Fullmetal Alchemist
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| ...That's how it ended?!...No...I can't accept that ending =( I don't mean to be "that person", but I'm pretty upset about the way it ended. It feels like everything they did was for nothing. Al lost his memories and returned to a 10 year old and had to start from scratch with everything, and Ed ended up in another world where alchemy doesn't even exist...Even though they both said at the end that they were working to get things back to the way they were, it's just words if we can't actually see it happen...I'm sure in the movie, Conqueror of Shamballa, it will tie things up right? All the Homunculi were defeated except Wrath and Gluttony, Mustang and Hawkeye survived, and Winry, Sheska, and most of the others are still alive, but that ending just didn't feel right to me. I don't like how they aren't together anymore, and how Al forgot everything that happened in the past 4 years. Everything they went through and fought for. What's the point? Sure Al got his body back, but now he doesn't have Ed or his memories... In a spoiler tag because it's long: I'll watch the movie next, probably tomorrow or so. I have high hopes for it, since FMA was so amazing, and I hope it wraps up loose ends. Also, unrelated to this, but was there a reason Envy turned into a dragon at the end? Guess I'll find out in Conqueror of Shamballa... |
BlackFox24Jul 14, 2015 9:36 PM
BlackFox24 said: ...That's how it ended?!...No...I can't accept that ending =( I don't mean to be "that person", but I'm pretty upset about the way it ended. It feels like everything they did was for nothing. Al lost his memories and returned to a 10 year old and had to start from scratch with everything, and Ed ended up in another world where alchemy doesn't even exist...Even though they both said at the end that they were working to get things back to the way they were, it's just words if we can't actually see it happen... All the Homunculi were defeated except Wrath and Gluttony (I'm not sure what happened to him), Mustang and Hawkeye survived, and Winry, Sheska, and most of the others are still alive, but that ending just didn't feel right to me. I don't like how they aren't together anymore, and how Al forgot everything that happened in the past 4 years. Everything they went through and fought for. What's the point? Sure Al got his body back, but now he doesn't have Ed or his memories... A much better ending would have been something like...And I'm just making this up on the spot, but...Ed pulls Al's body from the gate somehow and returns Al's soul to his real body which has aged in the time that's passed. They used all the power remaining in the Philosophers Stone to do this, which means there's not enough juice left for Ed to regain his arm and leg, but he's okay with that because over the years he's gotten so used to them that they're more of an extension of himself, not to mention Winry can continue to fix his automail and practice and learn from constantly fixing his arm and leg, upgrading it and making it better each time. After Al is returned to his body, he and Ed walk into Central like nothing has happened, passing by people like Fury and Havoc on the way to Mustangs office. Fury and Havoc are shocked, of course, when they realize after walking away who they just saw walking next to Ed. They walk into Mustangs office to accept some new mission, or maybe even just to talk. Al has taken up a job at the military, but not as a State Alchemist. Some other, lower job so he can work with his brother and friends he's made in the military. Outside work, Ed and Winry end up together of course, and Al gets a crush on some girl who lives nearby, but it's not stated what happens between them. Ed and Al go back to Resembool to visit Winry and Pinako often, the current lives of the surviving characters are mentioned like what they're doing now and how things ended up for them. Maybe Havoc got a girlfriend, maybe Mustang and Hawkeye end up having a daughter, maybe Ed learns to drink milk. And the story ends with a deep, inspirational message about equivalent exchange or something of that nature. Or something like that... I'll watch the movie next, probably tomorrow or so. I have high hopes for it, since FMA was so amazing, and I hope it wraps up loose ends. Also, unrelated to this, but was there a reason Envy turned into a dragon at the end? Guess I'll find out in Conqueror of Shamballa... This series was never about having a straight-up happy ending. If that's what you were looking for, then I'm sorry to say you're not going to find it here. And your alternate ending suggestion shows you didn't understand the point of this ending, or the themes of the series. I'll repeat what I typed on the previous page: "The ending with Ed and Al separated suggests their journey and search for answers never truly ends, just as ours never does. It is purposefully left open because uncertainty and subjectivity is one of the story’s major themes. There are different points of view and philosophies everywhere, different ways of life which we can arguably never comprehend or understand. In the same vein, the show gives no definite answers as to whose philosophy is “correct” in the end - Ed’s, Dante’s, etc. - but leaves them on a relatively equal stance, leaving it to the viewer to decide what they believe. Al’s concluding monologue ponders this deconstruction of the concept of “equivalent exchange”. The only absolute the series provides is this: the world isn’t perfect. Humanity is flawed. And yet the world perseveres, and can continue to be inspiring and beautiful, even without a perfect, definite system, even with all its imperfections. Conflict will always arise because humans are inherently flawed; we all have our own goals, beliefs, and emotional vulnerabilities which lead to mistakes. We all contribute to the world and its struggles through our own actions with no certainties, and while imperfect and uncertain, humanity and the world as we know it wouldn’t be the same without these imperfections. We are imperfect individuals, yet we together collectively form our imperfect world, which fittingly “turns on a tilted axis, just doing the best it can”, as Hohenheim observed. In other words: all is one, and one is all." I didn't cover nearly everything in there, but that's the general gist of the ending. It isn't supposed to be happy, it's supposed to make a point. It's alright that they haven't reunited, it's alright that they don't have all the answers. Because not having all the answers, always searching for something, is what makes life worth living. As Mustang says to Hawkeye, "Nothing's perfect. The world's not perfect. But it's there for us, trying the best it can. That's what makes it so damn beautiful." If the ending was perfectly happy and closed, in a style like you suggested, then a huge amount of the series' thematic depth would be thrown away. Also, Envy turning into a dragon was more symbolic than anything else. It's implied he was locked away in the limbo in the gate forever because of his stubborn persistence and hatred. A beautiful implication that is unfortunately ruined (along with several other things) by Conqueror of Shamballa... It's honestly best to pretend Shamballa doesn't exist, from a storytelling perspective. Its ending is slightly happier, if that's what you care about. But its storytelling is nowhere near as good as the main series'. |
zacrathedemon5Jul 14, 2015 9:22 PM
Yeah, I got all that from watching the original series, but you and I obviously have different opinions about this. I for one don't like open-ended things like this. I need more closure than that, and I personally didn't like the way they left things off. This could easily be one of my favorite anime if it had ended differently. I understand all or most of the symbolism and what's going on, but the only thing I didn't like was the way they chose to end the series. I know not everything needs a happy ending, but I would say that this series deserves one. This is not the way I would have done it, but it's not my series. |
BlackFox24Jul 14, 2015 10:23 PM
| What an ending! It didn't wrap things up as beautifully as I'd like, but that's life. hehe ★ 5/5 Still, it was a great end to a great series. FMA dragged on a bit, and occasionally I started to get bored and so I watch a couple other things throughout. But when all is said and done, I really enjoy the story and many of its characters. I'm very glad I watched it! I have to think on it some more to be sure, but I'll probably give this anime an overall 8/10. |
| Series finale that good or bad seems a bit hasty in some places, but it works out to less than a good all situations, so it would remain strictly speaking an open ending. Not having read the manga can not complain about time as it is being performed in the events in truth, however, the fact remains that this anime is a great series, with characters and plot that does not have anything to envy to other popular anime series, level technical and graphic good, very beautiful soundtrack. 8/10. |
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| Had to watch this a second time cause the first I had been drinking haha. So we're left with Al returned home in his original form with lost memories, Ed threw himself back into the gate to bring Ed back, it appeared that since the elevator was empty when it reached its floor that gluttony and dante destroyed each other. But I think most importantly as the credits are rolling we are left knowing that Al and Ed will continue trying to get back together and can choose to believe or not if they are successful. Some people mention that gluttony survived but I don't recall seeing him again after the elevator scene. While Ed & Al didn't succeed in getting back together in their original form they did succeed in saving the world. 7/10 |
| Such junk... |
| Meet expectations 7/10. Will watch Brotherhood sometime soon,expect it to be way better. |
| Superb ending. I've seen both Brotherhood and this and I can say I like this much better. Despite the movie sequel feeling a little rushed(could've been made into a second season), this ending really nailed the series. I love how the moral isn't hard work means equal gain, because that's been proven in the series to be wrong, and has been reflected to be true in real life as well. At times people work hard and get nothing as discussed by Dante, and that's simply the nature of the world. Not perfect. The moral really is if you keep working hard you are bound to be paid back, not that you can expect working hard to mean equal gain- it's a promise as Alphonse says. Another message is the unpredictability of equivalent exchange, how sometimes suddenly losing something doesn't mean you haven't gained anything and how suddenly gaining something doesn't mean you didn't pay for it before, reflected in the conversation between Ed and his father at the end. Brotherhood's message isn't bad. It's simple- if you work hard you get what you want. However, the original changes the idea slightly. Equivalent exchange is unpredictable so don't stop working hard. It's more of a message to those working their hardest than to those who haven't started working hard. In conclusion as I see it, Brotherhood tells people to work hard, but FMA 2003 tells people to not expect anything in return but keep working hard |
| “Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth. But the world isn't perfect, and the law is incomplete..." -Alphonse Elric "Then and now, what I protect has never changed!" -Sakata Gintoki I'll take anything like The Pet Girl of Sakurasou. Anything as good as that. |
| Mixed feelings for this ending. Although I do like how they did the idea of equivalent exchange. Hoping that the movie wraps things up nicely. |
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| I think the real world on the other side of the gate thing would have been amazing if it was hinted at early on. Like it should have been hinted that there was something on the other side of the gate to build suspense, until they finally show us that it is the real world, and our minds would have been blown. It seems out of nowhere the way it was done here, probably because they thought of it really close to the end. I did still think it was cool, however, and did not dislike this ending. Sure, I think Brotherhood's ending was near perfect, but I appreciated seeing a darker, less happy ending as well. There were some loose ends left over too, and I hope Conqueror of Shamballa will help with those. I wonder if they will try to have Ed come back to the real world in that movie... Hmm I guess we'll find out. |
| ~ The world is not beautiful, therefore it is. |
Phenomanan said: I think the real world on the other side of the gate thing would have been amazing if it was hinted at early on. Like it should have been hinted that there was something on the other side of the gate to build suspense, until they finally show us that it is the real world, and our minds would have been blown. It seems out of nowhere the way it was done here, probably because they thought of it really close to the end. The design of FMA03's gate is based on the rodin sculpture of the gates of hell, which again Is based on Dante alighieri's poem. It Is first shown (as I remember) In episode 31 around 15 minutes In. A passage In "Inferno" written by Alighieri says that hell goes through the world and then comes out the other end to the other side of the world. I guess you'd have to know some christian literature to even catch this, which I suppose Is unfair In some ways. Moreover, In episode 29 when Ed remembers his experience with the gate, a series of images flashes by at 14:00 and one of them was this. |
TylaenAug 28, 2016 4:53 AM
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Tylaen said: _Phenomanan said: I think the real world on the other side of the gate thing would have been amazing if it was hinted at early on. Like it should have been hinted that there was something on the other side of the gate to build suspense, until they finally show us that it is the real world, and our minds would have been blown. It seems out of nowhere the way it was done here, probably because they thought of it really close to the end. The design of this shows gate, based on rodin sculpture the gates of hell, which again Is based on Dante alighieri's poem Is first shown (as I remember) In episode 31 around 15 minutes In. A passage In "Inferno", hell goes through the world and then comes out the other end to the other side of the world. I guess you'd have to know some christian literature to even catch this, which I suppose Is unfair In some ways. Moreover, In episode 29 when Ed remembers his experience with the gate, a series of images flashes by at 14:00 one of which was this. Dayum that's good shit. Yeah I wouldn't know any of that christian stuff but nice detective work there ^_^ |
| ~ The world is not beautiful, therefore it is. |
| Wow. What an ending. I have not watched Brotherhood yet, but before watching FMA I heard it EVERYWHERE, from my friends, from the Internet, in different websites, that it TOTALLY sucked, and that I should watch Brotherhood instead, especially because of the ending. Then it made me curious and I felt that I should still watch this anime first. And wow, I'm surprised. The ending wasn't happily ever after, and was in fact quite tragic! However it's really refreshing to see an ending as unique as this, and I totally disagree with the HUGE amount of bashing this anime got. Overall I really enjoyed the ride, and although Brotherhood(haven't watched) may have a MUCH happier ending, I don't think that this was a bad anime just because Brotherhood is better(because it is well known that Brotherhood is better). |
Newo_Apr 17, 2016 11:30 AM
| (*ﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ |
| I don't understand this attitude of "if the ending isn't happy, it's bad". In fact, i wish the ending to this was a bit more depressing and Mustang would have died. I love Mustang, but from the way the scene was set up with Riza crying over his bloodied body, i was sure he was gonna die. Seeing him being fine in the hospital afterwards kind of negates the entire emotional impact of that scene before. |
| This was masterfully written wow. I WAS STILL SO SAD TO SEE THE BROTHERS APART. I know that the movie ties up loose ends WHICH IS SO GREAT I CAN'T WAIT TO WATCH IT. |
mayaithApr 22, 2019 9:08 AM
 "𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴? 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵." |
| Not every anime has to have a happy ending; I think that's why I love Fullmetal Alchemist for going against the typical happy ending for an anime but also having some satisfaction do it. Equal exchange is still present in the end that's why Ed and Al were separated. |
| I seemed to have enjoyed it more upon my 2nd rewatch. (That's not to say I disliked it the first time around, I believe I had it at an 8 before) It's been years since I've seen the original, and rewatching it these many years later has given me a newfound appreciation for this series. They really did a good job with tying the series together as a whole, at least in terms of alchemy, Dante, Hohenheim, and the homunculi. I commend them for being able to do so much, given it had to deviate into anime original partway in. Funny, when I had finished Brotherhood I had it at a 10 and it was on my favorites, but here we are now, with the original on my favorites and rated at a 10 instead. We've come full circle. |
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| Very good anime. It definitely deserves a 9/10 I think. |
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| Meh dissapointing ending but the previous great episodes make up for it. 8/10 |
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| Well that was...interesting. Quite the bittersweet ending really, I personally prefer Brotherhood's a bit more but overall this was quite enjoyable nonetheless. And was Dante eaten by Gluttony? Because that's quite funny.. 8/10. |
SnappynatorMar 27, 2017 1:57 AM
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| I loved the ending. Show was pretty good, allthough with the amount of "equivalent exchange" being mentioned it was obvious the story wanted to disprove that "law". shame it wasnt properly discussed until the end of the show. Characters were awesome, I thought we'd get more time with some of them though, wished we would have gotten more out of Riza or some of the other state alchemists. The alchemy used in the anime at some times felt really strong, the first arc with the priest for example but at other times Edward just felt really weak. The story line was a great one though, I enjoyed it a lot, it kept me wondering most of the time and tearing up at some other scenes. 8/10 |
PrOxAntoJun 4, 2017 12:31 PM
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| The ending was a bit eh, not exactly perfect. However, I still got Brotherhood left to watch so I guess I'll end up giving that one a 10. |
| That was AMAZING FullMetal Alchemist 2003 was a journey, while I feel the ending is a tiny bit incomplete, it still is a masterpiece on its own right. While 2003 didn't have such a perfect ending, it concluded on a more bittersweet note, which isn't all that bad (neither does this make it superior). I know some people might feel that it was forced, not for me, but I can see where you're coming from. I also love this show's philosophy, which in my opinion, was a treated much better here than in Brotherhood. There're also many characters that were given more developement here (and others in Brotherhood), Lust and Scar, for example, are much better here (from my point of view). On the other hand, Brotherhood is a more typical shonen series with a magnificent execution, it ends happily and is not so much centered in philosophy, and more in characters and story. It's simpler, but it doesn't make it (objectively) better or worse, you may like one or the other from your own point of view. Anyway, 2003 and Brotherhood are both amazing on their own right and two of my favorites overall. |
| Around the gif~ "It's a big mistake to think you're the only one who can turn into a car" - Shiori Takatsuki |
| The ending was ehhh. Good? At least at the movie it got bettet. But overall the series deserves a 10/10 |
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| Decent ending....would've liked to see Ed and Al together and restored, but meh. 9/10 |
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on 
| I am actually astounded that no one here thought that FMA was really bad. for me it was a horrendous ride. felt absolutely pretentious and retarded, beyond messy, all over the place and extremely random. I am giving this shit a 1/10.. FMAB was miles better. |
| This ending is perfect for a series carried by themes of blind faith, especially the message that blind faith will leave you devastated once you get to face reality. Edward's beliefs were challenged multiple times thourough the storyline, his actions had some terrible consequences and now Alchemy, a power he believed to be some kind of cool science-magic of purity is powered by souls altogether, not just the Philosopher Stone. Did that stop him from performing one last transmutation to bring Al back to his world? No, because like all the other beliefs that were lost to him, he left this one in the past and did what he had to do, otherwise Al wouldn't come back and everything he did up to that point would be in vain, because this is reality and he has to deal with it. Life can be really unfair and harsh sometimes, and reality is not going to change to suit your needs, you're the one who has to adapt to overcome the challenges that get in your way. That being said, I wish FMA '03 had more episodes to properly flesh out all the things that were introduced in these last few episodes, because I can agree that the final stretch was rushed. |
| Who are you and why do you show your hostility towards a complete stranger whom you've not once spoken with before. Are you seriously asking to get blocked? Well, if that's what your intent is; to tempt me into throwing hands with someone as lowly and insignificant as you, then i may grant your wish provided you articulate yourself a bit better when trying to spite a person of my wavelength. |
| I really loved the journey with the brothers throughout this. I loved this while growing up, and I still very much see why. The characters are absolutely charming and the idea of alchemy is explained enough to keep you invested. There are around ~6 or so episodes I could see being either condensed or thrown out... So I can't call this a masterpiece. I'm also... really weirded out about cyborg Archer. Out of everything... why... But I felt the ending was decent and was similar to the rest of the mood of the story. I generally like non-happy endings because they feel grounded and more memorable. There were also some points that were more interesting than others. Personally, I have trouble watching any anime that runs more than 30 episodes because you are bound to have a lull or episodes that just don't jive well or feel as fitting to the story. That being said, characters and development were amazing and the story is very unique and timeless. I can't wait to watch the movie! I never saw it before. 7/10 |
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| well what can i say actually i was really surprised on how different this is from the brotherhood version it's like a total different show using the same cast the last 10 episodes were crazy with some crazy idea but the poor and clumsy execution made it a confusing experience for me i have mixed feelings about this let's see what the sequel movie add to this weird mix.... |
| Great ending. I had to lower my score for the Brotherhood Anime down after both reading the Fullmetal Alchemist manga and now finishing this superior adaption. Great series. Best shonen I have seen up until now. |
| I don't understand why everybody is so disppointed by the ending. Usually in this type of anime, lots of the "final cast" would be dead. People, who would be likely dead are: Mustang/Hawkeye, Izumi, at least one of the brothers if not both.... But everyone is alive, so happy ending for me. Of course, it's sad that the brothers aren't together - but I neither expected both of them alive not that they would get their bodies. This is how these stories usually go. Especially, since we learned that equal exchange does not always work like one wants it to. Also, we have learned that the relocation of a soul isn't possible without losing parts of the soul. So memory loss is probably still the nicest loss (compared to other possibilities) . Plus, since his body didn't age, it would just make sense. Let's also not forget that one needs energy from the "world behind the gates" to perform alchemy. And since we know that in about 18 years there will be WWII with lots of dying people (energy for alchemy) on the other site .... I guess that Al will succeed in bringing Ed back. (I hope that this does not conclude in Al "being the cause" for WWII... that would be awful :( ). So in the end, I really enjoyed this series: interesting characters and their relationsships, about military and political influence, lots of morals, interesting % quite unique setting. Sure, maybe rushed at some parts, sometimes a little bit to much going on at the same time.... nethertheless, really good. I enjoyed it. =) |
Naghs said: I was going to give this anime a 9 but this kind of ending doesn't sit well with me. I don't mind sad endings, I mind things being left unresolved. Make it happy, make it sad but finish what you've started. Great anime, not so great ending. Expecting brotherhood to be better. If you want further closure, maybe try the follow up film Conqueror of Shamballa? |
| Hey, it is good! As someone who watched ages ago Brotherhood I really thought it would be a open ending or a half-baked one since there is a movie after this episode. I really liked how they managed to make a complete and good story with just the first part of the manga. Also like the pacing and the tone, very different to the "explosive" brotherhood sibling. |
| Haven't posted to these forums in so long but feel the need to say how much I love 2003 FMA FMAB is more polished sure, but this version is excellent in so many areas. Its kind of a misconception that 2003 FMA wanted to exactly adapt the manga but got ahead of itself. From pretty much the beginning you can tell how much this divurged, but still ran parallel to the original story. So many things overlap and connect in ways when comparing both shows. I adore the way this version foreshadows future events, and how it gives a new purpose to previously introduced characters and places as it goes on. It tries to get every ounce of use it can out of so much of its world. Overall I just love how this show was executed, and sure a few things are goofy towards the end that I could nitpick to death (why would Al as a living philosopher's stone go straight to Tucker to learn how to activate it? Why would he trust Tucker or feel like this was a good idea lol). But this show will always be what sold me on watching more anime when I was a teen that wasn't named DBZ or Yu Yu Hakusho. And naturally, watching things as an adult with new eyes, and especially with other versions of the same show out there (so many things get a reboot in anime), it's such a fun experience to watch really good shows again. |
Orange_AfroJan 27, 2020 9:59 PM
| They twisted the whole fucking plot too soon, I was expecting a darker world beyond the gate but it turned out to be our world. Also Wrath was so scared of the world beyond the gate , but if it's a normal world then why was he ? And what about those hands and black babies feeding in people ??? Wtff |
| What a mix of emotions, I thought Mustang was dead but then it wasn't, he was the best character to kill the Fuhrer considering his ambitions, I still don't know how to feel about Greed and Lust, I hated them but at the same time as soon as they were starting to grow on me they just died, Wrath should've been killed the little bastard, Envy was the one I hated the most, because every other homunculus have some kind of existential problem and he is the sterotypical "I just want to see humans suffer" villain. Died like a retard (or did he? Turned in to shenlong and I don't know what that meant) It was nice to see Al in his body for a change but at the cost of Edward trapped in this alchemy-free dimension, there's no way he can go back on his own. And the fake elric brothers? This anime always brings back seemingly irrelevant dudes in a important way, I loved that. Hohenheim and Dante are the same, the former just fell in love and tried to change his ways but it was too late, he commited the same atrocities to keep living 400 years, this dude could have been much more helpful to his sons, the fear of not wanting them to see him rotten should not have priority over their well-being, if your soul is deteriorating and you can't live forever you should do what everyone else does and protect your lineage, that is the true way of keep "living" in a sense, ironic how different their sons are from him because sometimes it made me angry how they would hesitate to kill even the most scumbag of villains (which caused Al to become the philosopher's stone, if he just let Scar blow kimblee brains out..) but the father killed off entire cities to keep living. |
TsuyateMar 23, 2020 1:08 PM
| Haven't seen this in years and I think this will be the last time I ever will. Brotherhood is vastly superior for me, much more emotional with a more solid plot. Dante is just a disappointing villain when compared to Father, the dwarf in the flask. Plus I really miss Ed-Winry. Rose? Pfft. |
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| For how they set it up, I thought the ending was fine with them being separated through the gate and trying to find a way to meet again. Not a fan of the very sudden introduction of a WW1 parallel universe. That just felt too forced. Wrath and Gluttony conveniently going catatonic and Dante/Hohenheim being defeated that easily after studying alchemy for 400 years was somehwat unbelievable. Ah well...let's see what Brotherhood did differently. Grmo said: Most disappointing ending I've ever seen... AliceWill said: To each their own, i guess. What you two are describing would have been a very disappointing ending indeed since this "happily ever after" doesn't fit the atmosphere and the message of the rest of the series. And it also goes against the entire theme of "equivalent exchange" which - to be fair - was proven not to be correct.What a horrible ending, it was sad! Why couldn't Al have got his body back, Ed have got his limbs back, and they all live happily ever after? Nilvius said: That's more like it :)An ending is good not just because it is happy. FMA had a bitter-sweet ending, but frankly, it is the most appropriate (and one of the most well done anime ending) for the series. It has nothing to do with realism being the element, it's a great ending from a story telling point of view. Malfegor said: The way it was portrayed I also thought him to be dead. Was surprised at the hospital scene. For him to die while taking down the Fuhrer would've been a good end as well.I don't understand this attitude of "if the ending isn't happy, it's bad". In fact, i wish the ending to this was a bit more depressing and Mustang would have died. I love Mustang, but from the way the scene was set up with Riza crying over his bloodied body, i was sure he was gonna die. Seeing him being fine in the hospital afterwards kind of negates the entire emotional impact of that scene before. Phenomanan said: That was my reaction as well. It was just too sudden and not foreshadowed at all like e.g. the world beyond in SnK.I think the real world on the other side of the gate thing would have been amazing if it was hinted at early on. Like it should have been hinted that there was something on the other side of the gate to build suspense, until they finally show us that it is the real world, and our minds would have been blown. It seems out of nowhere the way it was done here, probably because they thought of it really close to the end. BlackFox24 said: Please enlighten us how this would work when Ed is dead or close to death to begin with. Did you skip that step?A much better ending would have been something like...And I'm just making this up on the spot, but...Ed pulls Al's body from the gate somehow and returns Al's soul to his real body which has aged in the time that's passed. They used all the power remaining in the Philosophers Stone to do this... zacrathedemon5 said: Great quote, I agree with you completely. However, I do think that this story did not need an alternate universe to be told.The only absolute the series provides is this: the world isn’t perfect. Humanity is flawed. And yet the world perseveres, and can continue to be inspiring and beautiful, even without a perfect, definite system, even with all its imperfections. Chimerautomaton said: Exactly the opposite for me. I really liked the way the story went in ep. 39-46 and then it got worse with random deaths and the gate revelation.I thought The final episodes got much better than say episodes 40-46. Starchaser said: That part baffled me, what was that? No reasoning, just "well...we wanted to make it look cool".Envy goes through the gate 'cause he wants to kill his dad and ends up turning into a dragon 'cause... reasons, I guess? |
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