30 Day FMA Challenge: Day 4

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

It is day four of the 30 Day FMA Challenge.

4. Favorite Female Alchemist

So, there is a bit of a problem with this category, in that there is only one real contestant who kind of wins by default, that character being Izumi Curtis, so for today I’ll just talk about a few of the things I like and dislike about her as a character.

One of the things that I do appreciate about Izumi is just how much influence she exerts over the show even without being on screen. To Ed and Al, Izumi is not only their dear teacher, but also a pseudo-maternal figure who entered there lives in a time when the arguably needed it the most. On top of all of that, Izumi is the only other person Ed and Al can talk to about their experiences with human transmutation, due to having attempted to bring her child back after a miscarriage. She is a much more important figure than the screen time she gets would have you believe, which is why I appreciate the original adaptation’s greater focus on her as a character.

Another thing I appreciate about Izumi is that she fulfills what I would call an archetype of order, someone who takes Ed and Al as kids and quells a lot of there anarchist spirit and resentment at the world by showing them not only how to be strong and survive on their own, but also shows them love and kindness.

The only thing I would say I truly dislike about her is that the joke of the Elric brothers always being afraid of her does get a old after a while, and also that, as I mention before, her Brotherhood iteration leaves a little to be desired.

Here’s a question: What other kinds of female alchemists would you have like to have seen in FMA? How would you have made them fit into the story? Let me know in the comments.

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