character could possibly die and it takes the tension out of it.
Regardless, if you are looking for a good time on Netflix and are looking for a show to marathon through, give FMA a chance.
I’m going to give FMA: Brotherhood a 7.5~8.0/10.
The Talking Gator 