Customer Reviews

Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 13: Brotherhood (Episodes 49-51)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The trials of the Elric brothers have all been leading up to the events of this volume, which deals with the final, all-out culmination of the struggle between the story's forces of good and evil.

As Hawkeye deals with the madman Archer and Mustang tries to redeem himself by taking personal responsibility for stopping Bradley's reign of terror, the time of Dante's triumph draws nigh. As Ed races to save Al, he finally faces his greatest challenge - an inevitable, to-the-death battle with the psychotic, androgynous shapeshifter Envy - that even his love for Al might not help him win this time.

Although loose ends are left for the movie which follows, alot is wrapped up, particularly Mustang's storyline and the shocking revealation of exactly why the mere mention of any of the Elrics, especially the boys' father, throws Envy (who has some of the volume's most memorable moments) into an unspeakable rage. In a way it almost seems sad that a movie follows, because the ending of the series proper just seems so right.

As a whole, this was an intelligently written and extremely moving series that transcended it's genre.

First of all, if you haven't already seen all of the series, DO NOT READ THIS!!! (unless you wanna suck all of the enjoyment out of seeing it...) MAJOR, MAJOR SPOILERS LIE AHEAD!!!

Sadly, this is the end of the series (only to lead on to the movie...), but I think it was a sorrowful but worthy ending. There are a few quick battles in this volume including:

-Roy Mustang vs Pride (Fuhrer King Bradley)
-Edward Elric vs Envy (Oh, and Envy's TRUE form is revealed!!!)
-Riza Hawkeye vs Half-Machine Frank Archer (this isn't REALLY a battle, it's just that they both target eachother)

Although these battles are short, they are rewarding, and the following people die:

-Edward Elric
-Sloth (but didn't we see that coming from the previous volume?)
-Dante/Lyra
-Gluttony

However, Al brings Ed back to life using the Philosopher's Stone which is attached to his soul and then Ed (even though he has regained his limbs) sacrifices HIMSELF to bring Al back as a 10-year-old boy and Ed becomes trapped on the other side of the gate with his father, Hohenheim.

The series concludes with Al and Ed promising to eachother (even though they are in two separate worlds XD) that they will find eachother which leads onto the movie.

I hope this review has been helpful, tell me if it has or hasn't, okay? *wink*

Deceit, lies, death, shocking discoveries, and a lot of hard work later, Fullmetal Alchemist finally reaches the end.

Overall, the final three episodes tie a lot of lose ends together, almost too well to where the ending (Episode 51) seems a bit rushed where a two parter would have been better. The final episodes deal with various battles- Izumi vs. Archer, Ed vs Dante and Envy, Mustang vs. Pride. But all of these battles seem short and rushed. I mean, EVERYTHING in the series lead up to Pride being "dethroned" and it all happened, but all within two sword slashes and one explosion. While the conclusion of the battle WAS in fact fitting, it didn't play out as other battles. Even the battle between Greed and Ed was a lot longer in comparison to all three final battles put together.

Archer seemed to be a great villain with tons of potential, but it was all quickly ended as his battle with Izumi was short and Riza ended it all too soon. Same with Ed and Dante, I would have thought that there was going to be more action there. When Ed first attacked her in Episode 49, her powers looked like they would have been a challenge for Ed to fight against, but it never really went beyond a tiny short battle.

I am not one who needs blood and gore, but I do believe that these couple of battles, especially Mustang vs Pride should have been better played out and drawn out for a longer period of time.

But there were a lot of good points and unexpected shockers in this ending. It is still a very deep series and the ending was quite fitting indeed.

I pointed out the bad simply because that is all that I found wrong with it and as usual, when it comes to Fullmetal Alchemist, the good always overpowers the bad.

So, hang on to your seats as you watch these episodes for the conclusion of a lifetime and see all of the Elric brothers' work pay off in the end, even if they might not get what they wanted in return.

In the end, I still give this DVD a rating of five stars. Why, because even when there were things that didn't meet my expectations, as Al well put it more or less:

"The law of Equivalent Exchange doesn't encompass everything. When you give something up, you get something of equal value in return, even if it isn't what you expected."

This story might start at the other side of the gate, but as this epic story of two brothers comes to an end you'll find out just how much they will sacrafice for each other. The final battle between homunculus and human draws to an end. It's a fight of all the homunculus vs. the Elric brothers, and the ending puts a twist on it you wouldn't even imagine. The ending of this tale, though sad, makes you long for more of the story. Don't worry though fans, because there's the movie after that!

This disc contains episodes 49-51: 49- The Other Side of the Gate; 50- Death; 51- Laws and Promises.

IMO one of the greatest animes of all time has ended. True after the TV series ends you have an awesome movie to watch. (And I do love the movie.) But the story of FMA is just like nothing else I have ever watch or will watch. The animation was always breathtaking the voice talent was the best out there. (The best english dub I have ever heard). And the story just never let me down. IMO the story just got better! So as a fan of the show thanks this forever will be my favorite!

*Yes* you will read this same review on each of the DVDs for this series. I do not own them all as of yet, but have seen the series in it's entirety.

I am absolutely impressed with this show. The first time I watched any of it, I was not the least bit interested. I'm a definate anime fan, however, I'm very select about what I choose to watch (no sailor moon, or pokemon for myself thanks!). My original take on this show was that it was over-hyped and childish. At the time I was involved in another set of shows and was content, but when I finished those shows this series was rerunning from the beginning on cartoon network's adult swim, so, with nothing else to watch I thought I would give it another chance.

This time I fell in love with it, it has become one of my favorite anime's to date! The story is very indepth, and detailed. There isn't near as much "fan-service" as in other shows which can take away from the show itself, and it has relevant undertones.

I am a fan of shows like Cowboy Bebop, Trinity Blood, Trigun, Big O, FLCL (Fooly Cooly), Samuria Champloo, and such. If you share similar interests, then you may very well enjoy this show!

The gig is finally up as the big battles the whole series has been working toward finally take place, with varying degrees of satisfaction. Ed catches up with Dante, who wants to use Al the Philosopher's Stone as the means to transfer her soul to Rose's body. That's if the varying motivations of the Homunculi don't get in the way. And Ed finally learns the secret of the black gate he saw when he lost his arm and leg and Al lost his whole body, and he also discovers where it leads! Their mentor Izumi does battle with the new cyborg weapon version of Archer, who has been programmed to serve Dante and the Homunculi's commands without question. Meanwhile, Mustang shows up at King Bradley's house to pay a cordial visit full of fire!

All in all, Fullmetal Alchemist ranks as one of the greatest anime series ever made. But this last volume comes up a little short because its true resolution is left for the movie version. I just don't see the point in leaving such a big hole at the end like Volume 13 did. It seemed needlessly exploitive of the fans who will now have to buy another dvd to get the end. The secret behind the gate also left me a bit underwhelmed going "That's it?". The point I did like about these last episodes is that at one point Dante tries to dismiss the whole equivalent exchange theory as a human's wishful thinking. To her, the rule was a made-up maxim to self-impose limits upon the power of alchemy. Taking it further, she takes the existentialist viewpoint that there is no higher moral law controlling the universe and that it is basically left to chance. In other words, there is no justice. But the "good guys/gals" in Fullmetal Alchemist try their best in this volume to defeat this lack of ideals and prove that evil eventually gets its punishment.

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST! It's such a great anime. ANY anime fan NEEDS to add Fullmetal Alchemist to their collection.

My review on Fullmetal Alchemist volume 13 Brotherhood: It didn't even take me a year to get this DVD and finish up my Fullmetal Alchemist collection. This anime is very addictive. And once you get down to Volume 13, it'll have you almost falling out of your seat! Everytime I watch this DVD I end up crying. HECK! In almost any Fullmetal Alchemist DVD I cry. But these epsiodes are chalk full of heartbreak. I think this anime ended well. And this DVD deffinitly deserves 5 stars. It deserves it all the way.

Immaculate condition, fast shipping and low price. All the best qualities for the expenditure of hard-earned money. Keep up the good work and the prices low. Thanx!

i really really enjoy fullmetal alchemist series. I can't wait for the new brotherhood series.