Fullmetal Alchemist - Spoilers & Speculation (for experienced Alchemists only)

[White Manju Bun]

This thread is for the experienced Full Metal Alchemist viewer (i.e. those of you who are familiar with potentially all the light novels / manga), its purpose is to allow free discussion of theories and speculation over the Full Metal Alchemist anime series, it therefore will contain unmarked spoilers. If you are a light novel / manga virgin of Full Metal Alchemist, then do not read this thread unless you want to be spoiled.

Since posters are expected to be familiar with the light novel / manga, there is no real need for spoiler tags, but feel free to include them if you so wish.

Adding a Spoiler tag:

Just highlight your spoiler and click the button found on the "Quick Reply" and "Reply to Thread" forms. Make sure that you include a title that clearly identifies the specific source of the spoiler!

Finally, please remain on-topic and do not use this thread if it's just discussion about the current or previous anime episodes. Also remember that this isn't a light novel / manga discussion thread, if you do want to discuss the light novel then please use the existing Manga Plot & Story Discussion thread.

[Zu Ra]

Wanted to originally in the episode thread then realized many haven't watched S1 .

Spoiler for First Second / Season Comparison:

Well I came across some people who weren't quite satisfied with first episode of S2. So making use of this thread .

To be fair to the second season of FMA, S1 to was a late bloomer .Though this episode wasn't spectacular I am satisfied. Never knew how the 20 minutes flew by . And if we make a comparison between first episodes of both the seasons, this one was better IMHO

[RedWing]

S1 had a much, much better first episode. Ed and Al were introduced in their original bodies. Alchemy is explained. Equivalent trade is fully shown in its principle of the world of Alchemy. And with this we get to see in horrific details the tragic sequence events that lead to the boys' situation.

Rather in Brotherhood we are just thrown in the middle of a plot where details are just haphazardly thrown about and people are expected to take this in. How the hell is someone just supposed to know what alchemy is let alone human transmutation? WTF is a philosophers stone? Even why he is called Full metal is explained in S1. Brotherhood fails in so many levels it's ridiculous especially compared to S1.

[Terrestrial Dream]

Originally Posted by RedWing

S1 had a much, much better first episode. Ed and Al were introduced in their original bodies. Alchemy is explained. Equivalent trade is fully shown in its principle of the world of Alchemy. And with this we get to see in horrific details the tragic sequence events that lead to the boys' situation.

Rather in Brotherhood we are just thrown in the middle of a plot where details are just haphazardly thrown about and people are expected to take this in. How the hell is someone just supposed to know what alchemy is let alone human transmutation? WTF is a philosophers stone? Even why he is called Full metal is explained in S1. Brotherhood fails in so many levels it's ridiculous especially compared to S1.

Because probably most audience is veteran watcher of FMA. This episode was really for the fans that watched FMA before not to the new audience.

[Kirarakim]

Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream

Because probably most audience is veteran watcher of FMA. This episode was really for the fans that watched FMA before not to the new audience.

Yes exactly and I think this is how people need to look at the episode. The manga and the anime start off very similarly. If the 2nd anime had started the same way as the 1st anime it might have thrown people off that the 2nd series is going to follow a different storyline. People might have stopped watching if they thought it was going to be exactly the same thing twice.

Also they mention Liore twice in the first episode, hence I am pretty sure they will get there in this 2nd series as well.

Also as for details being thrown haphazardly in well most of us know a lot of these details from the 1st series. But think of the 1st episode as an introduction (and a way to see familiar character again). Explanations and the real meat of the story will come.

[Jarmel]

They really should have labelled this as Ep.0 and made next week's Ep.1.

[Zu Ra]

Spoiler for S1/S2 Comparision:

Well the predominant market for FMA is veterans anime fans also manga readers. FMA Anime was a cash cow so they are trying to milk it for money . If the anime followed the Manga most of FMA regulars would be bored or disinterested .The anime ended in late 2004 . As its hardly been 4.1/2 years the show is still fresh in fans memory .

With regards to S1,personally I found the first couple of episodes were not quite to my liking . The first Arc in Lior was not that good by later FMA Standards that were to follow.The flashbacks were really good the arc itself was ordinary . Not the arc you would want to launch a new show IMHO. In S1 by episode 5 and 6 I was hooked on and when the Chimera Arc aired I was crazy about FMA

The later part of S1 Anime was anime original . But it was hardly disappointing and well concluded . So I have enough faith in the writers producers director of this show, to repeat/recreate there web of magic for S2 ^__^


EDIT : Saw Winry in the OP and my my she has blossomed in all the right places

[solomon]

Personally, I don't think this was TOO hard for a newbie to get into at all. No harder than say watching one of Tomino's gundam TV series.

Admittedly they did skimp on the Alchemy logic explanations.

[yezhanquan]

Reach for the manual if you're really struggling to get the ep.

[Spectacular_Insanity]

I'm REALLY glad they didn't start the second season off like in S1 and the manga. I've already seen that stuff, and it would have bored me to death. I thought the way it was done really brought something new and fresh to the series, which is the ENTIRE POINT of doing a remake.

Though I do wonder if Liore will be revisited, or just established as already having happened (or maybe referred to in a flashback or something). I guess we'll see, but I'm also interested in how they're going to put a new spin on the human-transmutation scene for episode 2.

[Spectacular_Insanity]

Originally Posted by Jarmel

They really should have labelled this as Ep.0 and made next week's Ep.1.

What the hell would be the point of that? That's kinda stupid. It was the first episode of the new series, therefore it was episode 1. Get over it.

[crow-kun]

I liked this episode. And some of you need to chill out. It was clearly just a ice breaker episode. The only problem I had was Kimbley's voice. It's doesn't really fit my image of a psycho of his caliber.

[yezhanquan]

The voice of 00's Hallelujah. But, to be fair, ol' Kim in this version is more subtle in his brutality.

[bayoab]

Originally Posted by Spectacular_Insanity

Though I do wonder if Liore will be revisited, or just established as already having happened (or maybe referred to in a flashback or something).

They are going to have to revisit or somehow cover those eps since Lior actually matters in the grand scheme of things.

I guess we'll see, but I'm also interested in how they're going to put a new spin on the human-transmutation scene for episode 2.

New spin? Why would it need a new spin? They are probably going to do it exactly like the manga.

[izmosmolnar]

I do apologize if someone somehow resisted the temptation to know (twice), and got spoiled back in ep1 thread. I have a habit of raising theories immediately, and combining it with opinions which is not necessarily a good thing.
Speaking of which, actually I wouldn't even really recommend it to anyone to start watching the rewamped series before the old one as it is going to be quite fast paced to catch upon the manga, and lots of the background story/Introductions I believe aren't going to be as well detailed as it's predecessor. Back to the previous discussion.

Spoiler for possible future events. Events from the old series:

I fear they still going to (they indeed have to) follow Hughes' death. But if we base a timeline how old is Elysia now in ep1, and if we presume the second series is going to more or less follow the already existing manga + old anime timeline, he is not going to be getting too much screentime at all. If the series 2 is going to focus more on the past than maybe so, but that's in a huge contradiction how Hughes had to introduce himself to the Edvards brothers... I don't really know what to think now.

edit: Actually I hope they are later going to follow the old tradition and show how old are the brothers at the beginning of each episode or whenever we had a flashback. That would help a lot

[Jarmel]

Originally Posted by Spectacular_Insanity

What the hell would be the point of that? That's kinda stupid. It was the first episode of the new series, therefore it was episode 1. Get over it.

Because it's really a presequel to the story in Liore which is the starting point and presequels get the designation 0. We get all the explanations and beginnings starting next week. As other people have said this would have been a hard watch if I didn't already know alot of these plot lines and characters.

[crow-kun]

Originally Posted by Jarmel

Because it's really a presequel to the story in Liore which is the starting point and presequels get the designation 0. We get all the explanations and beginnings starting next week. As other people have said this would have been a hard watch if I didn't already know alot of these plot lines and characters.

Why there are plenty of shows that start with little introduction to the characters and build up from there.

[Jarmel]

I'm not saying this is wrong. I understood everything perfectly partly from watching the original anime and the manga, but it seems alot of peoples' complaints are that this episode was too confusing. It would have been better to designate this ep.0 for the newcomers and watch starting next week. That way they can rewatch this later and understand what is going on without feeling that they missed something vital.

[germanturkey]

well then, time to find the first ep of the first season...

[crow-kun]

Originally Posted by Jarmel

I'm not saying this is wrong. I understood everything perfectly partly from watching the original anime and the manga, but it seems alot of peoples' complaints are that this episode was too confusing. It would have been better to designate this ep.0 for the newcomers and watch starting next week. That way they can rewatch this later and understand what is going on without feeling that they missed something vital.

I don't get whats confusing though.