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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Furumetaru Arukemisuto (鋼の錬金術師FA) |
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the_wolfs_howl's Review Violence: There's a lot of fighting in this show, and it's very realistic about showing the blood and other damage the characters sustain from their battles. There aren't fountains of blood spurting out every which-way, but the characters do get bloodied up quite a bit from time to time. There are several instances of characters being burnt alive, or their limbs being severed, and there is one time when the characters wade through a literal sea of blood. However, the violence isn't gratuitous or there just for the shock value; the blood and violence is always shown to get across what a desperate fight the characters are in. Language Details: There is moderate swearing in this show, almost always to express anger (as opposed to just sticking in swears to "sound cool" or "make it feel darker"). As I can recall, the swears are mostly d-words and perhaps an occasional b-word. The amount of language is about equal to the first series, dub and sub. Nudity: The villain called Lust, as her name suggests, wears a very low-cut dress that shows quite a bit of cleavage. A female character is shown from the back without a shirt for plot reasons. Another female character is seen taking off her shirt and sitting in a bath, but nothing is shown. Similarly, a male is seen in the shower, but nothing is shown. There are several other instances where people are seen completely naked, but they are always shown from the back or are posed in such a way that we can't see anything. There are creatures towards the end that are humanoid and completely naked, but their bodies are androgynous and have no detail. Sexual Content: There are one or two mildly suggestive comments, and one part where a character finds his hand between a woman's breasts (the effect of this moment, however, has connotations of horror rather than sexuality because of plot reasons). Theological Issues: As can be guessed from the title, this anime is all about alchemy. For this story, alchemy is basically a cross between science and magic, where they use chemistry-like equations to make transmutation circles, with which they can change one form of an element into another. Several symbols such as pentagrams or a serpent on a cross appear as alchemical symbols, but in the story they have no connection to the real-world symbols. Basically, if you have no problem with fantasy magic in general, I see no reason why the alchemy in this story should give you pause. There is something called "human transmutation" that involves transmuting humans (in a few instances even attempting to bring someone back to life), but from the beginning this is denounced as something that should never be done. In the first episode, Edward Elric says blatantly that he's "agnostic" or "not religious." He claims that if you're a scientist, you can't believe in something as unprovable as God, and for the most part the alchemists in the story seem to follow this belief. However, it's not a huge issue and isn't really pushed as a message (you don't get the feeling that the creators are trying to "prove" what a good idea it is to be an atheist). A couple villains speak mockingly, even blasphemously, of God, but the "good guys" comment on how arrogant they are, and they certainly get their comeuppance in the end. A character speaks of "becoming God", but what it boils down to is gaining incredible strength. There is also an assumption the whole story rests on that stems from Eastern thought about how "one is all and all is one", which is unfortunate but, again, not overly pushy. There is also the indication that the being we refer to as God appears to us to be fickle, unjust, and not loving, but this can be interpreted in several ways. Seven of the villains are also named after the seven deadly sins, and exemplify those sins. There is much talk of souls in the story, but by "soul" they mean the part inside of us that makes us who we are, in contrast with our physical bodies. Alphonse is nothing but a soul in a suit of armor, and souls become very important in the plot for their alchemical power. While the villains treat souls very flippantly, as little more than fuel for their own plans, the protagonists hold much respect for people's souls and humanity. Overall, I don't agree with the creators' stance on these theological issues, but they give food for thought and further discussion among viewers, and don't really get in the way of enjoying a good story. Sub vs. Dub: Both versions are amazing, and include some absolutely astounding bits of voice acting, probably because most of the actors have had the entire first series to get comfortable with their characters, and now they can really shine. Which version you should watch comes down to which particular voices you happen to prefer for different characters. |
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| Added: August, 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
