FMA alternatives

[rurouninaruto]

Does anyone have some appropriate alternatives to Full Metal Alchemist? Because my dad will not let me watch this show, no matter what I tell him.:/

[rurouninaruto]

Someone... PLEASE RESPOND!!!:lol:

[KeybladeWarrior]

Why can't you watch FMA.

[Radical Dreamer]

Well, that all depends on why he won't let you watch it. If it's because of the alchemic circles, then I suppose I could recommend Busou Renkin, which, while it mentions alchemy and homunculus, contains a very different kind of alchemy that doesn't include circles. The anime is not licensed yet, but I'm pretty sure it will be, as the manga is licensed.

If it's the amount of blood or violence, then I'm not quite sure what to tell you. XD Busou Renkin has been pretty tame so far when it comes to lots of blood, but the violence is still there. Also, there's a spattering of mild language (not much, though). I can see it as a good alternative to FMA, though the storylines do differ greatly. Hope that helps anyways!

[beau99]

Your father is overprotective then.

You should send an email to Vic Mignogna. If there was anything bad about FMA then he wouldn't have auditioned for the part of Edward Elric.

[Radical Dreamer]

Your father is overprotective then.

You should send an email to Vic Mignogna. If there was anything bad about FMA then he wouldn't have auditioned for the part of Edward Elric.

Er...I don't think this thread is here so we can tell him that his father is overprotective, or undermine his father's authority. Whether he likes it or not, he has to obey his parents, so the best we can do is give him some alternatives that his parents will be ok with. Perhaps his dad will let him watch FMA when he's a little older, but for now, he needs to honor his parents and obey what they say.

[KhakiBlueSocks]

Your father is overprotective then.

You should send an email to Vic Mignogna. If there was anything bad about FMA then he wouldn't have auditioned for the part of Edward Elric.

That's hitting the nail on the head, more or less. FMA isn't that bad, and it falls within your age group! It's PG for crying in the mud! Unless your dad has an issue with alchemy or the semi-mild language than FMA is as clean as you can get!

I also agree with the suggestion to e-mail Vic (Insert Kooky-wooky last name here). Ask him if he wouldn't mind e-mailing your dad and explaining some of the things about FMA and address any issues he may have about the series!

The black dude has spoken!

[Myoti]

Fullmetal Alchemist manga. =D

[That Dude]

I think that you should heed Radical Dreamer's advice and not undermine your parents on this...It may seem kinda stupid but you should honor what your father asks. As far as an alternative you might want to check out Bosou Renkin as was stated earlier.

[Peregrine]

I heard FMA is rather violent, so I have to wait before I can watch it.

[GrubbTheFragger]

I heard FMA is rather violent, so I have to wait before I can watch it.

It is rather violent. Thats the least clean thing of the entire series. Its still not horrid but i think it is 100% acceptible for a 14 year old.

[beau99]

Er...I don't think this thread is here so we can tell him that his father is overprotective, or undermine his father's authority. Whether he likes it or not, he has to obey his parents, so the best we can do is give him some alternatives that his parents will be ok with. Perhaps his dad will let him watch FMA when he's a little older, but for now, he needs to honor his parents and obey what they say.

I know... I just hate reading about parents who shield their children from harmless entertainment, and I tend to lose it.

I still suggest sending an email to Vic, regardless.

[memmer66]

I want this kid to get on and tell us why his dad won't let him watch Fullmetal Alchemist. I personally have a soft spot for FMA because it was the first manga I ever bought and the first manga I ever read. And I want to know why this kids dad won't let him watch it!

[uc pseudonym]

More importantly, until we know what is objectionable we can't very well recommend other series. So please do tell us. Also, what do you like about FMA that you would want in a new series? What aspects of the anime interest you?

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I know... I just hate reading about parents who shield their children from harmless entertainment, and I tend to lose it.

I still suggest sending an email to Vic, regardless.

I want this kid to get on and tell us why his dad won't let him watch Fullmetal Alchemist. I personally have a soft spot for FMA because it was the first manga I ever bought and the first manga I ever read. And I want to know why this kids dad won't let him watch it!

You two need to chill out. It's his parent's decision. Maybe he doesn't like the alchemy or Ed being an atheist, or maybe he doesn't like the violence. Besides, beau, you're an adult. Rurouninaruto isn't.

[jon_jinn]

Fullmetal Alchemist manga. =D

i, personally, believe that the fullmetal alchemist manga is actually MORE violent than the anime. if the guy can't watch the anime, the manga shouldn't be recommended either.

anyways, judging from your username, you watch or have seen (or read or have read) both the animes (or mangas) naruto and rurouni kenshin. if your dad lets you read either of those mangas, then fma shouldn't really be that different in terms of violence and such...

[Maledicte]

Samurai 7? It's based off of a classic movie. And it has robots.

Giant Robo? It's based off of a classic old TV show. And it has robots.

Twelve Kingdoms? Great fantasy series, no fanservice whatsoever and has lots to say about growing up to being a responsible adult. No robots, but it does have big talking rats.

Record of Lodoss War? (though it is kind of violent) Other than that, clean fantasy anime. The witch is bad.

[rurouninaruto]

My dad doesn't like the violence in FMA and the language. That's about it. PLEASE stop stating the fact that my dad is overprotective...I already know this! :/

[jon_jinn]

Samurai 7? It's based off of a classic movie. And it has robots.

yep. samurai 7's good stuff. really good stuff.

[Myoti]

My dad doesn't like the violence in FMA and the language. That's about it. PLEASE stop stating the fact that my dad is overprotective...I already know this! :/

Then as said, why are you able to watch Naruto and Kenshin? Those are just as bad (well, the latter often is). o_O

i, personally, believe that the fullmetal alchemist manga is actually MORE violent than the anime. if the guy can't watch the anime, the manga shouldn't be recommended either.

I was half-joking. Half because I know that, half-serious because people need to read the manga! XD

[rurouninaruto]

My dad doesn't mind swearing. He just doesn't like it when it is used frequently, with alot of the words beyond d and h. He actually lets me watch SOME R-Rated movies, and alot of PG-13 movies. I think he is just strict about TV shows.

[Radical Dreamer]

Then as said, why are you able to watch Naruto and Kenshin? Those are just as bad (well, the latter often is). o_O

Kenshin is definitely more violent than FMA is (the manga version of Kenshin vs. the anime of FMA), and you seem to have read that. If your dad is fine with you reading the Kenshin manga, the FMA anime is waaay more tame.

[rurouninaruto]

My dad hasen't exactly given me permission to read the RK manga, but he hasn't said no either. I usually borrow RK manga from my best friend. But soon, in about 2 weeks depending on my behavior, my dad will read this site's reviews and see what anime shows I can watch after he reads the reviews.^^

[rii namuras]

(I have to agree - FMA is tamer than RK violence-wise, manga or anime. HOWEVER, it is NOT tamer language-wise... Though FMA's language isn't worse than, say the Last Samurai.)

[Animus Seed]

That's hitting the nail on the head, more or less. FMA isn't that bad, and it falls within your age group! It's PG for crying in the mud! Unless your dad has an issue with alchemy or the semi-mild language than FMA is as clean as you can get!

Hagaren is my favorite anime. Indeed, I hold it to be the greatest story told in any medium, be it anime, comic, film, video game, book, and so on.

(Naturally, I discount the Bible from that list.)

Okay, first:

I agree that you should obey your father. If he doesn't want you to watch it, then don't.

Second, I think that coming here and asking, "My dad doesn't want me to watch FMA, so are there any similar shows he'll approve of?" is actually a very wise thing to do. You're being proactive at the same time you're being obedient. This is good.

As for Hagaren]is[/I] violent, though in a different way than Kenshin is. The language... I find Naruto to be worse, actually; but then I've only read the Naruto manga, I haven't seen the anime except for about an episode and a half.

I don't agree, however, with a PG-rating for Hagaren. I don't think it's very "clean;" however, I love it because it's not "clean"in the same way the Bible isn't "clean." I can go on and on about Biblical themes in Hagaren (and Plato, too; my friends in my Greek Philosophy/Biblical Studies get eyes wide with fear whenever I say, "It's like in Fullmetal!" and then either restrain me or start crying tears of boredom.)

The language I would put on about a PG level, yes. The violence... some of it is not so much gory as, well,... mature, in some way.

Example:
[SPOILER]Scar's transmutation of the army into Alphonse's armor, creating the Philosopher's Stone, was violent; despite the fact that nothing was shown, thousands died in a horrifying way that was in some sense a major benefit to the heroes.[/SPOILER]

But I would not let my son watch Hagaren unless he was mature enough to handle it. Some of the themes, though perhaps true and even Biblical, are just so dark and mature that I'm not 100% certain everyone can handle it.

Example:
[SPOILER]The battle with Sloth. In a single episode (actually 2, but it started in the middle of one and finished in the middle of another) we get: life vs. death, sin, the nature of atonement, the impossiblity of redemption, the nature of humanity, the meaning of human life, the existence of the soul, the significance of the name "Sloth" as it pertains to Sloth herself and as it pertains to Edward for creating Sloth, the fusion of sloth and wrath, the idea that sin requires a death penalty, familial discord, a reverse-Oedipul complex, and euthanasia.[/SPOILER]

Those are BIG themes there. But then, in some sense, the themes might be so big as to be a non-issue. I watched the episode mentioned above with my brother, who is 13. (Had I known what we were getting into when I started the series, I might not have, but we saw episode 1 together and I didn't want to force him to stop in the middle of the show and I'm not his parent anyway.) As I noticed the themes I mentioned above, I grew concerned. (It should be noted that our relationship with our mother isn't all that great.) At the end of the fight, though, he just turned to me and said:

[SPOILER]"Isn't it said that they had to fight her while she looked like their mom?"[/SPOILER]

While I think that ties into everything I mentioned, that's the only thing he noticed: it was sad. So he didn't notice all the big, meaty, mature questions I noticed, because he was protected by his ignorance. But his enjoyment of the episode wasn't in any way hindered. So again, maybe it's a non-issue, akin to reading "The Adventures of Odysseus" as a bed-time story without turning your kid into a Delphic pagan.

[jon_jinn]

I was half-joking. Half because I know that, half-serious because people need to read the manga! XD

well for the half-joking part, my bad. i took a little seriously and overreacted. as for the other half that's true. the manga's IMO better than the anime by far.

*note* i didn't really understand at first but i do believe that animus seed is referring to FMA when he says, "Hagaren".

[uc pseudonym]

The Japanese romanization of Fullmetal Alchemist is Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, so I assume "Hagaren" is an abbreviation of that. Rather superfluous with "FMA" available, in my opinion, but that's beside the point.

(I have to agree - FMA is tamer than RK violence-wise, manga or anime. HOWEVER, it is NOT tamer language-wise... Though FMA's language isn't worse than, say the Last Samurai.)

This has been stated several times, and I don't think I agree. I can't remember anything from RK that I thought was all that graphic (though I could have forgotten about something). Whereas FMA regularly has Scar exploding people alive. Am I missing something here?

[MasterDias]

A few people get decapitated/sliced in half, but on average, I wouldn't really consider it that much worse than the average shonen manga.
I might make a similar statement regarding FMA, but it's been awhile since I've read the early volumes. Wasn't the exploding people thing mostly offscreen, because I don't remember any serious decapitations or the like(although perhaps a few sliced off limbs) despite the series sometimes dealing with genocide and creepy science experiments.
I can't really compare the respective anime series however, as I haven't watched very much of the Kenshin anime.

[rocklobster]

I hate to keep beating a dead horse, but your dad seems like a hypocrite if he lets you keep up with Naruto and RK. If you like FMA, you must like sci-fi. I think you might like The Seikai Trilogy manga and its anime Crest of the Stars (or Banner of the Stars, as it's later called.) It's best described as Romeo and Juliet in space.

[GrubbTheFragger]

I hate to keep beating a dead horse, but your dad seems like a hypocrite if he lets you keep up with Naruto and RK. If you like FMA, you must like sci-fi. I think you might like The Seikai Trilogy manga and its anime Crest of the Stars (or Banner of the Stars, as it's later called.) It's best described as Romeo and Juliet in space.

Whoa there dude lets not go into calling people names. His dad could just beleave differently. rurouninaruto do you watch Naruto on CN? and also did you watch RK on CN. Also another factoring issuse is that his dad could have the mind set as in In RK is historical (sorta) so he will not learn anything worse than that in history class. Also his dad might also have problems with the circles as mentioned. They do look an awful lot like pentagrams at a quick glance. But i also would recommend Crest of stars and Banner of stars also from what i've seen it is very clean.