Does FMA get any better?

[wsheit]

Alright- I saw the first episode of FMA and was quite underwhelmed. A lot of people have been calling FMA the best of the season. I just wanted peoples' impressions on episodes after episode one as compared to episode one. Thanks!

[Go-lytely]

Why dont you look at the many other FMA threads that have already been posted?

[Xiandu]

Hey I kinda thought the same thing too, but I will tell you that this series is extremely good. The next few eps show and tell you how they came to be and how they lived the past years. It definitly is one of the best shows of the new fall line-up, if not the best.

[DrWho2002]

Unless a show is in a genre that you KNOW that you do not like, one should not judge a whole series on the basis of just watching the first episode.

Me, I love Full Metal Alchemist.

I can easily dismiss shows such as Ikkitousen and Air Master because they are not genres of shows I enjoy, and the first episodes of those shows only reinforce my dislike for those type of shows.

[Tommy]

It was my favorite anime of the new batch but now that honor goes to Tsukihime.

[Archuka]

I think it's ok, but no way is it the best of the season. Somehow the show tries to be a bit serious, but at the ame time it constantly breaks it's own laws of alchemy.

I also wonder why the main characters must know martial arts. The story is set in a fictional version of what would appear to be Europe in the beginning of the twentieth century, so why does the kid know advanced martial arts? And why is AL, the huge piece of metal able to pull off those moves? It's like they forced martial arts on those characters....not good.

[Shenlong]

As Nationally Ranked Alchemists (or whatever their titles are), they are part of the military so hand to hand combat is a logical skill for them to possess. FMA cannot be called the *best* anime of the season but it is my favorite fun anime, beating out Naruto which has really started to drag IMO.

[u&t]

Originally Posted by Archuka

I think it's ok, but no way is it the best of the season. Somehow the show tries to be a bit serious, but at the ame time it constantly breaks it's own laws of alchemy.

I also wonder why the main characters must know martial arts. The story is set in a fictional version of what would appear to be Europe in the beginning of the twentieth century, so why does the kid know advanced martial arts? And why is AL, the huge piece of metal able to pull off those moves? It's like they forced martial arts on those characters....not good.

Come on, this is a show about teenagers doing magic. There is no way you'll ever be able to fit the word "serious" into that. Try to treat the show as just any other Campbellian myth and you'll be fine (am I the only one seeing the Star Wars/FMA simiarities).

Blonde people living in stone houses does not make it european. My guess is they only made it that way so that we would really understand this is pure fantasy. And what's wrong with martial arts? You seem to have no problems with AL being nothing but a piece of metal. If he can move at all then why shouldn't he be able to jump around a bit?

Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of FMA myself. The story doesn't seem to be going anywhere yet so I find it a bit boring. I'll keep watching the show though....

[outlaw55]

About a show "getting" or "being" good is one's own opinion, you will have to decide that yourself or be more specific like "will it have more action" etc.

[Anlushac11]

OOPs!

EDITED FOR BEING STUPID AND NOT PAYING ATTENTION

I go away now.

[Strudel]

Originally Posted by Anlushac11

NO. You cant improve on perfection.

The comedy has been excellent (Go Bonta-kun!)

The music is excellent

I think the artwork has been good quality

The Goddess Tessa made an appearance


The only way this could get better is more Tessa and a reslution to the love triangle. I dont care who wins, I like Chidori and Tessa (Tessa would win of course)

Uh... aren't we talking about Fullmetal Alchemist? Not FMP Fumoffu?

[nojevo]

I think the first two ep was hilarious and i was glad it sticked to the manga. I really enjoyed it very much and knew from that moment that this would be one of the best show of this season. It was really nice to know how ed lost his arm and leg and how al ended up in the armor, but it departed from the manga. from ep 4 and up they just took plots from the manga and twisted it around. I am a bit dissapointed because of this, but overall i enjoy the show very much and I'll finish watching it till the end.

[Archuka]

Originally Posted by Shenlong

As Nationally Ranked Alchemists (or whatever their titles are), they are part of the military so hand to hand combat is a logical skill for them to possess. FMA cannot be called the *best* anime of the season but it is my favorite fun anime, beating out Naruto which has really started to drag IMO.

Actually, they were highly skilled martial artist way before either one became a NRA and they were 11 and 12 years old.

Originally Posted by u&t

Come on, this is a show about teenagers doing magic. There is no way you'll ever be able to fit the word "serious" into that. Try to treat the show as just any other Campbellian myth and you'll be fine (am I the only one seeing the Star Wars/FMA simiarities).

Blonde people living in stone houses does not make it european. My guess is they only made it that way so that we would really understand this is pure fantasy. And what's wrong with martial arts? You seem to have no problems with AL being nothing but a piece of metal. If he can move at all then why shouldn't he be able to jump around a bit?

Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of FMA myself. The story doesn't seem to be going anywhere yet so I find it a bit boring. I'll keep watching the show though....

Well, they also have English names and the places look European to me. Anyway, I can't say much about Al being a piece of junk, fast movements just seem compeltely out of place for a character like that. The only rule to alchemy they keep repeating over and over is that trade of materials (or something like that), so why, oh why can't they follow the one rule that seems so very central to the entire series?
Despite these obvious flaws, FMA does have some interesting sides to it. I really enjoyed their visit to the town with the high priest. Those episodes explored some very difficult religious questions there. Who knows, maybe the original purpose of powerful religions such as Christianity and Islam was to control people (don't hang me please).

[u&t]

Originally Posted by Archuka

Actually, they were highly skilled martial artist way before either one became a NRA and they were 11 and 12 years old.



Well, they also have English names and the places look European to me. Anyway, I can't say much about Al being a piece of junk, fast movements just seem compeltely out of place for a character like that. The only rule to alchemy they keep repeating over and over is that trade of materials (or something like that), so why, oh why can't they follow the one rule that seems so very central to the entire series?
Despite these obvious flaws, FMA does have some interesting sides to it. I really enjoyed their visit to the town with the high priest. Those episodes explored some very difficult religious questions there. Who knows, maybe the original purpose of powerful religions such as Christianity and Islam was to control people (don't hang me please).

The only bad thing with the martial arts stuff is that it probably will lead to some pretty pointless fights. Someone reading the manga will hopefully prove me wrong here but I don't want to se a any stupid fights they could have resolved in 5 secs with alchemy instead.

So far they've only broken the laws of alchemy once or did i miss something?

[Haunted]

This is a fun series, not the best out of the new ones, mind you, but I can understand why it would appeal to almost everybody out there.

[PocariSweat]

Hm, a suit of armor unencumbered by a person might be able to move quite freely indeed (once you get past the fact that it moves at all). Don't forget how many pounds of wet meat and fat people carry around inside them.

Personally I'm kind of luke-warm on the series and the manga (which are a lot alike) - it's not bad or anything, but maybe I'm just too far away from the 12yr old boy target audience it seems made for. I guess that's the same reason Naruto never really grabbed me either.

Now give me something dark and brooding with lots of hidden subtexts - like say Ocha-ken - and I'm there! Sure it's a little overly violent sometimes, but damn that Ryoku's one bad-ass inu!

[Xiandu]

(Pocari.Sweat)"Hm, a suit of armor unencumbered by a person might be able to move quite freely indeed (once you get past the fact that it moves at all). Don't forget how many pounds of wet meat and fat people carry around inside them.

Personally I'm kind of luke-warm on the series and the manga (which are a lot alike) - it's not bad or anything, but maybe I'm just too far away from the 12yr old boy target audience it seems made for. I guess that's the same reason Naruto never really grabbed me either.

Now give me something dark and brooding with lots of hidden subtexts - like say Ocha-ken - and I'm there! Sure it's a little overly violent sometimes, but damn that Ryoku's one bad-ass inu!"

12 year old audience? I very much like this show and Naruto and I am 25. You may not like this kind of anime but to say it is for little children seems foolish to me.

[LiQuid|J]

Regardless Xiandu, we may be fans, but it's still "shounen" anime. It's targeted at adolescent boys in Japan, like it or not. And the fact of the matter is, shows like this, when localized to US soil, are targeted at the same adolecent boy demographic. It's not so rare for us older folk to enjoy the shows. Hell I'm an avid fan of Shounen Jump and every manga in it, you just got to face facts that shows like this are Toonami or FoxBox fodder.

Pocari, I think you were a little off base though when you said the anime and manga were alike. The first 2 episodes of the anime follow the first manga chapter to a T, after that however, the anime completely splits off. The tone is the same, but the anime is going way more in depth than the manga did in the first few chapters. Just a note.

[Fighter Volk]

Well, at this point, this series is definitely the best of '03-'04 (GunGrave is up there too) 'continuum' season... just look at the FMA forums to see how much us fans love it

[acidblue]

Did this thread get revived from the dead or what

But anyways FMA is very serious at times,but also has alot of comedy and action thrown in. I think its one of the best animes out there right now.

I am bias though because I love FMA