I just have a small question regarding the ending that's kind of bugging me.
Warning for those currently reading the manga: MAJOR spoilers.
Spoiler
And on a side note:
Spoiler
Nerd who likes anime and prog. Vid editor, over-analyzer, lover of angst.
If you've been around this site a while, you might remember me as zacrathedemon5.
What you can call me: Juror (if you knew me back in the day as Zac, that's fine too lol)
Anime/manga I love: Pandora Hearts, Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
Music artists I love: Pain of Salvation, The Dear Hunter, Haken, Between the Buried and Me, Ne Obliviscaris
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 16 May 2015 - 07:29 PM
I just have a small question regarding the ending that's kind of bugging me.
Warning for those currently reading the manga: MAJOR spoilers.
SpoilerSo, I have heard a couple of times that Oz should have been excluded from the reincarnation cycle because he is a Chain and I'm wondering if this is a possible plot hole or not. The only thing I can find relating to this is in Retrace 74:
Just something I was curious about, if anyone can help clear this up that would be great.
And on a side note:
SpoilerAbout Alice memories, it looks like this is where she remembers everything?
Retrace 76:
She is then shown everything that happened during the Tragedy of Sablier and in Retrace 77:
Anyway, there's that. I'd forgotten about this scene until very recently and it appears to clear up everything regarding how Alice got her memories back.
Normally, yes, Oz should have been excluded from the cycle of rebirth. It's implied however that the Core made an exception for him, possibly on the request of Vincent (who was given the task of communicating directly with the core for all those years, and who returned Oz and Alice to Gil at the very end). The other possibilities mentioned are valid as well, but I think the core directly interfering is the most likely explanation, especially considering Vincent's involvement in the situation.
Also, that explains how Alice got her memories back... but it's Alyss/white Alice who I've been confused about. Before that scene, the last we saw of Alyss, she was going mad because of her lost memories. Like I said before, I now think they came rushing back to her after Jack resurfaced.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 13 May 2015 - 01:49 AM
Just watched FMA: Conquerer of Shamballa. It sucks major ass. I give it a 3/10. The only good part was at the end when Scar and Lust were sitting next to eachother in a truck lol.
While the movie's not really the best, there are some definite good things about it.
Alfons was a super-well developed character, and his death was handled beautifully. Wrath's extended character arc was also really well done.
Also, for whatever it's worth, the animation is amazing.
Also, did you finish 2003 before watching Shamballa? That's kinda really important. 2003 stands on its own without Shamballa, but Shamballa doesn't work at all without 2003 before it. Shamballa was made as a direct sequel, after all.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 10 May 2015 - 09:46 AM
Archer continues to be best character. He's now even better than he was before.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 10 May 2015 - 09:42 AM
Well I didn't watch the entirety of the original series yet but I think Brotherhood's doing just fine introducing and developing the characters. I didn't need any pretext to understand the story or anything. I'm only disappointed that [omitted].
Brotherhood does a fine job of introducing other characters outside the first episode, mostly. It's just the first episode cramming Ed's, Al's, Mustang's, Hughes's, Armstrong's, Kimblee's, Bradley's, and maybe even more people's introductions into it. They could have been handled infinitely better, established a lot more respectfully.
You might want to spoiler tag that part about Lust. Though, on that topic, that part's one of the most epic scenes in the show. Love that scene.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 10 May 2015 - 03:48 AM
People just need to be more open and take a risk. I honestly am open to almost- almost- anything. The only genre I struggle with is Mecha tbh.
An anime adaptation that diverges from the manga a lot (but not completely) is Cardcaptor Sakura. I saw the anime first, so I was totally surprised to see that the manga was different. In the end, I ended up loving both! But the differences b/w the anime and manga of Cardcaptor Sakura were on a smaller scale than compared to the FMA (2003) and the manga.
In a way, I wonder if I should have watched FMA (2003) first b/c you know... the animation is not as good as in FMAB. - Same happened to me with Fate/Stay Night. I watched Fate/Zero first, and then the Studio Deen version (the animation- the horror!)
FMA 2003 is a better starting point than FMAB definitely, though not only because of the animation. It's a much better introduction to the central cast and concept of alchemy in general, even with the drastic differences between the two versions. FMAB just throws you in the thick of it and doesn't bother much with character introduction or world-building early on; it kinda assumes the audience is already familiar with FMA going in. FMA 2003, on the other hand, builds everything from the ground up. In that way, bizarrely, it's more loyal to the manga than FMAB is.
That being said, the animation for FMA 2003 isn't bad at all, really. It's not as flashy as FMAB's, but FMA 2003 isn't an action-driven show like FMAB is, so the gritter, more realistic animation/art style better fits the tone of the series. And when they do have significant action scenes, it's still animated well. Just don't expect any bouncing-off-the-walls action, is all; the fights in FMA 2003 are generally a lot more grounded.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 09 May 2015 - 11:48 PM
I'm very leery about anime that divert from the manga because I generally end up finding it a disappointing experience, but you're making me want to give this one a try.
Trust me, it's totally worth your time. I fully understand your hesitation, but this one is really, truly worth it. It isn't like the others.
It does sadden me that FMA 2003 is so often overlooked now simply because of the fact that it diverges from the manga. I wrote up something a semi-recently on this; I'll just paste it here, as I don't think I can better express it now than I did then.
I’ve often wondered why FMA 03 isn’t considered one of the great/classic anime out there anymore. It’s definitely not because anime viewers aren’t interested in mature material. FMA 03 was adored by critics on its initial release, and series like Cowboy Bebop and Monster remain widely praised and loved to this day. Anime fans dig mature material, as well as the more straight-forward/fun material.
So, why then has FMA 03 been so widely dismissed after FMAB’s release? There’s only one reason I can think of: it’s because it’s chained to a franchise whose dominant fanbase couldn’t care less about it. I feel like FMA 03 is shackled by being a part of the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise.
So many people prefer the storyline of FMAB (likely due to it mostly following the manga) to what FMA 03 has to offer that FMA 03 is completely overshadowed by its mere association with FMAB. This trend only continues to grow as more FMA newcomers are directed straight to FMAB by the FMAB-dominated fanbase while said fanbase promptly dismisses FMA 03 as “that adaptation that didn’t follow the manga”, drastically oversimplifying the situation and potentially robbing people who might enjoy the vastly different tale FMA 03 has to offer of the chance to do so.
Instead of being classified as an entirely different series (like it deserves to be, in all honesty, as it differs from FMAB and the manga in almost every significant way), FMA 03 remains an entry in the FMA franchise only to be swept under the rug, gathering dust. It really saddens me to see it so widely disregarded and/or blatantly ignored. It deserves so much better, especially when equal or lesser shows are in turn being given more of a spotlight (simply because they aren’t weighed down by an apathetic fanbase and association with FMAB; no, that’s solely FMA 03’s burden to bear).
If it wasn't obvious by now, I absolutely adore FMA 2003. It was the first anime I saw that really opened me up to the medium (around...god, I think it was about 8 years ago now) and made me realize it could do amazing things, beyond just simple action. And it's only gotten better over time. Every time I watch it again, I pick up something I didn't notice the last time around that makes me appreciate it more. I love the show to death.
Also, it's important to note that I'm disregarding the movie sequel to FMA 2003; I'm only talking about the core 51-episode series itself. Very important to note that.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 05 May 2015 - 07:04 PM
Pls, everyone knows HF is the Kirei route
Main reason I'm looking forward to the HF movie(s) right here.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 30 April 2015 - 06:25 AM
i suggest you go for both! the anime music is pretty but the manga art is way better.
The manga should take heavy priority, though. Because reasons. Reasons of the mind-shattering sort.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 29 April 2015 - 07:32 PM
Seems like we're getting quite a bit of new blood. This is good. This is very good.
Speaking of the ending, I just realized I never posted my thoughts on it. Correcting that mistake immediately.
This series really puts you through the emotional wringer throughout, but I've usually kept my composure. Nope, not this time. Oz and Alice saying goodbye to Gil and that whole scene in general had me straight-up crying.
The first 20 or so pages took me by complete surprise; I didn't think we would be getting anything like that. But it was beautiful, and helped give a major sense of closure to everything. Oddly enough, the scene with Xai gave a real sense of his character having undergone an arc, even though he was dead in the "main" universe. Felt like his whole character was building to that AU incarnation of him giving Oz the recognition he never could in the main story, no matter how much he may have wanted to deep down.
Sharon beginning to age again was a bit odd and opened up a lot of questions as to how their actions with the core really affected the world. There are several possible explanations as to why she started aging again, but none of them were elaborated on. I don't know whether to count this as a flaw or not, really. It didn't bother me at all that it happened, and it felt oddly fitting; it just raises some questions.
The last scene was perfect. Vincent's death was perfect. His final gift to Gil was perfect. The implications behind it are wonderful, too.
Overall, I wouldn't say it was a perfect ending; some details could have benefited from further elaboration. That being said, those details are really inconsequential. This was still a beautiful, fulfilling ending which completed the journey splendidly. I'm so glad I invested my time in this series.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 29 April 2015 - 05:54 PM
I've just read the first two chapters. I honestly have no idea what is going on right now, but I shall continue reading it to see why its fanbase adores this manga so much ^_^
Don't worry, the first two chapters (chapter 2 specifically) are purposefully intended to get you asking "wait, what?". Part of the mystery is finding out what really happened there, and the context behind it. Everything comes together.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 28 April 2015 - 11:34 PM
Pandora Hearts absolutely 100% needs a reboot, especially now that the manga's complete. A proper adaptation to showcase how amazing it really is. A reboot would also help give it some more much needed exposure. The story's a masterpiece, and it deserves all the recognition it can get.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 23 April 2015 - 04:33 PM
I can't believe this. Kishimoto is actually taking his franchise down with him. This is fantastic.
Seriously, he's trolling enough to get the point across, while doing it just under-the-radar enough for them to allow him to publish it.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 21 April 2015 - 11:54 PM
Sword of the Stranger.
That is all.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 19 April 2015 - 05:46 AM
Berserker’s motivation for protecting Ilya was kinda really essential because the emphasis of the whole situation was “wow look how determined he is to protect her”. But we didn’t get a glimpse into any of it. We got no elaboration on what was going on in his head and why he was so determined.
The Ilya character building (minus a few confusing technicalities) was good, but Berserker’s motivation for protecting her was important too, and it wasn’t given any real focus in the episode.
The episode was good; it just didn’t cover all its bases.
Posted by CloudMountainJuror on 10 April 2015 - 07:53 PM
I kittenING LOVE MY SIG
Saber in suit on motorcycle 10/10