Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Japanese: 鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, Hepburn: Hagane no Renkinjutsushi Furumetaru Arukemisuto) is a Japanese anime television series adapted from the Fullmetal Alchemist manga by Hiromu Arakawa. Produced by Bones, the series is directed by Yasuhiro Irie and written by Hiroshi Ōnogi. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the second anime television series based on Fullmetal Alchemist, the first being 2003's Fullmetal Alchemist. Unlike the previous adaptation, Brotherhood is an almost 1:1 adaptation directly following the original events of the manga. The series premiered in April 2009 on MBS-TBS', and ran weekly until airing its final episode in July 2010.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Cover of the first Japanese DVD volume featuring protagonist Edward Elric
鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
(Hagane no Renkinjutsushi
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD)
GenreAdventure,[1] dark fantasy,[2] steampunk[3]
Anime television series
Directed byYasuhiro Irie
Produced by
  • Hirō Maruyama
  • Noritomo Yonai
  • Ryo Ōyama
  • Nobuyuki Kurashige
Written byHiroshi Ōnogi
Music byAkira Senju
StudioBones
Licensed by
Odex
Medialink
Original networkJNN (MBS, TBS)
English network
Channel 31
Super Channel
TV5
Animax Asia
Original run April 5, 2009 – July 4, 2010
Episodes64
Original video animation
Directed byYasuhiro Irie
Produced by
  • Noritomo Yonai
  • Ryo Ōyama
  • Nobuyuki Kurashige
Written byHiroshi Ōnogi
Music byAkira Senju
StudioBones
Licensed by
Madman Entertainment
Aniplex of America
Manga Entertainment
Released August 26, 2009 – August 25, 2010
Runtime24–30 minutes
Episodes4
Anime film

The series was first licensed in North America by Funimation and was broadcast on Adult Swim nighttime programming block from February 2010 to September 2011. Funimation lost the rights to the series in March 2016 and the series was then transferred to Aniplex of America.

Plot
See also: Fullmetal Alchemist § Plot, and List of characters

Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric are raised by their mother Trisha Elric in the remote village of Resembool in the country of Amestris. Their father Hohenheim, a noted and very gifted alchemist, abandoned his family while the boys were still young, and while in Trisha's care they began to show an affinity for alchemy. However, when Trisha died of a lingering illness, they were cared for by their best friend Winry Rockbell and her grandmother Pinako. The boys traveled the world to advance their alchemic training under Izumi Curtis. Upon returning home, the two decide to try to bring their mother back to life with alchemy. However, human transmutation is a taboo, as it is impossible to do so properly. In the failed transmutation that results, Al's body is completely obliterated, and Ed loses his left leg. In a last ditch attempt to keep his brother alive, Ed sacrifices his right arm to bring Al's soul back and houses it in a nearby suit of armor. After Edward receives automail prosthetics from Winry and Pinako, the brothers decide to burn their childhood home down (symbolizing their determination and decision of "no turning back") and head to the capital city to become government sanctioned State Alchemists. After passing the exam, Edward is dubbed the "Fullmetal Alchemist" by the State Military, and the brothers begin their quest to regain their full bodies back through the fabled Philosopher's Stone, under the direction of Colonel Roy Mustang. Along the way, they discover a deep government conspiracy to hide the true nature of the Philosopher's Stone that involves the homunculi, the alchemists of the neighboring nation of Xing, the scarred man from the war-torn nation of Ishval, and their own father's past.

Production

In the 20th volume of the manga, creator Arakawa announced that a second Fullmetal Alchemist was being produced. Bones produced the new series with Yasuhiro Irie as director and Hiroshi Ōnogi as writer.[4][5] The Japanese version of the series is called Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Furumetaru Arukemisuto, abbreviated as 鋼の錬金術師FA) to differentiate it from the 2003 series.[4][6] When the manga was reaching its ending, Irie announced the staff was already working in the final episodes on that ending and expressed shock at the series' conclusion.[7]

Broadcast and release
Main article: List of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood episodes

The series premiered on April 5, 2009, on MBS-TBS's Sunday 5:00 pm JST anime block. Voice actresses Romi Park and Rie Kugimiya reprised their roles as Edward and Alphonse Elric respectively.[8] Unlike the first anime which had an original story, the second series follows the story of the manga.[9]

On March 20, 2009, it was announced that the English title of the series was Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and that it would receive its English language premiere on Animax Asia, with Japanese audio and English subtitles, at 8:30 p.m. on April 10, 2009.[10] Aniplex started releasing the series on Blu-ray and DVD on August 26, 2009; the first release included two episodes and an OVA.[11] Two more OVAs were included in the fifth and ninth volumes alongside four episodes. Other volumes feature four episodes and no OVAs. Sixteen volumes were released, the last one on November 24, 2010.[12]

On April 3, 2009, Funimation announced it would stream English-subtitled episodes four days after they aired in Japan. Madman Entertainment would also stream it "within days" of the episodes airing in Japan.[13] Funimation suspended the release of new episodes for a few weeks because of an incident in which an episode of One Piece was uploaded before it had aired in Japan.[14] However, the episodes were later made available on the Funimation website and on the official Funimation channel on YouTube.[15] In September 2009, Funimation announced the cast for an English dub of the series.[16] On February 13, 2010, the English dub of the series premiered on Adult Swim and ended on September 25, 2011.[17][18] Funimation began releasing the episodes on Blu-ray and DVD on May 25, 2010; each release contained thirteen episodes.[19][20] Five volumes were released, the last one on August 2, 2011.[21][22] In the United Kingdom, Manga Entertainment released the series in five DVD and Blu-ray volumes during 2010 and 2011,[23][24] and later in a two-part boxset.[25] Funimation lost the rights to the series in March 2016.[26][27] In July 2016, it was announced that the series was transferred to Aniplex of America and it would be streamed on Crunchyroll.[28] Aniplex of America released the series on two Blu-ray Disc box sets on November 20, 2018.[29] In November 2019, Funimation re-licensed the series for its streaming service.[30]

Madman Entertainment distributed the series in Australia.[31][32] Meanwhile, the series debuted in Canada on Super Channel.[33]

Film
Main article: Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos

Following the final episode of Brotherhood, a new film was announced.[34] A teaser trailer began streaming in November 2010 on the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood official site, confirming that a movie entitled Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos would open throughout Japan in July 2011. It was directed by Kazuya Murata and scripted by Yūichi Shinpo.[35] The film follows the Elrics' attempts to capture a criminal in another country.[36] Funimation licensed the film and released it in selected theaters in the United States in January 2012, and on DVD and Blu-ray on April 24, 2012.[37][38]

Music and soundtracks

Brotherhood's music composer is Akira Senju.[39] The first CD soundtrack from this anime was published on October 14, 2009.[39] The second CD soundtrack from the anime was published on March 24, 2010.[40] The third CD soundtrack became available on July 7, 2010.[41] Fullmetal Alchemist Final Best, a compilation of opening and ending songs, was released on July 28, 2010.[42] On June 29, 2011, the original soundtrack of Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST Nageki no Oka no Seinaru Hoshi), composed by Taro Iwashiro, was released.[43]

The respective opening and ending themes for the first 14 episodes are "Again" by Yui and "Uso" (嘘, lit. "Lie") by Sid. From episode 15–26, the respective opening and ending themes are "Hologram" by Nico Touches the Walls and "Let It Out" by Miho Fukuhara. From episode 27–38, the respective opening and ending themes are "Golden Time Lover" by Sukima Switch and "Tsunaida Te" (つないだ手, lit. "Tied Hands") by Lil'B. From episode 39–50, the respective opening and ending themes are "Period" by Chemistry and "Shunkan Sentimental" (瞬間センチメンタル, Shunkan Senchimentaru, lit. "Sentimental Moment") by Scandal. From episodes 51–62, the respective opening and ending themes are "Rain" (レイン, Rein) by Sid and "Ray of Light" by Shoko Nakagawa. While episodes 63 and 64 do not use opening themes, they use "Rain" and "Hologram", respectively, for the endings.[44]

Reception

The first fourteen episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood received criticism from members of the Anime News Network staff, who said that repeating events from the first anime led to a lack of suspense.[45] Mania Entertainment's Chris Beveridge said that the entertainment in these episodes lay in the differences in the characters' actions from the first series, and original content which focused on the emotional theme of the series.[46] In another review, Beveridge praised the new fight scenes and said the extra drama which made these episodes "solid".[47] Chris Zimmerman from Comic Book Bin said the series "turns around and establishes its own identity" because of the inclusion of new characters and revelations not shown in the first series, increasing its depth. He said the animation was superior to that of the first anime; his comments focused on the characters' expressions and the execution of the fight scenes.[48] Writing for The Los Angeles Times, Charles Solomon ranked Brotherhood the second best anime of 2010 on his "Top 10".[49]

Much praise was given to the climactic episodes for the way the action scenes and morals were conveyed; many reviewers found them superior to the conclusion of the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime. Critics found the ending satisfying; Mark Thomas of The Fandom Post called it a "virtually perfect ending to an outstanding series".[50][51]

References
  1. "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Collection 1 (Ep 01-13)". Madman Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  2. Loo, Egan (May 1, 2009). "Hulu Begins Adding Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 28, 2017. Hulu is streaming the first two episodes of the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood dark fantasy anime series.
  3. Toole, Mike (December 14, 2012). "Review: Fullmetal Alchemist steampunk brothers return as Brotherhood debuts online". SyFy Wire. NBCUniversal. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  4. Animage Editorial Staff (2008). 鋼の錬金術師 新シリーズ. Animage (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Tokuma Shoten. 364 (October 2008): 67.
  5. "New Fullmetal Alchemist TV Anime Series Confirmed". Anime News Network. August 20, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  6. "New Fullmetal Alchemist TV Anime Series Confirmed". Anime News Network. August 20, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
  7. "FMA's Irie Confirms Animating Manga's End in 2 Months (Updated)". Anime News Network. May 6, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  8. "New Fullmetal Alchemist TV Commercial Streamed". Anime News Network. February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2009.
  9. "Manga UK Adds New Fullmetal Alchemist, Sengoku Basara". Anime News Network. February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  10. "Animax Asia to Run 2009 Fullmetal Alchemist in Same Week as Japan". Anime News Network. March 20, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  11. "DVD/BD Information" (in Japanese). Aniplex. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
  12. "DVD/BD Information 2" (in Japanese). Aniplex. Archived from the original on December 28, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  13. "Funimation to Offer 2009 Fullmetal Alchemist on April 9 (Update 3)". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  14. "Fullmetal Alchemist Not Streaming from Funimation.com (Update 2)". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
  15. "Funimation Portal Streams New Fullmetal Alchemist Again". Anime News Network. June 25, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  16. "Funimation Adds X TV/OAV, 5 Initial D Anime Stages". Anime News Network. September 25, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
  17. Ohanesian, Liz (February 5, 2010). "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to Air on Adult Swim Beginning February 13". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  18. "Revised 8/23/2011". Adult Swim. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
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  26. "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie – Conqueror of Shamballa Streaming/Home Video Rights To Expire — Binge and Buy Before This Classic is Gone for Good!". Funimation. February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  27. Rafael Antonio Pineda (February 2, 2016). "Funimation's Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood License to Expire in March". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  28. Loo, Egan (July 1, 2016). "Aniplex USA Announces God Eater's English Dub, AkibaFest in LA (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  29. Mateo, Alex (August 10, 2018). "Aniplex USA to Release Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Blu-Ray Disc Box Sets in November". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  30. Mateo, Alex (November 20, 2019). "Funimation Relicenses Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Black Butler Anime for Streaming". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
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  47. Beveridge, Chris (August 14, 2009). "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Episode #19". Mania Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
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  50. Thomas, Mark (August 31, 2011). "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Part 5 Anime DVD Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
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