Contrary to what you might think from the title, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is not a sequel to the first series, but a new series that more closely follows Hiromu Arakawa’s original manga. It can still be enjoyed by both fans of the original series, and be watched by new fans without having to watch the first.
Series: Fullmetal Alchemist |
Rated: NR | Format: DVD
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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - the characters:
Edward Elric: the Fullmetal Alchemist, called so for his prosthetic automail limbs, searching for the Philosopher’s Stone that can restore his and Al’s bodies. He can have a bit of a temper, especially when someone makes cracks about his short height.
Alphose Elric: Ed’s younger brother, whose soul is bound to a suit of armor after losing his body. A skilled alchemist, himself, Al is also a skilled fighter and tries to be the voice of reason when Ed loses his cool.
Winry Rockbell: Ed and Al’s childhood friend, Winry is a skilled automail mechanic and gets upset whenever Ed damages his automail. Her parents were doctors who were killed in the Ishbalan war.
Col. Roy Mustang: known as the Flame Alchemist for his fire-based alchemy skills, Roy is an officer in the military who aims to become the Fuhrer, the leader of the country. He is helped by his loyal subordinates, and is motivated by the death of his best friend, Maes Hughes.
Scar: a former Ishbalan monk, Scar (called so for the X-shaped one on his face) desires revenge against State Alchemists for their part in the destruction of his country and deaths of his people. He uses alchemy to so, which he gained through the tattooed arm of his brother that was grafted on to him.
Fuhrer King Bradley: both the head of the military and leader of Amestris, Bradley appears as a kindly ruler while also being a skilled strategist and swordsman. However, he is not who he appears to be, later revealed to be a homunculus, known as Wrath.
Father: the mysterious creator of the homunculi, the being known only as “Father” uses them to do his bidding. He is also behind a massive conspiracy that involves the military.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - the storyline:
Alchemy, the art transmutation that allows one to change one object to another, is governed by the rule of Equivalent Exchange. Simply put, to create something, something of equal value is required. Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric find this out the hard way, in a failed attempt to bring their mother back to life, they pay the ultimate price. Al loses his body, while Ed loses his leg and then later his arm to bind Al’s soul to a suit of armor.
Determined to get their bodies back, Ed, after becoming equipped with auotmail limbs, joins the military as a State Alchemist, to use its resources to search for leads to the Philosopher’s Stone, the ultimate alchemy tool. But in their search, the brothers learn the world is not as simple as they think it is, as not only do they deal with the revenge-driven killer known as Scar, but they discover a grand conspiracy within the military that could have grand consequences for the world.
