FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: The greatest story ever told. Re-told.

Since I hadn't watched any anime for awhile, I decided to download an watch the first episode. It wasn't a wise move when my head is 'out there' at the minute but, due to the download finishing in around 10 minutes, I thought I'd have a look.

I thought the first episode was rubbish. It was clear as day that it was filler because the pacing and throwaway villain. Everything happened instantly, with switching occurring constantly and no build-up in-between. It was all rather unimpressive action, complete with a dull and obviously evil baddie.

The art bothered me. Something looks very wrong with Ed's face, and I'm not even refering to the inconsistent art in general. I noticed lots of shots of Ed having a badly drawn face, and even the shots of his normal looking face bothered me for some reason. His eyes looked fake; like they were glazed over.

I was going to watch episode 2 but, going on the direction and visuals on show in the first episode, I'm willing to leave it a few weeks.
 
Well, I thought I'd watch this via Funi's website since I've finally got around to starting on new shows.

Whywhywhy does the streaming seem so bad, even though I'm on a military grade (slight exaggeration, but it's still Hot ****) internet connection? I want to watch it through their website to support at least the idea of what they're doing by providing it subbed so quickly, but this is really annoying when I'm trying to watch an ep that's been out for a while and it's still slow.

Also, I hate the OP song. Visuals are pretty good.

And I hate the first ep, so far (er, from the pre-title and the first 30 secs of the ep proper that I've managed to watch). Why give us a new, faithful to the manga adaptation that starts off with something completely different?!

Although the Freezing Alchemist himself seems fairly cool... (see what I did there?)
 
Okay, that was actually kind of awesome in the end. Really fun ep, and they introduced some things quite nicely if you know what's going on, and intriguingly enough to get people excited if you don't, I think.

Didn't like the ED song either (especially disappointing as Melissa and Kesenai Tsumi might be my favorite pair of OP/ED songs), though, but the visuals were again cool.

edit: although I did think they overdid some bits in trying to make it "feel" too much like the manga. Maybe one too many jokes about Ed being small came in the same three minute stretch, and Riza's "munou" comment to Roy is beyond obtuse if you don't know the series.
 
Someone else described the first episode as fan service and, really, that's all it was. Cameo appearances for most of the important characters, showing off their abilities, and then the end of the episode. It was a waste of space; an episode that could be skipped. Instead of trying to give the series a different start from the first series and ending up starting with Naruto level filler, it would've been better just to follow the manga as much as possible.

Seeing constant jokes about Ed's size, Maes and his little girl and Roy being useless when put against water were not funny after seeing the first series. Putting all the same old jokes in one dull filler episode didn't make them funnier than they will be when they get reused over and over later.

Also, the inconsistent art and generally unimpressive animation tells me it's going to be a cheap, no frills series. That's mostly likely due to it going to last as long as the likes of Bleach and Naruto... I think the manga is actually still on-going.
 
Aion said:
Someone else described the first episode as fan service and, really, that's all it was. Cameo appearances for most of the important characters, showing off their abilities, and then the end of the episode. It was a waste of space; an episode that could be skipped. Instead of trying to give the series a different start from the first series and ending up starting with Naruto level filler, it would've been better just to follow the manga as much as possible.

Seeing constant jokes about Ed's size, Maes and his little girl and Roy being useless when put against water were not funny after seeing the first series. Putting all the same old jokes in one dull filler episode didn't make them funnier than they will be when they get reused over and over later.

Also, the inconsistent art and generally unimpressive animation tells me it's going to be a cheap, no frills series. That's mostly likely due to it going to last as long as the likes of Bleach and Naruto... I think the manga is actually still on-going.
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Manga is ongoing at 94 chapters, its monthly not weekly. A lot suspect its going to end soon as well, i'd say around the 100 chapter mark at minimum myself.

This sticks to the manga from episode 2 onwards, and i know a fair few may find the manga inferior to the original series, but i prefer it, so i can see this being better in my opinion to the original series. Get used to the short jokes its used a fair bit, but action wise expect a lot more too, and some more interesting characters too like Ling.
 
Oh? I wasn't aware of that - I thought it was a weekly series. Still, the fact it comes out monthly must mean the page count is higher than that of a weekly series?

I'm going to wait until 5-10 episodes are out, marathon it and then make my judgement. I'm not in the mood for a weekly series to follow. I'm probably being harsh but, as first impressions go, it shouldn't have been created...I'm hoping I think better of the series when I've seen more of it.
 
If you think the first episode was fan service, you're watching it wrong.

Lol @ Aion thinking FMA was a weekly series too. God damn, guys, at least READ the manga first.
 
I've just watched the first two episodes and- well, I though episode 1 was badass.

I way prefer FMA:Brotherhood to the 'original' (Anime) so far. It looks beautiful too.

+ Japanese VA's are decent :)
 
Episode 3 was pretty good, the pacing was quite fast but it didn't really lose anything, it was like the manga for the most part. I cannot wait for episode 4, in the original I cried like a bitch in that part and I'm hoping the same will happen again... or something is seriously wrong with new FMA.
 
Episode 3 was done well, it was basically the manga with small bits added in. Episode 4, ok i'm looking forward to it, but i think that the coal town should be up next, we have a character still to be introduced from that section who plays a role later on, so it would have made sense, but there we go.
 
They could add it in any time soon, since she doesn't appear for a little while longer. IIRC in the original anime it appeared in like episode 9/10 so it could appear earlier this time around due to mixed up order. I'd like another filler episode myself, or partially filler episode to add some content I haven't seen before. Though they did accomplish that with episode 3.
 
I don't mean her, i mean the character introduced in chapter 3, the lieutenant guy. He was introduced in the coal town way before she was.
 
Oh, Loki? My bad. Yeah, they could still throw him in somewhere else too, possibly. Just change the town (Not saying I want it to happen) and circumstance but it's all the same problem in the end.
 
Lupus said:
Episode 3 was pretty good, the pacing was quite fast but it didn't really lose anything, it was like the manga for the most part. I cannot wait for episode 4, in the original I cried like a bitch in that part and I'm hoping the same will happen again... or something is seriously wrong with new FMA.
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Mhm, what part is this?

The guy who made the talking Chimera by scarificing his daughter and wife?
 
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Yes that part and the final result is the "scarifice"

Slight manga spoiler regarding that part:

In the manga Scar kills them both, wonder if that will happen.
 
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Liked episode 3, even though it was entirely a re-hash of a story I've already seen twice (in the manga and the other anime series). I liked that Lust was in it at the end :]
 
After not thinking a great deal of episodes 1-3 (read my thoughts in the 'What have you watched?' thread), my opinion of the series has been raised by episodes 4-6.

Episode 4 could've been longer but one episode was long enough to fit in the Shou Tucker story. The twist at the end was as shocking as it was in the first anime, which means enough of Nina and Alexander was shown to make me feel depressed about what happened. I also liked Scar's introduction - seeing him own Gran like he did right at the start of the episode reminded me how great he is.

The only part of the episode I didn't like was the very end. I don't think Edward would be the sort of guy who'd leave Nina to her fate, not attempting to keep 'her' with him and instead leaving her with her evil father. In the first series it was much more believable how he used alchemy on the car taking her away...even though, now that I thinking about it, it'd odd he wasn't punished for attacking the car of an high ranking guy like Gran.

Episode 5 was pretty much an all action episode. Ed and Al ran from Scar, Scar almost killed Ed, Mustang stept up to take him on...only to be sweeped by his lower ranking 'girlfriend' like in the first series because he's "impotent" when it rains and then Armstrong took him on. An excellent episode that highighted once again how kickarse Scar is.

I got the rushing vibe again at the end, when Mustang gave a short explanation about Ishbal, but that's mainly because everything is happening so fast in comparson to the first series. It feels weird... If memory serves me, it wasn't until the 20's when Ed started looking into how the stone gets created in the first series.

Episode 6 was, once again, very good. I thought Marcoh was a filler character because he didn't get tied into the Scar introduction this time around but he took up a lot of time in the first part of this episode. It worked out the same way as it did in the first series, just much faster. I don't get why Lust waited until after he'd told Ed about the research this time around, or how she even knew where to find him (in the first series the information got leaked to her)... I suppose it doesn't really matter, though.

The second half of the episode covered Ed and Al's repairs, as well as Winry's proper introduction. It did feel a little rushed because it was squashed into half an episode but I didn't feel like anything was lost. I wasn't too hot on Winry's machinery excitement this time around - I liked how she wiggled her butt in the first series - and I didn't pick up on a EdxWinry vibe...nothing too huge irked me, though.

My complaints all lie with the opening three episodes, mainly the first. I would've much rather had the main goodies introduced as the story progressed... It feels like something is missing when Ed and Al know everyone already and don't need to see the characters introduce themselves. Basically, I'd like the series a hell of a lot more if the first episode has never happened. I also have issues covered elsewhere with the other two episodes, the second in particular, but those issues aren't as bothersome.

Anyway. My rating has gone from seven to eight. I'm now looking forward to seeing more episodes. :)

Random question: How do alchemists like Armstrong use alchemy when only one hand? My memory isn't clear. I get he has circles on his metal gloves but I don't get how hitting the ground with his knuckles results in alchemy because of that.
 
Aion said:
Random question: How do alchemists like Armstrong use alchemy when only one hand? My memory isn't clear. I get he has circles on his metal gloves but I don't get how hitting the ground with his knuckles results in alchemy because of that.
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Anyone with even a modicum of deductive reasoning would establish that Armstrong obviously needs to interact with matter in order for alchemy to work. It's called equivalent exchange and you're reminded about it at the start of every episode, lol.
 
The circle is on the top/middle of Armstrong's hand. The knuckles are at the front. I don't see how knuckles connecting with the ground can result in alchemy when most others need to draw a circle or if they've seen the truth form a circle with two hands and then touch the object they wish to transmute.
 
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