This took me awhile to write because I just didn’t know what I just witnessed or went through. My mind just couldn’t process this shit at all.

After years of people begging me to start this series I finally did it and got through it and ………

Top 5 Anime all time. Almost a perfect anime.

Before I started Brotherhood I was watching Neon Genesis Evangelion and that shit was so trash I didn’t even bother to finish that overrated ass anime thank God I finally started Brotherhood to remove the stench of failure that is Neon Genesis Evangelion away from my life. Anyway. Back to anime that matters.

What's funny is that I was trying to buy the complete series of the 2003 version of Fullmetal Alchemist on blu ray and people kept telling me to watch Brotherhood first. I hate all of them now because I wished I watched the 2003 version or read the mange first before starting Brotherhood. A lot of things were left out of Brotherhood because I guess the creators figured that the viewers already seen the 2003 version or read the manga.

Here’s my thoughts on Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.

THE PLOT

2 brothers lose their Mother and they live in a world where alchemy exists. They know how to use alchemy despite their young age and they commit the ultimate taboo in alchemy and that is human transmutation which means they tried to bring their mother back from the dead. In doing this Edward Elric loses his arm and leg and his younger brother Alphonse Elric loses his entire body because in alchemy there are rules like Walter from "The Big Lebowski" would say and in the rules of alchemy you have the law of equivalent exchange which means to obtain anything something of equal value must be lost and in a last act of desperation a severely wounded Edward performs Alchemy and transfers Alphonse’s soul into a body armor suit. So now Alphonse has no body and is basically a huge metal suit. They're both hired by the government years later as “State Alchemists” and they go on a journey to get their bodies back.

The plot is super interesting from the standpoint of how many layers you get. You deal with loyalty, corruption, genocide, knowing yourself and your roots, the thin line between forgiveness and revenge. It’s just a never-ending ride of emotions. I don’t think there’s ever been a show I’ve watched that I’ve felt so many emotions that can change in a heartbeat.

THE CHARACTERS

THE ELRIC BROTHERS

I pray that I have 3 kids. 2 boys and 1 girl. I will raise my 2 boys to have the bond of Alphonse and Edward have on this anime. My girl I will raise her like Revy Two Hands from Black Lagoon. The love these brothers have for each other is amazing. They both stick to a moral code. Alphonse is the caring, sensitive, level headed younger brother. Edward is the risk taking, loose screw, emotional older brother and I think that they seriously couldn’t survive without each other. Alphonse confidence comes from Edward. Edward needs Alphonse to be his conscience and help him make level headed decisions. Without each other they’d be lost and that’s why their dynamic works in this anime.

What I really respect about how the creators dealt with The Elric Brothers is that they didn’t go the DBZ or Naruto route where when an obstacle that is presented to the viewer seems impossible to defeat and the main characters go off and train for a certain amount of time and comes back strong as fuck with a new move and it is inevitable that they will lose. That did not happen with Edward and Al. Whatever came they just had to deal with that shit. No extra training. Nothing. They had to man the fuck up and figure it out. They had to will their way through and outsmart the opposition.

ROY MUSTANG

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cooler mothafucka than Roy Mustang in my life. Roy is the guy that you know he’s a cocky asshole but you let it slide because in your heart you know he’s the shit. He has that aura of whenever he’s around we good. He basically the guy in a group of dudes where all his friends maybe weak as fuck but they act tough because they have Roy Mustang on their side. His alchemy ability is hands down the best in the show and what he stands for is admirable. He might be the best character in the series even over the Elric brothers. Every scene Roy Mustang was in was edgy and meaningful. Which leads me to my next favorite character.

RIZA HAWKEYE

You can’t put a finger on Riza which is what makes her so dope. She’s classy but yet dangerous. She has the qualities to run her own shit yet she’s extremely loyal to playing her position and her missions. She sweet as fuck but she’s a sniper. She’s a very conflicted character and that’s what makes her so damn interesting. She avoids the grey area which makes her seem heartless but in reality she has the biggest heart. Her relationship with Mustang has depth to it yet they both keep it professional and it doesn’t go the cheesy route of them both being hopeless romantics over each other. I liked that the writers did that.

THE HOMUNCULI

All of the Homunculi were dope. All of them. My personal favorite was Gluttony. I kinda was cheering for him because he’s basically that Big Baby from that episode from Rugrats where Angelica dreamed she had a baby brother but he ended up being a dickhead. Gluttony was kind of the same except he wasn’t an asshole. Gluttony was only an asshole because of the situation he was in with his family. All of the Homunculi are dangerous, souless, evil, and formidable which makes the fight scenes FUCKING EPIC. FUCKING EPIC I TELL YOU!!!They’re a legitimate threat and if you haven’t watched this anime you will be worried about them. Their names are also real as fuck.

VAN HOHENHEIM

I’ll say this about this O.G. When I get old I wanna be like Hohenheim. Probably the most intriguing mysterious character in the entire series. Hohenheim felt like a guy you just have a whiskey on the rocks with and trade stories of the olden days where people were going on bootleg liquor runs. Plus he looks like he makes wooden furniture for a hobby and eats apples under apple trees. He's one chill dude.

SCAR

Scar was basically a black man. He is the vigilante of the series and his background story is incredibly sad and heart wrenching. He’s a mothafuckin man on a mission the whole anime. He’s more relentless than Steve Urkel chasing Laura Winslow.

All the supporting characters are dope as fuck too. My favorite was probably Mei Chang and Ling Yao. Oliver Armstrong was pretty trill too.

The characters are the strongest aspect of this show. If you have any type of fuckin soul you will relate to multiple characters on the show. Every character has conflict which makes the series itself feel poetic. Every character matters. All of them! Main characters. Supporting characters. Every character had a purpose and role in the overall story and it never felt like a character was wasted.

THE STORY

What makes this anime so great is that the story was very consistent. The build up of the story was slow and the beginning episodes were really goofy and light hearted which I didn’t mind and out of nowhere the story gets really dark. It was so innocent in the beginning then it got real as fuck. It’s a really emotional story that on my first watch I did not see coming.

The story made sense and the stakes were so high and you literally do not have the feeling of knowing how it will end. This series literally comes down to the wire. Out of every anime I’ve seen I don’t think I’ve seen such a nail biting last 15 to 20 episodes of a series in my life. Those last episodes were so mothafucking gangsta. One of the scenes (With Edward & Envy) I almost cried. There were so many emotions in the last 20 episodes it was incredible.

The action/fight scenes were so action packed it was like taking coke at a EDM festival. Nonstop movement and all the fights were gangsta. Mix that with the amazing animation and effects and it’s basically sex on my 4K TV. Every time Roy Mustang fought it was like gladiators in the pits of hell. Scar action scenes were ruthless and unapologetically savage. The Homunculi action scenes were literally like horror movies. I’m talking dirty Michael Myers boots horror. Wrath was probably the scariest of them all. I was on edge every time he was in an action scene. Watching Brotherhood was like playing an arcade game.

The way the story ended I wish there was more because it was certainly room for more and it kind of leaves you hanging kind of. You’ll see for yourself. My only gripe was what the villains were building. Once you see the finished product, you'll understand what I'm saying. I don't wanna spoil it.

Watch this shit now. Sub or Dub it doesn’t matter. The Dub is one of the best dubs ever by the way.

Look stop reading this shit and go watch this classic. Right the fuck now.

4.5 outta 5 Fruit Snacks.