Best. Anime. EVER! · 7:16pm Oct 16th, 2014

I will stand by that statement to my grave. Special thanks to my little sister who has bragging rights for the rest of her life that it was her who convinced me to watch this show.

Just in case you haven't guessed yet, I am speaking of the anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

What can I say about this show to illustrate how much it moved me? The only ending that has made me cry as much was Return of the King, in fact on finishing the finale of Brotherhood I cried so hard I was afraid of scaring my siblings (draw what conclusions you will of the fragility of my psyche).

(actual footage of my viewing experience)

This show had literally everything I ever desired from any medium.

It touched on and explored the relation of spiritual, psychological, emotional and physical experiences with a blend of rich metaphors and symbolism, through characters who were all of them engaging, profound and developed with incredible depth and subtlety.

The animation is picturesque, both bold and evocative, creating impressive and striking action scenes and haunting dramatic ones (I am telling you, the dramatic moments in this show--particularly the death scenes--will be carved into your mind's eye for the rest of your existence).

(Clearly, I have an overflow of feels gifs)

The music is varied and flavored, it's telling in this day and age that if any of it were removed the scenes would be noticeably lacking. All the voice acting is excellent, there really should be more wide-spread recognition to the art of it because some of the best acting I have ever witnessed is from performers whose faces I've never seen.

(I love you all so much...)

And lastly, probably the single aspect of this show that launches it into the stratosphere of my regard:

(drumroll please)(close enough)

IT HAS A HAPPY ENDING.

THAT'S RIGHT! Take note creators of stories everywhere: you can have a compelling story and characters WITHOUT it ending with the death of all hope and joy. And people will love you for it.

So yeah, in conclusion I love this anime.

Play me out, Colonel.