FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD

Theres no such thing as a

painless lesson. They just dont
exist. Sacrifices are necessary.
You cant gain anything
without losing something first
although if you can endure
that pain and walk away from
it, youll find that you now
have a heart strong enough to
overcome any obstacle. Yeah,
a heart made full metal.
Edward Elric

ANIME For a long time in my life I had a strange aversion to this form of media, and If I have to
give credit for arousing my interest in anime , it would be full metal alchemist, one of the most
intelligent and emotionally appealing anime series I have ever watched. This anime hold the
episodes in such a consistent manner that you cannot resist it and each and every episode
constitutes to the overall plot. I became so obsessed to it just after watching the first two episodes, I
downloaded the entire series and watched it in marathon mode and completed the whole series in 3
days.
Brotherhood is the main essence of the series depicting the relation among the Elric brother, two
brothers who love each other to no end. On their journey they face many situations in which they
start doubting each other. But ultimately they triumph over these doubts and their relationship
becomes much stronger. The term Brotherhood also extends to each and every character for each
one of them holds their very being due to their bond with the other characters.
The Plot is complex and its this complexity that holds the viewer interest in the series. The story is
about Elric brothers, the name they inherited from their mother, the person they adore to the fullest.
Time passes by and their mother died of an incurable disease and they were unable to sustain this
shock and resolved to bring their mother back. Being young and stupid, they made their biggest
mistake and tried the biggest taboo of the Alchemy: The Human Transmutation. But they forgot the
central rule of alchemy; it works on the law of equivalent exchange i.e. in order to obtain an object it
should be exchanged with the same value for something else. Thus, the younger brother Alphonso
lost his entire body and the elder brother Edward, lost his arm and his legs and end up making a
creepy and gross creature. Losing everything, Edward decided to sacrifice his hand in order to seal
the soul of his brother to the suit of armour. And now the priority changes from the want of the
mother to the want of their body back thus they starts their journey to retrieve their body which
could only be possible if they get hold of philosopher stone which somehow denies the law of
equivalent exchange . Thus they can get their bodies back without sacrificing anything. Roy mustang
contact Edward and make him a state alchemist of Amerstris. Winry, his childhood friend and her
grandmother Pinako made an auto mail replacement for the lost limbs of Edward.
Thus they began their journey which is accompanied by lots of ups and down as they met their allies
and enemies. The first enemy they met was Scar, an Ishbalan who seek vengeance on state alchemist
for the total wipe out of his race. But eventually truth unfolds before him and he became an ally. The
most badass characters in the whole series were the homunculi, evil as hell, they are created of
seven sin of man and they are so evil you cannot reason with them. They were ultra powerful due to
philosophers stone inside them which make them pretty lethal.

History constitutes a very important part of these shows and there were so many plot points which
were the essential part of the series. Event which started 1000 years before the main story of the
series were equally important to that of present. Thus, finally the Elric brother discovers the
conspiracy planned out by homunculi and their father and how they controlled the state military.
Now with the other state alchemist, Elric brother decided to defeat the evils and save Amerstris from
destruction.
As the story unravels, most of the homunculi and their father are defeated by Elric brother with the
help of Hohenheim, their father. Also , Edward and Al both got their original body back and went to
their hometown Resembool for two years , then they split for learning more about alchemy. Also,
Edward and Winry are happily married and in the end we see a photograph of them holding their
babies.
The best part of this anime is how the characters are developed and how viewer became emotionally
attached to them as he knows each and everything about these characters. Though the Elric brothers
are the protagonist of the series but it was the other characters which really brings the series to life.
Winry, Hohenheim, Roy mustang, Hawkeye, scar you name them, each one of them are so perfectly
made that they contain an incredible honesty in themselves which really hints the amount of effort
put into these characters. Also, each is able to maintain its own uniqueness. The evils are evil as hell
and are created of seven sin of man (Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth, Envy, Lust, Greed and Pride). Each one
of them show extreme of their characteristics and are eventually defeated because of something
related to their sin.
This anime explores into many philosophical ideas that governs the human nature. The most
important being the aspect of human life and the importance of death. Father wants to attain
perfection and for this he separated the sins of human from himself which really raises the questions
in the mind of reader as if whether its our sin which is really holding us back. The journey taken by
Elric brother is symbolic of the both inner and outer growth and the journey to build a true moral
body. In Brigs, you experience the true nature of the law survival of the fittest. The law of equivalent
exchange can be related to proverb as you sow, so shall you reap. Thus the best part of this anime
is that its so well written that it answers each and every question about the human nature, nature of
soul and sins and the way it uses different philosophical references to answers these question.
Enduring and forgiving are two different things. You must not forget the unjustness of society. As a
human being, you must hold the event in contempt. Yet, you must endure.
You must put an end to the chain of hatred!
Scars Master
Open your eyes. God is nothing more than a construct created by man to inspire fear and promote
order. If you wish to see me struck down, for all these atrocities, use your own hands to do so, not
Gods.
Wrath


There are several other factors which hold the viewer to the anime and I would say the background
score was so moving and intense that you can actually feel the seriousness of the situation. The
animation used is also of top notch quality with such an utmost details in character design and facial
expression. Also the series also have a wackier side with jokes placed at regular interval and brings
laughter at one moment and tears the next. Also, the story is so well crafted and its depth is
absolutely fantastic. It is dark and with incredible twist such that it always kept you guessing, on
would happen next in the plot.
Overall, full metal alchemist is the gem among the Animes and it really stands out with a bang. It
appeals to all the generation and thats the reason why it was ranked #1 among the eastern and
western viewers with an exceptional sale of 50 million copies. It's a masterpiece and I love it, and
most likely, you will too.


Ashish Kumar
B11112