FMA 2x02

[timepiececlock]

FMA 2x02

Wow...that was a lot of info condensed. They combined a lot of information into a single episode here. I don't know how it compares to the manga, but I think FMA1 handled balance of development much better in showing the exam procedure...little details like Roy telling Alphonse he shouldn't be a State Alchemist too, that it's best if he remains untethered. Still, this version was entertaining in its own way: I liked how Ed tried to show off by 'fake' assassinating the Fuhrer, even if it was a good way to get shot.

As childhood flashbacks go...this was both faster and slower than the first series. The scenes of Ed in a wheelchair broke my heart, and I wanted to chew out Mustang for bullying PTSD children. But I see where he's coming from.

I found it interesting that a version of The Gate was still present, but artistically it saddens me that this version isn't designed like the Gates of Hell by Auguste Rodin. That was a brilliantly fitting choice for the first anime, and so wonderfully ironic given the AU thing. Instead this Gate almost looks like a text-bubble -based version of Yggdrasil (the World Tree.) Also like the black frame from the movie 2001: Space Odyssey. I assume this is how it looks in the manga? Ed also still got his Odin experience of having all the knowledge of existence dumped into his head, though this time, someone was around to helpfully explain the process. I'm sure John Crichton can relate.

This version of the Gate also introduced a God concept/character--or one who claims to be--which will give a new irony to Ed's claims of being an atheist. I noticed that it looked like Gluttony at the end! I wonder if that's who Ed and Al created, or even if the Homunculi are created the same way, in this version.

The art here wasn't as uniformly nice as the first episode...most of it was grand, but with several characters I noticed that the new design looks awkward when a character's face is at 3/4 view. Profile and front-forward are fine, but it seems to really look weird for partial views. The scene with Riza and Winry was just strange looking, and not in an attractive way.

Overall, I love it, and I loved getting new context for what happened during the human transmutation. Plus, it seems FMA, in any form, can still break my heart. I wish the episodes weren't so rushed, but at the same time, I'm eager to see new things each week.

Comments

[jaina.livejournal.com]

It's hard to tell with only two eps out so far (and one mainly with original content) but I'm wondering if the pacing might settle down once they get past stuff we've already seen animated once already.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping it does. In terms of viewing, it's odd to see everything so compacted, with such odd pacing, but as a fan I can't disagree with the decision to just get through these parts and get on with it. And it won't cost them anything to rush it--their audience is guaranteed.

[clodia-risa.livejournal.com]

I'll have more comments when I actually watch the episode, but it sounds like the gate is more like what it looks like in the manga. See for yourself (no spoilers unless you continue reading past this page):

http://www.onemanga.com/Full_Metal_Alchemist/53/31/

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I suspected it was. Was that released before episode 29/30 in the first anime? Because if they already knew what it would look like, they might have changed it to look like Rodin's sculpture of Dante's Hell and deliberately tied it in with their intended alternate universe element and with the concept of 'hell' that the Gate represents in FMA1.

[clodia-risa.livejournal.com]

That issue was not. I'm pretty sure. There might have been an earlier chapter that previewed how it was going to look, but I am pretty sure that this was the first good look we got, and am again pretty sure it came out after the anime. I didn't watch the anime until it was all out, and didn't start reading the mange until at least a year after that, so I could be wrong.