25 Days of Anime - #2: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Easily my favorite fantasy epic of all time, the story of the brothers Elric is wildly original, action-packed, and genuinely emotional. Edward and Alphonse are lead characters that I was immediately able to relate to, and despite the world they live in being fantastical in nature, their friends are very well-rounded, which allowed me to suspend disbelief when watching any given episode. Though the alchemy bears similarities to the magic used in Harry Potter, the world of FMA is more so grounded in reality as a sort of alternate take on the technology and culture of the early 1900s.

I do love the original Fullmetal Alchemist, despite the major deviations it has from the manga source material. And while I do prefer the time spent developing Lust and Greed in the first anime, I think the Homunculi's character traits are more fitting in Brotherhood. Also, the manifestation of their powers - specifically in the cases of Gluttony, Envy, and Pride - are more alien and grotesque, lending them to becoming further removed from the humans they look down upon.

Fullmetal Alchemist has perfect pacing from start to finish. I cannot find a single flaw with it, considering just how much more ground Brotherhood had to cover than its predecessor. The best plot twists still resound as powerfully as they did before (here's looking at you, Maes Hughes), and new high points prove splendorous and rewarding. Thanks to updated animation and a brand new fully-orchestrated soundtrack, the show looks and sounds as beautiful for a 2009 release as the original Fullmetal Alchemist did for a 2003 release.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is certainly a darker tale than the original, and it makes this aesthetic appeal obvious from a very early point. The original anime reserved the majority of its dark fantasy elements for the second season, while Brotherhood taps into them in order to better explore what 'Truth' lies beyond the gate, the nature of the Homunculi, and the gravity of the Elric Brother's attempt to revive their dead mother. Though the basis of what the Elric brothers are striving toward is made clear from the outset, many obstacles force them to question their motives as well as how much they really want their bodies back. What results is one of the most wonderfully human tales realized in any anime.

25 Days of Anime - #8: Darker Than Black

Ten years before the start of the anime, two zones known as Hell's Gate and Heaven's Gate opened and caused the emergence of Contractors, humans with limited superpowers. These superhuman Contractors are not the jack-of-all-trades types like comic-book icons, but instead are granted use of one specific power (some more powerful - and arguably more practical - than others). Each Contractor must pay a price through some regular habit, even if it is something as strange as folding the corner of each page in a book or eating dandelions.

Most Contractors view themselves as separate from humans - not just because of their powers, but also due to their logic-driven nature. Contractors rarely show genuine emotion, and some consider themselves superior to humans. But just because they all share similar traits does not mean they all serve the same cause. Some Contractors act in the interest of their own greed or power bids, others operate solo, doing their best to stay out of the spotlight. Lead protagonist Hei works for a mysterious organization known as the Syndicate in hopes that he can find out what happened to his sister all those years ago when the gates open.

Hei works alongside three others. Mao is a fellow contractor whose ability to control other bodies left him in control of a cat after his original human body was lost. Though he is not of much use in a fight, his previous experiences are something he hopes will serve Hei well, even if Hei chooses to ignore his advice at times. Yin is a Doll - a being that is as semi-human as a Contractor - bearing the appearance of a young woman and incapable of expressing emotion. Huang is a human whose past investigations found him caught up in the Syndicate's affairs. His perspective is perhaps the most interesting (once the show gives further back story on Huang), as he does not care much for Contractors and has effectively been forced to work for the Syndicate.

Darker Than Black's storytelling method is an interesting one, as it spends plenty of time balancing present-day events as they unfold with Hei's past. One of the earliest Contractors of interest to Hei that comes onto the scene is Havoc, who was also involved in the business regarding Heaven's Gate. Havoc was one of the most feared Contractors of all, and Hei believes she may know something about what happened to his sister. Also a major point that comes into play is Hei's brief interactions with police officer Misaki Kirihara, who is tasked with investigating cases concerning Contractors. As each Contractor has a star that correlates to them in the night sky, it isn't terribly difficult for Kirihara and her colleagues to keep track of how many Contractors are out there. The challenge is figuring out which star belongs to which contractor, as well as who these contractors actually are. And since Hei always wears a mask when on a mission, he has earned himself two other names - his official designation "BK-201" and his nickname "The Black Reaper", the latter of which is a nod to his skill and efficiency as a Contractor.

The story of Darker Than Black is concerned first and foremost with Hei, and his time in the spotlight increases late in the show. That said, the anime does well to sufficiently explain who his allies and enemies are, as well as what importance each of them has to the tale at large. The series presents an interesting blend of superhero-style conflict with a detective story, as there are a number of factions all gradually honing in on Hell's Gate in Tokyo. Darker Than Black presents a great balance of the stylized action with believable consequences, and alien abilities within a real and practical setting.

Anime review: Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos

A side-story to the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood storyline, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos follows Ed and Alphonse Elric as they investigate an escaped prisoner by the name of Melvin Voyager. As they search his cell in Central, the Elric brothers discover he had cut out an article from the newspaper regarding one Julia Crichton. Years ago, Julia’s parents – both very skilled alchemists - were murdered. Witnessing firsthand the alchemic prowess Voyager wields, Ed and Al pursue him toward Table City, an Amestrian fortification right on the border of the nation of Creta. As they near the city, the Elric brothers discover that a wolf chimera has snuck aboard the train, and the two engage him in combat. Meanwhile, a small organized force known as the Black Bats descend upon the train, and the ensuing chaos tears up the tracks leading to Table City. While Ed and Al manage to come away unscathed, they are separated with Ed in the city and Alphonse taken prisoner by Julia and the Black Bats at the bottom of the valley that separates Amestris and Creta.

Edward briefly makes contact with the chain of command in Table City, then proceeds to seek out his brother in the valley below. What he finds is a slum filled with Milosians – an entire nation of people who long ago became caught in the turmoil between Amestris and Creta and were in turn left to rot in what is essentially a giant landfill. Despite the negative feelings some of the Milosians harbor toward Ed due to his role as an Amestrian state alchemist, he feels sorry for their situation and asks for help in locating his brother. At the same time, Alphonse is conversing with Julia who explains how she came to live in this place when Melvin Voyager reveals himself to be Julia’s long-lost brother Ashley. After some debate, Ashley is convinced to aid Julia and the Black Bats in their search for the Sacred Star (the Milosian name for a Philosopher’s Stone), as they believe one exists somewhere within Table City.

Instead of retaining the same animation style used in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Sacred Star of Milos combines this style with a more free-sketch animation not unlike that which has been used in some of the Studio Ghibli films. Characters don’t look drastically different, but their definitions are altered slightly from the series. Also, action sequences tend to be more over-the-top with dynamic (and sometimes ridiculous) physics-bending and sudden pans in the camera angle. The budget for the film show through, as the entire hour and fifty minute experience looks a noticeable step up from the show’s animation quality.

While Ed and Al are still the main characters through which the story in Sacred Star of Milos is conveyed, the film does assume viewers are at least somewhat familiar with the storyline of Brotherhood. There is no mention of the Homunculus, and the only other major characters from the series that make an appearance are Winry, Mustang, and Hawkeye. The film briefly glosses over the fateful night when Ed and Al attempted to bring their mother back to life, and there is mention of the Gate of Truth. Beyond that, the film does little to bring newcomers up to speed, which is just as well, as the film’s events don’t leave a significant impact on the Fullmetal Alchemist story at large.

Julia and Ashley take center stage, and their development as characters is executed well enough. The Milosian people prove an interesting bunch, though their plan to reclaim the “holy land” is a bit obvious of a parallel with real-world conflict in the Middle East. Winry, Mustang, and Hawkeye play only small parts, while the Amestrian soldiers stationed in Table City are rather bland and one-dimensional, assuming they are granted any lines of dialogue at all.

The story sees a number of plot twists during the second half that keeps the story entertaining and suspenseful. Most of the moments where Ed and Al are questioning the roles of both Amestris and Creta in the unfortunate state of the Milosians are skimmed through in favor of providing more action sequences, and this is especially unfortunate in the case of one particular scene where the brothers trace a series of clues back to the area’s ancient past. The film’s tone is notably dark – on par with the final few episodes of the 2004 anime, as Ed and Al find the alchemy spoken of in Table City and revered by the Black Bats to be nearly as taboo as their own attempt at human transmutation. The ending brings out a convincing human element in some of the main cast, though the film’s major villains all fit the stereotypical “evil mastermind” role. Sacred Star of Milos is a fun film, and the fact that it does not hold too strong of ties to the series makes it easy to jump into. But the storytelling is nowhere near as strong as in either the 2004 series or Brotherhood.

My rating: 7.75 (out of 10)

Anime review: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

A retelling of the smash hit 2004 Fullmetal Alchemist anime, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood sticks close to the original manga story as it weaves together the story of brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, two young alchemists who seek to restore their original bodies. After losing their mother, the two brothers attempted the ultimate taboo among alchemists - human transmutation. The rules of equivalent exchange were not obeyed, as there was nothing to account for a soul, and in turn Edward lost an arm and a leg while Alphonse lost his entire body. Quick to react, Edward bonded his brother's soul to a nearby suit of armor. Thereafter, the Elric brothers devoted themselves entirely to researching the many forms of alchemy until Edward was accepted into the Amestrian military as the youngest State Alchemist in history.

Their search for answers leads the Elric brothers all across the country of Amestris, and they encounter the hardened soldiers of the Briggs Wall, chimeras, and a prince from the foreign land of Xing. But lurking in the shadows are the Homunculus, artificial humans who incite violence among humans and have a deep-seated interest in Edward's prowess as an alchemist. Also of great importance is Colonel Roy Mutang's plan to change the Amestrian government from the inside out, after the horrors he witnessed years ago in the country of Ishval - horrors which led the Ishvalan exile scar to hunt down and kill State Alchemists one by one. Each step Ed and Alphonse take toward reclaiming what was lost peels back another layer of the full story, and a wide variety of characters are introduced - nearly just as many friendly to their cause as those who seek to hinder the Elric brothers' progress. While not as frequent but equally important, the story does break away from time to time to explore a deeper meaning behind the machinations of Amestris and the world around it, focusing on topics like the hidden truths of alchemy and loopholes in the theory of equivalent exchange.

The first dozen episodes are quite fast-paced, and it seems that Studio Bones approached this new introductory story arc under the assumption that viewers would be familiar with either the original anime or manga version. Because of this, there are a few plot points that are not greatly expanded upon, and a handful of characters, such as Greed, are not explored as in-depth as in the previous anime. Some of these points are revisited later in the series however. While those early episodes do seem to move along at a semi-breakneck pace, the rest slow down to allow for better character and plot development, and the pacing from then on out is as close to perfect as one could hope.

There are a lot of characters that earn screen time between the start of the series and its conclusion. While certain characters play roles that are clearly more significant to the grand story, everyone from the main cast down to the minor roles sees a satisfying development. Ed and Al are always at the center of the story, but much of what shapes and changes them plays out gradually over the entire sixty-four episode run. Other characters, like the Homunculus Pride, have a significantly smaller time frame to be defined in, but Studio Bones does well to make practically every one of them concrete, entertaining, and enjoyable. And even though there are a handful of characters that only appear once or twice, there isn't a single moment wasted on filler material.

At the center of the mysteries of the Homunculus sits Father. While his involvement with the series' events come to light very gradually, his presence is felt from the very first episode. His role as one of the primary villains adds a degree of uncertainty and suspense. He manages to avoid the general cliches of anime villainy, save for a few points in the latter episodes where he takes time to monologue.

As a whole, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood takes on a darker tone than the 2004 anime. The first season of the previous anime was pretty lighthearted, while the second season dug deeper into the mysteries of the Homunculus and set a darker tone as a result. There are moments where the newer anime takes a break from its serious routine for someone to poke fun at Ed's short stature or mistake Alphonse for the Fullmetal Alchemist due to his body being a suit of armor. But the atmosphere in Brotherhood is quite consistent throughout.

The soundtrack is downright epic. There are so many tunes to fit each and every atmosphere, from scenes of alchemic battle to the moments where Ed and Al have to remind each other what they really want before picking themselves back up from a setback. The animation style is only slightly different than it was in the 2004 anime, with softer outlines to character models. The backgrounds are nicely detailed and the lighting effects are generally impressive. There is an occasional shift in animation style when a goofy or lighthearted moment occurs, but the quality is consistent throughout, with a slight improvement during the last few episodes that borders on theatrical release quality.

In an age where contemporary fantasy epics are constantly compared and contrasted with Harry Potter, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood stands strong against such a wildly popular and critically acclaimed modern classic. Brotherhood manages to perfectly blend action elements with a very human tale about the Elric brothers. There are genuinely emotional moments where viewers will feel a strong connection to Edward, Alphonse, Winry, or any other of the number of brilliantly molded characters. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a phenomenal tale for viewers all ages - one that transcends the stereotypes of fantasy fiction and instead sets the bar up another notch for the competition. It is without a doubt one of the greatest fantasy stories crafted in any entertainment medium.

My rating: 10 (out of 10)

Anime review: Darker Than Black: Gemini of the Meteor

Within the first episode, the increased production values for season two are made quite obvious. The animation - which was certainly impressive in season one - is now near the caliber of a stand-alone film. The style of the soundtrack is retained through all-new pieces, while some heavier rock and electronic sounds match up perfectly with the eastern European setting. Where the two differentiate is through their approach to the story.

Season one concluded with Hei stopping the Syndicate's plans and then disappearing in the ensuing confusion. Two years later, the story picks up with Suou Pavlichenko, her brother Shion, and their father in Russia. Though the house seems relatively normal, it is made clear early on that things will not remain calm for long, as multiple organizations move in on the residence, Shion their main target. Not understanding what is going on with her brother suddenly leaving for Japan and her father's death, Suou finds herself caught up in the affairs of Contractors.

Season one presented the main story via Hei, while Misaki Kirihara was the narrator for the normal human side of affairs. Kirihara still plays an important role in Gemini of the Meteor, though she does not receive quite as much screen time. Instead, the main story is balanced between Suou and Hei. The former illustrates the difficulties of becoming a contractor and hitting the teenage years at the same time. The latter has become a shadow of his former self, and struggles to help Suou while subsequently trying to rediscover what his own aims are.

There's a much more human narrative presented at times. The question of what it means to be human is carried over from season one, taking on two new angles. On the one hand, there is the main character of Suou, who gains Contractor abilities but still retains her human emotions. The other (and at times, more interesting) perspective is that of the doll July, who is shown to grow attached to certain characters over time. July is also the source of some of the best bits of comedy throughout.

Subsequently, this second season is more focused and streamlined. It knows exactly where it is going from start to finish, even with the side stories of the Russian military and Section Three being woven into the grand scheme of things. Though there may not be as many Contractors appearing in Gemini of the Meteor, those that do have an important role in the events that unfold. There are hardly any nameless faces to add to the body count.

The end of the series attempts to layer complexities that end up coming across as forcibly convoluted. For some reason, the creators of many contemporary science fiction anime seem to feel the need to push things to the level of a series like Neon Genesis Evangelion. Certainly Evangelion was a game-changer for its day, but trying to up the ante for the sake of having some grandiose conclusion doesn't mean the series will wrap up in the most logical or satisfying manner. The final episodes of Gemini of the Meteor aren't as predictable as in some other series, but they present some of the second season's weakest points, and fail to wrap up a couple of major plot points.

Gemini of the Meteor trims much of the fat from the first season. That's not to say there was much in the way of unnecessary material the first time around, but everything feels very streamlined because of it. Thankfully, the series doesn't sacrifice some of its lighter moments because of it. There's still some humor to be found in this generally darker story. The fact that Studio Bones recognized what made the first season so compelling and chose to expand upon it says a lot about their approach to Gemini of the Meteor - it might not be as strong as the original, but it's certainly not a cheap cash-in.

My rating: 9 (out of 10)

Anime review: Darker Than Black

[Does the Reaper dream of darkness darker than black?]

Following the opening of two zones that yielded unusual properties - one in South America called Heaven's Gate, the other in Japan called Hell's Gate - the world saw the emergence of a new breed of humans, known as contractors. Contractors have superhuman abilities - anything from the ability to light things on fire to opening temporary black holes. But each contractor is called such because they have to pay a price in order to use their abilities. For some, this is a less demanding routine, like smoking cigarettes or drinking beer. Others have it more rough, being forced to break their own fingers or slice open their wrists. And some contracts are just plain bizarre - writing poetry, eating dandelions, and folding every page of a book as it is read, to name a few.

The story of Darker Than Black is centered around Hei, a contractor known as the Black Reaper due to his skill and efficiency in dispatching targets. Hei has the ability to channel electricity, both through direct contact with others and by surging it through his collection of knives and grappling cables. Hei works with a team under the employment of a group known as the Syndicate. Mao is a fellow contractor, but lost his human body an accident and has since been forced to reside in the body of a black cat. Mao can interface with computer systems thanks to a chip on his ear. Huang is the team's only human member, and issues out their orders as relayed to him from the Syndicate. He often relies on conventional firearms, and is not shy about his general distaste toward contractors. Appearing as a young girl without much capacity for emotion, Yin is a doll who acts as the team's eyes and ears, able to detect movements through water. Together they track high-priority contractors for the Syndicate, whether their orders are to retrieve valuable information or to kill.

On the other side of the story is Chief Misaki Kirihara, head of Foreign Affairs in Section Four of Tokyo. Misaki and her small, close-knit team present the human perspective of the tensions with the contractors. Due to the nature of their work, Kirihara and co. are often assigned cases that match those of Hei, and the two cross paths a number of times, though Hei's identity is kept safe due to the mask he always wears. After Heaven's Gate and Hell's Gate opened, the night sky was replaced with a new one, with each star representing a single contractor. Kirihara is privy to this information, knowing Hei by his messier code of BK-201.

As tensions mount over the course of the series, a number of new factions are represented, and some new angles on the situation come with them. British Intelligence sends their own team into Japan, which leads to the side stories of November Eleven and Havoc. Evening Primrose is an organization led by Amber, a woman who Hei knew back when contractors first appeared, and their aims are not entirely clear. There are a few minor organizations, such as a local Yakuza in the business of smuggling dolls and quirky mismatched private eye partners Gai Kurosawa and Kiko Kayanuma. But the narrative style of detective noir mixed with superhero action remains consistent from beginning to end.

One of the major themes that pops up early on is what it means to be a contractor. The first half of the series depicts them as largely cold and calculating, with many of the humans - Huang included - labeling them as emotionless. The potential for love between a human and a doll is touched upon briefly, but the second half is where this question of identity becomes more prominent. Even the contractors themselves are not sure if they can really be called human, though some, like November Eleven, seem to display more emotion than others. It's an issue that resonates most closely with Hei, as the entire reason he joined the Syndicate was to find out what happened to his sister after the disappearance of Heaven's Gate.

The animation is visually dazzling, with the art style using an overall dark palette. However, brighter reds, greens, and blues stand out, often with a glow effect that isn't overbearing. The soundtrack, with pieces by Yoko Kanno, delivers a zesty blend of jazz and rock numbers, with the occasional big band and even techno influences sneaking in between. Character designs are stylized to reflect their abilities and character traits, but are still rather realistic looking, walking a fine line between overly fantastical and overly human.

Darker Than Black has some brilliant pacing and nice changes in the angle of the storytelling that occur every so often. But it never forgets the narrative it is weaving, and has some genuinely great storytelling. The finale episodes prove incredibly intense, but also thoroughly satisfying (despite one scene that leans perhaps a bit too close toward End of Evangelion territory). Every piece of the puzzle falls into place before the series wraps up, and there are some great jaw-dropping moments. Darker Than Black blends the classic noir formula with some new-age elements, with only a few hiccups in an otherwise phenomenal series.

My rating: 9.5 (out of 10)

Anime review: Full Metal Alchemist (season two)

(WARNING: There may be some spoilers if you have not seen season one)

Season two picks up directly after the conclusion of season one. The Elric brothers, now aware of what is truly required to make a Philosopher's Stone, head out with Winry in hopes of finding some alternative solution to regaining Al's body. This will ultimately lead them to cross paths once more with Izumi Curtis, the brothers' teacher from their early days of learning alchemy. Izumi was given a brief cameo in season one, but until this point the only impression viewers have of her is the harsh and unforgiving persona the Elric brothers imply her to be. This ends up as only partially true, as Izumi is thoroughly strict and will only agree to train her students if they wholly devote themselves and remain focused, but she is revealed to have a sad past and knows how to treat the Elric brothers with compassion when needed. While viewers are given a look into Ed and Al's time training under Izumi, this serves a purpose that is less focused on providing backstory and more focused on clueing viewers into the direction that the show will take over the course of the second season, primarily dealing with strengthening their relationship as brothers.

Season one only managed to scratch the surface of the story of the Homunculi, revealing a few of them and showing off their respective powers. Season two explores all seven of the Homunculi in great detail - how they originated, how they influence the brothers' journey, and what their ultimate goals are. I won't spoil the roles that each Homunculi plays in the story, though some of them do complicate things for the Elric brothers and other characters in ways other than just physical confrontations. My personal favorite Homunculus was Greed, who is both clever and immensely powerful. He relies on assistance from the chimeras he rescued from Laboratory 5 but also has a high level of respect for them, treating them as more or less his equal as opposed to science experiments. As his name implies, Greed wants what he doesn't have and is a rebel among the Homunculi, disagreeing with their plan and carrying out his own mission.


Gluttony is largely the same throughout the entirety of the series, though Lust does change her outlook on her standing as a Homunculi during the latter half of the season. Envy, who appeared only briefly in both the very early and very late episodes of season one, does make a handful of appearances of the course of season two, but his role in the overarching story is left almost entirely unexplored until the final episodes. While I was admittedly a bit disappointed that Envy's story was put on the backburner, given his role in things, it makes perfect sense to reserve it for such a late point in the series. Wrath, one of the Homunculi new to season two, plays an integral role in influencing the Elric brothers and others because of his origin, as do Sloth and Pride. The identities of those latter two are kept under wraps for quite some time with good reason.

Aside from the threats each Homunculus presents, the Elric brothers must also deal with certain members of the state military who have intentions of hindering their progress. Solf Kimblee, the Crimson Alchemist, was introduced at the end of season one and has escaped from the Laboratory 5 complex. While his true intentions remain shrouded for a good portion of the first half of season two, it is clear that Kimblee doesn't exactly follow a by-the-books style like many of the state alchemists. In a more powerful position is Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer, a calm and collected individual who is more concerned with impressing Fuhrer Bradley than he is about the safety of his men or civilians caught up in in the states' military interventions.


In my review of season one, I made a minor complaint about Scar being seemingly phased out of the story only to be dragged back in episode twenty-four, "Bonding Memories". While I still feel the choice to carry out part of Scar's story in that manner came across as somewhat awkward, his involvement is season two flows quite smoothly. Scar gives viewers a more in-depth look at Ishbalan society, as well as a very satisfying explanation for his relation to both the Elric brothers and the Homunculi. While often a rather difficult character to read, there were times where I found myself cheering Scar on, in spite of his previous attempts to kill Ed and countless other state Alchemists.

Admittedly, there were three episodes in season two that I felt were not as cohesive as the rest in regards to how they factored into the overarching story. "Reunion of the Fallen" tells the story of a village where the people have contracted a disease that slowly turns their bodies to stone. This is by far the single weakest and forgettable episode in the entire series. That isn't to say that it is performed poorly, but it is more filler than substance. The only payoff this episode manages are the first steps in exploring a side of Lust that viewers have not previously seen. "Her Reason" - the first episode of the second season - flows somewhat better with the themes and story of Full Metal Alchemist as a whole, though it is largely focused on Winry's relationship with the Elric brothers, more specifically with Ed. The events in this episode are somewhat split down the middle. One one hand, it does a good job of reinforcing the characters and their long history together, and begins to bring Winry forth as a more important character than in season one. On the other hand, much of the episode is spent running in circles as Winry wants Ed to be more grateful for all the help she's provided him with over the years, and the new characters introduced in the episode are some of the very few throughout the series to never be heard from after their initial debut. Finally, "The Flame Alchemist, The Bachelor Lieutenant, and the Mystery of Warehouse 13" is a less-than-serious take on the current state of affairs in Colonel Mustang's unit. There are a few short subplots woven into the episode and while it doesn't manage to accomplish much in the grand scheme of things (aside, perhaps, from further fleshing out the characters of Havoc, Fuery, Breda, and Falman), overall the episode meshes well with the rest of season two, and is the source of a few good laughs among an otherwise darker-themed season than the first.


The animation is just as good as in the first season, with perhaps some minor tweaks/improvements sprinkled throughout. Some of the backgrounds are given more detail and lighting/shading effects seem to be a bit more dramatic in season two (though this could be due to the different locales visited in season two). The soundtrack utilizes many of the same pieces used in season one, though some new pieces are introduced along with variations on the aforementioned familiar tunes.

Full Metal Alchemist has one of - if not the single best - English dubs of all time. Vic Mignona and Aaron Dismuke steal the show as Ed and Al respectively, but Travis Willingham as Colonel Roy Mustang and Chris Sabat as Major Alex Louis Armstrong go above and beyond in their roles as secondary characters. Every one of the Homunculi is matched with a fantastic voice actor, each of whom emphasizes the traits that give the Homunculus their namesake in a manner that is entertaining but not overbearing.

Full Metal Alchemist has quickly climbed the ranks to become one of my favorite anime of all time. With a wildly entertaining cast of characters, fantastic animation, and a captivating soundtrack, it's an experience every anime fan should give a try. Even though the story diverges from the plot of the manga, Studio Bones did a phenomenal job of carrying a story that captivates viewers' imagination. The finale is about as satisfying and near-perfect as they come, avoiding the cliche while proving just how strong of a bond the Elric brothers share.

My rating (for season two): 9.5 (out of 10)

My rating for the series as a whole: 10 (out of 10)