Category Archives: 30 Day FMA Challenge

30 Day FMA Challenge Recap and Relfection

September 18, 2019 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

Well, it took a little longer than thirty days, and to be honest, I kind of thought about stopping the challenge at some point, but as of a few days ago I officially finished the 30 Day FMA Challenge. To celebrate, I though I would take some time to think about and reflect on the challenge.

Why I Did It

I like Fullmetal Alchemist. Yeah, it is not super complicated. The show was apart of my childhood growing up, both the original and Brotherhood, and I have been a fan of both ever since. I have done an anime challenge before, but an FMA focused one sounded interesting. Shoutouts once again to Keiko who I saw doing this challenge originally and inspired me to do it.

The Challenge Itself

It was honestly a lot harder than I though. Answering very specific questions for thirty days straight definitely made me think about my opinions on the franchise more than I ever had. It was also a lot of work and, as I said above, there was a point where I thought about just stopping and working on something else. Overall, despite that inclination, I am happy that I decided to see it through till the end.

What I learned

The main thing that I learned from this challenge is honestly just that I have way stronger opinions on FMA and FMAB than I thought I had. As I did more and more research on both series, I eventually remembered all over again why it was that I felt the way I did about both shows.

That about wraps it up for this post though. Thank you all for reading.

I’ll ask a final time for the challenge: What are your opinions on FMA and FMAB? Let me know in the comments below.

If you are interested in reading more from me, check under blog to read my most recent stuff, or look below for some related posts. Also, if you would like to support Animated Observations, consider donating on Ko-fi or through paypal, or pledging on Patreon. You can even support by just liking and sharing this post.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

30 Day FMA Challenge: Day 30

September 15, 2019 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

Well, it seems as though I have failed the challenge, but still, I want to finish it out for the sake of closure. I may or may not also post a recap/reflection of the challenge later on, but I am getting ahead of myself.

30. Least Favorite Ending

So, this one is probably gonna be a short one, because, to be honest, I do not dislike any of the FMA ending particularly strongly. However, if I am going to grip about one of them, it would be “Tsunaida Te” by Lil’ B. The visuals from the ending are fine enough, nothing special. However, its the music that just is not particularly interesting to me. Lil’B’s rap delivery leaves a lot to be desired and it can eventually just become grading.

What is your least favorite ending from FMA? Let me know in the comments below.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

30 Day FMA Challenge

30 Day FMA Challenge: Day 29

September 9, 2019 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

It is now the 29th day of the 30 Day FMA Challenge

29. Least Favorite Opening

There is of course an opposite to everything. My least favorite opening is actually one that I do not have a strong opinion on, that being “Undo” by Cool Joke, from the original FMA. Overall, I do not hate the song, but I also think of it as kind of generic, the most so out of anyone of the openings. It has a sort of bland, J-Rock flavor that has been done a million times at this point in anime openings. The song feels like a lesser version of the show’s fourth opening “Rewrite” by Asian Kung-Fu Generation.

The visuals themselves are also not particularly interesting, with a lot of them just sort of showing different parts of the show, but in a way that does not convey any new meaning. Definitely not a bad opening, but not a particularly good one either.

How do you all feel about the FMA openings? Let me know in the comments below.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

30 Day FMA Challenge

30 Day FMA Challenge: Day 28

September 8, 2019 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

It is now day 28 of the 30 Day FMA Challenge.

28. Favorite Ending

Now, as for my favorite ending…USO, no question. Its been my favorite pretty much since I first heard it, which was actually before I ever watched Brotherhood. One of the things that I appreciate most about it is the way it contrasts the show’s first opening “Again” by Yui. “Again” uses a more hyper aggressive music and a more serious visual style, whereas “Uso” by SID has a much more somber musical tone, but also a cartoonish visual style. However, both still tell the origin story of the Elric brothers.

I also appreciate a lot of SID’s delivery. Not only is his voice pleasant but it also conveys what the animation paired with it is trying to convey: Ed and Al’s struggle to regain their bodies.

What is your favorite ending from the series? Let me know in the comments.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

30 Day FMA Challenge

30 Day FMA Challenge: Day 27

September 7, 2019 Jack Scheibelein 1 Comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

We’re closely approaching the end with day twenty-seven.

27. Favorite Opening

My first time watching Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, I did not have much expectation when it came to the music in the show. However, when it came time to switch openings once again, near the middle of the show, and this opening came on, I instantly became a fan. Golden Time Lover is absolutely my favorite opening of the FMA franchise.

I will be honest, a lot of my enjoyment of the opening comes from the music itself. Golden Time Lover has a sort of rhythmic bounce to it that makes it feel incredibly energetic and dance worthy as well. That, combined with Sukima Switch’s pseudo rap delivery of the lyrics makes it an overall incredibly fun song. Also, you know, the visuals are pretty awesome.

What is your favorite FMA opening? Let me know in the comments.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

30 Day FMA Challenge

30 Day FMA Challenge: Day 26

September 5, 2019 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

It is day twenty-six of the 30 Day FMA Challenge.

26. Favorite Moment Involving the Elric Brothers

My favorite moment involving Ed and Al is actually there fight/make up after they first break in to the fifth laboratory. Barry the Chopper tries to convince Al during their encounter that Ed actually created him artificially, and that he is not real at all. This leaves Al with some extreme paranoia, the the point where he runs away, prompting Ed to go after him. The arc ends with a very heartfelt moment, with Ed explaining that Al is all the family he has left.

The scene, despite not initially having a large impact on me, has, in my eyes, grown to be symbolic of their entire relationship. The two of them travel together, fight together, and work together because they are the only family they have. Sure, Winry is their, she also does not know what it was like on the day they tried human transmutation. They also share the goal of getting back their original bodies which bonds them even closer together. It is a scene that is jam packed with meaning.

What is your favorite Ed and Al moment? Let me know in the comments below.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

30 Day FMA Challenge

30 Day FMA Challenge: Day 25

September 4, 2019 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

It is day twenty-five of the 30 Day FMA Challenge

25. Your OTP

If you saw my post at my favorite moment in the show, then this should come at no surprise. Ed and Winry are two characters who, from the beginning, have a lot of chemistry. The two of them grew up together, sharing in Ed’s pain when his mother passed and when he and Al failed to bring her back. Of course, Winry has always cared for him, but it was not until the major events of the show began to unfold that there feelings became more clear. As the show goes on, the two of them more and more begin to realize just how far their caring for one another goes. Overall, my favorite romantic dynamic in the show.

Who’s your OTP from FMA? Let me know in the comments below.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

30 Day FMA Challenge

30 Day FMA Challenge: Day 24

September 3, 2019 Jack Scheibelein 1 Comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

It is day twenty-four of the 30 Day FMA Challenge.

24. Saddest Moment

The death of Maes Hughes is often brought up as one of the defining moments of the original series, and still holds a lot of weight in the Brotherhood version, despite happening much sooner and with not as much development for Hughes. However, a scene that holds a similar amount of weight, at least for me, is the moment after his funeral, where Mustang stands solemnly at his grave. After talking to himself for a while, Hawkeye approaches, asking him if he is ok. Mustang responds with a yes, but noting it is a terrible day for rain. After Hawkeye points out that is is not raining, Mustang corrects her, while shedding a tear.

Even in brotherhood, where Hughes is significantly less important, this scene still holds a ton of weight, Hughes had been Mustang’s friend for a while, and the two became closer after their experience together during the war in Ishval, where they realized just how terrible the military can be. It is during the war that Mustang vows to become the Fuhrer and make the country better, and where Hughes vows to help him.

The death of his best friend hits hard, but knowing the situation that surrounds him and needing to move forward makes mustang feel like he is unable to show emotion, which is why he quips about the rain being bad, as an emotional defense. Hawkeye also realizes this, which is why she goes along with it, not wanting to upset him.

It is a scene with a lot of emotional weight, and in context is one of the saddest scene’s in the whole show.

What do you guys think is the saddest moment in FMA? Let me know in the comments below.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

30 Day FMA Challenge

30 Day FMA Challenge: Day 23

September 2, 2019 Jack Scheibelein 7 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

It is day twenty-three of the 30 Day FMA Challenge.

23. Funniest Moment

This one was a bit harder since there are so many great comedic moments in the show, but ultimately I decided on the the scene where Ed is in Winry’s room eating a sandwich from FMAB. The only starts out hilarious but then slowly escalates as everyone hears Winry’s scream and then rushes up to see whats going on, starts pulling out guns and then get confused. Meanwhile, all of this happened because Ed just wanted to eat his sandwich alone. I would explain more, but for this one I would just say watch the scene above and enjoy it.

What do you think the funniest moment in FMA is? Let me know in the comments.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

30 Day FMA Challenge

30 Day FMA Challenge: Day 22

September 1, 2019 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

It is day twenty-two of the 30 Day FMA Challenge.

22. Best Revenge

I would also be totally fine with calling this category “most satisfying moment,” because that is also a lot of what makes this scene great. In the moments before this scene, Mustang confronts Lust, who uses her immortality to survive his attacks, despite being burned to crisp, with him being mortally wounded, and presumed dead. Lust then leaves, meeting with Hawkeye and Al further down in the underground tunnels.

Lust attempts to kill the two, but Al protects Hawkeye using his armored body. However, in an unexpected moment, Mustang shows up, looking like he is about to pass out, having used his alchemy to sear his wounds closed. Mustang then uses his alchemy continuously to burn Lust as she regenerates, eventually using up her philosophy stone and killing her for good.

The scene feels satisfying because of the the way in which Mustang is able to come back from his earlier to defeat and just utterly obliterate Lust. Not only is it, in that moment, a relief to see him alive, but the act of taking out taking out his rage on Lust in that is, in a way, cathartic.

What do you all think is the best revenge moment in FMA? Let me know in the comments.