Fullmetal Alchemist being a "Perfectly well rounded story" is probably the best description for the series as a whole. It does pretty much everything really well.
I think that's a big part of why it is so universally beloved, really. Other series might do individual things better... But FMA does a metric ton of stuff *really well.*
One of my favorite things about FMA is how self-contained it is. You get so many questions and mysteries as the story progresses, and everything is answered at one point or another. And it all feels so organic too, nothing feels forced. Just a great story, with great characters.
probably because the author had some self restrain most other mangaka don't, they didnt try to powerscale things up or expand the lore beyond necessary or try to introduce new factions midway that weren't previous mention or try to introduce new magic systems.. they had a beginning, mid and end planned from the start, and they stock with it
I love how the series ends with the characters continuing to live their lives and go on new adventures yet the entire story feels complete. I don't really want to know what Ed and Al discover in their journey around the world because no answer could be satisfying enough.
Sigh...are you talking about Ninaxander? You know, this scene is something I never got desensitized to. It desensitized me to traumatic scenes from other anime but that one to this day still makes shudder!
Every time I get the itch to rewatch the show I skip that entire episode. Like...the Nina thing is bad enough but I LOVE dogs, so the whole episode is like a double whammy of my soul getting taken out and beaten with a stick
One other thing I'd add is Ed and Al's love for alchemy. They love alchemy for the pursuit of knowledge and how it can benefit others. It kills them, especially Ed, to see people like Shou Tucker use alchemy in such a horrible way. Or even the human lives Marco was using for the philosopher stone. Alchemy is meant to benefit people not hurt them. Like their earliest memories of alchemy is their mother smiling at them with pride and love. That's the association they have. And to see people use alchemy to hurt others sickens them.
in any other series maybe one or both of the brothers may have some bergrudgng hatred of alchemy but no they acknowledge they fucked up and no matter how much theys ee it misused they don't see it as evil in and of itself. they're also very good boys :3
Something I love about FMA is that no characters are wasted and every character is there for a purpose. There are characters you have seen already that will play a bigger role later but I obviously won't go into it more because I wouldn't dream of spoiling this excellent story for anyone. I originally watched the anime in 2009 - 2012 when it was coming out on DVD in the UK (so I was about 10 - 13 at the time) and it instantly became my favourite animated series. Cut too 10 years later and I am listening to you talk about it while animating... Can't help think the series inspired my life in someway.
@@isaiascanete6651 SPOILERS (pretty sure this is in the first 6 Volumes but just in case) But she wasn't wasted though, she served her purpose perfectly. She was written in the story to help Ed and Al find Doctor Marcoh's research and her arc is wrapped up by her getting a well paying job from Hughs. What more does she need too do?
@@isaiascanete6651 But she stopped being relevant exactly when she had no need to be in the story. Like she was in it for the exact amount of time that she needed to be. It wasn't like she was just a forgotten character.
This is a great comparison both are 10s imo but the comedy in ATLA is alot better than FMA which i find not that good at easily the worst aspect of the series
@@Commandosoap777 even 10s will be good at different things... Alchemy is one of the most creative power systems of all time, bending is cool but elemental powers is pretty bog standard even though the choreography is cool...
That's exactly how I've always felt about it, with the only difference being that ATLA is genuinely ad 'kids show' that is still great for all ages. FMA on the other hand, is not something you would show a six year old. It's not 'better' because it's more 'more mature', it's more like an 'adult audience' equivalent of a similar story. Both are equally good in my eyes, but FMA is definitely an 'adult' alternative to ATLA, unlike Korra.
I had a trauma seizure disorder for two and a half years. Ed's line, "Keep moving forward, stand up and walk. After all, you have two good legs to stand on, and I think you should use them." It got me through high-school.
This series and Silver Spoon are why I constantly state that Hiromu Arakawa is a god among mangaka. She somehow manages to create huge casts of characters, make sure that each of them get sufficient development, AND somehow makes it so that each of them are individually memorable. I can't wait to hear your impressions on the rest of the series.
What I love about this story is that the cast is so huge, but almost everyone feel distinctive with their personalities and this was done with many of them wearing the same uniform. Even if I can’t always remember their names, I do remember their faces, personalities and their respective impact in the story. It is a testament to the author’s writing and her ability to make me care about so many characters in such short time.
Your summarization of the story is sooo true. This Anime is considered by some as the greatest Anime or one of the greatest. But if you ask anyone what it's the best at, no one has an answer. But it does everything so good.
This series is quite unique among the most famous shonen manga in the sense that it is very concise and intentional. It has a story to tell and doesn't waste any time.
SO excited that you are covering this. For me (and I'm sure many people) FMA was my first manga/anime and it absolutely won me over. The series is just solid (character development/growth, story telling, pacing, mystery, magic system ...) it checks every mark and doesn't compromise whilst taking you along for the ride. Even the anime just hits it out of the park from animation to voice acting (both DUB and SUB) ... even the openings and endings are works of art. It has for-ever a special space in my heart and all I will tell you is that you are in for such a journey!
Hiromu Arakawa-Sensei also has another Manga called Silver Spoon which i really like though it is a lot less story focused. it's about a guy called Hachiken who leave Sapporo (pretty big city and Capital of Hokkaido) to an agricultural High School in the middle of nowhere rural Hokkaido and you basically follow him learning about the ins and outs of agriculture both from a mechanical, how is the food produced, perspective but also the business perspective. Arakawa-sensei actually grew up on a farm so you really do learn a lot about where the food we eat comes from. It's really intresting and i recommened you check it out if you want a breather from the more intense manga and books you're reading.
I also highly highly recommend Silver Spoon to everyone. It's definitely not as story driven but the character work is still top notch, and it's much funnier than Fullmetal Alchemist in my opinion. And it's so aducational!
Fun fact: when Al's and Ed's teacher and her husband met for the first time, it was when she misplaced something and he found it for her and it was love at first sight. I believe his first words to her were: "Excuse me, madam. You dropped your bear."
So I'm rewatching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for the third time with one of my friends right now. We only have a few episodes left until we finish the series. Despite having seen this show so many times in the last two years, it never gets old for me... There's always something new to appreciate on each watch-through. It's just SO GOOD *screams into pillow*
Fullmetal was probably the first story that made me fall in love with stories. I love seeing newcomers to the series and getting to relive the first time through from their perspective. I really look forward to seeing your thoughts as you continue the series and I'm so glad you're enjoying it.
Geez, from one masterpiece to another, I see. You're in for a treat. I struggle to find any flaws in Fullmetal Alchemist. A beautiful series that juggles so many balls and never drops any or loses focus. It's genuinely outstanding.
Fun fact: the author of FMA, Hiromi Arakawa, is female but she pretended to be a man for a while because… well… sexism exist in the manga industry too.
Hiromu Arakawa, the author of Fullmetal Alchemist (and others), is one of my favorites! I love her ability of creating amazing emotional moments, that are always stuck with me, even over a decade after reading them... I'm glad you're enjoying it!
When I heard before that you've started on FMA and haven't really continued it, I was devastated with the thought and possibility that you won't pick it up again so this makes me so happy. ECSTATIC. Ed and Al as main characters are fantastic. But the fact that you get secondary characters that are fully fleshed out, with distinct agendas and purpose for being in the story, which in and of itself is amazingly fleshed out, is why I love FMA so much. Add to that the comedy and the writing of the dialog use... Just an amazing manga overall. I'm excited for your journey, and I can't wait to see it through with you.
Finally, you are covering what got me into reading in the first place. It was finding a manga copy in a thrift store when I was 8. And that got me into reading novels and comics. So to see you go through it warms my heart.
There's actually 2 things that are pretty special about FMA (a 3rd that I noticed when I thought back about it recently): 1. Ed and Al are smart in a realistic way. These days in a lot of fiction you have a clear divide between the strong characters and the smart characters, and if your protagonist is a smart one, it's usually someone who's so hypersmart there's almost no one who can match them, or they're a loveable nerd who actually gains powers because of it (I'm looking at you, Deku). Either way, the "smart" is one of the character traits. Not for Ed and Al. Want to figure out a problem? Well, time to hit the library for some research. There's no extra attention paid to it, because that's just part of being an alchemist. It's nothing more or less than a tool or skillset. In other words, it doesn't discriminate when it comes to using your grey matter. 2. Actions and consequences - how often do you see shows or series where there's almost no consequences for the main characters? If it's a travelling story, the aftermath is frequently left behind. Or consequences are used for important story points and characters are moved out of the main plot (temporarily or permanently). Also, how often do you see when the main characters are never wrong in the important parts of the story? Here the characters make mistakes and face consequences, but more importantly, moving past those consequences. 3 (the one I thought about recently): these days there's more focus on gender equality in storytelling right. Some stories hype this up and focus on it, some just take a typical male action protagonist and genderswap. Some stories do it the opposite way, by lowering the competency of men instead. I think FMA does it in the ideal way. You've got asskicking men and women, you've got non-action men and women, and all of them are awesome. It's their personality and skills that determine what they do, not what gender they are. It's moot to talking about needing to respect women here because, well, this story respects people. THAT to me is gender equality.
One Piece, HXH, and FMA are my top 3 manga of all time for various reasons. Each series gives something different despite targeting a similar audience and its no wonder they're so highly regarded among the community. I'm glad you're reading FMA because it's one of those rare shounen that has an ending, so you'll get to review the whole package. I'm also glad you're enjoying all the characters so far, there are a lot of good development for the ones you know, and new characters in the future.
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST Y'ALL!! Thank you Merph! FMA is such a well-structured story. Very solid both in plot, storytelling and every characters. One of the most striking characters for me is The Fuhrer, King Bradley. His dominance is just overwhelming. Such a cool character. I agree with you. FMA is not the BEST but it is so good in so many aspects, like that one student who isnt a top scorer but will always be a top student because they excel at every subject.
Bradley's one of my favorite characters in the series, if I'm being honest. I won't say any more, but he's just got such a presence in every scene he's in. :)
One piece is amazing in its own right but there was a reason FMA made it to your recommendations first. FMA is definitely one of the most well paced mangas and one of the rare mangas that wrapped up its story well and just called it a day. No nonsensical twists near the end and no unnecessary follow up series to milk the franchise. We’ve yet to see how one piece will end, but I genuinely hope it’ll be in a way similar to FMA.
The feels when you were talking about Hughes.😭 The fact that he wasn't even in the story for that long and yet was so loveable that his death caused me physical pain when I first read it is amazing. The thing I love most about this series aside from all the great characters is how the plot builds - we start out with the main characters having their own specific goal, but on the path towards that goal they find themselves part of something bigger and more dangerous. And not just them but all the characters.
I think my favorite thing about full metal alchemist is that it’s so well contained. Avatar the Last Airbender is similar. I love shorter stories that are tightly written.
Yay!! Love seeing you talk about Fullmetal Alchemist and going on this journey that the story offers! The character this story has to offer are amazing, multifaceted and have such well build relationships, this manga is so good and I’m so happy that brotherhood is a pretty good adaptation :D I personally really like Mustang and Hawkeye and their story and motivations, very complex characters which I enjoy a lot :) Hope you continue to have a great time with this manga and all its details (there’s some great analysis out there, feel like I still discover new interpretations to this day, it’s a really impactful, well build story)!
Ahhh the fact that all of the questions she asked have answers is so ahhhh. Fma starts good and gets even better. It's like every answered questions leads to more questions that all have satisfying answers
It was top of My Anime List for over 10 years for a reason, most of which you listed here. Watch party on the Discord of FMA:Brotherhood would be awesome!
FMA is the only manga that’s ever challenged One Piece for the top spot in my heart - such emotional storytelling, tight plotting, and wonderful characters. So glad you’re enjoying it
Super excited for your journey through FMA. I watched the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood anime originally and still remains one of my favorites of all time. It’s doesn’t do anything the most but everything well and for me it just stands as my gold standard for a good series. Excited for you to connect the dots, mad scientist style
Merphy that's my favorite manga series of all, it very similar to avatar in the way that the characters are all so complex, there are so many themes that are developed through the narrative and it's just so much fun. So happy that you're getting into it
YOTSUBA! - It's about found family and probably one of the most wholesome manga comedy i have read. - I started reading it to offset the depression i got from reading oyasumi punpun or Goodnight Punpun in Eng. Which is a great work and I highly recommend it.😆
Listening to you talk about Fullmetal Alchemist is making my eyes watery because I love Fullmetal Alchemist so much. Seeing other people enjoy something that I love so much makes me happy. I watched the original Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood. I recently re-watched Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood with my girlfriend because she has never seen it. We have a list of all the things we watched (list made on notion website), and she rated it the highest out of everything. (She rated Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood and Demon slayer eight stars) The good and the bad thing about Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood is that once you finish it you want to watch it, again. I’m always listening to the Fullmetal alchemist and brotherhood opening and outro music. I’m so happy that I was lucky enough to stumble upon this anime early on in my anime adventure. 😭
I'd be interested in your reaction to what the 2003 version of the anime does in later episodes, the 2003 version of the anime goes completely non-manga canon in the later half and it gets a lot of flack because it's a little messy but it's not as bad as people make it out to be but they do some really interesting things with the villains that makes some of them arguably more interesting than their manga counterparts
Please please please dont get spoiled!!! You guys/gals please dont put spoilers Im glad you are finally reading FMA, id love to know your theories before you get to the answers, itd be like being back in the early 00's
As much as people hate on the first anime for going a different way than the manga I still love it cause the more dramatic scenes were so well done. Especially with the French voice acting which is one of the few times where they did a good job. The voice actor for Al was extremely good. He made you feel every single emotion that the character went through. And in the Nina scene is where french voice acting peaked imo.
There's something bittersweet about the relationship between Ed'n'Al and Izumi their teacher. Ed and Al sought the comfort of their deceased mother and Izumi wished for her still-born child to have a second chance, and lost and paid for it. Now they have found what they sought for in each other, but their sins weigh upon that relationship. I think you might really appreciate getting to know the author of FMA. A true beast of the industry and dang she's a unit. Born and raised on a farm up northern island of Hokkaido. Learning about all the hardship tending to livestock and the emotional, moral and ethical lessons such a lifestyle entails. All these life experiences taught her philosophies that your average person in modern Japan doesn't get to experience is distilled into her stories. She also has a track record of not missing a deadline once during her serialization of FMA. Even through pregnancy and popping a baby out and getting back to the grind the day of. She truly is what she depicts herself as, a cow, a beast of burden. Cause she can carry that weight and then some, she's definitely built different. God I admire and respect Hiromu Arakawa, she single handedly gave me a priceless treasure during my teen years, following Fullmetal Alchemist month to month. An experience that really can't be replicated nowadays, but I still do seek for another series like that again. And you know what, her new serialization is blooming into that very thing again.
I don't think uncompromising is the right word, they compromised when they joined the military. What they have are absolute red lines that they never cross.
I just love how FMA builds into an incredibly complex story with wise messagesbut still feels so organic and realistic........... FMA just deserves to be a classic.
I watched the anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and it was easily one of my favorite shows of all time, and mostly because of there things you mentioned here; hearing about it makes me want to go through the story again. I am so excited for you!!
AHHH you started FMA that's so hype! It was the 2nd or 3rd series I got into when I was trying to open up to manga as I was primarily reading fantasy/sci-fi prior. Great story and magic system. It's short and sweet, doesn't over stay it's welcome. I hope soon u can get around to Jujutsu Kaisen in your manga readings because you enjoyed Hunter so much as they are two peas in a pod. Anyway can't wait to see more FMA and Vinland Saga reviews!
FMA is easily one of the top mangas out there. IT IS undoubtedly my top one, seeing as One Piece hasn't ended yet and I'm waiting if it's as perfect as FMA can be in terms of ending. The drawing is also very neat
Wow finally Full Metal Alchemist!!! I must admit beside of One Piece, one manga that make me cry a river is FMA. Ed and Al brotherhood itself is a tear jerker story for me :')
FMA is my favourite manga series. End of. It’s just so consistently brilliant from beginning to end- the ending in particular is masterful- and the characters are just *chef’s kiss*
oh boi. OH BOI OH BOI! this is gonna be a good one! I can see merphy in 5 years being up to date w/ all shonen manga while daniel goes into seinen and more gory related mangas.
I'm surprised you didn't even mention, what the brothers lost. Like Alfonse is just a hollow husk with a soul attached to it with the inability to feel warmth, sleep, hunger, or even touch, and that's what eating up Ed. I mean, you obviously know that, but I feel like you should have mentioned it in the video, haha
It's so funny that One Piece is the series that hooked you because, it is a series that a lot of manga readers won't even try or will quickly drop because of it's length.
Maes Hughes daughter being confused why they’re pouring dirt on her dad is to this day a scene that haunts me. It’s so real and so painful. RIP the best dad in fiction
I remember I found your channel when I was trying to read more for the sake of my novel (still in progress). I ended up finding anime and manga, with FMA (specifically Brotherhood, it’s been adapted twice) being my gateway drug. I haven’t dropped by here in a while but as soon as I saw you were reviewing this I got excited lol. Super fun to hear your perspective on this, always love your inputs
It's so nice to see you reading FMA ^^ I really recommend the manga Pandora Hearts as well. It's an Alice in Wonderland retelling and it has a lovely circle structure aaaa. It's my fave manga of all times!
fma is one of my favorite series, I'm glad you're enjoying it! i think delicious in dungeon/dungeon meshi is right up your alley as well-- it's a fantasy with well crafted characters, great humor, and an intriguing plot (:
Sooo glad to see you come back to this amazing story!! As crazy as it may seem, you are still in what I consider the prologue. Can't wait for you to get into the main story of Fullmetal and see why it is one of the best Mangas of all time.
Oh fun, you started FMA just as I decided to start reading it as well, currently on volume 8, I think volume 6 onwards is when this story starts really gripping me. Unfortunately I went into it with a bunch of cool stuff spoiled to me, but I guess that's just what happens when you're a long time manga fan, and you put aside a manga that's been amongst the most popular ever since the mid 2000's.
I cant begin to say how giddy I was once I saw this. I adore FMA. It has been my top series for a long long time. Idk if it would still be my top one if I were to like really sit down and evaluate the various series ive read. But regardless it has held a special place in my heart for a long time. And im really excited for you to read it and get to experience not only for the first time but also blind. FMA is a big series in the manga/anime community so growing up everyone knew of it and had already seen/read it. So getting to experience someone going through it for the first time is something im excited for. I hope you have a great time with the series and enjoy the story and mysteries as they unfold!
FMA is a masterclass in hitting the nail on the head - well rounded is a great description because everything just works in concert. The weekly publishing schedule and structure of most manga publisherd tend to leave some cracks in stories that become rather obvious rather quickly but FMA feels like it was one cohesive session from start to finish. On a side note I love your perspective as a book tuber who's more or less stepped into the manga sphere - I'd be very interested in seeing if your process for selecting series to read, maybe I've missed it but if I haven't I'm sure your growing community would be up to suggest some series or vote on series you're already tacitly interested in/ curious about
You’re the reason why I know the difference between soft magic systems and hard👌 this series was probably one of my first introductions into hard magic systems
Glad you're enjoying this series. I agree with you that it's not the "most" anything, but it's a series that someone can watch or read and not be mad that they did so or feel like they've wasted their time. It's a good well-rounded series.
I really enjoy listing to your reviews. I love the passion you put in them. also, I'm so glad you gave FMA another chance it's one of my favorites show though I haven't read the manga yet, but you sure made me want to.
One thing you haven't mentioned that is a very big deal is how the story talks about science, religion, and finding meaning. Liore shows us the potential consequences of entirely devoting yourself to religion / faith, while Tucker and what happens to Nina show us the potential consequences of devoting yourself entirely to science / 'progress'. This is one of the bigger themes at play in FMA, so I would look out for it as you continue to read.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Fullmetal Alchemist being a "Perfectly well rounded story" is probably the best description for the series as a whole. It does pretty much everything really well.
A total masterpiece imo.
And I love it with all my heart and soul
yes, round... like a circle
It's the most 8.5 series ever.
Except comedy. I found the comedy way too jarring in the Brotherhood anime. I have not read the manga tho.
I think that's a big part of why it is so universally beloved, really. Other series might do individual things better... But FMA does a metric ton of stuff *really well.*
One of my favorite things about FMA is how self-contained it is. You get so many questions and mysteries as the story progresses, and everything is answered at one point or another. And it all feels so organic too, nothing feels forced. Just a great story, with great characters.
probably because the author had some self restrain most other mangaka don't, they didnt try to powerscale things up or expand the lore beyond necessary or try to introduce new factions midway that weren't previous mention or try to introduce new magic systems.. they had a beginning, mid and end planned from the start, and they stock with it
I love how the series ends with the characters continuing to live their lives and go on new adventures yet the entire story feels complete. I don't really want to know what Ed and Al discover in their journey around the world because no answer could be satisfying enough.
It's great to know you're giving Fullmetal Alchemist a second chance. It's one of my favorite manga stories
And IMO one of best all-time Manga.
I second it
Wait, why'd she not give it a first chance? Did something happen?
@@Woodenfan I think she mentioned in the video it was one of the first manga she tried out, but she dropped it to read others instead.
Ed and Al's teacher is Izumi Curtis and her husband is Sigg
I'm so happy you're loving this read through.
Izumi Curtis in easily one my top 5 characters… easily is not the right word for it though since almost everyone is awesome
Sigg is one of my favorite tertiary characters of all time. He's just got so much heart with so little time on the page.
Strongest housewife :P
And she is uch a mom to the boys.
I will never forget that dialogue.
"Ed . . . Edward . . ."
Goosebumps and tears every single time.
Sigh...are you talking about Ninaxander? You know, this scene is something I never got desensitized to. It desensitized me to traumatic scenes from other anime but that one to this day still makes shudder!
Uzumaki Khan have the worlds best reaction for that scene, or rather for whats follows.
😭😭😭😭
what's wrong big brother? 😭😭
Every time I get the itch to rewatch the show I skip that entire episode. Like...the Nina thing is bad enough but I LOVE dogs, so the whole episode is like a double whammy of my soul getting taken out and beaten with a stick
One other thing I'd add is Ed and Al's love for alchemy. They love alchemy for the pursuit of knowledge and how it can benefit others. It kills them, especially Ed, to see people like Shou Tucker use alchemy in such a horrible way. Or even the human lives Marco was using for the philosopher stone. Alchemy is meant to benefit people not hurt them. Like their earliest memories of alchemy is their mother smiling at them with pride and love. That's the association they have. And to see people use alchemy to hurt others sickens them.
in any other series maybe one or both of the brothers may have some bergrudgng hatred of alchemy but no they acknowledge they fucked up and no matter how much theys ee it misused they don't see it as evil in and of itself.
they're also very good boys :3
Something I love about FMA is that no characters are wasted and every character is there for a purpose. There are characters you have seen already that will play a bigger role later but I obviously won't go into it more because I wouldn't dream of spoiling this excellent story for anyone.
I originally watched the anime in 2009 - 2012 when it was coming out on DVD in the UK (so I was about 10 - 13 at the time) and it instantly became my favourite animated series. Cut too 10 years later and I am listening to you talk about it while animating... Can't help think the series inspired my life in someway.
There is only one character that was left behind for me, the bookworm officer that appears around episode 8 of FMAB
@@isaiascanete6651 SPOILERS (pretty sure this is in the first 6 Volumes but just in case)
But she wasn't wasted though, she served her purpose perfectly. She was written in the story to help Ed and Al find Doctor Marcoh's research and her arc is wrapped up by her getting a well paying job from Hughs. What more does she need too do?
@@TheZebbga To be honest, nothing. In fact, I think it speaks highly of the author that I can only point 1 character that stopped being relevant.
@@isaiascanete6651 But she stopped being relevant exactly when she had no need to be in the story. Like she was in it for the exact amount of time that she needed to be. It wasn't like she was just a forgotten character.
I consider Fullmetal Alchemist to be Japan’s Avatar: Last Airbender. It is The Whole Package. Always be grateful to Arakawa for what she gave us.
FMA came first, so it would be the other way around xD
Anyway, Avatar is Avatar, FMA is FMA
Don't discount Silver Spoon. She's a fantastic writer
This is a great comparison both are 10s imo but the comedy in ATLA is alot better than FMA which i find not that good at easily the worst aspect of the series
@@Commandosoap777 even 10s will be good at different things... Alchemy is one of the most creative power systems of all time, bending is cool but elemental powers is pretty bog standard even though the choreography is cool...
That's exactly how I've always felt about it, with the only difference being that ATLA is genuinely ad 'kids show' that is still great for all ages. FMA on the other hand, is not something you would show a six year old. It's not 'better' because it's more 'more mature', it's more like an 'adult audience' equivalent of a similar story. Both are equally good in my eyes, but FMA is definitely an 'adult' alternative to ATLA, unlike Korra.
“I have many favourite characters”
Yup that sounds about right! The characters in FMA are incredible :)
So happy you’re enjoying this series!
The manga overtaking Merph's shelves is so funny
And she is barely starting xD
I had a trauma seizure disorder for two and a half years. Ed's line, "Keep moving forward, stand up and walk. After all, you have two good legs to stand on, and I think you should use them." It got me through high-school.
This is really beautiful. congratulations on your progress and I hope you’re doing well today
Everything changed until One Piece attacked lol
When*
😂 👍
Literally wrote what we were all thinking hahahaha
When *
This series and Silver Spoon are why I constantly state that Hiromu Arakawa is a god among mangaka. She somehow manages to create huge casts of characters, make sure that each of them get sufficient development, AND somehow makes it so that each of them are individually memorable.
I can't wait to hear your impressions on the rest of the series.
Her new series has been pretty good so far too
You should try urasawa's monster and 20th century boys
Silver Spoon is the most underrated Slice of Life ever
Silver spoon is very wholesome
I loved silver spoon! Her new series Yomi no Tsugai is really good too!
Wait... First One Piece, then HxH, then Spy X Family, then Vinland Saga and now this? Is Merphy officially now a woman of culture?
Not until she reads Mushoku tensei
And Fruits Basket! She’s reading all the good stuff
@@TheToxic35 Yeah she is reading all the good works.
She is, but she is just BARELY starting in this manga world. She still has a LOT to discover and that is great.
You going to try some novels now?
Here's a classic now, first got into it almost 20 years ago. The glory of this manga has been passed down the Armstrong family for generations.
Whoever is recommending the manga for these videos… KEEP IT UP! I love Fullmetal Alchemist and can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the entire story!
What I love about this story is that the cast is so huge, but almost everyone feel distinctive with their personalities and this was done with many of them wearing the same uniform.
Even if I can’t always remember their names, I do remember their faces, personalities and their respective impact in the story. It is a testament to the author’s writing and her ability to make me care about so many characters in such short time.
Your summarization of the story is sooo true. This Anime is considered by some as the greatest Anime or one of the greatest. But if you ask anyone what it's the best at, no one has an answer. But it does everything so good.
I would agree that the 2003 version is the best anime, and would certainly disagree that Brotherhood is the best anime.
This series is quite unique among the most famous shonen manga in the sense that it is very concise and intentional. It has a story to tell and doesn't waste any time.
Fullmetal Alchemist is so good, love that you're loving it.
SO excited that you are covering this. For me (and I'm sure many people) FMA was my first manga/anime and it absolutely won me over. The series is just solid (character development/growth, story telling, pacing, mystery, magic system ...) it checks every mark and doesn't compromise whilst taking you along for the ride. Even the anime just hits it out of the park from animation to voice acting (both DUB and SUB) ... even the openings and endings are works of art. It has for-ever a special space in my heart and all I will tell you is that you are in for such a journey!
00:00:00 ⟾ *Intro* - backstory, DNF, revisit
00:00:49 ⟾ *Overall* - magic, fights, humour, plot, characters
00:01:46 ⟾ Spoiler-free: 2nd Channel
00:02:05 ⟾ Plot - premise, *Philosopher’s Stone*, Marcoh, ambition, *principle*
00:04:24 ⟾ Characters - *Edward & Alphonse* : bond, strain
00:05:38 ⟾ Characters - Winry, Sig, Barry, Alex, Roy, Riza
00:06:10 ⟾ Characters - *Hughes*
00:07:19 ⟾ Characters - *Izumi*
00:08:02 ⟾ Characters - Villains: Scar, Envy, human sacrifice, Lust (and Marcoh), *Mysteries*
00:09:26 ⟾ Characters - Villains: Barry
00:09:38 ⟾ Characters - Villains: *Shou* : *contrast with Edward* , Nina
00:11:32 ⟾ Flashback - as kids, island training
00:12:48 ⟾ Emotional Scenes - Nina, Hughes, backstory
00:13:07 ⟾ Mysteries - “god”
00:13:20 ⟾ Mysteries - Runes
00:13:38 ⟾ Mysteries - Alphonse memories of “the truth”
00:13:49 ⟾ Mysteries
00:14:07 ⟾ Intentionality - Delivering Baby Scene: value of life
00:14:52 ⟾ Intentionality - Connections to plot, streamlined, nuance
00:16:34 ⟾ Overall - Well-Rounded Story
00:17:36 ⟾ Schedule - Future Videos, Vinland Saga, anime
00:18:37 ⟾ Outro
00:18:50 ⟾ [Promo]
00:19:02 ⟾ [Credits]
☕
Phantom, you're a legend.
Hiromu Arakawa-Sensei also has another Manga called Silver Spoon which i really like though it is a lot less story focused. it's about a guy called Hachiken who leave Sapporo (pretty big city and Capital of Hokkaido) to an agricultural High School in the middle of nowhere rural Hokkaido and you basically follow him learning about the ins and outs of agriculture both from a mechanical, how is the food produced, perspective but also the business perspective. Arakawa-sensei actually grew up on a farm so you really do learn a lot about where the food we eat comes from. It's really intresting and i recommened you check it out if you want a breather from the more intense manga and books you're reading.
I also highly highly recommend Silver Spoon to everyone. It's definitely not as story driven but the character work is still top notch, and it's much funnier than Fullmetal Alchemist in my opinion. And it's so aducational!
@@amjadkchy adorable + educational = aducational.
Change my mind
Fun fact: when Al's and Ed's teacher and her husband met for the first time, it was when she misplaced something and he found it for her and it was love at first sight. I believe his first words to her were:
"Excuse me, madam. You dropped your bear."
So I'm rewatching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for the third time with one of my friends right now. We only have a few episodes left until we finish the series. Despite having seen this show so many times in the last two years, it never gets old for me... There's always something new to appreciate on each watch-through. It's just SO GOOD
*screams into pillow*
Fullmetal was probably the first story that made me fall in love with stories. I love seeing newcomers to the series and getting to relive the first time through from their perspective. I really look forward to seeing your thoughts as you continue the series and I'm so glad you're enjoying it.
Geez, from one masterpiece to another, I see. You're in for a treat. I struggle to find any flaws in Fullmetal Alchemist. A beautiful series that juggles so many balls and never drops any or loses focus.
It's genuinely outstanding.
Fun fact: the author of FMA, Hiromi Arakawa, is female but she pretended to be a man for a while because… well… sexism exist in the manga industry too.
Hiromu Arakawa, the author of Fullmetal Alchemist (and others), is one of my favorites! I love her ability of creating amazing emotional moments, that are always stuck with me, even over a decade after reading them... I'm glad you're enjoying it!
When I heard before that you've started on FMA and haven't really continued it, I was devastated with the thought and possibility that you won't pick it up again so this makes me so happy. ECSTATIC.
Ed and Al as main characters are fantastic. But the fact that you get secondary characters that are fully fleshed out, with distinct agendas and purpose for being in the story, which in and of itself is amazingly fleshed out, is why I love FMA so much. Add to that the comedy and the writing of the dialog use... Just an amazing manga overall.
I'm excited for your journey, and I can't wait to see it through with you.
Finally, you are covering what got me into reading in the first place. It was finding a manga copy in a thrift store when I was 8. And that got me into reading novels and comics. So to see you go through it warms my heart.
There's actually 2 things that are pretty special about FMA (a 3rd that I noticed when I thought back about it recently):
1. Ed and Al are smart in a realistic way. These days in a lot of fiction you have a clear divide between the strong characters and the smart characters, and if your protagonist is a smart one, it's usually someone who's so hypersmart there's almost no one who can match them, or they're a loveable nerd who actually gains powers because of it (I'm looking at you, Deku). Either way, the "smart" is one of the character traits. Not for Ed and Al. Want to figure out a problem? Well, time to hit the library for some research. There's no extra attention paid to it, because that's just part of being an alchemist. It's nothing more or less than a tool or skillset. In other words, it doesn't discriminate when it comes to using your grey matter.
2. Actions and consequences - how often do you see shows or series where there's almost no consequences for the main characters? If it's a travelling story, the aftermath is frequently left behind. Or consequences are used for important story points and characters are moved out of the main plot (temporarily or permanently). Also, how often do you see when the main characters are never wrong in the important parts of the story? Here the characters make mistakes and face consequences, but more importantly, moving past those consequences.
3 (the one I thought about recently): these days there's more focus on gender equality in storytelling right. Some stories hype this up and focus on it, some just take a typical male action protagonist and genderswap. Some stories do it the opposite way, by lowering the competency of men instead. I think FMA does it in the ideal way. You've got asskicking men and women, you've got non-action men and women, and all of them are awesome. It's their personality and skills that determine what they do, not what gender they are. It's moot to talking about needing to respect women here because, well, this story respects people. THAT to me is gender equality.
FMA is my all time favorite. I never read such a well rounded "Jack of all trades" story. And tbh Scar is probably my favorite villain ever.
One Piece, HXH, and FMA are my top 3 manga of all time for various reasons. Each series gives something different despite targeting a similar audience and its no wonder they're so highly regarded among the community. I'm glad you're reading FMA because it's one of those rare shounen that has an ending, so you'll get to review the whole package. I'm also glad you're enjoying all the characters so far, there are a lot of good development for the ones you know, and new characters in the future.
This was an awesome surprise to see this pop up on my feed!
my personal reigning champion of "just right" of a series, sets my golden standard for manga
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST Y'ALL!! Thank you Merph! FMA is such a well-structured story. Very solid both in plot, storytelling and every characters.
One of the most striking characters for me is The Fuhrer, King Bradley. His dominance is just overwhelming. Such a cool character.
I agree with you. FMA is not the BEST but it is so good in so many aspects, like that one student who isnt a top scorer but will always be a top student because they excel at every subject.
Bradley's one of my favorite characters in the series, if I'm being honest. I won't say any more, but he's just got such a presence in every scene he's in. :)
One piece is amazing in its own right but there was a reason FMA made it to your recommendations first. FMA is definitely one of the most well paced mangas and one of the rare mangas that wrapped up its story well and just called it a day. No nonsensical twists near the end and no unnecessary follow up series to milk the franchise. We’ve yet to see how one piece will end, but I genuinely hope it’ll be in a way similar to FMA.
It is so fun to listen 🎧 to someone reading a story you know for the first time AND hasn’t had anything spoiled for her
The feels when you were talking about Hughes.😭 The fact that he wasn't even in the story for that long and yet was so loveable that his death caused me physical pain when I first read it is amazing.
The thing I love most about this series aside from all the great characters is how the plot builds - we start out with the main characters having their own specific goal, but on the path towards that goal they find themselves part of something bigger and more dangerous. And not just them but all the characters.
Not a book reader… but love your manga reviews!!! So different from manga/anime channels. Your perspectives are awesome!
I think my favorite thing about full metal alchemist is that it’s so well contained. Avatar the Last Airbender is similar. I love shorter stories that are tightly written.
This is pretty much my favorite story of all time. Can't wait to hear your thoughts
Yay!! Love seeing you talk about Fullmetal Alchemist and going on this journey that the story offers! The character this story has to offer are amazing, multifaceted and have such well build relationships, this manga is so good and I’m so happy that brotherhood is a pretty good adaptation :D
I personally really like Mustang and Hawkeye and their story and motivations, very complex characters which I enjoy a lot :)
Hope you continue to have a great time with this manga and all its details (there’s some great analysis out there, feel like I still discover new interpretations to this day, it’s a really impactful, well build story)!
Ahhh the fact that all of the questions she asked have answers is so ahhhh. Fma starts good and gets even better. It's like every answered questions leads to more questions that all have satisfying answers
It was top of My Anime List for over 10 years for a reason, most of which you listed here. Watch party on the Discord of FMA:Brotherhood would be awesome!
FMA is the only manga that’s ever challenged One Piece for the top spot in my heart - such emotional storytelling, tight plotting, and wonderful characters. So glad you’re enjoying it
Super excited for your journey through FMA. I watched the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood anime originally and still remains one of my favorites of all time.
It’s doesn’t do anything the most but everything well and for me it just stands as my gold standard for a good series. Excited for you to connect the dots, mad scientist style
I am so glad you are enjoying FMA! It did for me what OP did for you and now I will forever be a manga reader
Really glad you're reading and reviewing this series. It reminds me so much of why I fell in love with it when I first watched the anime.
Himoru Arakawa is my favorite manga-ka when it comes to storytelling and characterization for the reasons you pointed out.
Merphy that's my favorite manga series of all, it very similar to avatar in the way that the characters are all so complex, there are so many themes that are developed through the narrative and it's just so much fun. So happy that you're getting into it
YOTSUBA! - It's about found family and probably one of the most wholesome manga comedy i have read.
- I started reading it to offset the depression i got from reading oyasumi punpun or Goodnight Punpun in Eng. Which is a great work and I highly recommend it.😆
Listening to you talk about Fullmetal Alchemist is making my eyes watery because I love Fullmetal Alchemist so much. Seeing other people enjoy something that I love so much makes me happy. I watched the original Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood. I recently re-watched Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood with my girlfriend because she has never seen it. We have a list of all the things we watched (list made on notion website), and she rated it the highest out of everything. (She rated Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood and Demon slayer eight stars) The good and the bad thing about Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood is that once you finish it you want to watch it, again. I’m always listening to the Fullmetal alchemist and brotherhood opening and outro music. I’m so happy that I was lucky enough to stumble upon this anime early on in my anime adventure. 😭
I'd be interested in your reaction to what the 2003 version of the anime does in later episodes, the 2003 version of the anime goes completely non-manga canon in the later half and it gets a lot of flack because it's a little messy but it's not as bad as people make it out to be but they do some really interesting things with the villains that makes some of them arguably more interesting than their manga counterparts
POGGING OUT OF MY MIND RN SO EXCITED THAT YOURE READING FULL METAL
Please please please dont get spoiled!!!
You guys/gals please dont put spoilers
Im glad you are finally reading FMA, id love to know your theories before you get to the answers, itd be like being back in the early 00's
As much as people hate on the first anime for going a different way than the manga I still love it cause the more dramatic scenes were so well done. Especially with the French voice acting which is one of the few times where they did a good job. The voice actor for Al was extremely good. He made you feel every single emotion that the character went through. And in the Nina scene is where french voice acting peaked imo.
2003 anime is so ❤
There's something bittersweet about the relationship between Ed'n'Al and Izumi their teacher. Ed and Al sought the comfort of their deceased mother and Izumi wished for her still-born child to have a second chance, and lost and paid for it. Now they have found what they sought for in each other, but their sins weigh upon that relationship.
I think you might really appreciate getting to know the author of FMA. A true beast of the industry and dang she's a unit. Born and raised on a farm up northern island of Hokkaido. Learning about all the hardship tending to livestock and the emotional, moral and ethical lessons such a lifestyle entails. All these life experiences taught her philosophies that your average person in modern Japan doesn't get to experience is distilled into her stories. She also has a track record of not missing a deadline once during her serialization of FMA. Even through pregnancy and popping a baby out and getting back to the grind the day of. She truly is what she depicts herself as, a cow, a beast of burden. Cause she can carry that weight and then some, she's definitely built different.
God I admire and respect Hiromu Arakawa, she single handedly gave me a priceless treasure during my teen years, following Fullmetal Alchemist month to month. An experience that really can't be replicated nowadays, but I still do seek for another series like that again.
And you know what, her new serialization is blooming into that very thing again.
FMA is THE best manga out there. I'm really glad to see you catching up to it.
Ed and Al are just some of the best protagonists in manga. Like they’re just good people and uncompromising in their morals.
I don't think uncompromising is the right word, they compromised when they joined the military.
What they have are absolute red lines that they never cross.
Also, FMA is one of those pieces of art that starts great, but it gets better and better as the series goes on.
I just love how FMA builds into an incredibly complex story with wise messagesbut still feels so organic and realistic........... FMA just deserves to be a classic.
Death note and FMA were my gateway into anime.
FMA would also make a perfect fighting game. Someone do something about that
I watched the anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and it was easily one of my favorite shows of all time, and mostly because of there things you mentioned here; hearing about it makes me want to go through the story again. I am so excited for you!!
AHHH you started FMA that's so hype! It was the 2nd or 3rd series I got into when I was trying to open up to manga as I was primarily reading fantasy/sci-fi prior. Great story and magic system. It's short and sweet, doesn't over stay it's welcome. I hope soon u can get around to Jujutsu Kaisen in your manga readings because you enjoyed Hunter so much as they are two peas in a pod. Anyway can't wait to see more FMA and Vinland Saga reviews!
FMA is easily one of the top mangas out there. IT IS undoubtedly my top one, seeing as One Piece hasn't ended yet and I'm waiting if it's as perfect as FMA can be in terms of ending. The drawing is also very neat
FMA could legit be a story set in the Cosmere with Truth as the shard on that planet.
Wow finally Full Metal Alchemist!!! I must admit beside of One Piece, one manga that make me cry a river is FMA. Ed and Al brotherhood itself is a tear jerker story for me :')
Hughes is the most traumatizing event in entertainment for me. Even over Nina.
FMA is my favourite manga series.
End of.
It’s just so consistently brilliant from beginning to end- the ending in particular is masterful- and the characters are just *chef’s kiss*
oh boi. OH BOI OH BOI! this is gonna be a good one! I can see merphy in 5 years being up to date w/ all shonen manga while daniel goes into seinen and more gory related mangas.
I'm surprised you didn't even mention, what the brothers lost. Like Alfonse is just a hollow husk with a soul attached to it with the inability to feel warmth, sleep, hunger, or even touch, and that's what eating up Ed. I mean, you obviously know that, but I feel like you should have mentioned it in the video, haha
It's so funny that One Piece is the series that hooked you because, it is a series that a lot of manga readers won't even try or will quickly drop because of it's length.
"Not most deep and gut wretching"
I can't wait Merphy slowly found out how things gonna wretched her heart and have an existential crisis.
Alright we dragged Merphy down into the manga rabbit hole. Now to bring her down into the visual novel hell hole!
Maes Hughes daughter being confused why they’re pouring dirt on her dad is to this day a scene that haunts me. It’s so real and so painful. RIP the best dad in fiction
I remember I found your channel when I was trying to read more for the sake of my novel (still in progress). I ended up finding anime and manga, with FMA (specifically Brotherhood, it’s been adapted twice) being my gateway drug. I haven’t dropped by here in a while but as soon as I saw you were reviewing this I got excited lol. Super fun to hear your perspective on this, always love your inputs
It's so nice to see you reading FMA ^^ I really recommend the manga Pandora Hearts as well. It's an Alice in Wonderland retelling and it has a lovely circle structure aaaa. It's my fave manga of all times!
fma is one of my favorite series, I'm glad you're enjoying it! i think delicious in dungeon/dungeon meshi is right up your alley as well-- it's a fantasy with well crafted characters, great humor, and an intriguing plot (:
I'm so glad you got back into this now that you're more into Manga!
Sooo glad to see you come back to this amazing story!! As crazy as it may seem, you are still in what I consider the prologue. Can't wait for you to get into the main story of Fullmetal and see why it is one of the best Mangas of all time.
Oh fun, you started FMA just as I decided to start reading it as well, currently on volume 8, I think volume 6 onwards is when this story starts really gripping me.
Unfortunately I went into it with a bunch of cool stuff spoiled to me, but I guess that's just what happens when you're a long time manga fan, and you put aside a manga that's been amongst the most popular ever since the mid 2000's.
Yessssss i have been waiting for this
I am so excited for you! FMA is an amazing series!
I cant begin to say how giddy I was once I saw this. I adore FMA. It has been my top series for a long long time.
Idk if it would still be my top one if I were to like really sit down and evaluate the various series ive read. But regardless it has held a special place in my heart for a long time. And im really excited for you to read it and get to experience not only for the first time but also blind.
FMA is a big series in the manga/anime community so growing up everyone knew of it and had already seen/read it. So getting to experience someone going through it for the first time is something im excited for.
I hope you have a great time with the series and enjoy the story and mysteries as they unfold!
Envy is my favorite character, I’m so excited for you to learn more about them ❤
FMA is a masterclass in hitting the nail on the head - well rounded is a great description because everything just works in concert. The weekly publishing schedule and structure of most manga publisherd tend to leave some cracks in stories that become rather obvious rather quickly but FMA feels like it was one cohesive session from start to finish.
On a side note I love your perspective as a book tuber who's more or less stepped into the manga sphere - I'd be very interested in seeing if your process for selecting series to read, maybe I've missed it but if I haven't I'm sure your growing community would be up to suggest some series or vote on series you're already tacitly interested in/ curious about
Something I love as a long time fan of yours is just how much manga has started taking over your library lol
Wholistic and well rounded is a perfect way to describe FMA, I’m glad you’re having such a good time with it!
You’re the reason why I know the difference between soft magic systems and hard👌 this series was probably one of my first introductions into hard magic systems
I'm so happy you decided to revisit FMA! I love it so much, for me really one of the best manga/anime series there is.
Glad you're enjoying this series. I agree with you that it's not the "most" anything, but it's a series that someone can watch or read and not be mad that they did so or feel like they've wasted their time. It's a good well-rounded series.
So glad you are reading this! This is the first series I read all the way from start to finish
I felt validated seeing how you are enjoying reading FMA. More revelations to come and I'm sure you're in for a fun ride.
I’m really looking forward to seeing your thoughts on Mustang develop as you read more
The last piece of the story arrived at my home today. So glad you've picked this up.
I really enjoy listing to your reviews. I love the passion you put in them. also, I'm so glad you gave FMA another chance it's one of my favorites show though I haven't read the manga yet, but you sure made me want to.
I just got off work (i work nights) and I get a Merphy manga video AND its one of my favorites!!! Today is a good day 😁
One thing you haven't mentioned that is a very big deal is how the story talks about science, religion, and finding meaning. Liore shows us the potential consequences of entirely devoting yourself to religion / faith, while Tucker and what happens to Nina show us the potential consequences of devoting yourself entirely to science / 'progress'. This is one of the bigger themes at play in FMA, so I would look out for it as you continue to read.