Did You Have To? Episode 2: Fullmetal Alchemist (2017)

In this episode, Kate and LaNeysha head to Amestris! This week they watched the Netflix-US released Fullmetal Alchemist live-action adaptation of the beloved anime and manga. They talk about how they brought iconic anime moments to life, how they changed the story, and ultimately the wig budget…because they had to. Now, it’s important to note that the Fullmetal Alchemist live-action isn’t all bad. In fact, the women think it’s well worth your time. The main reason? The visual effects work. From Al to the giant action sequences using fire and death as the alchemists fight, it really is a sight to behold. That said, some elements don’t really hold up too well, mainly the choice to not have Scar in the series or focus on the Ishbalans. That said, the Fullmetal Alchemist live-action does bring to life one of the most depressing and shocking scenes in anime: Nina. And we can say, it’s worse to experience in live-action.

Fullmetal Alchemist is directed by Fumihiko Sori, starring Ryôsuke Yamada as Ed, Tsubasa Honda as Winry, and Dean Fujioka as Roy Mustang, Ryûta Satô as Maes Hughes, Misako Renbutsu as Riza, and Atom Mizuishi as Al. Plus of course, it’s based on the manga series of the same name by Hiromu Arakawa, covering the first four volumes of the original storyline – with quite a few deviations. It was released in Japan by Warner Bros. and actually has a really good theme song “Kimi no Soba ni Iru yo”, is performed by Misia. As for the reception, the Fullmetal Alchemist live-action received mostly mixed reviews with Rotten Tomatoes reporting that 28% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 4.82/10. On Metacritic, which assigns and normalizes scores of critic reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 based on 5 critics.