It was pretty good but Scar was mostly killing genocidal war criminals and I think he shouldn't have been made to feel bad about it.
Yeah, the story was lib and I've written pages on it's iffy politics. But, credit where it's do, it's a great story.
Scar seemed to be the only decent character in that roster but the writer does the both sides thing and portrayed him as a evil terrorist who seeks revenge.
I really like it. I've posted about my problems with it before, but in many ways - The art, the development and diversity of the characters, the magic and world building, it is really excellent storytelling. Greed is hands down my favorite depiction of a smart, functional, but still evil villain in fiction. These are his toys. he's going to take good care of them, make sure they're well maintained. And if you break one of his toys, or worse steal one of his toys, god help you because no one else will. Envy is also great as a miserable backstabbing pissant shit. A very well done Starscream/Chronic backstabbing disorder character. Gluttony's near-mindless hunger manages to be endearing enough that when he goes full nightmare mode it's horrifying. Ed and Al's ruthless idealism is cool. That scene where Armstrong and the other guy are flexing at each other and decide to be best friends is worth the run time all by itself. Little details, like Armstrong being an absolute perfectionist being shown in his alchemy not having the little greebles other people's have, while still being a relentlessly kind man, is pretty cool.
I've voiced my issues with Roy Mustang, noble war criminal, but he's a very compelling character and the way his team are written as loyal because they really believe in him as cool. Armstrong's sister is fascist fap material but she's still a lot of fun, one of the most "Step on me mommy" characters in fiction.
It's not just that it's good. It has many separate elements that are very good, and all of them come together to create an excellent whole.
Honestly fully agree and have the same issues with certain characters being fascist enablers that only become "good" because it turns out anime Hitler was a homunculus all along and working on behalf of the devil (or as close to it as can be).
I';m watching a "all homonculous deaths and, based on visual evidence, I have decided that armstrong opened the gates of truth by transmuting his own nipples somehow.
The Curtises are my favorite characters.
Autocorrect kept trying to change that to "the cuties" and it's not wrong.
Wait, it's probably Riza Hawkeye. I like a gal who can shoot.
Yes, absolutely.
And it was written by a woman, just saying
Isn't Arslan just an adaptation of a much older novel? There were like 2 adaptation for that story before that in the 80s and 90s I think.
The story is also kinda generic feudal fantasy with return return of the king concept so it's kinda boring.
I read this manga. Good god. Its just full of how genocide is bad but both sides bad. Whoa yeah the people are subjected to genocide but did you consider that the genocider probably felt slightly bad and that retaliation to genocide is just as bad. Really shitty themes and feeble understanding of history.
Just gotta not watch the YouTube vid and say no. Also, the best anime is Revolutionary Girl Utena by a long shot for me.
Also hot take, I like the 2003 version better despite being more of a mess. It was a lot more character driven for the brothers, the villains were better thematically, more Gothic, beats the shit out of Ed like the dumb 13 year kid reddit atheist he is with thermodynamics lol.
Quip, 2003 was more about brotherhood than fatherhood(fma: brotherhood), end quip. The broader and general brotherhood theme of the newer version was too saccharine for me honestly.
I liked the 2003 version too. Dante's a better villain than Father, and Shamballah is a great refutation, reconciliation, and resolution of the Elric brothers myopic pursuit of a magical solution to their crime of desecrating their mother by playing God.
Okay, now it's getting back to me. The plot points linger longer like the dead mother instead of being 'well that happened' that it ended up being in brotherhood. Scar is proven more right in his fight against the genocidal state in 2003 I think. Or somehow the 2003 version did the same thing with Scar as brotherhood despite having another massacre that is an echo of the genocide. Been awhile since I watch the 2003 version.
It's worth a slow rewatch. Dameon Clarke as voice actor for Scar is a better Scar.
Scar's last act was to save Alphonse from being transformed into combustible metal and grant the Elric brothers their wish: The Philosopher's Stone.
The last twelve episodes of the 2003 anime were really well written.Oh and the Philosopher's Stone element also was important throughout the 2003 show too. The old show was so tight and focus with the starting elements and premise besides with some stuff dragging it down, needing new characters to fill in despite it making great use of the characters we start with.
Roy's resolution in Shamballah is better than FMAB's ending for Roy. Cursed with the memories and grief of his war crimes, he commits a sort of intellectual suicide by sequestering himself in a remote snowy region as an outpost guard. (A huge step down from Brigadier General). Even his revenge against Bradley for Hughes death was done out of a sense of honor and guilt rather than genocidal fury against Envy.
While Bradley's death had more showmanship and climactic presentation in FMAB, the 2003 version is much more satisfying and vindicating of Roy and the general themes of that show with Bradley's death in that version.
The State (called Amestris in FMAB) is also dissolved from the military dictatorship under Bradley and back into a parliamentary democracy.
I didn't like the presentation that FMAB Roy's aspiration of becoming a compassionate Fuhrer as a way of resolving Amestris's issues and prefer the systemic rehabilitation of the state and nation in the 2003 version.
They're both equally good but despite having the same name and story - up to a certain point - they're completely different the way apple cider is to water with an apple slice in it is.
Really says a lot about Japan that there's no isekais about the protagonist going to a new world and becoming the King of Propane.
Why'd you want them gosh dang Japanese cartoons when we can watch some good 'ol American cartoons right here, just like me and ypur grandaddy used to do. Whaddya say Bobby?
It's pronounced mango Bobby and we make 'em here in good ol' America too
I love FMAB but it has a lot of flaws and I'd wager a lot of the people talking about it like this are viewing it with rose-colored glasses and haven't given it a proper rewatch lol
If one is = all, and that is = all, then:
One = that
All is That, That is All.
No, because it's neither JoJo's Bizarre Adventure nor Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
If you are looking for an action anime it's not too bad. It's not as good as the source material or FMA 2003 by far to me at least.
EDIT: it's because FMA:B is a show about humans vs monsters vs gods and that is about it. There is nothing more than the action of that interplay. FMA 2003 asks a question of each person in the show. "What does it mean to be human?" It even asks this question of the homunculus. It's what makes it the deeper show to me full of nuance. Plus it has one of the best duets made in anime history. I can't read those lyrics without crying.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Uh nah, definitely not. I was just thinking yesterday about how mid it is until the arc in the snow when Ed and Al are separated. The first couple seasons have weird pacing and storylines that just kinda end, like Al wondering if Ed made him. It also feels pretty aimless for a while after the brothers find out the truth about Bradley but just can't do anything about it, so they just go back to doing what they were doing beforehand.
I do really, really like basically everything that happens for most of seasons 3-5, from when Ed and Al get separated in the snow right up until the solar eclipse in the finale. The characters really come into their own, especially Marco and Greed, and the fight against Pride in the forest is the best in the series. The final battle has a lot of really good bits, like both of Bradley's fights and Mustang killing Envy. But all the stuff with Father kinda feels weird and unsatisfactying imo. The other villains, especially Envy, Bradley and Pride, are really enjoyable and get a lot of screen time, but Father isn't that interesting in comparison. He's just this weird alien-looking mf who vores Hoheneim, then fails to eat the moon or something because Hoheneim beat him offscreen. Then the final fight is like 100 people just standing around and watching as Ed smacks an old man around. It's not great for the tension of a fight. It's a good show but not the best
It's alright. I thought it was more accessible FMA2003 and the message of solidarity vs hyper-individualism (represented by the little demon guy) lands pretty well, I think. But also I haven't watched it in ages.
