Save them for the judgement day
So, uh, in less than two weeks, I became current with Fullmetal Alchemist.
A few somewhat incoherent thoughts behind the cut. Direct mention of things up through...around chapter 55.
-MAN I LOVE THE CAST IN THIS SERIES. It's huge but so many of them are so well-rounded, and they grow and surprise you and and are really overwhelmingly competent.
-On a related note, I love that a child in a fighting force here is an exception, not the rule that it is in some shonen. Ed and Al are kids, and the largely adult cast is aware of this.
-Very nice consistent exploration of some very strong themes.
-Very solid fantasy worldbuilding. I especially love some of the details relating to the Ishbalan Civil War (i.e. the Ishbalans were given arms by a neighboring country who just wanted to disrupt Amestris and subsequently didn't allow in any Ishbalan refugees). It's a shame we'll never get to see Xing in full, or other parts of the world, because I bet Arakawa has them decently planned out.
-Have I mentioned I love the cast? I love the cast.
-I admire the realism of Hughes' death, the heartbreaking funeral scene that resulted, and the precision with which he was killed off. I believe he died the chapter after he became my favorite character. "Hughes has rapidly become my favorite. He's doomed. Oh, man, he's not getting through this chapter, is he- and he's dead." (He has since been beaten for first place by Riza, but he probably contributes to my record.)
-My priorities, let me show them to you: "Yes, this is a fascinating sequence with Ed and Ling discovering things about the homunculi while inside one of them, I care about our protagonists here and am interested in the implications of many of the events that are going on. BUT COULD WE GET BACK TO THE MILITARY INTRIGUE WITH THE ROY BRIGADE?"
-I like Arakawa's character design. I do think that given the tone of a lot of the series, she could use more dark shading (though she does some excellent stuff with black/white contrast). But in the end, I am overwhelmingly impressed by her ability as a director (I don't know a better way to put it). I love her panel design, her way of framing things, the angles at which she approaches things, her sense of narrative structure and flow. The woman has mad skills.
-...I have a bit of a crush on Roy. Stupid sexy Mustang.
-WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AND HOW IS ARAKAWA GOING TO END THIS?
And that will be all for now. ...I'm still kinda reeling.
A few somewhat incoherent thoughts behind the cut. Direct mention of things up through...around chapter 55.
-MAN I LOVE THE CAST IN THIS SERIES. It's huge but so many of them are so well-rounded, and they grow and surprise you and and are really overwhelmingly competent.
-On a related note, I love that a child in a fighting force here is an exception, not the rule that it is in some shonen. Ed and Al are kids, and the largely adult cast is aware of this.
-Very nice consistent exploration of some very strong themes.
-Very solid fantasy worldbuilding. I especially love some of the details relating to the Ishbalan Civil War (i.e. the Ishbalans were given arms by a neighboring country who just wanted to disrupt Amestris and subsequently didn't allow in any Ishbalan refugees). It's a shame we'll never get to see Xing in full, or other parts of the world, because I bet Arakawa has them decently planned out.
-Have I mentioned I love the cast? I love the cast.
-I admire the realism of Hughes' death, the heartbreaking funeral scene that resulted, and the precision with which he was killed off. I believe he died the chapter after he became my favorite character. "Hughes has rapidly become my favorite. He's doomed. Oh, man, he's not getting through this chapter, is he- and he's dead." (He has since been beaten for first place by Riza, but he probably contributes to my record.)
-My priorities, let me show them to you: "Yes, this is a fascinating sequence with Ed and Ling discovering things about the homunculi while inside one of them, I care about our protagonists here and am interested in the implications of many of the events that are going on. BUT COULD WE GET BACK TO THE MILITARY INTRIGUE WITH THE ROY BRIGADE?"
-I like Arakawa's character design. I do think that given the tone of a lot of the series, she could use more dark shading (though she does some excellent stuff with black/white contrast). But in the end, I am overwhelmingly impressed by her ability as a director (I don't know a better way to put it). I love her panel design, her way of framing things, the angles at which she approaches things, her sense of narrative structure and flow. The woman has mad skills.
-...I have a bit of a crush on Roy. Stupid sexy Mustang.
-WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AND HOW IS ARAKAWA GOING TO END THIS?
And that will be all for now. ...I'm still kinda reeling.