Forum - View topicFullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (TV) (w/ index).
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Maidenoftheredhand
 Posts: 2633 |
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I disagree about the Xing characters, because while they have their strengths, they also have their weaknesses. And that is true for most of the characters. I also think being the best fighter in the series is not as important as people make it out to be (not that I think the Xing characters are the best.) Besides it's not just the Xing characters who come in and help save the day. Arakawa is fond of those type of entrances and scene stealing moments for all the characters.
As for the differences in the types of alchemy Minor Spoiler spoiler[Well that is obviously a plot point and not just to show oh look we have better alchemy. You have to keep in mind where the differences in alchemy came from. I won't say but it should be pretty obvious if you pay attention to the clues.] Anyways I am also really upset at how they are changing the order and events around for the next couple episodes. spoiler[Not only are they revealing that Maria is alive too soon, I also don't like that they are having Maria tell Ed & Al what happened to Hughes. In the manga they find out in an impersonal way through the newspaper because no one has the guts to tell them. I think having Maria tell them misses the intent of the scene.] |
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
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I've always felt like the Xingese were just a little out of place in Fullmetal Alchemist. They're more like souped up Naruto characters to me, and Naruto is mindless action, whereas FMA is dramatic and a bit more mature and complex than the average shonen manga, even though it includes the sort of "plot device action" you see in some others. At least they'll bring some interesting combat in later on when the homunculi come out to play.
For some reason, I didn't believe the Joliot Comanche fight as much as I did in the manga. I guess animated, I can see right away how silly it was. The guy's spinning around like a top, like something in a lesser shonen title. Come on, I can only suspend my belief so much during an action sequence. At least he died right away. I guess they put this earlier on in the show than in the manga because they wanted to keep Scar relevant, the same with him meeting May so soon. Another thing that bothered me is that, especially during the fight with Edward and Ranfan, the music was so inappropriate for a fight scene. It felt like that piece should be used during dramatic revelations or in the background at the end of the program when a character is about to go do something dangerous or evil. It's really not "fight music". And it wouldn't kill Bones to ask for a new piece of music now and then from the person in charge of the music. What I did like was the little geography lesson we got, which really helped establish the world of FMA. If the Xingese characters do one thing right, it's helping to expand the world the story takes place in. That was an issue with the first series, that everything felt so isolated, you only ever got a reference to another country once, and I don't think anyone ever even said "Amestris" once when referring to the country it was taking place in. This is where Arakawa's work shines, in establishing a setting. I welcome the new voices to the mix. I thought they all fit well. Mr. Garfiel even sounded like I expected. |
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RhymesWithEmpty
 Posts: 208 |
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I can understand the argument for the Xingese characters being a little too Naruto-ish for FMA, but I think the main problem with them is just that they fall straight into the main plot just a little too quickly, and it just kind of seems a little hokey for Ed and Al to bump into this character from a country on the other side of this huge desert who just also happen to be searching for the philosopher's stone. I do, however, think Ling and company pan out well enough later on. May Chang, well...my opinion on her has yet to change.
The silver alchemist bit was a bit ridiculous, but I'd already found it to be pretty absurd in the manga, so it wasn't really a deal breaker for me here. They tied it in with May nicely, I guess, and that was probably the most use they were ever going to get out of that scene anyways. I definitely agree that the music was off in this episode. Thought it was off in a few places, really. And this is hardly the first time this issue has come up, imo. I really don't get it - the music, by all means, is very good...they're just using it poorly. It's like they can't make up their mind - they're either cramming comedy into serious scenes(although that has gotten better, I'll admit) or using serious/dramatic music for all kinds of scenes that don't call for it, and it all just comes off as being poorly thought out. I did get a good chuckle out of the part where Ling hightails it out of taking responsibility for the damage done to the city, being all "I-no-speak-your-language-so-much, sayonara!"  And I did like Ling's VA. Mr. Garfiel sounded good, too, but I kind of expected him to provide a little more background comedy, rather than just sitting around sipping tea for the most part, heh. I don't know, silly complaint, just something that struck me while I was watching.
Overall, this episode was basically just an introductory episode for the Xing characters, so I guess it works to that end, but otherwise, I wasn't head over heals for it. It had its moments, but it also had its problems. I'm just glad we're finally getting into the new material. |
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Westlo
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Personally think the music in Brotherhood overall is very strong but I do agree they're using it wrong. Looks like the composer has delivered the goods but whoever is the music producer is dropping the ball. Nothing a composer can do about that.. iirc someone asked Kajiura about why Noir used "that" song so much and she said the producer must've liked it, it was up to him. |
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Dune
Posts: 223 |
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It's only a matter of time before someone photoshops Hokage Mountain behind Ran Fan.
The new opening has some nice, very fluid animation going for it. I enjoyed the visual homage to cover #9 with Mustang's men. Afterwards it becomes almost a little too Yu-gi-oh with everyone's coats waving in the wind, but the sequence of Ed glancing at his watch, then departing with Al upon a road and ending with a pan up to the sun is an explicit tip of the hat to the previous show. I appreciate that reference. The song's ok, but it doesn't fit the visuals all that well; if you play the previous song to this new opening, it still fits a little better IMO. The episode itself had its ups and downs, but overall I was satisfied with it. I generally don't mind leaving out portions of the manga if in exchange I get a well-rounded story that can stand on its own legs, and I think it was accomplished better here than in previous episodes. For example, using the two appearances of Scar as bookends- little stuff like that goes a long way. As expected, Ling comes across as pretty charming- his actor does a good job. To be honest I much prefer how the Xingese are introduced in Brotherhood rather than in the manga, in which May's appearance/involvement and Ling's backstory are unnecessarily drawn out. Here, we learn just enough about these characters and their motivations to ready us for their involvement in the future. Since the next arc IMO is the best arc in the series, I hope BONES does it justice.
Amestris is named in the movie. To be fair, the country's identity was intentionally kept ambiguous throughout the show to keep audiences guessing about the nature of Ed's world (which, along with the real-life photographs from Ed's flashback and the mention of Christ, provided the clues leading up to Ed's revelation at the Gate). [/nitpicking] |
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RhymesWithEmpty
Posts: 208 |
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Yes, only a matter of time 
Yeah, I like the references in the new opening, and the bit where Breda has a hotdog hanging out of his mouth amuses me, but I think the other opening was more dynamic. This one is still nice, though.
I agree, the the country's "identity" was definitely kept ambiguous the 1st time around, and I think that worked to their advantage in that it kept us guessing, and it also made it seem a little more like this giant, imposing, mysterious identity. If we had gotten a look at that giant map that popped up while they were talking about Xing and the desert and Drachma and all that, well, Amestris was pretty tiny in comparison to everything else, and I think that would've diminished the whole sense of power and mystery behind it. Here, on the other hand, it's going to play into the plot, so everything works out in the long run. The 1st series was more concise with its plot/storytelling, which I liked, and they really didn't need all of this (well, to them)extraneous information. I guess it couldn't have hurt to have said "Amestris" a few more times, though. |
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penguintruth
Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
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Amestris looks like a cookie with a bite taken out of it in the middle of a group of blobs.
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silver_omicron
Posts: 132 |
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Double post.
Last edited by silver_omicron on Sun Jul 19, 2009 11:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
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silver_omicron
Posts: 132 |
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I am somewhere between livid and intrigued at this anime now.
My heart is with the original anime of FMA. I really enjoyed that series and have to rank it as one of my top five, hands down. It had weaknesses—and many become apparent when you watch Brotherhood—but overall, I found it strong and engaging. Brotherhood is both strong and engaging, but the fact that something just like it came before almost forces one to compare the two. I was a little perturbed at some of the things it was condensing (the death of Trisha Elric, anyone?) but overall... it is a fun series. But now it's becoming so different, that it's strange to keep on watching it. What the hell is Xing? and why should I care? All of these new plot points are really quite juxtaposed to the original straight-forwardness of the original FMA anime. I like how there were only a few major elements in FMA that one could meditate on for the entire series. In this one, however, that isn't the case. I just feel like there's a lot going on that just seems a little superfluous (key difference). I find it much funnier than the original, mind you, but that's about it. |
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Maidenoftheredhand
Posts: 2633 |
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I love how people complained that Brotherhood was too similar to the first series. And now there are complaints that the series is too different.
Well Silver Omicron, Brotherhood is a closer adaption (closer not exact being the important word) of the original Fullmetal Alchemist manga. The 1st anime (whether one loves it or not) is what really changed things. I know some people on here don't like the Xingese characters. But I personally adore them and I can tell you based on character polls that the Xingese characters are very popular in the fandom (at least Lan Fan and Ling). Why don't you watch and see why that is. It's ridiculous to think you are going to understand the purpose for things as soon as they are introduced. If anything I can tell you while episode 15 might have just seemed like a silly side story there was a lot of foreshadowing to later events. And in my opinion the fact that the FMA world is so fleshed out in the manga storyline is what makes it so special. |
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silver_omicron
Posts: 132 |
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I did not read the manga and have no desire to. |
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Maidenoftheredhand
Posts: 2633 |
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Nothing in my post states that you should or should not read the manga. Brotherhood is following the original manga storyline whether you like it or not. What would be the point of making this new series if it was exactly the same as the first series except for more humor (as you said). I am sorry just after weeks of seeing people complain that Brotherhood was just a remake of the 1st series and added nothing new to the table. As soon as it does add something new to the table someone complains that Brotherhood is too different from the 1st series. Well of course it is different from the 1st series. That is the point. I also don't understand why you would expect to understand the point of a new plot element (like the Xing characters) after only one episode. |
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silver_omicron
Posts: 132 |
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You didn't recommend that I read the manga, no, but responding that this anime more closely follows the manga doesn't exactly respond specifically to my original comments. Regardless: This being closer to the manga doesn't account for its quality—good or bad. I also don't mind Brotherhood being different, but in my mind... well a remake retells something. It doesn't rewrite it. That's my definition, at least. I don't think mine should be standard. So I expected to watch this new anime that centers around Ametris, but the scope is widening. Which in my mind trivializes the entire concept. The (original) series discusses questions like: The value of life, the composition of life, and the possibility of spoiler[multiverse.]. But the introduction of the country Xing widens the scope and makes it feel a little hackneyed. Furthermore: I know that I've only seen up to Ep. 15, true, but it's been a journey of mixed feelings thus far. What I do acknowledge, as I said before, is that it's funnier and more action packaged. But in comparison to the original anime: I think the original was more believable up until this point. EDIT: The series isn't a remake, either. Poor wording. It's a whole new entity. But in the mind of someone who has never read the mange, it seems like a remake. |
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Maidenoftheredhand
Posts: 2633 |
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First of all I never said because Brotherhood follows the manga storyline it is better than the 1st series. Now personally I do think the manga storyline is 100 times better than the 1st series. A lot of people will agree with me, however just as many people will disagree. It's a thing called difference of opinion. As for everything else you said well lets state some facts. Brotherhood did not rewrite anything. Your favorite first FMA series is what rewrote the FMA storyline. I hate to break this to you. But the manga storyline (which Brotherhood is following) came before the first series. So if anything the first FMA series is the one that changed the concept of FMA as the original creator intended. You are free to like that concept better but let's get our facts straight. edit: On another note I will take Xing and all the other countries of the FMA world to the real world being somehow connected to FMA in the first anime. |
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silver_omicron
Posts: 132 |
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Read the edit please. |
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