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: Final Episode Commentary, Textless Opening and Closings, Outtakes
All good things must come to an end. This is the final instalment of FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD on Blu-ray, bringing to a close an incredibly deep story filled with amazing characters and well explored themes. From the second it was mentioned that a manga faithful anime adaptation was to be produced, we all knew it was going to be one of the finest moments in anime history, no matter how great the original series was.
This final collection of episodes brings about a more than worthy conclusion to a fantastic show. Usually when shows are this rich and complex, it becomes almost impossible to end it in a way that will satisfy all, but FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD comes damn close. Over teh course of the show we have followed the Elric brothers in their search for a Philosopher’s stone in order to obtain their missing appendages/body. But rather than focusing on our characters’ goals, it instead focused on how their drive and beliefs changed over time. It’s no longer a show about achieving your dreams, but looking at life and death as a continuous whole and how best to treat ourselves and others.
Like many shows, more and more characters were added over time, but unlike those shows, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD seemed to have a specific purpose for each. There’s certainly a lot going on in these final 13 episodes and that means the show risks getting lost along the way. However, it’s paced perfectly, with the correct amount of time spent on one scenario before moving on to the next. We’re handled a sufficient amount of cliff-hangers which keep the interest, as well as some the mediums great action sequences and moments of sheer delight.
Here you’ll get to see Roy Mustang handing out some well-deserved vengeance against Envy, which is at first exceptionally gratifying, before becoming scary with the amount of anger Mustang begins to unleash. There’s also the legendary fight between Fuhrer Bradley and Greed/Ling. Each action sequence has been built towards over time and the pay-off doesn’t disappoint because by this time, we’re completely connected to each and every character. We want things to turn out the best for everyone, but we know that’s not going to be the case. As the show reaches its final episode, it’s the calm after the storm. An epilogue that puts everything in its right place and makes you feel pleased that you spent your time with the show.
With the exact right amount of action, violence, comedy, romance, heartbreak, feel good moments, and comprehensive character development, such a fantastic story is also propelled along by the incredible animation from studio Bones, wonderful music, and glorious imagination. It’s a show that you’ll be sorry to see end, but glad it ran its course and ended on a high.
EXTRAS: The final episode commentary from the English language cast is a sweet goodbye to the series, but is mostly filled with musings on their favourite moments and characters from the series’ run. The outtakes are an exceptional 7 minutes of laugh-out-loud comedy for fans. You’ll get to hear all your favourites swearing and saying bizarre stuff completely out of character. Would have enjoyed more of these throughout the show.
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD: Part 5 is released on Blu-ray on 24th June via Manga Entertainment. The first part of the complete collection (Episodes 1-32) is also released that day on Blu-ray.
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