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[GaimeGuy]

I thought that

Spoiler

they are both the filter and the source of alchemy? It definitely was the filter (thus, as you said, in their final standoff when they were granted energy of planet's crust they could go into hax mode), but also as the actual source as noted by Mei before the fight with Envy in Briggs that "this country's alchemy feels like people dying" or whatever (I don't exactly remember what she said, but it was something along these lines).

Spoiler

No, she said it felt like there were dead people crawling underneath her ever since she entered the country. it is said at several points within the manga and brotherhood that amestrisian alchemy derives its power from the earth's crust, whereas Xingese alchemy uses the "veins of the dragon," basically a concept that's sort of like a pool of spirit/life energy, which is why it is so deeply connected to medical applications. And it is also heavily implied that the Sage of the East is Father, while the Sage of the West is Hohenheim, and these two individuals brought alchemy to Amestris and Xing, respectively, from Xerxes.

 

[Lorr]

So I've been in the mood for some FMA lately as the original series was one of my favorite animes and just started watching Brotherhood via Netflix. I'm only a few episodes in, but the pacing is all over the place. It seems to just be glossing over a lot of characters a story lines that seemed more fleshed out in the first series which is killing the impact for me. Does it stay this fast paced? Or is it just skimming through the mostly unchanged stuff?

 

[heliosRAzi]

So I've been in the mood for some FMA lately as the original series was one of my favorite animes and just started watching Brotherhood via Netflix. I'm only a few episodes in, but the pacing is all over the place. It seems to just be glossing over a lot of characters a story lines that seemed more fleshed out in the first series which is killing the impact for me. Does it stay this fast paced? Or is it just skimming through the mostly unchanged stuff?

It's mostly skimming over the unchanged stuff, but there are times when it skims over new stuff

 

[Raxus]

Or is it just skimming through the mostly unchanged stuff?

Yes, x10 episodes. Afterwards it takes a completely different direction.

 

[JayDubya]

So I've been in the mood for some FMA lately as the original series was one of my favorite animes and just started watching Brotherhood via Netflix. I'm only a few episodes in, but the pacing is all over the place. It seems to just be glossing over a lot of characters a story lines that seemed more fleshed out in the first series which is killing the impact for me. Does it stay this fast paced? Or is it just skimming through the mostly unchanged stuff?

I hadn't seen the original series when I watched Brotherhood, and I'm slowly going back and watching it.

It didn't feel like it was too fast paced or glossing things over... now I say that having not read the manga, so I recognize that it could have done so, but some shows FEEL rushed and FEEL like they're leaving important plot information out because characters aren't fleshed out and things don't make sense.

There's rich characterization in FMA:B, a multi-layered plot, and it maintains a strong narrative pace.

 

[Auron_Kale]

So I've been in the mood for some FMA lately as the original series was one of my favorite animes and just started watching Brotherhood via Netflix. I'm only a few episodes in, but the pacing is all over the place. It seems to just be glossing over a lot of characters a story lines that seemed more fleshed out in the first series which is killing the impact for me. Does it stay this fast paced? Or is it just skimming through the mostly unchanged stuff?

Skims through the story from ep. 2 all the way until ep. 14, as if you wanted the deeper narrative part, you most likely would've already seen the first series or read the manga. Once you get to ep. 15, you start the true heart of the manga storyline.

 

[GaimeGuy]

Note that they do skip over a lot of plot points even after episode 15. The Ishval arc, for instance, is butchered, then sliced up into little pieces and shown to you sporadically throughout the entire show. It was one self-contained volume within the manga, and it's definitely more detailed than in the show.

The show greatly slows down in the last 15-20 episodes, where they start covering one chapter per episode as opposed to 2-3 or even 4.

 

[Auron_Kale]

Note that they do skip over a lot of plot points even after episode 15. The Ishval arc, for instance, is butchered, then sliced up into little pieces and shown to you sporadically throughout the entire show. It was one self-contained volume within the manga, and it's definitely more detailed than in the show.

The show greatly slows down in the last 15-20 episodes, where they start covering one chapter per episode as opposed to 2-3 or even 4.

Yes yes, I agree. Though despite the butchering, you at least get a sense of what was happening during that war. Also ep. 10 had the nice moment that basically showed the end of 'The Hero of Ishval' chapter and Scar had the memory of Kimblee's attack (I forget which ep. though) that was shown. So, you do at least get a good chunk of vol. 15 - it just happens to be spread out throughout the series.

 

[MetatronM]

So I've been in the mood for some FMA lately as the original series was one of my favorite animes and just started watching Brotherhood via Netflix. I'm only a few episodes in, but the pacing is all over the place. It seems to just be glossing over a lot of characters a story lines that seemed more fleshed out in the first series which is killing the impact for me. Does it stay this fast paced? Or is it just skimming through the mostly unchanged stuff?

Let's put it this way. The first FMA series was 51 episodes. The completely totally new and different plots events in Brotherhood begin at episode 14. That's 51 episodes that are an entirely new plot (52 if you count episode 1, which is also entirely new).

Consider episodes 2-13 a prologue of sorts.


(People usually include 14 in the "unchanged" part just because it is the end of the Greed arc, but if you actually look at the episode itself, it's almost entirely different from the events of the first anime, save for one thing that occurred in a completely different part of the series the first time around.)

 

[Auron_Kale]

(People usually include 14 in the "unchanged" part just because it is the end of the Greed arc, but if you actually look at the episode itself, it's almost entirely different from the events of the first anime, save for one thing that occurred in a completely different part of the series the first time around.)

It is a little different than Anime1, but at the same time, you still see the same thing: Greed goes bye bye. I usually include as 'mostly unchanged' because it's the end of the Greed arc, though there are added bits that are wholly part of just Brotherhood, and not the manga.

Spoiler

The part with Bradley/Wrath visiting Izumi was definitely not either the first anime or in the manga. And that was a pretty big one actually.

 

[GaimeGuy]

The greed arc is almost as butchered as the ishval arc, sadly :/

 

[ThatObviousUser]

So there's gonna be a movie I guess? Anyone know anything about it?

I'm probably really lttp on this.

 

[Sirius]

^The movie was announced quite a while back, however that trailer is new to me..
Interesting stuff.

 

[B.K.]

So there's gonna be a movie I guess? Anyone know anything about it?

It's an original story. It's probably not going to be anything special.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Well it's gotta be better than Conquerer of Shamalyondingdong.

 

[D-Pad]

Well it's gotta be better than Conquerer of Shamalyondingdong.

Isn't it a bit premature to be calling it the greatest movie ever?

 

[ThatObviousUser]

You and your tastes, how dare they be different from mine!

Although I didn't think it was that bad. I guess I was just saying what I thought would make me look cool. >_<

 

[Vincent Alexander]

So, I love FMA and decided since Brotherhood is wrapping up I'd finally start it. I just finished the first episode, and I'm pretty depressed so far. I'm fine with the goofy/kiddy moments here and there, but jesus, it was almost every two seconds. I really hope this show gets more serious and cuts down on the dumb shite. Please, someone assure me Brotherhood is going to get awesome.

 

[Lamiafusion]

You are not ready for the awesomeness that is Brotherhood.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Just finished episode 3---I'll tear into the show on my next day off. Episode 2 kinda rocked my world.

 

[CassSept]

Don't be put off by the first 13 episodes - it skims over the material because it has already been shown in anime form before. After that it moves to the meat of the story. And it gets awesome.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Don't be put off by the first 13 episodes - it skims over the material because it has already been shown in anime form before. After that it moves to the meat of the story. And it gets awesome.

I'm taking your word on it. I just finished episode 10, and I've been underwhelmed. Most good emotional moments are ruined by quick, "funny" interruptions. Even more than that though (and I didn't expect to have this complaint) is that the music isn't that great either. I loved FMA's music because it was subtle and kept in the background where it belonged, and yet acted as a perfect companion to the current scene. The music in Brotherhood is too loud and self-aware of the emotional tone. It's distracting and detracting. However, everytime I get a glimpse of a very well-done moment, it gives me hope that things are really gonna kick off as it keeps going.

Spoiler

Hughes death was pretty unemotional and rushed as well.

Hopefully those will be my only complaints. I'm still digging it.

 

[lazybones18]

NOTE: Adult Swim will be showing the final episode of FMA:B tonight at 1am! Maybe [as] will wise up and not cut down the ending tonight for time like they did last episode

 

[Firestorm]

I'm taking your word on it. I just finished episode 10, and I've been underwhelmed. Most good emotional moments are ruined by quick, "funny" interruptions. Even more than that though (and I didn't expect to have this complaint) is that the music isn't that great either. I loved FMA's music because it was subtle and kept in the background where it belonged, and yet acted as a perfect companion to the current scene. The music in Brotherhood is too loud and self-aware of the emotional tone. It's distracting and detracting. However, everytime I get a glimpse of a very well-done moment, it gives me hope that things are really gonna kick off as it keeps going.

Spoiler

Hughes death was pretty unemotional and rushed as well.

Hopefully those will be my only complaints. I'm still digging it.

Thankfully the terrible humour bits get fewer and fewer as the series moves on as well. I had the same feelings as you about the first quarter but it does get more interesting afterwards.

 

[B.K.]

NOTE: Adult Swim will be showing the final episode of FMA:B tonight at 1am! Maybe [as] will wise up and not cut down the ending tonight for time like they did last episode

I still can't believe how horribly Adult Swim handled the series. They really butchered it.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

I did finally finish the show. It truly started terribly, but I love the world and characters enough that I plowed through. It got just about ten times better and was very entertaining. Some emotional moments were handled very well, and some of the battles were superb. In the end though, it kinda let me down. It had a very epic buildup, but lost all of its steam and kinda puckered to the finale very slowly. Everything in the North was boring (and I hated most of the characters introduced up there). Which I guess since I'm at it----waaaayy too many characters. I couldn't give two shits about most of them. The antagonist

Spoiler

was a more interesting baddie when he was just a dwarf in the flask. He was lifeless, dull and his motivation was weak

. I saw a review on Netflix that I kinda laughed at when I first read because it was cheesy....from a person saying they couldn't quite put their finger on what was wrong with Brotherhood, then they finally realized. It is missing heart. After watching the show, I'll second that. Now don't jump down my throat, because it does have some great moments, but compared to the original, it didn't resonate and it didn't leave a lasting impression with but a few moments. In the end, it just made me want to re-watch the original.

Rambling over.

 

[Acerac]

I like to pretend that the last episode of this series never happened. Personally I thought the series was great until that point at which it decided to stop being interesting and did exactly what the viewer would have expected from a typical anime, something the show had excelled at avoiding up til that point.

I have a friend who I've successfully convinced to watch the show up until the second last episode and just pretend

Spoiler

the dwarf in the flask won. He really should have at that point.

I wish I had a friend who would have done the same for me.

 

[overcast]

My friend has been absolutely raving about this show, I guess I'll watch it in the next few months.

 

[FreeMufasa]

Just finished this series, LOVE IT.

I first tried watching the english sub of the first series years back but quit a while in. Watched both series back to back and loved them both. It's hard to say one is better than the other as I thought both did thing better than the other. Both shows had some great touching moments.

So after the 2nd movie, is that it for the FMA universe? It'd be a shame 2 never see them again.

Spoiler

3rd reimagining!

 

[ant1532]

just watched da brohood. so good. =o__o=