Review by Mike McArtor
So Shadawyn and I just finished disk 4 of My-HiME, so we took a little break (as we always do when finishing a disk of something). During the break, I realized it's a 7-disk show, not 6, and disk 7 doesn't release until March. NOOO!!! So now that we've lost the urge to marathon through disk 5, Shadawyn is back in her office and I'm going to write a review of something else we watched last weekend.
Spoiler Alert: Because the movie takes up immediately after the end of the series, I might not be able to talk too much about it without spoiling the end of the series. Don't read this review if you haven't seen the end of FMA.
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie: Conqueror of Shambala
Taking up two years after the end of the anime series, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie: Conqueror of Shambala (FMATMCOS) acts essentially as the 52nd episode. A long episode, to be sure, but an episode nonetheless. One of the nice things about FMATMCOS is its lack of movie-ish snobbery. The production quality of FMATMCOS equals that of Fullmetal Alchemist proper. They didn't up the budget. The characters don't look like they're wearing too much makeup. It's not all CG-ariffic. And I really like that. It helps create the 52nd-episode feel and doesn't make it seem like something completely separate.
Now, because FMATMCOS builds off the twist ending of Fullmetal Alchemist, it can't possibly hope to appeal to those who hate how the series ended. As one who felt meh toward the series ending, the movie actually offered some neat surprises. I like what they did with the character crossovers, how King Bradley became a Jewish moviemaker, for example. I always kinda liked the Fuhrer for some reason, and seeing him recast as a good guy made me quite happy. Oh, and when they showed the Fuhrer... man, it made my skin crawl. I didn't research too much into their timeline, but it seemed pretty close to real history, so I was in full history nerd squee mode. ;)
FMATMCOS seemed a little less slapstick, a little less humorous, and a lot darker than the series. A lot darker. I think that's to its detriment. The amount of chibi was far too small. Otherwise, the movie really did feel like a 52nd episode of the series. I think it tied up everything quite nicely, and it makes for a satisfying end to the whole saga.
So, would I buy the movie? If I owned the series I'd want to own the movie, since the series feels incomplete without it. Also, I think the movie improves the series overall, but that might just be my history nerd fanboyism coming out.
Plot: B
Look: A
Voices: A-
Music: B-
Overall: B+