Tag: fma

So I took your word for it and got into FMA, read all 27 volumes in like the past couple days and where do I even begin, it’s so fucking amazing. It’s such a complex series with wonderful characters, the Alchemy and Christianity lore only added on to that since they’re both interesting concepts that intertwined with the whole religion vs. science aspect. Who are your favorite characters? I think I loved just about everyone from Xing tremendously, Greed/Lin is so great.

OH MY GOD YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I’m so happy to hear this!!! Also if you like anime adaptations FMA: Brotherhood follows the manga really well and it’s my all time favorite anime. The lore is excellent, and it’s such a beautiful, hopeful story.

GREED and LING are my favorites too!! Troubled murder child. How could I resist? I also really loved Roy and Riza and their whole relationship, but also their characters as individuals. 

So sell me on FMA? I’ve heard countless remarks about how wonderful it was but I somewhat wrote it off as another shonen. It’s 2018 and I have yet to read nor watch FMA, sigh I’m despicable. One of the real reasons I’ve avoided it was because of one of the backstory episodes I think… Basically I was really fucking little and saw the horror that was Edward’s mom becoming an eldritch abomination while he bled all over the place, kinda traumatized me for awhile.

*Rolls up sleeves* allllll riiiiiight. XD

So FMA is a shonen, yeah, and I think it’s pretty iconic in shonen anime/manga. That being said, it’s a beautiful story and a fun one too–it balances some very heavy themes with some humor, and it doesn’t feel uneven or like it’s trying too hard. It’s also genuinely touching in terms of its themes of redemption and hope and reconciliation, and despite being shonen its answers aren’t easy-peasy or cheap. Compassion is also a major theme that’s never cheapened or looked down upon. 

The characters are really well done, and in particular I like how they depict the female characters like Winry, Mei Chang, Riza Hawkeye, and Olivier Armstrong. They’re strong and multi-faceted, and easy to like and root for while not being perfect angels. 

The antagonists. Oh, the antagonists. They are so. well. done. They’re highly complex and the lines between good and evil are not so simply drawn, especially seen in the character(s) of Ling/Greed, and also Envy. They’re sympathetic, and yet at the same time we’re dealing with themes of, like, genocide, and the story doesn’t cheapen that while still letting you feel for the villains.

As for the traumatizing aspect… yeah. So like that’s mostly in the first few episodes; I actually almost quit the series after either episode 5 or 6 wherein a child is subjected to a cruel, sickening experiment and dies. It’s not graphic, but it does get the point across, and the themes do resonate throughout the entire series, so I wouldn’t call it gratuitous in any means, but as I’ve said the deaths of children is something I don’t handle well. But honestly I think the first few episodes are the worst when it comes to that, and then it gets way better and isn’t as dark or terrible as the first few episodes almost convinced me it would be. 

It’s a story about hope, at the end, I feel, and kindness and love and family triumphing over despair and cruelty and utilitarianism. 

Hello there! I’ve seen that one of your main fandoms is Fullmetal Alchemist, but I haven’t seen you talk about it yet…What’s your opinion on the series, and who are your favorite characters and why?

I LOVE IT. 

No, but seriously, it’s so well done and enjoyable. Brotherhood is a great adaptation (I haven’t watched the first anime series). 

The characters are great. My favorites are Ling and Greed I’m guessing no one is surprised in the least by that and also Roy and Riza (Royai is the OTP obviously how can anyone not love them; I also like Edwin, Al/Mei, and Lingfan). Roy and Riza both have complex arcs that work really well within the series as a whole. I also really enjoyed Envy as a character–he was pretty complex.