Well, there are a few caveats. I think Naruto is more accessible than some of its contemporary "pop culture classic" animes and mangas because of its initially broad platform. By that I mean ... the author didn't really do anything or say anything to alienate major sects of society.
On the other hand, FMA wastes
no time challenging the value of religion in society and typically portrays it as a source for barbarism, war, and terrorism. Most of the educated people in the show are portrayed as atheists while most of the overtly religious characters are either portrayed as simple fools or as the series' major antagonists.
Other things to watch out for when recommending FMA to a wide audience:
- be sure to not recommend it to people who are the least bit sensitive about blood, gore, and mutilation. The series relishes in showing flashbacks to when Edward lost his leg and arm, and it also shows grotesque horrors like homonculi and chimeras
- be sure to not recommend it to people who are the least bit sensitive about sex. The character Lust provides more than enough reason for the skeptical observer to change the channel and no longer listen to your recommendations if he's the sort of person for whom sex has no proper place outside the privacy of his own bedroom. (
PROBABLY not going to be a problem for anybody who comes to Akiba-Online!
But it could be a problem for you if you try to recommend the show to, say, your parents, brothers, or sisters.)
- probably shouldn't recommend the series to someone who is militant, since the series establishes an anti-war message very early on. All of the protagonists within the military are disgusted with their obligation to kill in the name of protecting the empire whereas all of the military men who enjoy what they do for a living (e.g. the Crimson Alchemist) are portrayed as homocidal maniacs. Furthermore, many of the show's star characters -- including Ed and Al, Winry, and Scar -- all express a personal disgust with war.
When you look at a show like Naruto, you realize that while it may similarly have adopted a specific platform (or platforms) over the last few years that in the manga's early stages it was pretty wide open. Kishimoto didn't necessarily celebrate nor condemn war. He didn't touch on religion
at all. He pretty much left well enough alone as far as sensitive issues are concerned and he focused his early writing on the ninja's non-religious non-political backstories and character developments. With most of the focus just being on Naruto and Sasuke gaining power-ups, of course, leading up to the climactic end to the original Naruto (pre-Shippuuden, pre-tons of filler) story.
Not trying to argue, btw!! o_o; Just replying to what you said.
It made me think!
And I do agree that by-and-large FMA TOTALLY does fit into that category of "highly recommended to Joe Average" animes! I was just saying that out of all of the shows
WITHIN said category, FMA is probably one of the most sensitive, and that shows like Naruto are probably safer bets. (One Piece has got lots of violence and sex to it, too, and I've never seen Bleach but I'm pretty confident that the whole shinigami thing might alienate a lot of religious people while Orihime herself ~ purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :3 ~ would alienate those who dislike sexual stimulation outside of the bedroom.)
Of course FMA is a much safer recommendation than, say,
Pani Poni Dash, Minami-ke,
X/1999,
Ah! My Goddess!,
Chobits,
Elfen Lied,
Neon Genesis Evangelion, (the list goes on and on and on ...)
