The A List Reviews Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Written by: (@gamebreakertv) | June 26, 2012 4:00 am
63 Comments

On today’s episode of The A-List, Mike Schaffnit takes a deeper look into Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

This anime is a classic that was boldy re-imagined into a second anime adaptation that would directly follow the events that unfold in the manga. It might be true that lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, but Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an epic story you don’t want to miss!

The A List Reviews Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
  • Mo0rbid

    Actually finished watching it a few days ago, it was great

  • http://twitter.com/DaPhoolz Rp TheFoolz

    i love both of the series.

    I don’t care what others say. lol

  • http://twitter.com/Waswat Edin Besic

    It was great, much better than the original anime. Though I haven’t read the manga, but i heard that the manga is amazing as well!

  • Nicolás Zuasti

    I watched the original, and loved it. I couldn’t enjoy brotherhood at all. Maybe i’ll give it another try.

  • jon Tang

    Like Brotherhood much better than Original as well.
    Subs > Dub.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nick-Berger/612288895 Nick Berger

    I think the reason Brotherhood had a different feel to it (worse if you will) at the start, is because it has to set itself apart from the first one, otherwise it’s like a copy paste until it gets further it, and some people may skip a few episodes and possibly miss core story lines if they did that. 

  • Bobby K

    Imo Brotherhood is better.The main reason is because Brotherhood is the canon version(the real one if you will).The “original” anime takes a different route because the manga was not finished at that time and thats why Brotherhood was made after that to follow the real story

  • http://www.kaiketsu.enjin.com/ Corey Jenkins

    I thought Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood was done better then the first IMO. Everyone who I go to watch it was hooked on it a bit faster then the original. One thing to note is that FMA brotherhood is actually how the original manga was told. Great job as always Mike S.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=655555410 Ben Armstrong

    I love both but I have to admit that Brotherhood is much better, in my opinion. I had the same trouble as Mike S. with getting into it at the start but, the later seasons were crazy. With a show that already has some dark concepts, it gets even more complicated and brings real issues to light. The way they portray some ideas and beliefs as having no clear cut answer was very well done and I think what drew me most to Brotherhood.

  • http://www.facebook.com/adam.meadors Adam Meadors

    I do love both of the series, but i would have to go with the first one to being my favorite. I think it more comes down to it being the first one that i saw.

    And when your first episode was “Night of the chimera’s cry” at midnight when you’re around 10-11 , and you STILL want to keep watching there is something really special about it :)

  • MysticLlamaMan

    The manga >

  • http://twitter.com/ShawnaRM Shawna R. M.

    I agree, the first season of brotherhood was bad, and I didn’t some back to watch it for a little while. The second season and on was amazing, and was far better than the first series.

    I found brotherhood to be much more emotionally gripping than the later seasons of FMA. Brotherhoods portrayal of Huges death did annoy me, along with his funeral (his little girl, omg), but it made up for that later. I love Olivia Armstrong, as one example.  I’m glad we got introduced to her this time around.

    Im glad netflix put the rest of the last season up.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristopher-Crawford/709465188 Kristopher Crawford

    Great Job Mike!! Got me back to see FMA – B

  • loki4687

    The first series took liberties from the original creator’s work partially because of the popularity of the manga at the time. Because the full story had not been finished by Arakawa Hiromu, (who like to portray herself as a cow with glasses!), the animation studio either hired its own writers or had an in-house team rewrite a story since they wanted an adaptation for TV quickly. The result is a story that is inspired by the universe rather than based on the author’s work. 

    The alternative of adapting a series that was not complete yet was… filler episodes, which I’m sure many fans would agree are just nowhere near the quality of the main plot devised by the original creator.That being said, while an alternative story based on the universe does have it’s merits, and is preferably to filler episodes, FMA series 1 is still not as good as FMA series 2 in my opinion. My recommendation is the complete series 2, then watch FMA series 1 only if you are interested in an alternative story.

    To the fans that loved the original manga series, series 1 would be like watching a reimagined Star Wars movie where ….turns out obi-wan’s wife was a super powerful jedi turned sith that was controlling the emperor? It’s really different.

  • http://twitter.com/coreyctom Corey

    Although I agree the beginning of Brotherhood was bad as a standalone, I just looked at it more as a refresher for what happened in the manga/first series up to the diverging point in the original storyline.  Yes, it was sad it glossed over some of the good early stuff, but really, considering so many people watching FMA-B had most likely watched the original FMA, I think it would have upset people to basically rewatch all the exact same early content going into FMA-B, especially having to wait for episodes on a weekly basis…that’s like “hey, we’re remaking this series that you liked, but you’re gonna have to sit through a year of episodes before you see ANYTHING new.”  That, and I bet they didn’t feel it’d be worth the expense/effort to put that much time towards redoing the exact same content.  Thus, a glossed-over summarized series of episodes for the beginning of FMA-B.  As the stakes rose in FMA-B, the series totally picks up and overshadows FMA with a superb ending storyline, backstory, and awesome animation.

    Anyways, thanks Mike.  I hope you pick out a new series to show that I haven’t seen yet, as Soul Eater was an utter delight.

  • http://twitter.com/ookamiwing Phillip Rushing

    Both the original and Brotherhood should be watched.

    Bout time Schaff. FMA! FTW! Lemon Kitty!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Doescher/100000448518143 Jeff Doescher

    both series are worth watching and i was surprised the dubs actually didnt disgust me like most dubs do. i wouldnt mind seeing an A list on Hunter x Hunter and the remake of they started last year to hear your opinion

  • Kagitaar

    I’d like to address the ‘rushed’ beginning. While early events were given less time than in the first series, the reasoning was twofold; one, there were more events overall, and two, in the original series they stretched a LOT of events out to reduce the amount of filler they’d need. The original had many filler episodes, some of which were entertaining like Psiren’s and Havoc’s attempted date with Armstrong’s sister and some which were terrible like the petrification bullshit one; all of Brotherhood’s episodes are relevant to the plot.

    That’s another point, plot. Due to the aforementioned unfinished state of the manga during production of the first series, the plot gets really…loopy. I was never a fan of Dante’s actions or the later Liore bits (why does Rose have a baby, who’s the dad, what the hell happened out there, why is Scar helping?) and I never got that same confusion with Brotherhood.

    There are a lot of good comments here. Both series are great, but I have to say that Brotherhood is the superior series. The original may still have my favorite episode, The Theory of Avarice (Greed being the best character of course), but Brotherhood has a calculated, coherent plot throughout with a believable explanation of events (though the whole becoming God blob thing was as weird as Bam! WWII).

    P.S. Barry got MORE screen time in Brotherhood and was actually likable, don’t know how you can have him in your side-character complaint reel.

  • http://twitter.com/Raidanzoup Adrrrn A. E.

    At least 6 (1, 2, 8, 13, 14 and 15) of 15 first episodes are worth watching even if you’ve seen the first animated adaptation. As I had already watched the 2003 version and read the manga, it suited me just fine that they rushed through all the stuff in the beginning since it was my “third” time around, not counting re-reads and re-watches.

  • http://twitter.com/Tatlreach Mike S

    Awesome review.  I’d like to add Avatar: the Last Airbender to your list.  Being American made and produced for Nickelodeon, it’s controversial whether it is by definition an “anime” however, it has many deep characters and themes that more than qualifies it for adults and the A-list imo.

    P.S. Also the producers just aired the first season of a follow up series and this makes the original series quite relevant.

  • http://twitter.com/Vazzaroth Josh Hagood

    Miiiiiiiiiike stop being a crappy American anime fan! Bleach.. FMA… is Naruto and Dragonball Z next?  Pick some more obscure stuff and get away from the 14-year old target audience Shonen! Or at least after some more of this popular junk and you establish viewers. Gunslinger Girl is great on Netflix, Gankutsuo: Count of Monte Cristo is amazing looking and Samurai 7 is badass! (And probably closer to your tastes anyway)

    I love this series and it’s execution but you are choosing all the exact anime I reference as everything that’s wrong with Anime fans…

    Does Hughes not die? If so maybe I’ll actually watch this. I saw that awesome dog didn’t seem to be a terrible monster this time. I stopped watching FMA not long after those two died.

    PS: Do Dragon Age.

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      right now in order for me to create content I have to pull from anime I have already completed. That’s not to say i’m not watching and trying new things for future episodes, but right now I have to selectively choose anime I am already very familiar with.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dustin-Brookens/100003510262900 Dustin Brookens

    WoW I didnt know that Mike S did his own show.

  • DoctorOverlord

    Are there spoilers?  I stopped listening because I was worried about them lol

    Very cool show! Looking forward to seeing more with anime I’ve already seen so I don’t have to worry about spoilers.

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      Spoilers are kept to an extreme minimum. I only use footage up to about season 3 and I do not go into any plot details. I want people to enjoy the series like I was able to.

      • DoctorOverlord

        Cool!   Glad to hear you take care regarding spoilers Mike.   

        It’s neat to see anime being covered by GBTV.   This site is becoming a really interesting mix of cool news and fun podcasts. 

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/AMTOD6OXQBNX4QD3O4VIHZ5CQ4 Zelphane

    Netflix doesn’t have all 64 episodes of Brotherhood =/

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      >.< I know… but it was enough to get me hooked enough to buy them on blue ray on Amazon.

      • http://twitter.com/cosmic_kirby CosmicKirby

         I was considering that at this point.  Got me hooked and then left me hanging  :l.

        You really shared my thoughts entirely on the first season,  Then the second season rolls around and completely ups the ante.

    • Thomas Doyle

      Hulu and Funimation have the complete series for free. Funimation even has sub and dub for those that want one or the other.

      http://www.hulu.com/fullmetal-alchemist-brotherhood 
      http://www.funimation.com/fullmetal-alchemist-brotherhood/episodes 

  • Unknownman14

    Say Mike just wondering if the anime you are reviewing limited to Netflix or N.A. releases? I hope you are not because there are a lot of anime that is worth your time for sure to check it out.

    As for my full experience with FMA i found watching the first one then watching Brotherhood really works well (just dont watch the movie).

    To be honest if I were to choose your next review would be one of the Gundam series (Wing and SEED seems to the popular one and I’m sure one or both of them is at netflix)  But if you are willing to buy the dvd/blu ray for anime reviews I suggest Gundam Unicorn (strange title but awesome anime).

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      right now there is a convenience to watching things for me on netflix. It ready, available, fast, and I already pay for it. 

      That being said, both Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker and Full Metal Alchemist: Sacred Star of Milos are new blue ray releases… so its not an impossible thing for the future.

  • http://twitter.com/justQQing Brian Day

    Netflix thats all you see now!!!! you do know there are others  out there??? like lovefilm ect lol but i did love watching this many moons ago 

  • Calvin Lee

    Props to another great A-list 

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23323284 Heather Kelsey

    Awesome review.  Please keep them coming! =)

  • Justin Bania

    A-List needs its own link at the top.  i want more of it in an easier to find package.

    • http://twitter.com/JordacheL Jordache Loffhagen

      This. Please!

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      Hopefully as more episode come out I can convince this to become a reality… I want this as well!

    • Fredrik Olsson

      I concur

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23323284 Heather Kelsey

      I couldn’t agree more.  There is definitely a need for what Mike is doing! =)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=220101324 Arthur Monahan

    Ed lost his leg an then gave his arm to bind his brothers soul to the armor. And what cliff hanger from the 1st series?, the movie finished the story. Why spoil by saying Homunculus are at the top of the government but no mention of Father????

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      Yes, but you try saying ed lost his leg and then gave his arm for his brothers soul. It’s extra information that is confusing to those who know nothing of the series. You don’t need to know that granular of information to understand the basis of what’s going on.

      As for the story… I didn’t use the word unfinished, I said it was left as a cliffhanger. The story is very much left unresolved with no absolute happy ending. As for the Homunculus, again… father is one of those hidden entities throughout the entire first 2 seasons. (maybe 1) where as King Bradley is revealed as one within the first 8-12 episodes.

  • http://www.facebook.com/shawn.sanders.969 Shawn Sanders

    i love your show here and i love anime and dont get me wrong netflix is great place to watch some good anime but all in all your not getting into the newest anime that being dubbed and i feel like the anime that you could cover from netflix would be what a lot of people consider old news because accept for a few exceptions all the anime up on netflix currently isnt very new by the time it dubbed and by time netflix gets the rights to stream it i just dont feel like im finding out anything new that i wouldnt already know soo maybe  at some point you might want to look into other places to watch your anime or if u want the new stuff you have to watch subs of course …….so all that being said i still think you doing this show (even if your cover only anime on netflix) is a great way to possibly introduce some people to anime when they other wises wouldnt have given it a 2nd thought or even have tried watching them ….well anyway ive rambled enough so yeah great job though and keep up the good work

    p.s love seeing you on legendary :D

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      the two anime’s I’ve mentioned at the end of this episode. Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker and Full Metal Alchemist: Sacred Star of Milos came out on blue ray just last month. So trust me, there will be newer things in future episodes.

      • http://www.facebook.com/shawn.sanders.969 Shawn Sanders

        sounds good to me and either way i’ll continue watching love the show hope you get your link at top of the page soon :)

  • http://twitter.com/Yuuckie Adolph Janssen

    Ew. Dubbed, really?

  • http://www.facebook.com/ryan.sonner.58 Ryan Sonner

    Like with the review of Soul Eater, you have done an amazing job. I was worried that if you did the comparing of the original and brotherhood that it would get too one sided (tho hard not to when original was better *cough cough* lol). However you showed the finest points of both very well, keep up the fantastic job. Also nice point out with the music and mood setting they did, it was a tad off several times. Good to see that my comment on you tube was noted.

    Again, look forward to the next review mike s. Peace

  • Wolfdreamer101

    Thank you for doing a review on something from the FMA franchise!  The blend of comedy and action with great storytelling makes this a series anybody interested in anime should check out.  If you do decide to watch FMA please keep Mike’s recommendation in mind and watch the original first then Brotherhood, it does help.

  • dekintold

    Awsome episode. I read the Manga. Love manga’s with definate endings, they have more drive and more depth. When I watched the orginal Anime adaptation I refused to watch it. I do not think that am an eleitist, but they strayed so far away I could not watch it. At least do what Bleach does or naruto. Just go random story Arc then come back to the read deal. So to hear about Brotherhood I may just have to go back and watch it. Cool vid M to the S.

  • http://twitter.com/DaveBigger Dave

    Oh bones I <3 your animation

  • Nhoj1983

    Thanks so much for the review.. actually started this series a long while back… couldn’t get past episode 2.  The first series was just too fresh in my mind.  You just convinced me to give it a second go.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Kyle-Brigman/1046964174 Kyle Brigman

    Story-wise, I enjoy Brotherhood a lot more than the original. I liked the original, however. It was one of those anime that I watched first, and then read the manga (and then discovered that the original doesn’t follow the manga). The manga’s story seemed to hook me so much more than the original. It was easier for me to follow as well. The plot points in Brotherhood seemed to make more sense than the original. I won’t point out any in particular in lieu of spoilers, lol.

    I also enjoy how Brotherhood seems to involve a wider range of characters. Everything in Briggs is awesome.I like how other countries have their own variation of how Alchemy works. Brotherhood also seemed to be one of those series that quantified God as a reachable power, and made it work well instead of a messy story point.

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      I’ve got to agree. There is just so much more depth to the world in the manga/Brotherhood that its more exciting as a living breathing world. ^_^

  • crothcipt

    I liked how the second series filled in the holes from the first.  After watching the first I wanted to see more on the father, and was very happy when second series took up his roll.  

    The way I saw the differences was just the adaption from the the first artist, and didn’t want to do just a full trace.  Different but still withing the context.  Ty for a great review.

  • Hogan1918

    Netflix only has half of brotherhood :(

  • Revanhavoc

    Mike S -  I thought you killed it on the tone of voice and presentation style of this review man, great job. And damn what a great Netflix tie-in the Gannonator must be proud.

  • marcus boswijk

    Why do people watch dubbed? I seriously don’t get it.

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      A lot of people enjoy watching the shows while they are doing things. I became the anime fan that I am while watching Adult Swim on repeat while playing MMO’s into the early morning hours. 

      This is something that isn’t possible if I have to focus and read what is being said. It’s a convenience for some. That being said, the A List is an english speaking series to introduce people to new anime. If you prefer to watch the series subbed then you are welcome to do that.

      • http://twitter.com/Sanovah Nick

        Mike don’t you feel by showing them the dubbed you’re kind of robbing them of what anime truly is though? Other than maybe 3 animes the subbed version is always superior because its in the intended language versus an often poorly dubbed version that ultimately lacks the emotion and believability the subbed version does.

        Lets take Fairy Tail a rather popular anime for example. in the Subbed version the characters have emotion in their voice. This emotion adds substantial  believability  because when they’re fighting and screaming they’re actually fighting and screaming. If we then go look at the dubbed version we can clearly see that the voice actors lack any real emotion and make their characters completely uninteresting or believable. They also rarely sound the way you  would think based on the way they look. Lucy an i forget how old girl sounds like she’s 30+ maybe even 40.

        adding all of this together by showing the dubbed version you’re showing them an incomplete and sometimes laughably bad  version of the anime. By doing this you’re honest probably pushing people away from anime versus draging them towards it because why would someone watch something so poorly voiced? So I know you probably won’t, but if you continue to do this series please add at least a couple clips of the subbed version. They’re just as easy if not easier to find as the dubbed stuff and will actually show the anime in its true form and give the viewer and idea of what both sound like, giving them an informed choice of which version to watch if said anime intrigues them.

        So please if you’re going to continue doing this show and its intended to be more than a “ah i remember that anime, it was good” for anime pros. Please please please at least add a couple subbed scenes with Japanese audio and subtitles. Or better yet make every scene you show Japanese audio and subtitles

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Justin-CdeBaca/100001243943344 Justin CdeBaca

    I would like to see Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker next because, imo, you should show more animes for people that may not know about them or are new to anime, instead of movies of animes previouesly shown. If someone is a fan of a series they will find alternate material on there own.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000238636950 Brenna ‘Wispofisis’ Murray

    To me after watching FMA: Brotherhood it made me hate the original. I was so overcome with emotion many more times with brotherhood than the original and by far brotherhood has one of the best endings to any anime I have ever seen.

  • patrick.kershaw

    Shaff, you should do Code Geass or Hellsing Ultimate next :)

    Keep up the good work

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