After working hard for three days, I finally finished the legendary steelmaking
When I watched Giants before, someone told me that if you like Giants, you must also like steel. Although I think the tone of the two works is different, I really like both. (Following everyone's recommendation, first read 03 and then read FA
A core element of shounen manga is the motivation of the protagonist.
Without a persuasive motive, there is no way to explain the male protagonist's determination to be different from ordinary people's desperate determination, and there is no way to convince the audience. Although this seems quite natural, it greatly affects my first impression of a work. Moreover, this motivation should not be static. The gradual deepening of the recognition of the original event will eventually lead to changes in the pattern. This process also reflects the growth process of the protagonist/protagonist group.
Edward and Al's actions have always been driven by a strong desire: from the desire to bring their mother back from the dead, to the desire to restore their body, to the desire to restore their own body in a way that does not harm others, and further. This motivation is further expanded to protect the important people around you and a certain value that you believe in. This change in behavioral motivation reflects the mental journey of the two teenagers in the process of growing up, how personal wishes/selfish desires are coerced by the larger social background, and how the individuals respond to them. The common attitude of Wang Dao young man is that they are not afraid of power, not afraid of difficulties, brave face, think independently, go through struggles, seek help, and make responsible choices, even if it means taking responsibility. Behind this orientation actually reflects that everyone who watches Juvenile Manga is more or less experiencing or has experienced a similar mental process. Although everyone knows what positive energy is, whether a work is excellent or not is reflected in whether it conveys these emotions in a logical way (breaking through the aura of the protagonist). I think steelmaking does it.
As for the 03 version and FA which is better?
I think the summary of the hot review is quite in place, these are two different works. (Of course, both 03 and FA have bugs, and all the logic is not completely consistent. There is no need to die. Many times I can't distinguish whether certain characters and plots are meaningful in themselves or just for the later stage. Development services. I just pick some episodes that I think are more impressive)
I think the 03 edition discusses more about what a person is (: Is the essence of human beings a soul or a body, or is it indispensable? Can the soul and the body be separated? Is a body without a soul still a human? Dying people are still people?), and how to deal with the relationship between science/chemistry and people (: Should people be the other of science? Where is the ethical bottom line of scientific progress and human curiosity? Is it worth it for economic development? Will science and the desire behind it expand and become unbridled? Can human beings control and produce life through science? How to maintain human dignity in the face of desire? Can it be used for both healing and military science? A tool of innocence?). I think 03 is a kind of life education, and more reference is to philosophy and cognitive psychology (for example, the physical and spiritual connection of infants in 03 is relatively weak, so to a certain extent, people are not born human, but socialized In the process of realizing the unity of body and soul), focusing on expressing the understanding and awe of life itself (especially the part where the two brothers were exiled by the master to the island to fend for themselves reminds me of the unique characteristics of Japanese primary school education. Life education)
For me, the first highlight of 03 came in episode 20, the dialogue between the armors. That is, can and how can we prove that human beings exist? This question is presented through two dialogues. The first paragraph is a dialogue between Edward and Brother Armor. Can you still be regarded as a human being when the body is gone? The ironic answer is that the brothers were instead treated as people for the first time after losing their bodies to become armor. Although this soul > body identification is not universal enough to give them the courage to return to real life. But in contrast, the artificial human in 03, as the product of the failure of the human body, is even less regarded as a human being. Although there are ambiguities, in general, the soul in 03 is higher than and can prove the existence of people independently of the body. (Later 03 gave a more chaotic answer: if the soul and the body do not match, they will degenerate. Even if they keep changing new containers. To a certain extent, the body and spirit are indispensable.) The second paragraph is Al and the butcher Armor dialogue. (This paragraph is also found in FA, but the concept and emphasis have been obviously deleted and changed, which is why I think the focus of the discussion of the two works is different.) If Al is an imagination created by Edward based on his own memory, then Can Al still be considered an independent entity? Can the butcher say that I kill so I can become evidence of human existence? In 03, there is no direct answer to whether the original soul attached to the armor is Al's original soul, or the artificial existence created by his brother based on his own memory. But at the end of that episode, there was a euphemistic response: there is no way to verify the past, and more importantly, to be treated as a person around you, and to create your own memories in the present and the future. This discussion is actually quite interesting, but unfortunately I am not capable enough to make more analysis. (I remembered the subjectivity and intersubjectivity that I had a little understanding of before) But I, too, don't like to advocate the so-called pure and independent individual, I think living in the memory of others, living in the relationship with others may be closer human nature.
The 03 edition and FA have a common judgment, that is, people should not be killed to save people, people should be ends rather than means, and people should not be used for people's purposes. This is centered on the metaphor of pregnancy and childbirth. Although the emphasis is different, both versions have similar plots to express the greatness of the human body (in 03, there is a bridge section of condensing the uterus into a sage's stone), which sings the birth of life. (PS. 03 also sings praises to nature. For example, in 03, there is a plot where the trees absorb and offset the red liquid through the forest)
However, many people think that the FA pattern is bigger, and it should be out of FA's more specific and broader discussions on society itself. Such as oppression/racial discrimination, war/anti-war, popular consciousness/political system. This is mainly reflected in the reasons for not being able to cultivate the human body: 03 believes that people need to fear life so they cannot create life (blasphemy of life), while in FA it is because of political and military considerations (people’s desire for power and resources). In this sense, the 03 version is more like Tokyo Ghoul, and FA is more like a giant to me.
The reason why FA has a wider audience, in addition to the relationship between production and era, I think it also benefits from the (unique to female writers) grasp of emotions and relationships. FA is affectionate and expects to achieve coexistence between different genders, races, and creatures. In FA, it is not so much that in the end everyone chooses to unite in the face of a bigger enemy in order to achieve the same goal. Rather, it is this process that stimulates empathy and potential among humans. The core drive is reconciliation rather than defeating the big boss. So FA has a recurring and interesting setting, that is, the soul can be shared. This is most clearly reflected in the Edward Al brothers (actually, I was thinking about halfway through watching 03, why did the author have to set the protagonist as two brothers, and why did he repeatedly emphasize the brotherhood of heart-to-heart? Is it possible that the two are actually one person to some extent?), and Lin Yao said to Greed that "the companions are connected by souls", so they will not be forgotten by the companions.
Why do I feel that this expression is unique to female writers? The first point is reflected in the portrayal of gender roles, FA obviously emphasizes Wendy's growth more than 03. The author is also aware of the multiple possibilities of women's power. She can be a fierce housewife with outstanding fighting power, a gentle and considerate child mother, a decisive military leader, or a reliable go-getter behind the delivery (Roy and Lisa are really too sweet, cry). Interestingly, this is not a mechanical removal of the female = housewife stereotype, but a more flexible choice of sexual relations. Housewife is not a derogatory term, housewife can also have fighting power, but even without fighting power can become the strength of others. (This is better than a beautiful rhetoric about gender oppression for equal rights between men and women for the sake of political correctness. I think the author may refer to the history of women in the war era in terms of setting.) The advantage of female writers is also reflected in another core theme: family. (Although this imagination of home has a heavy trace of modern family, there is no need to criticize it). For example, the metaphor of the male and female of the moon and the sun, the emphasis on blood (blood inheritance), the recurrence of family relationships and pseudo-family relationships (the plot of having/nowhere to go), the emphasis on the image of the mother, the infertility of artificial humans, etc. . Here is a detail: Regarding whether the android wants to become a human or not, the explanation given by 03 is that the android was created as a human, so he wants to become a human, especially Lust who still retains his memory. In FA, although the androids despise humans on the surface and say that they do not want to be human, they have the pride of androids. But Father Father, Envy and Greed were clearly pointed to a deep desire to be human. And the reason given is blood. The inseparable humanity passed on through blood.
In addition, steelmaking has a keyword: "equivalent exchange". This keyword also has somewhat different meanings in the two editions. 03 proposes a refutation of what you pay for and what you pay for. In FA, it reflects a new generation's pursuit of new values. Specifically, the human world is not a chemical world, and interpersonal communication is not and should not be an equivalent exchange: Al said that if I lend you 10 points and return 11 points, this is a benign interpersonal relationship; Winley said to Edward that he does not need you Exchange your half for my half, I love you so I can give you the whole. (Wow, this paragraph is really textbook. Really textbook. Really textbook. I cried); It's okay not to forgive, but not advocating tit-for-tat for an eye for an eye to chain hatred. (I don’t really want to summarize the difference between Eastern and Western ways of thinking here. I think the addition of Chinese elements is more of a symbolic consideration. It may not really be related to the author’s subconscious.) (Another digression, In fact, this kind of simple wisdom is also reflected in the "red envelope" culture in rural China. Because the interpersonal communication in rural society is not a one-off, so there is borrowing and repaying, and owed is the way of life.)
I think this is indeed a big shining point of FA, but it is precisely because of advocating the dignity of human nature and thinking that the weak will protect the weaker, which makes FA more idealistic than 03. (In 03, the weak will bully the weaker, and the discriminated people are also discriminated against. In FA, the discriminated people at the bottom sympathize with the people at the bottom)
Everyone said that the 2003 version was more depressing, FA was more healing, and it was a bloody maniac for the kingly youth. It does. I've always liked hot-blooded comics that tell a good story. Because I always feel that it is relatively simple to show cruelty. It is good to tear apart and destroy the cherished things a little bit for others to see. There is no cruel education better than the real world. I remember I was chatting with my mentor one day and asked him, "Don't you think people are scary?", and after we chatted for a while he said to me, "It would be nice if you were religious." I smiled and replied, "Pirates are my religion." I think that's the way it is. It's hard for people to live without obsessions. Some people believe in the cake drawn by consumerism, but the cake created by my pictographic boy comics. I really like the kind of work that expresses obsession and persistence, clinging to a certain value. (Of course persuasion itself is very important) Especially the kind that cry and shout after the cruel education and hold the last bit of human nature in the palm of your hand to show you. It doesn't necessarily mean that after reading it, I feel that I can save the world, but I feel that I can also be saved. This unpretentious optimism is also reflected in famous lines such as Don't you still have feet? Moreover, junior middle school boys will not use their weakness as an excuse to escape. Even if you don't have the ability to change the status quo, you have the courage to change the status quo. Not my solitary cynic.
In addition, I think the lovable thing about FA is that it has successfully shaped this group portrait of "adults". They/they are responsible adults and ideal parents. They have experienced the lessons of growing up, understand the cruelty of society, are domineering but not aggressive, can bend and stretch, have responsibility and courage. But at the same time there is a warm side. (As an aside, "adult/adult" is a common marketing keyword in Japan, such as adult taste, adult taste, adult vacation, etc. I still haven't figured out how this came about. of.)
A good work should also reflect the different ways of life chosen by different groups of people under different beliefs. This is not necessarily black and white, but there are many gray areas that are unclear. This also creates a cute and charming villain. This should also be an important reason for the steel ring powder. In terms of characterization, because of the setting, 03 did not focus on expressing human desires (seven deadly sins). In FA, the seven deadly sins arose because the father wanted to become an absolute existence and stripped away the inferiority of his "human nature". It is true that people are always not strong enough, cowardly, and repeat the same mistakes. But man does not need to be transformed into a flawless existence by necessity. But what FA wants to express is that the emotions and desires themselves are not evil, but also contain possibilities. The continuous cutting of human nature is the potential of human beings.
There are a few more interesting points, although I can't say much in depth either:
1. I'm actually curious why both Steel and Giant chose Germany as the story stage (the prototype), but there's no good answer. Of course, the Japanese-German relationship can be one reason, as can the fact that the cross-cultural stage is more interesting than the usual homeland. But...it always feels like there's a better explanation. The nationality attribute of the main characters may actually reflect a certain attitude of the author or at least subconsciousness. The male protagonist is Golden Retriever (Germany), Roy is Black Hair (Japan), FA has added a lot of Chinese elements, and there are some Russian elements when talking about the North. Although the stage is not in Japan, and the protagonist is not yellow-skinned and black-haired, in fact, there is no taboo on the appearance of a large number of Japanese elements in the two editions of steelmaking. For example, in the 03 version, the cherry blossoms flying in the sky were conjured up by Edward when he passed the national alchemist exam.
2. After watching Hayao Miyazaki's video paper in the past few days, many people praised how Miyazaki avoids exaggeration and creates characters through behavioral details (such as the way children wear shoes). I want to rehabilitate the young man here. In fact, I haven't noticed it before, but in fact, in steelmaking, apart from the exaggerated characters that are despised, there are actually many details. For example, in the 03 version, Edward used disposable chopsticks when he was eating on the train. For example, Nina was kneeling and crawling on the ground to paint and so on. For example, in FA, when Wen Li answered the phone, her fingers were involuntarily winding the wires, a close-up of her fingers breaking open one by one. Also, FA has improved the fact that the armor does not need to sleep.
3. When I watched 03, I had a question, why the Scar on the opposite side could only achieve revenge in his own way (also a great technique of alchemy) instead of his own way. FA answered my question. In FA, what Scar uses is not alchemy, but a combination of alchemy and alchemy.
4. Whether the belief is idealistic (there is no reason to believe in itself) or a realistic belief (as long as it works, anyone can believe)
5. Although the original intention of steelmaking is definitely to respect people themselves (for example, the strongest artificial human is transformed from people), but the setting of the stone of the sage itself is a bit around itself. Although human life is the source of strength, it is irreplaceable. But this setting also results in that life can be calculated and accumulated. If so, the trolley problem might be better solved.
6. I sometimes feel that a good work is tragic or not, not because everyone is happy in the end. Maybe the difference is in the way of narrative. If you think that suffering is the norm, the story may unfold as follows: disaster → reconstruction → disaster (although human beings will still rebuild); and activism may be prosperous → disaster → prosperous (although the next disaster is inevitable)
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