Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (鋼の錬金術師 Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Furumetaru Arukemisuto) is actually an adaptation of the show’s predecessor, Fullmetal Alchemist. Brotherhood differs slightly from the original, but people seem to enjoy the new rendition of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood the most. Without spoiling any details, the ending is WAY better and satisfying in Brotherhood than it is in the original.
The show begins by introducing brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric who are raised by their mother Trisha Elric in the remote village of Resembool in the country of Amestris. Their father Hohenheim, a noted and very gifted alchemist, abandoned his family while the boys were still young, and while in Trisha’s care they began to show an affinity for alchemy. However, when Trisha died of a lingering illness, they were cared for by their best friend Winry Rockbell and her grandmother Pinako. The boys traveled the world to advance their alchemic training under Izumi Curtis. Upon returning home, the two decide to try to bring their mother back to life with alchemy. However, human transmutation is a taboo, as it is impossible to do so properly. In the failed transmutation that results, Al’s body is completely obliterated and Ed loses his left leg. In a last-ditch attempt to keep his brother alive, Ed sacrifices his right arm to bring Al’s soul back and houses it in a nearby suit of armor. After Edward receives automail prosthetics from Winry and Pinako, the brothers decide to burn their childhood home down (symbolizing their determination and decision of “no turning back”) and head to the capital city to become government sanctioned State Alchemists. After passing the exam, Edward is dubbed the “Fullmetal Alchemist” by the State Military, and the brothers begin their quest to discover the nature of the fabled Philosopher’s Stone, under the direction of Colonel Roy Mustang. Along the way, they discover a deep government conspiracy to hide the true nature of the Philosopher’s Stone that involves the homunculi, the alchemists of the neighboring nation of Xing, the scarred man from the war-torn nation of Ishval, and their own father’s past.
Alchemy (錬金術 Renkinjutsu) is, as it is understood in the Fullmetal Alchemist series, the ancient metaphysical science/mystical art of manipulating and altering matter by using natural energy. This act is known as “Transmutation” (錬成 Rensei) and its sequence is usually described as:
- Comprehension – Understanding the inherent structure and properties of the atomic or molecular makeup of a particular material to be transmuted, including the flow and balance of potential and kinetic energy within.
- Deconstruction – Using energy to break down the physical structure of the identified material into a more malleable state so as to be easily reshaped into a new form.
- Reconstruction – Continuing the flow of energy so as to reform the material into a new shape.
In order to become an alchemist, a person must abide by a certain set of rules. Those rules being you are not able to transmute gold and you are not able to transmute humans. As explained above the two main characters, Edward and Alphonse’s mother passed away due to sickness and the young boys tried to bring her back to life through transmutation. The pair believed they had everything figured out but to their dismay, everything went awry.
This scene really sets the tone for the attitude of the main characters of the show. Human transmutation is not possible unless the user has a philosophers stone in their hands, and the philosophers stone is one of the most difficult items to create in the world.
This anime truly lived up to the hype and my expectations of being a great anime show. You know a show is good that you want to watch more episodes as soon as it is over. This would be, in my opinion, the ideal anime show that is perfect to watch by anyone.
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アニメ (Anime) 
