1) Oh, my, yes.

2) I noticed that, too. I think his eyes may be to dark, but it's hard to tell. It would certainly add to the hideous irony if Gran were a) apostate to his upbringing and b) slaughtering his own people. On the other hand, it could go some toward explaining how he got the hairs up his butt so bad, if you'll forgive my crudeness. No fanatic like a convert.

*vaugely amused* Hmm. Wasn't the Iron Blood Alchemist already dead in the manga, before the manga even started? And we never find out anything more about him ...

Hm.

~~Vikki

Hm.. Wasn't he just mentioned in a one-sentence line somewhere saying he's killed by scar? __^__;

that's just cause Gran is INSANE...I mean who else would think its a good idea to turn himself into a human arsenal...

He didn't have as big a role (at least thus far) in the manga...I think you see him for all of one panel and then someone mentioned he's dead.

And yes Roy is getting hotter as he ages because he grew out his bangs...they look so weird short

Something else I've noticed in FMA: Ishbal from the visuals looks as if it's been inspired by Islam (the mosque-like building).

*shrugs* well, authors and creators of all disciplines have to get their ideas from somewhere. Still, it's not something I'm completely at ease with, ditto with the fact that for some reason the uniform designs for the military keep making me think of the Nazi SS.

Or maybe this is just a hint that studying history and international law and foreign relations is getting to me. Oh well.

for some reason the uniform designs for the military keep making me think of the Nazi SS.

I wouldn't mind the uniforms so much if they just wouldn't use "Fuhrer". @_@ I realize they're trying to Make A Point, but we're not idiots.

How the hey did they get "fuhrer" from daisoutou, anyway? Is that in the manga somewhere?

That being said, I was thinking it wasn't for the Nazi connection so much as it's German. Tho' the Elrics are really the only ones with the strong German connection, most other names of chars from Central sound British?

How the hey did they get "fuhrer" from daisoutou, anyway? Is that in the manga somewhere?

Good question. The anime is definitely using "Führer". But TW's translation refers to "President King". Don't have the raws yet to check against, unfortunately.

That being said, I was thinking it wasn't for the Nazi connection so much as it's German. Tho' the Elrics are really the only ones with the strong German connection, most other names of chars from Central sound British?

Hadn't thought of "Elric" as the German connection, but I think you're right. kaitoucheckers is correct: I did a check on German uniforms from WWII and they look nothing like the uniforms in FMA. So there's just this...interesting...choice to use "Führer" instead of Daisoutou.

Well, with the Islam thing it's kinda necessary *shrug* If you want to show differences between characters, and you aren't into doing all that naturally blue hair/pink eye type stuff that's in alot of anime, you have to go with the usual things. Same with architecture, seeing as it's not a sci-fi anime you're going to stick with pretty much with stuff that's at all logical, it's gonna be inspired by something. So the inspiration could have been asian, could be indian, could be african, someone will probably eventually look at it like it's trying to be offensive.

As for the Nazi thing ^^; I never studied history all that well, but I'm pretty sure Germany did something other than the holocost, it seems silly to cringe away from it's influances in an anime because all that country is remembered for is that one incident. Like I said, really bad with history, but Germany DID have one of the most impressive militaries of it's time? Seems like a good enough reason to draw your influances from there to me.

The Nazi SS uniforms were black, much more close cut.. personally, I"m not reminded at all. @x@ I've always thought FMA had surprisingly original uniforms -- a lot of military uniforms in fiction, esp. on bad-guys but not always, look JUST LIKE what the Nazis wore, and it's sort of creepy.. >>;;;;
(>x<;;; The one thing you have to give the SS credit for is that they had a sense of style... I guess they knew how to impress/be imposing? TxT;;; )