Well they are also on the internet. In other places.
cue Star Wars cantina music
Yeah, but who would go through all that trouble for an unknown quantity when there’s a ton of stuff on Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll, etc. that I still haven’t seen.
I’m three episodes in and very much enjoying Princess Principal thus far. Ange in particular is wonderful! I’ll certainly finish out the 12 episodes, and might watch it again in review once those films come out.
Long live the Black Lizard Planet.
Got around to Inuyashiki off my to-do list, after seeing the discussions above by @Otagan @Shieldwolf @arrendek et al. I more or less enjoyed it, though there certainly are some disturbing things done by the serial killer kid. Maybe “enjoy” is the wrong word, more like “respected?” Because I did respect what they did by making the old man hero fairly weak in a lot of ways. No self-confidence, can’t figure out his own tech without a kid to explain it, family relationships that need repair. His hero’s journey was well executed IMHO, and that was enough for me to consider these eleven episodes a success.
6 episodes into Claymore and it is waaay better than I anticipated. Loving the writing on this show.
So folks, I need to know if Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood gets any better after the first 15 or so episodes. I made it that far and just can’t work up any enthusiasm for going on. I think they want me to care about the mysterious Deadly Sins gang, but they barely show up on the radar of the brothers. The various family bonds are nice character building but it’s getting repetitive already. The whole “we need to get our bodies back” driving force to the narrative is undermined by how well adjusted the boys seem to be, particularly Al. And there’s some kind of military coup or something going on but it moves soooo slow. I’m already incredibly tired of jokes about how short Ed is, and the constant cartoon-style emotional explosions in every other scene.
I suppose I’ve been spoiled by shorter series that tell complete stories in around 15-25 episodes and take themselves somewhat seriously in the process. Although I’ve watched longer stuff (freakin’ Legend of Galactic Heroes comes to mind) that I enjoyed, so it can’t be just the length. If FAB is going to continue for the next 40+ episodes as it’s begun in the first 15-ish, then I’m just going to give up now.
Well, I prefer the original series, but it’s even slower than Brotherhood during season 1 (they spend an extra episode on certain events, including some that Brotherhood skips completely). Sounds like it isn’t your thing.
Just sounds like you’re broken inside.
But give it 5 more episodes just in case.
:P
Great show! One of the few i ended up reading the manga to know how it all ended.
The actual plot starts to uncover after episode 20 something if i remember correctly. One of the best anime i have seen.
Keep going a bit!
It is also one of the best dubbed animes I have seen. I usually watch animes subbed but this one was good in English. Ghost in the Shell was another where I liked the dub version.
Make it to Mustang being a badass. If you don’t want to stay with it after that… well…
I’ll put it on in the background while I do other stuff, maybe it’ll grow on me once I get further in.
So far he’s been an overly-ambitious schemer plotting the overthrow of a (seemingly) good ruler who can’t stand getting wet. Not impressed.
Ohhhh, it gets better.
I think Brotherhood kind of trades on the emotional baggage viewers were expected to carry over from the original series. For that reason I always tell people to watch the original first.
I had no desire to watch two adaptations of the same thing unless it turned out I really loved it, and I picked Brotherhood because people said it was more true to the original manga. But after going through the weak opening 15-20 episodes, I can certainly see what @Brad_Grenz is saying about them expecting viewers to have pre-conceptions.
I’m into the second season (I assume…different opening credits anyway) around episode 28 now, and it’s almost like watching a completely different show. Nearly every episode has some good story beats, interaction with the enemies happens regularly, Mustang’s plotting actually serves some purpose beyond him just being a ambitious jerk, and the rival factions from Xing add some more interesting interactions.
I’m beginning to see why people like the show. Still have to put up with stupid anime cartoon emotion-explosions, cheesy over-the-top alchemical fight sequences, and some terrible emotional “drama” (for instance, I dread having to watch Ed and Winry dance around one another for the rest of the series). I’m used to ignoring that crap in many animes and will continue to do so here, though because of it I can’t imagine I’ll ever put FA on the pedestal that many folks seem to.
Yeah I haven’t watched any FMA since the original series wrapped, and I wonder if those things would bother me now more. At the time I loved it though. The over the top emotive bits were just one of those things I hadn’t seen enough anime yet to become annoyed by.
But it certainly took time getting to where it was going.
Hahah. That’s a great name for them. Sometimes I’m annoyed by them (I haven’t seen FMA or Brotherhood, so just speaking generally), but other times I really enjoy them when they’re done well. They’re a story-telling device used only in anime, as far as I know, and so I kind of cherish that they’re unique to the medium.
You have to remember that FMA was originally a shonen manga, which means the assumed target audience is teenage boys as young as 12. It’s got more to enjoy for adults than a lot of shonen stories, but it’s not catering to them specifically.