Ch. 108

[dragonimp]

Well, the scanlation is up.

Okay, the fight was wrapped up really well. There's not much to say about that. It kept the same level of intensity as the last several chapters. And seeing the blob get eaten by the Gate was worth it.

I still think Roy getting his sight back cheapens it. That wasn't the only option. But at least she did it in a way that makes sense; his eyes weren't healed, the implication was that he actually went back to the Gate and used the Stone as the toll to get them back. But it still annoys me.

At least Al and Ed didn't settle down right away. I'm glad she showed them preparing to travel around and learn.

The Ed/Winry stuff... I'm not upset that it happened. I knew it was coming I'd resigned myself to it. And Ed's way of 'proposing' was actually pretty Ed-like and cute. But there are still some things that bug me:

Winry was always Ed's equal. She was never one to submit or back down. To the point of being, eh, kinda abusive, but the point is that they've always been on a pretty even footing. But now we get this:

A condescending pat on the head, and her hiding in his arms like a little girl. If I was an Ed/Win shipper I'd be pissed (I'm pissed anyway), because the dynamic of their relationship was just ruined within a handful of panels.

But that's not the end of it. In the photos at the end, we don't get to see how Ed and Winry are getting on some years down the road. We get this:

Hohenheim and Trisha, take 2.

The picture itself is not the problem (I can see them doing that to honor Ed's parents), it's the fact that it's all we get. Way to honor the characters, turn them into clones of the previous generation. It's particularly insulting to Winry; at least Ed looks like himself. Did Winry really have to be wearing Trisha's hairstyle?? Let her be her own person!

I can mostly live with this ending. We knew we - 'we' being the yaoi fans - would have to rewrite things to some extent anyway, so that's irrelevant. But Roy getting his sight back doesn't sit well, and Ed and Winry's relationship went from boring to disturbing. It's aggravating.

Beyond that, there's always going to be a let-down when something ends, especially something that's been going on as long as this. May we all continue to find solace in fandom!

Comments

[priestess-grrrl.livejournal.com]

*nods* In total agreement, here.

That's a really good point about how Winry's character in addition to Ed's is also degraded. Why, in God's name, would Edward want to be just like his asshole father?? That makes no sense at all. And while Trisha was a decent person, she's very stereotypically feminine: sweet, docile, motherly, and of course totally compliant, even in the face of "yeah um, thing is, I'm actually immortal and I gotta go now. Good luck raising the kids. TTYL." ??!!

I'm not actually a Winry hater - I think she has a lot of good qualities. Two scenes in the manga come to mind: one, when she delivered the baby in Youswell, and two, when she knocks some sense into Alphonse after the Barry the Chopper incident. Both of those times she's fast on her feet, doesn't take shit and holds her own very well. Also her taking the job in Rush Valley shows her independence and her ability to go after her dreams.

To turn her into this weepy, waiting-for-her-true-love-to-come-home stereotype totally degrades her. What is it she says about Ed leaving, "a guy who just sits around is boring"? WTF is that?? So it's okay if he just takes off, like his father? What the hell kind of couple declares their love for one another and then separates? And while we're on that topic, what kind of brothers just get reunited body and soul and then separate themselves? It just didn't make sense.

Like I was saying over on my LJ, it feels like Ed is no longer Ed. I understand the whole "he grows up" concept, and I get that it's a Japanese trope, too. But really? He's just "fixed" now? Because he realized he was in love with Winry all along? Love doesn't "fix" people. Once again, exhibit A, your honor: Hoho/Trisha. Sheesh.

Re: Roy's eyesight... yeah, it was a little deus ex machina, but honestly, the Roy fangirl in me was relieved, have to admit. But it was cheap, you're absolutely right. I did like the whole Ishbal thing, that was cool. It seemed fitting that Roy would be the one to make those changes. But yeah, I mean, a little too much deux ex in this last chappie for my taste. Roy, like Edward, has a boatload of issues, which are not all resolved away by a Philosopher's Stone. But at least we don't see Roy smiling at the altar next to Riza. *makes vomiting noises*

Yeah, it's hard. I'm torn. I want to be happy with my friends who are happy, and it's not like I wasn't expecting the EdWin. But a part of me is still bitterly disappointed.

[dragonimp.livejournal.com]

I guess that line is supposed to be taken as Winry knows Ed's not the homebody type, and is okay with that - but wouldn't it have been better to have something along the lines of "It's okay; he always comes back"? Because *that's* the important difference between Ed and Hohenheim. Maybe we're supposed to assume they worked out a lot of issues in the two years we missed, but arrrg that was a cheap way to do it. (I realize she didn't have the space to show it all, but as it is it makes it look like there were no lasting problems :P)

I think with Roy I would've rather seen some indication of him working around the disability, like having to retire but staying on as a civilian advisor, or a line from Grumman about how forced retirement is a waste of good resources so he's changed the rules to let disabled soldiers stay on in non-combat roles. Roy's the kind of character who keeps going no matter what the odds, and I would've liked to have seen that here. But the way she did it just seemed too much like "loose end, meet magic fix!"

I agree, any Royai would've been the last straw. Maybe she realized she couldn't believably make both couples come together, or maybe she realized that marriage meant they wouldn't be able to work together - whatever, I'm just glad it didn't happen.

I'm *mostly* good with this ending. There's just those certain issues I'd rather cut out and burn.