Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)

A name every anime fan has heard at least once: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Long held up as one of the very best by anime fans around the world, it is a work that many cite as the benchmark for battle fantasy anime. 64 episodes total; broadcast began April 2009. My rating is ★5.0. A work deserving its long-standing place at the top.

What it’s about — a narrative faithful to the source to the very end

The Elric brothers Edward and Alphonse attempt to resurrect their dead mother through human transmutation, fail, and each lose part or all of their bodies respectively. The two set out in search of the Philosopher’s Stone to recover what was lost. Brotherhood begins from the same source as the 2003 anime but this time faithfully follows Hiromu Arakawa’s original manga from beginning to end. The truth behind the State Alchemist system, the truth about the Ishvalan War, the conspiracy surrounding the Philosopher’s Stone, the identity of the Homunculi — all the vast narrative of the original is fully incorporated.

The biggest difference between Brotherhood and the 2003 version is scale. The world is far larger, there are more characters, and the story is more densely interconnected. The first 10 episodes proceed like a rapid recap for fans of the original manga, which can feel rushed to viewers encountering this work for the first time.

Direction — a bright rhythm carrying 64 episodes

Yasuhiro Irie’s direction is bright and fast. Unlike the heavy atmosphere of the 2003 version, Brotherhood aggressively places comedy and lighter scenes in the first half while adjusting its breathing. This rhythmic sense is the key to making a 64-episode series feel non-tedious. As the story tightens toward the back half, the tension rises, and in the climax, several simultaneous fronts create an overwhelming scale.

Romi Park voicing Edward is the face of this work. The character — conceited and boisterous yet always first to step up in a decisive moment — was taken on again from the 2003 version and completed in a more mature form. Shinichiro Miki as Roy Mustang and Fumiko Orikasa as Hawkeye each capture their characters’ exact weight.

What the work says — the question of what it means to be human

Brotherhood’s themes converge on the question “what is a human being?” Alphonse — only a soul remaining in an iron armour body — endlessly doubts whether he is truly human, and Edward runs carrying the guilt of having committed the taboo of human transmutation. The Homunculi each embody a human sin or weakness, and their battles are structured not as simple combat but as humans fighting their own inner selves.

The equivalent exchange law is also explored more deeply in Brotherhood. The original’s conclusion offers one answer to this law, and the fact that this conclusion is satisfying and emotionally complete is a great strength of the work.

Ratings & reception

On IMDb it holds a rating of 9.1 from approximately 233,000 votes — among the all-time top anime by the platform’s measure. In the global anime fan community it is consistently cited as the defining work of its genre. It occupies the rare position of being uniformly recommended both as an entry point into battle fantasy and to veterans of the genre.

Verdict

There are not many series that leave a void after you finish all 64 episodes. Brotherhood is one of those rare cases. It manages a vast world and many characters all the way to the end, and gives each character a meaningful conclusion. If you are looking for a high-quality battle fantasy, this is the one.

Recommended for

• Those beginning battle fantasy genre anime for the first time
• Those who like vast world-building and large casts converging toward a single conclusion
• Those who have seen the 2003 version and are curious about the original’s ending
• Those who want a strong lingering resonance after completing a long series