Fullmetal Alchemist is widely regarded as one of the best manga and anime series of all time, and although its live-action adaptations rarely live up to that, Netflix will be completing its Fullmetal Alchemist library come September.
That is because Fullmetal Alchemist: The Final Alchemy will finally be landing on Netflix streaming on September 24, three months after its Japanese premiere, under the title Fullmetal Alchemist: Final Chapter – The Last Transmutation. The trailer for both The Final Alchemy and Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar was first seen back in April, much closer to the latter’s May release in Japan, even if took until last week for the film to be dropped on Netflix.
Both films are sequels to 2017’s Fullmetal Alchemist, the first live-action movie to take on the work of Hiromu Arakawa. However, none of the movies have gained particularly good reception from either Japanese or Western audiences, with the first one garnering 28% from critics and 72% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes (5.3 on IMDb), while The Revenge of Scar has an audience score of 52% and 5.3% from critics. Perhaps the biggest addition in The Final Alchemy is the continuation of the new plot that features up to 15 new characters.
There’s already plenty of debate about which Fullmetal Alchemist anime is the superior adaptation, whether it’s the 2003 original or 2009’s Brotherhood. Nevertheless, most fans tend to agree that those two stand in a different league when compared to live-action films. The anime to films road is quite tricky, but some live-action anime movies are actually pretty great, so there’s no reason the Fullmetal Alchemist trilogy can’t offer some enjoyment to part of its fan base.
This will not be the only piece of anime joining Netflix next month, as the streaming service will also welcome the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners original, set in the world of CD Projekt Red's video game, starting September 13. Furthermore, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean drops episodes 13-23 on September 1, and, lastly, Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles will premiere on September 23.
Despite its failure to gain a true following or the approval of anime fans, Netflix has no plans to stop making adaptations, as a Death Note live-action series is also on the streamer's pipeline with Stranger Things' creators on board for its production. The same goes for the planned live-action One Piece series, which in itself presents a whole different set of challenges.
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Final Alchemy will premiere on Netflix on September 24, 2022.
Source: Netflix