Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Short but not all that sweet.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 8, 2012

Fullmetal Alchemist has been one of the most enduring franchises in anime history and it featured its own set of fairly forgettable OVA releases which were obviously skewed toward hardcore fans who wanted just a momentary frisson of extra content to whet their appetites. Much the same could be said about this new OVA collection centered around Fullmetal Alchemist’s sibling outing Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood has proven to be at least as popular as the original series (if not more so), and this new OVA Collection release provides four fairly short outings, along with a set of really short supplements obviously designed to give longtime fans a bit more of what they may be “jonesing” for. While there’s nothing incredibly great about any of the four main OVAs included on this set, they’re agreeable enough time killers that give a bit of additional information about good ol’ Ed and Al (and a couple of supporting characters) while never getting so involved in the FMA mythos that newcomers would be confused by what’s going on.

All four of the OVAs included in this set are on the slight side, and at least a couple of them are kind of reminiscent of those “filler” moments from the old Rod Serling Night Gallery series—you know, not the full 25 minute or so segments, but the little interstitials that would typically end with a supposed twist, or at the very least a “sting” of sorts. That’s certainly the case with regard to The Blind Alchemist, a kind of proto-Gothic affair that has Ed and Al investigating a rumor that a, well, blind alchemist has successfully managed human transmutation, something that Ed and Al have been on the hunt for at various times throughout Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. What they find is a young girl named Rosalie who is supposedly the end result of blind alchemist Judeau’s magic, but there’s a bit of subterfuge going on. There’s a reveal here which may remind some viewers of that iconic glimpse of “Mrs. Bates” in Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary Psycho.

Simple People plays it largely for laughs as Ed and Al repeatedly try to achieve what seem to be two, well, simple tasks, getting Ed’s automail repaired and buying Winry some earrings for her pierced ears. That leads into a flashback which manages to tie in Ed becoming a State Alchemist with Winry deciding to get her ears pierced. The almost sibling rivalry between Winry and her cohorts gets a fw laughs along the way, but then the OVA abruptly gets serious and starts to deal with Riza and some of her background. This OVA kind of dwells in some fairly obtuse nooks and crannies of some of these characters and will probably only be really interesting to those who are well versed in the Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood universe.

The Tale of Teacher focuses almost solely on some of Izumi’s backstory. Looking back on a training regimen Izumi underwent when she was only 18, this episode is one of the more appealing from a visual standpoint, as Izumi’s training takes place in the frozen northland, full of blizzards and mist. Izumi’s task is to survive a month on Mt. Briggs, but with this OVA clocking in at barely fifteen minutes, there really isn’t much opportunity to build much suspense. Most of the conflict here comes from Izumi’s slowly growing understanding of what this survival training has to do with alchemy, something she is confused and even angered by in the early going. There’s a little bit of subterfuge in this episode as well (as in The Blind Alchemist), which plays out in the final “act” of this brief offering, which in this case may remind some viewers of the denouement in The Wizard of Oz.

Another 18 year old is at the center of Yet Another Man’s Battlefield, in this case young Roy Mustang, who is undergoing boot camp at a military academy. There he meets Maes Hughes and Heathcliffe Arbor. Though it may not seem like much, this OVA runs a few minutes longer than the other three, and perhaps due to that extra running time, or simply better writing and execution, this OVA offers some solid storytelling and excellent delineating of characters. Even with the extra few minutes of running time, this is still a bit too brief to properly address some of the surprisingly potent subjects at hand, like discrimination and a devastating choice which leads to a tragic death. Still, Yet Another Man’s Battlefield is by far the most dramatic and cohesive OVA in this group and will probably be the favorite of most longtime fans, despite the fact that the Elrics are nowhere to be found.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OVA Collection is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. These OVAs are perfectly in line with the generally excellent high definition presentations that fans have come to expect from the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood franchise. Colors are really nicely varied and robust, and there's some very excellent diversity in terms of general color schemes. Some of the scenes play out in a beautiful, autumnal auburn glow while others (like the Izumi episode) are more monochromatic with occasional bright punches of color. Line detail is excellently sharp throughout all four OVAs and anyone who has appreciated the look of the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Blu-rays will find that same overall clarity and sharpness well on display here.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OVA Collection has two lossless audio options, an English language version delivered via a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround mix, and a Japanese language version in Dolby TrueHD 2.0. Both of these tracks offer excellent fidelity and some surprisingly wide dynamic range, but the English surround mix is by far the more bombastic and enjoyable, with several standout moments of immersion in all four OVAs. Though the fight sequences here are fairly short (let's face it, each OVA itself is fairly short), those segments do offer the soundtracks an opportunity to assault the listener with lots of great sound effects. Yet Another Man's Battlefield is probably the most impressive in this regard, with a somewhat longer sequence devoted to war. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized in the mix and fidelity is top notch throughout.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Fullmetal Four Panel Comic Theater (HD; 40:32) is a collection of 16 brief quasi bumpers that reminded me of those old Rocky and Bullwinkle interstitials that would get the show in and out of commercials. These are all played strictly for laughs and are almost vaudevillian in quality, replete with blackouts at punchlines and chibi-esque versions of several characters.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's hard to see how these four OVAs are going to appeal to anyone other than die hard Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood fans, and even for them, there's really not a whole lot here, at least with regard to three of these outings. There's nothing horribly bad here, don't get me wrong, but there's nothing really revelatory or exciting, either. These are basically pleasant enough time killers that give aficionados a chance to visit with their favorite characters for a little while. Yet Another Man's Battlefield is the best of the bunch and is in fact a nicely done little piece that gives some great background on Roy Mustang while weaving a consistently interesting mini-story. This is a cheap enough offering that it's probably a no brainer for big fans of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, but anyone else who might be curious about this venerable franchise would be better served by checking out either the original Fullmetal Alchemist or Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood first.