#also the plot in fmab makes more sense than 03. but I like 03 better because it’s just insane.

[rottable]

The reason why hxh is good is because it has kurapika and gon and killua and leorio and the reason why fma is good because it has an intricate plot that comes together perfectly and an atheist man that met god and hates most other men

[edwardelricsrightarm]

"A lesson without pain is meaningless. For you cannot gain anything without sacrificing something else in return, but once you have overcome it and made it your own...you will gain an irreplaceable fullmetal heart." - Edward Elric

In honor of disability month and the FMA 20 year anniversary I wanted to address some Thoughts™️ about the series.

It's not often you see a disabled protagonist in media where their disability is integral to the story without taking up their entire character, even more so with anime. Yet, Fullmetal Alchemist has not just one disabled Protagonist, but two. The Elric Brothers are an exemplary representation of disability in media that I find myself reflecting on often as a disabled person myself. If you haven't completed the manga or Brotherhood, skip this as it will be brimming with spoilers.

(Mangahood will be my point of reference because while 03 is good on its own merits it's not as fresh within my immediate memory, and I am far less familiar with it. Keep this in mind, I've watched FMAB 10 and a half times whereas I've finished 03 only once years ago.)

The story highlights their disabilities immediately, Edward being a double amputee and Alphonse being without his ENTIRE body, only having the senses of proprioception, sight, and hearing left. Yet, despite this being key to the story and an integral part of their characterization, it is only one facet of their motivations and doesn't take center in the narrative, which is refreshing. It's not inherently negative to make a narrative centered on the characters' disabilities, but often this model of a story goes very wrong very fast and starts to feel hollow (no pun intended). FMA avoids this by making their disabilities a clear part of the plot and their motivations without allowing it to consume the entire story, so the Elric Brothers don't suffer the "my disability is all of my character" problem that many disabled characters are relegated to in a vast portion of media, all while being strong and competent.

Recap:

The brothers wished to revive their mother, but their good intentions cannot change the atrocity of their mistake, Truth makes this abundantly clear from the start. Edward loses his leg first, a punishment for "stepping" into God's shoes and transgressing the place of humans in their world. Alphonse loses his entire body, unable to feel any warmth or simple comforts like food and rest, when all he wanted was to feel the warmth and comfort of his mother's embrace again. At first, Alphonse's entire being is consumed by the gate, but Edward acts immediately, refusing to lose his little brother and refusing to allow his arrogance in this plan to cause his brother's death for only following his lead. Edward gives his right arm to have the gate give back Alphonse's soul, and stated clearly in his panic that he'd give his entire self to save Alphonse if that's what it would take, but Truth took his dominant arm only, showing something akin to mercy, although the character of Truth is capriciously strict and hard to describe as "merciful".

Through giving up his right arm, Edward regains his Right Hand Man, his little brother and best friend. His only remaining family, who he feels responsible for protecting in the absence of their parents. He felt immediately that he'd made a grave mistake, instantly full of regret as he realized the gate had taken his brother. In that moment he was willing to give anything to take it back and undo the suffering his arrogance caused his brother, yet Alphonse was still to suffer more to come. Ed tied Alphonse's disembodied soul to one of Hohenheim's collected suits of armor, managing to at least keep his brother alive in some way. One could say that Alphonse's punishment functioned as a secondary punishment for Edward, showing him how easily his hubris could have cost him what he has left in his obsession with regaining what they'd lost, their mother. A very clear symbolic reminder of the weight of his actions and how he'd misled his brother in his own naive ignorance. Even in giving another limb away to drag his brother's soul back out of the gate, he couldn't offer enough to bring him back intact. Thus is the law of equivalent exchange.

Now that we've reviewed some of that basic symbolism and the motifs the story draws upon with limbs and body parts in relation to characters, let's move on to each individual brother and break it down, shall we?

Edward Elric is a very realistic protagonist, this is one thing a majority of us familiar with this series can agree upon. He feels like a believable teen boy, with layers of complexity to his character while also showing arrogance and immaturity that is unsurprising at his age. He expresses unwillingness to kill and avoidance of unjust violence from the beginning, and has a strong moral code after the ordeal of committing the taboo.

In some characters his cocky personality would typically become grating, yet the story explains in itself why he is this way, then builds upon this to develop him into an incredibly mature character who is willing to admit when he's absolutely wrong and adapts to new information and context for the crisis unfolding around him as it comes, even if he remains crass. This arrogance is shown from the start to be a manifestation of insecurity, self loathing, and repressed guilt. Edward is a logic driven person, he has a very unique thought process, which is where my interpretation of him as autistic comes in. Edward's awkward social demeanor, somewhat abrasive and cold approach to some, and his trouble coping with nonsensical societal structures all stand out in this way. Furthermore he clearly shows hyperfixation, hyperactivity, special interest, and infodumping behaviors that are all too familiar. He's picky with food (*cough* the milk thing), has very little filter and speaks his mind bluntly even if this can warrant conflicting responses, yet at the same time struggles with vulnerable emotions, and he is frustrated when his own routine or itinerary are interrupted by forces beyond his control. All of these things Scream autism with comorbid ADHD. Many traits are shared between the brothers, and I'm quite certain they're both on the autism spectrum based on behavioral patterns. Neurodivergence aside, Edward's physical disabilities are undeniable.

Despite his bratty persona, Edward is fundamentally kind and uncharacteristically gentle and soft around the edges for a shonen protagonist in many ways. He cries openly on many occasions even if he struggles talking about his trauma and burdens in words at times, he feels pain, grief, and compassion so intensely it throws him into action on a regular basis in the narrative. In this way he's also a fantastic example of non-toxic masculinity (though in other ways he has displayed more toxic traits, he's just a kid). He acts on his heart, even if he's led by his mind and logic in most things. His humanity, value for life, and care for others will always win over his logic, and he shows a sense of personal responsibility for doing the right thing even if it harms him in the process. Ed is clearly shown having ghost pains in his lost limbs which is honestly an interesting detail to include, I don't think I've ever seen that aspect of amputation shown in media aside from FMA. It's also shown that when Ed's automail arm breaks this is a HUGE problem for him, but he's also shown to be very good at working around this in difficult circumstances. He doesn't become completely helpless, even if majorly weakened.

Alphonse is an extremely lovable and compassionate boy, brimming with altruism and care for others. Even in his noncorporeal state he pursues a better future and he's not helpless by any stretch. Edward clearly states Alphonse is the superior fighter for example, and it's not just because of his armor body being so large. He's *talented*, that's a fact. Al is every bit as clever and capable as Ed, moreso in some ways, and I love that about his character *because* he's so clearly disabled. He has no sense of pain, he is completely incapable of sleeping, he can't eat, can't relax or find comfort, he can only exist and think. This causes him to overthink in all his time alone, this is debilitating. He clearly is absolutely sick of the loneliness this causes, and he often feels helpless though he's not. He has doubts and fears that consume him in relation to his armor body, he questions his own personhood, even. Yet, Edward is stubborn and staunch in affirming that no matter what he's dealing with, he is fundamentally still a human being that is loved and irreplaceable. Alphonse is powerful and his body gives him some advantages, but it also sets him back, and the brothers know this even when others claim Alphonse's state is somehow a good thing. I have hEDS, a disability that comes with advantages as well as the major downsides, so I can understand and relate to Alphonse here. I too am told my disability is a boon because of flexibility and because I'm less likely to fracture bones, but I'm twice as likely to injure my ligaments and joints, which people ignore.

The brothers are both disabled, both flawed, both show weaknesses, but they are competent, determined, and strong in their own right. They are rounded characters that exist for more than to be pitied or condescended to by able bodied characters around them. They put their entire being in everything that they do no matter what that is, and they don't know the meaning of giving up. These traits that they're made of truly make them a shining example of disability in protagonists for others to look to for reference when writing their own disabled characters.

Even though by the end Edward has regained one limb and Al has regained his body, this also doesn't just deus ex machina reverse their disability or make it go away. It's clear that Alphonse's body is weak and has to be rehabilitated upon recovery, and Edward is still missing his leg and bears the scars and pieces of the port from his automail arm. They weren't suddenly made able bodied upon recovering these things, they reclaimed what was lost through struggle and grit, but the narrative didn't give the impression that their disability in itself was something to be fixed, which is important. They wanted to recover their bodies, but this doesn't erase the effects of their disability.

It was about Edward atoning for leading Alphonse into their mistake and saving his brother from suffering further, it was about them proving they can keep moving forward no matter what, not about getting rid of their disability in itself or putting themselves down because of the disabilities. This, to me, as a mentally and physically disabled viewer, is so important. They achieve their goal, but this doesn't in any way erase or undo the effects of their initial losses, they find ways to adapt and move on but they're still affected and still disabled. They always will be. That can be so important to see in comfort characters, and as a disabled individual who's had both brothers as comfort characters since I was a child, their impact on my own journey is surprisingly tangible for fiction.

[kisasiblings]

So glad you like my ideas! I was worried haha.

But yeah, like some characters fit certain sin but fitted other canon characters better. Which was why I was hesitant to make Nikei Wrath lol (though technically he would have the same ouroboro placement since that eye is covered by hair) But having a puppet fuhrer makes a lot of sense.

Also quick question, does this follow fma or fmab plotline? I know it's fma au but I just wanted to double check haha.

Do you have any other ideas for other characters, or is it still fairly loose?

Sorry if this a bunch of questions, I'm just invested!

it follows the plot of the manga so id say fmab, there are some aspects of 03 and especially its movie that make me uncomfortable

and as for other character ideas its mostly loose but its going to be interesting and sad to see kinjo react to his whole worldview being shattered not only because of the kisaragis but also because he realizes that the military that was supposed to "protect people" actually did more harm than good and is controlled by a bunch of nearly immortal entities

probably the equivalent of the scene where ed tries to talk winry out of shooting scar would be yamato trying to prevent tsurugi from shooting himself

and just like ed with winry, he succeeds

[maddiicake]

Why Both FMAB and FMA03 are good and should be treated as Independent Stories:

I will go on the record of saying that Appreciate and Love FMA as a whole and love both series for what they are. And while it may sound like a broken record saying things like this... there’s still hateful words against those who like one over the other. So, I’m here to make this post addressing that both FMA2003/03 and Brotherhood are great in their own way and should be respected as their own individual stories.

Also warning there will be obvious spoilers.

What I liked about the Original (FMA03/2003) Series:

I watched 03 before delving into Brotherhood, and even before reading the manga. Now, I know Brotherhood and Manga fans are the small minority of the fandom, while 03/2003 fans make up the majority. That being said, many of these people simply can't get used to 03 after watching Brotherhood.

However, for me, I was happy because: A) I got more FMA to watch, and B) The differences in 03/2003 simply made it even more fun to watch, so for it was no trouble getting used to this anime.

But if I were to be specific of what I liked, I’d say I liked the following about FMA03/2003:

Characterization of the Protagonists and all the 'good' guys: The show heavily focuses on the relationship and tragedy of Elric Brothers, and 03/2003 portrays it much better with such a deeper level. The relationship between both brothers is intimate, and it feels like a genuine sibling bond. I also enjoy the fact that the anime shows that even if Ed follows his ideals, he, like any human, can break away from them under severe pressure, which was beautifully shown in the 5th laboratory arc. As for other characters: Scar in this version is a total opposite of his Brotherhood counterpart. He is written realistically in the 2003/03 anime. His absolute hatred for the military is more legit, and he feels morally grey in this anime. Izumi Curtis for me was also portrayed better in this version. Meanwhile, other Characters like Roy, Winry and Alex felt the same to me throughout both versions--so, not much change there.

Worldbuilding: The 2003/03 anime does a fantastic job at portraying the widespread effects of war and politics, Alchemy, etc. and how it has affected the people of the FMA World. For example, in Episode 16, “That Which is Lost”, Ed meet, a guy who had lost his limb while working as a soldier and was reluctant to use an automail prostetic because he wanted to “retain his wound”. Now, this episode itself was more so filler and didn’t really matter to the main plot of the story in itself; however, I feel that it was added to series to portray the depth of the FMA World, and how everyone has different reactions to the events that happened in the 2003/03 anime. Also, many of the events and how they unfold in this anime seem to parallel the middle east, which just makes all this feel realistic and provides some occasional social commentary which is quite nice. I also like how the first few episodes take their time to slowly and, with great subtlety, develop their world.

Thematic Depth: FMA2003/03 is dark, grim and kind of realistic--more so compared to Brotherhood. While, both versions of the anime deal with some important and mature themes, FMA2003/03 takes it to the next level. The 2003/03 series focuses on the Law of Equivalent Exchange, and shows how putting blind trust in it is a terrible thing to do. The show also focuses on how obsession, a denial of reality, and the inability to move on can be a bad thing. Moreover, sometimes life just simply isn't fair, and we should accept it; however, always try to improve what we have. All in all, we have to understand the consequences of our actions. That life is uncertain, and sometimes we don't get everything, and even we pay a price for it. All of these themes mixed in with the meaningful dialogues and the dark tone, made me appreciate this anime. For example, in episode 48, when Roy and Ed talk for the last time, that’s the pivotal point that brings all these themes together.

A Good Start: The Show had a better start than Brotherhood, simply because 1). We have more time with Maes Hughes and Shou Tucker, and 2). The Liore arc. Despite BONES studio and it’s tendency to create anime too early *when the mangaka is barely halfway through their series), they made it work, and, with the material they had, the 2003/03 series was given enough time to bloom. The 2003/03 series was simply immersive and very emotional, especially during The Curtis Arc, as an example.

Soundtrack and The Art Direction: I feel like both are equally good. However, I will go on the record of saying that I don’t think “art style” is what makes a series, nor is it an important factor. It’s nothing more than glorified “eye candy” However, for the sake of argument (especially since the “art style” is the first thing that “03 Stans” mention) I’ll be adding it in here. Both the 2003/03 and Brotherhood series have some amazing and beautiful orchestral OSTs in their respective soundtracks; thus, it added to the immersion of their respective series. In FMA2003/03, the color palette is very unique, sometimes it feels dull but it just suits the dark tone of the series.

All in all, I am impressed by a lot of aspects of the 2003/03 anime series, but as much I love and respect it, there are lot of things this anime messed up and I will note that as well.

The antagonists were... Meh: While I really love and enjoy the direction and depth BONES Studio added to the Homunculi... some of the other antagonists could have been better (or just not added at all imo). For example, Frank Archer... he has no reason being there except for convenient plot device to the point it feels forced. Though, him becoming that weird cyborg always makes me laugh just because of how dumb of a character he became because of it. Speaking of which, him becoming a cyborg was just... weird. It was like the Studio staff were trying to make him “cool” by making him into some crossover of The Terminator and Two-Face from Batman, but it just failed. As for Zolf Kimblee... He is still sadistic and likes making things explode, much like his Brotherhood Counterpart. But... that was it. Other than that, he was just boring. Him and Archer were both just the staple 90s Kids Cartoon Villains; not much to them except “Muahahaha I’m evil”. Now Dante... I’d say that she’s a good villain to an extent. Her as a villain is very subjective within the fandom, depending on who you ask. While I believe that she could have been just as great a villain as Father, her character was rushed and her goals were a bit vague and unexplored. I like how, like with Father, she had ties Hohenheim; however, that backstory and those connections were introduced a little late. So, in the end, she just came across as more of the generic Vindictive Ex-Wife, and just a generic female villain. As for the Homunculi... I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I LOVED their portrayal in 2003/03. They were the “saving grace” of the entire team of the villains within the 2003/03 series. My favorite of the bunch were Lust and Greed--namely Lust, because of her ties with Scar. Envy came at a close second, but only seemed so because of a way to back up Dante as a villain, and the other Homunculi seemed a bit more underdeveloped as characters. 

The Plot's quality drops after episode 35- Okay don't get me wrong. The first 35 episodes for me were 100/100. After that? a 60/100. Why? Because everything after that point feels contrived and feels forced. It's as tho, they are trying to do everything they can, even if it doesn't weave in, to make the brother's life miserable. Archer doesn't die and pops up, with his automail? Alphonse is there to be turned into a bomb, and become a philosophers stone. Okay, but why does this feel so forced? Also, can we talk about Nazi Shit? Now, I feel the brothers being separated is the perfect ending to this anime thematically and I have nothing against it, but A Nazi gate? Why? It was so sudden and pointless. It was never foreshadowed. They just showed it to make it as tragic as possible, because they didn't know of any other way to twist the plot, without convenient and totally forced plot devices. Also, How can Dante make Gluttony Mindless? Why is Juliet Douglass's Secret so obvious, when it can be fatal if leaked? Plot- Holes, Also, why are the Homunculli named the way they are? It just doesn't make sense. Also, FMA's Plot has an air of mystery to it, but it doesn't execute properly. I don't hate the end, I just felt disappointed, because the buildup towards it was terrible.

Now, I give a bit of grace concerning how the plot sort of dropped off and felt rushed halfway through, as well as the characters being underdeveloped and rushed. After all, Studio Bones was making up the majority of the material and took it in their own direction. Some factors to all of these cons in FMA2003/03 could be because of the Studio’s lack of a budget to flesh the characters and plot out more. Or, they had created so much additional material for this series that it became overwhelming.

As a writer, I can attest to the fact that “Character Overload” or “Element Overload” can either make or break a series, depending on how you handle it. That being said, there need to be a balance when it comes to these factors.

However, FMA2003/03 ended around 2004-05, So what we got is what we have.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s get on to the analysis of FMA: Brotherhood:

Characters: There isn’t a single character in this version of the series that I can choose as a “favorite”. Because, honestly? I lile them all. They’re all well developed and lovable in their own way, and have their own demension of depth to them. No, they’re not as deep as they aare in FMA2003/03, but from a writer’s perspective, that helps keep a balance with the overall plot of the stories. Now, some minor characters were just outrageous, but not to the level of boring (like 03!Kimblee and Archer), for example...  Darius and Heinkel. There isn’t a vast difference in Brotherhood’s and 2003/03's cast of characters. However, if I had to note a difference, FMA2003/03′s characters were are more on the edge of realistic and Brotherhood’s were just... Loveable. However, that doesn’t mean that one counterpart of a character is better/worse than another. Both are quite memorable in their own way. Of course, in my opinion Brotherhood's villains are just better than 03's villains. Sure, the Homunculi aren’t given as much depth, but, they have redeeming qualities near the end of their time (i.e. Envy, and GreedLing). When Father was first introduced... his character made me think of how Dante started out, and I was worried that his character would end up just as rushed and he would just be the generic cliche Shounen villain. By the Promised Day Arc, however, I was surprised. Yeah, Father was still very shounen-y villain, but still a pretty darn good villain. I feel his backstory, and how he discarded all his human qualities which led to the creation of Homunculi was well put together, and I felt the concept how he created Alchemy in Amestris, while Hohenhime helped build Alkahestry in the east was well put together, and helped build the world of FMA (literally). To put it simply, his character was much more interesting than Dante, because it was fleshed out more. The Homunculi were awesome as well, Lust did her job, Pride and Wrath were simply awesome, GreeLing's development from an anti-villain to anti-hero was exceptionally well written and not the cliche anti-hero, which I can appreciate. Envy is the character you love to hate. And Gluttony and Sloth did their Part as Well. While I enjoyed 03′s portrayal of the homunculi, I felt like they only fleshed out some for that series (i.e. Lust) while others were just left to fall flat. With Brotherhood, all the Homunculi were evenly balanced out in their characters, not too much depth and not too little. Solf Kimblee was still the sadistic baster, but at least his entire personality was more explored this time, and I liked how they portrayed his psyche as an added affect to why he has his views.

Plot: Bortherhood’s plot was more fluid and weaved in seamlessly. As a lover of all things continuity... Brotherhood did it right, and every time I find an analysis of a teeny tiny subtle continuity detail (i.e. Ed’s gash on his forehead that lasts a few episodes), I get a writer-gasm! Sure, there were few plot devices and filler here and there. But the plot in gneeral wasn’t rushed or choppy, nor did it leave any holes in it. The way Brotherhood portrays it’s plot is to keep you as engaged as possible, adding some silly comic relief here and there to balance out the dramatic intensity every so often. Unlike 2003/03 where is was just one depressing and dark element after another, Brotherhood added in the comic relief points not and again to give it’s audience a break. And, that’s what I really appreciate, and think is a great story writing technique. All in all the Brotherhood series is literal binge-watch material

A Great Shounen: Many Shounen anime have their Arcs for the purpose of portraying the progress of a character, and keep introducing new villains; however, depsite this, there is rarely a sense of mystery, intrigue or a moving plot in a Battle Shounen Anime. What Brotherhood did was just that, except make it more digestible (and not super long like Naruto or One Piece), and added a great thematic exploration. For a shounen it was quite deep, the plot structure was more like seinen, and characters were awesome. In a way, we got everything we could in a Shounen anime that only lasted a little over 50 episodes: Depth, plot, characters in a shounen.

Thematic Exploration: Both FMA 2003/03′s and Brotherhood’s themes are the same, but Brotherhood makes it a bit more lighter. All the while, it also manages to raise questions on additional themes: revenge, truth, knowledge, sacrifice, worth of a human life, and many other things.

Soundtrack and Animation: Same as the analysis in the part of FMA 2003/03, and, once again... I will restate that I personally don’t believe that art style is what’s important to a series. It’s nothing more than glorified “eye candy”. However, for the sake of this analysis, I will be adding it in here. While Brotherhood’s art style and animation is more simplistic, it’s much easier to create those dynamic poses and expressions on an animation level. While FMA2003/03 did have it’s dynamic moments, it was mostly only during battle scenes or the really heavy moments in the series. Brotherhood maintains it’s art style through the series and keeps it a balance, so that some scenes aren’t too much animation but also not too little. And, both FMA2003/03′s and Brotherhood’s OST Soundtracks are beautiful orchestral pieces that really add additional effect to a scene that the respective series are trying to portray.

A sense of conclusion: A lot of Shounen Anime get prematurely cancelled, most Seinen end in a bittersweet manner. That’s why FMA2003/03′s ending with the fate of the Elric Bros was a bit more preferable for those who like a more realistic ending. But, I enjoy a story with a more conclusive ending that wraps all the plot points up together without leaving too many holes. Yeah, the “happy ending” of Brotherhood is cliche, but “happy endings” wouldn’t be “happy endings” if they weren’t. Not to mention, those types of endings are rare, because people really don’t want to write them, and, when they do, they’re rarely done well. Ed’s entire charcter arc wrapping up to where he swallows his pride as an Alchemist and gives up his Alchemy to bring his brother back is both wholesome and satisfying, because, through the show, it shows his progression and growth from beginning to end. And, having an arrogant character obsessed with Alchemy give it up and learn to humble himself because of it.. it’s really uplifting.

Now let's talk about the Cons within the Brotherhood series, they aren't a lot, but still, they did affect my experience quite a lot.

Overuse of Comic Relief: While the use is a nice balance to the already dark and dismal atmosphere of the series, it felt a bit overused. So much so that some emotional moments were inconvenienced by the use of that kind of humor. It was a bit much and created dissonance with the tone the scene was trying to portray. Now, it worked more in the Manga, because of the more visual gag of it, but, sometimes the visuals within the manga don’t translate as well to an animated one.

A Rushed First Half: While FMA 2003/03 began “In Media Res” with it’s first episode and then started a “flashback episodic arc” with the next handful of episodes.. Brotherhood just jumped right into it. While, yes, it was a better balance to not have the characters’ depth right at the beginning (slowly revealing it as the show goes on), the first half of Brotherhood was 0-100 through just the first few episodes. To the point it feels like the audience has to catch it’s bearings. But, once you get on the same page, it’s enjoyable from there.

So what’s the Point of this Ted Talk-esq FMA Post?

I’m sick and tired of seeing 03 Stans  and MangaHood Stans fighting each other over just the smallest detail, especially when 03 Stans decided to bring leftist politics into it for no reason.

Personally, I just appreciate the fact that both series exist, ever since I've got in the franchise, it has become a part of my life, and still to this day is part of my life. Sure, I’m forever going to be part of this fandom.. but, I still see the beauty that peeks through the ruins and ashes of destruction now and then. I appreciate both series. Sure, I do prefer Brotherhood more, and get called a “Nazi” just because of it (ironic considering FMA: CoS was the movie sequel to 03... -__- ) , but 03 was excellent as well in it’s own way. It was very involving while FMAB was engaging. Both shows are something which you can learn something from and get attached to.

All in all, comparing both shows is okay, that's what I did here, but having a debate over which one is better isn’t just inherently bad... it’s TOXIC. Both series have their pros and cons, and they’re starkly different from each other. They’re two sides of the same coin. But, most importantly they are extremely important and impactful, so Pls don't have death battles over which one is better, don't say bad things about any fanbase, be respectful, and most importantly watch both and try to appreciate them. Because trust me liking both is a pretty darn good feeling.

[dabistits]

how do u like fmab so far? are you planning on reading the manga and/or watching the 2003 series?

i don’t have any plans to read or watch the other ones right now but who knows what future me will decide!

anyway i did enjoy it. i watched the whole anime over the course of about a week so i was pretty into it. some thoughts (and i know some of these might be different in the manga or ‘03):

i think the beginning was pretty rough and the pacing felt all over the place. it got a lot better once the main plot kicked in. i am told that the tuckers were given more screentime in ‘03 but it was rushed in fmab.

i spent some time imagining the kinds of callout posts izumi would get if fma were coming out now.

i really enjoyed the briggs arc and simultaneously the intelligence gathering that was going on in central. the espionage network was great and made that whole portion really fun. i liked how intelligence gathering was actually a whole plot in itself and it wasn’t just handwaved how the characters got the information. bnha could learn a thing or two lol :)

i think olivier was my fave out of the war criminal gang™😰 i like characters that can keep their cool and stick to a lie while under threat, until the moment comes to decisively act. i feel like we don’t see that often unless the character’s a villain. would love another one of these who isn’t a warhawk.

legitimately felt the worst about fu grandpa’s death than like anyone else lol.

greedling🥺 the character development on that bitch... incredible. twice🤝greed dying for your friends is enough

there were a few points where i wanted to shake the characters like just use the fucking alchemy. it doesn’t make sense why you’re not using the fucking alchemy. it made some fights feel like they just dragged on.

the general complaints about how the ishvalan genocide and philosopher’s stone was handled.

i think this is discussed less but there’s a certain stereotyping of chinese (analogous) characters across a variety of anime that people should be more aware of. for men, it’s commonly happy-go-lucky with hidden skills, slit-eyed🤢 types (ling yao fmab, lau kuroshitsuji), and for women, it’s kind of peppy, naive, romantic girls, always with the double buns (may chang fmab, meiling cardcaptor, shampoo ranma 1/2, ran mao kuroshitsuji who’s less peppy but “clingy”). also something something martial arts.

the way the few black characters were written was also questionable (one turns into a literal animal and the other is a villain who has committed genocide and planned to commit more mmmmokay.......).

[splendidshinobi]

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 2003 LIVE REACT: EPISODES 6-10

back at it again with the white vans

episode 6: the alchemy exam

alrighty then

um mustang calling edward “ed” is EXTREMELY offputting

ohhhhhhh noooooo not shou tucker

FUCK

im wholly unprepared

them all being in central instead of east is low key jarring like my brain isnt computing it

alexander’s intro is basically the same 

nina bbyyyyy girl u deserved so much better

ed is such a fucking nerd...chemistry club modern au confirmed

god the more tucker talks the more i wanna beat his face in

al pretending to eat by tossing a potato in his armor i-

aww theyre playing in the snow theyre so pure

wonder how long thatll last

“bigger brother” and “little big brother” and ed doesnt even get mad

ed’s birthday party????????

A MELON? ED YOURE SO RUDE

so 03 had ed’s bday instead of elicia’s...CAUSE THEY GOT ELICIA IN THE WOMB

“it’s here!” “the tea?” “the baby!” hughes is a fuck head

ok so now they’re having elicia replace rush valley baby arc

this was winry’s time to shine in fmab i miss her 

if winry isnt here who is gonna birth this baby

oh my god they just realized ed can use alchemy without a circle

no wonder he’s been using circles this whole time

SO ELICIA JUST POPPED OUT????? WHAT

STUFF ALEXANDER IN THE ARMOR AND PRETEND YOURE A TALKING DOG???

“i dont think thats very funny” NO ALPHONSE IT IS NOT

THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING WITH THAT ONE I SWEAR TO GOD IN THIS ESSAY I WILL

damn bradley what up homie

im so thrown off by the way theyre doing the exam omg

seriously what the hell is fuhrer bradley’s purpose right now is he even the fuhrer in this i feel like they wouldve mentioned it

oh lord ed is about to impress everyone with his clappy hands

ok so next episode is nina FUCK

episode 7: night of the chimera’s cry

havoc babeeee

im gonna marry him my himbo king

also can RIZA DO SOMETHING PLZ

“huhhhhhhhh nina” ew tucker that was weirdly gross

wonder why

cant do it cant do it

do we think jean kirstein was modeled after jean havoc slightly looks wise

was that purposeful 

ill have to google 

serial killer who only targets women?  it cant be scar...scar drinks respect women juice

barry or slicer bros maybe? um ok

why did we start with liore if they were just gonna hop right back into the past for a huge chunk of episodes idk

assessment day??? oh noodles

AL WHY DID YOU TELL TUCKER TO MAKE ANOTHER TALKING CHIMERA ALPHONSE NO

THE NOISE I EMITTED IM GONNA TAKE A LAP

im gonna FUCKING SCREAM

ed r u writing to winry??? that’s a bit out of character for u good sir

no tucker put that baby down

im gonna fucking SCREAM

aww he burned nina’s picture thats not sus at all

SHESKA!!!!!

wait does the ironblood alchemist know what tucker did to his wife? thats kinda the vibe im getting

SCARRRRRRRR

looking like a pirate too damn

his voice sounds different is that j michael tatum 

apparently not it was dameon clarke in 03 ya learn something new everyday 

ew elicia has a lot of hair for a FUCKING NEWBORN

ed really is such a cynic very suspicious of everyone as he should be really

basque grand knowS SOMETHING

oh jesus oh fuck oh god please do not TOUCH THAT BABY

ed and al snuck back in to the house well u know what its for the best

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

im gonna cry again please god no

FUCKING DIE SHIT HOLE

she’s hurting? oh my god

my sweet angel

ew his eyes!!!!!!! 

tucker is such a fucking failure...like look at the chimera squad and greed’s theatre troupe being the way they are. ugh it really hits how fucking unfair it is 

ed was really about to split them? boy you know better

where is nina going...im hurting

ed really tried to save her in this one

SCAR KILLS NINA IN THE STREETS???????? SIR

thats different

oh snap 

oh FUCK

SCAR WHY DID YOU LEAVE HER BODY LIKE THAT

THE WAY SHE WAS ARRANGED ON THE WALL THAT WAS FUCKED UP

AND THEY FOUND HER LIKE THAT???? AT LEAST IN BROTHERHOOD THEY DIDNT HVE TO SEE HER CORPSE ARE YOU SHITTING ME?

that was fucked.

episode 8: the philosopher’s stone

can yall get ed and al away from nina’s fucking MURAL 

get out of the car mustang

finally jesus christ

roy mustang talking about healthy coping mechanisms dont make me laugh but alright baby boy go off i guess?

im curious about who this goddamn serial killer is though lets turn to that plot thread

r u kidding me

mustang is making ed and al take over tucker’s research?? thats actually wildly messed up

oh tucker was straight executed that’s a choice i guess

tucker and the philosopher’s stone sounds inaccurate but ok

ed please stop being mean to your brother

03 mustang has got me reaching for a fucking baseball bat on GOD

scar and edward having this conversation right now i literally cannot

WINRY yes bitch

BRADLEY WHAT IN TARNATION

JESUS LORRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDD

alphonse shut your mouthhhhhhhhhhh

im so confused what is bradley up to

“alchemists are not cold blooded murderers?”

i mean

kimblee would beg to differ for one

whos this creepy lady 

her voice sounds familiar

barry’s food shop?

the killer is barry ok got it

IS BARRY DISGUISED AS A WOMAN

I KNEW THAT WAS JERRY JEWELL’S VOICE

WELL I KNEW IT SOUNDED FAMILIAR AT LEAST

WINRY GET OUT OF THE FUCKING TRUCk

has PINAKO TAUGHT YOU NOTHING

ok so i VASTLY prefer suit of armor original manga canon barry

this is such an odd plot what in fuck

um OW the meat cleaver

im so confused this fucking plotline

oh hey alphonse nice of you to show up!

is barry still gonna become a suit of armor later on

it makes NO SENSE to introduce him otherwise 

everytime i see 03 mustang i wanna beat his ass HONESTLY

literally i will shove my foot up his ass

fullmetal here we go

ed thinks he’s so punk rock 

oh great scar’s seen the watch

episode 9: be thou for the people

ed you simp buying winry all this stuff my edwin heart is ascending

SIMP SIMP SIMP

“mr. elric”?? you mean MAJOR ELRIC

to be fair though fuck the military

YOUSWELL??? oh LORD

im gonna need to read a full chronology of this show

 alphonse continues to be a precious angel 

where’s my boy yoki!!!!!

edward you idiot don’t go flaunting your money

woof woof ed

al looks so offended by ed saying they just met

whereas in brotherhood didnt he totally throw ed under the bus??? 

a choice to be sure

ah there he is hello yoki

who’s the chick

shes a lesbian

yoki makes me miss my baby girl mei chang

mei where r u

WAS THIS MILITARY DUDE REALLY ABOUT TO CUT DOWN A CHILD??? oh my god

hawkeye getting a promotion yes bby girl

jesus theyre transferring them to east now OKKKKKAY thats not how it happened it the book but ill take it....just doing it the opposite way i guess

who is lyra who is she

cute some military bribery 

umm lyra what the fuck did you do

lyra is a homunculus im callin it now

they definitely invented/changed up some homunculi in fact im certain they did and shes one of em. gotta be

i feel like 03 wrote ed as much more insensitive towards others than he really is...just a vibe im getting

i know he was faking for the townspeople’s sake but i still get this vibe from other instances 

i mean i cant say its not “canon” because its 03 canon

anyways what a show off

i cant believe theyre going to east...fuery and breda better be there

ok finally some answers on their ages....ed got his license at 12 like normal and nina and youswell were when he was 12...liore was 15, 

if they didnt flash the ages on the screen id be lost honestly

at least we’re back up to “present day”

episode 10: the phantom thief

ed saying he doesnt wanna see mustang

same

03 mustang is activating my fight or flight and im choosing fight

ed cheating at cards totally checks out

um who the fuck is this woman

what is she wearing

SERIOUSLY WHAT IS THAT CUTOUT MAAM HOW DO YOUR C**CHY LIPS NOT POKE OUT

idk but this is fem!hisoka

“hey shouldnt we talk first” after getting handcuffed??? christ almighty these innuendos

siren??????? siren is probably also a “fake” homunculus

ugh

ok so the nurse is siren

ya aint slick girly

alphonse control your crush

I REFUSE!!!! ALMEI RIGHTS

why is al’s hair so brown in this flashback anywayssss

oh its spelled psiren ope

like she’s literally a batman villain...

oh my god...............the tiddy grab. my son would never

my son is respectful

is this her homunculus tat or just a random alchemy tat

the added plotlines and original content continue to confuse and astound me every single time....

ok but if psiren really was doing this for the hospital she wouldnt be so flashy about it. like thats how you get caught sweet cheeks

girly stop flirting with this child on god im gonna fucking kick you

now shes a nun????????????????

Shes a fucking troll i hate her

im going to kick alphonse into the sun 

oh great now shes a teacher

wow shes a savior. the savior of amestrian venice. greatttttt

ed looking exactly like this emoji on this gondola rn 🧍‍♀️

STOP FLIRTING WITH THE CHILD 

GOD THIS IS SO BATMAN VILLAIN ESQUE

alphonse plzzzzzzzzzz she aint your girl

ok so probably not the last we see of this ding dong con artist

ok so its starting to get muddy. im scared the 03 stans are gonna come after me like i do like it and im having fun watching it but some of the plot and characterization choices are just....odd??? idk i gotta keep going though!! im sorry i just stan arakawa and her work in all her glory!!!

[kingofthewilderwest]

Yo dude your fma liveblogs are entertaining as hell and your analysis posts are👌👌👌 I love both versions of fma. However, I watched ‘03 first, so it holds a special place in my heart. I appreciate you for not bashing it and for giving it a chance. You bring up many good points in regards to both series and their flaws. I respect that. Hope your cosplay turned out great/turns out great! I haven’t finished reading your liveblogs, so I’m not sure if you’ve finished it yet. Goodnight!

Ahhhh yay thanks!!!

Sadly, despite the fact that I watched and finished 2003 / COS about 7 months ago, I still haven’t completed that Envy cosplay I was working on. Isn’t that pathetic??? I need to finish that thing. A friend of mine who was also working on an FMAB cosplay just wore the finished product New Year’s Eve. So since he got HIS end of the deal done, I need to… get my buttocks onto finishing my project. Haha whoops.

I am thankful and honestly sort of relieved to hear you appreciate my thoughts on the 2003. Thanks for telling me and sending me this encouraging message (and connecting with me over FMA!!!!) I know that, unlike many people, I’m not coming into 2003 with the same nostalgia they feel. It’s very different watching a show as it’s premiering, and before another anime is created following the manga timeline… than it is watching a show 15 years after it debuted, and with the foreknowledge/experience of the full manga/later show.

Honestly, I was worried I would sound too unintentionally irreverent or something. Truth is I adore the experiences large franchises bring. It’s FUN to get infinitely more characters, more story, more adventures, more memories, more media. We can choose how we participate in large franchises - we can stick with main materials, or, if we want, we have the opportunity to excitedly fish through EVERYTHING we can find. And I’m a fisher! I want all the factoids, all the amusing moments, all the incidences, in the fictional worlds I love. For me, it’s far more enjoyable to be able to appreciate the good in all and ANY part of a franchise… looking for tidbits to enjoy and supplementing my love of the world… never entering anything with unrealistic expectations… and not getting caught up in negative stigma.

And even if I do end up feeling negative about something in a franchise, for whatever reason… ngl I keep that to myself in main public circles. Occasionally I’ll post constructive criticism from a more objective analytical light, but I hate the idea of me being negative on main. I really avoid posting negativity publicly online because I don’t like the idea of contributing negatively to a community that’s here to have fun about fiction. I’m not perfect. I’m a sucky fallible human. I’ve broken my own rule. Heh. But I truly prefer my experiences in fandom to be connecting with positive things. So I wouldn’t want to enter a culture of talking negatively about ANYTHING.

The FMA franchise is something I, for the most part, embrace as a whole with happiness. The ridiculousness in Prince of the Dawn and Daughter of the Dusk I find endearing. I have affection for the Live Action in all its ups and downs. The books are fun, the guidebooks are fun, the art books are fun, the OVAs are fun… and honestly, I’m sort of jealous you can enter the 2003 show with that affection, too. ^.^ It’s fun to feel that way about shows and 2003 has lots to offer.

Confession: every other part of the FMA franchise I can embrace for what it is, but 2003 trips me up because I spent almost ten years of my life hearing “2003 vs 2009″ fandom battles. I can’t experience it apart from that competitive and negatively-spun paratext. It’s ingrained now. I can’t help but feel odd thinking about the 2003 because FMAB is my dear, dear child and 2003 feels like its “competition” or “threat.” Usually that isn’t a problem and I embrace everything in a franchise… but in the world of FMA… I have difficulties emotionally accepting 2003 and it leaves me with mixed thoughts. I hope that doesn’t hurt anyone to hear I feel this way - because I would much rather not have those mixed feelings about 2003. I’d be happier without them. I’m just trying to say: I respect you for not having that baggage!

I’ve noticed that when I talk about FMA 2003 as itself, without any comparison, I have a fun time. Doesn’t matter if I talk constructive analytics or happy-go-nothings, looking at *JUST* 2003 on *ITS OWN* is fun. I’ll talk with people about the ridiculous shenanigans Team Mustang get into, the cool disguises characters wear, the emotional tragedy of Alphonse Heiderich, the deep social commentary in the Ishvalan plot arc, and how hot Roy is with an eyepatch. There’s no sense of “threat” to FMAB that way.

But as soon as I hear comparisons between the two shows, I get edgy and uncomfortable and feel weird. I know some of it is that I place FMAB on a pedestal of reverence and don’t want to hear comparisons that might not mark it “perfect.” But I know some of my discomfort with FMA 2003 vs 2009 conversations is from my experiences with fandom culture. Unfortunately I’ve run into far too many instances of 2003 lovers shitting and speaking critically of FMAB (and vice versa), and I don’t like that climate at all. I don’t want to be involved in that climate of compare, contrast, compete, and Judge (with a capital J). I don’t like people speaking ill of something I love when I’m here on tumblr to have recreation. It’s not that I can’t engage with different perspectives, but this is a place where I’m here to have fun about shows and be a fan of them - not to hear critical negativity. I don’t enjoy that part of fandom culture.

I’m sorry that you’ve probably been in experiences where you’ve seen 2003 bashed because that’s such a damper on a mood, seeing people speak poorly of a thing that’s special to your heart. I sympathize for the negativity culture you might have been exposed to, too. If you need, let’s make a happy bubble here! If you or anyone want to talk happily with me about 2003, or talk about 2003 on its own in any analytical way, I’m up for it, yo! :D Or ANY part of the FMA franchise! 

I hope that this long ramble didn’t sound too much like me talking about myself or my experiences… the point is… I love that you feel happy about the 2003 and FMAB and are a fellow FMA fan, and I’d love to experience positivity with you and others who feel that way too!

Just, all I ask, is that no one ask me to get involved in that comparison culture of “which show is better and why”! XD

Take care and have an awesome day, too!

[ravenwolfie97]

Romeo x juliet or fma for anime thingie. Maybe tome too :o

i don’t know enough about RxJ to have an opinion, you all know how i feel about TOME, i’m gonna ramble about FMA for a hot second

FullMetal Alchemist

haven’t heard of it | absolutely never watching | might watch | currently watching | dropped | hated it | meh | a positive okay | liked it | liked it a lot! | loved it | a favoritedon’t watch period | drop if not interested within 2-3 episodes | give it a go, could be your thing (2003) | 5 star recommendation (brotherhood)i watched both series completely and loved both of them for very different reasons. FMA 03 is not for the faint of heart, with plenty of moments that could turn many people’s blood to ice. i personally applauded it for its focus on intense topics and really delving into them, most of all the racial inequality considering the ishvalans and how the military treats people and the actions they commit. i can appreciate the different storyline they had to come up with, though there are many points that i felt were a pointless addition that left it in the zeitgeist (if you’ve seen it, you might know what i mean). the ending was also inconclusive, unsatisfying, and overall confusing. i know it was grounds for the conqueror of shamballa movie which continued the story of that show, but that shouldn’t really have happenedFMAB is far better in terms of plot and making a wholly enjoyable story that everyone can watch. all of the characters, events, and interactions work beautifully and no time is wasted thanks to the manga actually being mostly completed by then. it does gloss over some events that were expanded upon in 2003, but they aren’t as necessary in the grand scheme of things; i would have liked the state alchemist entrance exam to have been expanded upon, though. i was much more pleased with brotherhood overall than with the 2003 adaptation because it made more sense and it gave us a conclusion that was solid, exciting, and had a great payoff

and that’s my two centsoh wait i need to say more, OKAY

fav characters: edward elric, winry rockbell, roy mustang, greedling, van hohenheim (in both tbh), rose (2003)least fav characters: frank archer (you know why), russell & fletcher tringhamfav relationship: ed/winry, roy/riza (the typical fare lol)fav moment: I CAN’T CHOOSE THAT, I LOVED IT ALLI REALLY LIKED THE ISLAND FLASHBACK EPISODES THOUGH FOR BOTHheadcanons/theories: idk uh hopefully amestris and its neighboring countries will stop being assholes and going to war with each other now that the homunculi are deadunpopular opinion: i really do think FMA 2003 was good on its own merit and sometimes did things better than brotherhood because it had the time to dedicate to them since it had so little to work with. the story and reasons for the homunculi existing they came up with were done pretty well and i thought it wasn’t that badalso edxrose was cute and i shipped it from the beginning don’T JUDGE MEhow’d you find it: that’s… a really good question, actually. i have no idearandom thoughts: uh a friend and i wrote an entire backstory fic for the kids many years ago and it was interestingalso the netflix movie was okay ig

[zetalial]

FMAB rewatch episode 30

Previous Episode

Episode 30: The Ishvalan war of Extermination

This episode is... kinda boring honestly? It’s important to the character’s backstory but it’s, I don’t know, full of really cheesy lines? So much talking about how terrible everything is that I’m wishing there was less talking and more just showing stuff without commentary. (And warning I feel like my overanalysing nature is worse than usual in this episode rewatch.)

It probably doesn’t help that I’ve seen 03 countless times and much of the Ishval backstory happens there so all this war stuff is just really familiar and so it’s not really shocking. Kimblee of all people is actually the highlight. 

So the episode opens with Roy talking to his teacher, trying to convince him to pass on his alchemy research to him. Roy is wearing a uniform and has just become a soldier but believes that this is his chance to help people while his Master thinks him a fool and doesn’t wish his secret knowledge to be abused and used for evil. Oh he’s also dying. 

Well my conclusion is that they’re both idiots. Flame alchemy is one of the most destructive kinds of alchemy there is. Useful for nothing except burning stuff and Roy will go on to use it to burn people alive. What did they think they would use it for? Maybe if you’re creative it’d be good for cooking or something but Roy has literally just joined the military and seems to believe he needs flame alchemy to succeed. How did he expect it to help!? Showing him as an idealistic soldier wanting to make a positive difference would make so much more sense if he used anything but flame alchemy. Or if he was presented as more ambitious and believes flame alchemy is power and so only gets a greater feeling for morality from the Ishval war, thanks to character development.

Oh well. So episode proper starts with Ed visiting Hawkeye to return her gun. He talks to her about how he feels he was too weak to use it and expresses his fears of how Winry might’ve shot Scar were it not for him and did he make the wrong choice? Riza’s nice to him, suggesting its just some variant of survivor’s guilt, and explains how she’s in no position to judge, having become the sort of person who’s stained by her past actions and can pull the trigger far too easily but that doesn’t make Ed’s choices wrong at all. Then Ed asks about Ishval and Riza tells him about it. 

Elsewhere we’ve got Scar demanding Marcoh tell him about Ishval as well. 

We see that the war is terrible, lasting seven years until the Fuhrer decided to create a policy, 3066, to exterminate the Ishvalans. And so State alchemists were sent in to exterminate the people. Riza expresses how war can be chaotic but as a sniper she could see exactly who she was aiming at and with every shot she would end a life. 

Marcoh reveals that Ishvalans were being used as ingredients to create a Philosopher’s stone. He was part of the operation, in fact. This stone was given to Kimblee so he could be even more destructive, allowing him to wipe out the Ishvalans in mass numbers. Scar recognises the description as the one who killed his brother. Scar is absolutely disgusted by all he’s learning from Marcoh naturally. 

We see Roy at his teacher Berthold Hawkeye’s grave with Riza. They’re not familiar with each other yet but seeing Roy’s noble ambitions about how he wants to do good, she agrees to share her father’s research on flame alchemy with him. And Riza also decides to become a soldier herself. 

In Ishval, we get some Roy and Hughes interaction as Hughes explains how Gracia is the reason he can continue moving forward and Roy ponders his own reasons. They note that they have the eyes of a killer now and think everything they’re doing is terrible, that it wasn’t what they stood for. 

Roy sees Riza and is saddened to see her here as well, that the lovely girl he knew now has the eyes of a killer as well. 

Kimblee appears and he just blows to pieces their attempts at trying to be above their actions. They’re still here and they’re still killing, what does it matter that they hate it? With Riza, he suggests she must feel some sort of pride every time she makes a successful shot and as it flashes back to her unflinchingly making a kill, you know he has a point. He reminds them to not turn their eyes away from their actions but to look unflinchingly into the faces of their foes and to never forget them, because they will never forget them. These words are echoed by Riza later on to Ed, so it’s clear she’s taken these words to heart. It’s pretty powerful.

And it’s such a brief scene of them interacting with Kimblee but I love it. Kimblee’s just like them in this moment, following orders given by a higher officer, what does it matter if he enjoys his work and they don’t? The results still the same. And why are they here, anyway?

They became soldiers, surely they should have expected war. Is it because its a civil war, rather than defending the borders against Drachmans or Cretans? What did Roy expect to achieve with his fire alchemy? They can condemn the State all the like but they’re a part of it.  

I love to hear Kimblee questioning them on this and you can respect his viewpoint because he doesn’t pretend, he’s very honest about the kind of person he is. (I do question them giving a Philosopher’s stone to someone as chaotic as Kimblee though.)

Anyway, so we jump to the Fuhrer and the part where he’s ordered the extermination policy to go ahead. Some interesting characterisation of him with how he rejects the Ishvalans idea of a god given how many have already been slaughtered by the military and says how you can only trust in your own power. When the Ishvalan leader offers himself as a sacrifice to end the war, Bradley rejects it, stating that one life is now worth thousands and insists on exterminating the ishvalans. 

This is pretty remarkable as far as characterisation goes but I feel it’s heavyhanded for a leader. I’m biased but I sort of appreciated how Bradley in 03 constantly had this demeanor of being harmless and friendly, keeping all this ugliness to secret plotting and backrooms, he wouldn’t be so openly villainous. (I think BH!Bradley is a far more interesting Homunculus than 03!Bradley, but I do appreciate how effective 03!Bradley was as a seemingly good leader.) 

Anyway, Riza concludes her story with explaining how the military is corrupt and the bad parts need to be removed and the whole system needs to be reformed, which is what Mustang intends to do by attaining power. She also states that all the so-called heroes of the Ishvalan war should be tried as war criminals for their actions. Quite a statement as that condemns likeable characters like Riza and Roy. Edward is upset by this even as Riza seems very calm about the whole thing. 

We get one more flashback to after the war where Roy shares his ambitions with Riza and asks her to work with him and watch his back. He adds that it means she has the power to shoot him if she so chooses. Roy states that he trusts her with this power, that if he ever strays from his path, he expects her to shoot him rather than let him go down the dark path. 

Hmm... it’s interesting. You know, I’ve seen Roy’s character in 03 criticised for showing him almost killing himself as it’s out of character for Roy. I sort of agree that’s it’s a little too melodramatic and angsty, and you need to accept that 03!Roy and BH!Roy are different characters. BH!Roy certainly doesn’t believe in throwing one’s life away. But this statement is interesting in how it shows that maybe they’re not so different? The moment 03!Roy contemplates suicide is after he’s done a terrible thing in killing a pair of innocent doctors and maybe he genuinely believes he’s fallen too far from the right path and it’d be better if he were dead. He eventually decides to continue living in the best attempt to make up for some of his evil actions. This statement in Brotherhood mostly foreshadows him becoming consumed with revenge in his torture of Envy and he believes Riza will be a better judge of his own morality than him. But still, he’s very clear that he expects Riza to kill him if she thinks he deserves it. I find the parallel interesting anyway.

Sorry... just musing. (Warning for further digressions in this paragraph) Speaking of 03, I think it generally did a better job at showing the devastation and the horror and the trauma as a result of the Ishval war. With more focus on the Ishvalans side, and more moments of extreme weakness from the ‘heroes’. I also find it sort of strange how noble Roy seems to be even before the Ishval war. In 03 we never see any flashbacks from before the war and I think I like that? We can imagine that Roy was perhaps a man like Archer but the war broke him and led to him becoming a person with some trauma but also with higher ideals,. Yes, I know there’s nothing to support this reading in canon but still I wish the Roy before the war seemed more different from the Roy after the war. 

Sorry, I’m being too harsh on this poor episode, I know. I should be putting on some Royai shipping glasses or something but I sadly cannot. There’s just too much talking about what’s happening and insufficient explaining about the characters actual motives for me. I understand that they feel bad about it but I want to understand why they choose to participate. How far they’re going. I know they joined the military but why? 

I’m probably forgetting some details or misunderstanding something. Maybe I’m just overreading or getting fixated on the wrong stuff. All things considered, this was a pretty alright episode and did explain the events well and I did like how we get much of it through Riza’s perspective and I love the bits where Riza explains being a sniper and the parts with Kimblee. Bradley’s stuff was decent as is the brief bits with Marcoh. Ed talking about his own worries as actually a little boring for me - weird when Ed should be my favourite. 

I’ll just end this part here. You know, I think writing about it actually helped me to appreciate it more though. Using its the reverse where I like an episode okay but find plenty of issues when I start to think about it in depth. 

[maddiicake]

Hey there :) I noticed you have an FMA edwin fankid. I’ve read over novanoah’s take on edwin and the parental roles with work and stuff. I just wanted to get your take on it. Youre edwin kid is really nice and seems interesting!

Hey ^u^

I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “Nova’s take on EdWin”. But, I honestly don’t really care enough to go and see what you mean |D

Nevertheless, I’m more than happy to inform you about my take on the EdWin parental roles, Ed and Winry as parents, and anything else about that in relation to my characters’ story. ^u^

First off, I want to start with a Disclaimer: I’ve had these parental roles and Edward and Winry’s characters within the story since the creation of said story, which was back in late 2012/early 2013. Nothing has changed to their characters and their part in the story since then, as of answering this Anon Message at least. But, I still have the general idea of the two as parents and their roles.

The story also takes place Post-2003. And, before you (or anyone else) says anything, I’m fully aware of the ending of the 2003 FMA anime and what happens with Ed. But, that’s the beauty of FMA03: there’s so many holes in the plot that you can work around and tie up the loose ends however you want; as opposed to FMAB where the plot is wrapped up well and locked in stone. So, my story-partner and I, after almost 2 years of piecing together how we can make the ending of FMA03 plausibly work into our Next Gen story without it being a complete cop-out.

But, I digress ^^; Your question is in regards to Edward and Winry’s parental roles, so I’ll get right back to that.

Anyway, as I previously stated, the story takes place Post-2003. And, unlike in the Manga or FMAB, Ed doesn’t travel west for an undisclosed/vague amount of time. In our story, Ed takes a bit of time to get together with Winry in a committed relationship. After all, it’s shown in FMA03… Edward and Winry’s relationship–well, it’s not “strained”, because a strained relationship means you don’t like them in the sense that you don’t trust them or are hostile towards them. Ed’s definitely nervous about being with Winry, but that could also be because of his evident depression, and it’s proven that romantic relationships are tough on those with depression. But, obviously, Ed does have feelings for Winry, it’s just his mental illness holding him back.

So, Winry helps take care of Ed in his coma (while he’s having the Wizard of Oz-like dream known as Conqueror of Shamballa–Again, this is all part of the tying loose ends my story-partner and I have been  putting together to try and tie 03 with out Next Gen). Despite what many believe about Winry, she’s a tough cookie of determination. For example, in Ep. 45 of FMA03, despite it being the very last time she sees Ed before he enters The Gate and she and her grandmother knowing well the danger Ed and Al are getting into, she still helps braid his hair and believes he will make it through. She doesn’t freak out, and doesn’t take “no” for an answer to Ed’s protests. She shows that she cares just through this subtle action, and, in silent acknowledgement, Ed and Winry both understand their slight care for one another. (If you wanna check out a deep analysis of the scene from the episode @drea-ricweld sums it up really well in their post. I really do enjoy their review of that scene and can definitely agree to their points concerning Ed and Winry’s character). Despite what everyone believes, FMA03 had EdWin moments as well, they just delivered it in a nice subtle and mature way as opposed to in-your-face with FMAB.

But, I digress… with this mutual understanding of their feelings for one another as adults, they gradually take their relationship one step at a time. Being childhood friends and knowing each other better than anyone else, Winry is able to help support Ed when he has his down depression moments, instead of leaving him because she’s frustrated with his episodes. Eventually they get into a committed relationship and eventually end up married.

I know the biggest complaint people make about young couples getting married around 18-19. But, when you stop to think about it… getting married at that age was the norm. (Hell, in the 1400s, kids got married in their early teens.). Back in the early 1900s–around the time FMA takes place–, it was common for folks to marry that young. After all, the life expectancy was between 50-60, and people were more monetarily/financially stable compared to now. I mean, nowadays kids in their mid-20s are struggling through college because very few of them are as financially stable on their own. Times were different–and probably easier–back then, so people were more at ease marrying young.

Anyway…  Edward and Winry end up living in a small neighborhood outside of Central City, where Ed works at the main headquarters. He’s promoted to a Colonel, and, along with Alphonse, assisted Roy with enacting the “Anti Human Transmutation Act” (which, that is a explanation for another time). To sum it up, it’s to prevent not only just the act of performing Human Transmutation, but also to prevent other from exploiting the powers that are released from The Gate upon opening it.

Meanwhile, after having Lillian, their first child, Winry become a stay-at-home mother; having to put her love for constructing automail on the shelf. After all, when you have responsibilities (or just a relationship) you have to put aside things you enjoy just to take care of your responsibilities. And, I know this is crazy to hear, but… there’s some women who actually don’t mind being a housewife. Shocker, right? xD There’s some women, who don’t mind cleaning and housework and just staying home with the kids while the husband is the one with the job. Now, I’m not saying I see Winry as that type of woman entirely. If anything, she’s probably the one, who will wait until her kids are grown and out of the house before getting a job again–which, some women actually do.

So, 9 years later, she and Ed have their second child. Why wait so long? Well, without spoiling the story’s plot, the main antagonist was targeting the children of Alchemic Prodigies (this included Ed, Al, and Roy)–and, side note, this goes on to a topic that I don’t think a lot of fankid creators actually think about: the effect of their parent’s legacy giving them pressure and high expectations put on them because people expect the kids to be like their parents. But, like with the HTA, that’s another explanation for another time xD

So, anyway, to play it safe, Winry and Ed waited a while before having another child. During this near-decade time span, Winry started working from home by not only building automail for clients, but also designing models for businesses down in Rush Valley. Lillian was always an independent kid and wasn’t very high maintenance, but if Winry or Ed ever had to leave for something together, they always called on their #1 babysitter, Elicia.

And, fast forward about 3-4 years later, and you have the start of our FMA03 Next Gen fic ^u^

Anyway, like I said in the Disclaimer, this has been the set idea for Ed and Winry’s roles since the first day the story was created (2012-2013). Since early 2016, however, the story has been on hiatus (mostly because my story partner and I started adulting and life getting in the way), but we definitely plan on getting back to it sometimes in the future. And, when we do, we’ll probably tweak and make adjustments to the characters, so that the story being a Next Gen continuation of FMA03 would be more plausible. But, this is what I’ve got so far for now, since the EdWin kid is mine (hers is the RoyAi one xD)

Sorry that went on a tangent… ^^; I’m glad you think that my EdWin kid is interesting ^u^ If you have any more questions concerning her, or even about the story in general… let me know ^u^ I’d be happy to talk about it and clear up any concern you might have!