Regarding Fullmetal Alchemist, you have to admit that the one scene between Mustang and Lust in volume 10 was straight fire.

@merphynapier42

4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely it was. I almost lost it when I got to that scene!

@anicealien

4 жыл бұрын

Merphy Napier It was apsolutely incredible seeing it fully animated. Studio BONES really knows how to do action scenes.

@shavedata5436

4 жыл бұрын

word choice on fleek

Whatever you decide to do with Avatar content I will be here for it

@martinacosta3821

4 жыл бұрын

same, i don't read books so her content isn't really for me but when i saw her avatar video i loved her energy and enthusiasm about it

@HyDrOpYrO777

4 жыл бұрын

Same.

@alepartidav.7664

4 жыл бұрын

Same

@maribeljuarez4726

4 жыл бұрын

There’s avatar comics and she could read that. It’s based after the series and one of the comics is based on Zuko looking for his mom.

@ropecrewman36

4 жыл бұрын

Ditto

A Wizard of Earthsea was published in 1968, five years before Patrick Rothfuss was born. So just a *little* before The Name of the Wind! 😂

full metal alchemist is a great piece of story, with a very cool magic system, i hope you will finish it soon and give us a review

@PablitaOrtega77

4 жыл бұрын

@Tom The Fish of course, but every magic system has its pro and cons

@Cthulhu1991

4 жыл бұрын

@Tom The Fish what you mean by "kiddie Magic system"

@treesspeaklatin8950

4 жыл бұрын

@Tom The Fish and exactly what are you trying to say...? Sorry that FMA power system is easy to understand and grasp. I guess you like reading things you don't fully understand then.

So glad you liked Johnathan Strange. I read it recently and was completely blown away! I mean, Susanna Clarke just rewrote hundreds of years of English history to include magic in an absolutely convincing way. I would highly recommend the BBC adaptation, you might enjoy it even more, as it tells a more concise version of the story and also plays up the humour.

Here mostly for the FMA, I like the side characters way more than the elrich brothers. There's a lot of depth there if you look for it. I hope you keep going with FMA, it's great. ATLA is my favourite cartoon FMA is my favourite anime.

@anitatereszczuk3967

4 жыл бұрын

Highly recommend 'Made in Abyss' or 'The Promised Neverland'. So far, only 13 episodes, so it won't take you too much time. Trust me, you will like it ;)

@islasullivan3463

4 жыл бұрын

Hunter x Hunter is also really great.

@ginnys.matthias1818

4 жыл бұрын

SAAMMMEEE MY GUY. I've never seen someone agree with me on that THANK you!

@333pinkelephant333

4 жыл бұрын

​@@anitatereszczuk3967 I never recommend Made in Abyss to other people because of its unnecessarily graphic content lol It's already being called out for its child porn content and a lot of people are putting it down because of it, including me. For me, the rest of the MiA doesn't make up for its huge huge huge flaws. I'm already super put off by the unnecessary "fan service" scenes in other anime/manga that usually involve the main guy accidentally fondling girls' breasts or girl fallling down to reveal her underwear. Like these stuff are bad but what's in Made in Abyss is so much worse from what I've seen and what I've read other people say. I personally had to stop at the "punishment" scene in book 1 but I wanted to know what happens later in so I looked up a lot of spoiler reviews and OMG does it get worse. Like I felt guilty for reading Ancient Magus' Bride but holy shit MIA is just straight up porn lol Anime of MiA takes it down a notch though. I still got "wtf?" moments at times but compared to what I've seen in the manga, it's far far less ... uh inappropriate.

@anitatereszczuk3967

4 жыл бұрын

@@333pinkelephant333 I mean, it is is a seinen, but it's still far from being a hentai. Besides, I don't agree with a lot of controversies surrounding the first season. A lot of American viewers seem to have problems with things that are pretty normal to anime. I'm not saying that certain scenes are right, but you should remember it's just ink on paper, nothing more. For example, in fma 2003 you have a scene where Edward honks a woman's breast, while in Helsing Ultimate (important note: that's a seinen) you have a pretty messed up rape scene. Quite honestly, 'The Promised Neverland' and 'Baccano!' are currently the only anime I can think of that doesn't have too many controversial scenes. Then again, they are both quite brutal

I'm gonna start watching avatar and I'm hella excited!

@davelewis8270

4 жыл бұрын

You should be.

@jayoctopus8832

4 жыл бұрын

ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US *ONE OF US* O N E O F U S *O N E O F U S*

@shirlecemcghee

4 жыл бұрын

I am currently rewatching the series. The nostalgia is there and I see it through mature eyes.

@waynicliz

4 жыл бұрын

@@shirlecemcghee i watched it in 2015 not too much nostalgia

@kingslayer3365

4 жыл бұрын

I'm almost as excited as you are 🤣

Avatar Graphic novels review one by one

You made Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell sound so good! I'll have to try it out. I'm also so excited that you're working on Fullmetal Alchemist. I know a lot of folks (myself included) list it as one of the absolutely best written, most satisfying serialized adventure stories ever made, along with Avatar. (I also think that the manga volumes are the best version of the story. The 2009 adaptation is pretty faithful, but I still think that there are times when the original panel composition is more effective than the animation)

I really hope you continue with Earthsea, the second book is a very different kind of story, much slower and more contained, and absolutely beautiful.

@Morfeusm

4 жыл бұрын

Ella Walsh second book is my favorite!

@Decrepit_Productions

4 жыл бұрын

Agreed. When Merphy announced she was gonna read Earthsea I suspected she'd love book two. Hope she decides to give it a shot.

Yessss I’m so glad you liked Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell!!! I think I understand where you’re coming from that it’s not super plot driven. I argue there is a plot, particularly with the Gentleman with the thistledown hair and how his behavior effect others, the relationship of Strange & Norrell etc but no yeah I understand where you’re coming from. I think it’s just slow and somewhat branches off in different areas but I think the slowness works and even though it branches off it’s still beautifully interwoven and cohesive? Okay but honestly, totally up to you, I would LOVE to see a full video analysis on Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by you but again totally up to you! If you’re interested, Susana Clarke is releasing a follow up (I think it’s a sequel? Not 100% sure) this September called ‘Piranesi’!

I highly recommend the Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell mini-series on Netflix! The actors are wonderful, and the plot moves along more quickly than the book.

The kyoshi novel is SO DAMN GOOD. i read it in a day. Seriously everything about it is just 👌

@lillianb1516

4 жыл бұрын

@Tom The Fish his name is f.c yee

There’s an awesome tv series adaptation of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell which I loved watching after having read the book 😊

@shangc2781

3 жыл бұрын

I love the book but ai can't stand the series. They did my fave Stephen Black so dirty

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is one of my favorite books! I'm glad you liked it and would love to hear your thoughts in a longer format. I wouldn't say the book doesn't have a plot, but it also doesn't really start rolling until around halfway through, and I'd agree with you in that the book is strongly atmospheric. There's so much mystery in the setting, with the Raven King, the gentleman with the thistle-down hair, Vinculus and his book, and how Magic itself waxes and wanes. It's more character-driven than anything, and the plot (such as it is) definitely takes a back seat to the characters. It actually feels like a history to me as opposed to a novel, in part BECAUSE of how there's not as strong of a plot throughout, and also because of the internally-corroborative footnotes. And I absolutely ADORE it.

Had to purchase Field's gate because of your reviews, it arrives next week and I can't wait!

Just wanted to say that I read 4 books in May thanks to motivation from your videos Merphy. You are a joy to watch :)

Sorry you didn't like _A Wizard of Earthsea_ more but I would recommend moving on to the second book, _Tombs of Atuan_ . Without spoiling there are significant differences. While it's still YA it and the third book, _The Furthest Shore_ are on the older end of YA, Ged is still in it but there's a different main character and it's noticeably darker in tone.

Poll to vote! kzread.infoUgwuKXZDoBMZfPeMBvV4AaABCQ?app=desktop

Full Metal Alchemist is really amazing.

I love how you hesitated between April-May wrap up. Lol. We really don't have any idea what's going on with time.

As good as Avatar is, I give the edge to Fullmetal Alchemist. It's that good so I do hope you get a chance to watch Brotherhood.

@kreativeillustr8s

4 жыл бұрын

Both are great so watching both is just a gift from gods

@ropecrewman36

4 жыл бұрын

Yes! She should watch Brotherhood. I'm actually rewatching FMA:OG right now and plan to rewatch Brotherhood so I can directly compare them. Love the characters and the world so much!

@sphong0610

4 жыл бұрын

I get confused with the English titles. The short one that strays from the manga is the brotherhood, right?

@ropecrewman36

4 жыл бұрын

@@sphong0610 No worries! Brotherhood is the 2010 anime that followed the manga more closely than the shorter 2003 original (OG).

The more Avatar the better! Love hearing your thoughts on all of it!

As a lurker who doesn't comment as much, Merphy, thank you for helping me get back into reading again. I got so busy and sidetracked by my fulltime job/career, that I lost track of doing what I had once loved. Your commentary/reviews have made me enthusiastic about reading again. :)

I just discovered your channel and I love your videos! You have a great voice and presence. Looking forward to going through the rest of your videos and reading some of these books over the summer!

Please more Avatar Content🙌🏻♥️

0:18 “Interview with a Vampire Witch” Swear I thought this was a book I hadn’t heard of.

Thank you for recommending Field's Gate! It was short but impactful.

Love your videos! You have a lot of the same fantasy performances that I do and I enjoy exploring the characters from your point of view so much!

I love listening to audio books while I clean too haha I go for parenting audiobooks now (challenging toddler entering threenager years and baby due next month) but it's such a great way of feeling extra productive!! I love it

Interview with the Vampire! I'm excited to hear what you think of it! It's a personal favorite; I think I just happened to read it at the right time of my life as I was finding my own place in the world, so I connected a lot with Louis

Commenting to support the channel because you're the best.

I recently just started the Stormlight Archive and I loveeeee it so much. Your videos on Brandon Sanderson started me on my adult fantasy reading craze. Love ur videos xx

I'm currently halfway through The way of kings and I am LOVING it! This book is a masterpiece, I can't quite believe what I'm reading... It is phenomenal! I love your videos, so excited for the next one!!

@tomascanas9143

4 жыл бұрын

You Will Love the end of that book, kaladin is my favorite fantasy character

Also, if you haven't seen it track down the BBC adaptation of JS, I'm so glad they didn't try to turn it into a film because...that would likely not have ended well lol

I would love to see reviews for everything Avatar! Including Legend of Korra :) I really recommend continuing with Earthsea. The world building is wonderful and as the series goes on, it absolutely improves imo :)

Just wait until you get to the end of Fullmetal. Please keep it up because it really is a phenomenal story. Also, watch the female characters. There is not a single female character in that story that isn't phenomenal and strong. On top of a good story there just really isn't anything else… but yeah, please keep going on it.

@adrithmanvik1853

4 жыл бұрын

I know my second favourite story of all time. Attack on titan is my favourite right now (seriously the story and character development is insane)

@heathercampbell6059

4 жыл бұрын

@@adrithmanvik1853 I stopped reading attack on Titan once we got out of the walls. I think I just kind of lost interest. Which is sad because there were some really awesome things with it. The characters, the story… My favorite manga of all time is probably Rurouni Kenshin, though. For its time period, it's jaw dropping. Even now, it's still amazing. Sadly the only manga I'm really even remotely keeping up on now is Boku no hero academia.

@calin6327

4 жыл бұрын

@@heathercampbell6059 continue AoT. Walls are still there

@adrithmanvik1853

4 жыл бұрын

@@heathercampbell6059 trust me don't be like me and give up on it the story gets insanely good and there's so many unexpected plot twists. Also Eren has one of the best character developments I've seen later on.

@LenaWolschaap

4 жыл бұрын

I love how the female characters are all strong in their own way, too. Like for Olivier it means being strong by being "like a man" in her position (maybe better), yet for other characters it doesn't have to go against "typical femininity" at all, like how Winry is really strong because of her emotional side, not despite it (and because she's a badass engineer, but you get me).

Great I found new books I want to read and any ATLA content can come up with I'm down for thanks for all the hard work!

Yesss do a video for each graphic novel, please!

I have the same bindup of Earthsea as you and I am halfway through it. I finished the first three so far and while the worldbuilding in each book is great, they are not new favourites. I have heard from different booktubers that the series gets really different (and better) with book 4 (Tehanu) and that's the next one I will pick up, probably next month. PS: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was made into a magnificent mini series by the BBC. Totally worth checking out.

I would love to see as in depth content you’re willing to make on every single book whether it be in one massive video or in separate videos

murphy!!! i hope you are staying safe during all of this craziness.

I already bought a copy of The Way of Kings! It is going to be in my June TBR, plus a lot of other books you talked about in the past. 😊

I'm so excited that you love Interview With The Vampire. The whole series is so good!! I think the second, larger edition you showed here contains the next 2 books in the series too and they are GREAT

Please do individual reviews of each graphic novel, the more atla videos, the better. New avatar videos coming out soon. Yiiiipppeeee 🥳🥳🥳.

I recently read the Earthsea series and felt very similarly about the first one - it gets SO MUCH BETTER. It exceeded my expectations from the second book so I’d say it’s worth pushing forwards, especially as they’re so short! :))

Sweet, you have some good books here (again)! :D That indie one in particular sounds intriguing!

I’ve rewatched your review on Avatar season 2 & 3 thrice. Lol so nice to see people fall in love with one of my favorite shows. That book you read was made to give more background for the Legend of Korra which I am excited to see you review if you’re up for it. People shit on it bc it can’t compare but it’s still great.

I'd really love if you could do a guide for how to watch and read the ATLA series + the comics etc. bc I can't find the information anywhere and I always find that you say things very succinctly and you're always easy to understand!

@merphynapier42

4 жыл бұрын

That's a great idea! After I've finished it all I'll see if I can put something together 😊

I would rather have had a Hamish prequel. Villain origin stories are for serial killers. Lol

@Nodiril

4 жыл бұрын

Kim Barbeau Villain origin stories can be really entertaining if done well. The Joker movie is a prime example of that.

@shavedata5436

4 жыл бұрын

100% agree! I've wanted a Hamish prequel ever since I watched the fan-made short film "Hunger Games: the Second Quarter Quell"

We love you Merphy! 😊

Susanna Clarke definitely wrote Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell in a pastiche of specific writing styles. There's a lot of Jane Austen in the language, characters, atmosphere, and plot, but I think there's also a lot of Neil Gaimen in those elements as well. Plus, a lot of Harry Potter style magical discovery and Lord of the Rings style lore and adventure.

please do dedicated reviews for all of them! I would love that and then I can read them along with you :)

I saw your video where you talked about Red Rising so I started to listen to it again, and I think part of the reason I loved the series so much is because I listened to it. The narrator does such a good job engaging the reader in such a way that the book by itself does not, although listening through the first third of the book is a bit of a cliched slog. But once the Golds show up and he does the voices for them, oh man I love it. If you do go back to it, I recommend listening to the audiobook and to try to at least make it to the part where Darrow starts the institute. It picks up from there and the future books are so different and much wider in scope, going from YA to pure sci-fi and getting infinitely better. Hopefully you'll like it.

My favorite booktuber!!

I hear you on Earthsea. I read it all when I was a teen, and I remember having very mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I was heavily into the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms books and so Earthsea felt very strange and weird in a way that put me off. But on the other hand it was very mysterious and intriguing so that even though all I can tell you about it now is that the protag is named Ged, I feel the call to revisit the world so badly. Probably a lot of that is Le Guin's writing style, and I have been reading her short story collection recently so it is fresh in my mind.

Congrats on finishing WoT!!!!! I was making great progress at about a book a month, but now I’ve gotten stuck in book 8 since February 😂

Lovely pic of Locke at the end, such a gorgeous beast

I’d love a tier ranking of all the classics you’ve read, I want to read more classics because I love them!!

Wow I can’t remember the date either

Felt the same way about Wizard of Earthsea as you did. I probably won't continue. So glad you ended up enjoying Jonathan Strange. That's one of my favs. I think I'm going to hold off reading Stormlight until book 5 is announced and then just marathon it

I started my way of kings reread with you at the beginning of the month... Not even half way through yet... I need to get my act together 😂

I'm soooo happy you liked Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel! It's one of my favourite books of all time and I was little worried when you had a hard time reading it :) What did you think about the footnotes? I think they add a lot to the worldbuilding :)

I'd recommend reading the tombs of antuan and if that one doesn't do anything for you then the others likely won't. I love the shift in perspective and you will get a thorough expansion of the magic and how it works.

I'm halfway through The way of kings and loving it soooo much! I can already tell it's gonna be a favorite (at least of the year). I'd love any format of review for the graphic novels. One thing I'd love it that they have a spoiler free part because I haven't read them yet (because of the price haha)

I was deciding to subscribe or not, but when I saw Fullmetal Alchemist on your thumnail I knew I had to. Everyone who honors Fullmetal Alchemist is good on my book. I love Fullmetal Alchemist.

Somehow I don't care about any other fiction books than LOTR and Harry Potter and some manga that you're reviewing, but listening to a passionate reader getting so excited about his process of reading is really helpful to get my readings done!!! Thank you!

I like side characters in FMA more than the Elric brothers so I wasn't complaining lol I love me some Roy Mustang and his crew.

love your channel. I watched Marie Kondo's tv show. It was interesting but got a bit repetitive at the end. I am worried if the book has anyting new.

I love Stormlight. I’ve nearly finished reading Way of Kings again

I would like a compiled review of the comics. But whatever you decide, I'm here for it.

I would heavily recommend watching the FMA brotherhood series, in my opinion, it's better than avatar TLA, but regardless of, they are both very good and it's common that people who like one show like the other as well. They use similar tropes and have in-depth magic systems and world-building. It's also interesting that one is a western show of an eastern-inspired world and the other is an eastern show of a western-inspired world.

Wow, found a couple of new books to read!

the Kyoshi novel is FANTASTIC...a sequel to it is coming out in July too!

The more avatar content the better in my option! I love hearing your reviews. But I say read through and do a review whenever it feels right - if thats after each book, or after every second book or after them all just go with your feelings 💖 I would say at least two would be awesome as there really is so much content

I came to you channel because your avatar videos, but I feel like it's time to get back into reading books now 😭

I would be interested to know your thoughts on Legend of Korra .. the next avatar series

@merphynapier42

4 жыл бұрын

I'm the ep in!

@oilikaekoile

4 жыл бұрын

1- I like Korra. 2- She’s a different character to Aang on a different journey. Set expectations accordingly.

@survivorswapped7637

4 жыл бұрын

I know LOK is pretty polarizing, but I personally love it. However, I don't think Merphy will be a fan of it because it's very romance/love triangle heavy, versus the strong platonic relationships in avatar which she is a big fan of.

@ropecrewman36

4 жыл бұрын

@@survivorswapped7637 That was my biggest problem with the series. Well, that and Season 2 was a bit of a jumbled mess. Other than those two things, I loved it and admired the bold themes it explored. Though I will admit that the show as a cohesive whole is inferior to Aang's journey.

I would love to see a review of each graphic novel separately that would be awesome!

I’ve read all the following Avatar comics (including Lost Adventures). I love the comics almost as much as the show. I’m so excited that you’re finally going to read them too and “The Rise of Kyoshi” which’s on my TBR list. Get reading!! :)

The Wizard of Earth Sea was published way before Name of the Wind. It's first novel was published in 1968.

Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell is one of my favourite books. If you ever get time and haven't yet, Clarke has written a second book called Piranesi. Don't worry it's a lot smaller but has so many of the same elements

it's really great to have books to read. our region doesn't even have the delivery bcuz of the crises and the bookstores are closed

oh wow that’s a really nice version of the promise

Thank you!

I 100% agree with you about Earthsea. I really didn't connect with it at all... But I did read almost all of them.

I’ve read the second Earthsea book and it’s a very different story from the first. It’s less episodic (at least I thought so), it’s more focused on one character’s growth, and it mainly takes place in one location.

Wow! So many big books 🥳🥳🥳🥰🥰🥰👍👍👍

I love the show Avatar I've never dived into the extra content but I think I might just have to 😊 Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell was turned into a mini series last I checked it was on netflix. I haven't watched it because I want to read the book first but my mom binge watched it in one day so it couldn't have been that bad 😁

You should do a read along of the Lies of Locklamora series, like a book every two months with discussion videos throughout to discuss what was read. I’ve never read them but I have them and just need the push.

Oh no when you pulled out the hardback vampire chronicles my willpower just melted. I’ve been putting off getting it but I guess this is a sign it’s time to give in

Field's Gate is brilliant

Great Video, I love your content! :-) I would recommend to do a big dedicated review to all the Avatar Comic trilogies and maybe a ranking at the end. I'm curious which will be your favorite, mine is by far "The Search"!

Funny, I just finished Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell an hour ago (after struggeling through it for a month and then I read the last 400 pages in 2 days) and I agree with you for the most part. The ending was perfect and satisfying and I loved it sooo so much. Also the writing, the magic system, the atmosphere: Amazing. But I ... hated Norrell? I'm really curious why you liked him this much. :)

Just a note... Earthsea was published WAY before The Name of the Wind. It is from back in 1968. It is "Classic" Fantasy. That probably explains some of the elements that don't click with people. And I don't know about Strange and Mr. Norrell... I just felt that it read more like a history book. The writing was good, though.

I completely agree on A Wizard of Earthsea. I loved the world, themes, writing style, and magic. However the episodic nature and kind of meandering plot wasn’t my favorite thing. I think older books that take place over a life can be like that; the plot kind of comes in and out. But I super appreciated seeing her amazing themes that influenced so many fantasy books, notably Harry Potter. I had similar problems w Strange & Norrell. There was a lot I loved in this book. But it was hard to see through because it’s a lot of that start/stop plot. Basically anytime the magic came back into the story, I was hooked, but it wouldn’t show up all the time

Review for each Avatar Novel! I'm currently reading them so I'd love to hear your take on them!

Earthsea was definitely more of it's time period, in that it was more allegorical than about the action (which is why they can be so short). Almost mythic in that way. I know many people consider the next book to be their favorite, so I would suggest giving that one a look if you're thinking about not continuing.

Please continue to read the Earthsea series. Each book gets progressively better.

I’m proud we have another avatar lover

"Its probably why I'm not into fullmetal as much as I could be because of avatar" Uh oh....those are fandom war starting words right there...

@0x926

4 жыл бұрын

I honestly love both so much! But... Fullmetal might just take the cake.

@paraplegicleopardman

4 жыл бұрын

@@0x926 The FMA fandom is currently winning me over at the moment. I won't lie. Y'all are way less fanatic.