Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa Anime Movie Review

Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa (which for the sake of this review I will be referring to just as Conqueror of Shamballa out of pure convenience) is the 2005 anime movie and official ending of the first Fullmetal Alchemist series from 2003. If you’ve left it out and have watched the 2003 series, just stop whatever you’re doing and go watch it right now. It is an absolutely great anime film and a good prelude to what Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood would be like in terms of animation and style. It won several prizes and awards and was one of the most popular 2005 films in Japan.

Synopsis

Conqueror of Shamballa takes place in early 20th century Germany, a few years after the end of the First World War. The political and economic status is unsettling and nationalistic totalitarian forces are stirring around the country. Edward has found himself stuck there, after crossing the gate he encountered while sacrificing himself to bring Alphonse back to life. He lives with Alfons Heiderich, a rocket scientist who greatly resembles Alphonse, and a Romani girl named Noah who is being persecuted by the mysterious Thule society. In the meantime, back in Amestris, Alphonse has returned to life and has no memories of his travels with his brother, but has dedicated himself in studying alchemy so he can find a way to be once more reunited with Edward, who is also trying to figure out how to return to his home. In his efforts to do so, he gets involved with political forces trying to bring defeated Germany back to its former glory but utilizing war and ideas of extreme nationalism.

Plot & Story

I suppose the most fundamental thing to mention about Conqueror of Shamballa is that for a part of the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise, well, it doesn’t have much alchemy involved. It still plays an important role as the movie progresses, but if you were expecting to see Edward using it in his daily activities in Germany, you will be greatly disappointed; science has developed instead of alchemy in this world which somehow renders all of his powers and knowledge useless (even though it not very clearly explained why – aren’t both worlds functioning under the same principles of science and physics?). Alphonse on the other hand has grown to use his powers more efficiently and further develop his skills as an alchemist. And speaking of growing, yes they’ve both grown up, even physically, and it’s such a pleasure to look at an 18-year-old Ed (not that I ever had some sort of unhealthy crush on Edward or anything, how preposterous).

ANYWAY, back to the story: it’s basically built by repeating character themes that existed in Amestris in a post-WW1 Germany environment, with familiar faces like Alphonse, Hughes, Gracia, Rose, King Bradley and (hilariously, near the end of the film) Scar and Lust playing their parallel selves. Even though this might be considered some elaborate form of fan service, it still helps maintain a relatable environment around Edward despite him being in a different world. I do, however, find the fact that German Hughes turns out to be a Nazi very disappointing. (◕︿◕✿) Envy’s role in the show turns out to be a bit utilitarian which is also a bummer because we only get to see him in his dragon-snake thingy form before he gets butchered and collected to be used by the Thule society in order to open the gate to Shamballa.

There’s a lot of historical jargon going around as the movie progresses, most of which I believe is difficult to follow unless you have a pretty decent knowledge of European history, which might be confusing to some. On the other hand, it can encourage viewers to research more about what Germany was going through as a nation at the time (which I highly recommend you do because it’s such a substantial part of human history everyone should know about).

Art & Music

Even though I suppose this cannot be considered an ‘artistic’ choice, it is so good to see this film in 16:9 ratio after having watched Fullmetal Alchemist in 4:3. It helps appreciate its overall aesthetics a lot more. Animation-wise, the movie is flawless and can respectfully compete with any contemporary anime. In fact, it’s way better than many. Battle scenes and special effects are triumphing, following and improving the standards set by the series, and you can observe the color palette changing vibrancies when switching between the two worlds: in Germany, the colors are more subtle and muted than in Amestris, switching from golden to blueish hues in daytime and night time.

As for the background music, I can’t say it’s particularly memorable: yes, epic themes are present in every dramatic scene, but are in my opinion overshadowed by the Romani song the girls are performing in the beginning and the one Rose is dancing to in the funeral (I cry during this scene EVERY TIME). The opening theme is pretty great and accompanies the small flashback of everything that happened in the series with just the right tone of nostalgia.

Themes & Trivia

Obviously, staying true to the Fullmetal Alchemist themes, the Conqueror of Shamballa still examines issues of war, discrimination, obsession, power, and the human condition overall. However, the strongest references of the movie focus on events and people from early 19th century Germany:

The Versailles Treaty: In the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, the victorious powers (the United States, Great Britain, France, and other allied states) imposed punitive territorial, military, and economic provisions on defeated Germany. In the west, Germany returned Alsace-Lorraine to France.
The Beer Hall Putsch: A failed coup attempt by the Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler to seize power in Munich in 1923. About two thousand Nazis marched to the centre of Munich, where they confronted the police.
Rudolf Hess: a politician in Nazi Germany, appointed Deputy Führer in 1933.
Fritz Lang: an Austrian-German filmmaker, one of the best-known emigrants from Germany’s school of Expressionism and director of the ground-breaking 1927 film Metropolis (that you should definitely watch).
Thule Society: Their name based on the ancient Greek name ‘Θούλη’ that referred to a not very well specified number of areas in the north (but most importantly Iceland), the Thule Society was an occultist group founded in Germany after WWI. It sponsored the German Workers’ Party which was later reorganized by Adolf Hitler into the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP or Nazi Party).
Karl Haushofer: a German general, geographer, and politician. Through his student, Rudolf Hess, Haushofer’s ideas influenced the development of Adolf Hitler’s expansionist strategies.
Adolf Hitler: Nazi celebrity leader who even got to do a little cameo in the show.
Dietrich Eckart: Reimagined as Dietlinde Eckhart, the leader of the anime’s Thule Society, was a German journalist, playwright, poet, and politician who was one of the founders of the German Workers’ Party, a key influence in the early years of the Nazi Party and a participant in the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. He died shortly after the putsch, and was elevated during the Nazi era to the status of a major thinker and writer.

Ample use of Nazi namedropping aside, other things the Conqueror of Shamballa discusses are also discrimination against the Romani people (something not very uncommon in this day and age either) and overall lack of tolerance in every possible way via Dietlinde Eckhart who says something along the lines of ‘everyone different must die, seriously’. I also believe I saw a Ghost in the Shell reference when Edward walks in a room full of tanks.

Comments

In a nutshell: Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa is great. I enjoyed it immensely when I watched it back in the day and (believe it or not) I did so without having watched the actual series, and still loved it. There’s just something so compelling and relatable about the story and the characters that makes everything around this show irresistible.

To Shamballaaaa

Plus:

The opening scene with the Elric brothers just fooling around
Edward’s helmet in the opening scene
The opening
History fun facts
Stunning animation
Romani music
The scene where Edward is trying to use alchemy but can’t put his hands together because of the wind <3

Minus:

Eckhart’s character was evil to a superficial level
Edward left Winry waiting again ☹
Some underwhelming battles
Many events where too accurately timed (like the opening of the gate)

I hope you enjoyed this review! It really was very nostalgic to write about, but watching the Conqueror of Shamballa again after all these years made me look at it from a more mature perspective and understand it a lot better. If you haven’t watched it, you should really give it a chance, and if you have, it’s much easier to revisit, compared to the 2003 series, and give yourself some feels. See you next time with another review here on MANGA.TOKYO!