Review - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Episode 1: Fullmetal Alchemist
Reviewed by Christopher Pioli on 5.17.2009.
Score: 5/10
I was floored when I read the announcement that another Fullmetal Alchemist series was going to debut. I of course knew the only possible rout for the new season to take was to follow the manga.
For those who don't know the business of anime adaptations of manga, the license is typically purchased and series made before the manga's story concludes. Therefore, production studios have two choices: they can use whatever chapters have been written and create their own conclusion (a filler ending), or create filler side stories while waiting for the manga to continue it's story.
Many anime series adapted from manga - notably Naruto, Dragonball Z, One Piece, and Bleach - use the latter method. Fullmetal Alchemist, or as we should probably call it, the first season, chose the former. And for what it's worth, Bones did an excellent job. Episodes that adapted Hiromu Arakawa's story were fantastic; episodes that adapted either side stories (ie, "The Other Brothers Elric") or were completely original ("The Phantom Thief", "A Forger's Love", anything after episode 28) were decent enough, but lacked the narrative techniques that made the first 20 episodes of the series so exciting. This change is due to the fact that production of the anime had gotten to the same point in the story as the manga, so Arakawa-san's content had essentially "run out," and new content had to be made. Many fans agree in hindsight that the second half of the season was not as good as the first half, which is definitely not a coincidence considering that the first season of Fullmetal Alchemist ultimately ended up telling a totally different story than the manga.
I began reading the manga after watching the first half of Fullmetal Alchemist, and found it enthralling. The pace, narration, and plot were spectacular, and to this day I believe the manga will always be superior tothe first anime series. Scenes from the manga that I found effective and heartrending I thought were poorly handled in the anime series. I cringed so much that sometimes I felt like I was watching the Super Mario Bros. movie.
Having said that, I am happy that Bones is making a second series, revamping the entire story. There is enough difference that FMA fans will find something new to enjoy. And now that the new episodes having debuted on Funimation's web-site with subtitles, we can provide proper reviews of every episode as they air. Although the production team is considerably different - gone are the first season's director and composer - it does not change my enthusiasm for the new series.
These reviews will come in two parts: story/plot summary, which will contain spoilers, and critical episode analysis (well, as critical as a critic's review may be), which will be spoiler free. This way you can learn about the content of the anime without possibly ruining the series, something which I feel a lot of reviews in television shows should provide.
Episode Summary
The episode opens with an overhead shot of Central. The difference in animation is obvious, featuring thinner lines and a drawing style adhering closer to creator Hiromu Arakawa's work. This episode is filler, and takes place before the first chapter of the manga begins. It's meant to help distinguish itself from the previous series by starting differently, because if Bones had chosen to retell the manga directly, the first thirteen episodes or so would be nearly identical story-wise to the first thirteen episodes of the first FMA series. Despite the need to distinguish, though, I still don't like filler episodes, especially this one.
The opening sequence features Yui's "AGAIN", it's not quite as melodic as L'arc~en~Ciel's "READY STEADY GO" or as riveting as Asian Kung-Fu Generation's "Rewrite", but it has a certain in-your-face, steampunk charm that connects with FMA's theme quite well. The animation is riveting, and matches the rhythm of the music well, especially Winry's lip-synching.
Although the Freezing Alchemist is complete filler, the writers did a good job developing the character. Fight scenes are very well choreographed. The short jokes about Ed are still around, and persist a lot in the beginning of this episode. Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Major Louis Armstrong are also given their introductions, but they fall back on the same material and gags from the previous series - Hughes doting and adoring his daughter Eliza, Major Armstrong flexing his muscles, Riza acts as silent support for Colonel Mustang - for fans of the original series this may be tiresome.
The episode is trying to establish itself as the first assignment Ed and Al have to take, under the orders of Colonel Mustang as handed to him by Fuhrer King Bradley. Fuhrer Bradley, Alphonse, and Edward all share the same seiyuus as the previous season. Colonel Mustang's is different - he sounds sexier, younger, which reinforces the idea of a 28-year-old man one promotion away from General (!!!). The Elric brothers stand atop a building in front of the full-moon, and mention having to delay their trip to Liore, so we are guaranteed that even with this episode acting as a "detour", we will be thrown back into the original story in at least one or two episodes.
Edward and Alphonse make quick work of the Freezing Alchemist, initially. The Freezing Alchemist sneaks into prison and the Crimson Alchemist - Zolf J. Kimbley - is also introduced. Mention of Kimbley's background is given, which feels unfortunate. I would've rather they had told his back story at the same point it was told in the manga (bear with me, I'm very hardcore into the manga).
Colonel Mustang is forced to join the hunt for Isaac, but the Freezing Alchemist's skill with water effectively disables him. Ed and Al are forced to confront Isaac on their own, just as the alchemist began activating all his transmutation circles littered across the city. He creates ice walls as wide as streets and as tall as buildings, snaking through the city with one destination - the Fuhrer's headquarters in the center of the city.
As the Freezing Alchemist and Fullmetal fight, Al's secret is revealed - his armor is empty, and only his soul is bound to the armor - a taboo amongst alchemists. The Freezing Alchemist escapes the Elric brothers and finds himself in a dark alley face-to-face with Fuhrer King Bradley himself. Bradley makes little work of the alchemist, who falls after a swift sword stroke from the Fuhrer, and the alchemist's philosopher's stone dissipates upon exposure from his body.
We see Lust and Gluttony as they make preparations to head to Liore, and then the ending sequence begins. SID's USO is played, which many may remember from the first FMA trailers that appeared on the internet at the beginning of the year. The animation sequence is incredibly fun - it's a series of simple crayon drawings (or chalk drawings, depending on your interpretation) depicting all the main characters. It's silly, fun, and a wonderful way to accentuate the childhood of Ed and Al.
In Conclusion
This first episode left me disappointed. It fell back on the old motions of Ed's short jokes, the muscle-bearing antics of Major Armstrong, and Maes Hughes' doting of his daughter. Additionally, the episode spends little time reintroducing the characters, which will be off-putting to people new to the FullMetal Alchemist universe. The music did not strike me as anything out of the ordinary - using classical tracks, and at the very end choir chants.
What the episode did do well was separate itself from the first season and establish its own unique story. Questions and mysteries were brought up in this episode that can only be solved by future episodes of the series, not by backtracking to the first series. It tells the viewers that they can invest their time and attention into the new season of Fullmetal Alchemist without worrying about watching the same story retold with new animation. Unfortunately, the episode was not a good start for the series, and future episodes will now be responsible for proving the series has as much or more value as the previous season of Fullmetal Alchemist.
