What are we fighting for?
Is it for....Greed? Lust? Gluttony? Sloth? Pride? Wrath? Envy?
Maybe all of the above? Maybe none of the above?
It could be that we fight because of an ignited Flame or a deep Scar? Maybe we hide behind Armor or go all out in a Fullmetal manner?
Everything? Nothing?
Equivalent exchange?
What are we fighting for?
I have completed what many consider a masterpiece and frankly, I believe that my opinion on this one is supported by having seen Fullmetal Alchemist 03. If you have the time, I recommend viewing both versions. As it stands, I will maintain a perspective of Brotherhood for this review because well....what am I writing for? :)
Equivalent exchange. To gain something, one must lose something of equal value. It is the rule of alchemy.
This is the underlying theme that carries throughout this whole experience. What do we give? What do we get? What do we ask for? It's all here, it's all there.
Functionally, nothing is gained if nothing is lost. It's just how it is.
Fighting for Greed.
As a basic explanation, Fullmetal Alchemist is about two brothers who have given up parts of themselves through alchemy in order to bring back their mother. They believed it was possible but things didn't work out and now they're on a mission to retrieve Alphonse's body back (as his soul is in the suit of armor). Edward in the meantime only lost an arm and a leg. Both can use alchemy and as they leave their home behind, they intend to achieve their goal.
However, it's much more than that. In fact, they want more.
They want to help everyone.
That's what makes their adventure grand.
Once the conflict builds up, they can't just leave it all behind without trying. It's in their nature. For this empathy, I find Ed and Al to be extremely strong main characters.
They aren't the only ones who want more though.
Without giving much away, the villains aren't satisfied with what they have either. They want control over the world and through various confrontations, they inch closer to it. Killing and killing and killing. It's insatiable to a point.
The other protagonists also want more. They want to provide freedom to the people.
Really, whether it's the brothers, other state alchemists, fellow soldiers, victims, foreigners or fakes....everyone wants more. Everyone is greedy.
Even myself, I wanted more episodes.
It simply is unavoidable as one of man's seven deadly sins.
Fighting for Lust.
Lust itself is practically contained within attraction and desires. This bears true for me when it comes to this show. I found Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang to be standouts.
Roy Mustang intends to take over the throne and title of Fuhrer. Riza Hawkeye is his most trusted lieutenant. There shall be no harm to come to his number one. There shouldn't be, because she's the strongest pillar to Mustang's ambition.
I loved Riza because she reads the situation perfectly even when it's a terrible day for rain. I suppose that should be no surprise considering she's labeled a hawkeye.
Lust finds itself in the eye of a beholder and even in the eyes of the charismatic Roy, he wants that grand title of King. His eyes hold his ideals. However, with lust, it's easy to be blindsided too and that leads to emotionally heavy moments that this show manages to bring well. A huge such example of this comes through any time Mustang just about lets his emotions take over him. It genuinely led to one of the strongest scenes I've witnessed too where his flame alchemy just kept burning away at what lust was blinding his logic and reasoning for. A strong burning desire to get rid of lust became one of the most brutal scenes I've ever witnessed.
If we're bringing lust into play, I think it's only fair to mention that I developed such a fondness to this show's audio too. So many OP and ED changes and so much grand use of its OST occurred and with each instance I just fell in love. In fact, I love them to the point I have hidden the OPs and EDs into this review somewhere :)
Consider me a fool in love if each iteration of an OP and ED gave me a new favorite each time.
Two of seven sins conveyed, isn't this show devilishly good?
Fighting for Gluttony.
Gluttony, or hunger, is frequent here.
Even quite literally in comedic moments where a character's stomach interrupts a conversation, gluttony exists. I ate it all up too.
Really, this show blends in comedy quite appropriately at parts. As a small break in serious moments, it doesn't fail to feed in my opinion.
However, when it comes to putting food on the table, FMAB does even more than its predecessor. What I mean is, it introduces new characters that the 03 version didn't have and these new characters simply make this story work too.
Let's take Ling Yao for example. A prince of the country of Xing, he has arrived to Central City to obtain knowledge of immortality. He intends to become Emperor of Xing once his father passes and wishes to treat every one of his subjects with respect. Morally, he is as strong and kind as any leader should be, albeit his childish nature remains.
His strongest support Lan Fan plays the role of his follower and by the time it's over, she becomes my favorite ninja girl too.
On the other end, May Chang also seeks to secure Xing for her future. She brings alkahestry into the mix and the concept of two separate forms of alchemy makes ideas such as equivalent exchange truly be questioned.
As I said previously, these new characters bring much more to the Fullmetal Alchemist story.
Without them, this couldn't be as filling of an entry as it ended up being.
There are even more characters too but these Xing citizens are who introduce new elements that leave me rooting for more characters.
I root for Ed, Al, Riza, Roy, Ling, Lan, and May so far. How is that not being gluttonous with enjoying too much?
Fighting for Sloth.
To laze about and put minimal effort feels contrarian to all that is happening here. Whether it's with how much I'm writing or what occurs in each episode, there is definitely effort.
However, it needs to be said that I missed out on introducing all the new characters previously. In fact, even just one alone is worth mentioning. Olivier Armstrong, the ice queen.
I shouldn't be lazy around her because honestly, her personality is so brash. She demands your attention and is as strong a leader that her troops fight with her and not for her. The Wall of Briggs and the troops that exist there in such a snowy climate are very strong additions to this entry. Naming them all would frankly tire me out but I do give a mention to Buccaneer. He's a strong soldier that the term sloth should never apply to him. Same goes for Miles too really.
Generally speaking, I'd be making a pun relating Olivier to her Armstrong name but I'm too lazy. Plus....she'd get mad at me.
Maybe there's better luck with Alex Armstrong. Did I forget to mention that's her brother?
Alex is another State Alchemist, similar to Mustang, and he is the manliest of them all. You could even say....his arms are strong.
A character who was frequently recurring in the 03 version, he also maintains a presence here. He is so much brawn that his intimidating appearance contrasts his soft personality. Great character, as is everyone else so far.
The brother/sister interactions between Alex and Olivier always humored me too and through it all, they maintain the comedic value I mentioned previously.
A sibling relationship that matches the Ed and Al one in my eyes.
At this point, I am lacking the motivation to name all my favorites. It's just too many. Sloth attribute, right?
Fighting for Pride.
Being proud is not inherently a bad thing. It gives someone purpose for their goals and a sense of accomplishment. But being too prideful is offputting too.
For example, I consider this to be the best FMAB review on here. Does that statement make you disagree? Will I get a thumbs down now? Surely I put time with this, why can't I say it's great?
Hyperbole aside, pride is good and bad. It should never disappear, like a lingering shadow in all honesty.
A proper example comes with two characters here. Izumi Curtis and Winry Rockbell.
Izumi is the mentor of the Elric brothers. She taught them alchemy and as of the time being, is a proud housewife! She is proud to play the role of capable wife. It's a blessing really.
However, to get to this point, her life had to have taken a harsh route too. When it comes to be shown that she had more in common with her students Ed and Al than initially implied, I was able to understand her pride in being a housewife and wife first and foremost.
Izumi Curtis, best housewife!
On the other hand, Winry Rockbell exists. Her appearances throw a wrench into things occasionally but in all honesty that's what makes her toughness endearing. As the childhood friend of Ed and Al, she pretty much grew up together with the brothers until they left. She was raised by her grandma Pinako and took to her teachings of automail fixing. She also took in some curiosity for health and medicine as a result of her trying to understand her parents better but books aren't as strong a teacher as her parents could have been if they were still around. Yet, under all this tragedy, Winry maintains a smile on her face.
She simply cheers up at the thought of automail and it's heartwarming to see.
As Ed's mechanic too, she frequently finds herself in his presence due to how careless with his automail parts he is (it's partially on how tough Ed's enemies are but he thoughtfully hides that from her). So instead, Ed receives the brunt of the lectures in what once again can amount to comedic breaks among the heavy action.
So Winry's pride? Her automail mechanic skills! Especially if it's Ed's :)
Winry, prideful automail mechanic!
I'm proud of these characters too.
Fighting for Wrath.
Wrath. To be relentless in one's pursuit, particularly from anger.
While many characters in this show have their own motivations, there are two who stand out as being driven by wrath. King Bradley and Scar.
King Bradley, the current Fuhrer, is at the top of the nation for a reason. He is insanely calculating with any one of his moves and to see him have no problem making a cold decision implies that he has a strength that many cannot contain. It is often said that climbing the mountain is not the hard part, but defending your throne is. This is the truth with Bradley's title but he has no intention on relinquishing his throne.
Through skilled swordsmanship (inhumanely so in fact) and tactically efficient political moves (for his convenience of course), we feel the fury of the Fuhrer.
It's aggravating for anyone else attempting to bring him down from the mountaintop.
Scar is an Ishvalan who performs alchemy too. Or to be precise, he uses alkahestry which was previously introduced.
Scar's anger, his wrath, comes from the need to avenge his people. He honestly sticks to his ideals for the most part so he isn't entirely lost to vengeance but if you were in some way involved in the massacre of the Ishvalans then he is willing to hunt you down. State alchemist title be damned.
This quest for revenge leads to complicated friend or foe situations, such as what to do with Edward Elric.
Really, Scar is as complicated a man as they come.
I actually thought that the wrath and motivations of Scar are equally strongly portrayed in both the 03 and Brotherhood versions of this show.
When wrath comes into play, is there any actual reason that sways more towards right than wrong?
A heavy scar says otherwise. Not just with Scar but with many of the other characters too.
Fighting for Envy.
Being envious means desiring what someone else has. In other words, it's pretty much a synonym to jealousy.
Am I envious of those who properly explain their love for this show while detailing every tidbit more intricately? Perhaps.
In what amounts to spoiling some characters' roles minimally, the Homunculi are strong portrayals of envy here. Literally.
Whether it's Greed, Lust, Gluttony, Wrath, Pride, Sloth, or Envy...they all have a distaste for humanity. And that distaste is really because of them not being human. Or moreso because they think they are superior.
While it appears minimally with Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust...it still doesn't take away from the fact they are working under a singular goal of opposing humanity.
With Wrath and Pride, they look down on humans. They think of them as imperfect and in a way don't understand what it is to be human. However, they also live a life among humans (although in hiding with their secret). In some manner, they hypocritically accept others. Or to be more specific, they go with family (an action that they attempt to say they have no understanding or envy toward).
The ones who definitively embody envy however are Greed and Envy.
Envy is pretty obvious considering the namesake. Near the latter half when Envy is whining and crying about things not being fair is when it's most apparent (and really that is such a great speech and moment that I absolutely loved the characterization there).
For everyone else, going through hardships and relying on others is the truth of human nature. For Envy, why would he want that? Why even attempt to form connections at all?
He's capable of doing things himself so there's no need to even be considerate of pipsqueaks. In fact, humans are fools. Nothing to be jealous of when he can turn into anyone on a whim. Envy, what even is that?
Greed by nature embodies everything someone wants too. If someone has it, he wants it.
For example, Ling intends to rule his country some day. With this, he'd rule over so many people. Greed says to look at the bigger picture. Why rule a nation and not everyone in the world? Why even have friends too when they get in the way for that matter. You'll rule them eventually. If someone wants to get close, have them follow you. You're the leader. Have them envy you. Don't envy them.
In a roundabout way, Greed can be envy.
What's it say about me that my favorite Homunculi are the two above?
I slightly did force the others into this group but I just wanted to introduce the Homunculi as characters really. I'm jealous of someone who manages to do it better though.
Fighting for an ignited Flame.
So, a lot of characters right? Do I really just love this show because of the many characters?
Yes. Yes, I do.
I should clarify though, I don't entirely love all the characters. Some are hated but that's due to their presence necessitating disdain (I *shou*ldn't name names). My point is, I appreciate all the characters because of how solid their stories and dialogue ends up being or how their involvement helps progress the story forward in some way.
In fact, that's why I tried mentioning all the characters I could up to now. Everyone is just memorable. This doesn't even take into account the characters I didn't mention such as the chimeras, soldiers (such as Mustang's crew or Kimblee), or civilians such as Winry's grandma. It doesn't even consider that I liked these characters not only because their roles were matched perfectly to the story but because they were all unique. Probably the biggest example I didn't bring up due in part to heavy spoiler reasons (which I intend to avoid strongly due to wanting you to experience this adventure yourself) is Hohenheim. He exemplified just about every quality I have mentioned.
It's true however that I found every character unique (I reiterate this for emphasis). Let's take Alphonse as an easy one for example. I see armor, hear that childish and impressionable voice, and notice the details such as dents and scratches that happen. This along with placing him in the snow or in a forest immediately brings to mind his selflessness and dedication. Without this context, you still understand Al as a human in a nonhuman form. A memorable character if you will.
Extending this to a tougher example, we have Roy Mustang. I previously described him as intentionally cool but ultimately hotheaded through indirect descriptions. I see a dark-haired man with gloves and a military uniform and it can only be Roy. The gloves make the man instantaneously memorable. Add to it a sort of suave voice and charismatic leader who has the support of many, and you get someone who couldn't just be anyone else in the story. Who couldn't just be removed from the story. Who couldn't be seen away from this adventure. Like, dim the lights and make it dark sort of disappearance. Let Roy talk or snap his fingers. Who can it ultimately be if not Mustang?
Even a character who is no longer around in Trisha is impactful. From what we learn she is the foundation of the Elrics (because she's their mother of course) and even with just that small amount of info and some occasional appearances due to backstory, she was unique as can be.
Seriously, a lot of my love for this show stems from its characters. You could even say it was ignited by it.
Fighting for a deep Scar.
A very underlying reason for why I think this show is excellent is because of the themes it presents. Among these is tragedy and humanity.
I have vaguely alluded to this already but the rule of alchemy is not kind. The more you want, the more you give. It's equivalent exchange after all. This is how Edward lost limbs and Alphonse lost his body for example. There are other situations too but to put it plainly, it's painfully costly.
A philosopher's stone is something that grants improbable power to its user. It just about makes the impossible possible. This is where the core of motivations for some of these characters comes from and making one is how these goals are intended to be achieved. But again, equivalent exchange. It's not all optimistic.
Even without alchemy, there is tragedy to be found. Whether it's through government conspiracies that characters such as Roy find themselves in (another thread in the adventure) or whether it's because of unprompted loss (such as the death of Winry's parents or the destruction of the Ishvalan people)...every story and motivation here has a basis on tragedy. This leads to heavy emotional moments that I couldn't help but let it all out for. Winry for example, I didn't want to see her cry.
A scar is a result of painful moments, and through emotional resonance I will forever remember some of what this show presented me.
Additionally, the theme of humanity was also presented heavily. This was also alluded to by me with the presentation of the Homunculus and their motives.
Is most of humanity selfish and worthless? Why do humans even try?
In what feels like a noncommittal answer, I believe that all these protagonists and characters embody the human spirit in some way. Perhaps the grandest example however is one Edward Elric.
See, the brotherhood aspect of this show's title does not just apply to the main siblings, it applies to the connections made.
Edward bonds with every character I previously mentioned basically. Huge in spirit, he leaves a lasting impression and by the end we get a conclusive answer to those two questions. Humanity is not completely selfish and worthless and there is always a reason for trying.
Whether someone is indeed left with a lasting scar or not, at times of impending pessimism, it's important to keep going.
Being human is a precious gift after all.
Fighting for Armored protection.
When armor comes into play, it's with the intention of protecting something. What it also does though is reflect.
This review intended to do both. Protect from spoilers when possible but also reflect on the show as a whole. I hope I managed to do that solidly at least.
In what amounts to literal reflecting in parts, I consider the environments used here to be so captivating. It goes from mostly empty land by the countryside, to a central city that constantly has movement, to forests, deserts, mountains, fortresses, vast emptiness, and anything in between really.
There is such life to the stone, metal, and grass. Even the change of time! If it's morning or sunny out, the show appropriately presents characters in more freeing clothing. If it's cold or dark out, implementations of heavier clothes or lights are used. I know it sounds like that should be common sense as to what is covered but with the frequency of environmental changes, the little details make the whole picture marvelous.
Maybe I just liked the environments too much to be honest.
I actually think the environments themselves are as much part of the story as the characters can be.
How does someone protect others when the temperature is against them for example?
It all comes back to everything being important and of value really.
Fighting for Fullmetal.
Going fullmetal is pretty much giving it all you got.
By giving it all you got, you are connecting to inquiring and accepting souls. Now, this sounds as if it's somewhat too metaphorically blabbering but I say this for a reason.
What I really genuinely appreciate about this show is the heart it gives. It gives so much that I willingly accepted it. My reward for accepting it? The fullmetal effort.
It is so cool to say that there were many character interactions here. I have noted how I loved the characters but their interactions with one another are what set in the fact that this was special.
In what ends up being various alliances (both likely and unlikely) as well as stories crossing paths, I can completely believe why this was talked up as a grand work of anime.
I'm pretty sure there are parts I haven't completely mentioned still, such as how the voice acting feels incredibly fitting or how cliffhangers ended perfectly with synced ED music, but at this point I'm not quite sure what more to say to get the point across.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood my beloved.
What are we fighting for?
This is the question I have reiterated so much in this whole review.
What I hope has been made clear however is that I should have not said what.
What implies it's for something, and surely it is. But the common thread here and what stands out are the characters.
So really, it's not what are we fighting for? It's who are we fighting for?
When taken into consideration, it's one of the easiest answers to give.
It's fighting for everyone, and fighting for each other.
Greed? Lust? Gluttony? Sloth? Pride? Wrath? Envy?
Flame? Scar? Armor? Fullmetal?
Who are we fighting for?
