Full Metal Alchemist

Brigid · Post by **Brigid** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 2:54 pm

An OVA (or OAV depending on who you talk to) is a straight-to-video release of a show, typically an anime. So instead of putting it on TV, the people making it decide to put it on tape or DVD. This usually gives them a bit more freedom of movement since the censors are less picky about what goes on tape than they are about TV. (Yep, even in Japan.) It's also a useful way of testing the waters if the studio wants to make a regular TV show but is uncertain as to the response it'll recieve. If the OVA gets good marks then they'll go ahead with the show.

In the latter case, the OVA is typically a highly condensed version of the actual plot or a piece of back story that isn't really necessary but's fun to watch.

(Having a dictionary moment, here. ^^; )

Fullmetal Hottie · Post by **Fullmetal Hottie** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:53 am

thanks!!!!

I don't think the movie has that....at least as far as I know....

hey, this is a question thats been bugging me:
What is the meaning of that snake-cross-crowned-winged symbol that is all over the series? It shows up everywhere but does it have any relation to the plot?!

My friend claims to have seen it in an episode, during one of Ed's transmutations, but she's only seen a handful of eps so she can't tell me which ep it was....

Super Shanko · Post by **Super Shanko** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:24 pm

If you mean that thing on Ed's coat, if im right its a symbol from Dante who passed it onto Izumi downward to Ed and Al, representing their teacher.

Brigid · Post by **Brigid** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 3:02 pm

The symbol itself, if I recall, is from actual real world alchemy. I don't know what it means, exactly, but as with many of symbols in FMA, it has a counterpart in actual alchemy.

Which is just pretty darn cool.

TheJadeArcAngel · Post by **TheJadeArcAngel** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:36 pm

^.^ The symbol is technically un-named but is reffered simply to as "The Crucified Serpent". it's origiins are based loosely off the Gnostic interpretation that Moses placed one of these 'things' within the Israelite camp and it was a ward against pluage.

Later this symbol would represent God's divine protection against all manner of things ( demons, injury, sickness, etc... ). As I THINK our current medical symbol, the swin snakes wrapped around a pole is based off this image of the crucified serpent

Snakes in the old testinemt = evil while crucification, contraty to popular belief, isnt not exactly 'bad'. crucification was a common practice for sacrifical animals so the holy demise of a serpent represented gods justice over not only the evil in the world, but within everyone as the serpent was mans cause for internal sin

Now I bet Dante's creation/involvement w/ Homunculi is a lot deeper eh?

A crucified snake was sometimes present at alchemical ceremonies or summonings as a means to hopefully protect the alchemist from whatever were to become of his experiments

Brigid · Post by **Brigid** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:25 pm

Wow.

That's seriously cool.

A protective ward, huh? No wonder Ed seems so lucky. (I mean, he could've easily died several times already.)

Super Shanko · Post by **Super Shanko** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:14 pm

Its kinda weird he's only pretty safe until he loses his coat, then after that he's pretty screwed

Fullmetal Hottie · Post by **Fullmetal Hottie** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:42 pm

hah...it makes sense, though that he'd get screwed after he loses his coat, since its more or less anti-evil

and with the humunculi....the snake around the 6-pointed star is winged, too....like it escaped the crusafix

me and my overinterpretation there

TheJadeArcAngel · Post by **TheJadeArcAngel** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 3:47 am

Fullmetal Hottie wrote:hah...it makes sense, though that he'd get screwed after he loses his coat, since its more or less anti-evil

and with the humunculi....the snake around the 6-pointed star is winged, too....like it escaped the crusafix me and my overinterpretation there

That one is ( as mentioned in FMA, an oroborus, a symbol for eternity/re-birth/immortality. ironically the 6-Point star was never in the origional depictions or the ororborus and I think the japanese placed it there for artisitic-y-ness. I have a necklave w/ the Homunculi symbol and people always ask if I am jewish? The jewish star has a lot to do with the Kabbalah so .... yea

Funny thing, if you look ON the Homuncili, ( like whats on ENVY's head-hand ) they have sigils of the Sephiroth on them. ( In case you dont know - The Sephiroth is a 'chart' of creation and divinity, like a 4-level tree )

Fullmetal Hottie · Post by **Fullmetal Hottie** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:23 am

I have a necklave w/ the Homunculi symbol and people always ask if I am jewish?

I know how you feel. I cosplayed as Edward for the last Halloween, and I had a plain black shirt that I put white tape on to imitate Ed's black shirt. But I didn't have time to make it, so it looked like a priest's collar. And of course, I had the crucified snake on my jacket, so....

...people asked "are you a priest?" and when I said no, "are you a cultist leader?"