FullMetal Water Cooler (FMA chapter discussion)

[the_wolfs_howl]

This is completely off-topic, but I like your avatar, Fish and Chips

[Fish and Chips]

Chapter 71 came out in Japan today. Still RAW and untranslated.
[spoiler=Chapter 71]Pride's casual chit-chat with Riza ends with her still in one piece, thank goodness. Kimbley dominates this chapter with his all pervasive creepyness, and apparantly he's offering Ed the philosopher's stone in return for his "Services." Some talking with Winry, but I'm uncertain as to what being said (Japanese illiterate). Kimbley takes Ed, Al, And Winry down to what I suspect is North City, where the three escape from Kimbley only to run into Scar's group, and Scar himself (rummaging through an abandoned house elsewhere) runs into Kimbley's not exactly "Human" personal guard.

Fantastic line during Ed and Kimbley's exchange, though.
"Are you saying you lack the courage to kill?"
"I have the courage not to kill."[/spoiler]
Mein fuhrer, translations!

[uc pseudonym]

[spoiler]Kimbley shows us his variety of insanity, and it works for me. He clearly has a philosophy and it should create interesting developments. Also, I like the "I'm crazy but can act completely sane as necessary" vibe.

What I'm wondering right now is how much the protagonists will end up teaming up with Scar. He's been an anti-hero for a while, and though I don't suspect him to get chummy with everyone their general goals do seem to be somewhat converging. This is fine with me, because I like Scar.[/spoiler]

[Fish and Chips]

Kimbley's character certainly gains a bit of perspective in this chapter.
[spoiler]Kimbley believes strongly in natural selection, survival of the fittest, that all history is the struggle between life against life to survive at the other's expense, of which humanity vs. the Homunculi is simply one more trial for supremecy. And he enjoys watching all the events unfold from a front-row spectator seat.

I also like how they covered his motives. He's fully aware of what the Homunculi are planning for the human race, which he is included among, but he exercises their will because they allow him to be himself and do as he pleases, whereas humanity would call him a ruthless deviant (for his bloodlust I'm assuming) and have him locked away (which they did, for that matter).[/spoiler]
Personally, I think this makes him a much more interesting antagonist. Possibly some parallels could be drawn in light of this.

[the_wolfs_howl]

FINALLY got to read the scanlation!!!!! I like the version on zomgfta.com, but they're always too slow for my impatience

I liked this chapter a lot; it starts out very tense and then lightens up towards the end. Arakawa-san really knows how to do tension and relief. I was also pleased to see into Kimbley's motives more; it's always nice when you can understand where the antagonist's coming from. (And this Kimbley is a lot creepier than the one in the anime. Blowing people up gets old kinda fast.)

Personally, I think this makes him a much more interesting antagonist. Possibly some parallels could be drawn in light of this.

What kind of parallels do you mean?

[Fish and Chips]

What kind of parallels do you mean?

I was waiting for someone to take that prompt.
[spoiler]It's an age-old question of morality, really: why be, or serve, evil? Why would Kimbley, who is both a human being (in the loosest sense of the word) and an alchemist, willingly and knowingly serve the Homunculi, who slaughter human beings and use alchemists like tools for their own purposes? Kimbley is certainly clever and intelligent enough to realize that he's just being used]
An interesting proposition to think about in context with the real world. How many people would gladly cash in on the same deal?

[the_wolfs_howl]

An interesting proposition to think about in context with the real world. How many people would gladly cash in on the same deal?

Ah, I see your point, and I agree. That's what so good about Arakawa's villains: their motivations aren't simply, "I'm evil because...I'm evil! Hate me!" They're really realistic motivations. [spoiler]And yeah, I thought Raven was kind of gullible for not catching on. Maybe that's why he got killed so easily.... [/spoiler]

[spoiler]On a side note, I rather liked the words printed across the picture on the title page, after Pride leaves: "And so she will fear all darkness...." It gave me a chill, just imagining what life is going to be like for poor Hawkeye now.[/spoiler]

[uc pseudonym]

[spoiler]That makes me wonder if Pride is speaking metaphorically, or if he really can transport himself through shadows. He's been quite a few places, especially if he was connected to the incident in the shafts Sloth dug under Briggs. But this is just idle speculation on my part...[/spoiler]

[the_wolfs_howl]

[spoiler]That makes me wonder if Pride is speaking metaphorically, or if he really can transport himself through shadows. He's been quite a few places, especially if he was connected to the incident in the shafts Sloth dug under Briggs. But this is just idle speculation on my part...[/spoiler]

[spoiler]I'm of the opinion that he can transport himself, but I guess only Arakawa knows for sure, right?[/spoiler]

Is anyone else like me, in that you find yourself looking forward to the parts about Mustang and/or his subordinates more than the parts about Ed and Al? [spoiler]Maybe it's just because Mustang and his subordinates seem to be in a bigger pickle than the Elric brothers.[/spoiler]

[Mave]

Like most have mentioned, Kimbley has become more interesting. I wasn't too keen when he was hunting Scar but after that talk with El (where his philosophy is revealed), I view him differently.

I am equally interested to know what's going on from Mustang's side (I wouldn't say "more than Ed and Al") and wonder what Riza is going to do now after her encounter with Pride.

[Fish and Chips]

Odds are, Riza is safe.
[spoiler]Considerin the Homunculi need to use her as bait to keep Mustang contained, her death would be highly problematic. Her life would only be targetted if she deliberately tried to interfer, but otherwise they need Hawkeye to be alive and on hand. Similar deal with Winry.

So basically, both of them can be considered as safe until they knowingly put themselves in danger, or until Father no longer needs to keep his alchemists in check.[/spoiler]

[the_wolfs_howl]

[spoiler]or until Father no longer needs to keep his alchemists in check.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]I shiver to think what the state of Amestris would be on that day. [/spoiler]

[MasterDias]

[spoiler]I wasn't really that concerned about Riza. She's too major a character to kill off currently, and the author hasn't killed off that many major good characters anyway. Although, I still suspect that she's going to try to get information to Roy somehow.

Well, I'm glad Ed finally explained some things to Winry. She was a little too clueless the past few chapters, although she's taking this better than I thought she would.

But, that was a rather sudden cliffhanger at the end of the chapter. Chimeras ahoy...[/spoiler]

[uc pseudonym]

Actually, the appearance of the chimeras simply strikes me as a new tier in opponent's power, very similar to mainstream shonen titles. I assume it won't be quite that simple, but the main characters have certainly gotten to the point where average enemy soldiers aren't an immense threat.

Is anyone else like me, in that you find yourself looking forward to the parts about Mustang and/or his subordinates more than the parts about Ed and Al?

The parts I look forward to are those that advance the plot significantly and especially those that answer long-standing questions. But I do like Roy and company better, yes.

[Fish and Chips]

The parts I look forward to are those that advance the plot significantly and especially those that answer long-standing questions. But I do like Roy and company better, yes.

I tend to follow the Homunculi a fair bit, as all other characters are merely reactive to what greater plot they have in mind.

[the_wolfs_howl]

I tend to follow the Homunculi a fair bit, as all other characters are merely reactive to what greater plot they have in mind.

I find it intriguing how different the Homunculi are in the manga from the anime. Not in their natures, perhaps, but slight differences in their motivations, interactions, and such. For example....

[spoiler]The way Pride and Wrath seem to have some kind of loyalty to one another, shown in the way Pride hides some information from Father. Or those chapters when Ed, Ling, and Envy were stuck in Gluttony's stomach and they had to team up to get out. I like it when the Homunculi team up with the good guys. Like in the anime, when Lust teamed up with Ed and Al.[/spoiler]

[Fish and Chips]

Chapter 72 came out two days ago. Still RAW.
[spoiler]The second half of the chapter is fairly talkative, so context is a little hard to read into without translations. Riza seems overly cautious when entering new rooms now, and she seems to be trying to communicate something to Roy. Edward and Al manage to find Scar with some help from Mei, and they quickly (and might I add somewhat effortlessly) defeat Kimbley's chimera bodyguards. Scar then attempts to kill Ed, but he's held in place by some alchemy to be interrogated (possibly?) by Miles. Winry also walks in, and actually starts tending to Scar's wounds. The chapter ends on yet another cliffhanger as Scar seems to break free from his restraints and captures Winry, when Kimbley finally learns his whereabouts.[/spoiler]

[uc pseudonym]

Hm. I use speed scans (good translation, though) so I read it in full this morning. You want the source?

[spoiler]The text helps a lot in regard to this chapter. Most importantly, I severely doubt that the ending is as it appears.[/spoiler]

[Fish and Chips]

Hm. I use speed scans (good translation, though) so I read it in full this morning. You want the source?

Yes please.

[spoiler]The text helps a lot in regard to this chapter. Most importantly, I severely doubt that the ending is as it appears.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]I question that as well. Baiting Kimbley, perhaps?[/spoiler]

[uc pseudonym]

[spoiler]That was my impression, yeah. With the dialogue prior to that happening, I'll be surprised if that isn't the case. I'm glad to see that they're cooperating with Scar, because I like him as a character. Given his conversation with Miles it seems as though he is somewhat changing.

It appears these chimeras were specifically trained/chosen to fight Scar, which explains why he had difficulty whereas the Elric brothers had significantly less. They have obviously improved their skills, however.[/spoiler]

[MasterDias]

[spoiler]My thoughts are basically similar to you guys. The ending felt too suspicious to be how it looks.

But are they intending to fight Kimbley here? The timing for that seems off to me. Unless they are intending for Scar and Winry to disappear someplace out of Kimbley's reach. But I guess we'll find out when we see what Marcoh had to say.[/spoiler]

[Mave]

[spoiler] Yeah, I think Scar is cooperating with the Elrics. I'm just wondering what they plan to do with Kimbley. This is an excellent chapter: The beginning fed my RoyXRiza fangirlism, the fights entertained me completely (I was getting a kick out of Ed's expressions - "wet tongue on a frozen pole" attack! Hahaha I guess that dumb act is more universal than I thought), we experienced the human touch in the conversations between Winry/Scar/Miles and then, we're left in good suspense at the end. Great job, Arakawa-sama![/spoiler]

[the_wolfs_howl]

I always feel as though I read the chapters after everyone else has already finished discussing them. Do you guys like looking at the RAW pictures without knowing what they're saying, or do you just know Japanese or something?

[spoiler]I had written a short, horribly cheesy fic about Hawkeye's new fear of darkness, but I'm very glad that it was integrated into this chapter. Arakawa-sensei wrote it much better than I ever could ^_^

I am hopeful for Scar and Co. teaming up with Ed and Co. What with all of them trying to figure out this Rekinjutsu-Rentanjutsu thing, Scar's conversations with Miles and Winry, and just Scar's awesome-ness in general, I can foresee a reconciliation and turning-back-to-the-good-side for him in the distant future. Or maybe that's just my "youthful optimism...or youthful foolishness." (Majhal from the anime) And you have to realize that Ed and Al have to be extremely careful around Kimbley, because if he thinks they're planning any kind of resistance, then they'll be in big trouble with the Homunculi.[/spoiler]

And a couple observations about things I already knew:

Riza is pretty - the picture in the bottom right-hand corner of page 5.
EdxWinry is awesome - the bottom right-hand corner of page 36, and the top right-hand corner of page 37. Somehow, those pictures made me feel warm inside, much more so than any fics I read about them.

[Fish and Chips]

I always feel as though I read the chapters after everyone else has already finished discussing them. Do you guys like looking at the RAW pictures without knowing what they're saying, or do you just know Japanese or something?

Personally, I "Read" both the RAWs and the later translations.

Somehow, those pictures made me feel warm inside, much more so than any fics I read about them.

Allow me to volunteer a "No, really?"

[uc pseudonym]

Do you guys like looking at the RAW pictures without knowing what they're saying, or do you just know Japanese or something?

I glance at the RAW versions if I have time, but my source usually has a complete translation within a few days. If you want it, it shall be done via PM.

Allow me to volunteer a "No, really?"

Something about FMA has made me never have any real desire to even look for fanfiction regarding it. Perhaps it is because the characters are more defined on the emotional plane, hence another person's mechanations become more irritating.

[Fish and Chips]

Something about FMA has made me never have any real desire to even look for fanfiction regarding it. Perhaps it is because the characters are more defined on the emotional plane, hence another person's mechanations become more irritating.

Unless you make it a habit to be well read on the wide variety of ways fangirls can express literary wish-fufillments, you're not missing much.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Unless you make it a habit to be well read on the wide variety of ways fangirls can express literary wish-fufillments, you're not missing much.

I've seen a few good FMA fanfics in my time wasted on FanFiction.net. I don't know what constitutes a good fic for you, but I really liked one called "Senses" by someone called Samurai101. It's about Al's new perception of senses when he gets his body back. And then my favorite FMA author goes by the name Dailenna. She stays very true to canon, and can be both funny and serious - almost like Arakawa-san. They're diamonds in the rough, but they do exist.

I glance at the RAW versions if I have time, but my source usually has a complete translation within a few days. If you want it, it shall be done via PM.

Yes, please. I'm interested to try it out and see if they're much faster than zomgfta.com.

[uc pseudonym]

Unless you make it a habit to be well read on the wide variety of ways fangirls can express literary wish-fufillments, you're not missing much.

Oh, I'm familiar with the world of fanfiction and all that plagues it. The fact that I'm pretty sure of what I'd find is probably part of why I've never sought out any of it.

Yes, please. I'm interested to try it out and see if they're much faster than zomgfta.com.

Chapter 73 shall tell, but I suspect so.

[Fish and Chips]

Chapter 73 RAW is in the house.
[spoiler]Lots of talking again, but it seems Scar is indeed (temporarily?) joining up with the Elrics and the Briggs Squadron. Buccaneer talks with General Armstrong, Al has some kind of chit-chat with Kimbley's chimeras (on humanity?), and Yoki and Marcoh are showing the group something. Kimbley tries to take out Scar once, and end interferes with his chance, and Father seems to be contemplating something under Central. And Al sees a mirage of his body, and thinks back to Barry.[/spoiler]
Checking back for translations later.

[uc pseudonym]

[spoiler]Pretty accurate assumptions. It was interesting to see Kimberly's confrontation with Scar; ego issues are obviously at foot. I also like that the chimeras really are just people who have been changed for the military. There's a place for monsters, but I don't think FMA is it.

The major point of interest, of course, is the ending. I wonder if there's significance to Hohenheim being a pumpkin whereas the others are helmeted figures? That is pretty minor, but it goes along with my theory about him being something not human. Meanwhile, despite the ending text, it is pretty obvious what is going on. The last point could easily be filled by Marcoh (or Kimberly, as I can't imagine Father plays nice) but because he mentions Izumi it seems this plan isn't to be implemented instantly. It might be the final sacrifice intead of merely the one at Briggs.[/spoiler]