Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Review part 1: tahirire

tahirire

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Review part 1

Aug 26, 2012 19:48

As some of you may know I was on school break a few weeks back. We only had 2 weeks off, but I have been making the most of it by actually taking a BREAK and I decided to check off a bunch of the anime I've always wanted to watch. I am now on episode 200 or so of Bleach. I watched Death Note. I watched the Ouran High School Host Club. (LOL) And then finally, I sat down to watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

FMA had been on my watch list for a few years. After doing a lot of research into which one to start with, I decided to skip the original and go straight to the reboot due to its accuracy to the manga - to get the 'real' story, if you will. blacklid and my friend from school watched with me.

Thus our lives were changed forever.

Post contains SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES IN ITS ENTIRE ENTIRETY, ENTIRELY.

Before I start fangirl flailing, it is important to note that one thing that impressed me throughout the entire series was the constant unflagging attention to detail and continuity. Every thread has a conclusion, every question gets answered, and every character gets their share of the time as the plot lines come - literally - full circle. The underlying themes that drive the character developments are nothing short of inspiring. I can't say enough that this is one of the best stories I've ever had the privilege of experiencing. The more times I watch it the more I get out of it. If you want to experience it for yourself, close this review and go watch it. NOW. One review I've read on it yet simply stated this -

"There are shows we watch just because there is nothing better to do. There are shows that you watch because it is the "cool" thing to watch. There are shows that you watch because of all the ratings and rewards and hype it has won. But then there are shows like this. This show is a masterpiece. There will probably never be another anime like this again, so anyone who is not going to watch this show is doing himself/herself is a disservice."

PSA: Netflix has the first half, I had to buy the second half on Amazon, but I am going to go back and buy the first half soon because it is something you just have to own.

FMA: Brotherhood : What you get when a Pipsqueak, a Tin Man, a Gearhead, a Flamer, an Avenger, Simba's Uncle and a Housewife team up to save the world.

Uuuugh, I don't even know where to START. There are so many things. I'll try to just go as chronological as possible, maybe. Uh, BRB, ORGANIZING ALL THE GIFS. This will be less of a coherent review (Because there is no coherence left when you finish FMA, trust me on that one.) and more of a my-favorite-parts highlight reel.

Long story short - Ed (The big brother) and Alphonse (The little brother) commit alchemy's most taboo taboo - human transmutation, in an attempt to bring their dead mother back to life. (Awwwwwwww) In the process, Al lost his entire body to the Portal of Truth, and Ed lost his leg, then sacrificed his right arm in exchange for his brother's soul, which he bonded to a suit of armor. You see this in the first episode in really brief flashback, and I was already in tears.

THIS SHOW MAKES ME UGLY CRY. A LOT.

I mean, look at his faaaaaaaaaaaace!

"Give him back, give him back to me he's my little brother he's all I have left I'll do anything take me instead take my arm take whatever you want just GIVE HIM BACK!"

Alchemists are supposed to work for the military. When Roy Mustang first comes to investigate the Elric brothers incident, he decides to protect the dark secret of how they commited alchemy's ultimate taboo. When Ed is 12, he offers him the chance to test for his State Alchemist's license, and Ed becomes the youngest state alchemist in history.

They make a promise to do whatever it takes to get their bodies back, and so it begins. They are raised by their neighbor Pinako, who they call Granny, and her young grandaughter Winry, who becomes Ed's automail mechanic after the accident. Ed's nightmares in the entire series are relentless, heartbreaking, and terrifying as he frantically searches for a way to correct their mistake, which naturally he takes full responsibility for.

But I think maybe I've never met a more determined character than Ed. Ichigo maybe, but in different ways - Ichigo's determination isn't guilt-driven, for one thing. His perseverance is relentless. His quest to fulfill his promise to his brother drives him forward, always. One scene that really got to me was the flashback that showed how on the day Ed got his license, they burned down their childhood home. He said it was as a symbol of their resolve, but later he revisits the ashes to prove to himself that he could face the past, and he learns something important. FMA is poetic like that.

This is the first place I get to stop and talk about how FMA filled in AAAALL the gaps I had in by brother feels that Supernatural has denied me over the years - like incessant sparring. YES THANK YOU FMA. Geez.

Anyway, by a few episodes in, quite a few years have passed since That Day, and at 15 years old Ed is the now youngest ever state alchemist and he has a Very Impressive Title - Fullmetal. ED! <3

He is a bit dramatic, extremely fierce, quite sarcastic ...

essentially fearless ...

and short. But don't tell him that.

One of my favorite things about the series is the animation style. It is incredibly badass and totally breathtaking in parts, but it also keeps a balance SO well with some truly hysterical exaggerations. These are what I refer to as Al's 'unicorn' and Ed's 'piranha' faces. There are several scenes where Angie and I were laughing too hard to hear the words, so we had to run it back. Their comedic timing is perfection.

Brainsplode. I know that feel, Al. I know that feel. *commiserates*

Anyway, it's a good thing they sprinkle in the comedy because this show will cut you into teeny tiny ribbons. I SWEAR I have never cried so much at a single show. There was at least one part in practically every episode that made me mist up. It was like being fed slowly and lovingly through a meat grinder.

This is Nina Tucker and her dog Alexander. In the original FMA, you get to spend a lot more time with them, and thusly get a lot more attached to them before the unthinkable happens, whereas in Brotherhood it happens by episode 4. But believe me, one episode was more than enough time devoted to them to let me, the viewer, know something very important : This show is srs bsns. The 4th episode, originally titled 'Night of the Chimera's Cry', was what hooked me for good. The direction in the episode is brilliant, first-class horror film style. Every cut, every light source, every frame means something. So, as I said - this is Nina Tucker and her dog Alexander.

... and so is this. *shudder*

I can honestly say I've never been so creeped out or disgusted by a scenario in my life. What happens to this little girl is a major point in the brother's journey. I love that it doesn't just go away. Even more than that, the impact of her death follows the boys through to the very end of the series. There are definitely moments where you get forcibly reminded that despite their bravado, determination, and serious fighting skills, Ed and Al are still so young.

Scar's murder of Shou Tucker may have been the only strictly justified murder in the series, and Nina's death could be argued as a mercy killing. Ed's stringent refusal to take human life, and his definition of what constitutes a human throughout the series is held up as a noble, but difficult view. The question of whether or not putting Nina out of her misery was the correct course of action haunts him the rest of his life.

The first fight against Scar is one of my favorite Mustang and Hawkeye moments, lol. She's so good for him.

"You know you're useless when it rains, now please stay back, Sir."

The start of Scar's arc is based in vengeance, which becomes a large theme throughout the series. When Roy explains the cause and wonders aloud if Scar's need for vengeance is justified, Ed is the one to simplify things for the audience - seeing straight through an adult's overcomplicated view of morality with the clear sight of a child.

"No way! There's no justice in taking vengeance on people who had nothing to do with it! He's just dressing his ugly lust for vengeance in the mantle of his God and calling himself an agent of justice."

For every arc, there is an equivalent opposing arc. On the other side of Scar's search for vengeance for the genocide of Ishval, you have Hawkeye, Mustang, Hughes, and many others like them looking for resolution for their part in that same genocide - not through redemption, but through atonement.

Maes Hughes

I've almost never been this devastated by a character death. Brotherhood follows the manga to the frame. The original FMA has a lot of originally written extraneous content. The plot sort of disintegrates into something totally different about halfway through the series, but the first half of the series is worth watching just to get to spend more time with Hughes. You really, really really love him in the manga, but the original FMA series lets you get to know him a lot better. What made me love him the most, though, was reading the volume of the manga that gives us his backstory with Mustang during the Ishvalan civil war. He was such a good man.

The Homunculus

The homunculi are some of the creepiest/most endearing bad guys of all time. My favorite thing about them is that, instead of each character ultimately facing off against the villain they want to kill, they end up facing off against the sin they most struggle with inside themselves. (IE: Scar vs Wrath, Mustang vs Envy and Lust, Ed vs Pride.)

I also love the way each sin is portrayed with a loophole. Wrath, for instance, is the most stable and level-headed thinker. Greed wants everything for himself, but as a side effect of viewing his friends as possessions, he is extremely protective and loyal to them.

And on the good guy side ...

Colonel Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist.

Roy is introduced as shallow, vain, and willing to do anything for his own selfish ambition. However, if you look closer even for just a second, you can tell right away that that projection is a mask he has carefully cultivated over the years for the purpose of hiding the true motives behind his rise to the top. As the series unfolds you get to see more and more of the man he truly is, and once you see, it makes perfect sense why his team would be willing to die for him. Not that he'd ever let that happen.

We need to stop here and take a moment to reflect on how hard I have fallen for this asshole. *Sigh*

His relationship with Ed is rocky at first. Roy is the central authority figure in Ed's life, and Ed, who is constantly trying to prove he isn't a child, often rebels against Roy. In return, Roy often keeps Ed out of the loop. (Mostly because he knows that Ed tends to react to confidential information by running off on his own and leveling an entire city block in the process of checking it out.) He is only ever really open with his own team, and even to the audience he might seem casually aloof from them at first, but every single conversation he has with one of his team members is about 5 layers of code. They know each other and trust each other %100.

Ed never stops being just a little bristly towards Roy, but once Ed knows he can trust Roy, the comebacks and snark turn more playful. For his part, Roy antagonizes Ed right back. He knows what Ed's buttons are, and he pushes them if he needs to. (Usually there is a reason. Everything Roy does ends up having a reason. Or two. Or five. It's kind of fucking awesome.)

Also, he enjoys making Ed divide by zero any time he wants with calmly calculated insults.

*mumbles* "A flea ... he called me a flea ..."

Mustang's first lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye, is a sniper and general firearms specialist. I literally cannot in this review with their relationship. It is too perfect and achy and awesome and heartbreaking and inspiring and want inducing and ALL OF THE FEELS, OKAY, just .... GUH.

And, lest we forget - Mustang is also a seeeeerious badass. Ed and Al have certain special abilities, but Roy is easily the most powerful alchemist in the series. One thing I love about it is how Arakawa (the manga writer/illustrator) never used him as a deus ex machina; any time his powers are on full display there is a legitimate struggle there, and any time his powers are rendered inneffective, there is a legitimate reason.

Most importantly, all of the struggles and reasons drive the characterization. There is not a SINGLE wasted, frivolous, or filler fight in this series. Every second counts.

Mustang Vs Lust

Roy V Lust is a fierce battle for survival.

It isn't the first time you see him forsake his own safety to come to the aid of his team, but it IS the first time you see what it looks like for Roy Mustang to literally be fighting for his life. The range and power of his alchemy usually gives him the option to direct battles from a distance, where he wouldn't be in much danger, but in this fight, he is severely wounded and desperate to save Havoc, who just got parylized from the waist down, and Hawkeye, who he would pretty much cease to exist without.

Lust says she loves how cold and focused his eyes are. ME TOO. ME TOO. But what I also love about it is that the only reason he can stay so focused on what needs to be done is that he is trusting Al to protect Hawkeye from the flames. After it's over and he collapses, all he wants to know is if Hawkeye is okay, and the first thing he tells Al is thank you. Then he wants a doctor for Havoc. I JUST LOVE LOVE LOVE HIM OKAY YOU GUYS. HNNGH.

And speaking of badasses - (There are a lot of them in this show) Izumi! Izumi Curtis is Ed and Al's alchemy teacher, and she can be skeeeery. When they first decide to go back and see her, they are terrified she'll kill them when she finds out they tried human transmutation.

One of my favorite things about her is how they can't talk to her unless they are also sparring at the same time. I have a sparring thing okay, don't judge me. *loves all the sparring*

The episode where you get to see how she trained them is adorable because AL!!! :D

Kimblee, Scar, and the Rockbells

Kimblee is one of those guys that just wants to watch the world burn. He doens't pick sides unless he is just picking the side that will enable his endless murdering. And he has really cool tattoos.

One of my favorite moments of the series is Ed vs Kimblee, because it cements for once and for all that Ed is firm in his stance that he refuses to take human life and he readily accepts whatever price that refusal will cost him. His steadfast refusal to kill humans, and his definition of what constitutes as human, is often pondered over and respected by the other characters. Kimblee, who during Ed's last battle with Pride has learned enough about Ed to admonish Pride that if he thinks Ed will kill him, then he 'still doesn't understand Edward Elric'.

But I get ahead of myself. *rewind*

Kimblee is the state alchemist that murdered Scar's family and destroyed his village during the Ishvalan civil war and set Scar on his path of revenge. He even gave Scar the mark that became his name, so in essence, Kimblee single-handedly crafted the Scar we see through the first half of the series.

Scar's hatred of alchemy and lack of understanding of his brother's research only makes him more confused. In the chaos right after the battle, he murdered Winry's parents - two Amestrian surgeons who stayed after they had been ordered to evaccuate - after they saved his life. When Ed learns that Scar is the one responsible for their deaths, he confronts him about it during their fight to draw out the homunculi.

Winry stumbles into the battle and hears the confrontation. Understandably distressed, she picks up a discarded gun and levels the weapon at Scar, but she can't shoot. Ed and Al beg her to put the gun down, and when Ed finally jumps in front of her it is partly to protect her from Scar, but it is MAINLY to spare her the experience of killing a person. This holds true for Ed throughout the series as well - he is often just as concerned about protecting his friend's souls as he is their lives.
(IE: Greed v Ling, Winry v Scar, Mustang v Envy)

When Ed gets between Scar and Winry, Scar realizes that roles have become reversed - he is now the monster he used to be so afraid of. This is the first turning point for Scar - when he realized that his master's words about vengence and hatred only breeding more vengence and hatred - were true. Later on, it is only through Winry's resolve not to continue the cycle of violence that Scar is able to look past his own hate, follow her example, and begin to work together with the others in order to bring needed change.

”Is this how your eyes looked, brother?”

The fight is intense and emotional, and the whole moment just played out so beautifully.

Winry, sobbing:
“I couldn’t shoot. Why not? He killed my mom and dad! He tried to kill you and Al too, Ed, but I couldn’t! Why couldn’t I?”

Ed, pulling Winry's fingers off of the trigger one by one:
“Remember in Rush Valley, you delivered that baby. And you gave me an arm and a leg so I could stand again. It’s your hands. They aren’t meant to kill. They’re meant to give life. That’s why.”