#2 What is your favourite anime?
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Sure, this is a fairly conventional choice, and whilst it would have probably made me look cooler to have picked a less mainstream show, I don’t care, because it has long been my opinion that this show is the closest that we’ll ever get to a perfect anime. In every way that matters, Brotherhood is a masterpiece.
Brotherhood’s premise, about two young men searching for the fabled philosopher’s stone in order to restore their bodies after an accident in which they failed to resurrect their dead mother, is both interesting and nice and straightforward. Too many shows try to trick viewers into thinking that they’re masterpieces by having complex, convoluted storylines. But if your viewers are having to trudge through Wiki pages and forums to make sense of what’s going on, you’ve failed in your storytelling. Brotherhood also explores some pretty weighty themes, including: brotherly love, romantic love, racial discrimination, revenge, the horrors of war, the importance of maintaining balance, and loss. But, at the same time, it could still make you laugh. Armstrong, this complete and utter beefcake who was a bit too in touch with his sensitive side, never failed to make me laugh! But Brotherhood always knew where to draw the line. It never ruined a moving scene by cracking jokes or spoiled a lighthearted scene with forced drama, which many shows seem to do, almost as if they’re afraid of getting sentimental. And the show was just the right length. It was able to explore the above themes and wrap up its story, whilst also keeping viewers engaged and interested.
Brotherhood has a large cast of immensely lovable characters. My favourite is, of course, Ed. It’s awesome how passionate he is about his loved ones and the lengths that he would go to for them. And, as a vertically challenged individual myself, it is only natural that I would feel an affinity towards him! There are also an abundance of fantastic female characters, such as Izumi, Riza, and Winry, all of which are both strong and feminine. Additionally, Brotherhood has some excellent villains, some of which were given just enough humanity to feel somewhat sorry for them, whereas others were the kind of campy, evil villain you just love to hate! The show’s cast is even racially diverse, with the equivalent of (the show was set in a parallel world) asian, caucasian, and middle-eastern people all being represented. Plus, the show was brave enough to kill off important characters while still knowing when to tow the line. Kill off too many much-loved characters, and your viewers are gonna disengage (I’m looking at you, The Walking Dead)!
Brotherhood looked great too. Maybe not as beautiful as something like Violet Evergarden, but it was certainly above average in terms of its animation, background art, and character designs for its time. And it sounded great. To date, Brotherhood’s first opening, Again by Yui, is my favourite opening of all time and remains a mainstay on most anime fans list of favourite openings.
Alright, any more ranting about Brotherhood and I may as well write a full-blown review of it! If you’re one of the few remaining people who have yet, for some strange reason, to watch this show, please, please, please go do that! I promise that you’ll love it!
Watashi Wa Bucho!! 
Originally, I went with Fairy Tail. By the end of the challenge, though, I had shifted towards One Piece. 😉