Note- this review is specifically for Brotherhood.
I'd heard a lot of hype for this series- and that had me nervous. How on earth could it possibly live up to the billing? Then, I actually got around to seeing it, and can safely say that the high praise is fully deserved, and then some.
Let's start with the series' strongest suit: Edward. Way too many anime heroes are morons who rely on pure muscle, and have no real character flaws. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Goku. Ed isn't like that at all- his most dangerous weapon isn't his alchemy or his (underappreciated) martial arts, but his brain. And what's more, he's far from perfect, as his legendary temper shows. In point of fact, his brother's quite possibly the better man. A refreshing change of pace from the usual.
Another place where FMA shines is the fact that every character plays a role in the story. Even a one-shot character from Episode 4 who at first only serves to suffer a deeply disturbing fate (yep, you know who I'm talking about) gets her due in the finale, when her memory drives the brothers beyond Amestris. And other, similar side characters also serve their purpose- there's nobody you can simply ignore.
That said, there is one notable place where the series could have been better: The world outside Amestris is barely built. Only Xing gets any real notice, and two of the other border countries get so little mention, I can't even remember their names. But when the biggest gripe about a story is that there's so much more story to tell, well, it feels like I'm just desperately looking for something that isn't done masterfully.
FMA: Brotherhood gets a 9.8 out of 10 from me. If you haven't watched it, watch it. If you have, watch it again. Enough said.
Al And Ed's Excellent Adventure
Note- this review is specifically for Brotherhood.
I'd heard a lot of hype for this series- and that had me nervous. How on earth could it possibly live up to the billing? Then, I actually got around to seeing it, and can safely say that the high praise is fully deserved, and then some.
Let's start with the series' strongest suit: Edward. Way too many anime heroes are morons who rely on pure muscle, and have no real character flaws. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Goku. Ed isn't like that at all- his most dangerous weapon isn't his alchemy or his (underappreciated) martial arts, but his brain. And what's more, he's far from perfect, as his legendary temper shows. In point of fact, his brother's quite possibly the better man. A refreshing change of pace from the usual.
Another place where FMA shines is the fact that every character plays a role in the story. Even a one-shot character from Episode 4 who at first only serves to suffer a deeply disturbing fate (yep, you know who I'm talking about) gets her due in the finale, when her memory drives the brothers beyond Amestris. And other, similar side characters also serve their purpose- there's nobody you can simply ignore.
That said, there is one notable place where the series could have been better: The world outside Amestris is barely built. Only Xing gets any real notice, and two of the other border countries get so little mention, I can't even remember their names. But when the biggest gripe about a story is that there's so much more story to tell, well, it feels like I'm just desperately looking for something that isn't done masterfully.
FMA: Brotherhood gets a 9.8 out of 10 from me. If you haven't watched it, watch it. If you have, watch it again. Enough said.