Awhile back I started watching Full Metal Alchemist with one of my daughters. It was an interesting anime but we never finished it. When Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood came out I figured it was an extension of the previous FMA series and that I had no business watching it until I’d finished the original FMA series. Apparently I was wrong.

From what I’ve read about the original FMA series is that as the anime was being created the source material was, at the time, not quite finished. Apparently it led to the anime taking some artistic freedom’s with the storyline of the manga. FMA Brotherhood is in a sense a reboot for the series so that it can follow the source material more closely and give fans of the manga what they wanted to see instead of some derivative storyline that was acceptable but not quite accurate.

As I watched the first few episodes of the show I scratched my head. It was pretty much the same show. Certain timeline events were a bit jumbled but Ed and Alphonse were basically on the same adventures as the original FMA series, plus the same voice talent was back to reprise their roles from the original series. Don’t fret though. As the series moves on the show takes a darker path and suddenly the storyline is very different. Obviously it was a smart move to reboot the series with this darker more loyal to the manga storyline. It’s captivating and intriguing every step of the way and instead of the usual 24 episode set you get 33 which extends the awesomeness of the series leaving you wanting to get your hands on the second collection, the OVA collection, and the FMA Brotherhood movie The Sacred Star of Milos all the more.

PICTURE AND AUDIO QUALTY:
FMA Brotherhood is remarkable looking in its HD Native 1080p transfer. Colors are vibrantly beautiful and definition gives this intricately drawn anime new depths that make it look amazing. I would assume no less as FMA is one of Funimation’s most popular flagship series, original as well as this revamped reboot. As always audio is amazingly immersive and captivating. You just can’t go wrong with the Funimation in the sound department.

BONUS FEATURES:
~Episode Commentaries for episodes 10, 14, 23, 28
~Trailers
~Textless Songs