Gaga over GAR? I don't think so!

Being a non-fan of shounen animes, I don't really focus on its archetypal characters. Well, out of sight, out of mind. In actual fact, other than tsundere and moe there are many archetypal anime characters out there and one of the most prominent ones is GAR.

Actually GAR character is the exact opposite of moe character. Nonetheless both of these characters serve same purpose: to evoke the emotion of the target audience. Moe is created in order evoke the feeling of love and protectiveness towards the characters among men and on the other hand GAR is to inspire the feeling of extreme awe and worship towards the characters among adolescent boys.

What on earth is GAR?

The word GAR is actually created by English-speaking audience. A GAR character usually a male character although, there are cases where female character can be GAR as well. In addition, a GAR exhibits intense masculinity and extreme strength. This is to ensure that the audience admire and worship him.

More often than not, GAR character always appears in shounen animes as well as mangas. Series such as Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece, Naruto, Inuyasha, and etc are chock-full with GAR characters. It is seldom to see a GAR character in a seinen series because, GAR characters only appeal to the adolescents. the A good example of a GAR character is none other than Kurosaki Ichigo from anime / manga BLEACH. I believe he is the GARest character to date!

Another prominent GAR character is Edward Elric from FULL METAL ALCHEMIST. Despite is chibi state, Ed has proven himself that he is worthy of being admired and worshiped by the fans and non-fans alike.

However, there are cases where GAR characters are female. Anime such as CLAYMORE exudes GAR theme even though the protagonist is a female: Claire. She is portrayed as a half-breed who is extremely strong and masculine.

Well, I guess that's it! This all I can say about GAR anime. I am not a GAR anime fan so this is just my two cents.

[Note]

In my previous post, I have discussed on moe characters. Based on my reading and observation, I realised that moe characters only exist in seinen animes or mangas. As I can see both CLANNAD and SUZUMIYA HARUHI NO YUUTSU are seinen anime and the existence of moe-fied characters are agreeable. So, does it mean that K-ON! is a seinen too? Or maybe it is NOT a moe anime?

The unbridled wrath of the Flame Alchemist...

In the latest episode of FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 2: BROTHERHOOD - The Flames Revenge, the true power and strength of Roy Mustang are finally exposed. Apparently, in this episode Roy Mustang has proven himself as a worthy opponent of the al,ost immortal humunculi army when he seared every single one of them to ashes with a single snap of his fingers. In which Edward, Scar and the rest of the chimeras are struggling with. However, the most exciting part is when he had a one-on-one battle with Envy (thanks to Mei Chan for that!)...

The real grotesque form of Envy... Sugoi, ne!

Roy Mustang's real color... Behold!

In my opinion, this episode of FMA2 is the best episode so far. It almost reaches the climax of the battle between the human and the humunculi. I am so looking forward for the next episode and how the series finally resolved.

The calm before storm...

The title of my post says it all! It’s definitely a calm before a torrential storm. Starting tomorrow, life is back to normal, i.e. hectic schedule, meetings, classes, my own classes and the whole enchilada! Anyway, to usher in the upcoming storm this is my second posting since yesterday…

In this post, I would like to announce my favorite animes of 2009. This is MY own list and it has nothing to do with other reviews out there.

My all time favorite is Eden of the East. The very thing that attracts me to this anime is the plot and eventually the conflict. They are so incredibly intriguing. I really love the OP and the ED themes and how they actually summarize the whole storyline ( If you watch closely, though). I'm also crazy with the portrayal of the characters, however, I am not head over heal with the portrayal of Saki, though. I think she is a little bit meek and pathetic… ngeh! But I love the whole concept of this anime series. It gives the concept of 'superhero' in a brand spanking-new angle. It is so thought provoking and the fact that they introduce terminology like Seleção (The Chosen One) and Noblesse Obliges (Nobility obligates). As for me, this is definitely a must-watch anime series ever!

My second favorite anime of 2009 is K-ON! W00t! I love this anime because of the representation of the characters and most important of all is the music, the ongaku! I really enjoy watching Yui and Mio shredding their guitars. It’s so surreal and it oozes with awesomeness! Other than that, I really enjoy the storyline as well as the animation. Will there be K-ON 2! I’m not so sure. But I bet it will.

The third anime is FMA Brotherhood. I enjoy this anime tremendously because of the action-packed and fighting scene. I also love the way they portray the two main characters Edward and Alphonse Elric. Sometimes this series is slow moving in places however I still fancy the whole plot and conflict.

I hate to admit it, but sadly it’s true. I almost put this anime under my to-drop list, however there is something about this series that gets me hooked. It's probably the characters. The series is none other than Suzumiya Haruhi 2. I care not to explain much, because the more I explain the more I’m confused. So, I’m just gonna leave it that way. Somehow, some things are better left unsaid…

Alchemy vs. Alkehestry

In one of the latest episodes of FMA Brotherhood, The Elric brothers finally had a showdown with the homunculi. However, victory was not on their side as Father managed to hinder the boys from utilizing alchemy. Apparently Father has the ability to control Alchemy (Renkinjutsu). Then, enter Scar and Mei Chan. To the boys surprise, both of them can utilize their powers without any problem. Now, why is that? Unbeknown to the boys, Scar and Mei Chan are practicing something like Alchemy but not exactly Alchemy. It is known as Alkahestry.

Alkahestry (also called Rentanjutsu) refers to the special ability used in the country of Xing. Alkahestry is similar to Alchemy nevertherless, differs in both its practice and objective. Whereas Alchemy employs the energy of tectonic shifts and practices manipulation of matter toward scientifically practical purposes, Alkahestry operates on the principle that the earth has a constant flow of chi that has the purifying elements that nourishes everything it passes. The term "Alkahestry" is built on the concept of purification and in fact alkahest itself is a universal solvent, thus, the art is focused on mainly medicinal purposes, transmitting chi through the pathways of the human body to cure mild ailments. By using these conduits through earth and body, Alkahestry is able to conduct long range transmutations (as demonstrated by Mei Chan), a function of which Alchemy is lack of.

The aim of Alchemy is the discovery of the Philosopher's Stone and its properties of alchemical amplification, on the other hand, Alkahestry focuses on the discovery of the Elixir of Life and immortality as well as eternal vigor.

The final goal of Alchemy: The Philosopher's Stone...

In the case of Scar, he utilizes a skill that integrates both Alchemy and Alkahestry. The tattoo on his right arm uses Alkahestry symbols known as the Dragon Waves due to his brother's (who was killed during the Ishvalan war) research into both Alchemy and Alkahestry. Scar's alchemy uses alkahestry principles. Because of that, Father cannot control Alkahestry as he does Alchemy.

So far, Mei Chan is the only character shown in the series to use pure Xingese Alkahestry and she does it impeccably!

The Messenger of the East : A review

For this post, I am going to do a short review on FMA Brotherhood's episode 15: The Messenger of the East. I am not going to do a synopsis this time around. But I have provided some screenshots for a change. Just click on them...

[Screenshots: Click for a larger view]

Review

What I really enjoy about this episode is the fact that this is a brand new arc. There are several new characters and definitely spanking-new adventures. The best part of this episode is, Al has finally obtained his ability to execute transmutation without having to do the transmutation circle. According to him, it is because he could recall his fair share of seeing the truth (in episode 14). Hurray, for Al!

Since this episode marks the beginning of a brand new arc, hence the OP. For this arc the OP is sang by NICO Touches the Wall entitled Hologram. Frankly speaking, I believe this OP is much more catchy and the sequence of the opening montage is beautiful and dramatic. Here are the screenshots...

[Screenshots: Click for a larger view]

The ED for this arc entitled Let it Out is sang by Fukuhara Miho. Compared to the previous ED, I really think that the new one is much more interesting and the sequence for the montage is much better. In addition the graphics are so colorful and vibrant! Enjoy the screenshots!

[Screenshots: Click for a larger view]

Judging from both OP and ED sequence, I believe in this arc, Ed and Al will have to face his father (Hohenhiem a.k.a Father) who seems to be the mastermind behind all conflicts in this series. He is probably the creator of the humonculi as well as the Philosopher's stone.

One is all, all is one: synopsis and review

Synopsis

In this post, I will be reviewing FMA: Brotherhood's 12th episode: One is all, all is one. In this episode, we will be looking into Ed and Al's past. The most interesting part is, we will also be introduced to their alchemist master.

[Screen shots: click for larger view]

In episode 11 Ed, Al and Winry went to Rush Valley. Winry decided to stay there because she wanted to improve her skill in creating auto mails. The boys continued their journey to Dublith. When they arrived at Dublith the brother went straight to see their master who apparently a woman by the name Izumi Curtis. She was married to a butcher Sig Curtis.... Apparently she was one heck of a woman!

Then they started discussing about the Philosopher's Stone. Izumi revealed that she knew there was a person who knew a lot about the Philospher's Stone and that man's name was Hohenheim. To Ed and Al disbelief, that particular man was their cold-hearted father, who had abandoned them since they were kids. According to Ed, he was the cause of their mother's demise...

A short-lived happiness...

The cold look of a remorseless father, Hohenheim...

Then, at night the brothers began to reminisce the past, when they first met Izumi.... It was during a flood. Izumi saved a village by using her alchemy. She built a barricade to prevent the water from overflowing into the village...

A true wonder woman!

After watching Izumi's ability, Ed and Al decided to become Izumi's protege. Initially, Izumi refused them but after knowing that the boys were orphan, she began to melt thus accepted them as her protege...

But, with one condition. They have to endure a survival test...

[Screen shots: click for larger view]

They brothers finally managed to endure the test and after that their training as alchemists began...

Back to the present time, Izumi noticed something was amiss. She felt that there were things that the boys were trying to hide from her. She then, sparred with the brothers and she discovered that Ed had auto auto mail for his right hand and Al was actually an empty armour. Then, all secrets were finally revealed!

It so happened that, like Ed, Izumi once committed the taboo as well. She tried to transmute a human being after her baby died during birth... Apparently she also had gone through a similar painful experience that Ed had gone through when Ed tried to transmute his mother. And like Ed, she also had to face the side effects as well. In alchemy, equivalent exchange is the fundamental principle, hence in order to compensate the exchange in human transmutation, some of her organs were taken. Because of that, it disrupted her health.

Izumi had seen the truth too...

Review

Why do I like about this episode? It is because in this episode Ed and Al's past is revealed. In this episode too, we will witness how the boys had to undergo so many challenges and predicaments in order to be a full-fledged alchemists. Furthermore, we are finally introduced to Hohenheim... who actually their father. Later in the series we will be exposed to the connection between him and the humonculi as well as the organization that manipulated the military.

Also, we are revealed to boys' master whom I thought was a man. In fact I believe there are many people would share my opinion. It's a shocker! What's more, she is extremely skilled as well as strong. In addition, we learn that, other than Ed, Izumi Curtis had also conducted the big NO-NO human transmutation and she had to pay the price too... And because of the similar experience, she empathized the boys and felt connected with boys and hence the hug...

This is so heart-wrenching.... sob...

Separate Paths: A Review

In this post I will be reviewing FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD episode 10: Separate Paths. This episode is about the untimely demise of Lt. Colonel Maes Hughes...

[Screenshots: click to enlarge]

In this episode we will witness the demise of one of the important characters in this series. Sadly enough, his death is caused by his own realization of the truth. Truly, ignorance IS bliss! In this episode, Hughes eventually realized the military conspiracy behind the establishment of Lab 5 and the creation of Philosopher's Stone and how they were connected to the battle of Ishval. As revealed in episode 8, Philosopher's Stone can only be manufactured by using human souls and during the battle of Ishval (or Ishbal) thousands of Ishvalans were killed as a result of ethnic cleansing executed by the military.

However, upon knowing the truth he was visited by one of the humonculi, named Lust. He was stabbed at the shoulder however he managed to give a good fight. With his bleeding shoulder he walked out from the building. And when he tried to call Colonel Roy Mustang and warned him about this, he was slaughtered by another shape-shifting humonculous named Envy who was disguising himself as Lt. Maria Ross.


Then, after the funeral, there was an investigation went on at the murder scene. Towards the end of the investigation, Major Armstrong came to see him regarding on what he knew about the murder. He spoke in code regarding the matter because earlier in this episode, Führer-President King Bradley visited Elric brothers and he had ordered everybody including Armstrong to keep anything they discovered under the radar. However, Col. Mustang understood that it had something to do with an organization and the philosopher's stone when Armstrong said, quote-unquote...

"what THEY are looking for is almost LEGENDARY".

Mustang also knew that someone with high rank in military had ordered Armstrong to keep his mouth shut. So, from the conversation it is revealed that an organization that has its power in the military and the philosopher's stone is involved in the murder of Lt. Col. Hughes.


My two cents...

In my opinion, this episode is very unexpected as well as heart wrenching. I never thought that Hughes will be killed off in this episode and then, BAM!... it hit me. Regarding his demise, I guess I didn't see that coming. Maybe if I read the manga first, this would not be a surprise at all. But then again that is THE reason why I restrain myself from reading it. I want it to be a surprise...

[Screenshots: click to enlarge]

Moreover, I really cried during the funeral when Hughes' little daughter, Elicia, cried and asked her mother, Gracia, why was her father buried. And then, she kept on crying saying how could her father go to work if he was buried. And Gracia was hugging Elicia tightly in order to console her. That, imho, is an ultimate tear-jerker moment.

Also, I always thought that Maes Hughes is a major character in this series.... I wish he did not die or at least he should be given enough screen time to last up to 25th episode (as in the previous version of Fullmetal Alchemist). Well, I think his death is really important in the development of the plot. Because, based on the manga, the plot will be significantly developed after his death.



Lt. Col. Maes Hughes, may your soul be blessed, Amen...

Same old, same old...

This is a video of FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD opening [Again by Yui] and ending [Uso by SID] themes. Simply adore them. Especially because I am a fan of YUI. Enjoy the video!

I am not a fan of FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST a.k.a FMA, in fact I never had the chance to watch the series, but from what I heard, the old FMA (2003 - 2005) is a lot different from the manga version.The earlier plot was similar to the anime nonetheless, somewhere in the middle of the anime the plot started to deviate from the manga. In fact this version was resolved at the 54th episode . However, at the same time the manga is still progressing.

Due to so many issues and conflicts as well as fans demand to bring the series back on air, FUNimation and Aniplex re-produce FMA. For the new production it is given the title FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD. According to ANIMAX, FMA Brotherhood is 2009's most anticipated anime (???).

The difference is this time around the plot stays loyal to the manga version. Also, most of the seiyuus have been replaced too. Except Romi Paku (Edward Elric) and Rie Kugimiya (Alphonse Elric). Huzzah!!!

[Note]
If there are any discrepancies regarding the info, do inform me a.s.a.p...


[Update]
If you wish to see the latest episodes, try this LINK... For now, there are only five episodes and these episodes are released simultaneously worldwide. Have fun downloading!