Movie Rage

[bard_linn]

Warnings for FMA Movie Spoilers, Ed-centrism, Illogical Fanaticness and Linn ranting.


So. Was reading movie stuff and came across this little gem, delivered by kaitou_marina.

http://www.livejournal.com/community/fm_alchemist/2490798.html

Specifically:

Al has learned alchemy again, and he's become a better alchemist than Ed was.

No. Just NOOOOOOOO.

I will first and foremost admit I never was real fond of Al. I like Ed a lot better. In fact, Ed is my favorite and I’m slightly illogical about him. I’ll also freely admit that Al is just as smart as Ed.

BUT this hits a particular annoyance of mine.

It’s something of “traditional” or some garbage that the youngest daughter/son is more powerful/more talented/goes on quests, what have you in fairy tales. In fact, some people have mocked this. There was one story that had the middle daughter go on the quest. She actually said “but the YOUNGEST always goes on quests!” But I digress.

Series!Al is a better fighter than his brother. He’s also more polite. I can fully see this carrying over to the movie. But better in Alchemy? Come on.

Yes, Al completed the exam, where Ed didn’t. However, without actually seeing the exams its hard to say which was “better.” Also, Al was in the amour at the time and thus couldn’t feel the physical exhaustion that effects so many test takers. And that does make a difference on scores.

The movie takes place two years after the movie. So supposibly an Al who only remembers up until he tried to resurrect his mother (which means he doesn’t remember any of the studying he had for the exam, nor anything he learned afterwards) is suddenly BETTER than his brother? His brother who had FOUR EXTRA YEARS of experience, access to some of the most valuable alchemy documents via the government, and basically had the knowledge of Alchemy downloaded into his brain?

YEAH RIGHT.

Now, Kaitou suggested that maybe Al is better in a certain area of alchemy than his brother since Ed is something of a “jack of all trades” when it comes to alchemy. That’s a possibility I guess. But I don’t buy it. Or that because he stayed with Izumi the entire time (who managed to teach them enought to be able to do HT in a year) he picked it up. Still not buying it.

I’m trying to keep an open mind about the movie, but I am currently seriously not looking forward to it. Al is sounding an awful lot like Darline from Young Wizards, Mercedes Lackey’s Elspeth and Richard from the Sword of Truth series. All of whom SERIOUSLY got on my nevers.

Comments

[velvet-mace.livejournal.com]

LOL! Al as Elspeth! As funny as that image is, Al was never the spoiled princess Elspeth was.

Ok, consider it a trade off: Al actually LOSES some of his cool Brother!powers. He is flesh now, so he is no longer invincible on top of that he probably no longer fights better than his brother, being that he is no longer invincible, huge, and megastrong.

So equivilant trade: He's adorable (though not as pretty as Ed). Ok, that's nice. So now he becomes a strong alchemist. Ok, I can buy that. He always WAS smarter than Ed -- not only as evidenced by the alchemy exam, but also just in general he's played the straight man to his brother, which requires intelligence and common sense.

Actually, I have a beef with Al too, but it's really a silly one -- I don't get the whole cosplay!Al bit. The whole dressing in his brothers clothes and putting his arrays on the palms of his gloves SOOOOOO screams, "I'm a Ed wanna be."

Have some dignity Al. Find your own damn clothes.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

I meant more in the "is an excellent fighter and becomes a mage in a short time period" thing. I actually didn't catch the whiny thing first couple times away.

I would NEVER call Al smarter. Nope, not buying. I think they have different types of intellegence. Al is rather gulible at points, more than Ed.

The funny thing? Supposibly he doesn't even know Ed dressed that way. >>

[velvet-mace.livejournal.com]

Al is the UBER!uke, so he comes off as gullible. But that's just because he's silently lusting away in his armor shell. And he secretly likes being tied up and kidnapped. He's full of fetishes that way.

Oh, come now -- tell me he couldn't have pulled the ropes loose on the train (with Izumi) or at what's his name's, the guy who put's girls souls into maniquins. Nah, he loved every second of it.

OH GOD NO! Please don't tell me that Al doesn't know how Ed dressed and it's all just an INCREDIBLE COINCIDENCE. BLECH!!!!!! That is retarded. Seriously. I mean, you'd think that Winry would have told him -- or for that matter ANYONE ELSE.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

You know, sometimes I think series!Al never really aged mentally more than 10...as for Izumi, you HONESTLY think she's going to pull HER ropes off?

So sayeth Hime1999. Apparently the long hair thing is a tradition of males in his family, the coat is from Izumi's influence....

[hime1999.livejournal.com]

I said the mark on the cloth was Izumi's influence. The coat itself Al deliberately took from Ed's style. The director said is so that he's easily recognizable. Think of it, it's easier for his to gather information on the man who people seems to think to be dead if he looks like him. It attracts people's eyes easily.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Oops. Misinterpretation on my part. XD

[kaitou-marina.livejournal.com]

The funny thing? Supposibly he doesn't even know Ed dressed that way. >>

Where did you read THAT? O.o I don't recall seeing that in any of the articles I've read.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

*points to reply to Velvet_mace*

[zalia.livejournal.com]

Supposibly he doesn't even know Ed dressed that way. >>

Well, maybe he got a load of Ed's memories when he was brought back but they only started surfacing after a while and he doesn't realise that they aren't his. He just gets the idea he should dress a certain way.

O_o Maybe he starts thinkinghe is Ed!!!

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Now THAT would be a cool story. XD

[jeva-chan.livejournal.com]

That idea has been bothering...T___T Twould be a bit creepy, really...

[zalia.livejournal.com]

*growls*

I hate you.

You damn bunny creating person you *sulks*

[catystorm.livejournal.com]

The funny thing? Supposibly he doesn't even know Ed dressed that way. >>

...how can he not know? I thought that Pinako kept photographs.



I figured that he wears Ed's coat because it's the only thing he really has of his brother's, a way to keep them connected. *shrugs*

I did always think that Al was smarter in the common-sense department. But not smarter overall.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

So Hime1999 tells me. *shrugs* I certianly don't read Japanese.

Common sense in somethings. *thinks of "Clara" But not in others. : )

[jeva-chan.livejournal.com]

Quick! Al is turning into a Mary Sue! Run for your lives! O:

Seriously, though...I've seen a few cases in real life where the youngest IS the best at a lot of things. Like a guy named Clint I know...he has two older brothers and an older sister...and he's better than them at a lot of things...

And my little sister T______T She's better at almost everything...except writing and math. :D I pwn her at that.

But yeah...I agree...Al is a poser now. Not cool...~__~;;;

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Actually Al has been border line MS for me for a while

Yes it sometimes happens in RL, but not always.

And as you just said, there are areas you are better than your sister in.

[garefowl.livejournal.com]

I agree. Not only because I prefer Ed over Al, but that just seems too cliche and/or stupid to me. Or maybe I'm just saying this because I even found the idea of Al dressing up like Ed dumb. (OMG. It's like the movie "Single, White Female").

I don't know... it just seems impossible. It's like they are giving Al too much credit or something. =/

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

That's my issue with exactly.

[coffee-insanity.livejournal.com]

Hee. I translated that one, and I'm sorry to say that that part, at least, is true beyond any doubt. Translated very specifically, he says, "Al has learned alchemy again, and has become an alchemist good enough to surpass Edward from when he was in the 'World of Alchemy'." (it doesn't flow well, I know)

The truth is that he's cheating, using red stones sewn into his gloves.

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

*blinks* Hey, nice to see you over here!

I don't doubt your translation. (Thanks very much for that, BTW. I don't watch FM_A so I only saw it today.)

AAAH. Now THAT makes sense!

[stickmarionette.livejournal.com]

Hi, you have no idea who I am *waves*, but I had to comment, if only to say 'OMG YES'.

That bothered the hell out of me as soon as I read it, partially because I've always hated fics where they make Al out to be so-much-better than Ed in every way, and Ed is someone the one holding him back >.< and now movie canon seems to be confirming what I saw as a stupid bit of fanon characterization (at least the Al-is-smarter-and-a-better-alchemist part).

I'm otherwise looking forward to the movie, but unless they have a logical way of resolving this problem, it's going to damage the experience.

- slightly irrational, since Ed is also my favourite by far, although I'm partial to manga!Al

(hope you don't mind long rambling comments from strangers ^_^)

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

Hey, random strangers are always welcome! We're all random strangers till we become friends, that's why this place isn't friends only.

(though I'm curious- how'd you end up over here?)

That's one of the things I hate too. I especially hate when people treat Al like a clone of Ed without Ed's flaws. *thwaps them*

Kaitou has found more information that make me a little more comfy with this : http://www.livejournal.com/users/kaitou_marina/163311.html?view=1120239#t1120239

[stickmarionette.livejournal.com]

Hmm, to be honest, I'm not sure how I ended up here. *Grins* Must have been something off my newly FMA-heavy friendslist.

That's one of the things I hate too. I especially hate when people treat Al like a clone of Ed without Ed's flaws. *thwaps them*

*stabstabstab* *rage*...*coughs* Sorry, over-protective of good characterization in fandoms where I really like the source material. (and because I love Ed so much)

The new information does it make it better - I guess I should have a little faith, since BONES (IMHO) did a good job with the TV series and all. OMG movie please don't suck

[bard-linn.livejournal.com]

kk. Well, don't feel disinclined to drop by again.

*joins in the stabbing* Grrrr. Me too.

*crosses fingers*