I mostly agree, but Mustang didn't get in power. I don't think the show or manga would have actually gone through with showing him or any of the others executed for war crimes, but he's only a general in the epilogue. So you're free to imagine all of the war criminal characters up against the wall if you'd like, it could be canon.

It’s also just got a whole plotline about racism, but it feels slightly off? Like minorities are okay if they save your life.

Just gonna use this as an opportunity to rant about the PEAK LIB moment where one of those oppressed minorities talks about working for the same genocidal, imperialist military that destroyed his ancestral land because he wants to enact "change from within". All while he talks down to another member of this group for resorting to extreme measures.

That's right. Those partisans should have just called for "MORE 👏 JEWISH 👏 EINSATZGRUPPEN 👏 TROOPERS" instead.

One aspect I enjoyed was the presentation of a Fascist society from within that society. I think Triumph of the Will has so thoroughly made Fascism into this grand and serious thing when there were millions of Fascists who spent their days hanging out with their friends and having meals and making jokes. This predominant depiction of Nazis I think turns then into an alien force of things that look like humans but just goose-step and kill people (and the show utilizes that imagery when it depicts the Ishtvalan genocide).

That said, I think it undermines itself with the ending and turns Fascism back into an alien force imposed on humanity, but even then it shows how people can be easily taken in and corrupted by institutions and their propaganda.

I've noticed anime series often tend to appear allegorical at first and then either veer into superficiality (which isn't a bad thing in of itself) or fail to deliver anything other than tired pop philosophy platitudes that don't ruffle any feathers.

FMA in particular seems to fall into the first category. for a while it looked like it was setting amestris up to be some kind of nazi analogy but it turns out demonic forces are pulling the strings and the evil doesn't actually dwell within; the system though not perfect is mostly good. maybe it's just a nice story about brothers fighting with magic.

I've never seen it before and know nothing about it but here's my take, it is a regressive and reactionary text to be viewed only in order to facilitate to most ruthless and scathing criticism. I also add that incurse Full metal Alchemist and all who enjoy it to an early and well deserved grave.

It's main message is to always keep moving no matter how bad things get, and to not lose your humanity in the pursuit of power or control. The messages about the Ishvalans are more that genocide is never for the advantage of the citizens of the country committing genocide, but for the goals and power of the rulers. I think you're forgetting that germany committed a few genocides in Africa and the Middle East before WW1, which makes the loose metaphor more clear than trying to impose american actions from much later onto it. There's also a lot of "don't be blindly obedient to authority, and fight your government if it is evil" messaging, which is vague and not as radical as we would like, but better than most liberal shows.

FMA 2003 and its conclusion, Conqueror of Shamballa, was the better anime. Both were decent though

The message that FMA 2003 and its sequel movie made is, extrapolated in Edward's quote "even when we close our eyes there's a whole world around us" to Mustang and then to his brother, Alphonse, when they reunited in Germany. It seems the point is to not turn a blind eye to radical evil, even at your own peril, because indifference is tantamount to complicity and moral infancy.

Let's get one thing clear: hoenheim sucks

the dude is literally as powerful as the evil man who plans to genocide the world and doesn't even try to fight him or really even seem to work against him

he taught folks alchemy and then later that was used to win, but like, I don't remember it framing this as his intended result, his own master plan against father, it just kinda worked out like that

The only message is kinda that war is bad? And ambition unchecked by compassion is bad?

Isn’t the govenrment literally fantasy nazis or something?

Please don’t well actually me I don’t know anime the only one I’ve seen is funky jazz spaceship show