AnimeSuki Forum - View Single Post - Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood General Discussion

LunarMoon · 2011-10-21, 12:08

Well, I was trying to assess Fate Zero, and decided that for the first few episodes, that it’s easily the best series that I’ve seen in months, if not years. But then I attempted to give it a ranking in regard to wider anime history or even out of the anime in the last ten years, and asked myself whether it really beats such gems as the original Full Metal Alchemist. The answer was a straight no, since while Fate Zero appears to be promising in regard to character development and drama, it still has yet to introduce the sort of major philosophical themes that were present in Full Metal Alchemist or even the later portion of Trigun.

Then I asked whether it surpassed the 2009 Full Metal Alchemist series, and decided that it definitely had the potential to do as such. Why? Because, like the first three episodes of Fate Zero, in the entire 37 episode run that I watched, it covers no major ideological themes that leave you thinking about them after you’ve finished watching it.

The problem with FMA Brotherhood, and this has been mentioned before, is that it indulges in too many shonen clichés, while simultaneously being to lighthearted to inspire a strong emotional response. So it’s nice and happy for those who thought that the 2003 series had too much “angst” (read: realistic character reactions and drama), but then again, the fiction industry is oversaturated with anime that makes people happy but does little else. Thus the first FMA series earns points just from straying from that cliché, and actually attempting to inspire some level of emotional catharsis via tragedy.

I don’t dislike Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood; I’m obligated to like it to even a small extent due to my status as an FMA fan, but I certainly don’t believe that it’s better than the phenomenal 2003 series, or that it earns its number 2 place on MyAnimeList. That spot should be reserved for works such as Grave of the Fireflies or Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen/Trust and Betrayal, works that actually inspire the viewer to think rather than to gawk at pretty action scenes.

2011-10-21, 12:08	Link #252
LunarMoon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Age: 33	Not Impressed By FMA Brotherhood Well, I was trying to assess Fate Zero, and decided that for the first few episodes, that it’s easily the best series that I’ve seen in months, if not years. But then I attempted to give it a ranking in regard to wider anime history or even out of the anime in the last ten years, and asked myself whether it really beats such gems as the original Full Metal Alchemist. The answer was a straight no, since while Fate Zero appears to be promising in regard to character development and drama, it still has yet to introduce the sort of major philosophical themes that were present in Full Metal Alchemist or even the later portion of Trigun. Then I asked whether it surpassed the 2009 Full Metal Alchemist series, and decided that it definitely had the potential to do as such. Why? Because, like the first three episodes of Fate Zero, in the entire 37 episode run that I watched, it covers no major ideological themes that leave you thinking about them after you’ve finished watching it. The problem with FMA Brotherhood, and this has been mentioned before, is that it indulges in too many shonen clichés, while simultaneously being to lighthearted to inspire a strong emotional response. So it’s nice and happy for those who thought that the 2003 series had too much “angst” (read: realistic character reactions and drama), but then again, the fiction industry is oversaturated with anime that makes people happy but does little else. Thus the first FMA series earns points just from straying from that cliché, and actually attempting to inspire some level of emotional catharsis via tragedy. I don’t dislike Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood; I’m obligated to like it to even a small extent due to my status as an FMA fan, but I certainly don’t believe that it’s better than the phenomenal 2003 series, or that it earns its number 2 place on MyAnimeList. That spot should be reserved for works such as Grave of the Fireflies or Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen/Trust and Betrayal, works that actually inspire the viewer to think rather than to gawk at pretty action scenes. Last edited by LunarMoon; 2011-10-21 at 13:55.