(no subject)

[skygiants]

I have not had all that much time to read things online recently, but I am still sloooowly reading my way through the FMA manga!



Chapter 26: To the Master

- I like that Izumi actually has a doctor, considering her massive internal injuries.
- hee, I can sympathize with Ed here. "I WILL MAKE UP MY ESSAY ON THE WAY"
- I feel like TVtropes would call this dude Scar's "Well Done Son Guy."
- Scar always looks so tall in the anime - it's interesting that he's shorter than the thugs here
- so what was Well Done Son Guy just doing throughout this whole scene while Scar beats everyone up? Just chilling?
- COOL, COOL GLASSES (Scar is dangeresque)
- AL DISAPPROVES OF YOUR LITTERING
- STRANGER DANGER, AL
- Al's plans are the SANEST plans. Al, why is no one trying to recruit you into joining the military? You would be way better at it!
- HAHA AL'S INNARDS ARE UNEXPECTEDLY COMFORTABLE
- yes Al, you are right, that is a creepy personal space invasion! (Also: HILARIOUS)


Chapter 27: Beasts of Dublith

- Kidnapped Al looks so forlorn!
- "blown in half with a landmine" = 2 more severed limbs! Bringing our tally up to - okay, 6 for the Elrics in total, 2 for Bunny, 1 for Scar, 1 for Scar's brother, 1 for that dude that Ed arm-wrestles in Rush Valley, and 2 for snake girl. 13 SO FAR
- Greed: "LET'S BE FRIENDS!" Al: "NO!"
- it totally makes sense that gossip would be spreading all over about Al by this point. There is no way they can really keep his hollow body secret for long
- Greed/Veruca Salt OTP! "I WANT IT NOW!"
- hahaha okay I love this translator. "LAME,"says Al.
- between the pimp sunglasses and the bitching about how inelegantly his head was chopped up, I am beginning to think Greed might be better off named Vanity
- I kind of love Greed's gang trying to cheer up Al about his imaginary dead brother
- I also love Arakawa, for having her military state include annoying bureaucratic paperwork
- . . . which can then be dismissed in two seconds by Fuhrer King Czar President Dictator Bradley, admittedly
- Izumi: MORE BADASS THAN AN ENTIRE ARMY, it is so true
- Izumi got all dressed up to go heroic rescuing! That's kind of adorable. Or maybe she thinks that you just get dressed up to go to a bar even if you are only going to beat up everyone there
- as a sidenote, I would watch "Izumi Curtis Beats Up Everyone" IN A HEARTBEAT
- HAHAHAHAHA CURTISES <33333333333 FLIRTING WHILE BEATING EVERYONE ELSE UP IS THE BEST KIND OF FLIRTING
- AND EVEN VOMITING BLOOD CONTRIBUTES TO IZUMI'S BADASSERY
- "IT'S HERE, THE TERROR!" THERE IS ONE THING AL IS AFRAID OF OMG I AM SORRY I CANNOT TURN OFF MY ALLCAPS, IZUMI IS JUST THAT AWESOME


Chapter 28: Courage of a Coarse Guy (really? that seems a weird translation)

- look, it is very simple. You tell Izumi no; Izumi punches you in the FACE.
- oh Al, don't be silly. Skinned knuckles cannot stop a woman who has LOST HALF HER INTERNAL ORGANS
- HAHAHAHA MR. IZUMI IS TRAPPED BY FANGIRLS *_*
- "I WON'T HESITATE TO OBLITERATE EVERYTHING HERE" Izumi I cannot express in words how much I love you
- hmmm, Izumi actually going to fetch Ed is a change - probably because they did not want to deal with the whole "state alchemist testing" mini-subplot
- . . . King Bradley should wear hilarious Hawaiian shirts and ridiculous tiny hats ALL THE TIME
- HE WANTS TO BRIBE IZUMI WITH WATERMELON. When he is this hilarious I can almost forget he is evil!
- . . . is Armstrong trying to seduce Mr. Izumi???
- . . . Armstrong and Mr. Izumi as shirtless sparkly BFFs is a TERRIFYING prospect
- "It's not like I'm gonna get killed! :D? :D?" is NOT the right way to appease responsible adults
- Greed is all "noooooo don't behead me on the carpets!"
- wow, Ed, way to get up on your high horse. Your moral high ground: NOT SO HIGH, KID
- poor Al is just like "omg Ed you're embarassing meeeee"
- how long HAS Martel been hanging out inside Al by now?
- Ed's tiny stubbornface is kind of hilarious
- "This is gonna make me ugly so I didn't want to let you see it?" Vanity, seriously.
- awww, King Bradley changed out of his shirt :(


Chapter 29: Eye of the King

- I am slightly confused by the cover with the sheep . . .
- not that the panels of almost-dead Ed aren't effective, but, uh, they would be more effective if we did not get panels like that ALL THE TIME
- "my mechanic sure is incredible" - yay Winry appreciation
- you know, for as much as he complains, Greed kind of lucked out when it came to hideous Homunculi forms. I mean - he could have been Envy!
- . . . Armstrong's technique is turning his opponents' weapons into miniature statues of himself?
- in bull form this dude bears an uncanny resemblance to Hellboy
- Fuhrer King Czar President Dictator Bradley does not approve of your compassion, Armstrong :(
- "this is why you haven't been promoted" - OH BURN
- "I'm still hard" is possibly an unfortunate translation
- Ed gains an edge with ~*~SCIENCE~*~
- turning 60? wait, didn't he say he's over 200 earlier? - OH WAIT it's King Bradley who's 60, not Greed, got it
- I am sorry, "The Ultimate Eye" just does not sound as awesome as "The Ultimate Sheild" or "The Ultimate Spear"


Chapter 30: Inside the Armor, the Hidden Truth

- which one is beyond human power? ALL OF THEM!
- so . . . the chimerae have semi-regenerative abilities? Or are just super strong?
- I think if it were someone else, I would think Al trying to protect Martel was annoying, but because it's Al I think it's sweet
- but it still seriously sucks for Martel. :( :( :( Those two pages of her begging to get out really get me
- I guess it is up for interpretation how much Greed does care about his gang; my own is that he doth protest too much when he says he doesn't, which seems to foreshadow Bradley and his family. Then again, I don't know what's up with them yet, either
- how many swords does Bradley HAVE?
- and this would be Martel's Crowning Moment of Badass, right on cue before her crowning moment of dead :(
- also, Al's crowning moment of TRAUMA - having someone die inside you has got to be seriously disturbing!
- I am kind of sad that the different timing means that Izumi did not actually get to be involved IN this battle like she did in the anime
- the phrase Bradley uses is "harm to the military", of course, not "harm to the country"
- Ed asks good questions!
- "I finally got a day off, but I ended up using it up grocery shopping" - oh Riza, HOW I SYMPATHIZE
- dang, Barry would be sketchy even if he WEREN'T a serial killer. Fortunately, Riza is also MADE OF SOLID BADASS.
- d'awwww, the picture of tiny Mustang! *ruffles his way-too-slicked-back hair*


Chapter 31: The Serpent That Devours Its Own Tail

- hahaha Barry is jeeeealous of Mustang! Meanwhile, Mustang WILL FLAME HIM for harassing Riza!
- hmmmmm, year 09, year 10? I wonder what they are dating from
- I am not sure Riza is thrilled about Mustang's promise not to get rid of Barry
- I like that Hughes is going to continue to be a presence, clearly throughout the series
- aw, I like Falman! Shame the hilariously crap job gets dumped on him
- I also like Falman's constant stunned face of >:O!!!!!!!
- OH LOOK A GIANT CROSS. YAY FOR SUBTLE SYMBOLISM
- this reveal would probably be epic if I did not already know it from the anime
- "CHILDREN, CHILDREN"
- do we ever find out why Greed v. 1.0 is so rebellious?
- . . . no wonder I like Greed. He goes out in my textbook favorite unrepentant fashion. Also, the whole drink thing is WAY CREEPY
- oh, and here we are setting up Selim's adoration of Edward! I had forgotten this was foreshadowed


Chapter 32: Envoy of the East

- huh. I always get startled by pages that show the world looking very industrial - I always forget that their level of technology is really pretty high
- okay, yes, I am a total sucker and I think Xiao May is adooooorable. BUT SHE'S SO TINY I CAN'T HELP IT *_*
- I am also a sucker for girls throwing many sharp knives. I approve of this Heroic May Chen Introduction!
- OH HEY THESE ARE THE SAME COAL MINERS FROM THAT STORY WITH ED. Okay, so sometimes I am slow.
- HAHAHA THAT IS HOW MAY CHEN FOUND OUT ABOUT ED. "GOLDEN HAIR AND EYES AND HIS AURA STOOD OUT." Man, those coal miners sound like they're talking up Edward Cullen. I do not blame May Chen for crushing, they are practically writing her a romance novel! Anyway, I think her ridiculous shiny-eyed crush is kind of adorable. Oh, TEENAGERS.
- Hmmmm, can I count Tetsu-kun as two more missing legs? It is implied but not stated outright, and also he only appears once, so I guess I will let it slide. IT IS NOT LIKE I WILL NOT HAVE PLENTY MORE TO COUNT
- WINRY THUNDER GOD
- Winry's sparkly eyes when she talks about machine guns are the BEST sparkly eyes
- what is up with Mr. Garfield's character design? It is . . . oh, I see, comic homophobia. Uncool, Arakawa. D:
- I love Al and his strays. *would ruffle his hair, if it was not made of metal*
- HI LING
- huh, border skirmishes with other countries . . . have we heard about these before?
- Arakawa does love faking people out by giving her sympathetic characters the sinister-narrow-eyes, doesn't she
- That introduction of Ling looking for immortality, right after the Greed-immortality episode, is actually pretty clever foreshadowing


Chapter 33: The Battle in Rush Valley

- Al's whole LIFE is one long bout of "look, brother! Kittens! :D :D :D"
- "THEY'RE NOT AS BADASS AS IZUMI" - always, always true
- Rush Valley must hate Ed so, so much. So much property damage!
- *cracks up* INSULT LING AND LAN FAN WILL POKE YOUR EEEEEYES OUT
- hah! Bunny to the rescue! I kind of love that
- OH COME ON ED, like you should be surprised. You learned from Izumi!
- POOR AL. You are judged by the company you keep, sadly
- oh, Ling, you delicate flower, you
- when Ed talks about the eyes, does he mean a racial characteristic, or just a Ling characteristic?
- it is kind of adorable how Al and Bunny are total BFF now. Lurking and being sane in the background!
- Ling hitting on Winry is kind of hilarious
- "Good for you, Bro! You made a friend! :D" I LOVE YOU AL
- I kind of think "I HAVE NO NAME" should be another direct route to "manpaaaaaaain" on the manpain chart *pats Scar's head*

Chapter 34: Footsteps of a Comrade

- of course Al makes snazzier masks than Ed does! But Bunny trying on MOUSTACHE MASK is adorable
- Ling is 15? That is indeed younger than I would have thought! I wonder how old May Chen is. Also, "it's dangerous for a young teen to travel on his own" in this series? HAH
- HAHAHA LAN FAN
- poor Falman! I am still very fond of him, and way too amused by Havoc poking at Barry
- SUDDEN CUT TO SHESKA CLEARLY MEANS EVENTUAL SHESKA/FALMAN OTP. That is going to be my new ship. *solemn*
- I've said it before and I will probably say it again, this series is really good at remembering about its many minor characters
- Armstrong TOWERS over Roy. It is pretty hilarious
- . . . when he turns 16, Ed gets sent off into the battlefields? THAT has not been addressed in the anime
- oh man Ishbal flashbacks. This series handles the horror of war so well
- this conversation is full of really nice artwork and blocking
- minor, minor detail, but Ross is hanging out with another lady soldier! that makes me happy. Uh, before she gets arrested, which does not.

Chapter 35: Scapegoat

- "Men's talk?" Shut up, Ed.
- RIZA-WINRY BFF DORKING OUT OVER HAIR :D :D :D
- ROY. Stop hitting on Winry! THAT IS CREEPY.
- Mustang's swooshy long black coat is hilariously DRAMATIC but mumblealsokindofhotmumble
- also, Mustang is totally giving the Elrics and Winry the same story about Hughes' death that my parents gave me when my hamster died. "She . . . she MOVED TO FLORIDA!"
- Maria Ross, you are a stone-cold badass and do not deserve this
- . . . why is Ling's name spelled correctly on the tags, and not in the scanlation?
- Barry, we all admire your self-restraint
- I love how Maria's reaction, when faced with FLIGHT OR DEATH, is to facepalm
- poor, poor Falman and his WORST JOB EVER


Chapter 36: The Bitter Alchemist

- Al, you are so sane. <333333
- the random freaked-out passersby in this scene are kind of hilarious
- . . . is Mustang trying to play the discrimination card? Does he have a right to? I don't know enough about the geography and politics in Amestris!
- HEE DOCTOR. Is this his first introduction? I think perhaps it is!
- Armstrong's rageface is PRETTY EPIC
- FALMAN WANTS BARRY TO GO TO HIS ROOM AND THINK ABOUT WHAT HE'S DONE
- Yes, Ed. Yes you are a moron, when it comes to not telling Winry things
- oh my god that disappearing smile of Elicia's is heartbreaking
- way to go Al, with your taking responsibility for your actions <3 Many points!
- eating her apple pie is great, Ed, but I think what the girl actually needs is a HUG


Chapter 37: The Sinner's Body

- . . . come to think of it, why does Barry wear a shirt? He has absolutely no need for one. Especially one lined with fur.
- FALMAN. *cracks up* HAPLESS MILITARY OFFICER. Poor, poor guy.
- Riza is totally a scaaaaaary lieutenant
- *cracking up* Whatever you may say about Armstrong, he definitely gets things done! KIDNAPPING A SPECIALTY
- I don't know why Falman and Barry are such a hilarious odd couple, but they totally are. "You don't have any senses!"
- I kind of love Mustang and his secret army of fake girlfriend paratroopers
- HAHAHA LAN FAN being all "Peace out, dudes!"
- "The Hawk's eyes are on our side." It would be a ridiculous name for anyone less badass than Riza, but Riza TOTALLY LIVES UP TO IT
- d'aww, the one with glasses whose name I forget is babysitting Riza's dog!
- . . . . BARRY YOU ARE A FREAK. Not that this is news.
- oh man, either I didn't catch that in the anime or it wasn't there, but Lan Fan calling Envy on "How many people are inside?" !!!!!
- Mustang racing to Hawkeye's rescue!

Comments

[jothra]

I need to get you to read Pumpkin Scissors. I may have mentioned it to you before.

Also, the coat is dramatic, yes. But also SMOKING HOT as it were.

[skygiants]

ACTUALLY I think you promised to lend it to me next time we were in the same temporospatial location! :D

Both of these descriptors: highly accurate. :O (As an added benefit it helps to cover up how ridiculous the standard military outfit actually is.)

[jothra]

Hahahaha, I love the buttskirt.

[skygiants]

Star had to spend a lot of time convincing me that it was actually a skirt. "NO WAY," I said. "It's a long jacket, surely! A buttskirt would be far too silly!"

Foolishly I forgot that when it comes to anime costumes, NOTHING is too silly.

[cupenny.livejournal.com]

*cackles!*

I SO want to make myself one of the uniforms for cosplay.

[skygiants]

It would certainly be an EPIC PROJECT! *giggling*

(Also, don't forget, they have to be SPECIALLY DESIGNED to be able to pop off whenever Armstrong flexes his muscles!)

[oneechan19.livejournal.com]

*random icon squee*

Your running commentary actually had me getting out of my warm bed and going to my brother's room to get his manga so I could know exactly what your were talking about. XD

You're also a third of the way done! Only... 65 chapters to go. *goes to read the November chapter herself*

[skygiants]

I won't lie, I spent way too much time at work this morning hunting down some FMA icons.

*cracks up* HIGH PRAISE INDEED. And I know! I am most excited to catch up past where the anime is. :D :D :D