The Yak Shack Forum

Hey guys

I watched the first episode today of full metal alchemist and what can I say - after one episode (and talking to Mark about the others) I am completely and utterly hooked!

It's about alchemy (obviously) and the Philosophers Stone (note - not the Sorcerers stone ;))

Is anyone else watching - please no spoilers to me without a warning and a gap in your post before you do it!

All 51 (52?) episodes are out in Japan (subbed) and they are up to around episode 15 in the USA in dubbed English... so what are you waiting for? Go and start watching!

To be fair I felt ill after the first 2 minutes in rather a frightening scene (not for kids!!!) but after that it's been totally awesome!

 ;D

I have not heard or seen anything about this here Roz!  What is the series about?  Is it animated or not?  Thanks.

Yep it's animated and yes there are 51 episodes in total. In the US it's being broadcast on the Cartoon Network's 'Adult Swim' section. In the UK as per normal we are having to download all the best TV! I read that 100,000 people in the UK download TV episodes every week from the US, like 24 etc. Considering how many people there are in the UK (60 Million) and how many have the internet, and how many would know how to download a TV show I think that's quite a high number!

Anyway, I digress... if you have missed the first 16 episodes of Full Metal Alchemist you should try and download them from a bit torrent site to catch up. They're great! Not particularly geared towards kids (Something most westerners have to come to grips with is cartoons aimed at a more mature audience) it has a great story with many unexpected twists, turns and revelations.

Edit: Sorry Ed and anyone else on dialup - the downloading part wasn't aimed at you! I can be quite forgetful that there are all those poor souls out there who aren't in broadband enabled areas :(

That's ok Mark - rub it in!!   ;)  Thanks for the heads up about this show.
I will see if it is shown on my satellite system.

Broadband... *drools* ;D

oooowwww broadband


nah i love my dial up  ;D

FTY is going to start her addiction to this on Friday with a friend, and hopefully Zero will be a fan too but finding the Japanese version in America will be tough :-\ lucky he has friends in high places.

Where anyone from the Yak Shack gets addicted - you can be sure Artbox will follow

(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/RozT/FMA_mock_box.jpg)

And they are releasing/importing a series of models

(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/RozT/FMA_Toy_box_mock.jpg)

(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/RozT/FMA_Figures_2.jpg)

(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/RozT/FMA_Figures_1.jpg)

If you fancy the cards you'll definitely have to wait for Artbox as I don't know a Japanese direct source, but with the models it's totally different - Mark and I have one of the 2 main character models already which we imported - the only thing you get different by waiting for the US release by Artbox is a box with some English on it - and the box is very thin and not designed as a keepsake - more like a trading card wrapper - dispensable.

We were lucky enough to get Al - first row of models on the left - the lad in the suit of armour - oh my &^&*^*& you are in for a treat FTY :)

(sorry - fangirl alert!)

In summary.... Roz and Mark like this series ;D

Just a tad.

But then again I have been a fan of a series of epic games called "Golden Sun" (well there's been 2 of them) and they are very final fantasty-esque (apparently) - and the people who made the Final Fantasy games have done this epic cartoon.

This is where Mark got his model - you can see they've not changed the packaging much apart from the text ;)

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-j30-71-92-77-4-15-alchemist+card-84-j-70-cw5.html (http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-j30-71-92-77-4-15-alchemist+card-84-j-70-cw5.html)

Buying Japanese stock of ANYTHING is usually pretty pricey - I don't know the price of the models in the US but I'd imagine they'd be around $5 so it's probably better to wait if you are in the US.

And you FTY? Shouldn't you be watching something ;)?

Don't tempt me... I'd rather be doing anything else than writing my thesis draft proposal ::)

Sorry, I completely missed this thread!!!


Even though I have only done a little bit of googling, I'll probably be hopelessly addicted to this just as I am with HP. Sadly, [adult swim] is not showing it at this time unless they drastically changed the name (or I'm my tiredness is just missing it), but I know at some time they did. Here's there [adult swim]'s current schedule and FAQ:

http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/gen/asfaq/index.html#8 (http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/gen/asfaq/index.html#8)


Most Japanese animation DVD's in America will have either both subtitled and dubbed or a choice between one or the other so that wouldn't be a real problem ... waiting for the release of each DVD, on the other hand, will be quite painful! I do have a birthday coming up and all the short descriptions I read about it online intrigue me greatly ... hmmmmmm ....


First thing tomorrow, I'll send an email to my host mum and see what she can dig up on her side of the world! Not sure when this show ended its syndication, but regardless I'm sure there will be something. For some reason, Edward Elric's character looks vaguely familiar ... could be because I saw posters or the manga, itself, in a manga shop.

Yeah as with all the best things this started life as a manga. I think the first DVD is out already in the USA but I can't imagine watching it and having to wait for such a long time to see the next episode! It would be totally painful!

It's possible it's not showing on AS at the moment because they reached a series break. Alternatively they could just be torturing the fans ;)

Fan torturing eh? Now they've abolished fox hunting in the UK - that can be the new sunday pass time for the upper middle classes.

;)

Seriously - I am only on episode 5 or 6 and it's awesome - I'm going home for the weekend so I won't get to see any more and I am watching them with Mark so I don't want to watch them without him anyway - but the agony of not watching on is almost too much for me. We haven't seen any since Monday evening but we've been so busy since :(

I just watched the first episode and... WOW!

You weren't wrog about the gruesome first 2 min :P I particularly like the bit where the older brother (Edward) has to dig Al (Alphonse???) out of the sand and kicks him and gets swamped by a deluge of sand ;D

What can I say... 50 to go ;) It is brilliant - I can see that I am going to be hooked on this!

Just finished episode 4 - what can I say... brilliant! My friend loves it as well - the back story is good, but we are impatient for the current story to start  8)

Mark and Roz... what have you got us into??? :o

Some temptign auctions for you ;)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1345&item=5962233329&rd=1

And this looks really cool - as far as I can see, there is a Winry and Al release of this as well...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1345&item=5962201391&rd=1

Ooh brill! Glad you like it. It just gets better and better! I'm up to about episode 43 and they start leaving you with cliff hangers like you wouldn't believe. Eventually you have to just say "OK he may be in mortal danger but I really have to go to bed!". The story gets more and more engrossing as you watch and little bits of info are revealed about alchemy and the processes involved and how it all works and you find yourself saying "oooooooohhhhh! THAT'S what happened!"

It's a truely great series.

Another good anime I'm enjoying at the moment is called Lupin and the Castle of Cagliostro. It's just a film so not too time draining. I was watching it in bed last night but I missed the end cos I went to sleep :( Never watch DVDs in bed when you are tired! Anyway I was really enjoying it until I passed out ;)

Well, I'm very jealous that you guys are able to watch them continuously! If you wanna see anything on [adult swim], don't trust their website   :P ... WHY? ... While flipping the channels late last night (3:30 AM est), I landed on [adult swim] and guess what I find ... It was like magic! Needless to say, I watched the episode (not sure where the episode was in the series). For those of you in the U.S. still lined up to see it, do a quick Yahoo! TV Search, and you'll find out when it's will be showed for you:

http://tv.yahoo.com/ (http://tv.yahoo.com/)

In other news (for all you gamers), I was at both Wal-Mart and K-mart. They both carried "Full Metal Alchemist" for PS2 for around $39.99. I didn't buy it, but I think I just found a game that will keep me busy until Kingdom Hearts II  ;D

Well it looks like a fun game with clever ideas using Alchemy but unfortunately I hear it doesn't have the depth of story that the TV show has. It's basically just a linear beat 'em up. Although, done right that could be a lot of fun, but we've kind of  come to expect more from Square Enix! That's just what the reviews say....

Note to self: Play KH1 before KH2 comes out! I've got it but hardly played it.... no time :(

DARN! I was hoping it would include the depth of story that the series had. I don't know ... I'll give it some thought before comitting!


Don't worry! Between University classes and studying abroad, it took me two years to finish it. If I could have just sat there and played it, I would have finished it sooner. BTW, you might wanna play KH: Chain of Memories before KH II. There's a little bit of story there that may be essential for KH II ...

Cool - is chain of memories the gameboy one?

Any luck with getting FMA episodes?

I'm up to episode 33 now... come on Roz - you are falling behind! THere is a plot point I want to discuss - so you need to hurry up! :D

Mark - have you finished watching the entire series?

I can see what you mean about the story being pieced together and holes being filled in as the series progresses - the really designed the story well!

OH MY LORD!

I'm only up to like episode 6...

I was going back to Cambridge this evening to help Mark prepare for an interview tomorrow but blow that it will be FMA the whole way ;)

FINISHED! ;D ;D ;D

I hope its true that there is going to be a movie made out of this... :o

It's true there will be a movie. I've seen the trailer ;) However it really doesn't give anything away and it's impossible to tell just from that whether it carries on or is a splinter story (ie different story, different course of events but using the same characters). I don't think they'd do the latter. So fingers crossed eh? ;)

I can't wait!!! ;D

I assume that you'd have to have seen the series first though

I dunno, maybe there will be a sort of recap / prologue to the movie. If I could read Japanese I'm sure I could glean a lot more information but sadly... *sigh*... I guess we'll just have to wait and find out ;)

At least I'll have a good reason to download this movie anyway - it won't be released in the USA for ages after and the official Japanese release probably won't have subtitles. Hooray for fansubs!

Hurrah indeed! You know that means I will be begging you to get me a copy in that case ;)

Looking forward to the short jokes again - I loved them in the series - Ed's reactions were hilarious... not that you would have to worry about short jokes, eh Mark? ;)

Yep, Chain of Memories is for Game Boy Advace ... The gameplay is completely different than what is offered for the PS1 game. I think it might be just the right transition needed!


I could keep watching them completely out of order on [adult swim], but what's the fun of that! I went to Target and got the DVD for the first four episodes, but my mum might didn't want me to open it quite yet because she may buy it from me for my birthday. Sitting in my apartment doing my homework, I have the DVD in platic staring at me  .... saying rip me open and watch me! GAH!

I guess it'll take me ages before I'll actually be able to talk about anything significant! OH WELL! I'll enjoy it at a nice slooooow pace! LOL! The DVD are released at a rate of one per month (with four episodes or so on each).

Haha no.... I'd likely be the one making the short jokes!  :P

Cheeky!

As people are starting to watch this - already the price of collectables is going mad!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=88928&item=5964303901&rd=1

But why would you want a full version of Ed's arm - ask youself that :P

Was that the one that I saw that had not made reserve when I last looked? I was wondering what the reserve was. I also wonder if this is an official licensed version, if they have such a thing. I wouldn't want to pay for a clumsy imitation, much the same reason as I only buy Noble/United Cutlery type ventures for my LOTR/Potter merchandise. It costs more, but at least you get a quality product!

And Roz - CosPlay :)

What kind of obssessed person would WANT to buy any FMA collectibles anyways ::)

That's a cool arm. although I don't think it would fit me as I'm really more than medium build :(

What planet are you from? Let's face it you are a giant! The prospect of you trying on a pipsqueak's arm (you know the guy don't you - the one that's smaller than a grain of rice??)

Isn't he the one that needs a magnifying glass to actually be seen? ;)

Yeah he's the one who is a tiny bug that escapes the wrath of a shoe because he's so small that he fits in the grooves and can't get squashed!

Well, I got the Fullmetal Alchemist: Volume One DVD for Easter! I was only able to watch the first episode so far, and I prolly won't get to watch the rest until later this week :P BUT the first episode didn't ruin any of my expectations ... they were all met, and I'm looking forward to future episodes  ;D

After asking my host-mum about stuff available in Japan, I was sent some stuff instead! I got the first nine mangas and the first manga based on the series. She also some machine-bought cards from a role playing game that resembles Pokemon or Magic the Gathering.

Ooooh - you've just scratched the surface there! The episodes get better and better as you progress through the series. The only reason I could not sit and watch it all in one sitting as because of minor problems such as sleep, food, university classe, thesis writing, friends and family etc. Annoying, but necessary ;)

Well, that's some of my problems as well ... just add waiting for the DVDs! For me, the special features are worth that much. I watched some of the original Japanese T.V. promo spots, and they were quite enjoyable! I've been hearing so much about the progression that I don't know if this wait will work ...

Aww lucky you! I want to get the first DVD with the promo tin (which will house a further 4 DVDs when they are released, apparently) but I'd be worried about the tin getting dented on the way over the Pond :(

I got this promo tin set from Amazon (using the Shack's link of course) and it was packaged very well.  You shouldn't have any dents in it if you get it from Amazon. :)

Ooh well when you watch it be sure you have a cushion to hide behind after the first 3 minutes!!!

It's not available on amazon.co.uk  :(

Is it that scary! :o

And I'm sorry to hear Amazon UK doesn't carry it. :(  If Mark is really interested in getting it, I can order it for him and forward it on.  LMK

That's kind :) But you see FMA has not been released here yet - nothing is  ::) LOST (nope) FMA (nope) anything else good? (nope).

Woo - Anna is getting hooked as well! Let us know what you think. It not really 'scary' per se, more gruesome. So if you can't stand the sight of blood... close your eyes for a bit. But the rest, as we have been saying, is great!

I'm rewatching the series now in real time rather than the frenetic pace I was the first time so I can fully appreciate the storyline :D

It's well worth it - you have to remember that we (in the Western World in general) regard "cartoons" as a kids thing, so the gruesome beginning shocked me, but after that it's a fantastically heartwarming tale  ;D well so far it is - shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Jo

My lips are sealed Miss Turner :-X

Where are you up to? We'll need to get you a State Alchemist watch to clutch when you are watching the finale ;)

Quite right, alas I have not moved on from episode 32/33 as we have had Tom here and then my parents over the weekend too - wow do they need a lot of looking after  ::) ahh well I'll shortly be back in the swing of things!

Indeed - you have almost 20 episodes to go *wags finger*

That's just jealousy because I have such interesting stories to sit through, whilst you have to wait for the movie - maybe you should be waggling that finger at Anna who has 51 to go  ;D

Pah... I am just sitting here smugly awaiting the movie and re-watching the series (and looking out for the plot points this time!).

And my FMA watch of course ;)

Anna - you SO need to start now! At the rate Roz is going, you could probably catch up to her ;D

I sincerely doubt that.  Roz has already got on my case because I haven't watched my LOTR EE DVDs yet.  And now FMA is just going on to my "things to watch" list. ::)  If I could only watch these DVDs at work, it would be better use of my time (my opinion), but my boss seems to disagree with me. :P

Meeeeowwww!

:)

Jo I'm going to have to send you the English dubbed version when I have completed the first DVD full. I think it's an excellent quality dub and I've been picking up bits that I didn't notice before, or didn't quite understand properly. I don't know whether that's because of the fan sub quality or if it's just because you always pick extra bits up the second time around but either way it's still just as enjoyable :)

Another 6 weeks and I should have the first DVD ready... man these things come out so slowly!!

Really? I always cringe when I hear dubbed anime (thinks Spirited Away horror :o) You really need to hear the Japanese inflections and speech patterns to really get into the spirit of thing, in my opinion.

Or maybe I am just a purist snob ;)

At the moment I am rewatching the series (slowly) and I am picking up much more this time around. Thanks for the offer Mark - I can't wait til the movie!!! :D

Heh maybe... I thought the Spirited Away dub was OK, but then I hadn't heard the original at that point. Still a great film anyway...

You ave to admit some of these subs are quite laughable

Keep in mind 3 Shack members are using the subs in question as signature lines... don't bag out the subs too much, or you'll hurt their feelings :'(

Subs are, indeed, the best way to watch any foreign language film/cartoon! I couldn't imagine watching any Miyazaki film without subs. I'm hoping to watch the first episode of FMA in Japanese tonight (we'll see how that goes). Anna and I will have the fun of waiting for each DVD to be released ... what fun! ;D

As a side note, there's something about translation that is rather difficult. From my experience in looking at translations from Japanese literature/cartoon/movies, some things are translated similarly or changed because of possible cultural misunderstanding ... there's just a plethora of reasons why a translation is the way it is but that doesn't go without saying that some are just bad ;) Translation as a profession just boggles my mind because of all the things you have to think about ...

On a side note, I didn't get the special tin set. I didn't even know about an American Version of one until Mark mentioned it (and Anna's reply). Perhaps, someday I'll breakdown and buy it ...

Well - that's all true but the reason I have not taken to these subs so quickly as some of ours of fan subs, not official subtitles by the makers but done by the fans, and are full of typos etc, that's why I was teasing ;)

If you think Japanese to English subs are bad, I suggest you take a look at these ones....

http://users3.ev1.net/~eekfrenzy/captionspage/badfotrprologue.html

Nice for a laugh! ;D

He hee - how to confuse everyone with one fell swoop

'Forge by the dark lord Sauron. Men doomed'

To think they took 3 movies to explain that ::)

I also particularly like the 'Going to Bree' section

 ;D ;D ;D

Here's the Two Towers version ;D
http://public.www.planetmirror.com/pub/engrish/ttt_captions/00-20.htm

I ruv these Engrish transrations! ;D

He hee

Guys look here - BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE WHOLE 51 EPISODES OF FMA OR THIS MIGHT SPOIL THINGS FOR YOU - (in truth you will be more confused than spoiled).

But that certainly clears up where the Serpent went to (that gives nothing away so it's ok :))

http://www.fullmetal-alchemist.com/tmp/files/news/teaser3-300.asf

I'm going to start a new thread *spoiler labeled* so that people won't inadvertently read anything they didn't want to if they haven't seen all 51 eps.

Ooh the fullmetal cards are out - with Artbox I know the designs will be lovely :)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=219&item=6169024580&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

But it's a retail style set, so I am not sure whether to buy boxes, it's not just the cost of the boxes themselves, it's the shipping of all those spare cards. Admittedly they are VERY cool spares to have but I sit with a LOT of Potter behind me so I have to be a bit more careful with how many spares I end up with ;)

If Tom breaks some down I'll jump on the chance to get a set of everything, so I'm waiting to see if he'll do that before I buy a box :)

Good call! I might just have to get this set, too! I've only watched a handful of episodes (not many), but there's no turning back. By the way, the Non Sports Update Magazine article said about this set having two tins with it, too ... Have they surfaced, yet ...

On another note, I got thor to watch the first episode with me over the weekend  ;) She seemed to enjoy it, but I'll have to let her say th at for herself!!!