I loved some things, and I hated some things about this episode.

Mei's intro was OK. I liked Xiao Mei if that counts for anything. And Scar's too amazing to hate (please don't make me regret saying this, BONES)

Ling's VA was amazing. You know, Tamaki, Zero, Light...but then there's the fact that he was also Chaoji in D. Gray Man and I get all AHHHH because I hate that character

Barry's scene was terrible. They cut out everything I loved about it. I guess you're expecting me to complain about the RoyAi, but I also hated the other things they cut out. Is Falman even watching him? Because that was one of my fave parts of the manga (so funny!)

BONES, slow down. I am begging you (along with every other person watching the show - NO ONE likes the insane pace!)

I guess I'll try to keep up with these discussions as well.

So far I have to say this "true remake" series is an improvement from the first series. We get to see all the characters we read from the manga and admire the charisma and visual personality that BONES and Arakawa herself intended to put into the series. Plus, the animation is buttery smooth and bright and "fresh" which is a nice addition.

My only complaint is that they really have taken out a lot of the small scenes of flashbacks and introductions (i.e. Mei's introduction) that were significant to the story, but it it looks like the producers are, more-of, "condensing" the plot rather than taking things out which is fine, but I'd really want to see the small scenes that make the story so motivating and interesting.

Regarding this episode: it was enjoyable to say the least, as with the previous others. I was really excited to see Ling after last week's preview, and it's great to see him finally in the series! His voice actor gets kudos for getting the voice and personality right, and I'm glad they included my favorite scene from the chapter where he runs off with the "foreigner" excuse! Too bad Garfiel hardly got any airtime (or voicing for that matter), but hopefully we'll get to see more soon!

I definitely enjoyed this episode! Finally it's starting to seem like a completely new story. I've been waiting for that to happen!

I liked the new opening/ending theme. The vocals on the ending theme were particularly impressive to me.

Oh boy. Didn't they decide to make this series for the sole purpose of milking FMA for all it's worth? So I'm still wondering why they green lighted this when they're not even going to get a nice budget.

But I liked the episode anyways. Wasn't the greatest, but wasn't bad at all.



This is exactly what I think of the Xing characters. They do set up FMA's world, and it does make sense for Ling to be taken over by Greed, since they're so similar, but they never really felt like they fit with the rest of FMA. But I don't really mind them, because...well, they're cool.



The Naruto fans would like a word with you, lol.
Nah, I appreciate how the pace isn't mind-numbingly slow, but I wish they'd slow down just a little for the sake of development. Then it'd be perfect.

The only other complaint (but more of a nitpick) I have with this episode is that they cut out Mei's awesome Youswell entrance, where she fixed the coal mine. All she did here was close up Scar's paper cut, but I'm sure that she'll get a chance to really show off her retanjutsu? later on.

Man, I guess the new director can't cope with the pressure of something like FMA. Which sucks, because the other series he directed is pretty much the most well-paced and perfect anime I've actually given a chance to.

I think the introduction of the other "half" of her alchemy could be even more impressive than in the manga for the non-readers. I mean, what better way to introduce than saving Scar by ridiculizing the brothers who will go "WTF?!?" when she wil use her long-ranged alchemy to help Scar escape.

<Split post content from Zii's post that has been moved for off-topic posting.>



========

<Program Note>


@Zii - That's fine.. I went ahead and moved your post and related posts that are talking about the name for the Xing Alchemy to Xing Alchemy thread. Especially, now we know that Vagrant has been all along asking about how it's called in manga FMA, and so that makes this series of posts way too off topic for this thread. Please continue the discussions on Xine Alchemy,. including how it's called in various translations, etc., on that thread.

==============

~ Thank you, and now please resume discussions on the contents of episode 15.


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ETA: May 23, 2010
Please add FMA:B English dubbed episode 15 (on CN on Adult Swim) talk-back/discussions here.

Thanks for bumping this, I almost forgot it was coming on!

I can't watch for 3 more hours. I just wanna know how the opening is! What was cut from it?

EdoxWin automail moments. nuff said

The va for Mei wasn't EXACTLY as I imagined, but it wans't some kid, I guess I'm used to the tone of voice of the japanese VA for Mei

Ling's VA was pompus (his character) but idk, he sounded too feminine..but then again, that's just me. Too much bounce in his step

Fu and RanFan were pretty good VAs imo. Maxey and Edward did not disappoint, but Barry the chopper really took command, i've always liked the VA for him

I'm detesting Scar's VA though =\

Overall the episode was very entertaining.

Opening... they basically chopped off the first half of the song, so the visuals don't really fit .

I liked the new voices for Lanfan and Fuu, and Monica Rial was, well, Monica Rial as May...

But Todd Haberkorn sounded really weird as Ling. Very high pitched and nasal. Maybe he'll grow into the role, but as of episode 15... not a fan.

All the good parts were basically taken from the OP. Winry/Scar, Lust/Gluttony/Envy/Wrath/Father, Ed in the Gate, Roy vs Lust, May vs Chimera, and Xingese vs Wrath. Everything that made this the best OP for me..got cut.

May was decent. I was hoping for something higher pitched like the Japanese VA.

Ling was okay for his comedic moments, but I don't think he'll be able to sound too serious, if I'm going off with what I heard from him as Death the Kid.

Fu was great. Lan Fan was perfect.

The ED got off easy, but they're going to have problems with it in episodes 19, 22, and 26.

So basically... nothing was kept in the opening. Them sitting by a tree.. and.. walking down a railroad. That's all it is?
Wow adult swim. You guys ROCK.

Actually it's Funimation that's submitting the Openings edited like that. Notice that while there are jumps in the footage, the English text credits themselves are are smooth and consistent.

It's FUNi doing it? I assumed it was adult swim wanting an extra 30 seconds for a commercial.

I thought Adult Swim mandated that Funimation submit episodes with no eyecatches and shorter openings and closings, but it was Adult Swim that added a new commercial break, removed the previews, and moved after-credits scenes to beforehand instead. The episodes on their Video site don't have the latter kinds of edits, so that's what I'm basing this on.

So Funimation screwed up the opening. They left out all the good parts of it... Thanks a whole bunch.

Ling was sort of meh for me. He sounded better at the end of the episode, but at the beginning... Wasn't a fan. Hopefully, he will grow into his role.
Ranfan was perfect, as was Fuu. May was well decent. I'm too used to her Japanese voice, though.

^gotcha


Okay, I just watched the episode
Besides the opening being butcherd ridiculously, I really liked the episode. Lings voice wasn't totally what I was expecting, but by the end of the episode I was used to it. I loved Lanfans instantly, but Fu's bothers me. It's to.. old man-ish. Theres to much raspy-ness to it, so it makes it hard to understand what he's saying. You have to concentrate on it a bit more.
May's voice.. I'll get used to it I guess.
I love love love love love that they kept in the "I no understand this country language" line I've always loved it. And I forgot how adorable Ling was when he huggled Ed before Winry showed up. (Bones, I'm still mad I didn't get my winry-ed chainsaw scene)

I'm really getting a kick out of the animation of alchemy in this series. Key points being the Silver Alchemist's transmutations and Ed ripping a spear out of that pipe. It just isn't the same watching it in crappy quality on my computer screen.

Maybe it's just me, but Mei Chan's May Chang's voice was pretty annoying.

Ling sounds good, only...well, sort of like a stereotypical Asian voice. Real nice.
Ran Fan Lan Fan and Fu are okay.

The shining voice in this is still Alphonse.

Man, they cut the ending...this is going to be a problem eventually...

Edit: Anybody notice during the opening that they labeled it as "Again by Yui"?

Well, how on earth anyone could be expecting anything different completely eludes me. The Japanese voice was annoying, and when I was reading the manga, I pictured an annoying, high-pitched voice. May Chang's voice is annoying. It's just a fact of nature. She's one of my favorite characters, but GOD her voice is annoying. It just sorta... suits her. xD

I wasn't really expecting anything else for May's voice. I was just stating that it was annoying. Fits her perfectly.

I didn't like May's voice until I heard Ling's. No offense, but I hated his voice. I thought he sounded too much like James from Pokemon. He sounded too feminine and I don't think the kind of voice they gave him will work well in his more serious scenes. I don't usually complain about voices, so this is a first (ok maybe second) for me. I did liked Ran Fan and Fu's voices though.

I'm not really one to complain about voices, because I try to remember Maxey's case. When I heard her first 2 lines as Alphonse, my jaw literally dropped because I couldn't believe that Funimation casted such a sucky voice actor. But man has she come FAR. Now I think I can honestly say that she is equivalent to Aaron's Alphonse, to say the least. It didn't take her long to fit into the role, either, so let's just hope that it's the same for Mr. Todd Haberkorn.

^ I would agree with that! I don't dislike any of the new voice actors, but I just hope that either I'll get used to them or they'll fall into their role nicely. But I have to admit Ling's line of "I no speak much country's language" (or something along those lines...) was super hilarious! Serious scenes will soon prove his skill...

The episode itself was really funny too! Winry getting mad at Ed, Ed & Al getting thrown around by ninjas, and Yoki getting bitten by a mini panda... What else could you want? Yoki's voice by itself makes me want to laugh out loud, in a good way.

Yeah, I don't dislike any of them either. I think I'm one of the few people that actually enjoyed Todd Haberkorn's Ling, but I do hope that he improves his serious moments just a tad.

And it WAS a funny episode! Ha, I was watching this episode with my Dad, and when Ling said, "Then I'll just have to stay with you until you tell me!" and glomped Ed, my Dad was like, "Oh my, he's a little gay, isn't he?" xD and then in the next scene where Garfiel was watching over Winry fixing Ed's arm he was like, "And who's THIS gay guy?" lol, I'm not sure what kind of show he thinks this is.

He did seem pretty intense when he was talking with Fuu there about "bowing to lower people", so I will trust in him! In the meantime we can rest in peace knowing he can make us laugh. These earlier episodes are full of humor, so it livens me up after watching the lastest in Japanese.

Parents must find anime very awkward... especially when the gay jokes show up!

One big animation clean-up moment this time.

Toward the end of the fight between Edward and Lan Fan, there's a moment where they float past each other in slow motion as Ed thinks to himself. Both Ed and Lan Fan have been redrawn into completely different poses.


Ed now holds his head and left arm up higher, and his legs now appear to be crossed at the ankles rather than raising his left knee (though that part's hard to see when they're overlapping). Lan Fan now twists her left shoulder toward the camera, and most noticeably, the cords on her hood blow about behind her, while they weren't visible at all in the original animation. (By the way, what are those cords made out of that they can slice through metal bars?) Oh, and the backgrounds were the same, but in the new version they break those poses a little bit before the speed lines disappear, whoops.

The way Ed lands and jumps off his hands still looks the same. But now rather than leaping stiffly, Lan Fan does a more sophisticated-looking tumble away in front of the camera, leading to this subliminal butt shot.


On the translation front, they really did a good job tracking the English words onto those weight things when Ed was visualizing the brothers' assets, as well as writing a new message in blood both times. This is good, since the joke relies on the words to mean anything at all, but it still makes me wonder if they like to only translate the hard stuff.

Isn't that their regular font for subtitles, only with the black and white reversed?


Though it is a little silly that he could write so much... The kanji made it easier.

Finally, not a change, I just always liked the way this scene looked when Paninya dropped in. (Should I throw this one into the capsummary topic too?)

"Yo, Al, whassup?"
"Oh, nothin' much, just gettin' chased by ninjas again, the usual."
"Ah, cool, cool."

The only thing that puts a damper on it for me is that it follows a skipped moment from the manga where Al somehow fell into a building that Paninya was working on.

^ Lul, Lanfans ropes don't cut the weapon. She catches it with her rope, and then slices the front of it with her sword.
(I've had to watch it a few times to realize this)

Huh, you may be right. In Brotherhood there are definitely two cuts in the pipe, along with a swishing motion, so although the dagger didn't really appear onscreen, at least one of the cuts must have been from the dagger.

Quick, guess whether this screencap comes from episode 11 or episode 15!

Ha, it's both, actually. I just thought to check this, and yep, episode 15 reuses establishing shots of Rush Valley from episode 11. Laaaaazyyyyy!

It is fun to see how panning shots were turned into stills, though.

^ THAT is an interesting find! O_o
Why would they bother changing that?

Well as I was saying, those longer pans across the town showing the gang walking in were turned into quick glimpses as Ed was thinking about how to kill time, so they slid some of the random extra people around so they could all be in the same frame.

For those who missed this episode, it will be on again on Adult Swim tonight.