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Crossposting this from tumblr, because it's about time I did an official rec of FMA. XD
FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD READ FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
1: The Awesome Ladies
You’ve probably already heard me talk about this before, but FMA has an extraordinary amount of strong women for a shounen manga. This may have to do with the fact that it’s written by someone who is an awesome lady herself. (Seriously, Arakawa rocks hardcore.) The ladies of FMA know how to rock it. Not all of them are fighters, and those who are don’t always win every fight, but that just adds to their awesomeness as characters. There’s women of all ages and sizes who play an important role in the story, whether they’re a 12 year old girl or a grandmother. They’ve all got their own interests and skills, they’re all really independent, and they’ve all got some asskicking to do. So, whether they’re a housewife or a general (two of the most badass characters in the series, by the way), you know that these ladies are going to bring it!
And yes, it passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors and more. XD
2: Pacing
This is actually the point someone made that convinced me to read Fullmetal Alchemist. It seriously has the best pacing that I’ve come across in an action/adventure manga. Arakawa has had the entire story planned out from the beginning, and it SHOWS. The foreshadowing is amazing, and the character development pans out beautifully. You get all of the backstory without it ever feeling like an infodump, and you’ll never find yourself bored during a fight that’s been going on for what seems like years. It definitely reads more like a novel than a serialized manga.
3: The Elric Brothers
Okay, I could be a little biased in this regard, but I LOVE sibling relationships, and Edward and Alphonse seriously have one of the most adorable and supportive relationships that I’ve ever read. Individually, each of them are very awesome. Ed has a short temper, (heh, short) but he’s actually really intelligent and has this really good sense of right and wrong, and he never feels like the typical obnoxious main character that you see in a lot of popular manga. (*cough*) On the other hand, Alphonse is his older brother’s foil: he’s more strategic, he thinks things through, and he’s the one who’s always there to hold his brother back when he freaks out about things.
I’m going to go off on a bit of a tangent here and just say that Alphonse is my favorite character. He’s really sweet and caring, and is usually upbeat even though he’s in a pretty horrible situation. (He’s stuck in a huge body that can’t eat, sleep, or physically feel anything.) Yes, liking the “happy” character in a horrible situation is a pattern for me, haha. (see: Aang)
Anyways, the brothers are great main characters, and their relationship really ties the whole story together.
4: Everyone working together!
FMA has a very large cast, and one thing that I admire about Arakawa is that she manages to give every character a distinct design and personality. It’s not really the story when the main character is the only one who’s destined to beat the bad guy and save the world, but one where all of the good guys work together to get the job done. (Particularly evident in the fact that the final battle is looking like it’s going to be a seven-on-one duel. XD) Similar to the show of my heart, Avatar, all of the characters get to freely interact with one another, and you see some really random and awesome combinations that you never thought about before. And PEOPLE SAVE EACH OTHER A LOT. <3
5: It is legit HILARIOUS
While FMA covers some pretty heavy topics such as issues of the soul, body, death, revenge, government corruption, and genocide, Arakawa still manages the time to inject in her amazing sense of humor. The way she draws facial expressions is just great, and almost all of the humor is character driven, which I absolutely love. I’m going to compare it to Avatar again in this regard, because it always delivers the LOLS.
ANYWAYS, YEAH. CAN YOU TELL I LIKE THIS MANGA? READ IT!
FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD READ FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
1: The Awesome Ladies
You’ve probably already heard me talk about this before, but FMA has an extraordinary amount of strong women for a shounen manga. This may have to do with the fact that it’s written by someone who is an awesome lady herself. (Seriously, Arakawa rocks hardcore.) The ladies of FMA know how to rock it. Not all of them are fighters, and those who are don’t always win every fight, but that just adds to their awesomeness as characters. There’s women of all ages and sizes who play an important role in the story, whether they’re a 12 year old girl or a grandmother. They’ve all got their own interests and skills, they’re all really independent, and they’ve all got some asskicking to do. So, whether they’re a housewife or a general (two of the most badass characters in the series, by the way), you know that these ladies are going to bring it!
And yes, it passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors and more. XD
2: Pacing
This is actually the point someone made that convinced me to read Fullmetal Alchemist. It seriously has the best pacing that I’ve come across in an action/adventure manga. Arakawa has had the entire story planned out from the beginning, and it SHOWS. The foreshadowing is amazing, and the character development pans out beautifully. You get all of the backstory without it ever feeling like an infodump, and you’ll never find yourself bored during a fight that’s been going on for what seems like years. It definitely reads more like a novel than a serialized manga.
3: The Elric Brothers
Okay, I could be a little biased in this regard, but I LOVE sibling relationships, and Edward and Alphonse seriously have one of the most adorable and supportive relationships that I’ve ever read. Individually, each of them are very awesome. Ed has a short temper, (heh, short) but he’s actually really intelligent and has this really good sense of right and wrong, and he never feels like the typical obnoxious main character that you see in a lot of popular manga. (*cough*) On the other hand, Alphonse is his older brother’s foil: he’s more strategic, he thinks things through, and he’s the one who’s always there to hold his brother back when he freaks out about things.
I’m going to go off on a bit of a tangent here and just say that Alphonse is my favorite character. He’s really sweet and caring, and is usually upbeat even though he’s in a pretty horrible situation. (He’s stuck in a huge body that can’t eat, sleep, or physically feel anything.) Yes, liking the “happy” character in a horrible situation is a pattern for me, haha. (see: Aang)
Anyways, the brothers are great main characters, and their relationship really ties the whole story together.
4: Everyone working together!
FMA has a very large cast, and one thing that I admire about Arakawa is that she manages to give every character a distinct design and personality. It’s not really the story when the main character is the only one who’s destined to beat the bad guy and save the world, but one where all of the good guys work together to get the job done. (Particularly evident in the fact that the final battle is looking like it’s going to be a seven-on-one duel. XD) Similar to the show of my heart, Avatar, all of the characters get to freely interact with one another, and you see some really random and awesome combinations that you never thought about before. And PEOPLE SAVE EACH OTHER A LOT. <3
5: It is legit HILARIOUS
While FMA covers some pretty heavy topics such as issues of the soul, body, death, revenge, government corruption, and genocide, Arakawa still manages the time to inject in her amazing sense of humor. The way she draws facial expressions is just great, and almost all of the humor is character driven, which I absolutely love. I’m going to compare it to Avatar again in this regard, because it always delivers the LOLS.
ANYWAYS, YEAH. CAN YOU TELL I LIKE THIS MANGA? READ IT!