Edward Elric - Character Analysis Part 1 - Flawed Personality
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Targeted Audience: This video is not puposefully targeted at kids!
The first part you can watch here concentrates on Edward’s flawed personality
(his vulnerable side, darker nature and immaturity) - everything which makes him such an interestingly complex character.
Part 1 ends with Ed’s necessity of maturing which is the focus of Part 2.
In more detail, part 1 consists of these chapters:
00:00 - Introduction of the serial‘s themes
01:30 - Introduction to Edward Elric
02:28 - Ed's childhood until the first transmutation
06:33 - Ed's final transmutation in contrast
07:46 - Ed‘s Guilt & Escapism
10:49 - Intensifying Brotherhood: Lack of support by others I
12:48 - Intensifying Brotherhood: Fear of endangering others
15:16 - Intensifying Brotherhood: Lack of support by others II
16:26 - Intensifying Brotherhood: Summary
17:45 - Ed’s ego, cynicism and immaturiy
21:27 - Ed’s denial of self-importance
23:45 - Ed’s darker nature
Part 2 will consist of these chapters:
1) Ed’s and Rose’s dogmatic worldviews
2) Ed facing Sloth & Izumi
3) Ed’s changing relationship with Roy
4) Ed confronting Hohenheim
5) Reflections of Edward
6) Dante as a nihilistic oppression
7) Equivalent Exchange as a symbol of hope
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For continuation:
OPTION 1)
In my first upload (Part 2) I unfortunately had to split the very last minute of the analysis into a separate video (Part 3).
OPTION 2)
As the initial Part 2 is not available in most English speaking countries, I've now uploaded a slightly altered version (Part 2 "Short Version"). You basically don't miss on anything there, but I had to mirror it, the editing is a little more sloppy in two scenes and I screwed up a little with the music (from the Roy chapter onward). Also one original scene had to be taken out. Still, I explain it quite detailed, so I think this will not be a real problem. :)
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I am sorry for any inconsistencies with my audio since I’ve recorded the script in many occasions and haven’t worked it out yet completely. I also hope there aren’t too many mistakes with my English.
I hope you enjoy the video. :)
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Disclaimer:
The images and music used on this video belong to their righteous owners and serve for illustrational and educational purposes only.
I’ve also tried to credit anybody I could have paraphrased (since the first half of the themes of my script have partly been discussed already in several places), so I hope I didn’t forget anybody!
Brotherhood is good, and it's a solid series, but THIS is the series that I keep going back and watching over and over again. 2003 is so overlooked.
Agreed! For me probably nostalgia does contribute quite a bit to my overall enjoyment of 03 FMA, but then again I really admire its approach so much from many perspectives! I kept finding more and more details about 03 the older I got and it always manages to bring the emotions across. :)
@@latemlluf2287 Yes!
I think the contrast between the human transmutation a the start of the series vs the one at the end is that of arrogance vs wisdom. When Edward tried to bring his mother back, he dragged his obviously reluctant brother along for the ride, and did so without understanding the potential consequences. When he sacrifices himself to bring Al back, by contrast, it is done with the full knowledge of the likely consequences, and only risking himself. He DID learn a lesson. There is a world of difference between an act of childish arrogance and an act of conscious sacrifice. In that situation, there were no easy choices. His hard-won wisdom shone through in finding the best of all the bad solutions.
That's my take, anyway.
That is definitely a possible interpretation! And I'd highly agree that there are tons of differences between the transmutations - one of which is the contrast between arrogance and wisdom as you pointed out. :)
I also believe that Ed's final decision had probably more to do with conscious weighing and selflessness in high contrast to his prior selfish act.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Amazing work! I'm super excited for part 2 now (whether that ends up being in video format or just as a script)! This is better than the vast majority of video essays I see in the anime community. As far as your concerns go, I don't think you spent too much time covering things people already know. You did a good job of setting up a necessary framework for the rest of your analysis/discussion, without spending too much time summarizing the plot or anything of that sort. I also really like how you organized this: It was a good idea, and helped make your essay easier to follow and understand than it otherwise would have been.
Also, I didn't really notice any inconsistencies with your audio, and you did a good job with English :) I had no problem understanding you ^_^
And thanks for the multitude of shout-outs, and just for doing such a good job of crediting people with certain ideas. I know that that can take a lot of work and sometimes it can end up feeling frustrating. But I really appreciated it, and I'm sure many people will.
Again, great job! ^_^
Oh wow, thank you so much for taking the time and also I appreciate the kind words, your positive commentary means a lot to me! :)
I also look forward to making the second video or post the script! In probably two weeks or so I will have more time again, so I will eventually decide how to approach this by then. :)
And really, I have so much respect for your consistent take on the FMA series and all the work you put in, especially after I've worked on my video and realized how time consuming it all can become. That's really great you keep it up!
Okay update time, I've decided to edit the second part as a video as well. I will try to have it done by the end of next week but can't guarantee it. :)
Yay! That's awesome ^_^ I'm looking forward to it
Okay, change of plans, I binge-edited the video today as I have too many plans for the rest of the month haha. I hope the editing was not too lazy this time. I will upload it in the next hours I think. :)
whoa speedy! I'll be sure to check it out soon ^_^
So glad lowart recommend your video-fantastic analysis!!
Thank you!
2003 Edward is my favorite when compared to Brotherhood/Manga Ed. The reason for his "darker nature" and his cynical outlook on life is just so great. Brotherhood/Manga Ed is never really tested as much as 2003 Edward is. The fact is, even when Brotherhood/Manga Ed learns a lesson from Kimblee about showing mercy, he doesn't get harsher or more brutal. He continues to show mercy to his enemies and doesn't get ANY blood on his hands. He only goes as far as to dismember the cyclops "dolls" that are zombie-like, not even choosing to kill that which is clearly undead or mindless. The fact is, Brotherhood/Manga Ed never has to kill any of his adversaries and instead gets to stay "morally right" and idealistic and "good" due to the fact he has such a large supporting cast of allies who do his killing for him and Alphonse.
2003 Edward, however, does not have such a long list of allies to call upon. In fact, he starts to lose potential allies and they get killed off (Marcoh and Scar) until finally its up to Edward alone to go rescue Al. The only person he could ask is Mustang, but the Colonel has his own mission to go find Bradley and kill him to avenge Hughes. In the end, 2003 Edward had to do what he needed to on his own and didn't have the luxury of having friends to kill enemies for him.
Agreed! Thank you for the interesting comment. :) what you described here is one of the bigger reasons why I prefer 2003, especially from a psychological standpoint. There is nothing wrong with a more idealistic character as Ed from Broho but to me personally Ed's darker, more flawed nature in 2003 felt more relatable like a real human. Also the character development Ed was forced to go through caused by the moral challenges are super fascinating to me from a narrative perspective.
Giving Al his childhood back... good point!
Thanks!
Oh my god this is amazing! I really love the angle your doing on this character analysis so much! You really point out Ed's emotional and mental think and it's growth throughout the series. It's very insightful and really awesome! Keep up that amazing work, you earned yourself a subscriber and a fan haha. :D
Aww, thank you for the kind words. I am happy that you enjoyed the analysis that much! And thank you for the encouragement. :)
I love your comments on Lowart's videos, and listening you speak your mind for almost a full half-hour was wonderful!! I'll be looking for more from you!!
Thank you very much! :)
Loved this! Fma 03 is so underrated.
Thank you! Yes, FMA 03's writing - despite its flaws - is amazing in my opinion!
@@latemlluf2287 Yes, i just finished it showing it to my little sister and it made me reassure it as my favourite anime. I love mangahood also, but it makes me happy to find this kind of in depth analysis of 03, given that so many people dont think its as good or in the same level of quality. I think the story that fma 03 ends up telling its so beautiful and heartwrenching, despite its flaws. Thank you for this analysis!
@@violetagimenezzapiola6524 Aww thank you! :) Mangahood is definitely a beautiful story in its own right!
With FMA 03 I think some of its great writing is more subtle - for example having Ed discuss his philosophical mindset with Rose in the beginning and doing so again with Dante in the end which forces Ed to finally reevaluate his opinions. It's at least one framework of the story the producers were aiming for - that's just a random example coming to my mind. I think the rushed ending with some confusing elements made people overlook some of those subtle things, which is so unfortunate given the story is so heartwrenching as you said.
Anyway, I am glad I could spread some love for FMA 03 and to know there are still many fans of the old series as well haha. I hope your sister liked the series as well. :)
@@latemlluf2287 She loved it, and having watched the original series first, we are really enjoying brotherhood now, its a good compliment. I think as soon as we finish brotherhood im gonna read the manga again, watching these reviews and analysis made me want to analyze and compare as well
Love this Analysis and this series ! Looking forward for more of your videos :)
Wow this is cool, there are many unexpected things that make sense. I like the idea that Envy is a negative projection of Edward. This is the archetype of the shadow of Jung. By the way, from the point of view of archetypes, it would be possible to consider other characters.
Very nice
Thank you for the kind words! :)
Right now I am working on the second part and I will focus a little on possible reflections of Edward such as Envy.
And definitely, the concept of Jung sounds really interesting. Generally I find psychology very interesting - just as an example: probably this is the reason why I enjoyed Inception that much. I've recently read an article on how that film can also be read that way, that all side characters appearing are rather an archetypal representation of the different layers of the main protagonist.
I like your work, because many of the thoughts you voiced I had. And it's nice for me to realize that someone else has got experience similar to mine, by looking at 03.
I noticed one thing. Maybe this will make a difference to you, while working on part 2. Edward's character was more influenced by female characters than by male characters. To be honest, I do not see the obvious consequences of this influence, but it seems to me an interesting detail.
That's cool that we share same experiences!
And that is an interesting obervation. When I think about it, I focus on several female characters like Dante, Izumi and Sloth, all female and with a big significance to Edward's development, so you are definitely right.
Still, I am not too sure what difference that does exactly have here as opposed to male influence? Probably it goes in line with Edward having a strong relation to his mother and Izumi as a possible substitute mother figure? I don't know haha
Latemlluf I mean that the archetype of the mother (or the mother's figure) and the father's archetype have their own functional characteristics. Edward has a negative experience associated with the departure of his father at an early age. By the way it explains its infantilism in the beginning of the series. Because of this, he has no authority among the male characters.
In general, I have thoughts about who personifies which archetype in Jung's terminology, and contrary to the general opinion, it seems to me mistaken to think that Izumi embodies the archetype of the mother, and Hughes is the father's archetype, but again this is only from the interpretation of the archetypes of Carl Jung. I think this is a very interesting way of analysis, because these archetypes are reflected in the world culture, in particular in literature.
Latemlluf This is a story, in fact, including about growing up. If you know what functions each archetype performs, you can see how different characters influence Edward, and the analysis of the chaotic impression takes shape. The highest stage of maturity according to Jung, as far as I remember, is the acquisition of the self (I do not know how to translate this term "Самость" from Russian into English, and I do not know how that term sounds in English), that is, the harmonious addition of archetypes in the mind of a person, and also the victory over archetype of shadow (Envy in our case).
I want to say that knowing the meaning of symbols (philosophical, psychological, literary) helps a lot in getting deeper into the story. Honestly not for all works of art, this method is suitable. For example, unfortunately I can not imagine something similar in Broho. Not because it's bad, but because it's not focused on exactly what it wants to say in the end.
Excellent job!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this analysis so much high quality in it
Thank you so much for the comment :)
Edward elric is a interesting character there are most times where Edward doesn't feel like a shounen protagonist although fma 2003 is darker then brotherhood
Thank you for your insightful analysis! I love you
Great video !!!