Obsessions: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

(No major spoilers)

So, I did the dorkiest thing I've ever done the other night in class. I was trying to take a picture of my sketchbook in a dark room, where a critique was going on on the projector, and the flash went off. The thing in my sketchbook I was so eager to photograph was a fanart of Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist with hearts drawn around him. Never in my life did I think it would come to this.

I know the type of people that love FMA, and they can get hella lame. But it's really more of a sorry not sorry situation, because it really is that good.

So if you know even less than I did a month ago (I thought the suit of armor was a girl because it had a ponytail), it's the story of two boys in a pseudo Industrial Revolution Germany named Ed and Al. There's something called alchemy in this world and it's basically magic. Ed and Al lose their mother to some disease and try to bring her back to life using alchemy, and the price they pay is their bodies. Ed loses an arm and a leg, and Al loses his whole body, and spends the show as a talking suit of armor. They're trying to get their bodies back the whole show, but bigger shit goes down.

I think one of things that makes the show so good is it's widespread appeal. There's a wide variety of characters, and they're all important. It's not just about two kids, so it's not just directed towards young boys. The coolest part for me was how the show treats women. You kinda get used to the way females are treated in media (particulary action storyies, both Eastern and Western), as side-characters, a kind of breather you take from the main story to add a bit of romance or sexual tension or something for whoever the main dude is. But FMA actually treats it's women as humans. And it's kind of wonderful. I swear there were only two instances that could even be considered fan service across all 5 seasons, and all the female characters had depth, their own motivations, and agency. They literally could have swapped the genders of the characters and it wouldn't have made a difference, so color me impressed. I guess that's what you can expect from a manga written by a real live woman.

It especially surprised me because I know a lot of people who like it because it's "badass." Sure, maybe sometimes, but honestly, the main character is a twerp that spends the show growing up. Like, they're a couple of kids that don't know what they're doing most of the time, and I found it to be a lot more touching than fuckyeahbadass.

Other noteworthy things:

An amazing job of slowly aging the characters

Great balance of funny to serious moments

Compelling characters, each and every one

First season theme song was cool af

Al (as a human) had a great haircut

Greed/Ling is my waifu

Anyway, I definitely recommend watching through it if you haven't. The first four seasons are on Netflix, and you can find part 5 with a quick Google search.

Next on my list: Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Death Note, Attack on Titan, K-On. I'm considering watching through the original FMA, too, since it's got a different storyline. Any recommendations are welcome!