Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, or FMAB as it is widely known around the world, is one of the most-watched anime series around the globe as well as one of the best of its genre. So calling it a “Hidden Gem” can be a little misleading. However, a majority of OTT users (especially those in India) are unaware of (or haven’t watched) this show, which makes it eligible for this list. The show consists of 64 episodes in total and it has been divided into 5 parts for ease of viewing.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, not to be confused with Fullmetal Alchemist (continue to read the article to know more about this second anime series), is an anime created from the original Japanese manga series (comics book series) called Fullmetal Alchemist which was written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The FMAB series ran for its 64 episodes on MBS–TBS (A Japanese streaming service and Television network) from April 2009 to July 2010 before Netflix managed to grab the international streaming rights for the web series in 2018.
This brilliant show is set in an alternate universe where alchemy is real and elemental transmutations are possible. We follow the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, in this animated series – who are on a quest to find a Philosopher’s Stone. Due to a taboo human transmutation, they participate in, both of them lose their bodies at a young age. They plan to use the Philosopher’s Stone to get their bodies back. On their quest, the brothers find allies as well as enemies as they find out about a conspiracy that rocks their nation, Amestris, to its very core.
Warning: For the new viewers, the first five-to-six episodes of the show are quite dark and can be a little triggering. Features a lot of blood and gore as well as mentions of suicide.
FMAB is a show that is completely based on the Japanese comic book series Fullmetal Alchemist, as mentioned earlier. However, there is another show called Fullmetal Alchemist (which was previously mentioned in this article) that is loosely based on the same comic book series. This animated series was created because the comic book series at the time was not complete and the author/illustrator, the aforementioned Hiromu Arakawa, had given the anime creators his blessing to make their own storyline with an alternate ending. While this show (AKA FMA) is also widely regarded as a good show, it is a much darker show and is not favoured much by the “original anime fans”.
Both of the aforementioned shows – Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Fullmetal Alchemist are currently streaming on Netflix. Our recommendation is to watch FMAB and if you feel like checking out something darker, try FMA. But be warned, the second show differs heavily after the first five (or six) episodes.
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