Fullmetal Alchemist vs. Disability
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- Опубликовано: 4 май 2022
- It's a mixed bag, but at the end of the day you can tell the effort that went into it was genuine, and that really makes all the difference.
The Disability As Punishment Trope + FMA speedpaint: • The Disability As Puni...
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Global Disability RightsNow!: www.globaldisabilityrightsnow...
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For those who want to dig deeper, I will add into this thread peer reviewed and lay articles (added: and videos and podcasts) about disability in Fullmetal Alchemist.
Added: 1) Sorry for the lack of direct links. The only links I have been able to get through in comments here have been to Wikipedia.
2) Listing these articles & videos here does not mean that I agree with anything in particular that these authors / creators opine. Nor do I know them or understand their meaning any better than you do.
FYI: one of the words that RUclips hates is: F R * E (you know: without requiring any moving of curr*ncy) so I need to be careful with what I type.
Disability and Biopolitics in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
by Julie Sadler
Cr1p Convention 2013 presentation
Where: Academia edu
@@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023 The free thing is not a youtube thing, content creators can make a blacklist of words they want to filter out of their comments, so you might have stumbled on someone who blacklisted "Free" because there was a lot of advertising in their comments
@@3173_Delta Thanks!
Let's Talk Tropes: Prosthetic Limbs
By somberhoney
10 months ago
Where: RUclips
I think that the reason why Nina couldn't talk properly was because she didn't have a fully human brain anymore, it was fused with a dog's brain. That's also why she was asking "can we play now", that's what dogs think about.
Pretty sure children think about that too. 😁
it's ambiguous unfortunately
Its also what Nina has been saying before, shed always asked Ed to play with her.
I also think that another sideeffect of she don't having a full human body anymore could be that her vocal strings are diferent so is harder for her to get the same sounds
Yeah, that’s most likely the case. She’s not fully human anymore due to being fused with a dog, so she can’t quite do the same things she did as a human (i.e. speaking proper sentences).
Ive seen a tumblr post where someone straight up said edward isnt disabled because he has a prosthetic and had fun watching everyone else on the website tear that argument apart
No fucking way lmao
I saw that post, too. It was fucking great.
Lmao that is kinda hilarious because the logic behind that sentence is baffling.
I got whiplash just thinking about that post lmao. I barely remember it but OG got roasted more than a rotisserie chicken
hey, could you link it ( if yaa still have it ) ?
I was born with a left-hand that was not fully formed. And I remember being about 8 or so and my parents sitting down explaining the options I had. They said I could keep my hand as is, which I had already learned to adapt with or I could have an operation to have it appear fully formed but would lose a lot of the use out of it. Now, kids are awful and made fun of me for it but I ultimately decided to keep my hand as is. The reason I bring this up because you talk about how disabled people were "fixed" without consent and it made me feel very glad that my parents waited until I was old enough to allow me to make the decision myself. I'm lucky to have been given that choice.
That said, FMA has always held a deep place in my heart because I never saw a hero with a similar disability to mine who is an active participant in his own story. It is why Finding Nemo is such an important movie to me because of Nemo's fin feels so similar to mine and Nemo is a character who makes active choices. Preaching to the choir but representation matters!
I still can't wrap my brain around people thinking representation doesn't matter - that it's "forced" or "unimportant." Compared to the issues of the past and issues in certain places that marginalized people have dealt/still deal with, yeah it's pretty mundane. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't take the next step to destigmatize and educate people on these marginalized groups. I especially hate when representation is called not child-friendly. In those cases they just mean it's not bigot-friendly - that it makes *them* uncomfortable.
I'm preaching to the choir too here, but just wanted to share my thoughts. I just discovered Oakwyrm recently and I've been loving their videos
What are your thoughts on the dad from Luca?
My younger sibling has ruminatiation syndrome which caused involuntary vomiting. He was unable to eat or drink at all for over a year and all I could think about was alphonse. Such a perfect parallel. He even had his own list of foods he was excited to eat again (which he can now thank goodness)
What foods was he excited for? I want to make them. Stuff like this makes me realize how much I take for granted.
Wondeeful news.
Holy shit I looked up the syndrome and that is almost exactly what I've been going through for almost a year now. Thank you for mentioning this, I hope your brother can eat the food he wants now. Hopefully I can also get my own help.
Happy ending. so glad to hear your brother made it.
@@andynonymous6769 Dude what the fuck, don't make this about yourself
Something I've seen brought up before is that Ed had to switch to writing with his left hand after his amputation and surgery. It's a small thing, but it does drive home some of the less obvious drawbacks of automail, such as a loss of the fine motor skills needed for something as precise as writing.
It also goes to show just how much thought, care, and attention to detail Arakawa put into her work. That's something a lot of people might not consider when writing a character like Ed.
Oh my God, having to write with the "wrong" hand can cause serious issues (not to mention the world is not built for left handed people anyway), good thing you caught that detail!
Another great detail is that Ed always sleeps on his back in the series, mostly likely cause he can't sleep any other way anymore due to his Automail
I tend to forgive the handling of Nina just because the narrative paints Scar's willingness to jump to murder as a solution as a major character flaw. The audience is supposed to understand his motivations, but not condone his actions.
Izumi is my favorite too. I'm childless not by choice. It is so refreshing having representation that is sympathetic (acknowledges it as a real loss and grief), positive (she is still awesome, and able to do great things, her life didn't end) and doesn't portray her as a desperate criminal baby stealer. There are so few examples of this kind of representation in media, and I love every single one of them. FMA:B is my favorite show of all time.
Do you think you'll adopt?
The women in Black Widow had some representation too (sorta spoilers) but I don't think it was a big part of their grief
@@andynonymous6769 I mean she is sort of a mother to the Elric brothers, so I'd argue she did
AND SHES STILL THE BADASS HOUSEWIFE!
@@nobodyofconsequence6522 …i think they were asking the original commenter that.
The reason why Edward lost his arm is because that was the cost of keeping Al in the armor. He willingly gave it up for his brother, of course he didn't know that would be the cost, but I doubt he would have cared if he did know. So it makes sense why he got his arm back to me.
I also definitely consider Ed losing his alchemy as a disability, because it was a huge part of his identity and life. He's done it his whole life previously. I'm pretty sure he mentioned that it was one of the few things that could make his mom smile when she was sick. Not only that, but it's how he met his teacher and gained new parental figures. Even before he joined the military, everyone knew him as an alchemical prodigy. He joined the military which defined years of his life because of his alchemical skill. Whenever people thought about him, the first thing they associated him with *was* his alchemy. He probably felt like he was useless and/or like he was adrift because who was he without his alchemy? Literally the only people who he could confidently say were by his side not because of his alchemy were the rockbells. He had spent his whole life beforehand dedicated to alchemy, it shaped who he was, and now, it was gone. The best real world thing I can think of comparing this to is if two people were to be in an accident, and it messes with their vestibular system aka the thing that controls your balance. One person is just your average office worker so no biggie, just makes you a bit clumsier and you can't do things like ride a bike. The other person is a professional world record holding gymnastics prodigy. Not being able to balance literally destroys their skill that they've spent years developing and ruins any future plans. That's how losing the ability to do alchemy would affect the average FMA:B person vs Edward.
That was very compelling, especially that last example. Well done
I agree completely. As long as you are using an ability to its fullest in your daily life, even if its something that most people don't use or don't use much, if it is lost it becomes a disability to _you_ . I think its the other side of the same coin that is often repeated here which is don't fix what people don't want to be "fixed".
Your abilities are your own and a change to your capacities either for the "better" or for the "worst" can be immense to any given person.
Ex: Take away my ability to distinguish colors (I'm just a bit above average) and my job becomes very difficult seeing as I make art and I need to balance colors as perfectly as possible. Take that away from most people and it'll get in the way, sure, but it won't have much consequence on their jobs for the most part. (I speak only for the people I personally know, sorry if that's not the case for everyone) Then instead give me the ability to differentiate colors _perfectly_ and yeah, that would be mildly cool, but all it would do is end up annoying me to no end since all colors change depending on screens, lighting, human error, etc. I wouldn't want something "better" just as much as I wouldn't want something "worse".
Not to mention like Lan and Havok its career ending 'disability' to lose this for him as he is a State Alchemist. He was able to get other jobs and live successful, but that could have been a big problem for him, not to mention how much of a part of his identity it was
100% agree, I can't think of something more life-changing for Ed than losing his alchemy even if it's something we see as extra or special. Having multiple disabilities I can't help but (personally) rank them by how much they affect my life, to go by Yohannai's example, I'm colourblind, but I don't consider it a disability since it doesn't (negatively) affect my life but for them, it definitely would. I also got major balance issues and a few years ago it was one of my 'worst' disabilities since I couldn't walk, stand up or even sit up properly, now I'm a waitress, weightlifter and can ride a bike, it's still there, it still requires focus, but it no longer negatively affects my life because I learned to balance myself again. I can't bear children, again no big deal for me, but for Izumi it's life-altering.
So guess as long as I don't feel disabled, I'm fine with it and I only really consider those I'm activitly looking to fix as 'disabliities' and genuinely wish I had two different words to describe them.
I always wished there had been at least one Deaf person in the FMA ocean of disabled people. I went into learning ASL because of my unilateral hearing impairment growing up, and I would be a very different person otherwise. But it would also hurt me to go completely deaf, because I need to hear to interpret as I plan. Blindness and Deafness in particular make a nasty combination, creating problems that weren't even considered with just one or the other.
To be the bearer of canon consistency, Ed did know ahead of the transmutation that he would be paying a limb (or something) to bind Al's soul. He specifically says, after having already lost his leg to the Truth (which he really didn't anticipate), "Take my leg, take my arm, my heart, anything, you can have it! Just give him back..." Does sound like he had an inkling of the consequences the second time.
The way you summed up Izumi with 'these are not conflicting statements' is just perfect.
"Who am I? A HOUSE WIIIIIIFEEEEE!!!!"
Honestly one of the funniest moments ever, but also just so heartbreaking thinking about all the context.
Love Izumi to pieces, she is great!!!
If I recall correctly, Ed was a super badass example of someone who learned to thrive with his prosthetics
Exactly! His problem with living a good life was honestly never about his prosthetics - it was him learning to live a fulfilling life in spite of his trauma. Prosthetics were just a good tool to display him learning self-love and care tactics, and a way to show a bond with the Rockbell and giving them the means to aggressively love him in a way he'd have to actually listen.
Furrher as I can recall, he was My first and ONLY example of childhood protagonist who is both, not only physically disable but also a total badass in skills and personallity. He was the very reason I wanted to writte diseable characters in more active roles
And then the ending ruined everything.
@@ravenfrancis1476 hey endings pretty much fucks the things in general, not a FMA exclusive sin
As much as he does not want it, for it reminds him of just how stupid he was, he sure adapted like a total badass!
i really like the drawbacks of the automails in this anime, prosthetics are something that kinda bother me in most medias, specially in cyberpunk related things, because the characters loose their limbs in a form of either great sacrifice, to show the villain´s power, or just impactful moment and end up receiving something that not only perfectly functions as a flesh and bones limb but also gives them enhanced abilities, so why not replace most of your bodies with enhancing prosthetics ? this is something that i even joked witha friend of mine once that most characters in cyberpunk are wannabes, these realistic drawbacks for not only the prosthetics but drawbacks in general make a character like Edward so cool and unique for me
The fact that the prosthetics work perfectly makes those stories better. I fucking hate it when healing magic does not work properly. A Regenerate regrows an arm, that's it. The only cost is that you can only cast it once or twice a day.
What I also love about automail in FMAB is that there is a whole culture and business around it - and just genuine love for the art/mechanics around it in characters like the Rockbells. It is such an integral part of their world, and it is shown so much love and appreciation in-universe and in story-telling. It's given so much focus, and it's genuinely insane that something arguably "mundane" is shown so much love and appreciation in a Shounen with such amazing themes like this. We spend so much time talking and learning about it, it's insane! Automail is one of the greatest elements of a fictional world I've ever seen in _anything_ (especially an element with such strong real-world parallels to concepts of disabilities) and Arakawa handled it so amazingly.
It's not freakishly uncommon, but it _is_ rarer and an appreciated and practical art form. That's part of what sells it so well - they treat automail as the _practical_ and _sensible_ solution to maiming, and they take the detail-oriented and carefully crafted talent that we see most often in Alchemists and apply it the trade. They take tragedy and help you get on your feet again. That's just what the trade _is._
The fact that every automail is specifically handcrafted and tweaked for the person it's made for is the best part about it. It shows such wonderful respect for personhood and what it means for them to be able to live _their_ life the way _they_ want to that you don't see in many other mediums for _anything._ They're not regarded as lesser for needing or wanting it, and it's often paired with learning how to take care of yourself as well as allowing one to mourn for the loss and change in their life that called for the automail in the first place.
It's not commercialized as a "one-size fits all" solution, and for every person we see with automail, we get to learn about them, why they need it, and why their automail looks and works the way it does, and even about how made it for them and why. The mechanic shows so much care for the person they're making the automail for, and it's amazing that that's a common practice. Hell, we spend so much time on Ed and the wear and tear of his own automail, and it's a constant plot point for him - and it's not just because it's a beautiful way to show his bond with the Rockbells. It's a practical concern, and also a way to display love. It's also amazing that he's not the only one we see automail through, even though that would have been a typical and normal way to talk about it. We get Paninya, Lan Fan,
They love their trade and love helping people, in a way that isn't a preachy savior complex, but more like the gear-heads they are taking care of people in a more informal practice. The fact that many of the mechanics we see seem like run-of-the-mill middle-class citizens or low-key criminals is also fascinating to me. They're rarely part of a formal institution, they're just regular people. Automail wearers are also usually for military personnel for obvious reasons, but the existence of Rush Village and characters like Paninya? Meaning regular people are often upholding the trade and make up a lot of its customers? Stellar.
Pretty sure most of modern cyberpunk your friend is talking about is all the neon lights cyberpunk.
Old school cyberpunk had enhancements tht were fqin brutal
Yeah, and the only reason Ed can use his auto mail as a weapon is because he’s studied alchemy, it’s not even something inherent to the prosthetic itself.
@@freshcupofangst Exactly. The prosthetic is just that - a prosthetic. It's there to provide the support he'd need from a limb, and the bonus is that the inorganic materials make a nice weapon for him in a pinch.
one day i want to be able to write stories with disabled characters who are just there (and every time someone questions me about why i need "that" many disabled characters i will add another to spite them)
Can I help you with character design? I have a feeling you're going to have a lot of characters. 😀
Yeah, I mentioned having a range of disabled characters in my book, and a friend said I shouldn't have too many or it would come across as patronizing.
So now the school has a wheelchair rugby team.
Because the wheelchair basketball team at my uni was absolutely badass and I like the idea that one of the primary spactator sports has disabled stars. Plus in a world with lots of farm injuries, limited antibiotics, and a craze for technology, it makes sense that there would be a fair number of disabled students and improved wheelchairs would be viewed as exciting and cool.
I do not believe you can have "too many" disabled characters. Given the broad range of disabilities, it is just odd to me that people find the idea of a lot of disabled characters strange. I will keep my paraplegic knight, mostly deaf scientist, mage with PTSD, dyslexic general, doctor with anosmia, cleric with mobility limiting burn scars, and ND wizard. I will just keep adding more if anyone complains :P
I can think of Julia's father from Luca
@@tabeechey It probably seems strange because there aren't usually a large number of disabled people in individual pieces of media I think, which comes back to representation. It might also be the case that a lot of people don't see certain things as disabilities (like dyslexia or anosmia, those tend to be seen as just "conditions" but not disabilities) so the idea of there being a variety of disabilities is weird as a result of their mental classifications for "what is or isn't a disability", if you get what I mean.
Also, I can kind of see where your friend might be coming from. A lot of the time when there's "too much" of something in a book or whatever, it can seem like you're trying to pander to the audience. Kind of like "Oh well since you want disabled characters so much, here's a bunch so shut up" and it can end up like a mockery instead. Maybe that's what your friend meant and they didn't mean anything bad by it, but I wouldn't really know so 🤷♀
I'm not saying that that's what you are doing/trying to do, and I'm also not disabled so I can't speak for the community, but I just wanted to add that perspective.
Wish you all the best in your writing!
@@chronosclaimsall Thank you! And I agree wholeheartedly on her likely intent, I just don't feel it is pandering given I know a whole range of people with mobility, hearing, and visual impairments, as well as a range of ND folks. It just represents the people in my life and my desire to let them find people like them in a fantasy world.
I love the videos here so much because I want to do things well, and want to avoid tropes that are hurtful or insulting.
I'm about 8 minutes into the video. It's been maybe 7 years since I read the manga... long before I had come to terms with my disability. When you showed the scene of Al, in his body, using a cane - I burst into tears immediately. I remember this series so fondly, but I had no memory whatsoever of Al using a cane... I've never seen a character before where I looked at them and genuinely saw myself. I've only accepted my disability for the past year or so, and started walking with my own cane... it's impossible to express the way I'm feeling right now having seen him with one. Now that I've finished crying I'm going to watch the rest of this wonderful video
I never considered there was a chance al wouldn’t fully “recover” eventually. We don’t get to see if there’s ramifications 30 years from now
It's only a headcanon and not really part of the text, but I like to imagine (and use for my own fics) the idea that the P. stone didn't actually fully and completely magically heal Havoc and Roy. Havoc still needed a lot of physical therapy and Roy's eyesight never fully recovers and he ends up needing glasses.
/shrug
Yeah it's not really canonical but it brings their recovery more in line with Mr. "dude EXPLAIN yourself before you shove an arm in someone's guts"'s treatment of Izumi. It can't fix everything, but it can make it at least partially better.
wdym? the manga shows havoc doing physical therapy.
@@fluffy_magnus Yes but this video is saying that's WITHOUT the stone. I'm saying even WITH the stone he'd still need it.
I mean even if it reconnects his spine without any need to retrain his nerves with the reconnected signals (likely, given how smoothly Ed could use his arm after getting it back), he's still been unable to use his legs for... months? So there's likely some muscle atrophy.
That's really just post-hoc justification though. My real reason is that I don't like my magical fixes 'perfect' and I want there to still be effort or falling short a bit. That there's still some permanent change and the past wasn't functionally just erased.
Which honestly again, fits with canon. As the video points out -- Ed still needs metal taken out of his shoulder. Al needs physical therapy (and a good diet). Izumi still can't have kids. So I just drag Havoc and Roy into line with that.
@@Cathowl I fully agree with you on Havoc. It's just not credible that the the stone would have him up and waltzing immediately. Interesting theory on Roy though. Since we don't know how exactly he was blinded it might have been as "simple" as opening up a window, so to speak. In both the manga and Brotherhood, Roy stilll has the main parts of his eyes (we can see his pupils) he just "can't see" This is pure speculation on my part but what if The Truth simply put in a mental block to reflect on Roy's circumstances when it happened? "You can't see how this situation will be to your advantage" Kind of thing.
@@loka7783 Yeah we really don't know a lot about Roy's blindness and how it works, so theorizing on the consequences of it being undone is pure speculation.
It could be a mental block, as you say. It could be disconnected nerves -- and I already mentioned how those seem to be reconnected quite neatly for Ed, at least.
My choice to make Roy's eyes not fully recover is entirely personal preference. Both making him match the other characters in having lasting consequences, and also the enjoyment of writing his reactions to this. Little scenes like him squinting at his paperwork. Riza sneaking a form for scheduling an eye appointment into his paperwork. Him ending up cute in glasses later. :p
Why shouldn't it restore them fully?
I understand the hatred towards Scar pity-murdering Nina and Marcoh's view that he deserves his face, but as a counter point, both of those men were HORRIBLE people and while they end up on the side of the good guys, that doesn't negate the countless number of lives they collectively took and shouldn't be viewed as protagonists ie. we need to take their actions and opinions with a heavy dose of salt (at least in my opinion).
As much as I loved the epilogue, I agree that everything that happened with Mustang and Havok in the anime didn't need to happen. The death of Father should have been the end of philosopher's stones IMO, it was only done as a cop-out to make the already relatively happy ending happier.
Also very important when taking into account Marcoh
The man had demonstrated several times that he had a shit opinion on almost everything
I think you confused the word "protagonist" with "hero", a protagonist is just a character who happens to have the main focus of a story while a hero is a character who is meant to represent a moral ideal for what is right. Marcoh is absolutely a protagonist since he gets a lot of focus in the story, but you're right in saying that he is in no way a hero because of the things he has done in the past (even if he was trying to change as a person later on by becoming a doctor). As for the ending, it's still a shonen aimed at younger audiences made in the late 2000s so I didn't expect much different.
well, tbf to a certain degree there are no ''good guys'' in fullmental's world
every single state alchemist, aside from Ed is war criminal, they took active part in ethnic genocide
so having a reformed terrorist on their side later isn't that much of a stretch
they already were terrorists
@@peggedyourdad9560 agreed, but also have to acknowledge that it’s noble of him to finally be brave enough to do what’s right and try to help people and correct his wrongs, all while staying humble and understanding that he has no right to be forgiven for the things he’s done to the people he’s done it to. If he were truly selfish he would’ve maybe let the fear of being caught and self pity lead to him ending his life (Hitler move), but he went out of his way to help others instead. Characters can be redeemed, after all-as many people can.
For another character example u could look at Black Widow from Marvel, her whole arc is about breaking away from a terrible job she never truly wanted to be a part of but had no way out and killed a ton of innocent people, but finally was able to break away from that lifestyle and try and make amends for what she’s done by helping others.
@@doodlemunchkin2222 I never said that his efforts to change and become better as a person shouldn't be recognized and praised, I just said that he isn't a hero ("hero" being the peak standard for a morally good person).
Consent around disability has always been a bit of a sensitive topic to me. My 'parents' were terrible on many different fronts, so a bias might be there, but even if we just zoom in on how they acted around my medical issues I'm confused as to how they were allowed to keep me without any investigation. And worse, to this day it's excused with 'she tried her best'. If her best leaves a child with osteoarthritis, no hip head, scoliosis, morbid obesity, digestive issues, stomach lining damage and chronic pain by the age of 10, MAYBE DO SOMETHING?
But the real icing on the cake is when all was said and done, only a new hip would be a viable option to try. I was vocal about not wanting one yet (2x15 years is a generous estemate since my femur is partly necrotic, even the bit that hasn't crumbled yet) and she went surgeon shopping all across Europe until a surgeon agreed. Jan 27 2010 we have the last intake, talk about the surgery, recovery, I'm weighted for medicine doseage etc. I mention I don't want the surgery yet and get ignored. February 2 2010 I'm taken in for surgery and I withdraw my consent, they try to talk me out of it but can't. Why you might wonder, what big change in those few days? I turned 18...
Had my mum gotten her way I'd already be at my second new hip this year (assuming nothing went wrong.) I feel like my life has barely begun and in a way it only just has because yes, I spend over two decades on a (very treatable early enough) hip disease (leg calvé perthes) but now I'm lifting weights, am a waitress, got my own place (renting but still) and am slowly saving up money. WITH MY ORIGINAL HIP. I still got my 2x15y once I need them. I learned to balance (for both sitting and walking) I got strong enough to not need my bad leg much (I can pistol squat with weight on my good leg, so I can stand up easily and such, to pick things up I can make a deadlift movement and keep my bad leg straight etc.) I can almost flawlessly manage my pain by taking rest consistently and the pain itself is steady, overall its worse than ever but no 'pain-days' which for a 'normal' life is major.
Sure, between work and working out I need my free time to rest up, but... well, it's the best life I've ever known and I'm safe from my abusers due to the independance it gives. Sadly got diagnosed with carpel tunnel syndrome last week (bet mum will say it's that healthy lifestyle and working, arrghh, not the 300lbs at age of 10 on crutches, repeat a few times. :'') ) so another thing to overcome but so far it's just numb and painful at the same time, no loss in functionality.
As a non physically disabled person you really opened my eyes to the themes in FmaB/Manga despite its flaws it’s made me appreciate it even more
I second this motion, not sure I consider myself disabled but being neurodivergent I am part of a group with heavy overlap with disabled persons and do experience ablism I didn't realise all the ways FMA depicts and comments on disability because what puts me in that box is in how my brain works not any visible aspect of my body.
There is no flaws, it’s amazing.
@@dulcemendoza3526 Watch the video and you'll see otherwise.
@@ravenfrancis1476 no
@@dulcemendoza3526 Yup
I also have always had issues with Mustang's ending, though not in the same way. I am always frustrated with the fact that he was used as essentially collateral for the hominculi who opened the portal. I always feel like Truth should have been able to reach the ones actually performing the transmutation, not just the closest body to the circle. That said, his loss of sight is ultimately treated as more of a temporary setback, even when he isn't expecting to get it back. He is the only person who is given an on screen choice about healing, giving him more agency with how he choses to treat his disability, and he sends the offer first to a subordinate that was injured under his command. In both the Manga and the show it's stated that using the stone may not even work on his eyes, but he does seem to get his vision back somehow. Arakawa leaves a lot up to the imaginations of the readers, which is both comforting and irritating at times. Nor are we shown if Havoc is undergoing therapy after his nerves are healed, or if Mustang's sight is restored via the stone or making another sacrifice like Ed was able to do. Overall the series has a theme of making the best choice you can with the tools available to you, and by the end multiple options are presented to everyone who needs them. I read these endings as more of a call to listen to the people who are affected, rather than swooping in and "fixing" things for them.
This is a lovely comment. I do want to point out that one of the epilogue fotos is of Havoc going through physical therapy. So idk if you meant mental therapy, but in case you missed it, I wanted to point it out because I always enjoyed the fact that despite healing his nerves, it didn't instantly bring him back to how he was before and he actively trains to be able to walk again, letting me conclude that he chose to have his nerves healed.
@@TheWarriorpony Ah yes, I was referring to that same physical therapy. And I liked that the series was consistent in showing that no matter the choice, it always takes work and time to adjust to new parts of your life or return to old ones.
I agree!! Personally I like to think that Mustang’s sight was improved but not fixed. Like. He can see again, but he’s need glasses, etc.
Regarding your first point, i am pretty sure it is stated in the anime that the homonculi cannot preform alchemy, and therefore do not have gates? So it would be impossible to exact a penance from them, as they are separate from the truth. Like to open the portal and make mustang a sacrifice pride had to assimilate the doctor, and even then the docotor was a pile of mush after the transmutation and pride was badly hurt. The homunculi never directly opened the portal it was the gold toothed doctor and mustang. At least, that's how I see things. Could be a stretch who knows
@@Djjiinn That makes sense! Because it is one of the few moments that doesn't get an explanation it can be interpreted many different ways. For instance Father/the first homonculi has a door. Perhaps the individual Desires don't? Or perhaps the rebound simply grazed Mustang and that's why his toll was so comparatively small? We don't really get an exposition moment for this one, so I am still frustrated. But it is more important to ask what we can take away from the scene and the show in general.
Its worth noting that Scar isnt treated as in the right for killing nina. Nina's fate was horrific, put in a state that is frankly hard to equate to anything real life can offer us in parallel. Considering that Shao's wife sought death when SHE got changed, i imagine its probably a very painful existence. So its easy to see where Scar is coming from with death as a mercy. Despite this, the Elrics and other characters tell him that jt was wrong.
They don't dwell on it too long though. I imagine because the sheer depth of the horror done to this little girl and dog are kind of unfathomable, to the point that I imagine Arakawa did not want to spend too long pontificating on the morality of trying to guide Nina into some kind of fucked up half pet half adopted child life or killing a little girl/dog who were both forced into this existence and still probably dont want to die. Still, i thought it was worth noting
I somehow remembered Aisha, who went blind at the beginning of Winx season 3, but her sight returned. It was a pretty bold move for a show like this (and they did a lot of things before degrading), even if it was temporary.
She sacrificed the opportunity to regain her eyesight in order to save her aunt, but in return she received an enchantix (the highest form of powers) ... And in the end, her eyesight was returned to her.
And yes, I know that this is a powerful spell that could be removed, but what if Aisha remained blind (it is clear that a studio selling sparkling dolls is unlikely to allow itself to do this)
But just imagine what if she had to learn everything all over again? what if she learned to adapt to everything and be a fairy without sight? what would her relationship with Naboo be like then?
And even if, say, it took a long time to find a way to break the spell, this period of time could be compensated by Aisha's attempts to get used to a new (albeit temporary) way of life and teach the public something.
@@CawfeeCakes Yes, truth? Oh, I do not know English well, but for the sake of interest in the video I tried to translate. I have not yet reached his opinion about Kubo, but thanks for the statement and I am very sorry if I offended someone and led tactlessly, I will paraphrase my comment above somehow, thanks again, I will be more attentive in the future and I will definitely watch his video to avoid such confusion🙏
@@mini-bi8482 you didn’t do anything wrong, I assumed you’d seen enough of his stuff to be familiar with his opinions on disability being cured like in aisha’s case.
@@CawfeeCakes Whatever you say
i don't understand why it was so bad she recovered her sight, i mean, in a place full of magic it was logical to me that there would be a way to cure that disability, it isn't like in our world where we have it more complicated, sometimes i feel like to want to see our world reflected somehow ruin the experience of see another world with things that doesn't exist in ours...
@@zanir2387 Because disabled people need representation, and most disabled people don't want to be "cured" of their disabilities.
I recall the mangaka had interviewed a good amount of war veterans before he started to write the story, so that could be why the representation is both so authentic (despite being a fantasy/scifi series!) and non-judgemental, and gets a lot right. Once again it's proven that consulting the actual group of people you're going to represent in your fictional work is _a good idea._
Also, you're not alone with wanting to read the story of Nina, wanting to see her grow, even if it no doubt would have been one with many sorrows and hardships. After killing her, I could never see the guy in any positive light, no matter what his intentions were. He's the equivalent of the people who see visibly disabled people and decide their life is so bad it's not even worth living and treat them according to that mentality. Which is a mentality you hear unfortunately often when you see people discussing about disabled people. Especially ones who have deformaties, and due to looking deviant people not being able to relate to them and empathisize with them. To which analogy Nina fits perfectly.
*HER....the mangaka of FMA is female.
@@RinsDesk oh I had no idea and actually thought I had heard someone say he's a guy. Thanks!
@@Kotifilosofi I thought the mangaka was a male at first too since the name is very masculine. However, Oakwyrm said "she" when mentioning the mangka so I looked it up and it seems like she's writing/drawing under a pseudonym.
@@RinsDesk oh, I didn't notice that, I must've been listening with just a half an ear 😄
He destroyed his own livelihood that enabled his own ability to finance his maintenance of his prosthetic in order to bring his brother back. So regardless of his alchemy ability being gone is maybe a disability, it still has an tangible affect on his life going forward and how he managed his disability.
Kind of like a pilot giving up their colour vision. Not really "needed" but without it you've got a totally different life
no, not maybe is the one real disability (other then mental) in the world where there's no cure for.
in the world physical disability can be cured by automail or alchemy (if you pay the price) but the lost of ability to perform alchemy can't be cured even if you have the priced because one needs to acess the door to offer the price which he can't
I would be very interested in knowing your thoughts about the anime Ranking of Kings or the movie A Silent Voice. Both featuring stories that focus on the disabilities of their protagonists and dealing with being Deaf.
Me too! My biggest criticism with the former, is that they do not do lip reading well, at least from my not deaf, but blind, perspective. The fact that Boji can just straight up understand what Kage is saying, and, as long as people aren't looking at him, it seems like he can understand them as well, even if they're wearing entire face plates on their heads! What the hell! I do really appreciate the their integration of sign language. You don't see that much in anime. I also really like that Boji find a support system, and people who believe in him, and they teach him how to do something that most people do one way, but he does another way, just as legally, if not better, but he still has to find a special teacher for that. That is very relatable to me, as I had a teacher of the visually impaired and a mobility instructor growing up, who had to teach me all the blind people skills. That is not something my parents could've taught me.
Oddly enough, most of my groups having to do with the show I have nothing to do with the way they represent disability. What bothers me is the pacing. I'm not a huge fan of how they just throw new characters and stuff are you every episode. It's weird, because I normally do like that type of world building, but I think the pacing throws me off a bit. Plus, I don't really like the way so many characters just blurt out information like how strong a character is, or the history of a country, so often. There have been times where I thought it was well done, but a lot of times I've just wanted to see it, rather than hear about it right before it shows up.
How do you feel about that? Do you mind the pacing
Also, If you would like my perspective, I love the movie, and, I just Sam, Demaga if I could read it. I can relate very very much to Shoko's mindset of not wanting to be a burden on anybody, thankfully not to the degree she has, but still, very relatable to me. I also very much relate to her social isolation, because, though I was able to hear what people were saying, and communicate easily with them one way, that doesn't mean they want to communicate back to me, so again, hit hard.
However, I do really appreciate the perspective it takes. I don't harve any feel well towards my Bali's, but I do wish they've felt as much remorse for the shit they put me through Shoya does, again, not too wanting to kill themselves, but they never apologized, and I had classes with them for like 10 years.
Paninya and Izumi were handled better in the manga when it came to Paninya’s flashback and Hohenheim healing Izumi. Paninya less so, but still better than the anime. In the manga flashback, we can see her wheelchair is busted, it’s missing one of its main wheels, so she abandons it, so it’s nowhere to be seen when Dominic takes her. Still not great but better than the anime. As for Izumi, her healing scene has a better sense of consent in the manga than it does in the anime. Before Izumi tells Hohenheim what Truth took from her he says “You don’t have to hold back, I’m not your average alchemist. As I said before I have some medical knowledge. It’s Xing style alchemy so it might seem a bit strange.” This lets Izumi know he’s going to do something odd to help her, which is better then him just doing it out of nowhere like in the anime.
Keep in mind I’m not an expert on disability, and I mean no offence in case I said something bad. I just wanted to explain the differences between the manga and the anime. Paninya still could have been handled much better, and Izumi also could be better. Just one line from Hohenheim asking “May I help you heal?” Would have made the situation a lot better.
I have a fond place in my heart for both adaptations of the story (03 and BH) and both definitely give great disabled representation and grounded characters and development.
And honestly? 03 has a bit of a leg up for me with how it treated disability, particularly with Izumi’s-which can be a sensitive topic for many women who cannot conceive-and how it didn’t play her fits of pain and vomiting blood from the loss of her organs as a joke and random gag. Instead they stayed consistent with treating it seriously. Which imo feels more appropriate all things considered.
(03 Rose, who becomes a victim/survivor of abuse, is also treated seriously and shows how capable she remained by getting herself out of a dark place and not letting it rule her life.)
Also: (Spoiler) Ed also STAYS fully disabled as well as loses his alchemy by the end of the 03 series. They don’t quite get all that they wanted, but Ed is still fully capable of accepting that fact and just being glad he could get Al what he deserved. Which feels more realistic and grounded in the way life works and the importance of accepting that and making the best out of it. Which I think can be especially important for those who are permanently disabled to see. You may never be able to have what you had before…but your life isn’t over. You can live with it and adapt.
I think the idea that adapted content(like 03) immediately can’t be good unless it’s entirely faithful to the original story and if it doesn’t-is therefore obsolete.. is a bit narrow minded of a view.
Especially when it’s something that can’t be helped, and in this case-the manga author specifically told them to do so, was a big consultant for a lot of their choices, and enjoyed the story they came up with.
And I think the way they chose to handle Izumi and the use of humor and tone, in particular, and the slightly different-but equally important lesson it teaches- is testimony to that.
I’m very glad we got both. Gives us a good full picture of the original cast of characters since they get more time to be explored while also staying largely true and consistent to their personalities. Wouldn’t have had that if we didn’t get more than one adaptation.
I love FMA 03, and one of the reasons I prefer it over BH is the way it handled disability. Roy specially getting his eyes fixed with the souls of the people he killed left me a very bitter taste :/ and i think Ed having steampunk-esque prosthetics in fucking Nazi Germany is awesome👍
I'm actually playing a vampire the masquerade game with an NPC that was inspired by Nina. There are a clan of vampires who... craft flesh? While they can be played to be very helpful the stereotype of their clan is very mad scientist. We met and befriended a young flesh crafter and their talking dog, (more experienced players immediately understood OOC that dogs don't and can't talk like that in VTM) but eventually the back story is revealed that the dog was once the other others very best friend in the world, his vampire sire beat the friend almost to death and the only other living things around at the time were animals so in a traumatized and desperate move to save his friend he crafted him into a big fluffy dog as best he could.
Dog friend seems happy, though they have limited communication and seem very childlike in their manner. He can still communicate if he is happy or sad. While being quite disturbed the group has pretty much agreed that dog-friend is now alive and seems happy so there's not much more that can be done for them so they're a part of the group for now.
I love that game.
Sorry for multiple comments. Fma is my everything. You’ve given me something more to think about. Truly. I’ve been loving this series for a decade and you’ve given me a WHOLE new level, and shows me how even more real life people can relate to the characters and care for them that much more. I never want to stop loving it.
We also most definitely see ptsd, but that’s without saying.
13:09 happens all the time to intersex kid (not the super armor, just unwanted, not medically necessary surgeries). Glad the one I baby sit has cool parents. Basically when Superfly Small Human (not his real name) was born, they had to do a surgery to give him a urethra opening so he can pee, but his parents wouldn't go further than that. Glad they didn't, since Superfly Small Human identifies as a boy and most surgeons would assign him female because it's 'easier.'
Unless it's medically necessary, don't put a kid through it without their consent.
Also, would love to see your take on Antman and The Wasp. The 'villain' (more of an antagonist simply because she has opposing goals to the protagonist). She is sympathetic, has trauma and genuine fear about her chronic illness/disability, and is in pain all the time. I love the resolution because it doesn't cure her, she has to keep getting particles from the quantum realm and so it's manageable but not 'cured.' Good movie, good comedy, enjoyed how they resolved it.
I don't know if a fanfic with Nina living out her days as a chimera would be needed, but something like that does exist! In Centarworld there are the Minotaurs, disfigured animal/people hybrids, who were created out of desperation by the villain, who in turn creat more like them. But, they do not get punished for their crimes. It is established that the Minotaurs were being mind-controlled by the Nowhere King and are feeling, conscious creatures (Stabby, anyone?). Big bad is defeated in the show's climax, these disfigured creatures regain consciousness and live out their lives just as they are. No one forced a cure on them, despite there being a way to do so, these creatures were allowed to live out their lives, disabilities and all. I though it was sweet!
I dabble in fanfiction writing, might actually look into something involving Nina growing, I think she could have. And while Scar's action is seen as killing a disabled child that wasn't his reasoning his was more on the alchemy fact rather than the disability (doesn't make it any more right but I don't think the disability was his issue) and yeah agree on Roy really (we need more blind individuals who grow and accept it without magic help). And probably looking too deep but also saw the ND with Winry, Al, and Ed.
What's worse about the Roy thing, that he brings up, is that Roy would've been totally fine with it! It would've been so cool to see him stay blind at the end of the series: maybe learn braille (if that exists in this universe), using a cane or a guide dog, probably a guy dog, I can totally picture Black Haite having puppies, and one of them being his guide dog. Though I'm not sure how big he is, so that might not work.
It really sucks, because we don't even have to assume if Roy would've been cool, because we see him actively studying to do his job auditorily, so we have proved that he would've been OK with it! Need a fan fiction, considering writing it myself.
Scar’s action had to do with him recognizing that she was victimized by the military/state alchemist system, just like him and his community, and recognized that if she was under the government’s care, she would continue to be victimized and abused in the name of alchemical research.
@@nyabis8044 That is one part of Nina's arc that I think was handled better in the 2003 version. In that version we at least see Ed and Al trying to stop her from being taken by the military.
I honestly think mustang staying blind and still being the Fuhrer would’ve been an amazing thematic move. With how the previous leader ship had such a ableistic ideology. Having a leader who is disabled and still respected as a powerful and noble man would show how much amesteris has moved away from fascism
I'm an aspiring writer, just wanted to you you know these are really helpful, I never even realised how bad my disabled representation in my stories was, thanks for helping
To be honest, I never noticed the lack of consent, but I do totally agree with you now.
On the subject, I do also not like the fact that Izumi was not given consent, but I do love her husband's reaction to his wife being stabbed. Super angry and protective husband is awesome! I love the Curtises so much! #RelationshipGoals!
No I'm annoyed to the anime though. Why did it have to cure Havoc!? The way the monger that it was way better. I can't read the manga, so I didn't know that, but I much prefer that. Head canon!
I also really appreciate how, and how much, you talked about alphonse. No one ever talked about him for some reason, at least not often. I really appreciate your perspective on his, situation? I've never really know how to talk about it from a disability perspective, but years makes sense. I also love the fact that you go into the fact that Edward is only going along with everything just to get his brothers body back. He could, and does go on, perfectly fine as an amputee. The only thing I would've mentioned, growing up where they did, I think that and perspective on being an amputee comes a lot from the Rockbells, their business, and their clients. He saw people being perfectly fine with being amputees growing up most likely, so he knew that he'd be fine. His brother on the other hand, not so much. If you see someone, especially someone with a disability, who society views is in capable and all that crap, actually being the opposite, and you someday have to deal with a similar situation, odds are you're going to be a lot more chill with it than someone else who didn't have any interactions with that person would.
That's what I hope to instill in my niece and nephews. I'm the only blind person I know, and I'm not completely blind, if they ever go blind for whatever reason, or me another blind person, I hope that they know how to interact with them properly, because of me.
Anyway, awesome video! Sent it to my friends to watch as well, and give it a like of course. Still loving your content. Now go sit down dude! I know when I need to give my eyes a break, give your body what it deserves! You deserve being taken care of, even if it's by yourself.
It didn't even cross my mind not to talk about Alphonse, honestly. He's so central to the story, it baffles me whenever anyone doesn't seem to get that.
And yeah I definitely agree with you on that how Ed was raised probably contributed to how he sees himself, having grown up with the Rockbells and been taught by Izumi, giving him broad exposure to disabled people from an early age.
Thank you for your kind words and I assure you I am taking it easy today.
@@Oakwyrm good! Next time you're thinking about doing that, picture, whichever one you find scarier, either a Izumi and/or Winry threatening you. Listen to the scary ladies!
Personally, I would be more scared of Izumi. I find it hilarious that the Elrics are terrified of her, especially with their reaction when they have to go see her, and Al response with, "I at least wanted to fall in love before I died," but so am I! 😀
If I'm not wrong, in the manga Havoc started rehabilitation through his own means, he didn't used the stone, but haven't finished the manga myself, I've just read comparative posts
"Lack of consent".... oh good grief
Heard you were Finnish from the way you say "anime" and "manga", hahaa! Great job, I've been wondering about the point of view on disabled people in FMA, glad you hear yours! :) Instant subscription!
I wish Mustang had instead been given a guide animal of some sort, a raptor of some sort probably! He would still be a combatant *without the philosopher's stone* , while still staying logically sound within the magic system.
Fullmetal Alchemist has always been special to me as someone who has been disabled since early childhood. Being able to relate to characters like Ed and Al was such a nice feeling, since I heavily relate many of the issues Al faces throughout the series (I even had my own list of foods I would eat when I was in the hospital as a child).
Al's portrayal throughout the series always felt so relatable and realistic to me, and his arc has definitely helped me come to terms with my issues and become more confident in using my mobility aids years later.
It's so nice to see FMA being talked about through this lense. This was a video that I didn't know I needed, but I'm incredibly glad to have watched!
Since you're covering anime and manga
I'd love to hear you talk about disability and maybe gender in Land of the Lustrous
Most of the characters are agender and many of them have disabilities and it'd be pretty interesting if you talked about it
disability is like one of the major themes if not THE major theme of land of the lustrous yeah
@@Envy_May main character is basically disabled by their society's standards so yes
@@temtem2656 almost every character is in some way if not multiple
After all these years… I’m still not sure why the gold-toothed doctor needed to be there. His title card being the only one of a single character that doesn’t include a name is kind of a perfect metaphor for his bizarre existence.
In my own reread of the series I noticed that, if we go with your "human based chimera's are a kind of disability" idea with Nina, then we get depictions of internalized ablism in the chimera Kimbley brought with him, the toad and porcupine ones specifically want their bodies returned to normal and don't think their lives hold value in their current state, they are just waiting to die, but Alphonse, having made peace with his own situation and confronted Scar over Nina's murder in a previous fight confronts them on their lack of self respect and convinces them to go on looking for a way to return themselves to normal, whilst the other two, the guerilla and Lion chimeras are shown as completely fine with remaining as they are and no one questions this decision once they make it known, in all cases their lives are valued and their agency respected. Scar's decision to euthanize Nina is unabashedly depicted as a morally wrong decision brought on by cynicism and arrogance.
Wait. There are people who think an anime with a disabled protagonist wouldn't work?
Despite FMA existing?
WTAF?
Well, today I learned that an actual young person claimed that disabled people could not possibly work as fashion models. And my reaction was "Have you been living under a rock since 2014??"
No. Literally noone. Maybe one dumbass here and there but normally - No.
I'd say... realistically speaking, both Elric brothers supposed to be on the therapy and heal PTSD for couple of years (at best) after the story ends.
I genuinely love all of this video with breaking down all of these disabilities and what they do right and wrong. As a writer your knowledge and view is invaluable.
I don’t have a physical disability, but I have a history of extremely painful periods to the point of force myself to stay in bed unable to function level pain from my uterus. So I can on some level understand feeling like you need to push yourself through your own body causing yourself pain to get something done. Don’t overwork yourself and if you need to take a day of rest from pain, I think we can all agree we are willing to wait for your episodes as your own health takes priority.
I just wanna comment as someone with debilitating chronic pain/limitations from said pain, I know there's a hesitation to calling yourself disabled when you don't have something like a loss of a limb or a sense or the need for a mobility aid. That being said, if your pain prevents you from functioning and leaves you bed bound at least some of the time... that's a physical disability my friend. Of course it's always up to you whether you want to call yourself 'disabled', it's something I don't yet feel I can call myself, but I figured it might be something for you to think about. Cheers, I wish you pain free days my dude :)
(I just noticed your username too lmfao always love to see a fellow homestuck in the wild)
I definitely see where you're coming from on a lot of those points, but all in all, I really super liked the way FMA deals with disability. Yes its not perfect, but at least for me, the negatives seem relatively small, and the positives vastly outweigh them. I feel inspired by its characters, in a way that small issues don't really subtract from.
I mean Ed losing Alchemy was the biggest disability he could put on himself. Tbh I think it's way worse
i love the small details the mangaka put in the story about ed's disability - like he suffers from phantom limb pain (i'm pretty sure that's not included in either anime) and how he grows and needs new prosthetics as he ages (it was the first piece of media i encountered where that was mentioned even though it's an obvious thing that would happen with a still growing child)
This was a really great analysis on disability in FMA, and one of the reasons I love it so much as a disabled person myself, regardless of it just being a really fantastic series overall. FMA has its issues as well as its satisfactory portrayals and I like how you acknowledge both in this video. I agree that theres multiple characters that are ND and I think its obvious that most of the main characters probably have PTSD and depression at the very least.
Also (spoiler for the first FMA anime from 2003) Ed doesn't regain his arm and leg in the end of that version, even after Al is restored, he just continues to live his life with prosthetics.
03 has some moments that i’d enjoy to bring up: Paniya in 03 along with missing both her legs is also missing an arm too and there is a sequence in 03 where a little girl steals edward’s automail leg to try and give it to her father who is also missing a leg
Love your videos! Wrt mental illness, the Elrics are so obviously traumatized, and seeing them recover from their ptsd was so important for my own.
As ever, I appreciate your insight and perspective, and FMA was such a part of my teen years. I read an absolutely awesome fanfiction back then where Sheska became a tutor to help Havoc retrack his career and they fall in love, he never doesn't need the wheel chair. It was called WIP
That sounds so beautiful omg
Happen to remember where it was?
@@mintbrownieangelfish-6114 aff net, I'm talking back in 2004 😂
Also gotta say that the Curtises are polar opposites from each other in a design way that is super cool. Also the fact that Sig is such good friends with Armstrong is hilarious. you also bring up a good point that more mangas/animes should do: have a disabled protagonist or antagonist. Full Metal did it finominaly and Lego Ninjago Lord Garmadon was fantastic
FMAB is on my list of Greatest Stories Ever Told (I never read the manga, so I can't comment on the differences) but yeah the "curing" disabilities without informed consent is f***ed up. Seems like they got a lot of stuff right but weren't perfect. Still an amazing show that I highly recommend and will probably rewatch now 😅
Something that comes to mind for me, for izumi's case, is that hoenheim is a pretty arrogant dude in some ways. I don't think it's out of character for him to just do it and assume it's wanted. To make it better, izumi could have given him more grief about it afterwards, but she also has a practical approach to life that might contribute to her just seeing it as 'that was invasive, but now I can fight better, so I can forgive you'.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Paninya's story was pretty fucked up. People will usually deflect with "but they have different values in Japan". Okay but... that still doesn't make it okay.
Eh i personally disagree about Havoc and Roy. We weren't necessarily given conclusion to what happened to Havoc for example. Roy giving an idea to "cure him" doesn't necessarily equal lack of consent because afaik we weren't given any information on Havoc's response and later procedure, especially considering he is shown doing physical therapy. And for Roy I personally always thought he was given an unjust treatment with the whole "forced to open the gate" so him getting a way out of it seemed fair to me. But i suppose strictly from the diability pov that whole thing was weird.
I'm glad I'm not weird for thinking Nina should've been left alive! (Fanfic idea: Nina joins Ed and Al in their quest, after all she needs a new family now and she'd fit in well with them given that she would have both disabilities and "superpowers" (in this case the superpowers are the positive aspects of having a large, canine body) just like the Elrics.)
This is the series (the manga) that launched my interest into studying prosthetics as my actual career!!! I can’t WAIT to hear your analysis!!
Omg I’m disabled, and never really thought about disability representation in this show. Parents put their kids through those procedures without their consent all the time. So it seems accurate. Of course, not okay
I would like the fanfic where Nina grows up with her disability plz
You said you didn't read the novels but I do recommend reading "A new Beginning", the story follows Winry beginning her new apprenticeship at Garfiels shop! Just like you said, the Manga shows that not only automail are a thing and the novel not only mentions it, it also has a important character that wears a prosthetic!
In general I love the insights the novel gives not only on Winry's character but also on the other mechanics such as Garfiel. While Winry is learning through making mistakes and reflecting on them she learns more and more about the importance of her job, what and what not she should focus on ESPECIALLY regarding her disabled clients needs!
I'm not saying that the novel handles all of the topics correctly and I feel like as an able-bodied person I'm kind of the wrong person to fully be able to judge the writing.
But it would be cool if you would give the novel a shot! :D
Maybe you even could do a video about it, I feel like there is so much to say about it...
With Nina I think it's worth noting that im it's highly likely she just wouldn't grow up. Human chimeras are not a perfected art and they often suffer and die weeks or months after creation. That's why Scar felt it was "mercy". Not that he was correct of course, this is just further motivation for his actions.
Also it was pretty much stated in the story that if she had survived, she would have been further victimized by the state alchemist system that caused her situation in the first place. A fact that was naively ignored by the Elric brothers, who believed that there was some way to increase her quality of life, even though she would in the care of a fascist government that they later learn is totally fine with human rights abuses.
It also doesn’t show her actually being killed by Scar, just the aftermath. We don’t know if there was a moment where Nina accepted death, because she obviously didn’t run from Scar. And he was talking to her, apologizing that like his people she was victimized by the state alchemist system.
Honestly these are the takes i expected you to have regarding this anime. I was waiting for to talk about this and I’m not disappointed!!
Ok so fkr Nina, in all likelihood she wouldn't have grown up at all. She probably would have made it a few years longer but considering that her body was meshed with a large dogs, there is the chance that she would have died long before she made it to adulthood sense large dogs like that one only live for about 10-15 years on average, that dog was already an adult, and probably around the same age as Nina herself, and a transmutation like that definitely would have shortened her life expectancy to some extent too. Also, this is Scar we're talking about, it was entirely in character for him to have some twisted form of mercy like that
I only read: "Brotherhood vs. disability" and was like: "How is that comparable?", I just slept for 12 hours but I think I need to go back to bed.
I loved your in-depth analysis on FMA and also your videos in general. They provide an eye-opening insight into disability and its portrayal in media.
And as a writer, I find it invaluable to be able to understand different perspectives so as to create diverse characters and stories.
Upon discovering your channel, you made me think so much more about some of my own characters who have disabilities (one loses her arm from a very young age and another loses her wings during the course of the story).
Before, I hadn’t given too much thought to their disabilities beyond the trauma that accompanied them (and also Tenel Ka from a Star Wars book series and so many characters from FMA were badasses and I wanted them to be like them in that regard).
Mostly good intentions, especially since I was a clueless middle and high-schooler when I first started developing these characters.
However, I healed both of them eventually without consequence. I fell into many tropes with them that I didn’t even realize I was doing because I was oblivious and ignorant.
But now that my world view has expanded (and will continue to expand), I am working to write more accurate and respectful portrayals of diverse perspectives.
Though I am neurodivergent and queer and already know the need for good representation in media, I am not without fault and ignorance, and there’s always room for learning and improvement when it comes to diversity and good representation.
And your videos really help with that and really gave me a better understanding of disability and how to portray disability in media without being an ableist asshole or a well-intentioned but still ignorant prick about it. So in conclusion, you’re pretty freakin’ rad!
Edit: I split this long-a** comment up in paragraphs bc I realized it was a pain in the a** to read
One of my favourite moments in Fullmetal Alchemist is Al's epiphany in the hotel about how there's hope he can get his body back. It feels like the feeling of relief after you're finished crying.
The thing about Nina is that Ed straigt tells Scar that it was wrong to kill her, and Scar's retort is not that it was better for her to die than to be disabled, but that if she had lived she would have been captured by the state and used in human experimentation.
Nina wasn't disabled
Scar noted It was very likely a chimera like her would be used as a lab rat
Yes I was waiting for this!
Great video. I loved Izumi so much watching fma back in middle school. When I had to have a hysterectomy last year at 27 I was devastated but her character gave me so much strength.
I find marcoh using the philosopher stone weird because we have repeatedly seen that those things should not exist and only cause suffering, but now the heroes are using it
The way I see it:
The heroes are using it but not abusing it like Father, Kimblee and the homunculi. They recognize the souls as people and while Marcoh can destroy the stones, using the stone will ultimately achieve the same thing, setting the people free.
The souls inside Marcoh's stone are also all Ishvalans who "want to fight for their world". Now, we have no proper confirmation for this but I would probably feel fine knowing that my cursed afterlife was being used to heal my home and fellow countrymen.
And in the end, while Ed and Al absolutely refuse to use philosopher stones (at least for selfish reasons)... Marcoh, Mustang and his crew are different people with their own worldviews and beliefs.
Every character has completely different philosophies about using the stone. The bad guys obviously see it as just energy to be used. Ling doesn't really care. Ed never used the stone, and Al is fine using the stone but only to help protect the world.
been waiting for this one, very excited to watch!
Thanks for this. Just found your channel today and it's given me a lot to think over, since I'm doing some worldbuilding and have a cast of disabled and traumatized characters. FMA and FMA: Brotherhood are two of my favorite animes, and you describe a lot of the feelings I had about them quite eloquently.
If you want to listen to more real experiences and feelings of real people (disabled, chronically ill and/or neurodivergent, including traumatized) for your worldbuilding, I have made a bunch of public playlists. The included videos are either made by one of us or solidly anchored in our experiences.
You may want to start with: "Disabled & Co people critiquing media, companies, platforms, representation & accessibility"
and if you want more, search RUclips for:
Disability & Co Ronja Addams-Ramstedt
@@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023 Thanks for the resource. I'll be sure to give it a look.
Have you heard of My Pride? It’s a RUclips based animated series about Lions with a disabled lgbtq protagonist. I’d like to know what you thought about the series and disability because there was some discourse when the disabled protagonist kept/reclaimed an ableist name. It rubbed me the wrong way but I’m not physically disabled so I’d like to hear someone else’s perspective
I would recommend watching detective calico's review of it, its long but they touch on a whole lot of issues within the series
FMAB is probably my favorite anime and it’s great seeing your perspective on it! Thank you for sharing 😊
This video is amazing. As is the tiny details added, like the hair changing colors when you get more serious.
i feel like i found your channel not even 2 weeks ago but super cool to see your takes on fma :] bustin out the popcorn for this vid!
honestly glad to see no "bleh bleh roy mustang is a war criminal so therefore liking him at all is problematic" takes BUT i definitely agree that curing his blindness is quite sus, coming from a writing standpoint. the boys go through the entire series not wanting to use the philosopher's stone due to the genocide that goes with making them and roy just. uses it??
@@atlasllm yes I agree wholeheartedly
This is such a great and well thought out video! I feel like the one place I disagree with you though is on Mustang - he’s had his eyesight gone for a week, and although he has plans on what to do if he can’t get it back, it makes sense that when given the option to see again, he would take it.
I know with me, there are things I would be pissed if someone tried to offer me a “magical cure” for, because I don’t need that. I don’t want people “curing” my autism, that’s just a part of me. But I also have chronic fatigue, and it can be hard sometimes to stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. I remember when I didn’t have it, and how much more I was able to do. If someone offered me a magic cure for that? I would take it in a heartbeat. So I completely understand why Roy would accept getting his sight back, and it doesn’t bother me at all.
I’ve been watching a lot of videos of yours in the past two weeks or so since I discovered your channel. I really love hearing the nuanced opinions and topics you discuss. I have minor disagreements, but I love the quality and perspective of your work!
Thank you so much for this video! I discovered your channel a few weeks ago and I really wanted to see your take on fmab (I have a nd and phisically disabled friend that is getting into anime and, before I would recommend it to them, I wanted to check the opinions of disabled people, to avoid making my friend watch something that could potentially trigger them).
I'm not disabled, so even though some opinions you said I already knew and strongly agreed (looking at you, mustang), there were other points that I never even considered, like the interpretation of Al's lack of body as an illness. It just shows how much more informative a content can be when the presenter actually knows what they're talking about.
15:00 "worst pain days, gonna finish this tho" and we still have ten minutes left on the video. True dedication lmao
It would’ve been nice to see if Nina could’ve grown. We know that the dad did the same thing to her mom to achieve the same goal and she eventually was only able to beg for death. But Nina wants to play. She didn’t say she wanted to die, she didn’t say she was in pain, she wanted to play with her “big brother”. Her cognitive abilities are still at a human level (given she was fused with a dog it would’ve been possible to make her even more animal than human) and isn’t showing clear signs of suffering despite how nightmare inducing the scene is. I’m sure she’s traumatized beyond all belief, but we see other chimaeras live and grow. She could’ve lived learned and grown too probably. But her father isn’t the best at creating chimaeras so she could’ve spiraled like her mom. But we’d never know because scar looked at her and thought her life was already over.
14:55 no, look after your physical health, please
Think for *most* cases, the theme of equivalent exchange really helps the portrails. The people who became disabled through their alchemy did so paying a toll they may or may not have been aware of, and equally so the manner in which most got means of support or recovery required a price, and it's almost never a perfect result.
Scar himself is often wrong with his morals, views on human life and makes decisions many would consider wrong. Him killing Nina because of his own opinion which we can argue isn't right and moral makes sense for Scar's character.
Scar recognized that Nina was victimized by the state alchemist system, like his people, and if she was under governmental care she would have likely been abused and experimented on in the name of alchemical research. A possibility that Ed and Al kind of ignored in a naive belief that she will be cared for properly and that there was some way to increase her quality of life.
@@nyabis8044 Yeah I agree with that as well. It still wasn't his choice to make, but I understand where Scar was coming from.
Your videos are always a delight
I'm so grateful to your videos I really appreciate you I'm still getting use to things about myself and been upset because of the weird looks I get when I go out I'm not use to it I've watched a lot of your videos it feels nice to hear someone saying disabled of meny forms should be treated like a normal person. Thank you for your time your videos make my day a little easier when I feel mostly alone. ❤❤❤❤
I hope my comment doesn't offend anyone it was not my intention I just wanted to give my appreciation to someone who honestly makes me feel understood
Nice vid! Thanks for making and sharing.
I would love to hear what you think about Cyborg from the teen Titans cartoon (not teen Titans go) because there’s a few episodes that specifically tackle Victor through the lens of disability
Thing about Nina , isn't that more of a non consensual body modification? , borderline body horror? , I really wouldn't consider it a disability , I think
It's horror simply put
I highly recommend rewatching and finishing FMA 2003. It's a great anime/story.
While I get your point about consent, I think it's heavily hinted that Izumi was dying at that moment, not like going to die eventually, but like she had reached her end point without immediate interventions. Not that Hoenhiem was in anyway being a good person though, he needed her to survive for his plan to stop father to work, he saw her as a pawn in that moment and just did whatever he wanted.
I don't know if you'd prefer the 2003 Anime, like Al does get miricale cured, but Ed doesn't get any of his limbs back and Mustang is permanently blinded in one eye, but then again the terminator might be a particularly questionable aspect for you... Still I say give it a shot, I personally prefer it over Brotherhood.
I... Don't know if Nina could ever have had a happy ending, she's suffering a chronic unyielding pain and struggling to produce full and coherent human thoughts as her mind is now the fusion of her own and her dogs. I'm not saying Scar is right, but if Tucker's previous attempt is any indication she likely would not have even been able to eat through the pain, leading her to starve herself to death, and if she survived that the mental dissonance of her human mind and dog mind trying to cohabitate, as well as coming to terms with their new form, may have prompted her to desperate attempts at self harm.
ok like. if that was the case, how fuckin' hard would it have been to just go "Hey, you seem to be Actively Dying, I think I have something that could make that Not Happen, this is what that would entail" It would've been different if she was completely out-cold and/or unresponsive, that's when you just throw caution out the window and do whatever you can to save the life in front of you, but they were having a perfectly coherent conversation. Like that's absolutely not an excuse.
I don't think I'll ever want to watch the 2003 anime. Not only because of the screenshots I've seen of the thing which apparently is called the terminator, but also because I dropped it shortly after it got... /real/ weird and uncomfortable with its edits to the character of Barry the Chopper. And that was before I even realised I was trans or knew much about trans stuff so I can't imagine I'd be any happier to watch it Now.
As for Nina, there's no suggestion that she's actually in pain after the transmutation? No doubt the initial transmutation was horrifically painful and traumatising, but the reason Tucker's wife staved wasn't because she /couldn't/ eat, it was because she actively refused food. She was coherent enough to make the active choice to kill herself, and Nina also demonstrates clear paths of reasoning even after the tranmutation.
(i.e. Edward's here -> He promised he'd play with me -> Can we gonna play now?
Edward's hitting my father -> hitting hurts -> Edward's hurting my father? -> Why is he doing that?
A strange man broke in -> my father's scared of him -> my father's bleeding and not moving -> my father's badly, badly hurt -> he's probably not getting up again)
There's no indication anywhere in canon that she would necessarily struggle with the difference between her "human brain" and her "dog brain". In fact, all of the other Chimeras (while much more expertly made) kind of contradict that asertion, since any animalistic traits they have seem to have fused seamlessly with their minds. Because, you know, that's what happened. The actual makeup of their minds was altered, there's not disparate parts to war against each other.
@@Oakwyrm don't get me started on the other Chimera, they don't make sense at all, they were made during the war, the war that ended before Tucker even presented his first Chimera, so then why the hell did the Military want Tucker!?!
And as for my assertion, the main part comes from a line I recall from the dub that was something like "Ed ward why does it hurt", but I didn't see it in the sub clip I looked up, so either it was a dubbing error, or a false memory.
@@madestmadhatter Because it would look suspicious as hell to the general public if the military /didn't/ award the first man to officially create a talking Chimera with State Alchemist certification? Remember, up until the end of the series, the very existance of "human" Chimeras was an extremely closely guarded secret. As far as the public, or even most of the military knew, /no one/ had managed to create a talking Chimera yet.
Also yes that is a false memory, likely created from when she asked Edward why he was hurting her father.
Nina does say "Edward why does it hurt you" to Ed in the 2003 dub.
@@madestmadhatterTucker is given state alchemist to hide that they actually made human chimeras perfectly
Also: guinea pigs
Would love to hear your thoughts on Ranking of Kings and it's disability representation
This is such a well thought out analysis, and I loved it! The only part where I slightly differ is what happened with Mustang. Yes, he was willing to work with his blindness, but given the option to see again, it seems perfectly reasonable that he would take it. I think it's a perspective thing - there are some disabilities I have where if I saw them "Magically Cured", I would be pissed off, because it's not necessary. There are other disabilities I have that if given the option to "magically cure" them, I would take it in a heartbeat. And the dividing line for that is obviously different for everyone. So while the Havoc "solution" in the anime pissed me off for the reasons you mentioned, I wasn't actually upset at what was done with Mustang.
Thank you for speaking on my beloved series
Me after binge-watching most of your channel i thought you did a video about FMA but it was just all the fragments spread throughout all the others videos gathered inside my head
I've watched it for the first time recently with my partner so the timing is AWESOME!
Loved your breakdown/analysis.
I love RWBY because it has so many disabled characters with multiple types of disabilities and none of them have been forced into this healing against their will situation so far. The main character that becomes disabled three seasons into the show gets the ENTIRE FOLLOWING SEASON of her storyline dedicated to her recovering and adjustment to her new reality. When her fancy sci fi prosthetic comes in the mail, she literally is reluctant to put it on for multiple episodes because she feels like everyone is trying to rush her into what they think is their standard of normal and she even has an entire speech about this that I adore.
Is RWBY the full anime title, or is that an abbreviation? What's the actual name if that's not the name?
@@ZeldaWolf2000 That's the full name but it's kinda an in universe acronym for all the main characters' names.
@@ZeldaWolf2000 it is the fully title! it's a roosterteeth web series that can be watched on their website, or a lot of it is on their channel here on youtube. the show actually starts with the trailers, tho, so make sure to watch all four rwby trailers on youtube before you start the show if you're intending to watch it.
Yeah, I really liked how they handled her reluctance, recovery and adjustment...
It's just a shame that they completely messed up her PTSD to the point of being almost insulting.
@@mistman_161 I'm not sure what you mean because I have a very similar experience with my ptsd to hers
Listening to you has helped me take a step back and reconsider how I was approaching some of my disabled characters.
Happy to say I don't have to make some dramatic changes.
Thank you for sharing your takes, opinions, and personal experiences!
I can't speak much about the disability representation (aside from noting that my habit of giving characters eyes that look in different directions to make them "creepy" is super messed up and I am not going to do that ever again), but I do feel oddly comforted that someone else uses the word "spermdonor" to describe a shitty "Father". :-)