'Fullmetal Alchemist' Raises Questions About Winry Rockbell

If you have watched Fullmetal Alchemist, then you must have noticed something peculiar about its casting. Fans of the anime quickly binged the movie to see how this live-action rendition went over. For the most part, fans have been moot on a review, but most everyone did ask one collective question:

Why did Winry Rockbell get so much screentime?

The question was not asked in abhorrence of the heroine; In fact, Fullmetal Alchemist fans are often obsessed with the girl. Winry may look like a stereotypical 'dumb blond' thanks to her doe eyes and curvaceous body. However, she is anything but. Winry is one of the series' most intelligent characters, and her no-frills love for engineering is only matched by her fondness for skirts.

In most cases, more Winry would be an ideal situation for fans, but this live-action adaptation did not use the heroine like it needed to. Rather than being added in due to story changes, Winry was put in as a simple substitute for Alphonse Elric. The boy may be the series' second lead, but the character was made from CGI. It took plenty of time and effort to put Alphonse on the screen, but it took little energy to swap Winry in for the walking suit of armor.

When Edward is sent to visit Dr. Marcoh, the hero leaves Alphonse behind and takes Winry with him instead. The decision shifts from the original series, and fans were willing to go with the alteration until they saw how Winry was used. Rather than being a partner to Edward, the Automail expert was used for a typical damsel-in-distress moment. So, it was hard for longtime fans to see Winry's spitfire attitude hiding behind the docile nature of her live-action counterpart.

As the franchise moves forward, fans hope they will get a more well-rounded view of Winry. Fans are eager to see the heroine's spunky personality shine even if she's not a series lead. So, here's to hoping Fullmetal Alchemist gives the girl a bump in characterization... If not, Winry fans will have to go get their throwing wrenches.

How do you think Fullmetal Alchemist treated Winry? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!