Anime The Characters

[2010DigitalBoy]

Notice that this thread isn't called 'your favorite fma characters.' Instead of everyone writing a post about why they love X character so much, I'd like to get some real discussion going about them.

So to kick things off, and I know this is a real lame way to post, but effective, I wan to redirect you to a recent post on a friend of mine's blog about Roy Mustang. He does a great job of getting a huge discussion ball rolling, so I figure that's a perfect starting point.

Post here - it is devoid of obscenity so don't worry: [url]http://ghostlightning.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/character-roymustang/[/url]

[Dagger]

I think the reason there haven't been any posts here yet is because it's such an intimidatingly huge subject, haha. This show [i]is[/i] its characters--okay, that sounds like a truism, but it applies more to FMA than to a lot of other series, I think. Which, of course, makes this a nice idea for a topic. :catgirl:

I can't offer much of a response re:Mustang except to say that the blogger did a spot-on job of explaining his appeal as a character. What I do want to bring up, though, is what makes Ed such a compelling protagonist (at least for me). Behind all their power-ups and contrived but exciting battles, sports series and fighting series and so forth are essentially about that one key moment when the main character grits his/her teeth and stands up under the most hopeless of circumstances.

Ed goes from despair to impossible determination movingly and convincingly because his stubborn need to survive and his grit aren't aspects of himself he occasionally discovers under extreme duress; they're the absolute core of his being. When watching the first series, I remember wanting Ed to make it out okay so badly... he's easy to root for because you honestly believe that he could take the worst kind of emotional/physical beating, clench his hands--and, when he really needs to, when he gives himself no other choice, get up anyway. Not because it's necessary or convenient for the plot--because that's who his character is.

~Dagger~

[Magus]

Indeed it is an intimidating subject [strike]I hate going to blogs[/strike], and I agree with Dagger that what the poster said about Mustang is spot on. Only thing that can be tacted on is more of his random moments. [spoiler](I LOVE DOGS!)[/spoiler] They hit you off guard because you're not expecting these sort of outbursts from a guy like Mustang. And then I gotta give a lot of creidt to his voice actor (What is his name? Travis? something?) for doing a good job too. Also, I'm more into secondary characters these days when it comes to the shounen genre. (Outside of a few select series.)

Now, anyone who've seen me complain about FMA knows exactly why I don't claim it as a great series. For those who haven't. Ed and Al's the answer. One's very whiny (and it's understandable because they're still kids..) and the other is very bratty. I hate both of those characteristics. (and this is why I don't like kiddies as protagonists in anything.) I wanted to like Ed because his comical moments are funny, but every time he pout/whines about something he can't get he throws a hissy fit. (He's a lot like Luke in Tales of the Abyss) And I just wished someone hit this boy in the face. [spoiler]I was very happy near the end when Envy got to him. Actually, I was happy every time Envy got the best of Ed[/spoiler] (sorry, I'm mean XD)

[size=1]Where are the Mustang avvies? There's one of Winry (of all people, why her?) but no Mustang.... j/k.[/size]

[Meggido]

This topic is actually really quite interesting because it allows for a broader range of discussion and I don't just mean in the approach to the more known characters. This could also bring out some interesting talk about the manga characters who will probably become more well known once the second series begins of the anime. I also think that some of the characters are portrayed differently in the manga then they are in the anime. For example I think Ed and Al progressively get stronger and less whiny as the manga progresses, while in the anime they started at one point (before the flashbacks) and then sort of continues along that same style.

Actually one of the characters that I really find interesting in the manga is the "true" Pride. He is a lot more scheming, vile and evil than Bradley is and I think it's actually a really nice change at the same time the Homunculus for the most part personify their sin a lot more accurately (not that greed, envy, lust and gluttony didn't already). In particular I believe Sloth is now the very personification of the sin his name suggests however as proven in recent chapters this can also be contradicted quite rapidly.