First Impression: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

I'm still not totally sold on the idea but in all fairness, the first episode of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood delivered all the goods and then some. 3 out of 5EPISODE 01: The Fullmetal Alchemist
More Screencaps from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood 01
OP: Again (Yui) [YouTube][4shared]
ED: Lei (SID) [YouTube]Isaac McDougall, otherwise known as the Ice Alchemist, is after King Bradley and going around the city, attacking random guards and trying to recruit fellow ex-soldiers to join his cause. To neutralize him, King Bradley assigns Col. Roy Mustang, who once fought in the same war with Isaac, to handle the situation with help from the state alchemist, Edward Elric (a.k.a. the Fullmetal Alchemist) and his brother, Alphonse. The Elric brothers manage to stop Isaac at the onset but the latter escapes and continues to wreak havoc, prompting a city-wide hunt. However, since this is a shounen series, the good guys win eventually and Isaac meets his untimely death at the hands of King Bradley himself. The series ends with the Elric brothers wondering whether or not Isaac was using the Philosopher's Stone to augment his alchemy at the same time some shady-looking characters calmly discuss the death of their comrade.
So that's Fullmetal Alchemist remade. I see. Well, it's certainly action-packed as is typical of most shounen series. The anime is by studio Bones, whose most recent works include the 2008 runaway hit, Xam'd: Lost Memories, so I have no qualms about production values. They're top of the line as it certainly looks like Bones pulled all the stops to make the first episode as explosive and as jam-packed with action as anyone can ever want from this incredibly hyped up series. But -- and this is a huge "But" -- little change has been added on the character designs. In fact, I think they are done by the same person who also did the original, Itou Yoshiyuki. Purely as a matter of taste, I don't like it very much. The characters look too bulky, bordering on fat, and yet strangely angular. On the downside, they look like videogame characters; on the other hand, they look like nothing else on anime television these days, with the possible exception of Juushin Enbu ~ Hero Tales, which is probably designed by the same person as well. Ergo, they are at least distinctive.
The characters are likeable enough. I especially like that the Elric brothers look like they're competent enough as they are. I hope it means that we won't be seeing any ridiculous Dragonball-esque power-ups in later episodes. Side characters serve as little more than comedic fodder in this episode but with 50+ episodes slated for this remake series, I guess there's plenty enough room for developing them as well. I do take a bit of an exception to the humor, particularly about the redundancy of poking fun at Ed's height insecurity. I don't know. Maybe because it reminds me a little too much about the flat-chest jokes directed at Lina Inverse from Slayers, and that one got old pretty fast. There must have been seven cracks made at Ed's expense for just that one episode. Not a good sign. Especially since I read somewhere that this is a running gag. Well, here's to hoping the animators continue to do a good job at making those hilarious faces that Ed makes when he's mad.
As for the story, well, this episode pretty much stands on its own. Bad guy goes on a rampage, gets attention of our heroes, and gets dead soon enough. Typical. But there are enough hints about an overarching plot with really evil-looking villains using the Philosopher's Stone, which our heroes are also after. Plus, there's that bit about the Elric brothers' tragic past that has something to do with Ed losing his leg and arm and Al losing his entire body. It's interesting.
IN SUM --

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a typical shounen series that suits youngish audiences who appreciate clear demarcation lines between good and evil, some humor, and potential depth in the episodes to come. Oh and yeah, Paku Romi and Kugimiya Rie have some of the best voice chemistry I've ever heard in an anime.

MORE INFO:

OFFICIAL (JPN)
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood @ ANN
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood @ Wikipedia
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Trailer [YouTube]

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Spring 2009 Anime Preview

Yeah, so it's that time again. Brand new season, brand new shows. It's a shorter list this time and I'm not even sure I'll blog every one of these titles. Last season, we got bombarded with sequels. I didn't really mind those because, you know, all I had to do was to not watch the series at all. This time around, the studios have put together some very interesting titles and some rather generic ones as well. The ones below are those that made it to the short list.



Phantom ~ Requiem for the Phantom ~
OFFICIAL | TV-Tokyo | ANN | Wikipedia

A spate of mafia assasinations occurs in America, the work of the mysterious organization named Inferno. "Phantom" is their most strongest and capable assassin, however a lone tourist witnesses Phantom's latest act of murder. He unwittingly exposes the top assassin's true identity, a young girl named Ein. Witnesses are usually killed, but the man is captured and taken to be brainwashed into "Zwei", Inferno's newest assassin, with no memory of who he is. From this point on, Zwei is drawn into a world of conspiracy, deceit and violence. (ANN)

COMMENTS:

Bee Train. That's all that I can really say at this point. I mean, aside from the promising plot summary and the attractive poster. I mean, dude, now that is a gun. And poor you, did you cut yourself shaving this morning? Anyway, this one has melancholy written all over it, which is not a problem since I do have a taste for depressing storylines. Also, assassins! What more can I possibly ask for?

Fullmetal Alchemist 2
OFFICIAL | AnimaxASIA | ANN | Wikipedia

Set in a fictional universe in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scientific techniques known to man, the story follows the brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who want to restore their bodies after a disastrous failed attempt to bring their mother back to life through alchemy. (Wikipedia)

COMMENTS:

Well, this is supposed to be a remake of the original series, which I have yet to watch (I've got all 50+ episodes gathering dust on my desk). The manga is reportedly better than the anime so this being a more faithful adaptation of the manga, I believe this is supposed to be superior. I am vaguely interested in this series but there is no chance of me blogging it since 51 episodes is too much of a commitment.

Eden of the East

OFFICIAL | Production I.G. | ANN | Wikipedia

On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be called as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory. and he is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he's holding with the other hand. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash. (ANN)

COMMENTS:

This series has an awesome staff. Of course, I don't ever discount the fact that this is Production I.G. And not just Production I.G. but the Production I.G. I have come to love: Kamiyama Kenji of Seirei no Moribito fame returns at the helm to direct this series based on an original script written by himself. The character designs are done by Umino Chika, the mangaka of Honey and Clover. Although I have never seen Honey and Clover (and likely never will), I am familiar with her style. I don't know how her kind of old-school, stationary style will fit with a futuristic setting but I can imagine it adding a bit of fantastical element to the whole thing. Anyway, looking forward to this.

Natsu no Arashi!

TV-Tokyo | Starchild | ANN | Wikipedia

Thirteen-year-old Yasaka is a boy staying at his grandfather's house during his summer vacation. One day he meets Arashi, a beautiful sixteen-year old girl with mysterious powers. After trying to protect her from a man who claims to have been hired by her family to take her back by force, Yasaka ran away with her and now she stays at his grandpa's place with him. The plot thickens when he finds a sixty-year-old picture of Arashi and another girl named Kaja, and to the surprise of all Kaja suddenly appears, and just like Arashi, her appearance hasn't changed at all since then. (Wikipedia)

COMMENTS:

The obligatory romance title on the list. Supposedly, the dude who wrote and drew the manga on which this anime is based is the same dude who created School Rumble. But I've only seen one or two episodes of that one and although they were appreciably hilarious episodes, I can't really say anything much about the series itself. I think I'll use the three-episode rule on this one.

Ristorante Paradiso

OFFICIAL | ANN | Wikipedia

Set in a restaurant in Rome that the heroine Nicoletta visits from the countryside. Her parents divorced when she was young, so her grandparents raised her while her mother tried to remarry. Unfortunately for Nicoletta, her mother abandons her even after remarrying. Nicoletta goes to the restaurant that is now owned by the new husband of Nicoletta's mother, and ends up apprenticing there among a kitchen staff of colorful characters. (ANN)

COMMENTS:

The promo poster kind of got me. It looks really hip. Unfortunately, there's very little information about this series apart from the fact that it seems to be an anime adaptation of a manga by Natsume Ono. Of course, I don't know her and of course, I've never heard of the manga. But, lately, I've been watching a lot of local cooking shows, not because I'm trying to be a cook myself (me and the kitchen, not a good combination) but because, for some strange reason, I am fascinated by chefs...mainly by what they talk about when they're cooking. It's sooo...educational. So proceeding from that acquired taste of mine, I think I'll give this show a try.

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