#most of the episode is about sheska and winry

[cosalphonse]

i recently was gifted some 03 merch that i haven’t seen online and wanted to share! the two artworks on the left are somewhat transparent, i’m not sure what they’re intended to be but they are super cute! and i’m going to share some photos of the character collection below the cut - this will be a little long and photo-heavy! and disclaimer, i don’t have a scanner nor can i read japanese, so i’m just going to be sharing the pages most visually / conceptually interesting to me

our boy ed gets several pages dedicated to him, no surprise, but i really like this little collage of images with the episode numbers displayed. it also includes the iconic “love is love” thumbs up which is funny to me

al similarly gets a lot of pages dedicated to him, but this one stuck out to me as a cute comedic page - i wonder if the little red and yellow text bubbles under ed and al in the middle of the page are what they say in the scene or something original?

i really loved this collage in winry’s section! it highlights her outfits and, just like ed’s, gives us screenshots with episode numbers behind her

riza’s section has an entire page on her relationship with black hayate, which i just found delightful. i love that they include the crude sketch of him as the little thumbnail for the section lol

interestingly, hughes' section ends with this all-red page focused entirely on his death. this made me wonder, what do the book creators consider spoilers? they don't exactly shy away from the more spoilery characters later on and they pretty much document nina's story in its entirety, yet at the same time we don't get a lot of information about hoenheim, envy, or ANYTHING about the other side of the gate. so what's the cutoff here? the last ten episodes? either way, i just found it interesting

my girl sheska gets two whole pages dedicated to her! that's more than breda, havoc, maria ross, and most of the homunculi. good for her.

while i can't read what this says, i found it interesting that they put dante and lyra's pages together. i don't know if they give away the twist, but either way, they clearly knew what they were doing - even if the excuse is that they put lyra with dante since she studies under her

scar gets two whole pages!! DESERVED!! i love that they include so much of his story, especially his relationship with his brother and lust

speaking of, lust is the only homunculus to get a two page spread! they even gave us some scarlust crumbs....

just wanted to include pictures of the 03-original homunculi, it's interesting that they were put together! and once again, this brings up my questions of "what is considered spoilers"

rose also gets a two page spread!

and possibly most baffling is... CLARA gets a two page spread too? for a character who only shows up in one episode this is mind boggling to me. a lot of the 03 original characters get small highlights - archer, the tringhams, etc - but clara gets the largest spot. maybe her episode was more popular while this was being made, or the creators just really liked her, idk

well, those are all of the points of interest i wanted to highlight! if anyone has any suggestions on what they want me to share - specific characters, index information, or anything else - feel free to send me an ask! i'll put all the information under the tag #03 character collection

[ishvalan-alchemist]

Why I prefer FMA03 over Brotherhood.

Simply: How they treat the characters.

I notice liking the character interactions much more in the first show. I found myself remembering Team mustang more in 03 than BH because they were kind of a goon squad. Yes, the tone of BH is more serious. But say Heyman or Havoc died, I wouldn't have cared as much. I can buy 'these guys are friends more in 03 because we see them goofing around and acting like friends more in 03.

We see Ed start out respecting Mustang in earlier episodes. A kid looking up to this military leader and wanting to impress him. Then realizing he's kind of a prick and letting egos clash.

Brotherhood drops in with the two already disliking each other. This isn't a bad thing, but I'm definitely more invested after seeing how Ed & Roy got to that point in their relationship. Furthermore, 03-Roy gets points for never putting his hands on Ed/a kid as BH-Roy does.

Maes is introduced as Roy's friend calling him up to talk about his pregnant wife. From there, we see him as a skilled knife user, a new dad, a surrogate uncle figure to Ed & Al, the nerdy guy in the office that everyone is mildly annoyed by, and the right-hand man to Roy. All of this is over season 1. With his death closing out the season. The last image before the credits roll is Ed seeing his ghost.

BH tries to cram a lot of this in 10 episodes. That's nowhere near enough time for me to feel connected to this side character. He's been an overprotective dad, the nerdy guy in the office, and we see him use a knife 1 time in 1 scene. BH does better with giving his death closer (Roy vs Envy), but I didn't really care about Maes before they fridged him for Roy's development.

Nina is the same way to Ed & Al. In 03, I can buy that the Elrics saw her as a little sister because we see them interact much more across multiple episodes. In BH, it's all 1 episode.

Paninya & Wirny's discussion in 03 feels more earned. The two talk about automail and how they view it all while Winry fixes her arm. This is after Ed scams a scammer that broke Paninya's automail. So while I do side with Ed on a personal level, I can understand where Winry's anger/disappointment is coming from in this episode. Also, this gives Paninya a chance to show her parkour skills under less 'happily committing a felony' reasons. If Paninya & Winry met again in 03, I'd be excited to see what else the two had to say or get into.

In BH, Paninya is just a thief who steals Ed's watch. Winry tells her to stop stealing and...she agrees. That's it. A 30-second speech was all it took. It's one of the most rushed scenes I've seen in any show and I genuinely hate it.

Scar is the second biggest contrast I've seen of characters who're in both shows. Third, is Sheska whos a full character in 03 but is in 2 episodes in BH. The first is the next example I give after this one.

Anyway, Scar in 03 I absolutely can get behind. 03 as a show does everything to show the horrors of Ishval. From Roy & Alex's PTSD. To casual racism background characters have for Ishvalans. We see more Ishvalan characters outside of Scar so we have a fuller picture. He starts out as this guy cursed with the arm and just looking for answers. Falling back to religion at times and becoming calculated in his vengeance. Going from 'what do I do?' to leading a caravan saying 'here's what I need you to do'. He legitimately could've been the main character in his own story.

BH Scar is willing to throw down with a 12-year-old from the get-go. At times, it feels like he fights what the plot puts in front of him rather than seeking out a goal. I can buy this guy working with the military at the end of the show since 'the world is at stake'. But, just barely.

The homunculi in 03 are humans that were brought back via alchemy. So, each of them can be killed if they're close to something from when they are alive. A body part, cloth, etc. It's much more personal when Izumi sees what would've been her biological kid joining the bad guys. Ed has to dig up the grave of his mom so he can defeat Sloth. It's so heavy and is one of my favorite moments in 03 with the colors of the sunset overshadowing Ed's face as he finds what he needs. It also makes the homunculi a threat with a weakness that ties into their origin. Manipulated by a villain who wants to live forever.

Meanwhile, in BH, the Homunculi are still interesting characters (except for Sloth). But they're just henchmen created for 1 immortal. With a weakness of:

"I figured it out. We just need to punch them really, really hard." - TFS Piccolo

I could keep going with more examples, but I feel as though that could come across as me 'hating' BH. Which I don't. I love both versions. But when I see 'Bh is better because it follows the manga', that means jack to me. Just because something is a more faithful adaptation, doesn't mean it's a better overall product.

[gayleviticus]

FMA 03 writers

i had an autism moment and decided to look into the writers of FMA 03 and am now going to vomit out my findings here (nothing very in-depth but it's interesting to see which niches they fall into)

Sho Aikawa: 1-3, 7-8, 13-16, 21-22, 25, 29-31, 32 (w Yamatoya), 36, 39-51, Shamballa.

He wrote the first three episodes, the Nina/Barry the Chopper double whammy, the Marcoh/Scar arc, the latter half of Lab 5, Hughes' death, a decent chunk of the Wrath arc, the Elrics learning Scar's backstory, and then everything from about when the Liore arc begins.

Clearly as head writer he takes charge of the most significant turning points in the series - interestingly, aside from E35, E37, and E38 ("Reunion of the Fallen", "The Flame Alchemist, The Bachelor Lieutenant & The Mystery of Warehouse 13", and "With the River's Flow" by Inoue, Takahashi, and Yamatoya respectively), Aikawa is the only writer to write anything after the series fully diverges from the manga (which I would place at Ed killing Greed in E34). Wikipedia tells me has a reputation for working on adaptations that diverge significantly from the source material, as opposed to original works.

Other writing credits include head writer for Martian Successor Nadesico, Kamen Rider Decade, and the second half of Kamen Raider Blade. At 29.5/51 episodes (he co-wrote a single episode) he was responsible for 57.8% of the series.

Natsuko Takahashi: 6, 11, 17, 23, 26, 37.

She wrote the first Nina episode, The Other Elric Brothers 1, the Elrics recuperating in Resembool, the Elrics recovering post Lab 5, the Paininya episode, and Warehouse 13.

Her forte here is almost entirely slow, character-focused stories without danger or high stakes, with a tendency to emphasise cooling down from big dramatic moments and exploring the implications of these events for the characters.

Other credits include Tokyo Mew Mew, Chrno Crusade, Bleach, and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. At 6/51 episodes she wrote 11.8% of the series.

Akatsuki Yamatoya: 28, 32 (w Aikawa), 33-34, 38.

He wrote the Yock Island training episode, Greed arc, and the episode where Ed and Al get into an argument and meet by the river (while Winry and Sheska investigate conspiracies).

Interestingly he is the only writer aside from Aikawa involved in writing actual ongoing arcs after the anime begins to diverge significantly from the manga (I would consider this the introduction of Wrath in E29); the only other contributions past this point are Warehouse 13 (E37) by Takahashi, which a joke episode, and Inoue's Lust and Lujon episode (35), which is valuable characterisation wise but technically standalone. Essentially Yamatoya writes solely for the transition point where FMA 03 is moving from following the manga's blueprint (with significant elaborations, albeit) to its own path.

Other writing credits include Soul Eater, Ghost Stories, Naruto, Detective Conan. At 4.5/51 episodes he wrote 8.8% of the series.

Toshiki Inoue: 4, 10, 24, 35

He wrote Majhal, Psiren, Al defending the Ishbalans against Barry the Chopper with Scar, and Lust and Lujon.

His episodes are largely anime-original and standalone, without significantly shaping the course of the series, but arguably contain valuable characterisation. The Al episode is something of an exception here as it is tied into an ongoing arc (Al's existential crisis) which is also based off manga material, but the episode itself is not a direct adaptation of anything from the manga. Majhal and Psiren are arguably the only genuine cases of pure 'filler' in 03.

Other credits include main writer of Don Brothers and the Death Note anime. At 4/51 episodes he wrote 7.8% of the series.

Katsuhiko Takayama: 9, 19-20, 27.

He wrote the Yousewell episode, first two episodes of Lab 5 arc, and the one where Izumi catches the Elrics.

His work seems fairly solid but nothing very innovative: he adapts manga material well but it's hard to see any strong theme here I think. Notably his Lab 5 episodes mainly cover manga events; the Lab 5 arc does end up significantly diverging from the manga with elements like Scar, Greed, Kimblee, and the Homunculi trying to convince Ed to make the Stone, but not in his episodes.

Other credits include Star Ocean EX, Mirai Nikki, Magia Record S2. At 4/51 episodes he wrote 7.8% of the series.

Manabu Ishikawa: 12, 18.

He wrote The Other Elric Brothers Part 2 and Marcoh's Notes.

Not much to say here - an adaptation of a light novel and a manga chapter.

Other credits include production assistant on Neon Genesis Evangelion, and writing for the Arc the Lad anime and Kimi no koe o todoketai. At 2/51 episodes he wrote 3.9% of the series.

Aya Yoshinaga: 5.

Wrote only the train episode so hard to draw any strong conclusions.

Other credits include Golden Kamui, Natsume's Book of Friends, and Durara!! At 1/51 episodes they (unsure of their gender) wrote 1.9% of the series.

as a special bonus I have made a pie chart bc I like pie charts

[sleepdeprived-idiot]

got tagged by @roycogaystar to do the TV Questionnaire

List 5 favourite shows (in no particular order) and answer questions accordingly

Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood) SPOILERS!!!!!!!

Mob Psycho 100

Hannibal

One Piece

Saiki K

1. Who is your favourite character in 2?

Shigeo or Reigen, but Ritsu in s1 is so fucking relatable just ughhghghgh

2. Who is your least favourite character in 1?

I WAS ABOUT TO SAY NOONE BUT I FORGOT THAT ONE GUY EXISTS

SPOILERS!!! Shou Tucker

3. What's your favourite episode of 4?

im gonna go with arcs and then its probably that one filler arc, G-8 (other than that dressrosa, marineford alabasta or water 7)

4. What is your favourite season of 5?

the first because its the only one with a dub

5. What's your favourite relationship in 3?

uh uhm lesbians? not sure tbh

6. Who is your anti relationship in 2?

uuhmm ,,, theres litterally none??

7. How long have you watched 1?

first watched fma in 2013 and since ive watched brotherhood ive been rewatching it at least once a year

8. How did you become interested in 3?

i dont remember its so long ago

9. Who is your favourite actor in 4?

-

10. Which show do you prefer 1, 2 or 5?

1, forever 1

11. Which show have you seen more episodes of 1 or 3?

1

12. If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

random civilian on a far off island away from all the chaos, im not dealing with all that

13. How would you kill off your favourite character in 5?

accident, but like a stupid avoidable one (i also have the most angsty way but lets not entertain that idea, also im not telling who)

14. Would a 3/4 crossover work?

im?? not sure how???

15. Pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely, but strangely okay couple.

Sheska and Fokker? (they talked once) or Paninya and Winry? (but idk cause ed and winry are one of THE couples)

16. Overall, which show has the better cast, 3 or 5?

sweating nervously (3?)

not tagging anyone, but do it if u want to :)

[zetalial]

FMA 03 - Brothers

Hey, here’s another post to round off the themes of family in FMA 2003. Here’s links to the first two: Mothers and fathers.

This one is focused on the relationship between brothers in the series (and, yes, I would have loved to have called this post Brotherhood... but I could not.) We meet quite a few pairs of Brothers throughout the series with our main characters being Edward and Alphonse, who’s relationship gets the most depth and development. I would be here all day trying to explore every facet of their relationship though! I’ll just try and briefly explain how their relationship can be compared to other brotherly relationships.

Let me start by looking at episode 38 - With the River’s Flow. 

Ed and Al are, as ever, travelling alone and getting into conflict. These two are both pretty headstrong (though Ed more so than Al) and this episode perfectly captures their relationship. 

They’re a bit stuck in their journey and they lash out at each other. Al’s irritated at Ed’s stubborness while Ed’s irritated at Al’s inability to express himself. Ed’s determined to go after Scar and the Philosopher’s stone while ignoring the proverbial elephant in the room that is the Homunculi - namely Sloth. Al wants to talk about Sloth but he is having trouble actually confronting Ed about it - he somehow manages to bring up Hohenheim of all people instead. In the end, they succeed only in getting angry at each other and storming off to sulk alone. 

This is far from the only time we see the two arguing, they’re often at odds with each other actually. And no brotherly relationship we see in the story is perfectly smooth either. 

Here’s a pair of Ishvalan Brothers. The younger brother is called Rick and the older brother is called Leo. Like Ed and Al they’re pretty close, possibly due to being orphans who have had a rough life so far and they have to really rely on each other. At one point, Rick has a PTSD flashback and Leo snaps him out of it, in a way that implies he’s used to it. In episode 24, the two of them are definitely in conflict over longstanding issues about their mother. Leo is angry that Rick cares so much about her as he has stubbornly convinced himself that she never really cared about them. Rick still has faith though.  

Despite their differences in opinion though, Rick and Leo’s bond is still very strong. When Rick gets kidnapped, his brother immediately goes with Scar and Al to help rescue him. He is keeping quiet about a painful memory so that Rick doesn’t have to learn the truth and ironically that’s a huge part of why they’re in conflict. This invites you to contrast it with Ed and Al’s own fight in this episode. Where Al has convinced himself that Ed doesn’t really love him because he’s just a fake and meanwhile Ed has been keeping quiet all this time about his guilt over whether Al blames him for his condition - for the human transmutation. It’s only when they have faith and confide in their worries that both their conflicts are able to be resolved.  

Speaking of Ishvalan Brothers, there’s another pair of them in this series who also struggled to relate to each other.

They are... an interesting pair. Scar’s older brother is dead when the series starts but Scar certainly thinks about him a lot. The two had trouble understanding each other with Scar’s brother being something of a heretic who performed alchemy - human transmutation and was... a little odd. Nothing like this crowning scene of him crying big tears in the middle of the day in the middle of a war and in front of his brother, while completely naked - right? 

Still, Scar seems to desperately want to understand his brother. Some of his first words in the series is wondering what his brother wanted him to do with his arm. Upon encountering Ed and Al in episode 14, he immediately says that Ed reminds him of his older brother and ends up emphasising with Al. Another conflict the two had was that apparently he had feelings for his brother’s great love - the woman who became Lust. Central to his conversations with the homunculus is his complex feelings about his brother. Some of Scar’s final words are again reflecting on the Elric brothers and their close relationship to each other. He wishes he’d managed a similar relationship with his brother and quietly says “brother, I love you”. 

Beyond their conflicts though, there’s also a theme of sacrifice. 

Scar’s older brother gave up his right arm (and this cost him his life) to save Scar’s life. That’s a pretty clear parallel to Ed giving up his own right arm to save his brother’s life. And later, Scar will give up his brother’s right arm to save Ed’s brother’s life. Yeah. Al really attracts sacrifice, okay? Al even starts developing survivor’s guilt over this. The series actually ends with Ed giving up his life to save his brother (though it only costs him the arm and leg he just got back. And to be stuck in another world...). And then there’s Al sacrificing himself to save his brother’s life.  

Now, Ed and Al are a pair of alchemist brothers, who learned alchemy from their father’s notes. That is strikingly similar to another pair of brothers.

Russell and Fletcher Tringham steal Ed and Al’s identity in order to pose as credible alchemists so they can research and create a Philosopher’s stone. They are skilled alchemists themselves. Russell is pretty cocky and wants to bring Xenotime to its former glory through the use of alchemy. He’s willing to do some pretty immoral things to achieve this though. 

Fletcher also wants to save Xenotime but he is more conflicted. However, he is scared to speak against his brother and has been reluctantly going along with things. Al emphasises with Fletcher and encourages him to confront his older brother, indirectly revealing some of the guilt Al feels for keeping quiet and going along with the human transmutation. Russell has been ignoring the warning signs, driven to believe he’s good enough to fix things. They’ve wound up on a similar path to the Elrics and the Elrics encourage them to find a new path even as they continue in their search. They see themselves in the Tringhams and warn them against it. 

There’s one other pair of brothers Edward encounters and they remind him of his own brother.

No. 48. A pair of serial killer brothers who were both bonded to a suit of armour. The two of them are very much in sync given how they fight together, trade a bit of banter and are willing to protect each other while Ed is fighting them.

They’re also more literally bonded by past deeds than the other characters on this list. They both have to live as souls bonded to armour and it makes them feel inhuman. Seeing their hate for their current existence motivates Ed into fixing his own brother. It really drives home the horror of Al’s experience, helping to justify the identity crisis Al has while Ed fights the slicer brothers. Of course, Ed is driven to win by recalling his devotion to his brother. It’s ironic.

Ed is distraught when the Younger brother chooses to take his own life, no doubt thinking of Al. The older brother understands his brother completely though and tries to be comforting towards Ed though it doesn’t really help much. Mostly this whole experience really shakes Ed up and an episode later, Lust kills the older slicer brother while threatening to do the same to Al.

...

Okay, there’s one other pair I want to bring up though they’re not actually related.

Roy and Hughes have been close friends for a very long time. Hughes even goes to visit Roy to find he’s very nearly performed human transmutation. He challenges Roy on the issue, encouraging him to live and move on. When Roy tells him he wants to be Fuhrer, Hughes is there to say he’ll support him. We don’t learn too much about their history, but its obvious they are very close and both of them are also close to the Elric brothers.

 A big reason to trust Roy in 03 is because Hughes cares so much about him. Hughes is the only person he reveals his worries and weaknesses to and Hughes really looks out for him. After Hughes is killed, Roy can’t bear to face Hughes’ wife Gracia, feeling some guilt and misery over his death. At Hughes’ grave, the piano version of Bratja/Brothers plays, as Roy mourns his dearest friend’s passing.

So, Episode 38: With the River’s Flow, begins with Ed and Al in a fight. Then the two of them go off to sulk alone for a while.

Ed’s angry and muttering about how irritating Al is but then he unthinkingly asks Al to pass the salt as he’s eating. Edward seems to realise that he’s driven Al away and he suddenly misses him. Immediately, he gets up and goes to look for him. The two of them are extremely codependent and can’t stay separated for long. Al, across town, is walking around, muttering about how stubborn Ed is to himself when someone taps him on the back and he immediately says: “Ed, where were you?” only to realise it isn’t his brother.

Ed has a flashback to when the two of them were kids and shows that they were close then too. They got into fights and they would run off but then Ed would come to his senses and go to look for his brother.

Ed doesn’t offer an apology out loud or anything. He just dismisses their fight, showing he’s forgiven his brother and Al smiles and runs after him. In the present, Ed finds Al at the river (which the episode is named for) and dismisses the fight the same way he did when they were kids. That’s very much Ed and Al’s dynamic. 

During Al’s identity crisis, Al runs away and Ed wants to run after him (ready to throw himself off the roof even, because Ed’s always freaking out over his brother.) But Al takes some time to think through things while Ed and Winry spend that episode looking for Al. Upon meeting up again, they make up. Whatever happens they always forgive and go looking for each other. 

Speaking of Brothers it would remiss of me to neglect to mention one other character.

A homunculus created by Hohenheim in an attempt to bring back his dead son. Envy. He’s essentially Ed and Al’s half-brother. This is only revealed in the final episodes and Envy is a rejection of all the prior brotherly relationships we’ve seen explored throughout the series. Envy hates his family and takes great pleasure in tormenting the Elric brothers. Ed’s so shocked by the reveal that it gives Envy the upperhand, and he takes the opportunity to stab Edward through the chest. He laughs about it in victory. 

Envy is a disaster but you can also see how he came to be the way he is. He’s never been loved by anyone, not his father who rejected and abandoned him and not Dante who uses and manipulates him to serve her needs. Envy does have reasonably decent relations with the other homunculi though - they seem to have bonded a little over shared circumstances. Envy gets on well with Lust and Sloth and at first seemed like a bit of an older brother to Wrath almost. He’s too mean and impatient to have a proper relationship though.

At the gate, Edward warns Envy not to cross through but Envy doesn’t listen and marches away, smiling. Edward’s face is covered in tears, both for Al who he’s losing and perhaps for Envy who could have been a better person were he not so bitter and full of hate. 

-

Envy is an exception to all these different characters throughout the show who have strong familial bonds that they depend on. These bonds are often the only thing they can rely on when they’re hit with life’s tragedies as all these characters have very angsty backstories. No bond is more explored more than Ed and Al’s relationship, so this overview has mostly revolved around them. 

Fullmetal Alchemist is the story about two brothers trying to regain what they lost and their relationship is central to the story. Through other characters we can see different aspects of it. The Tringhams, walking a dangerously similar path to them. Scar, who wishes his relationship with his brother could have been like Ed and Al’s. Roy, who is trying to do right and learn to live with the loss of his best friend. Rick and Leo, who are struggling together with each other and other Ishvalan refugees. And Envy, a chilling example of their antithesis. 

Ed and Al’s relationship is very much my favourite part of the series.

It’s why the ending is so tragic.

....

[pharahsgf]

fma:b!!! for the ask game

thank youuu

favourite character: alphonse ♡ perfect man. love how he inarguably gets the short stick in terms of demanded payment for human transmutation but is still this kind gentle happy person who loves cats and looks up to his brother and helps everyone around him. also stylised al = free serotonin

2nd favourite character: ling yao lol i love his vibe and personality and i immediately found him so funny and cool when he appeared. him willingly accepting possession by greed to find the secret of immortality hurled my wig to the rafters upon first watch i was in LOVE

least favourite character: kimblee. idk what it is about this man i just found him unbearable lol

character i'm most like: i'd love to say alphonse because he's a cat lover + jewish passing but realistically i'm probably most like sheska

favourite pairing: there's no relationships i'm super into or anything but i thought ed x winry was very cute and well done, i liked ed's confession a lot & how sweet he can be towards winry. al x mei is good 2 they weren't super developed but my girl had high standards & saw them met

least favourite pairing: royai is the only age appropriate ship i actively dislike, like obviously they're close but the idea that they ever would or should let themselves indulge in romance after everything they've done... grimace emoji

favourite moment: lust's death scene... episode... probably a bit longer than a moment but the entire operation was so cool to me like this is the part that made me appreciate roy mustang's baby faced war criminal ass. it was just too cool. also the moment where riza reads envy like a fucking magazine and drops the 'do me another favour and die' oneliner. i think about that one a lot

rating out of ten: 9!! it has issues esp in its portrayal of ishval & some arcs were less interesting than others, but it's a really solid story with engaging characters and twists that shook me to my core

[danwhobrowses]

Whatever Happened to: Sheska?

So, as promised, the first of hopefully many posts of the ‘Whatever Happened to’ series, where I bring up characters that just, fell off the map. For our first one we will begin with a character disappearance that always confused me, Sheska from Fullmetal Alchemist Manga and the Brotherhood anime There will be Spoilers for the story so if you haven’t read/watched it then...maybe you should

When was she last Seen? While in the 2003 anime series Sheska maintained a recurring role as Winry’s female friend and helping uncover the dirty secrets hidden by the Homunculi and in turn the Military. However, in the Manga and Brotherhood anime, Sheska is last seen in Chapter 34/Episode 16, both titled ‘Footsteps of a Comrade-in-Arms’. In it she is revealed to be covering for Mustang as he digs for information regarding Hughes’ death - mainly out of solidarity since Hughes did give her the job that pays her bills and keeps her mother in a nice home, and the least she can do is assist in helping find the culprit. She unfortunately lets this slip to ‘Captain Focker/Fokker’ who is Envy in disguise (but still a Focker if you ask me), which leads to the whole Maria Ross frame-up. From there we never see or hear from Sheska again, we don’t see her at Central when it’s attacked by Briggs, we don’t see her fall victim of the countrywide transmutation circle and do not we see her in the Chapter 107 splash

Which, frankly, is ridiculous given that characters dead, alive and barely in the story like Sheska was are here, including Fu, Hughes, Grumman, some no-names in the bottom and one no-name at the top right corner, Rebecca, Mustang’s old Ishval squad and Henschel. An oversight maybe, but it still leaves the question mark, what DID happen to Sheska? Theory 1: Sheska was Murdered Leaking that she knew about Mustang’s digging, covering for him and her photographic memory is two very dangerous tidbits of knowledge for one person to have, even if the Homunculi look down on humans up to this point they have been extremely efficient in not leaking their own information. So a worst case scenario could be that the Homunculi killed Sheska, quietly disposing of her and maybe even covering it up, she was on a heavy workload and could’ve ‘crumbled’ and disappeared to work in a nice undisclosed village. The fortunate thing that goes against this theory is that Mustang would notice, and since Hughes’ death she had been a lot more relaxed with her workload, it would also be in the Homunculi’s nature to only take care of things when it looks like a critical moment.  Another plausible way Sheska may’ve died is via the Mannequins or when Our Father freaking Kamehameha’d half of Central Command, but then she would have to be fighting the Mannequins and not escaped Central when the Briggs soldiers gave them a chance, and Sheska would run if she were there. She may’ve also suffocated under a mountain of books like how she almost did when we first saw her, if she ever actually gets to go home anymore. Theory 2: Sheska was Dishonorably Discharged Given that Mustang is treated with contempt for digging into the Hughes case and his actions in making people believe that he scorched Maria Ross, it would be possible that the higher ups would use this as an excuse to discharge her from the military, to sever a connection Mustang would have in Central who could provide him information on Father’s plans. Envy may’ve been a lighter hand as Focker but Focker himself or any other members of Bradley’s high council may opt to picture it as harboring criminal activity. Sheska isn’t exactly one to come crying to the Elrics about this either so it’s not like it’d be huge news, the reason this may not work however is that Sheska still has all the dots Hughes had, she just hasn’t connected them yet, and the Homunculi keep tabs on people like that.  Theory 3: Sheska was Transferred Like most of Mustang’s crew, Sheska may’ve been moved by association. Her absence from Central Command would fuel this and after she’s finished completing all the records there’s not much else she is useful for in the eyes of the military. Since she has no career goals, she could’ve simply been moved to a smaller military office - her ignorance to the happenings protecting her from being in warzones but not out of the country circle’s range. She may’ve also been transferred normally, maybe another library got burned down or maybe they rebuilt the Central Library and had her repopulate that with all the normal books and secret alchemy cookbooks and actually declutter her apartment with all the books that are there (okay it bothers me, where does she sleep? Does she have a book bed, next to her book oven and book fridge and cooks book eggs for bookfast in her book pan in her book kitchen?). Theory 4: Sheska left the Military on her own accord While she never expressed displeasure in working for the Military we leave Sheska in a pivotal moment in the plot, the next episode/chapter Mustang supposedly burns Maria Ross to a crisp. Not knowing it part of the plan, Sheska may’ve felt partly responsible in the ‘murder’ of Ross and disgusted by Mustang’s actions, which could have led her to leave the military. There are other reasons she may’ve quit her job also, she may’ve found a new calling or as said before the Library could’ve been rebuilt and she could’ve gotten her old job back from that or another closer-to-mother library/general job, she may’ve left to tend to her ill mother if her condition worsened or simply moved to a job with a career track - hell if you wanna go wild maybe she went to become an Alchemist, that photographic memory would be handy if she had the aptitude. The backdrop of this like the previous theory of her leaving the military is that this’d prevent the Homunculi from keeping tabs on her, while it is possible that Ross’ death would’ve prompted her to leave, the military may’ve offered an alternative of transfer or another government job so to keep and eye on her. Theory 5: Sheska slept through the whole thing A comical theory, but the records department isn’t something one would frequent in a lot, I mean Mustang was able to sleep in a storeroom for a bit completely undetected. It would be funny if Sheska did miss all the action from falling into a comatose sleep in a basement or something having been overworked, and given the isolated placement completely missed the Mannequin Soldiers, thought the Circle stealing her soul was a nightmare and then napped again through the whole Father fight. This is unlikely because it obviously didn’t happen, as I said Sheska’s workload doesn’t take a huge toll on her anymore so she wouldn’t pass out...not until after the Father Fight when she has to rewrite all the paperwork destroyed by Father’s Kamehameha, it’d be a good laugh though. Theory 6: Sheska was there, you just didn’t see her One of the most plausible theories is simply that it happened but there was no need to focus on Sheska while it was happening. Falman also had a great memory and worked with the Briggs men and the Armstrongs had worked in Central for months, so her talents weren’t exactly needed for the situation, she likely escaped the mannequins and left Central Command intact. It’s likely but it’s still annoying, we could have shown her in this scenario, even if it’s when Buccaneer saved those women (imaged in manga since I couldn’t find a screen of the scene in anime) they could’ve thrown in Sheska, could’ve shown her losing and regaining her soul, at least some closure on that would’ve been nice given that we saw every other player and the people of Liore during the Promised Day.

Theory 7: Sheska still works for the Military, she just wasn’t There The final theory that is as plausible as the prior, Sheska was basically away that day. We saw it with Brosh who only arrived at the scene because he was disgusted by Mustang and then elated that Ross was alive, a ‘bookworm’ like Sheska may’ve taken time off to witness an eclipse, and if she didn’t she may’ve simply had the day off. Another thing she could’ve done is gone on holiday, I doubt she went to Xing to meet the Armstrongs while they were statue hunting but maybe she went out of Central. She could’ve visited her mother, visited other family, gone to a place with other libraries and stuff she may have hobbies in. The downfall of this theory is that none of it escapes the circle, hostilities with Creta, Aurego and Drachma mean the only way out of the country is by crossing the desert, which doesn’t seem up Sheska’s alley, which means we circle back to why didn’t we show her? We showed Liore, Kanama, Resembool and Rush Valley, the latter just to specifically show Paninya - someone who had less screen time than Sheska, no offence to Paninya but if we gave time for her lying on a random floor (lucky she wasn’t fixing a roof) we could’ve just put Sheska in a room face first in a book for a second and that’d be that. So yeah, the mystery of Sheska racks my brain, mainly out of desire for closure but also because she still played a valid part in Ed and Al’s journey. Without her they would’ve never obtained Marcoh’s notes, which meant they would never have found out the properties of a stone, they would’ve never gone to the Fifth Laboratory and thus never learned about the Homunculi marking them as a sacrifice - since Ross got framed because of her, Ed would’ve never gone to Xerxes either, meaning he wouldn’t have figured out the transmutation circle or found the Ishvalan slum to discover that Scar killed the Rockbells, that discovery led to the confrontation that became a turning point for Scar’s redemption arc too. Sheska also inadvertently was necessary for Mustang’s plot also; had the brothers not gone to the Fifth Laboratory they would’ve never gotten Barry the Chopper as an ally (who in turn busted Ling out of jail, meaning everything Ling contributes to is a byproduct of Sheska’s action) but if she hadn’t have told Envy about Mustang’s digging they would’ve never framed Ross, which meant that they never would’ve had opportunity to capture Gluttony, kill Lust or discover that Bradley was Wrath. These are big things as well! Could someone just like, poke Arakawa for an answer? Or are we just gonna expect a Launch situation (save her for another day). Out of the 7 theories I would rank them as Most to Least Likely: 6, 7, 3, 4, 2, 1, 5 Most to Least Preferred: 3, 5, 7, 4, 6, 2, 1 Maybe one day we’ll find out, but for now it’s all headcanon, but whatever did happen to her, she is not forgotten.

[daylighteclipsed]

It's so nice that you're enjoying both series!! Especially when fandom is so divided over them.

I’m over 30 episodes into 2003 now. I haven’t finished 2003 or Brotherhood yet, but I think both series are necessary to get the full experience. I see fma as one universe. Brotherhood has breadth and 2003 has depth. Brotherhood gets you interested in these characters, and 2003 (at least, for me) makes you care about them. 2003 fills in the gaps that Brotherhood leaves behind, especially in the first season like:

Ed and Al’s childhood; Ed’s journey to becoming a well-known state alchemist at 12; how the boys become acquainted with Hughes, Roy and the others; the extent of the boys’ bond with Nina; Barry the Chopper’s backstory; Yoki’s backstory; how Riza got her dog; why Al loves cats; Roy’s PTSD; Ed’s PTSD outside of nightmares; everything about Liore; Ed’s big appetite; the extent of the struggles the Ish(b/v)alans still face against racism and oppression years after the war; how corrupt the military is and how Roy and co. are not exempt from that corruption.

The Amestris military is painted in a less sympathetic light. They’re much less trusted by Ed and Al, and although that means a lot of the chummy interactions in Brotherhood are missing, I think its important to see this side of things too. I think its important to not find Roy and co. as “likable” and to see the tension between Ed and the group because Ed doesn’t approve of what they’re doing (obeying orders against their better judgments, truly behaving as “dogs of the military”). Ed often goes behind their backs to do what’s right, and I think that gives more meaning to what he chooses to wear, red and black in a sea of blue and white.

It’s uncomfortable to see characters you’re fond of in one adaptation be deliberately shown as not great in the other, but I think you need that other perspective to fully appreciate the themes of racism, genocide, fascism, militaristic nationalism trying to be told in both stories. You can enjoy/sympathize with the characters, but you NEED to be uncomfortable with what’s going on. You NEED to understand the horrors Roy, Riza, Hughes, Major Armstrong, Jean Havoc, etc. are taking part in as soldiers. You need to see that they’re racist. Even Ed is racist.

One of my favorite parts of 03 is Ed acknowledging his own inherent racism and realizing he and others have to make a conscious effort to unlearn it: “There’s something that’s had me afraid: your red eyes. The first time I saw Scar on those library steps I was scared of him. He was the first Ishbalan I’d ever seen. But now…Well, I’ve learned that you can’t always trust the way that you feel, and you can’t trust everything you’ve heard about people like me either. Not from mom, dad, because even they can be wrong. That’s why we’ve all gotta find our own answers.” 03 is riddled with powerful themes like this that give more meaning to the fma universe as a whole.

Most of all though, 03 develops and fleshes out characters and relationships that aren’t explored much in Brotherhood. Characters like Winry, Sheska, Rose, Maria Ross, Izumi, Lust, even Trisha (…all women characters, yikes). You see Winry interact with girls and have friendships with Paninya and Sheska. And you get a really cool dynamic between Al and Scar that isn’t really brought up at all in Brotherhood. The similarities between them, the unspoken understandings between them, are super interesting to watch.

Al’s character is 100 times more interesting because of 03. His struggles, feelings, and flaws are given way more attention as he and Ed more evenly share the main protagonist role. His idealism and sensitivity get him into trouble. You actually see how much being a suit of armor bothers Al, how painful it is for him, how scary. His doubting he was ever real is built up over many episodes, so when that conflict comes to a head it makes sense. Even more so because there’s already tension between Al and Ed. Their relationship is not smooth and easy. Al has issues standing up to his older brother, and Ed doesn’t really listen to him. It’s revealed Al was never 100% on board with trying to bring mom back to life. Al wants to talk about things that are bothering him, but Ed doesn’t.

But on the flip side of more conflict, you see more of how much the boys love and depend on each other. And you get an interesting look into Al’s character regarding the darker side of that love. Al admits that if Ed was killed he’d want revenge on Ed’s killer the way Scar wants revenge for his brother. He threatens to tear Wrath’s arm and leg off because they belong to Ed. That’s a side of Alphonse you do not get in Brotherhood. He’s much more human and responds to situations the way you’d expect someone in his place, at his age, would. I really didn’t care much for Al until I watched 03 tbh. He just seemed perfect to me, and his attempts to warn Ed against doing things seemed pointless because everything Ed did ultimately turned out OK. Now Al’s a real person to me.

The same goes for Ed, just less drastically because I already found Ed kinda interesting in Brotherhood. Both of the Elric brothers in Brotherhood are kind of just your ideal heroes who don’t have to develop much because they’re already, unquestionably the Big Good. Their flaws don’t create serious problems. They don’t have to learn much, and they’re not forced to change. They’re always strong, always win, always do the right thing. Sure, they could let people like Winry help out more, but its not really treated like much of a problem. They’re pretty standard characters, and there’s nothing wrong with that as long as the plot makes up for it–and I’d say Brotherhood’s plot does because I find Brotherhood really enjoyable–but I think you’re missing a lot about these characters if you don’t watch 03.

Ed in 03 has to learn to care more about others outside of his own self-interests. His arrogance as a young child is actually comparable to the Icarus myth he mentions in Liore. He’s stubborn and cynical to a fault, and he and Al butt heads because of this. His unwillingness to open up and communicate is an actual problem that’s prevalent in all of his relationships and it is not easily overcome. He’s defeated a lot, and alchemy can’t solve all of his problems. Like Al, he responds to situations the way you’d expect someone in his place, at his age, would. He cries. People don’t put up with his bullshit as often, and his bullshit has consequences. Things don’t just always turn out OK for him and everyone else. His core is challenged. His morals and goals are challenged. Like Al, the question of how far Ed is willing to go for his brother is posed. He has to sacrifice his childhood and his innocence and you really see the effects of that.

The Elric brothers are complex, human characters so their relationship is also complex and human. It’s the core of the fma universe, and I think 03 does a brilliant job of illustrating that, the conflicts and the profound sibling love between them. In Brotherhood how deep the connection runs didn’t really register to me. Watching 03 I’m like oh my god? They are bonded through soul and blood? Ed wrote that sigil anchoring Al’s soul to this world with his own blood?? They burned down their house. They are each other’s last living remnant of home. They ARE each other’s home. They really feel like all they have is each other. And you get all these really precious scenes between them, like one time they shack up with a stranger and share a bed on the floor, curled up beside each other on the mattress like little kids. The opening(s) often show them staying outside with Ed asleep against Al, which I think emphasizes the fact that home is not a place to them but a person. 

But anyway. Like I said I haven’t finished Brotherhood or 2003 yet, but I really like both of them. I think together they create one complete universe.

[fma03month]

Another old post of mine, this time a mini essay.

.........................................

I often find it strange that people don’t talk more about this, but to be honest I love that Roy doesn’t seek revenge for Hughes’s death in 03. At least not until the end, anyway.

03 on the whole was interested in exploring the nuance of vengeance. What motivates some people to get revenge, when it’s justified and when it isn’t. And even if it is, will taking vengeance cause more problems in the long run.

The series explores this through various characters and how it affects them. From Scar’s justified feelings of vengeance and hatred that eventually blooms into wanting to stop the military from wiping out what remains of his people, to Martel wanting to kill Kimblee for selling out her friends, to Winry wanting vengeance for what Roy did but knowing she can do nothing about it, to Ed and Al’s hypocritical stance on vengeance.

Everyone’s perspective is given time to be explored and no one’s is put above the other. But truth be told, I think Roy’s perspective is arguably the most mature take.

I think it’s safe to say (based on the first scene) that Roy was most likely looking to avenge his best friend’s death at this point, but learning what he does from Armstrong only confirms that now is not the time to act.

He’s smart enough to recognize that while he wants to see whoever killed Hughes brought to justice, there’s quite literally nothing he can do about it. I mean suppose he did go in half cocked and looking for Hughes’s murderer? It could end up leading to a snowball of consequences he didn’t intend. And any sacrifices Hughes made for him in the past would be rendered null.

It takes a mature mind to recognize that revenge is not so black and white, but it takes a mature person to recognize that even when it’s justified, there is nothing to be done about it.

Now while this plants the seed for Roy (at the very least) starting to question his own way of doing things, I think it also demonstrates the real difference between Ed and Roy that becomes exemplified once again, and becomes a focal point when we get to Episode 44 and the boys find out about Hughes’s murder.

Roy Mustang is an adult; he wants to see his friend’s assassin brought to justice, but knows that he can’t do anything about it. Pursuing it would just lead to more complications (and even that’s brought into question with Roy’s own guilt over the whole thing and Sheska choosing to take action where he won’t). Edward Elric is a child. He says revenge is wrong and that he doesn’t want to kill, but he has no problem trying to kill Scar later over what he did to Nina (although really, that was a mercy kill!). And when he learns about Hughes, he’s all ready to go ring Roy’s neck for not telling him and nearly blow his and Al’s cover in the process.

It’s why I say that (while it was indirect) Roy did affect some change on Ed; because while Ed has a hard time grasping that not choosing vengeance is a choice an adult makes, he does seem to get over his vengeance boner within the following episodes and instead focus on stopping the Homunculi.

…………………………………….

In short, I love this bit very much and I think it’s an under appreciated part of 03′s story, even within the 03 community.

But that’s just me.

Admin Mustang

[prettywitchiusaka]

I could talk at length about Hughes and how his death scene and funeral is a gut-wrenching punch to the viewer at length, but everyone’s already beaten that horse for over a decade now.

So instead, I wanna quickly talk about how well Hughes’s death is done from a narrative perspective.

……………………

If we’re talking screen-time, than Hughes really only shows up in about roughly thirteen episodes of 03 before he’s killed off. But honestly, that’s more than enough time for the audience to grow attached to him, and to see how well loved he is by the other characters.

- Ed grows to love him and, in many respects, becomes the only adult throughout the first half he trusts without question

- Aside from (maybe) Riza, Hughes is the only person Roy seems comfortable talking to about anything, which helps solidify their friendship and a softer side of Roy. They’re basically adult Ed and Al if you really think about it.

- While only knowing him for a short time, it’s clear that Scheska became very close with him and his family…this despite the fact that he’s World’s Worst Boss.

- While Winry only knew him for a short time as well, I think it’s safe to say she looked up to Hughes as well after he helped encourage her to be there for Ed and Al and to be patient with them. I mean, she’s even seen at his grave, so yeah!

Once he dies, that’s when the gears start shifting.

- Sheska decides to take matters into her own hands and starts an investigation. One that Winry, after learning of his murder helps her out.

- Roy wants vengeance for the death of his brother-figure, but decides to hold off when it becomes apparent there other forces at work in his friend’s assassination. A decision he seems to regret given his own guilt over the whole thing. When he investigates what’s really going on, Hughes becomes one of many driving factors in his attempted Cou/assassination of Bradley.

- Ed and Al are the last to find out, and when they do? They’re overcome by rage, anger, and a desire for vengeance. While there are other factors leading up to Ed’s resolve to change besides learning of Hughes’s demise, the fact that he’s so stricken with rage most likely plays a key component in all of this. That Hughes is just one of many lives the Elrics have inadvertently screwed over in their own quest for the Philosopher’s stone.

This is basically my long winded way of explaining that, for better or worse, Hughes’s demise is wonderfully woven into the narrative. Not just because he’s so likeable, but because his death is a justified and logical lynch pin  to move the characters towards realizing their mistakes and stop these atrocities from happening or die trying.

[fullmetalirin]

Fullmetal Alchemist OG vs. Brotherhood: Rush Valley (OG 26, BH 11)

Another 1:1, but the content is actually very different this time.

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 26: "Her Reason"

Mustang investigates Hughes' murder and concludes through Armstrong that a high ranked member of the military may be responsible for his death. Izumi Curtis, Edward and Alphonse's teacher, shows up at Central looking for them, but she has missed them by a few days. Edward, Alphonse, and Winry, on their way to Ishbal, arrive in Rush Valley.

We open with Mustang getting an invoice for all of Ed's hospitalization charges. LOL.

Mustang demands to know where the Elrics are. He's pretty harsh and aggressive.

Riza grabs her gun when Izumi barges in.

We're still doing the equivalent exchange intro? This is starting to raise the question of what "those days" are, exactly. From what point in the timeline is Al saying this?

New OP, though! It looks more like a slideshow of scenes from the anime. New characters are in it, most notably Wrath.

Automail girl is told she can't get a cannon arm because it's for men.

How does automail arm wrestling work? Wouldn't it just be determined by the quality of your automail, not your own strength? Despite this, the girl puts up an impressive showing against the champion before he cheats.

Announcer initially propositions Al, but then goes into a bit about how short Ed is. LOL.

Ed is looking more muscular than before, I think? He should be 16 now, so that makes sense.

Extra comedy from Winry when the announcer calls his automail shoddy. LOL.

Ed tears the guy's arm off! Did he use alchemy for that?

The big guy has a tiny replacement arm.

Ah, Ed did use alchemy.

Winry beats everyone up. I think it does lean a bit into "female violence is funny", but that she has a legitimate reason that's treated seriously makes it work, I think.

Now we get the scene with Mustang investigating. He talks with Armstrong in an alley instead of in the open. Thank you.

Mustang makes the same deductions, but his reasoning for the Philosopher's Stone connection is that the Elrics left without telling him, implying they didn't trust the military with information about the Stone. That's more reasonable.

Bechdel Test pass when Winry talks with Paninya.

Cartoon face when Dominic walks in on Paninya. It's a little much, but appropriate given the lightheartedness of this plot.

Dominic knows Pinako as a brilliant engineer.

Ah, a race shows the power of her automail legs as well. That's clever.

Paninya calls Ed a pipsqueak before starting the race. I wonder if Winry coached her on that.

Ed leaps two stories with his shonen protagonist powers.

Ed looks strained while running, while Paninya isn't breaking a sweat.

Paninya leaps from the roof straight onto the ground with no ill effects. Ed does the same thing, so it's not just that automail absorbs the shock. Artistic license, I suppose.

Without the rocket, Paninya's leg collapses and she falls off the building. Ed saves her by extending… rock platforms that break under her? I guess that would slow her a little, but if she's already going that fast that must still be pretty painful.

Winry blushes when Ed says he can't let anyone show up his automail. Aw.

Back in Central, Hakuro shows up to intimidate Mustang. So I guess he's finished razing Liore. Mustang grovels for him.

Sheska wants to continue the investigation, but Mustang says it's been suspended.

Oh wow, Izumi's here already? Thinking about the timeline… it seemed like it only took them a day to get here by train, and it has been a day since Izumi showed up in Central, so that checks out.

Winry is sad that Ed doesn't want automail. I think that's a bit much? She's known he wants to restore his body for a while now.

Cartoon faces when Sig barges in. I think that's reasonable; as a cliffhanger, it is clearly meant to be jarring, and it's a clean break from the seriousness of the last scene.

New ED. The bit with Winry typing with the dog is really cute. Winry inexplicably having her shirt open so we can see her boobs is less cute. And it looks like the text in the background is a plot summary of the story? I wonder if it's notes the mangaka gave them, or their own? I think I preferred the last one's music, though.

FMA Brotherhood Episode 11: "Miracle at Rush Valley"

Edward, Alphonse and Winry arrive in Rush Valley where Edward's state alchemist pocket watch is stolen by a pickpocket named Paninya. After chasing her down, they find she has automail legs. Winry asks the automail's creator, Dominic LeCoulte, to let her be his apprentice, but her request is swiftly denied. Winry convinces Paninya to stop being a pickpocket and return the pocket watch, but first she peeks inside and sees the date when the Elric brothers burned down their house. Meanwhile, Dominic's daughter-in-law is having a baby, and she is unable to travel to a hospital in the poor weather. Winry and Paninya deliver the baby, resulting in a successful birth. Winry asks Dominic again to be an apprentice, and this time he directs her to another automail mechanical engineer. With that, Edward and Alphonse continue onward to Dublith.

We're doing the alchemy intro again.

Recapping the last episode, again.

We start in Rush Valley this time. Curiously, we don't get the ship-teasing of Winry behaving exactly the same way as the girlfriend who wants her boyfriend to buy her the expensive ring; Ed is just exasperated over her fangirling.

Ed is really grouchy.

Cartoon skit where everyone crowds around Ed's automail and… strip him? That's pretty awkward.

Cartoon skit when Ed realizes his watch is gone.

Cartoon skit when the villagers ask to see Ed's automail again.

We get emphasis on how hot and inhospitable the region is. Dominic apparently lives in the mountains, rather than a back alley.

Winry and Ed yell at each other. I can just feel the romance wafting off them.

Ed and Al somehow recognize Paninya despite not seeing her earlier, and are able to see the watch in her hands even though she's only a speck from their perspective. How.

Cartoon skit when Ed sees her.

Ed uses alchemy to make steps carving a direct path to her.

Then he makes a huge wall to cut her off, about on part with Izumi's levee.

Ed then makes grasping arms out of the ground. How are they bending?

Al ambushes her and makes a metal cage. They did say earlier that this area is rich in metal ore, so that makes sense.

Paninya has a blade in her leg instead of a rocket, and it… can cut through the metal bars, somehow.

Ah, her other leg has the cannon.

I'm just now noticing she does not have an automail arm.

Winry catches her. How? Did she sneak ahead?

Comedy when Winry wants to look at Paninya's automail.

Al's head falls off, which is amusing.

Winry nuzzles Paninya's knee. Uhhh.

Instead of being amazed by Winry's work, Dominic scolds her for making the limbs too heavy. This is where we get introduced to the possibility the automail is stunting Ed's growth. Of course, in this continuity that will come to nothing because consequences are for losers.

Ed has a fantasy of towering over everyone. This is actually very funny. We see him still daydreaming while we resume in the present, which is also funny.

Why is Al constantly turning into a cartoon, though? I think he's spent more time in cartoon form than not this episode.

We get a cartoon of Ed being a single-celled organism when Dominic calls him one. It amuses me.

We get a picture of the fetus when the brothers touch the pregnant woman, which I find unnecessary and kinda gross.

The brothers gush about how miraculous childbirth is.

Paninya says her stumps ache when the weather turns bad, which is a nice detail showing that automail isn't perfect.

When Paninya gives backstory, there's no flashback to the accident, but there is a flashback to Dominic because the man is what's important here.

The whole conversation places much more emphasis on Dominic, how grateful she is to him, how she wants to pay him back, etc.

Winry argues with her to stop being a pickpocket.

Ed sealed his watch shut with alchemy.

Cartoon where Winry opens it.

Cartoon when Ed tells Winry about the labor.

The labor scene is similar to Elicia's birth, so I guess OG moved this there. No line where she snaps at them for making a fuss, though. It has way less emotional impact and context here when it's just some rando, and the men's incompetence is less excusable when they're adults. Winry has to do basically everything herself.

Ed notes that Winry's a doctor's daughter so she does actually know this stuff… and then immediately undercuts it by saying she probably didn't absorb any of it because lol women thinking they know stuff, amirite? We've seen no indication Winry is doing anything wrong. Why are you being a dick, Ed.

Shot of Dominic riding through the rain.

Winry goes in to help with the birth, but we stay focused on Ed whining about how sad it is he can't help.

Cartoon Al when he gushes over the baby.

Same line about mothers accomplishing what alchemists can't, but Winry tells him not to compare alchemy with "the mysteries of life".

Ed is mad at Winry for opening the watch.

We get a flashback to them burning the house.

Winry is determined to stay with them because she's ~so amazed by Ed's resolve~. Also explicitly says she wants to get better just so she can help Ed.

Comedy and slapstick when Ed demands his watch back from Paninya. I guess slapstick targeted at women is sort of equality?

Dominic melts when doting on the grandson. Ed notes it's out of character and gets glared at and turned to cartoon.

Ed has to push for Winry's referral; she doesn't think to ask herself.

Paninya is called a "tomboy", and is invited to come visit. So I guess their relationship isn't as close here?

The Elrics run past a wanted poster of Greed. Nice foreshadowing.

Ed tells Winry to get better so she can make him better automail when he leaves.

Conclusion

So these are really two completely different episodes. There are similarities in characters and the basic plot, but they're portrayed very differently.

Taken individually, I'd say they're both good. Like with the Resembool episode, when comedy and lightheartedness is actually appropriate, Brotherhood does great at that. The episode is a fun low-stakes adventure with a lot of good jokes. Conversely, OG making its own plot was also a good move. It's still a breather episode, but sticks to the more subdued, less madcap energy characteristic of the anime, so it doesn't feel out of place. We get clever use of elements and lots of people talking about their feelings, which is exactly what I want out of OG. The episodes are both good examples of their series' respective ethos.

But one of our things to watch is female representation, and they don't compare nearly as favorably there.

OG's episode is about Paninya from beginning to end, and develops her into a full character with her own motivations. In Brotherhood, she's just a plot device to introduce us to Dominic, and is then swiftly forgotten about. Winry's conversation with her is also a lot friendlier in OG, and more focused on Paninya herself. I also find it very interesting that Dominic is only amazed by Winry and Pinako's work in OG; there's no question of her becoming his apprentice, giving the very clear implication she is already a master herself.

For all that people say Brotherhood is so much better at female characters, OG sure seems to care about and respect them way more. It does give us that weirdly gendered thing about the arm cannon, but it's not pushed very hard – Paninya doesn't have to give up her rocket leg, and she's not forced to give up her tomboyishness like Clause did.

Quite frankly, Brotherhood's "feminism" feels very manufactured to me. It does the exact bare minimum of what it thinks people want out of female characters, but no more – then, having paid its dues, it goes right back to gushing over how awesome the boys are. OG seems to be coming from a more traditionalist angle that leads them into some blunders, but I don't see any malice behind them; they've shown again and again a willingness to seriously engage with even minor female characters, even at the expense of the male ones, and that feels much more genuine to me.

[greed-the-dorkalicious]

A diehard Mangahood fan’s opinion on why YOU- YES, YOU- should watch FMA 2003

(Yes, those are his actual lines in this scene. These are the Netflix captions.)

2018 is off to a great start, with both FMA anime being back on Netflix! But ever since Brotherhood overtook 03 in popularity years ago, the FMA fandom has been so deeply divided on the subject of the two anime that even today, a lot of FMA fans who have never seen 03 vehemently refuse to watch it, simply because they heard from someone else that it’s bad.

As someone who’s been in the FMA fandom for about 9 years, could easily go on for hours about the endless problems with 03, and firmly believes the manga is better than both anime anyway, I think that this attitude is bullshit. While I understand that 03 is not everyone’s cup of tea for sure, I think refusing to even try it is a very narrow-minded approach that will only make you miss out. So, from one Mangahood fan to another, here’s my take on why YOU should give 03 a try now that it’s back on Netflix!

A whole 51 episodes + 1 movie worth of FMA content you haven’t seen yet! Come on, what better reason do you need? For those of you who are always craving more of those good good Elric boys and their merry band of friends, here’s a perfect opportunity to see them in all sorts of new situations, in all their fully animated and voiced glory! More fight scenes! More banter! More brotherly love! More Riza Hawkeye shooting things! More alchemy! It’s a deal you can’t miss.

Learn about the FMA fandom’s history! Ever wonder why Hohenheim seems to get so much more hate than he deserves, or why that one Ishvalan kid who got like 3 lines is sometimes called Rick? Have you ever found yourself in the deep reaches of DeviantArt or Google Images and found strange images of armor Al with tattoos, Rose with dark skin and pink bangs, an edgy-looking kid with similar clothes to Envy, or a low quality gif of Havoc crying and aggressively writing in a journal captioned with “I have all these feels”? Confused about the phrase “In those days, we believed that to be the world’s one, and only, truth”? Do you occasionally see content of the “Tringham brothers” or “Alfons Heiderich” and not understand who they are? Have you seen the “tiny miniskirts” clip on YouTube, but never been able to find it in context? Just where did the titular tumbleweed of International FMA Tumbleweed Appreciation Day come from, anyway?! All these questions and more can be answered by watching 03!

Beautiful music! A lot of great music came out of the 03 era, such as silly OST pieces like Pint-Size Alchemist or Favorite Daughter; Beautiful pieces like Equivalent Exchange or Memories; Haunting choruses like Ishbal or Dante; Fun and memorable theme songs FMA’s oldest banger, Melissa, or the Resembool Trio anthem, Hagane no Kokoro; And of course, the unforgettable masterpiece of a duet that spawned a legacy transcending years and languages, Bratja aka Brothers.

Talented voice actors! 03 had a slightly different voice cast from Brotherhood. For the dub, we’ve got the loveable and unforgettable Aaron Dismuke as Al- You might know him for his triumphant return in Brotherhood as young Hohenheim, but he was the original Alphonse Elric, when he was just 12 years old! Aside from that, we’ve got Chris Patton as Greed, Dameon Clarke as Scar, Monica Rial as Dante, and “sexy Greed” Troy Baker as Robocop himself, Frank Archer! And for the original Japanese version, there’s Nana Mizuki (Lan Fan in Brotherhood) as Wrath, Tooru Okawa as Roy, Megumi Toyoguchi as Winry, and Junichi Suwabe (perhaps best known as Victor Nikiforov and Aizawa Shouta) as Greed. And more!

Bonus content from the manga that wasn’t in Brotherhood! While Brotherhood initially rushed through the beginning of the plot under the assumption that we’ve all seen it 500 times already so let’s get to the new stuff, 03 actually took its time and included episodes based off the early stories, such as Youswell or the battle on the train. Not only that, but 03 also includes episodes based off some of the bonus chapters (Dog of the Military, the military festival, the one where Havoc went on a date with Catherine) and even some content from the light novels (The Tringham brothers, the haunted warehouse).

An interesting reimagining of FMA, with new perspectives explored, and new characters! It’s true that 03 has a very different plot and overall tone from Mangahood, and maybe it’s not for everyone, but why is the mere concept of being different seen as a bad thing? Think of it like a fanfiction, an interesting AU with its own distinct flavor. Who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy 03′s style! It features interesting (not always good, not always bad, but certainly interesting) new characters, such as Dante, the Tringham brothers, Wrath, Sloth, Frank Archer, Lujon and Lydia, and Rick and Leo. It also explores new possibilities and new directions that the manga didn’t. Ever wish Nina, Sheska, Lust, Rose, Martel, or Mason got more character development? Do you wonder what the state alchemist exam might be like? Do you think the homunculi simply being created by Father is too boring an origin story? Are your favorite superhero comic storylines the ones that involve alternate universes crossing over with each other? Ever wanted to see a cyborg shoot bullets out of his mouth? Are AMVs featuring Scar set to early 2000s emo music your niche but passionate hobby? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, 03 is the anime for you!

Also ngl, some of the fight scenes are really cool. Ed vs. Greed in particular... now THAT was some animation, woah. I love it.

In conclusion, if you’re a FMA fan and you haven’t seen 03 before, I highly recommend you check it out! After all, it can’t hurt- Either you’ll enjoy it and have a fun time with more FMA content, or you’ll learn for yourself that you don’t like it, and can simply stop watching. But you’ll never know until you try! Please, don’t listen to bitter, negative fans who only want to drive you away from something you might enjoy. (Ngl, most of them probably weren’t even around before Brotherhood came out anyway; I can tell you from experience that before Brotherhood got really popular, 03 was actually considered to be a really good anime, and had it not been so successful Brotherhood would never have even been created.) Open up to new possibilities, and give 03 a try!

[sjwmothman]

all the fma asks with 1 in them

1. Original or Brotherhood? Why?

As far as visual aesthetics, I prefer 03′s color palette and love the way steel especially looks in it. I feel that Brotherhood’s modern anime pastel palette consistently whitewashes Scar and other Ishvalan characters. Also as a billion people have pointed out, Brotherhood has some sloppy pacing stuff going on in the beginning but overall I do love it! I love them both! 

03′s plot is. a complicated bee swarm. There are many Ideas, some of which are really interesting to explore. The homunculous especially get a lot of cool moments which I enjoy. I was also really happy that they expanded Sheska’s role and had lots of stuff with Izumi.

HOWEVER, no Ling Yao? No Lan Fan? No GREEDLING??? Very upsetting.

I sort of like the animes equally and think the manga is the best??? am I allowed to say that???

10. Favorite opening?

Rewrite for 03 and Again for fmab bc I am. a humble and generic man. Love hologram a lot as well! 

11. Favorite member of Team Mustang?

Hawkeye! Hawkeye! Hawkeye! 

12. Explain how you felt/your reaction at the end of Brotherhood.

I enjoyed it a lot but was frustrated with the need to tack on “oh! and they have kids!” I understand how that ending works thematically but it’s always been a point of bitterness to me. 

13. Explain how you felt/your reaction at the end of the original.

I’m rewatching 03 for the first time since high school but I’m not done yet. So I’ll give you the skinny from 2011 me: Very frustrated! the original series is.. a fun goth ride, don’t get me wrong. But I hated a lot of the decisions around the end, especially the stuff with Rose. I don’t think the series had the right toolkit to work with sexual violence and should not have tried to tackle it. I was also furious about how unhappy the series leaves Winry. 

Now, I’m finding my memory of non Conqueror of Shamballa 03 endgame has faded, so we’ll see how I feel this time around. Still mad for Winry though. 

14. Which character death affected you the most and why?

Remember Alfons? Him.... And Izumi. 03′s endgame deaths are characterized by what that series does best- small melancholic moments. The scenes about their deaths don’t feel like big shonen dramatic moments, they’re just desolate with this soft sunny wistfulness infused. I’m drawn to that sort of thing, as you maybe have guessed. 

15. What’s one thing you would change about the series and why?

Replaced the Ed Has Kids Now photo with an intimate moment of Ed and Al and Winry together? The hug was sweet and big and beautiful but. yeah. I also wish the anime would have included the scenes about what Al did with his armor. That could’ve been a great final moment! 

16. What’s your favorite episode and why?

I don’t usually go back to single episodes. I tend to watch the series all at once when I go back to them. So it’s hard to say what my favorite would be. I really love the one where they see Izumi again for the first time. And of course, gotta love those boys eatin boots in the belly of the beast. 

As far as the manga, the chapter where Hawkeye honestly talks to Ed about the war. It’s very striking and seeing Ed and Al reconvene afterward. It just hits hard on how young they are. And how much they have and haven’t dealt with. 

17. What’s your favorite quote and why?

I genuinely love the bits where the brothers talk talk about their 10-11 theory. It’s so sweet that they thought to apply the very personal thing they learned to theoretical alchemy. Because they are dorks. 

18. What was the biggest thing you took from the series (most important moral)?

Someone wrote a great Mary Sue article about the needlessness of self-sacrifice as a core theme in Arakawa’s work and that’s the biggest takeaway for me. I think that’s something 03 lacked thematically with its fixation on grand moments of sacrifice. 

I love how strong and good all of Arakawa’s leads are! They’re inspiring good people without being generic or unrealistic. I know it’s not fma, but seeing the way a character like Hatchiken in Silver Spoon grows and learns not to burden himself while still caring about others- it just makes me think “I want to be more like that!” 

19. You wake up in their universe somewhere in Central. What’s the first thing you do?

make the big booty alchemist happen

stand on a cliff side looking sadly at the water and use alchemy to make everybody think i’m a ghost

get a ton of takeout and hit the library

[zephyrthejester]

Reflecting on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Please click “Keep Reading” to view my concluding thoughts on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Unfiltered spoilers inside.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is, simply put, a narrative masterpiece. One of those once-in-a-decade stories. But before I sing its praises, I feel I'd best get my complaints out of the way first thing. They're all laughably petty, as far as complaints go, and I'd hate to leave this reflection off on a sour note.

1: For how important he was, I felt Alphonse's role was too small. He had a very interesting mini-arc about his identity early on, but after that, he was very passive. He took the support role in both dialogue and combat. Though, he did have what is probably the show's single biggest "fuck yeah!" moment all to himself when he turned the tables on Pride and Kimblee. I dunno, maybe I was just hoping for FMA:B to be "The Edward and Alphonse show ft. a ton of cool characters." But it was actually "The Edward show ft. Hohenheim, Alphonse, and a ton of cool characters."

2: Let's be real. Trying to dethrone God and take their place is just about as cliche an anime/JRPG plot you can get. It was a bit underwhelming, but this complaint is completely dwarfed by the fact that the whole narrative I'm about to exclaim love for is written closely around it, and the fact that the villain actually succeeded (briefly).

3: I wish that one of the show's biggest twists, the Country-Wide Transmutation Circle, wasn't revealed so early. Though the plot certainly had some out-of-nowhere reveals (that always made logical sense when they happened), most were foreshadowed or hinted at. But around episode 20, Dr. Marcoh dropped a guess about the plan to sacrifice Amestris, just... out of nowhere. Looking back, I can't help but think it would have been so much better if we first saw the Xerxes flashback story, then learned about Father's plan for Amestris. It would have been a gut-punch double threat. But by the time we did see the Xerxes story, we were well familiar with the concept. We could have been surprised at the same time as "young" Hohenheim. We could have felt that "oh shit!" feeling when we learned it was about to be repeated on a larger scale. But we didn't.

4: Lack of side character screentime. This may actually be a compliment in disguise, because I'm complaining that the characters I really loved weren't around enough! Danny Brosh, Maria Ross, Barry, Alex Armstrong, Sheska, Jean Havoc, Izumi and Sig Curtis, Ling Yao (who disappeared for a chunk of the show, and then when his body was on-screen, half the time he wasn't actually there, if you get what I'm saying)... I guess too much screentime for some of them would have made them grating or tiresome. But as trickle-fed novelties, I ended up loving the characters and just wanting more. More of everything!

5: It's understandable why this happened, as the second half of the show is incredibly grim and serious, but I found myself sorely missing the humor found in the earlier episodes. There was a new joke every minute, once. By the end of the show we were lucky to get one joke in an entire episode. Again, completely understandable, maybe even necessary. But I still missed the humor... because pretty much every joke landed for me.

Um. That's it. That's all the complaining I have in me. Literally every negative thing I feel about this legendary show. Let's get to the good stuff, shall we?

This story. This story is just... it's just mind boggling. It had the illusion that every little detail was planned out from the start. It juggled over 30 important characters and plenty more in lesser roles with breakneck pacing that never felt too rushed (outside the first three episodes). And let me tell you, I am just sitting in stunned awe as I think back about every single nuance. Every major character was admittedly fairly simple, but it is perhaps this very simplicity that makes them so understandable, likable, and sympathetic. Nearly everyone had only one character trait and a very clearly defined goal from the outset of their introduction... The beauty was seeing these various traits bounce off each other and seeing how the characters got to their goal.

This was not a story where characters changed and grew. I think this story was about how the characters fought hard not to be changed. Ed and Al were tempted to drop their morals, and they didn't. Hohenheim was tempted to hate himself, and he didn't. Winry was tempted to take a life, and she didn't. Mustang and Scar were changed-- into monsters-- and were pulled back from the abyss by their friends. It... genuinely feels like everyone was mostly the same person at the start and end of the story. And somehow, it actually all works. Though, saying this sounds a bit silly because Truth scolded Father for not changing... Oh well.

Moving from the macro to the micro, let's talk about the tiny little details. There were so many elements introduced that seemed innocuous and unimportant, but were actually extremely important. Edward's short height, the butt of many early jokes, was because his body was sustaining Alphonse's. The motion of clapping hands to form a Circle out of your body, a "gift" from God, looked like praying. Havoc's family business ending up being a munitions store. The creepy tubes beneath Central, which I didn't even think to question, ended up being the pumps that fuel the Mannequin Army. As I said, it feels like every single remote detail of this grand story was planned from the very beginning. From the small to the large, it all feels so complete. There's not a single part of me wishing something was more fleshed out (aside from wanting more screentime for my favorite characters, of course).

Indeed, I'll be fondly remembering and respecting this show's narrative and characters for a long, long time to come. It started strong, stayed strong, and though it may have slowed its pace at the start of the Briggs arc, it never faltered in its step. Best of all, it even delivered a very satisfying ending. So satisfying. So happy and perfect and sweet it almost made me diabetic.

Let's wrap things up with what's left, shall we? Thinking hard, I can't exactly recall most of the background music in the show. There were one or two standouts, but... Well, I guess none of the songs were jarring or displeasing, but all the same I can't exactly praise them. They were... serviceable. Yeah. Though, I do really like most of the OP and ED songs! They all grew on me more and more, and a few I still can't get out of my head.

Then there's the animation! My goodness, the animation! For an anime of this length, I was blown away by the effort put in to make all the important fight scenes look damn good. And damn, did they look good. This show had some stellar fight choreography, even with the more fantastical magic powers, and I won't lie when I say I immediately went back to re-watch a few fights the moment I had finished a liveblog session.

Well then. That's everything, I think.

I guess there's only one more thing I have to say.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has succeeded Gurren Lagann as my favorite anime of all time.

In the hopefully long-running lifespan of my blog, I expect that no show will ever top the final score I've allotted FMA:B. By averaging all scores, I calculate the final score of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to be a stunning 9.3/10!

Experiencing this show was an absolute pleasure. But even better was taking this journey with you guys.

Thanks for reading.

[fantasyninja26]

2003 VS Brotherhood

A user @theishvalanalchemist has commenced an 2003 VS Brotherhood debate in the style of an Old VS New from Nostalgia Critic. Now I thoroughly enjoy these videos and Nostalgia Critic is one of my favorite Youtubers so I’m pretty excited for this. I have been writing fanfictions for both Fullmetal Alchemist versions for years now, rewatching both versions constantly, looking at multiple arguments on both sides and I’ve been pretty neutral on this seemingly age old argument. So I’ll share my views, I will keep them fairly open as I personally have no stance on which side wins this. Though I have not thought of the two varying versions in these categories, I will actually be looking at this from an analytical stand point and then talk about which series I personally prefer. I will be excluding the movies and focusing solely on the episodic series. I will also ignore the manga as an argument because frankly I think the ‘2003 anime doesn’t follow the manga’ argument doesn’t benefit Brotherhood at all. So without further ado, here is the Old VS New for FMA.

1: Leads (Ed, Al, and Roy). I personally like both of them a lot, but the things I pay attention to the most is the personal struggles which Ed, Al, and Roy face. The reason being is that enjoy seeing how the events and hardships impact the characters in the long run. For Brotherhood’s case my favorite is how Roy handles Hughes’ death and the direction that specific event takes him. This event is such a long and arduous struggle for him and it impacts every single thing he has done from brutally killing Lust to torturing Envy. For Ed and Al they carry the guilt they feel for Nina with them for the whole story and it’s mentioned throughout. Examples being when Ed and Al were fighting Scar to lure out the Homunculi and past the conclusion. Now with 2003, beginning with Roy. 2003 mainly focuses on the Ishavalan (or Ishbalan) War and the long term effects it’s placed on Roy. The struggles he faces are beyond too real for any person who has fought in a war. He constantly shown in a place of guilt from killing Winry’s parents and aiding in a genocide and how it’s changed his life. For a while he became an alcoholic, tried to crack the code of Human Transmutation, and has talked about (and shown) thoughts of suicide. The things Roy is going through seems more natural andreal. For the Elric Brothers I will discuss their mother being the embodiment of Sloth. Ed has a natural big brother instinct to protect Al from being hurt by this and he tries to hide the topic every time Al brings it up. Al on the other hand wants to just talk with his brother about Sloth. The events surrounding Sloth really bring out some sides of Ed and Al that are really quite interesting when they go along with the other major plot points. For a couple of episodes there’s this hostility between Ed and Al which is partially caused by the issue with Sloth. Ed is rational and sees Sloth for what she really is, but Al is emotional and feels like there’s something more to this. The differing emotions are then put aside so that they can correct their mistakes. Both versions are very similar so I really have to pay attention to some details. But in order for Roy to be more believable he has to have that war trauma that just isn’t there in Brotherhood. And for Ed and Al they were more convincing as brothers, they actually argue more in 2003, Ed guilt towards what happened to Al is explored far more, and the conflict between Sloth and the two really proved that despite differences they can still work together like brothers. So my vote goes to 2003.

2: Villains (Dante VS Father). This time I’m gonna start with 2003’s, Dante. It took a while for her to be set at the major villain of the story and she was very interesting to watch in the early stages of her appearance. Her backstory with Hohenheim is actually very fascinating and seems like a very classic villain backstory. The conflicts she faces of going from body to body does make her efforts more crucial considering that her life is on the line. But what I really like is that the more she transfers the faster she rots, which actually parallels with her humanity washing away. So by the end of the series she’s taking form in a human body but she’s lost so much of what makes her human is that she also inhuman as well. It makes the encounter with Ed more creepy especially when Ed tells her that she’s still human but she just responds with ‘Not anymore.’ But now that I mention Ed, I must bring up a flaw that I do see (and this isn’t that Edward Elric fangirl side of me peering its head) which is why does she suddenly want to be loved by Ed? That is something I really don’t understand and it almost shows up out of nowhere. But for now let’s move on to Father. Again has a very nice background with Hohenheim that ties together very well with the story and he’s introduced at the right time and with the right atmosphere. The way he creates the Homunculi as parts of himself is really compelling. As each homunculus represents his sins it really shows how humans are really not born pure, that every living thing is sinned. All the sins are tied together, if you have one you have them all. This also shows that he is just like the thing he despises the most, human. However when you take the backstory and Homunculi you have a generic villain who just hates humans because he’s all powerful and mighty. It’s something that feels new but is somehow the same as every other villain we see now. For these two, they’re both enjoyable villains but the intrigue of Dante when you take away backstory and henchmen is still there. My second vote goes to 2003.

3: Leading Ladies (Winry and Riza). Starting with 2003 we really don’t have too much to work with these two, and that’s where the problem begins. I actually really don’t remember some of the stuff Riza does in 2003, other than take in Black Hayate. Winry on the other hand I really think about how she got Ed’s watch stolen because he cheated during an arm wrestling match. With having a childhood friend in the military, she would probably know that could get Ed into some serious trouble. Overall I feel like Riza and Winry are just there in 2003 and the most feminine power lies in other female characters. In Brotherhood, it’s more shown how they aspired one another early on in the series from the ear rings to the long hair. Also they both have moments where their hardships are shown without making them helpless characters. An example for Riza being when she’s telling Ed about the horrors of Ishval and how they have shaped her into the woman she is. She is shown as woman who wanted to help people but is forced to participate in genocide, but as a sniper she has to look at every life she takes and it’s something she lives with. With Winry the moment that resonates with me would have to be the small events after the first encounter with Scar. After learning the identity to her parents’ killer she gets a phone call from Rush Valley of her customers asking for her to return. As we have seen in both versions of FMA, losing limbs and replacing them with automail is not an easy feat. By helping these people she has become this beacon of hope for them, someone who has returned what they have lost and without her they wouldn’t have that. There is honestly a lot of great moments for these two but these are ones I feel like aren’t talked about enough and it’s gives them a nice look into their impact. This vote goes to Brotherhood.

4: Side Characters. For this I’m going to limit to only the characters who show up in both versions of FMA. These characters include Hughes, Lust, Envy, and Scar. First with Hughes, the lovable dad who is in love with his family. We do get more of Hughes in 2003, for about twenty episodes before he really kicks the bucket. After that he’s only mentioned when Sheska is looking into his murder. The death of Hughes in 2003 is more impactful for the audience than it is to the story. Hughes is around for 10 episodes in Brotherhood before he is killed which really doesn’t give the audience too much time to get attached even when he is put into almost every episode until then. But as I mentioned before, his death is the reason behind every move Roy makes. Also Hughes’ reason to die did end up playing a huge part in the story, showing that his death was more impactful for the story. Its a matter of what your cup of tea is. Moving onto Lust, once more she is around far longer in 2003 than in Brotherhood. In Brotherhood she’s the first homunculus to die by the hands of one of our heroes but that’s really about it. She just does what Father tells her to do and then she dies by Roy’s hands which furthers his goals. She’s a generic baddy in Brotherhood who does everything without question and then dies. But in 2003, Lust experiences and sees things that ends with her greatly questioning her own past and what’s in store for her. She vocalizes her desire to be human only to reveal during her death that she wanted to be human so she could die. Unlike Dante, Lust is inhuman while being human at the same time really. Naturally as humans we question what will happen after we die and we always want to know more, and Lust is a really good example of someone who has these very human thoughts while not being human herself. Now I’m not judging this based on her humanistic qualities but I’m judging this more on how her character is impacted by the story and how her character changes throughout. She remains on one note in Brotherhood but in 2003 she has many highs and lows that are brought into light as the story progresses. Now with Envy in 2003, he’s this ball of rage who constantly wants to make Ed feel horrible and always wants him in a rough spot. The reason being for a while is kinda unknown so the audience assumes that it’s just because he’s just a bad guy. But when it’s revealed he was Hohenheim of Light’s (or HoL for short) son and then was brought back with Human Transmutation when he died only to be abandoned by HoL. He feels this resentment and since he can’t find HoL he takes out on Ed specifically. If he really feels this resentment, why is he only taking it out on Ed? Shouldn’t he be trying to make Al miserable too? Also he keeps saying he doesn’t remember what his real form was until suddenly he just remembers it. How did he remember it? Did he forget where he came from too? And if he did why is that motive there? He keeps saying that he wants Ed to suffer for being Hohenheim’s son but why? These are just the questions that come up when his motive is really revealed along with his true form. Now with Brotherhood he doesn’t have that motive, he just doesn’t like humans. But it’s his last moment that really matters, when Ed exposes what he really feels, jealously and resentment towards humans. It kinda mirrors how Lust functioned in 2003, feeling these human emotions while not being human himself. When people get jealous there’s this natural anger and resentment and he shows this beautifully in Brotherhood while still being completely despicable. Now finally we talk about Scar. Scar is a vengeful character and rightfully so, his homeland was ravaged and destroyed and he did lose his brother in the heat of the war. In 2003 the moments between Al, Ed, and Scar are pretty nice and it helps them progress in the story they’re in. But outside of that I feel like Scar really doesn’t get much of that development by himself. He gets it around other characters but it’s never enough to make him question what he’s doing. I feel as if he’s a character who is just on one note the whole time and he doesn’t really grow from his experiences. Now with Brotherhood we do see his growth and how he sets his revenge aside to stop Father’s plans. But a moment I wanted to talk about in specific which would be when he’s fighting Bradley/Wrath. This moment alone is mirroring Scar’s inner struggles that are present throughout the story. That fight to either take revenge or work to make things right without shedding more blood. That’s what I see when he fight Wrath and that is huge. Unfortunately we don’t see that from Scar in 2003. So with Hughes going either way, Lust on 2003, and Envy and Scar on Brotherhood, I’m giving it to Brotherhood. The vote goes to Brotherhood

5: Action Scenes. Starting with Brotherhood you can feel this tension in some of the fights especially near the end where everything matters and any character can die. For example you feel some fear when Roy is brutally torturing Envy, you feel excitement when everyone is fighting against Father, etc. But this is all in the end of the series, it’s a big conclusion to a big series and you don’t get enough of those fights in the beginning. Also a lot of the fights just happen and they aren’t really brought up again and they leave little to no impact on the characters. Sure there’s some in Brotherhood but it’s not every fight when it’s all over both fighters come out different. A prime example of this is when Ed is fighting Greed in Dublith. In Brotherhood they fight and it’s to save Al but really Ed doesn’t leave as a different person and the only thing that changes with Greed is that he fights Wrath and dies at the end of the day. Meanwhile in 2003 the first part of the fight Greed says that Ed has to violate one of his strict policies in order to win against the Homunculi, which is not to kill; and when Greed dies by Ed’s hands, Ed comes out as a different person. His reaction, how he feels after it is absolutely heartbreaking. But he knows that he has to take that step in order to really put an end to all the chaos and his morals are further challenged. That’s what a fight in this world is all about. It challenges the characters and their morals, makes them sacrifice so much, it helps them grow both as a fighter and a human and it changes them for either the better or for the worst. This point goes to 2003.

6: Story. This one is really difficult to look at since both stories are mostly similar. Of course these two versions are different and that’s where the backlash comes from, 2003 doesn’t stick with the manga while Brotherhood does. But I want to keep that argument out of this discussion and focus on the story in the episodes alone. Both stories really hold up on their own and they’re nicely crafted. Brotherhood is more story based but it’s not well paced especially in the beginning. They pack in about the twenty episodes of material from 2003 onto 10 episodes because the creators assumed you’ve seen the 2003 first. This results in moments like Nina and Hughes to be less of an impact on the audience even though they both still cause a lot of pain. After that, the story is decently paced and it flows very nicely. It doesn’t focus entirely on the Elrics which gives other characters a moment to shine. Its overall a very coherent and easy to follow. For 2003, I can follow the story nicely and it’s paced beautifully, giving the audience a chance to take every moment in and gives a lot of room for the characters to grow. The events with Nina was two episodes long and you had the chance to know Hughes as being smart, witty, wise, and lovable all at the same time before he died. It gives the characters to grow and develop in the environment they’re placed in while only having ten less episodes than Brotherhood. I don’t think there are many flaws with the 2003 story until the very end which will be discussed in the ending category. The fillers that are given fall into the category of being funny or being helpful towards a character’s development. The filler with Roy’s group is an example of something funny going on in the middle of the story and brings some light after being a witness to some troubling events and it’s enjoyable to watch Roy’s team function and the adventures they endure. An episode with character development would have to be the episode with Lust and Lujion which kicks off some really stellar character development for her. Those qualities of Lust that I praised before begin to appear and they are a huge part of her character from that point on. There’s really nothing wrong with filler episodes as long as they have a purpose and they makes sense and in 2003’s case they do.  These two stories may be very different but the way they function is almost identical giving room for characters to grow, giving other characters the spotlight, all while still being coherent. This point goes to both 2003 and Brotherhood.

7: Ending. As we reach the conclusion of the series that’s when the final problems are resolved and the questions that the audience has is either answered or left for interpretation. As I mentioned before there are some problems within the ending of 2003 which is why I didn’t discuss them in the story section. But the ending though it may be darker really leaves some unanswered questions. Some of the questions related to Ed and Al isn’t answered until CoS and when you take away that movie those unanswered questions are undeniable and they are huge. The ending lacks satisfaction but it nicely leaves An overwhelming sense of hope that Ed and Al reunite in the end. The ending of Brotherhood is dragged out for a long while, it has been prepared for several episodes, and it didn’t disappoint. It gave us a very nice amount of fights, a nice resolve to Ed and Al’s conflict that makes sense during the first viewing, and gave us a satisfactory ending. It really didn't leave too many questions behind and it's a nice resolve to such a grand story. A lot of people feel such great excitement when the fight when Ed begins to beat Father with his bare hands, such happiness when Ed and Al leave the gate together, and feel relief when Ed is shown in one of the happiest moments when he proposes to Winry. It allows for the characters to have such a great ending that doesn't leave any loose ends and it assures that after the hardships the characters face they could still stand and live a fulfilling life. This final vote goes to Brotherhood.

So this Good VS New for me ended with a tie which may sound really lame, but I'm actually satisfied with the end result and I would like for you guys to hear me out. Both of these versions have some highs and some lows, what one show lacks the other makes up for. We shouldn't be arguing over which one is better and putting on a pedestal because one follows the manga. Individually both versions are great on their own, the stories are great, the characters are great, and both of them are classics. There's no need for a competition, these two are awesome by themselves and by avoiding one of these stories you're just missing out on a great adventure with the characters that we all enjoy to watch.

With that this concludes my analysis on the 2003 VS Brotherhood and I'm sorry it was so long but I really worked hard on this and I'm so proud of it even when it ended with a tie. At least I can say that I've written the equivalent of an essay over my favorite show. Thank you for reading this and that is all.

[zetalial]

Roy Mustang - a military man.

Hey, my lovely friend @prettywitchiusaka asked me to do a post all about my interpretation of Roy Mustang so here it is!

This post is all about the Roy presented in the 03 anime for the record. (Roy’s character is quite a bit different in Brotherhood. A little more heroic and a little less broken and a little more consumed by revenge.)

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Let’s see... Roy is part of the military. That is his most significant characteristic. Yes, the military defines him. The military is a pretty messed-up institution in the world of FMA. The country is always at war and it will slowly be revealed that there’s no good justification for it. Wars have been happening because people want to obtain the forbidden power of the Philosopher’s stone. 

Roy’s arc throughout the story is all about coming to understanding how broken this system he’s dedicated to is even while his life is completely tied up in the military. All his friends and companions are his fellow soldiers and Roy is rarely ever shown wearing anything but his uniform. The military defines his life -he’s been part of it for a long time - and it is hopelessly corrupt. 

The first eye-opener for Roy was the Ishval war. He sees great atrocities committed... and he participates in them, following the orders of his superiors. He’d likely believed all the lies he’d been told about his ‘enemies.’

He hates himself for it but Roy is a dutiful soldier in Ishval. (The only exception we see is helping Dr. Marcoh to escape.) We specifically see him blowing up a young boy with a gun (in a PTSD flashback) and his execution of a pair of (Amestrian) doctors. He confesses to Hughes to killing a lot of people in Ishval.

For his work, he is rapidly promoted through the military and we meet him as Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame alchemist and hero of Ishval. At first he seems like an arrogant, teasing person with a goofy side around his close subordinates. Towards Ed, he really gets under his skin with his smirking knows-everything attitude.

Secretly, Roy is filled with self-loathing and drinks and even considers killing himself. He makes a promise to himself to fix the military, aided by his closest friend Maes Hughes. Of course, Roy wants to reform the system from the inside and to achieve that he aims to become the Fuhrer - that’s his goal for the series. He feels its the only way he can justify living and making up for his sins. (Also, as he expresses to Winry later, that he wants to be in a position where he’ll never have to follow unjust orders again.)

While he may have done terrible things, he is not a bad person. At least, that’s not how others see him. He has a loyal team surrounding him who want to help him to achieve his goals. Havoc, Breda, Fuery, Falman and, of course, Riza Hawkeye. They all greatly respect him. Riza makes it very clear that she is aware of the things he’s done in Ishval and chooses to follow him anyway. She does not condemn him.  Besides them, there’s also Armstrong and Hughes. 

Roy tries his best to be good, to improve the world even as he’s trapped by his own demons. He’s given up his innocence to get into a high-up, influential Military position. It’s not easy for him, we really see his struggles and we’re slowly shown that, yes, the things he has done are awful and he can’t necessarily expect forgiveness. 

Roy is a people person who can be very charming. He goes on lots of dates with girls and has been very good at becoming a rising threat in the military as he works his way up the chain of command. He is seen as power-hungry by many who don’t know him well. (Sheska views him this way for much of the series given his inability to open up to her when she wants to help.) These relationships are fleeting things compared to the trust of his team however. 

That brings us to Edward and Alphonse. Roy’s relationship with them is quite unlike anyone else - they aren’t Military, they’re still (clever, somewhat jaded) children. While Ed does join the Military on Roy’s suggestion, he keeps it at arms length. Edward never wears a uniform and makes it very obvious that he sees joining the military as a means to an end - he’s only after the stone. The Elrics have never experienced war and Roy wishes that he could make it so they never will. To that end, he’s protective of them, keeping them in the dark about Liore and about Hughes’ death. While he’s caring, he has the inability to be very effective about it. He’s a soldier who struggles to relate to the boys.

After the Nina tragedy, and facing a crying, distraught Ed in an alley, Roy is harsh and tells Ed to just get over it and move on. This disconnect resulting from alternating between being overprotective and treating Edward like one of his men is partially why the two have a rather strained relationship throughout the series. (And why I don’t much care for a parental!Roy. It’s not that he doesn’t care but that he doesn’t care successfully.)

Their relationship is further complicated by how they’re both basically using the other for their own goals. Ed only motivation is fixing his brother and he’s joined the military for its resources so he can search for the Philosopher’s stone. Roy is sympathetic, of coursem but his discovery of the prodigy Fullmetal alchemist for the military definitely earns him some points in the eyes of the higher ups. Additionally, Ed is reporting to Mustang - he can find all about the Philosopher’s stone through Ed; he knows it is somehow connected to the military as he used an incomplete stone in Ishval. The information that Ed is seeking out is valuable to Mustang. Later, it will be Ed and Al who will tell him that the Fuhrer and his secretary are both Homunculi and that they have been causing wars purely because they have been after the stone this whole time.  

In the first half of the series, Roy is motivated by guilt over his actions in Ishval. He believed he could fix things by gaining power. But things change with the death of his dearest friend Maes Hughes. It’s at that point he begins to realise how deep the corruption in the Military goes. Hughes’ research into the Ishval war led to his death. Working to slowly reform the military from the inside is starting to look more and more like a hopeless dream when it’s hiding so much evil - such as the fifth laboratory and their special ops soldiers they turned into chimeras after they started a war. (The Ishval war, naturally.)

The Fuhrer’s genial demeanour had fooled many soldiers into maybe thinking he might be what he appears to be - a kind grandfatherly sort of man who cares about the military. It’s only a closer look that shows that he’d been constantly throwing the country into pointless wars in order to gather ingredients for the stone and to cause people to lose everything and become desperate enough to seek it out. (Mustang and his team talk about it in episode 44). It is at this point that they are growing aware that the Fuhrer who they have been serving is their true enemy.

In the above scene, Riza describes how Mustang can use his destructive flame alchemy to prevent a riot breaking out. Despite Mustang’s best efforts to be a soldier who can keep the peace and protect others though, he isn’t able to prevent Liore from turning into another Ishval. He wasn’t able to protect his best friend, Hughes. Ishvalans are still being persecuted by the military. He can’t even protect the Elrics from war.

That’s why he ultimately has to give up his dreams. He wanted to become the Fuhrer to fix the military and prevent all the unjust suffering and the deaths of innocent people but his plans of reforming it from the inside are too slow and they aren’t working. Maybe they’d never work if it’s been the Homunculi ultimately pulling the strings this whole time. Whatever the case, he decides he can no longer justify his position as the dutiful soldier. 

He decides instead to assassinate the Fuhrer. Yes, it’s about avenging Hughes but it’s also about justifying his own existence and doing what’s Right. Standing idly by as more wars are started would be selfish in his mind; even his dream to become the Fuhrer would have become selfish. 

He and Edward cross paths once more. Edward is on his way to fight the Homunculi because he cannot stand by either. His goal of fixing himself and his brother is now secondary to stopping evil. Likewise, Mustang’s new motivation is to stop the evil corruption that plagues the country at the source. 

It is only now that the two of them can come to an understanding. Right as both of them go their own separate ways to potentially face death. I like how in the above scene, Mustang initially thinks to give Ed a military salute but then changes his mind and offers him a handshake instead. A nice little symbol showing how they’re a bit closer and also how their not tied to the military anymore. (Ed goes for a handclap because he’s contrary and it lightens the mood.)

Roy’s loyal men are staging a coup for him, directly waging war against the corrupt military. Meanwhile, he and his closest companion Riza sneak over to the Fuhrer’s home alone. (I like how he’s not in his military uniform in this final fight.)

It is fitting that Roy has to face Pride at the end because he has had to let go of his pride, his dreams, to come here. Ed explicitly states that he’ll never be able to become Fuhrer if he goes through with this. His whole identity as a military man is being thrown away here and he is at peace with the thought. 

The Fuhrer’s last actions involve taking an innocent child down with even as the innocent boy leads to his own defeat. It is not a perfect, bloodless victory.

Interestingly enough, it is Archer who takes out one of Mustang’s eyes. Archer operates as a foil to Mustang, a man who was jealous of Mustang’s prestige from Ishval and wanted Liore to be ‘his’ ishval. Archer is cold but clever; most people can’t stand him but he nevertheless rose to power following Hughes’ death. Yeah, a good man like Hughes gets replaced by a power-hungry snake such as Archer. While Mustang is a military man, he does not enjoy and embrace it as Archer does.

Archer was described as the ideal soldier because he is a man who likes war. His most faithful man was Kimblee (who loves to cause chaos and suffering). It’s a pretty good symbol as to how much Mustang messed up in his relationship with Ed when Edward decides to willingly turn himself over to Archer’s command rather than stick with Roy (who was being controlling). By the end of course, Archer has been turned into a crazed half-machine and he’s killed by Riza, who was defending Roy. 

But in the end, when Roy has finally killed the Fuhrer and finally given up on the military that has so long defined him? When’s he severely injured?

Well, they’ve finally reversed the Ishvalan policy and the finally reforming State is actually helping them to rebuild.

Riza is closer to Roy now that they’re both out of uniform. She’s taking care of him and letting her hair down. They were always very close in the military but there was a wall between them. It seems to have dropped.

Things are still imperfect, Roy acknowledges as much. The world is beautiful for it’s imperfections, he says.

Roy? He’s happy now. 

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And that concludes Roy’s arc in the series and some of my thoughts on his character. Like all characters in the show, he’s pretty defined by past tragedies. He’s one of the most complex characters I think, so I tried to keep this pretty focussed. I see him as the main character after Ed and Al so we see a lot of him in the series. His relationships between the various characters is pretty varied and I didn’t want to go into every one in depth but I hope this works as a good overview.