Director: Yasuhiro Irie
Starring: Romi Park, Vic Mignogna, Rie Kugimiya, Maxey Whitehead, Shinchiro Miki, Travis Willingham, Megumi Takamoto, Caitlin Glass, Hidekatsu Shibata, Ed Blaylock, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Eric Vale,
Running Time: 318 minutes
Certificate: 15
Extras: 2 Episode Commentaries, Textless Opening and Closings.
It’s a good thing this series is coming thick and fast to Blu-ray, because can anyone really wait for the next exciting instalments? FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD is popular for a reason, and that reason is that it quite simply ticks all the boxes for what one would expect in a deep and entertaining anime.
As this fourth collection opens,we find that brothers and constant companions Edward and Alphonse Elric have parted ways in order to achieve individual goals. It’s a huge turning point for the duo as it allows them to successfully grow as characters in new situations as well as seeing how they interact with other characters. This is most important when exploring their relationship with their father, whom they meet in equally emotional episodes. Alphonse, despite being a hulking great piece of armour, shows himself to still be very much a child that searches for his father’s attention, while the older Edward has trouble forgetting about the past and moving on.
The show doesn’t just treat its heroes with the greatest of respect, but also its antagonists. The supposedly unquenchable evil of Wrath is explored by his seemingly genuine connection to his wife. The idea that the villains may be susceptible to human emotions after all may not be a game changer in terms of plot, but it certainly adds food for thought. We’re also treated to the conflicted nature of Greed, who currently shares a body with Prince Ling. Greed feels betrayed and confused, which makes for a surprisingly successful ‘buddy cop’ dynamic between himself and Ling.
As the show reaches its climax (this is the penultimate collection on Blu-ray), you’d expect the show to try too hard at offering something new or unique, but the show is completely confident in what it is trying to achieve. The relationships remain well developed, and the show even pushes itself further in terms of animation. This set includes two of the best fight sequences yet, as Greed takes on Wrath in a confined space with all the ferocity of wild animals going at each other, as well as a number of participants being forced to fight in pitch black.
FULL METAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD continues to be as strong as its predecessor, if not more so. The characters are forever engaging, and as they join different factions and sides, it always feels organic as opposed to forced twists shoved into the story to keep it interesting. Hilarious and heartbreaking, with action sequences that are necessary to the plot, what more could you ask for?
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD: PART FOUR is released on Blu-ray on 27th May via Manga Entertainment.
