(no subject)
Aug. 5th, 2009 10:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsI think I am approximately the last anime-watching person in the world to discover the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise? Um. (To be fair, my anime-watching credentials are still sort of low; by my count I have only seen about five all the way through.)
Anyway: I have discovered the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise! Specifically, the new series that is currently airing and which is up to I think episode 18. And I am liking it way more than I expected - not that I expected to dislike it, but I think I had sort of subconsciously associated it with Supernatural in my head as far as the "tragic brothers are focused on each other ABOVE ALL ELSE" subgenre goes. I don't say this to bash on Supernatural, it's just that that kind of intense focus on two dudes often doesn't do very much for me, however objectively awesome said dudes may be.
But as it turns out, FMA has an ensemble cast! An awesome one! I mean, not that I don't love Ed and Al, because I do, and kind of want to give Al especially giant armor-plated hugs, but I love them more because they are surrounded by people who are equally awesome.
Queen of the awesome: IZUMI. "Who are you?!?" "JUST A PASSING HOUSEWIFE!"
Yeah.
(But more seriously, how awesome is it that she completely embodies the Terrifying Hardass Teacher archetype while also being very happily married and chronically ill? I feel that is not a combination that appears very often in fiction, and it makes me really happy.)
I also really like Hawkeye and Mustang and Hughes and every confused soldier who is in over their heads (Maria Ross! <3). I am a total sucker for the plotline that follows a set of mostly decent and ordinary people who are involved in an inherently corrupt organization, and while, as I said, I love Ed and Al, I think I am even more interested in everything that's going on with the military and the overarching conspiracies. I also generally really like the tone the series strikes. I love it when you get humor and apparent lightheartedness overlaying really dark and creepy themes, and while I wasn't sure about the balance at the beginning, at this point it is really hitting the right notes for me. (I can pinpoint the exact episode which hooked me, which was the one with Nina and the dog. MAN and OW.)
I have no knowledge of the old series or the manga - I vaguely remember hearing that the original series is good but less awesome to its ladies, and has a controversial ending. (And is also very long.) I am sort of inclined to wait until the new series finishes to go back and investigate it; I am more interested in trying the manga, although I understand it is also quite long and not yet finished! If anyone has opinions here I would welcome them.
(Slightly embarrassing trufax: I have read a lot of descriptions of manga, but the only manga series I have actually read all the way through is, um, Angel Sanctuary. Which is - maybe not so much representative. Maybe.)
Anyway: I have discovered the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise! Specifically, the new series that is currently airing and which is up to I think episode 18. And I am liking it way more than I expected - not that I expected to dislike it, but I think I had sort of subconsciously associated it with Supernatural in my head as far as the "tragic brothers are focused on each other ABOVE ALL ELSE" subgenre goes. I don't say this to bash on Supernatural, it's just that that kind of intense focus on two dudes often doesn't do very much for me, however objectively awesome said dudes may be.
But as it turns out, FMA has an ensemble cast! An awesome one! I mean, not that I don't love Ed and Al, because I do, and kind of want to give Al especially giant armor-plated hugs, but I love them more because they are surrounded by people who are equally awesome.
Queen of the awesome: IZUMI. "Who are you?!?" "JUST A PASSING HOUSEWIFE!"
Yeah.
(But more seriously, how awesome is it that she completely embodies the Terrifying Hardass Teacher archetype while also being very happily married and chronically ill? I feel that is not a combination that appears very often in fiction, and it makes me really happy.)
I also really like Hawkeye and Mustang and Hughes and every confused soldier who is in over their heads (Maria Ross! <3). I am a total sucker for the plotline that follows a set of mostly decent and ordinary people who are involved in an inherently corrupt organization, and while, as I said, I love Ed and Al, I think I am even more interested in everything that's going on with the military and the overarching conspiracies. I also generally really like the tone the series strikes. I love it when you get humor and apparent lightheartedness overlaying really dark and creepy themes, and while I wasn't sure about the balance at the beginning, at this point it is really hitting the right notes for me. (I can pinpoint the exact episode which hooked me, which was the one with Nina and the dog. MAN and OW.)
I have no knowledge of the old series or the manga - I vaguely remember hearing that the original series is good but less awesome to its ladies, and has a controversial ending. (And is also very long.) I am sort of inclined to wait until the new series finishes to go back and investigate it; I am more interested in trying the manga, although I understand it is also quite long and not yet finished! If anyone has opinions here I would welcome them.
(Slightly embarrassing trufax: I have read a lot of descriptions of manga, but the only manga series I have actually read all the way through is, um, Angel Sanctuary. Which is - maybe not so much representative. Maybe.)
no subject
Date: 2009-08-05 04:01 pm (UTC). . . @_@ that is a lot of chapters to request from the library . . . .
I remember seeing internet rumors that it is due to end soon though! If it actually does, perhaps that will be the time when I will start it. Since a guarantee of an actual ending is kind of a nice thing to have.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-05 04:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-05 06:00 pm (UTC)