Bringing up themes of religion, Grayand Grey Morality, and the notion of equivalent exchange is great
Most of the other characters are very believable in their motivations (especially the Homunculi)
Choosing the Russian Orchestra for the soundtrack (Yes, its the Russian Orchestra) helps to enhance the despair that is prevalent through the setting
Taking a dramatic approach to the series rather than doing full blown shonen action is a great change (and the main difference from this series to FMA: Brotherhood in my opinion)
The story, while it can be confusing at times, is very connected. It's not like you have to pay attention to every little detail, but little things in the beginning of the series turn out to be very important later on.
The world is amazing and the Worldbuilding is some of the best worldbuilding I have seen in a while. I especially liked the parallels to Nazi Germany (Yes, Nazi Germany) although....
Cons:
Making the world an Alternative History to Nazi Germany, while it makes sense, was barely foreshadowed. Like the notion of it being an Alternate History was barely hinted at and kinda felt that it came out of nowhere.
(Personal Con) The ending for this series is known to be a hit-or-miss for some people. For me. It's a little bit of both. I liked how the equivalent exchange theme was resolved but I didn't get the part where Ed sacrificed his "Sweat and determination" to get Al back...{{What.}}
Leaving all those loose ends in the ending of this series. As a standalone, this is unacceptable. Even if there is a movie.
Some characters are also one or two dimensional. The most glaring offenders being Archer (one-dimensional) and Dante. Considering that they have been the main villains for a good portion of this series. I think that I should at least get a little bit more fleshing out than just a backstory for Dante (although her philosophy about equivalent exchange is rather solid)
Overall:
Yeah, it's not Brotherhood (getting to watching that) but it stands on it's own as a pretty good anime series. The themes, characters, story, and setting are all on point (most of them). But it shouldn't be glossed over just because "Brotherhood is superior"
Give it a watch guys. It may not be perfect but it's one of the best anime out there.
The entire series...AS A STANDALONE (no movie review sorry)
Pros:
Brilliant characterization for Edward Elric
Bringing up themes of religion, Grayand Grey Morality, and the notion of equivalent exchange is great
Most of the other characters are very believable in their motivations (especially the Homunculi)
Choosing the Russian Orchestra for the soundtrack (Yes, its the Russian Orchestra) helps to enhance the despair that is prevalent through the setting
Taking a dramatic approach to the series rather than doing full blown shonen action is a great change (and the main difference from this series to FMA: Brotherhood in my opinion)
The story, while it can be confusing at times, is very connected. It's not like you have to pay attention to every little detail, but little things in the beginning of the series turn out to be very important later on.
The world is amazing and the Worldbuilding is some of the best worldbuilding I have seen in a while. I especially liked the parallels to Nazi Germany (Yes, Nazi Germany) although....
Cons:
Making the world an Alternative History to Nazi Germany, while it makes sense, was barely foreshadowed. Like the notion of it being an Alternate History was barely hinted at and kinda felt that it came out of nowhere.
(Personal Con) The ending for this series is known to be a hit-or-miss for some people. For me. It's a little bit of both. I liked how the equivalent exchange theme was resolved but I didn't get the part where Ed sacrificed his "Sweat and determination" to get Al back...{{What.}}
Leaving all those loose ends in the ending of this series. As a standalone, this is unacceptable. Even if there is a movie.
Some characters are also one or two dimensional. The most glaring offenders being Archer (one-dimensional) and Dante. Considering that they have been the main villains for a good portion of this series. I think that I should at least get a little bit more fleshing out than just a backstory for Dante (although her philosophy about equivalent exchange is rather solid)
Overall:
Yeah, it's not Brotherhood (getting to watching that) but it stands on it's own as a pretty good anime series. The themes, characters, story, and setting are all on point (most of them). But it shouldn't be glossed over just because "Brotherhood is superior"
Give it a watch guys. It may not be perfect but it's one of the best anime out there.