Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

One of the biggest anime's besides Bleach or Death Note at the moment, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the attempt at starting over with the Full Metal universe from the beginning and following closely to the actual manga plot. As this this the case, obviously there are some discrepancies and differences from the first FMA that came out. So far the new experiment has hit the ground with only a few wobbles, but has quickly ironed them out. Also, almost all of the original english dub crew is back and already releasing several episodes.

Brotherhood while being a very very close to the manga ironically starts off with a fabricated pilot episode. The manga beginnings are much closer to that of the original FMA series. With a huge budget to make these episodes, animations are insanely smooth, frame rates are like-wise very high, and lots and lots of action. A few annoyances I initially had was how awkwardly some of the more "manga-y" humorous pieces are done initially. It's also interesting to note that they expect you to have watched the entire original series before this one. At least in the early stages there are references to what in the original was a full episode is now fifteen seconds.The original had a superb mix of these too styles making it uniquely its own. Brotherhood takes a while to actually get its identity under wraps. The humour gets capped a bit as the plot hits top speed and stays there for the entire series thus far. This is both awesome, and a little bit of a let down. While this means that you get to bear witness to tons of alchemy, tons of well choreographed fights, military situations for the brothers to battle against, there is almost a complete removal of the slow episodes where morals and philosophies were introduced and analyzed in the original.

That is why they expect you to have watched the first one. I see and feel Brotherhood not as it's own stand alone (although it is certainly capable of it) but as something to further enrich the characters and story given in the first series. They augment each other and pick the other up where it is lacking.

So, quick summary of plot actually, as a voice in the first few episodes will remind you, Alchemy is the science of breaking down and reconstructing matter. However, there are limits and rules that just should not be crossed. Human kind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. If you are familiar with the first series, then nothing is different in terms of setting or beginning. Many of the episodes are reincarnations. Again I'll emphasize that the plot just keeps going. There is no down time unless a particular fight scene needs two episodes. They flow into each other sooo well. Seamless movement. This is both my biggest love and hate of Brotherhood. It has a very interesting plot where everything is happening at once and action is needed. It brings Winry and others who had been neglected for large parts of the FMA. In some big ways there is a deeper look into a few of these character relationships, but it just isn't done the same way. This time it much more direct in how those topics are discussed.

To make sure I don't just get into a spiral, I'll just recap everything. Characters act and feel like real people. There is a little bit of a problem in terms of loyalty and pride, but there are realistic reasons for individual's decisions. There is a lot more fighting in this series, and a lot more blood to add to the realism of this series. Art style is very true and shows a great sense of quality standards. Frame rate is never a problem and even youtube videos move with crystal clarity. No filler ever. Great voice actors in both dubs. There are no bad episodes, just slower moving plot (which is awesome). Generally Intro/Credit songs are amazing, and quite deep upon closer inspection (odd but true).
Watch this. You'll like it.