Personal Note: Things are looking up!

[nebroadwe]

We survived the first Triduum service yesterday evening, and this morning I woke up to episode 1 of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, legally available in the U.S. practically on top of its Japanese release. If this is the future, I like it. I enjoyed the opening scenes, with their foreshadowing of future concepts, very much: the night view of Central from above down to the array being drawn on the sidewalk, and then the prominent placement of the map of Amestris on the Führer's office wall. On another visual note, they used a lot more SD this time around; I'll be watching how they integrate that into the drama with skeptical attention. I'll also be waiting to see how they fold the explanation of what MacDougal was up to into the larger plot. (His death was very awkwardly animated -- c'mon, Bones, this is not like you.) The pace of this episode felt a touch forced, as plot axiom after plot axiom was ticked off (e.g. everyone mistakes Al for the Fullmetal Alchemist, Ed hates being called short, he doesn't get along with Roy, Roy is useless when wet, Ishbal was a horror show, Armstrong sparkles, Ed's not paying attention to the larger situation in Amestris, etc., etc., etc.) but I suspect the intent is to skim or skip most of the manga's establishing material and move as quickly as possible to the parts of the plot not covered by the first version of the anime. But the voice acting was quite nice: it was good to hear Romi Paku and Rie Kugimiya return as Ed and Al, but I also enjoyed Hidekatsu Shibata as King Bradley and Kenji Utsumi as Armstrong, as well as everyone else. Next up: backstory, including our first glimpses of Winry! Can't hardly wait ...

Of course, the very next thing I encountered was a weather report, confirming that we're going to have rain this afternoon. Rats. We've got a leak in the choir loft that drips ugly, sticky, reddish glop in wet weather; also a window that won't shut and blows damp breezes right down my neck. I guess we'll just have to offer it up, as my mother would say.

Comments

[artemisrae.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the first episode, but I still remain suspicious. The first anime did terrible things to my heart; this one will have to work a little bit harder for me to declare my approval. However, I did enjoy it a lot. And it was weird to hear Urahara as Roy.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen enough Bleach to have that bit of mental whiplash, as I mentioned up-comment -- I get to go the other way, and find it weird to hear Roy as Urahara when I finally get around to watching Bleach. :-) I just hope they can pull together the character stuff as well as the plot. Having such excellent source material should help, once they get past where they have to worry about comparing themselves to the first series all the time. They get a pass from me till we hit the Devil's Nest -- then I start expecting fireworks. (And EdWin. Shounen heroes do it with subtext.)

[artemisrae.livejournal.com]

It'll be even weirder once Riza gets some lines; she plays Rukia on Bleach too. That one will throw me off even more.

The thing is, I don't want to be the wet blanket in fandom, I'm simply waiting to reserve real judgment. I enjoyed this episode, but, you know, I ALSO enjoyed the first episode of the Anime v.1 you know? I've had breakups with boyfriends less dramatic than the angst I felt when I finished the FMA anime. (...I think that says terrible things about me...)

I think it's generous of you to give them Devil's Nest - the first big test for me is Rush Valley, which is (to me anyway) where I noticed the first significant deviations, especially in characterization, from the manga. Although I was heartened to see Elysia in the first episode, because it means we won't have a repeat of Ed and Al delivering a kid.

(Except, oh god, I honestly hadn't prepared myself mentally for going through Hughes again. Oh, ouch, ow, god.)