Full Metal Alchemist

[Unbreakable Will]

I was bored a few nights ago, watching Adult Swim on Cartoon Network, and Full Metal Alchemist came on. I'd seen it a few other times but didn't pay it much attention, but this time I enjoyed it. It takes a lot to get me totally engrossed in an anime these days (the days of DBZ are over). So I watched all 51 episodes over the last few days online, and I LOVE IT!!
This anime is fantastic in my opinion, in-depth plot, amazing characters, good writing overall, not too many twists and turns and just enough comic relief (some animes take it too far these days and I can't take them seriously).
Ed was my favorite, then Hughes, then Alphonz and Armstrong.

So what is your opinion on this anime? Who are your favorite characters?

[Momiji]

I used to love this series a few years ago, before I really got interested in anime in general. I never did finish it. Maybe I should go back and do so...

Oh yeah, I always liked Roy Mustang.

[Laddy]

FMA is the Citizen Kane of anime.

Sad it never got any mainstream appeal, it truly deserves it.

Oh, and Alphonse is so cute!=3

[Fonzie]

They are currently remaking the series anime based more so on the manga.

Just a fact you can use if you want to watch more episodes.

[Momiji]

FMA is the Citizen Kane of anime.

Sad it never got any mainstream appeal, it truly deserves it.

Oh, and Alphonse is so cute!=3

If something has been on Adult Swim this long, it's got plenty of mainstream appeal. :p

[Unbreakable Will]

Yeah I've seen it off and on with Adult Swim for years now, just never really paid it much attention.
I was extremely upset when they killed off Hughes, he was so hilarious and awesome.

[Lenna]

Yeah I've seen it off and on with Adult Swim for years now, just never really paid it much attention.
I was extremely upset when they killed off Hughes, he was so hilarious and awesome.

Same, Hughes was one of my fave characters aswell as Winry and Roy. I loved Ed and Al but those others just caught me big time.

I still watch this series over and over. The english dub is terrible though >.<

[PeTeRL90]

When I first watched FMA, I thought it was going to be one of those "lolgoofy" animes and was nearly turned off by it but the more I watched it, I was surprised at how dark and how deep it was getting and I was hooked.

[qwertysaur]

The omake is really cute and great in a very silly way. :p
Also I love how the mangaka draws all the characters that were killed at the end of each volume as angels floating towards the sky.

As for the actual series itself it's really addicting. Also I was really shocked when the identity of Pride was finally revealed. (manga, not the first anime series) I'm not even going to put it because you would be tempted to look at it. :p

And Gluttony is adorable when he's not going crazy or anything.
Hues's Death plays a really big part in the Manga.

But you should either watch the second anime (brotherhood) or read the manga. You get to experience Ling :D

[Tama2]

Don't forget about the movie, kids.

I love this series.

[Unbreakable Will]

I think I will look at the manga :)
I started watching brotherhood this morning. I like it but I miss the american voice actors :( the guy who did Ed did a really good job in my opinion

[Namelessfengir]

you poor lil bastard using dbz as your reference point..... ive only seen 4 episodes of that in my whole life and im kinda happy about that

i havent seen fma, but i just burned through evangelion damn good for the most part

[Jessweeee♪]

HUGHES D:

[Ouch!]

The manga is infinitely better than the anime in just about any way conceivable. The anime's plot diverges significantly in the second season, and it just seems the manga's plot is more developed and generally deeper. I highly suggest looking into it.

As Fonz mentioned, they're currently running Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (episode 20 comes out on Sunday), which more closely follows the manga. Episodes 1-15 are largely rehashing of the old anime since departure from the manga plot had not yet occurred, but the past few episodes have been manga-plot. So far, it blows the old anime out of the water.

[blackmage_nuke]

I watched the anime first which I thought was really good except there was a really boring section in the middle which caused me to stop watching for a short time, but after that I enjoyed it.

Then I read the manga and it was alot better, especially with the characters from Xing.

[Unbreakable Will]

you poor lil bastard using dbz as your reference point..... ive only seen 4 episodes of that in my whole life and im kinda happy about that

i havent seen fma, but i just burned through evangelion damn good for the most part
I'll have to look at Evangelion, oh and as for DBZ :P, it was a damn good show (at least for a ten year old)

[Momiji]

I came kind of late to the party and just finished Evangelion for the first time last week, and I absolutely loved it. It's definitely one of my newer favorites.

[Crimson]

Ah FMA, one of the many awesome series from back in the day.



So much anime, so little time.



PS: Naruto sucks.

[Kossage]

Fullmetal Alchemist is definitely worth checking out. I was introduced to it through the first anime adaptation which worked really well. Even though the first adaptation's plot became different as it progressed, it made sense, and I like how some characters were given more character development than in the manga (e.g. Lust). The animation, the music, the voice actors... everything worked well and made it a memorable experience, and I even liked the movie which helped to explain some loose ends and also worked as a continuation to the series. I see the first adaptation not inferior to the manga but a companion piece which is worth looking at.

The second anime adaptation feels somewhat rushed but it's understandable because they wanted to reach the Xing etc. stuff that was missing from the first adaptation. Still, I feel that the first series emphasized the plot in a more nuanced way whereas this new adaptation just goes along with the motions (at least so far). It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I feel that newcomers watching this second adaptation will be a lot more confused than if they had watched the first adaptation instead.

It's sad to see that they recast many voices in this adaptation but the new voice actors do a commendable job and seem to be just as good at it as the previous voice actors were. As much as I like the bold, epic direction that the new music takes, it feels somewhat forced at times and plays quite awkwardly in some cases (e.g. hearing epic battle music during a casual conversation whereas in the previous adaptation the music worked a lot better to underscore the brothers' journey) but maybe it'll work better in context once the series progresses.

The manga itself is a no-brainer for anyone wanting to introduce themselves to the story, of course, and it's interesting to see how the first and the second anime adaptation have emphasized different bits from it. I wouldn't say that FMA as a whole is a masterpiece, though, because it does have its share of flaws (in both manga and both anime adaptations), but it's definitely among the better series out there and is well worth the time reading/watching it. :)

[daggertrepe]

IZUMI FTW!!!