# of episodes: 64
Final Rating: 15/10
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Okay...before I say anything remotely coherent in this review, I have to do this.... OMG!!!! *squees* *cough* Sorry, but it had to come out. Heheh. Just so you know, I'm not going to go into detail about the beginning of the series in this review, but if you're interested in hearing my opinion, check out my Halfway Point review. Because I left off at episode 38, I'll pick up at 39 here...
Thankfully, I wrote the Halfway Point review right before all the shit in the show hit the fan. From about episode 40 on the show is chock full of plot and enough darkness to make someone like me very happy. It was really nice to get a look into Hohenheim's life before the story started. Of course, I won't elaborate on that particular episode here, but it was a nice and necessary glimpse into his life. In the first series, little is known about Hohenheim outside of the fact that he's Ed and Al's father and Ed hates his freaking guts. Oh, and yeah there's the fact that he's been moving his soul from body to body for several centuries, but how is that important? Heheh. In Brotherhood, Hohenheim became his own character. Sure, he'll always be known as the man who left the Elric household when Ed and Al were young for unknown reasons (until we're told in Brotherhood), but in this series he became so rounded. The reasons for his leaving were realistic and the amount of love and pride he feels for his boys is obvious. He regrets leaving and does the only thing he can think of to make up for it.
When the coup starts... *sigh* If it weren't for my job and school wearing me out so much, I could have very easily gone on a chain-a-thon and had the series finished in two days instead of a couple weeks. This is where the story gets incredibly dark and intricate. We as watchers are finally cued into just how fucked up (sorry, but calling them messed up just doesn't cut it) the military really is. The screaming zombie-dolls that they make are enough to make a shiver ripple down anyone's spine (though I have to admit that I couldn't resist saying "NOM!" every time they munched on someone). We see that the military will do anything--ANYTHING--to get what they want. What that is will stay a mystery here because I don't want to spoil anything, but just know that it's so deliciously screwed up and dark and selfish and...*squees* Don't misinterpret that squee as me agreeing with and liking what they do. It's my dark and twisted side being overloaded with glee at just how freaking messed up everything is.
People die, of course, which is sad. I sobbed for two of them, both of which will remain nameless here. But I have to say that I never thought that I would sob when a certain twisted, manipulative bastard met his end, but his voice actress did such a beautiful job that I couldn't help it. And all the emotion that's running rampant before that just adds to it even more. You know long before it actually happens that he's going to die, but there's so much stuff thrown in that adds to the moment. It's heart-wrenching and terrible, and I really must give Takayama Miyami a round of applause for how well she played the part!
Of course, the end of the show went in the Ed/Winry direction sooooo... I am rejecting the ending's reality and substituting it with my own! Heheh. I mean, what else is fan fiction for, right? And after all, when I haven't been watching Brotherhood, working, sitting in class or doing homework, I've been reading Roy/Ed fan fiction, so yeah... There will almost definitely be a fic recommendation entry posted up here sometime in the near future. I've just found way too much amazing fics (which has been a surprise as much as it's been a treat) to not share with other fans of the pairing.
THE SONGS!!! The last two opening and ending songs are just wonderful. I am addicted to "Period" by Chemistry (the fourth opening), and the animation that goes along with it is intense. And I couldn't not love the fifth opening, considering it's by SID ("Rain"). The song is gorgeous and the animation sequence matches the mood that is running in the series at that time perfectly. It's sad and dark and ends with bright sunlight and happiness. It's very nice. I enjoyed the fourth closing ("Shunkan Sentimental" by SCANDAL) a lot more than the fifth ("RAY OF LIGHT" Shoko Nakagawa). That's not to say that the fifth song is bad. It was just a bit too mellow for my liking; nothing more than that. Though, of course, "Uso" by SID as the first closing song will always be my favorite. It was nice to have SID's "Rain" used as the closing for episode 63 and NICO Touches the Walls "Hologram" (which was also the second opening) used as the closing for episode 64. The overall moods of the each of the songs matched what was happening in the show and added so much more than the usual closing song would have.
I really don't want to say anymore because I'm terrified that I'll end up slipping and throwing spoilers left and right, so I'm going to stop here. Heheh. I still have to say that if you're a long time fan of the Fullmetal Alchemist fandom and/or are new to the fandom all together, you will love this anime. It has a little bit of everything and the story plays out at just the right pace. You'll be hooked from the beginning!
Happy watching!
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