[Click the image to go to Funimation’s page to stream all 64 episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood subbed, and… four episodes dubbed]

I can’t show you many awesome scenes from FMA Brotherhood without spoiling things for you, but I can show you this video. It’s a pre-requisite for reading the rest of this post.

        Ok, are you done watching it? Does the phrase “muscles increase by thousandfold” now mean something to you? If not, you’re lying. Go back and watch the video!

        Ok, now we can talk about how FMA Brotherhood is literally my favourite anime now. Granted, there are a lot of shows I haven’t gotten around to watching yet (Code Geass, Ergo Proxy, Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, Welcome to the NHK, Darker than Black - and that’s just the stuff on my harddrive) but as of right now Brotherhood stands above even Baccano! and Durarara!! as the first anime I’d recommend. The action scenes are fantastically animated, and watching them in 1080p on a big TV would probably be jaw-droppingly amazing. The intrigue is surprisingly deep, and there’s some pretty cool moments of subterfuge too. There’s a bit of emotional drama, but having watched the first series it didn’t really break my heart. Mainly, though, this is the best action (shonen) show I’ve seen - it’s the pure, distilled spark of the ideal version of something like Naruto or Bleach. You might watch Bleach or Naruto for a while, and think there’s something really special underneath all the filler and crap, but then you keep watching and it never shows up. Brotherhood is that, that something special, all the time.

        Actually, wait, I guess I should go back to the beginning. So, Fullmetal Alchemist is a manga started in 2001 that spawned an anime adaptation in 2003. However, because the manga wasn’t finished yet, the 2003 anime had a separate story from the manga and, having watched both, it wasn’t nearly as good as the manga’s story. Then they announced a new version of the anime, called FMA: Brotherhood that would follow the story of the manga from start to finish. And it was good.

        The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is a sort of alternate reality version of 20th century Europe - in fact, based on dates seen in the show, the action occurs throughout 1914 and the spring of 1915. Their geography doesn’t mirror real world geography, though, with most of the action occurring in the militaristic nation of Amestris. Anyway, the main difference is that in their world, alchemy - the lead into gold, search for eternal life kind - is possible. It’s not common, but it plays a large part in the military strategy of Amestris. The most prominent alchemists join the military, to further their research and gain greater freedom. In exchange, they become tools of the military - if the military tells a State Alchemist to use their abilities for combat, they don’t have much of a choice.

        The story follows one State Alchemist, Edward Elric, and his younger brother Alphonse. At the (chronological) start of the series, the young Elric brothers research human transmutation in an attempt to bring their deceased mother back from the dead. After gathering all the necessary base ingredients, carbon and water and so on, they try to create a human being and bring their mother’s soul back to it. However, following a version of the Law of Conversation of Mass, it’s impossible to simply create a soul out of nothing and create life where there was none. And so, Alphonse is used as a catalyst in the transmutation, along with Ed’s left leg. Making matters worse, the creation is nothing like their mother at all - it’s a confused jumble of bones and flesh that moans in agony. In an attempt to bring his brother back, Ed sacrifices his right arm to bind Al’s soul into a large suit of armour. After that, the series follows the two brothers as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone so that they can regain their original bodies.

        That’s a lot easier said than done, but I don’t want to get into the story any more than that because I really suggest that you watch it. Brotherhood doesn’t require previous knowledge of the series, and it’s just plain fantastic. The world of the series is wonderful and well-thought out, with the best moments being the ones that just make sense following the established “science”. Do yourself a favour and watch it in the highest quality you can, and if you like it, look around for a cheap copy of the blu-rays (or DVDs if you must, but a blu-ray player is like $100 these days and the quality is phenomenal).