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IreneThoughts so far on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
June 11th 2009 01:20
*spoiler-free*
Whether or not you're a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist, you might've heard of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the second anime series in the franchise that started airing in Japan in May. Fullmetal Alchemist is the insanely popular manga and anime series by Hiromu Arakawa. FMA fever reached its peak in probably 2006 or so, but it still has devoted fans, including me and my geeky family.
The setting of FMA is one of its strongest points. It takes place in a world that is technologically equivalent to our Industrial Age, with a major exception: people can use alchemy in order to transmute matter, i.e., decompose and recompose matter. The Elric brothers--headstrong Edward and sensitive Alphonse--botch a transmutation of their dead mother, resulting in the loss of Edward's leg, and Alphonse's entire body. Ed subsequently loses his arm when he transmutes Al's soul to a suit of armour. The boys resolve to find the Philosopher's Stone of legend, by which they hope to restore their bodies. In the meantime, Ed joins the military as a State Alchemist.
That's the basic premise of the story, though the first anime series diverges drastically from the manga--which is still in production--about two-thirds of the way in. I think that the current anime series is a bit closer to the manga in plot and in spirit. Where the first anime has more melodrama and pathos, Brotherhood plays up the comedy and slapstick while maintaining a serious tone. Characterisation, particularly of Ed and Col. Mustang (Ed's superior officer), also seems closer to the manga. It will be interesting to see if the anime delves more into Mustang's background.
In the manga, people from a land called Xing (who look like East Asians) also perform alchemy, though in a different manner from the Elrics' country. It's likely that Brotherhood will incorporate the Xingians; they should appear within the next few episodes. I look forward to that, as the first anime completely omits them.
Visually, the new anime has the same high production values as the first one, though the palette and overall design is different. Ed seems to have more of the sneaky smirk of the manga, and there are plenty of opportunities for face faults in every episode. Both Ed and Al are voiced by the original actors, Romi Paku and Rie Kugimiya respectively. Mustang's voice is not the same, and though it took some getting used to, it seems appropriate now given his characterisation.
Interested in more FMA? See Funimation's official FMA: Brotherhood site for streaming episodes, both with and without subs. Episodes are usually posted within about five days of their original broadcast date.
Whether or not you're a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist, you might've heard of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the second anime series in the franchise that started airing in Japan in May. Fullmetal Alchemist is the insanely popular manga and anime series by Hiromu Arakawa. FMA fever reached its peak in probably 2006 or so, but it still has devoted fans, including me and my geeky family.
Art from FMA: Brotherhood
The setting of FMA is one of its strongest points. It takes place in a world that is technologically equivalent to our Industrial Age, with a major exception: people can use alchemy in order to transmute matter, i.e., decompose and recompose matter. The Elric brothers--headstrong Edward and sensitive Alphonse--botch a transmutation of their dead mother, resulting in the loss of Edward's leg, and Alphonse's entire body. Ed subsequently loses his arm when he transmutes Al's soul to a suit of armour. The boys resolve to find the Philosopher's Stone of legend, by which they hope to restore their bodies. In the meantime, Ed joins the military as a State Alchemist.
That's the basic premise of the story, though the first anime series diverges drastically from the manga--which is still in production--about two-thirds of the way in. I think that the current anime series is a bit closer to the manga in plot and in spirit. Where the first anime has more melodrama and pathos, Brotherhood plays up the comedy and slapstick while maintaining a serious tone. Characterisation, particularly of Ed and Col. Mustang (Ed's superior officer), also seems closer to the manga. It will be interesting to see if the anime delves more into Mustang's background.
In the manga, people from a land called Xing (who look like East Asians) also perform alchemy, though in a different manner from the Elrics' country. It's likely that Brotherhood will incorporate the Xingians; they should appear within the next few episodes. I look forward to that, as the first anime completely omits them.
Edward Elric in FMA: Brotherhood
Visually, the new anime has the same high production values as the first one, though the palette and overall design is different. Ed seems to have more of the sneaky smirk of the manga, and there are plenty of opportunities for face faults in every episode. Both Ed and Al are voiced by the original actors, Romi Paku and Rie Kugimiya respectively. Mustang's voice is not the same, and though it took some getting used to, it seems appropriate now given his characterisation.
Interested in more FMA? See Funimation's official FMA: Brotherhood site for streaming episodes, both with and without subs. Episodes are usually posted within about five days of their original broadcast date.
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