More anime, whooo!

[brigdh]

So, how old is this series? Because I keep thinking, "this is totally a metaphor for America's politics in the Middle East", but then I also seem to remember hearing references to FMA from long enough ago that it couldn't be. Unless the creator is clairvoyant.

Tucker continues to creep me out, though Izumi's baby pretty much wins the Oh God Get It Off The Screen award. I had no idea this series was so dark.

Comments

[wolfpilot06.livejournal.com]

It's very, very dark. Actually, there are a lot of historical parallels in FMA. I won't spoil the movie, but there are a lot of historical references there. It's slightly disturbing for them, but also ineffably intriguing.

♥ FMA. ^_____^

(Tell me you love Ed as much as I do. Tell me you doooo!)

**Wolf**

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Are there? I haven't noticed too many parallels yet, but what with having a Fuhrer, I live in fear of the episode in which the obvious connection is made.

And hee, yes, I love Ed.

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to that pimping. Just, by the way.

I love the series more than I can tell you, and have pushed it ruthlessly on everyone who'll tolerate my doing it, but I flail helplessly when it comes to finding anything I can read that comes anywhere close to being worthy of that which inspired it. Which is weird: what with YnM being my gateway drug, I'm used to fic being much, much better than the underlying series. It's wildly disorienting.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Um. Yes. My fandom is dark like coffee and desperate like war.

Yeah. Yeah, I'm getting that, which is why I have no idea how I managed to form this impression of it being a bouncy, cute series. I still get shocked at each new traumatic thing that happens; I couldn't believe Hughes was really dead for, like, three episodes. I kept thinking "This is a trick, right? He's going to turn out to be undercover somewhere else. He can't actually have died, I liked him so much!"

YOU ARE GOING TO BE GETTING THE ENTIRE MANGA ON A DISK IN THE MAIL VERY VERY SOON JUST TELL ME WHERE TO SEND OMG!111!!!1!!one!!!11!

Dude! That would be so awesome. I will email you an address.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

"FMA? Bouncy and cute?" HEH!

I know! It makes no sense once you see the series. I think because, my only contact with it having been overhearing a few conversations, the things I picked up were "Aww, Ed and Al are so cute and sweet to each other" and "Haha, someone called Ed short!" Plus, the icons people use tend to be mostly really bright, primary colors, which might have been an unconscious influence.

Poke me on IM sometime soonish. Because, yes.

Yes. I probably won't be on tonight, because I still have to write two stories for stagesoflove before midnight (...I am the worst procrastinator EVER), but soon.

And recs yay!

[solo.livejournal.com]

When you pimp, could you pimp where I can see it, too? I've been having a very hard time finding decent FMA fiction.

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

Sorry to interrupt, but DEAR GOD I LOVE YOUR ICON.

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure FMA and its parallels to Shrub fuckwittery are just proof that those who don't learn from history...well, you know the rest.

Izumi's baby is creepy, but still not the creepiest thing to creep in this series. And the dark just gets darker, but still there's this at the heart of it: Ed and Al, looking to make each other whole.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

That was my thought at first, but the Ishibalians (I have no idea how to spell that) seem to make such a scarily accurate parallel that I started thinking it couldn't be coincidence.

Man. I can't wait to see what could top that baby. But you're right, what really makes the series work is that it's got that hope at the heart of all the darkness.

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

Consider how long Western relations with the Middle East have been problematic, then consider Christianity versus...well, just about every other group of religions. It's scarily accurate and has been for around two thousand years. *G*

Like I said, not a series for the squeamish. And that hope at the center is both its saving grace and its core tragedy, because those boys will never get back what was lost.

[solo.livejournal.com]

The manga started in early 2002; the anime first ran between 2003 and 2004. Make of that what you will. :-)

Oh, and.... it gets darker.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Huh. So not too early that it couldn't have been influenced, but late enough that most of the basis is probably earlier history. Cool, thank you!

Everyone keeps warning me of that. I don't know if I'm looking forward to it or horrified.

[solo.livejournal.com]

I think it's definitely worth looking foward to!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

It might also be a metaphor for Japan's politics in WWII, or for colonialism in general.

Hmm, Tucker, Izumi's baby, the Nina-creature, the revived Elric mother-creature... Yep, there is at least one more thing that I don't believe you've gotten to yet that I found more visually and emotionally disturbing than any of those.

I love the series so much.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I'm really loving it, too. It keeps getting more and more interesting.

And heh, everyone keeps warning me about the next creepy thing coming up. I don't know whether to look forward to it or be scared.

[invicti-solis.livejournal.com]

I have the BIGGEST crush on Ed...*sigh* I haven't seen FMA since I moved to California. The last episode I saw was Ed and Al finding this guy's notes on the Philosopher's Stone, and going to this huge factory, and battling these two foes that are like Al. They win one over, the other dies. Then one of the State Alchemists, an ally of Ed's, dies...

Then Adult Swim put it back at the beginning. *sigh* I want to know what has happened...same with Degrassi. ;-P

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Ah, you're not too far behind me, then; that episode was in the 20s and I just watched it a little while ago.

Is Adult Swim back at the beginning? I looked up their schedule a while ago to see if I could watch it there, but it seemed like at the time they were way further along than I was.

By the way, fansubs for the whole series are up on youtube.com, if you really want to watch them.