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Favorite adaptation of FMA: First series or Brotherhood.


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amarielah



Joined: 11 Apr 2009
Posts: 178
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:19 pm Reply with quote
Maidenoftheredhand wrote:
Sorry but I didn't find the characters motivations in the first series subtle at all: Ooh I want to be human, Ooh he was my father, Ooh I remember being a mother, Ooh I want revenge for my people and I was jealous of my brother, ooh I want to be immortal and look young forever.

Now I am not saying the manga is remotely more subtle either. Yes for the most part character's motivations become clear as the story goes on but this is no different from the first series and I certainly wasn't left contemplating what it all meant at the end and marveling at the complexity of the story. Well except for where they came up with the awful doorway storyline.


Okay, you have a point. Some motivations are more subtle, not all of them. My point on the fantastical elements still stand, however. Some of it's explained, some of it is left up to the watcher to figure out themselves.

As for the complexity of the plot: I don't really see why anybody would argue with you about that. This wasn't a plot-driven story, so the plot was of secondary importance. Many of the characters, however, were very complex.

And there was nothing objectively wrong with the doorway storyline. In fact, I liked it quite a bit. It made a lot of sense in the context of the series, and reinforced several thematic elements that had been discussed over the course of the narrative.

Quote:
Humor is subjective and I am not going to fault you for not finding Arakawa's sense of humor funny but I certainly do and so do a lot of people.


Whether you find it funny or not is a moot point--when somebody is clearly trying to make you laugh, they're actively manipulating your emotions. That's what I meant.

Quote:
Yes the humor lightens the mood but the story is neither completely dark or humorous all the time. If you want to say you like the first series because you are more cynical and like a darker story, fine there is nothing wrong with that but that doesn't make it more complex than the manga/Brotherhood which does try to lighten the mood at times.


Never said it did make the first anime more complex. Just that it appealed to me more. I would argue that it's thematically and philosophically more complex, while the manga is narratively more complex.

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Yes the manga leaves you with a sense of hope (which I personally like) but it doesn't tell you "everything is going to be okay" either. Yes I am sure the main villain will be defeated (which I pretty much knew from the first series as well) but that doesn't mean I think everything is going to be "rainbows and kittens" either.


It doesn't tell you "everything is going to be okay", no, but it definitely hits you over the head with its blatant optimism. Especially when characters like Edward start spouting it themselves. I have no problem with a series being idealistic, but I prefer it when the idealism is a bit more subtle.

The thing is, the first series also had a message of hope. But that hope was hard-won and bittersweet. There was some idealism in there--people found redemption, characters changed for the better, and loved ones were reunited. But what made it so powerful for me was that the hope always meant sacrifice, and there was always a sense that nothing was necessarily a permanent "happy ending". If it had been much bleaker than it was, I probably wouldn't have liked it as much.

You don't have to share my taste, or anything, but that is my preference.
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Maidenoftheredhand



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 2633
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:31 pm Reply with quote
I don't fault you for liking the first series more. I even said I can understand why someone might like the first series more. Like I said before the first series is darker and has a more central focus. The manga is more light hearted and has a broader focus. And then there is the obvious preferring the plot/characters of one over the other.

I only object when people act like the manga/Brotherhood is just a "little better" than those other shounen series (which sounds like an insult) and the first series is so deep, complex and thought provoking.
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amarielah



Joined: 11 Apr 2009
Posts: 178
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:42 pm Reply with quote
Maidenoftheredhand wrote:
I only object when people act like the manga/Brotherhood is just a "little better" than those other shounen series (which sounds like an insult) and the first series is so deep, complex and thought provoking.


Thing is, it's not necessarily that much better than other shounen series. I don't think either version of FMA is all that much better than Hunter x Hunter, even though I enjoyed the first anime more than the manga or HxH. I don't think either version is better than One Piece, either, even though all three are very, very different. I'd also argue that Yu Yu Hakusho is of comparable quality.

All versions of Fullmetal Alchemist are different from most shounen in the way they tell their stories, so they're fairly unique to the demographic. But...the best? I don't think so. I don't think there is a best. Although there are certainly works of inferior quality.
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Maidenoftheredhand



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 2633
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:52 pm Reply with quote
amarielah wrote:
]
Thing is, it's not necessarily that much better than other shounen series. I don't think either version of FMA is all that much better than Hunter x Hunter, even though I enjoyed the first anime more than the manga or HxH. I don't think either version is better than One Piece, either, even though all three are very, very different. I'd also argue that Yu Yu Hakusho is of comparable quality.


Don't get me wrong I am not anti-shounen. Well I am not really into the long running ones anymore (but that is more because I don't have the patience for them).

I consider both FMA series shounen (although more shounen adventure/drama then shounen action like say Bleach & Naruto). But I think they are both geared towards teenagers and neither is more complex than the other. The issue is I see people mistake the tone of the series for complexity and that is what bothers me.
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