More updates coming

[smudgedragon]

Mirrored from Smudge Marks.

Sorry I’ve been so quite for a while now. Lots of stuff happening in RL I have had to deal with lately. But now, I’m trying once again to get back on my feet. Spending today going though my stuff and trying to organize my site as a one-stop-link-hole to the different shops and archives that I have out there.

Also been thinking about doing some review of a lot of the anime I’ve been watching recently. Don’t know if anyone’s interested. be mostly reviewing whole series that is available over here for sale or for legal streams. It’s still an idea on the burner anyways.

Off to do some work!

Comments

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

I'd certainly be curious about what anime series are worth picking up on DVDs. I've enjoyed Full Metal Alchemist recently, seasons 1 and 2.

[smudge-dragon.livejournal.com]

Which FMA did you grab? There are 2 Full Metal Alchemists, the original and Brotherhood. Both are very good and highly recommended, but Brotherhood ends much more strongly.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

The original! And I got the Shamballa movie too, to cap 'em off.

I'm not sure if I want to watch Brotherhood, since it is supposedly a reboot of the first series - why do people have this fascination with rewriting a story that's already told?

[smudge-dragon.livejournal.com]

Here's what happened with FMA -

Full Metal Alchemist started as a manga. It ran in Monthly Shōnen Gangan, which is owned by Square Enix. Square Enix got Bones to do the original series before the manga was concluded. 1/2 though production, the animation team decided to go their own way and created their own ending to the series, instead of doing the typical "add filler and extend fight scenes" as most other anime in this situation do (Bleach is a prime example). You can easily see in FMA where the break is by the introduction of Dante.

And a sharp break form the original manga it was. While the original series as a whole is very good, it really fell down on the ending and the movie. When many fans and followers of FMA read the original manga's final ending there was a great out cry, saying that the manga was much, much better.

Having seen both (but not following the original manga) I'd have to agree with them.

So to answer your question - the "original" Full Metal Alchemist was actually the divergent story while Brotherhood is more inline with the original story as the original author/artist Hiromu Arakawa invisioned.

Both stories have their point, but I have to agree that Brotherhood is better realized as a whole story, while the "original" tended to fall down and broke their own world concepts right at the very end.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Huh! That explains that, thank you. Should I just get, say, season 2 of FMA Brotherhood or something, or is it worth revisiting the early episodes too?

[smudge-dragon.livejournal.com]

Starting with Season two is not a bad idea. The first 13 episodes are recaps, to get those not familiar with the original series up-to speed. But they handle them deftly and swiftly as it takes the first 2 1/2 seasons of the original and compacts them down to 1 season. If you're in question - you can always review the first 13 legally on Funimation's website. Do at least watch the first episode as it is completely new. Thou it drops you into amides res pretty hard.

http://www4.funimation.com/video/?page=show&b=280

[rindis.livejournal.com]

I'd generally say the first season is worth it. It's all things you've seen before, but well done and tightly written. There's also some subtle shaping of the material to emphasize the parts that are important to where the rest of the story is going to go.

With major stories being cut down from three episodes to one, and almost all of the 'filler' cut away, it goes by at breakneck speed, but I think they did the nearly impossible: introduce the new viewers to what's going on, while not boring the old fans.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip! *purrs Smudge*

And of course I'd be curious what other anime series you'd recommend.