is a 2005 Japanese animated science fantasy action film directed by Seiji Mizushima and written by Sho Aikawa.Hirakida, Daisuke et al. "Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa." Newtype USA 5 (11) 58–59. November 2006. The film is a direct sequel and conclusion to the original Fullmetal Alchemist television series which loosely adapted from the original manga series of the same name by Hiromu Arakawa and published by Square Enix. Conqueror of Shamballa follows the story of alchemist Edward Elric as he attempts to return to his homeworld, having lived for two years in a parallel universe, while his younger brother Alphonse is also trying to reunite with him by any means necessary. Edward's search attracts the attention of the Thule Society, which seeks to enter his homeworld, believing it to be Shamballa, to obtain new weapons to help them in World War II.
Conqueror of Shamballa premiered in Japan on July 23, 2005. A CD soundtrack has also been published featuring music from the film developed by Michiru Oshima and L'Arc-en-Ciel. In Japan, it has been edited in a standard DVD, as well as in a limited edition. It was later licensed in North America by Funimation that featured the film in cinemas for a short time, and also released it on DVD and Blu-ray.
Most of the staff from the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime started development on Conqueror of Shamballa shortly after the anime's ending. The original script had to be shortened to fit the film's length of 105 minutes. During its premiere in Japan, Conqueror of Shamballa remained as one of the most popular films in the year. Critical reaction to the film has commonly been positive, with reviews praising the film's story and animation.
Plot
After Edward Elric recovers his arm and his brother Alphonse's body, Edward is dragged from his homeworld through the Gate of Alchemy—the source of alchemical energy—to a parallel world of Earth in 1923. The world is fundamentally governed by the laws of modern science instead of alchemy. When Edward arrives there, he discovers that he has been stripped of his alchemical powers and his newly restored arm and leg.
Two years later, in Munich, Germany, Edward researches rocketry with his friend Alfons Heiderich, a young man who resembles Alphonse, in the hopes of returning to his world. Edward rescues a persecuted Romani woman named Noah from being sold. Noah, who resembles Ed's friend Rosé, is taken in by Edward to live with him and Alfons, and begins having visions concerning Edward's life in his world. The next day, Edward meets Fritz Lang, a Jewish film director resembling King Bradley, who persuades Edward into helping him hunt down a dragon he has been seeking for inspiration for his next film. The dragon, which turns out to be homunculus Envy, attacks Edward, but is then weakened and captured by members of the Thule Society.
The Thule Society, led by Karl Haushofer and Dietlinde Eckhart, use Envy and Edward's kidnapped father Hohenheim as catalysts to open a portal to Edward's world, believing it to be the utopia Shamballa after learning about it from Hohenheim. A number of armored soldiers are sent through the portal, only to emerge on the other side in the city of Liore as mutated zombie-like creatures. Alphonse, who is visiting Liore, fights off the armored soldiers and merges parts of his soul to three of their suits to aid him in combat. Meanwhile, Edward breaks into the Thule Society headquarters and accidentally reopens the portal, returning the dead armored soldiers to Earth and allowing Alphonse's armored form to briefly reunite with his brother before his soul returns to his body, increasing Edward's determination to return to his world.
Alphonse is guided by the homunculus Wrath to the underground city beneath Amestris' Central City to reopen the Gate of Alchemy. There, they are attacked by the homunculus Gluttony, who fights and mortally wounds Wrath. At Wrath's insistence, Alphonse transmutes and sacrifices the two homunculi to use as material to open the Gate. Meanwhile, in Munich, the Thule Society persuades Noah into guiding them on how to correctly open the Gate based on what she had learned from reading Edward's mind. Edward learns from Lang that the Thule Society plans to use the weapons from his world to help Adolf Hitler in his attempt to start a revolution, and heads to stop them. Hohenheim and Envy are both transmuted at the same time that Alphonse transmutes Gluttony and Wrath. With the Gate opened, Eckhart leads a fleet into the other world, where she gains the ability to use alchemy. However, she begins to go mad with power and fear of her new surroundings and launches an attack on Central City. Alfons launches Edward in a rocket-powered plane to return him to his world before being gunned down.
Edward appears in his world, reunited with Alphonse and their friend Winry Rockbell, who fits Edward with new automail limbs. The Amestris military manages to stop most of Eckhart's soldiers with the help of Roy Mustang. Edward battles Eckhart before Alphonse transmutes parts of his soul to a group of armors, which have her surrounded as her fate by them are unknown. Upon reappearing in her own world, Eckhart is covered with shadow creatures from the Gate and killed by an officer, resembling Mustang's friend, Maes Hughes, out of alarm of her new, monstrous appearance. Understanding the danger posed by the connection between the two worlds, Edward returns to Earth to seal the Gate on the other side, knowing he will be trapped there forever. Instead of sealing the Gate on the other world's side as per Edward's request, however, Alphonse has Mustang seal the Gate and follows Edward to remain with his brother. Following Alfons' funeral, the Elric brothers leave Munich after parting ways with Noah, intending to destroy the weapons meant to be used in Hitler's attack and make their new home a safer place.
New characters
A young German rocket scientist who Edward befriends some time after arriving in Munich. He is similar in name and appearance to Edward's brother, Alphonse. He is easygoing and enjoys listening to Edward's stories of his homeworld, and while he doubts whether or not they are true and is hurt by how distant Edward behaves, he is nonetheless supportive of his efforts. He suffers from a fatal lung disease and hopes to make a difference for the world before he dies. His wish is granted when he helps Edward return to his world through the opened Gate on a rocket before he is fatally shot by Rudolf Hess of the Thule Society.
A member of the Thule Society and the main antagonist of the film who is based loosely on real-life Thule Society member Dietrich Eckart. She is an ambitious young woman who desires to open the gate to Edward's world, believing it to be the utopia "Shamballa", so that she may harness the powers and weapons of that world and overthrow Hitler in contrast to her organization's goal to support the Nazi Party. Upon seizing leadership of the Thule Society and entering the other world, however, her lust for power and shallow understanding of alchemy cause her to gradually go mad with fear of her new surroundings and try to destroy Amestris' capital of Central City. When she is forced back into her world, she is covered with shadow creatures from the Gate of Truth and takes on a fearsome appearance, leading her to be shot to death by an officer resembling Maes Hughes.
A young traveling Romani girl who Edward saves from being sold to the Thule Society. On the surface, she is proud of her heritage and lifestyle, but is unable to bear being discriminated for it. She has the ability to read the minds of others, and becomes fascinated with Edward's world after witnessing his memories of it. Believing she wouldn't be discriminated against in Edward's world, Noah assists the Thule Society in opening the Gate based on information from Edward's memories, but relents once Edward points out that his home is no utopia. She parts ways with the Elric brothers by the end of the film to be amongst her people.Mizushima, Seiji. "Dear... ~A Letter From the Other Side of the Gate~" Animedia October 2005.Mizushima, Seiji. "Japanese Actor commentary" Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie - The Conqueror of Shamballa Special Edition. Noah is also similar in appearance to Rose, a character from the original anime.
Several historic figures appear in supporting roles including Fritz Lang (physically based on King Bradley), Rudolf Hess, Karl Haushofer, and Adolf Hitler. The Earth counterparts of Maes Hughes and his wife Gracia appear in supporting roles, along with cameos from other characters.
Production Production of the film began shortly after the television series finishing its original broadcasting on Japanese channels, although pre-production started during the show's run in March 2004. The film's production was led by director Seiji Mizushima, who also had directed the series as well. Mizushima allowed a camera crew and interviewers into the show's conference room at the Bones studios where he described how production went, as seen in a special feature on the DVD release of the film. The conference room was filled with every cut and drawing created for the show and movie, but it was eventually cleared out to make room for other projects.
The original draft of the film's script was written by Sho Aikawa at a hundred pages long, making the film over three hours long. Mizushima and others had to cut a third of the script's scenes out in order to make the film an appropriate length. Some scenes and characters were removed from the final cut, including a character named Steiner who could see auras, having a role similar to Noah's. A scene which was cut involved characters Roy Mustang and Winry Rockbell meeting in front of the late Maes Hughes' grave. By October 2004, the script was completed and the pre-check storyboards were produced. The pre-check storyboards showed the movements of objects and characters in each shot along with the characters' lines. Production on the proper storyboards began in November of the same year, but the schedule in producing the film was immensely busy, so the directors of the film split the storyboards into six sections, one for each of the directors to create.
The opening and ending scenes were drawn by Mizushima; the scene involving the debut of the film's villain was drawn by Soichi Masui; the middle section of the film was drawn by Shingo Kaneko; Edward Elric's return to his homeworld was drawn by Masahiro Ando; action scenes were drawn by Shinji Aramaki; and the battle between Wrath and Gluttony was drawn by Yutaka Nakamura. Mizushima was repeatedly harassed by the head employees at Aniplex to speed up work on the storyboards. The artwork for the film was produced once Kaneko was finished and cel-animation was used to produce several characters or items in the film. Seven hundred of the film's animated frames had to be redone with only two weeks to the film's release.
A trailer was produced for the film in December 2004 with Romi Park, the voice actor for Edward Elric, narrating it. Three posters were produced for the film, two teaser posters and a third for the release of the film. A "Fullmetal Festival" was held on December 26, 2004, to celebrate the show and film. Most of the directors finished their assigned storyboards by February 2005 except Shingo Kaneko, who was taking longest due to the general slow process, but his storyboards were nevertheless impressive.
Music