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Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Brotherhood [Impressions]
The newest entry in the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise is finally here! Subtitled, “Brotherhood”, aired in April 5th (Japan Time). I watched the “live” version using KeyHole TV (despite some lag problems and my limited Japanese past “おれはエドワド・エルイク”) to get the initial viewing before the subs hit the interwebs, but still had to wait until the subbed version came out to understand the plot.
Impressions
We are introduced to Issac, known at Central Command as “The Ice Alchemist”. From his sinister appearance and notoriety around the military, he’s planning something evil. He’s drawing an alchemy circle in an alleyway… That’s when Ed and Al show up to put a stop to his plans. You can’t have Fullmetal Alchemist without an short joke; Alphonse is obviously mistaken as the “Fullmetal Alchemist” due to his height (*ahem*). Distractions aside, Ed manages to apprehend the Ice Alchemist and is then thanked… Well, Alphonse was…
Prior to Ed and Al’s appearance, we see Roy Mustang briefed on the arrival of Fullmetal and the crimes of the Ice Alchemist from Fuhrer King Bradley. After Ed and Al arrive at Central, Roy congratulates them on capturing Issac and tells them how dangerous he is. We start to see some familiar faces. One character in particular who makes a comeback after years of wishing from fans: Maes Hughes! Harassing Ed on his recent mission, he invites the Brothers back to his residence for dinner. Of course, Maes can’t be Maes without talking about his daughter, Elicia! ^_^
Later, we see the Ice Alchemist talking to another familiar character (who didn’t appear until much later in the first series), who is widely known as the “Crimson Alchemist”, Kimblee. Issac asks for Kimblee’s help in taking down Bradley’s army, but their ideas of killing innocent people are different than you’d think… (*cough*).
The next day, Issac’s plans are near completion… Until Roy shows up–where he is doused in water, making the alchemy circle on his glove useless. Major Alex Louis Armstrong to the rescue! He helps out in stopping Issac using his fists, but it backfires with Issac’s ice alchemy.
Issac finds one of the alchemy circles he drew earlier, making his plans complete. Ed and Al arrives. They exchange alchemy back and forth to each other before the brothers find themselves in front of Central, where Issac plans to freeze place over. It gets a little boring around this part of the episode–not really, but involved Issac rambling on how the military is wrong…blah, blah, blah. No worries, Issac meets his fate when he runs into King Bradley while escaping from Ed and Al.
Thoughts
“Brotherhood” follows in the footsteps of the first series (then directed under Seiji Mizushima). It puts aside extreme explanations of how the brothers became who they are, but it is written in small doses. Unlike in FMA 1, it starts off totally different where the brothers arrive and Lior, and eventually engage in a morality fight with Father Cornello. (But it seems they will eventually go to Lior in Brotherhood).
The characters appeared much sooner than expected. This episodes marks the first appearances of Hughes (he was introduced in Episode 5 in FMA 1) and his family (Episode 6); Kimblee (much later than Hughes), and Armstrong (Episode 7). It was soothing to see Hughes again after the roller coaster ride in the first series (can’t explain that here…yet).
The animation and character design is noticeably different from FMA 1, but it’s not a big deal as they are basically the same from the manga. 
Finally, there’s the new OP and ED songs; YUI’s “again” and SID’s “Lie” (”嘘”). The ED credits is pretty fun! ^_^
So, is Fullmetal Alchemist back? Oh, yes it is, indeed.
Rating:
Popularity: 29% [?]
Tag(s): fullmetal alchemist 2, hagane no rekinjutsushi
Website: http://centakume.info/
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FMA! Yes! Still downloading. Can’t wait to watch it. ^.^
Website: http://www.misspentlife.com/
Thanks for the headsup. I have seen the orginal FMA about 3-4 times now. Hopefully the new one can fill the shoes of the orginal.
However, it is too bad that my favourite character (Scar) probably wont be in it
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I’m sure Scar will be in this one.. The thing is that they got a different Seiyuu to play him. :-/
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Scar is in the intro, so he should be
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Yes, Scar will be in it, and i understand what you mean because he’s one of my fav’s. However, what i really want to know is…
Tucker
…Will they bring him back into it, and how far is he going to go this time. I don’t think he will use his Daughter as a Chimera’s ingredient (remembering a card from the tcg now “Ingredients”), but surely he’ll do something.
Guess i’ll just have to wait and see, right?
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Seeing how early they showed the other characters, it’s likely that Tucker will return soon. But until then, we’ll have it wait and see. ^^;
Website: http://www.misspentlife.com/
I saw some dude on his PSP watching the first EP on the train.
The intro had Scar and all the homonclous (sp). What the heck, it is set in some alternate universe or something :S
Check out Prometheus´s recent blog post: Opps I did it again…
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It does look like they’re in an Alternate Universe, lol. Either that, or they started the story 10 years from the original story to catch up with the current events in real life (with the manga’s first start in 2003).
Website: http://www.jamaipanese.com
I should kick myself for falling off the FMA train, I need to catch up.
I did catch this first episode a few days ago and have a half written draft post on my impressions as well, it should go live in a couple days.
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I think, just looking at the OP, that Scar is going to be more of a White Knight in this series. I think they made him out to be a bad guy a little too much. You see him wearing a white cape with gold lining, and he’s got more of an easygoing look about him.
Fuhrer Bradley actually looks cool in EP1 though.
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Why in the first episode could Ed transmute his automail by clapping his hands, and in the FMA 1 he didn’t even know he could do it until Hughes’ wife was having a baby and he heated up the water in the pan?
Is the storyline diffrent like the manga or is it just things we missed?
Website: http://centakume.info/
I think it’s the same. I don’t remember much on how it *first* happened in the manga… although I do recall Ed doing the same thing in EP 2 as in the manga. The thing with Hughes was also in the manga–*sort of*, but it’s going to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read the manga at least up to Voulme 10.
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Ok, yeah, Its not “alternate universe” and it’s not “season 2″ It’s the Manga-true rendition, Basically, when the first FMA anime was made, the manga was still going through its own story, so the series was rushed and unfinished with an incomplete ending so to speak, but now that the manga is complete, this new FMA series, is basically the same story, in the same universe, just being true to the manga and its going to have a real ending this time.
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The new series is ok, but i dont like how the feeling of rushing… Each episode of the first series (manga true or not) seemed to have real emotion and a good feeling to it, while this series feels like its rushing all the emotion… I liked how Ed was there to help with the childbirth, but in this one Elicia or however her name is spelled, is already born, thus taking away that bond… Hughes died without being such a close friend to Ed and Al… Also its kinda a pain cause I only recently got collection one (fat pack, i prefer em than seperatly buying dvds or having heaps of dvds… i want my dvds conviniantly in the one box thing lol anyway…)
now they have the new series, so im gonna end up with 2 different versions of the same series on dvd lol. I wish they would remaster the old series so it was widescreen, That would be awesome like a moose of fire!
okie dokie im done!
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Wait so is the new series like continuing the 1st Season of FMA? Or is it just a total remake thats different? Also is DUBBED yet? WHERE CAN I WATCH THE SUBBED THEN?!?!? Can’t find it >_<. Someone help please.
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It’s on FUNimation’s website: http://www4.funimation.com/video/?page=show&b=280
It’s also on Hulu and YouTube, but they’re on a 2 week delay. The latest episodes are added every Thursday on FUNimation.
The series is a remake, but we’ll be able to see what happened in the manga in the anime. And it’s not dubbed yet I’m afraid.
Website: http://www.thegimpking.webs.com/
its just a remake and no it isnt dubbed yet
Website: http://www.thegimpking.webs.com/
this is baisically an altered story from the first season i wish they would just go on with the searies at where it ended at germany with the gypsies in the war and all that crap but they had to totaly remake it.
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So Brotherhood is the second season?
I heard it wasn’t, people have lied to me >.<
Anyway I need to start watching thee episodes that came out (:
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This is just a new series no alternate universe and no continuation, it follows what happens in the manga damn near perfectly, the only differences being that a lot of the story was cut out as it had already been covered in the previous anime, meaning that the parts deemed important to the storyline have been left in for example when Ed & Al go to the mining town was left out completely from this new anime and i don’t know where someone got the idea that the manga was finished because as of this date it shows no quick signs of stopping any time soon as the story progresses each chapter of the monthly release.
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What i want to know is how the hell are all these people back in this series when majority of them died in FMA Original ? Is this a continuation of the first ? or is it a remake with alterations ? please email your replys to Kiroth@hotmail.co.uk