Review for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Part 2 (2 Discs)

Introduction

You know what I want? I want there to be a DVD Fairy. I want to be able to go to bed at night with a DVD under my pillow, and when I wake up it’s become a Blu-ray. The more I see of anime, of movies and TV in general in the high definition format, the more I want to upgrade my DVD collection, which let’s face it at this point is cost prohibitive. Why filmmakers and studios just didn’t start with HD back when cinema was invented over a hundred years ago is beyond me. So now I have to pick and choose what I want to double dip on, weigh up its overall quality against just how often I will watch it, just whether it will be a value for money investment or a one-watch wonder. Tipping heavily on the value for money side of the scale is Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, which including Internet streaming, I’m already watching for the fourth time now. When Manga resumed releasing the show on Blu-ray, I got my first chance to see it in HD, and I was sold. It wasn’t long before I had double-dipped on the first two volumes, which I had originally only seen on DVD, which is why I now conclude the Blu-ray reviews in the illogical place of volume 2. Italics come from my review of the DVD.


Alchemy is the art of the transmutation of matter by means of an incantation, a mystical circle, or sheer willpower alone. For centuries charlatans and the deluded pursued the creation of gold by alchemical means but to no avail. But in Full Metal Alchemist, alchemy is a realised science. Set in an alternative world during the early years of the twentieth century, the transmutation of elements is indeed a reality, and the state regards such talent highly indeed. Full Metal Alchemist tells the story of brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, two precocious alchemists who are on a quest. The young brothers had attempted the unspeakable, resurrecting their mother. But the Law Of Equivalent Exchange cannot be flouted; only objects of equal mass can be transmuted, and the dead cannot be brought back to life. The attempt failed disastrously. Now, Alphonse is a disembodied spirit bound to a suit of animated armour, while Edward has replaced his leg and arm with metal automail, but it’s his prodigious facility with alchemy that has earned him the name, Fullmetal Alchemist. Now they search for a means to restore their bodies.


This second collection of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood comes with 13 episodes across 2 discs from Manga Entertainment.

Part 1 stuck pretty closely to the first half of the original series, following the brothers Elric as they sought a Philosopher’s Stone to aid them in recovering their bodies. That drew them into a complex conspiracy of homunculi and a secret faction in their own government, a conspiracy that turned lethal for investigator Maes Hughes. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour, the brothers decided to go to Dublith, to ask the advice of their teacher, only to get caught up with a new faction, a homunculi named Greed leading a band of chimera. The story continues…


Disc 1

14. Those Who Lurk Underground
15. Envoy From The East
16. Footsteps of a Comrade-in-Arms
17. Cold Flame
18. The Arrogant Palm of a Small Human
19. Death of the Undying
20. Father Before The Grave
21. Advance of the Fool
22. Backs in the Distance

Disc 2

23. Girl on the Battlefield
24. Inside the Belly
25. Doorway of Darkness
26. Reunion

Picture

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood gets a 1.78:1 widescreen transfer at 1080p resolution. I got pretty technical about it in my review for the volume 3 Blu-ray, so I won’t repeat that here. Suffice it to say that while it may have been animated at less than 1080 lines of resolution and up-scaled for the HD broadcasts and these Blu-rays, Brotherhood looks pretty damn fine in its HD incarnation. The image is clear and sharp throughout, detail levels are stupendous, and the colour depth is a world away from the DVDs. Watching the show with no visible compression artefacts, and at its native frame rate is by far the preferable means to consume it. The only issues you might notice are a couple of lines affected by aliasing in the upscale process, and a smidge of digital banding, particularly in darker scenes. With one particular episode in this collection set in the dark dominion of Gluttony’s belly, you’ll note a fair bit of digital banding there, beyond what you’d normally see in the rest of the series.

Sound

You have the choice between Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround English, and Dolby True HD 2.0 Stereo Japanese. The English track will play back with the signs track locked on, while the Japanese audio has the translated subtitles locked during playback. This is the one sticking point where the DVDs have an advantage over the Blu-rays, as their subtitles are optional. It’s a price we have to pay to get the show on Blu-ray. In Japan, where Blu-rays are more expensive and with fewer episodes, but in the same region as the US where these discs were originally authored, they would much rather that Japanese fans buy domestic, rather than opt for the comparative bargain of importing. One way of doing that is by marring the Japanese option with needless subtitles. Of course with us being in Region B, we technically don’t need the subtitles locked, but we have to live with the legacy of Funimation’s authoring. One thing, Funimation opted for a thin white font for their subtitles on the Blu-rays, and in comparison to the usual yellow text on the DVDs, it is not quite as easy to read.


Once again, I took this opportunity during the re-watch to take in the English dub, watching more than half of these episodes that way. Having lived with Japanese FMA ever since the first series, it did feel a little weird hearing a different language from familiar faces, with a couple of odd sounding voices for certain characters, but the quality of the dub is strong, and pretty soon I was switching between the two versions without noticing much difference. The English voice cast do capture the characters in much the same way as the Japanese voice cast create them, but never once does the show sound like a copy of the Japanese version. While the Japanese stereo is strong, particularly when pro-logicked up, the English surround track gives the show a little more space, particularly during the action sequences. The quality of the audio isn’t immediately all that different from that on the DVDs, but at certain points during the episodes, particularly during more strident moments, the added fidelity and clarity of lossless audio becomes clear, the audio is richer, and much more defined.

The problem I had with subtitle format on the DVDs with some lines stretching past the limits of overscan, obviously isn’t an issue with the Blu-rays.

Extras

Both discs present their content with animated menus

Disc 1’s sole extra feature is an audio commentary to accompany episode 14, featuring Line Producer and ADR Director Mike McFarland (Havoc), Vic Mignogna (Edward Elric), and Chris Patton (Greed). This one is pretty subdued compared to the usual Funimation yak-fest, as the actors talk about approaching their characters for the second time. It’s very much an actors’ convo with a fair bit of mutual backslapping, and it’s 15 minutes before they even note what is happening on screen.


Disc 2 gets the second set of textless credits, and a commentary with episode 23 featuring ADR Director Mike McFarland (Havoc), Todd Haberkorn (Ling), Monica Rial (May Chang), and Trina Nishimura (Lan Fan). It’s not the usual Monica Rial gigglefest, it’s toned down a bit, and there is a bit of interest in hearing the points of view of three new characters’ actors as opposed to the usual, what’s changed, what’s stayed the same approach of the other commentaries so far. Although Monica Rial did play Lyra/Dante in the earlier version.

Conclusion

I’m going to spend an eternity comparing this unfavourably to the earlier incarnation of Fullmetal Alchemist, down to my personal preferences and the simple fact that was the first version that I encountered. That’s doing this series an utter disservice, as it is a great story and tremendous entertainment in its own right. I’ll therefore try and restrain my unfair criticism, and keep it generally fair and balanced and Fox News for the most part. What makes that easier is that this volume is where the story departs from the original entirely, opting instead to stick like glue to the original manga storyline. We get a whole different story here, completely different interpretations of events, whole new characters, and familiar characters developed in wholly different ways. And watching (or rather rewatching) these thirteen episodes, glued to the television, hanging on every word, heart in my mouth at each new revelation, I find that I really ought to change my tune on this show. Things about it still rub me the wrong way, the broader humour, some of the directions it goes with the story, but now I’m seeing that it looks at aspects of the story and the characters that the first one missed out on, and as the credits roll on the final episode, I can even admit that the pacing and delivery is better than that first series. By golly do these people know how to spin a yarn! So from now on, instead of unfavourable comparisons, I’ll issue a far more positive, ‘This is the best series of Fullmetal Alchemist since the first one!’


The first episode in this collection is probably the last of the shared material, with Ed and Al facing chimera and Greed under the town of Dublith. It unfolds in much the same way, although without Dante as a protagonist, there has to be another catalyst to Greed’s defeat. This time it is the Fuhrer King Bradley who puts paid to Greed’s ambitions, and again we find that Bradley isn’t the man he appears to be. Although this time his secret identity is a little different from before. We also find that Martel faces the same fate, although last time it was deferred for a few episodes and plot developments. It’s still a scene that makes me cringe, although here it has the effect of reawakening Al’s memories, and bringing out his latent alchemical abilities, to bring him on a par with his brother. Poor Greed’s turn on this mortal coil is just as short as before which for such a flamboyant character is a disappointment (but I’ve sneaked a peak into the future and this time it is absolutely necessary).


From this point forward, it’s all new Fullmetal Alchemist, beginning with the arrival of the delegations from the nation of Xing. Both Ling Yao and May Chang are looking for the secret of alchemy, both for their respective clans, and both in the hope of determining who will rule their country. Ed and Al encounter Ling and his bodyguards Lan Fan and Fu, which turns out to be a pretty standard comedy episode. Ling is introduced as the comic relief, interested in filling his belly first and foremost, and annoying Ed at every opportunity. It’s only as the story progresses that we see that as an indirect heir to the throne of Xing, he has a vested interest in attaining his goals, and an inner steel and defiant core which belies his outward frivolousness. This also explains why his bodyguards are so devoted to him, willing to offer the ultimate self-sacrifice. And which Lan Fan has to do at one point.


May Chang far more suits the role of comic relief, short of stature and brimming with kung-fu cuteness, as well as being accompanied by the pint-sized panda Shao May. Except that she runs into the serial killer Scar and his entourage, the disgraced Yoki. One of the significant threads in this collection is the rehabilitation of Scar, a character development that I’m not quite certain about as yet. He’s introduced as a relentless murderer, targeting State Alchemists in revenge for the Ishbal massacre. Teaming him up with a little girl seems an odd move. Where this story does excel is in bringing Winry face to face with the killer of her parents, which is handled more sympathetically than the first series did, with far greater respect to where her character is. It also proves to be a wake up call for Scar, as he comes face to face with the reality of revenge, and the cycle of hatred that it begets. This, and spending time with May Chang (whose tribe in Xing is also downtrodden and on the lowest rung of the social ladder) is what slowly brings out Scar’s human side, as well as seeing himself reflected in Ed when he tries to protect Winry. It’s an understandable and well-written character development; except that he was introduced as such a monster in the first part that it doesn’t quite ring true.


Winry facing her parents’ killer was one thing, but another development that really impressed me is the examination of guilt. Ed’s reunion with his father Hohenheim is just as fraught as the first time around, although Hohenheim’s character is going down a completely different, enigmatic path this time that leaves me guessing. A throwaway line from him has Ed re-examining his past, and the decision he and Al took to resurrect their mother, much as Izumi did to bring back her stillborn child. Since that time, both Ed and Al have been carrying a burden of guilt, fearing that they had brought their mother back to life, albeit in a monstrous distorted form, only to have her die again. The first series went in a different direction with this, and seeing it given form here not only makes for great character drama, it really establishes this show as a separate entity.


This is just scratching the surface though, as there is so much going on in this collection of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood episodes that it leaves the head in a spin. It’s plot development upon revelation upon character arc, just as fast paced as the first set of episodes, but this time not leaving anything out. There’s Mustang’s grab for power, his need to avenge Maes Hughes, and uncovering the conspiracy in Central, which all gets turned on its head when the scope of the conspiracy is unveiled. There’s Ed and Al’s search for a way to restore their bodies, leading to the homunculi, and the apparent architect behind all this, the mysterious ‘Father’. There is the new element of the arrivals from Xing, and their search for immortality. There’s Scar’s search for vengeance being tempered by the reality of seeing the results of the crimes he commits. And then there is the grand plan for Amestris itself, conceived of by Father, and leading the nation towards an ominous peril. And of course all these character arcs, plot threads, and revelations collide, intertwine and then shoot off at unexpected angles. It’s best just to watch it to find out how.


In the tradition of all good serials, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood leaves us at a cliffhanger. But what a cliffhanger! Ed is trapped in limbo, and Al is about to come face to face with ‘Father’. Even still the final scene of episode 26 truly shows the genius of this series’ storytelling, taking us to the depths of despair, and with one perfectly judged beat, bringing us to the heights of elation once again.


With this review, it seems that I’m done with Full Metal Alchemist and its various iterations, unless of course the original series gets a Blu-ray release, or the Japanese studios make some more, or an electronics company comes up with the successor to Blu-ray. None of that seems likely at this juncture, but having watched all of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood on Blu-ray now, the fourth time in total, I have to say that it is still essential viewing for anime fans, one of the best animated epic stories out there, and well worth investing in. October sees the release of Part 2 of the Blu-ray Collection, which means that instead of these single volumes, you can get Brotherhood in a nice compact couple of Blu-ray sets. You won’t regret a single penny.