Alkahestry and Other Symbols - An Actual Alchemist Reacts to Fullmetal Alchemist

[@Weazle13XIII]

Another important thing to note about Scar's arms is their reference to "solve et coagula," or "dissolve and coagulate," the essence of the alchemical process written on the right and left arms of Baphomet. Scar's brother basically discovered how to do circleless transmutation without using the gate of truth, using one arm to break something down into base materials, and the other to build them back up

[@ArchOfWinter]

The kanji for Alkahestry is 錬丹術. The Kanji for Alchemy is 錬金術. 錬 means to refine or smelt, 術 means the method or technique. 金 is gold. 丹 is powder or pellet/pill usually used in traditional medicine. However, in context of alchemy, 丹 is also the pill of immortality. The Chinese term 煉丹, which sounds phonetically identical and have the exact same dictionary definition to 錬丹, translates into "to concoct the pills of immortality." So if you are watching or reading FMA in Japanese, Chinese, possibly even Korean, most people would instantly know that 錬丹術 is based in medical concept and around the concept of achieving immortality. That and the common knowledge of certain real world emperors' obsessions with immortality, the term 錬丹術 pretty much foreshadow the Xing characters' motivation before going into their back stories.

[@stripehead1]

That's insanely informative.

[@jbark678]

That's wild

[@fllthdcrb]

Very good explanation. Just want to add: doesn't 丹 more literally mean "cinnabar" or "vermillion"? I realize it's less directly helpful, but I'm sure it's quite meaningful to an alchemist. They are, after all, both primarily compounds based on mercury.

[@mrnarason]

He should take all the ideas in the comments and make a video

[@SupaFly-gx1zo]

As someone who never saw Alchemy as anything more than people trying to turn materials into other materials, and have never had any interest in FMA, seeing you bridge the gaps between actual historical documentation and the fiction makes me appreciate the effort people have put into studying and practicing it in the past, and remembering it today. Thank you for helping keep a part of humanity recorded and up to date in a digestible way. I hope we get to explore more of the subject with you in the future!

[@aisadal2521]

I wanna see you react to the greatest alchemist of all time, Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove 🤣🤣🤣

[@WebnewsCelebrities]

didn't expect this xD

[@FullmetalBassist]

Real LMAO

[@Epsilon-01]

This was very interesting, though I feel I must point out a misinterpretation/correction, I always thought that the placement of the Caduceus of the Great Hermes Tristmegistus on medical products was because it was confused with the staff of Asclepius, God of medicine, regardless I really enjoyed how you described the properties of Hermes' Caduceus and everything else you talk about, it's very informative and I look forward to future projects.

[@acompletelynormalhuman6392]

That's my understanding too is that the caduceus was just confused with the staff of asclepius

[@jackalope2302]

Easy mistake to make. One's got one snake on it and the other has two

[@Epsilon-01]

@@jackalope2302 and wings, don't forget those.

[@jackalope2302]

@@Epsilon-01 oh yeah forgot about those

[@KirisutonoNeko]

The staff of Asclepius is also very similar to Moses’ bronze snake on a pole used to heal the rebellious Israelites in the desert in Numbers 21:8-9, dating from the same period, apparently. …And then in John 3:14, Jesus connects that story to His own being lifted up on a wooden pole for our redemption/healing. …And, speculating further in a mythological direction, John 1:1-4 describes Jesus as “the Word” being present in the beginning (with the void of Genesis 1:2?) through whom all things were made (prima materia?), being the life and light of all mankind (azoth/chi?). (That’s all rather objectifying, of course, but as far as alchemy goes, trying to objectify the spiritual into material and make use of it, I thought I saw some connections there.)

[@edgelordofhosts]

The medical caduceus is just one snake wrapped around a pole with no wings, also known as the 'Rod of Asclepius', Asclepius being the greek god of healing

[@st.anselmsfire3547]

Mercury was also one of the only Roman deities that could freely travel between the lands of the living and the dead. The only other being that could do that was Persephone, who was probably the original goddess of the dead. Everyone else, including Hades himself, needed something special, and Zeus never went to Tartarus or Erebor so we don't really know.

[@nothanks9503]

Persephone couldn’t travel freely to the underworld there was some restrictions and she almost got stuck there right

[@ludwig549]

It is really cool to learn alchemy with you, I hope you continue to show more alchemy in the animes and games. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@stripehead1]

It's amazing that the creator of FMA was so knowledgeable in historical alchemy AND had the skill to create such an intrucately amazing story.

[@dragneel608]

@@stripehead1 she was an alchemist hrself

[@lakoneko]

I just want to say that when I first started reading FMA back in 2005, I dove into researching all I could about alchemy using the early internet and the minimal resources available at my local small town public library, but there was only so far that I could get as a middle schooler. Watching these videos reminded me of all the cool connections I found myself and added so much more I wouldn't have been able to find or understand back then. Thank you for all your work on this, and I hope you do look into the other versions of FMA (manga, anime, and movie) for other cool insights! Since finding this series, I've enjoyed your videos on other topics, and I look forward to more of your videos in the future!

[@zoeybleu7548]

This whole series as a whole makes me want to rewatch both brotherhood/ and original FMA. I love these videos, they're very informative and I was always curious about alchemy and stuff of that nature as a kid. Thank You!

[@lo4750]

I've been craving for someone to explain the alchemical aspects of fma for SO LONG, i am so glad i found your videos!!

[@Duke000999]

Just watching this 2 years later, this is one of the best series of KZbin videos I've seen in a long time, well done good sir 👏

[@cabinessence_timely_hello]

Hi! Loved your videos! imma big fan of Fullmetal Alchemist and know a bit about alchemy myself (and although I don't agree completely with everything you said, specially about father) I do think you are doing a great job. HOWEVER there a few things I'd like to point out: 1: First off is a more simple matter: the image you showed of Hiromu Arakawa in your first 2 videos is not actually her, it's Ed's Seiyuu (voice actress) Romi Park. Hiromu makes no public appearences and the only images we have of her are very low-res, therefore there is a lot of people who share images of Park or other women claiming to be her, even if that's not true. 2: As you said in your video, FMA has two animes, one made in 2003, that does not adapts the source material entirely (just the first ~10 volumes) and another that is Brotherhood. Well brotherhood actually cuts quite a bit of the beginning of the show, and borrows a lot of symbols from the first FMA anime. As a consequence, not only somethings are left unexplained on BH, but a lot of the coherency within alchemy's symbology seen in the FMA manga (specially the appearance of transmutation circles) and in the original FMA are not present in Brotherhood, since it mixes the symbols seen in the 2003 series and in the manga. Here's a post I made on FMA's subreddit that talks about the censorship of the Hexagram (a universal alchemical symbol in the FMA manga): www.reddit.com/r/FullmetalAlchemist/comments/mkumw1/is_there_any_official_explanation_for_the/ and the FMA fandom has some more information about it as well. Overall I highly recommend you take a look in the manga or at least it's use of symbology, since it's a bit distinct and more coherent than Brotherhood. 3. Not much related to irl alchemy but since Hohen was the first to introduce alchemy to Xing, the usage it has in that country may relate with Hohenheim's state of mind when he arrives in Xing, in contrast to the plan of father and the introduction of alchemy in Amestris. I also like to point out that the flamel cross in the show probably came as influence of Hohenheim, Alphonse is an armour Hohenheim had and Izumi was his disciple (there is no oficial origin for Eedward's red coat though). 4. The appearance of the Eye of Truth, is pretty reminiscent of the illustrations made about the Ein Sof (kabbalistic concept I'm sure you're familiar with), and how the eye represents the truth (or reaching the truth) I'm 200% sure it is intentional 5. Hiromu actually talks in the Fullmetal Alchemist profiles from 2003, about how while searching alchemy there was no general consensus for how alchemy works, neither did the authors agreed upon the same concept or what alchemy teaches as a whole, so she really had to pretty much "make up her own rules for the series". 6. And finally, I've talked about the 2003 FMA show before, and I can't stress enough how I recommend you to watch. It has a lot of different alchemical themes and concepts connected with alchemy not present in the source material. Not wanting to spoil the pot but the creation of the homunculi, the function of the gate, the source of alchemy and the concept of truth are completely different. And, as fan of Brotherhood, I'm sure you're gonna love it too. Sorry for the mile-long comment, I really hope you continue doing these videos ^^ they're great, wisely done Mr. Max i will see you up ahead

[@LucienZeroOne]

If u wanna know more about reality and become something different check out: Ormus/"monatomic-gold",manna, kundalini, chakras. Just trust there is more than medieval alchemy analized by some "modern" psychologists... Look into hermetics, sacred geometry, vedic texts, book of the dead, book: holy grail holy blood. Book of Aquarius. Thank me later^^ Truth is "inside" you, just unlock it Namaste🙏 ⚕❤🧡💛💚💙💜🕉🫂♾

[@manuelbeltran8504]

I'm really exited for what you will find in the Original FMA, especially one big symbol at the end of the series they make a big deal of, overall it's an entirely different tone to the Brotherhood side, a fair warning Conqueror of Shamballa is a continuation to the ending of the Original 03 Anime

[@FullmetalBassist]

Thank you so much for making these amazing videos, it adds so much to the series and I can't believe all the secrets kept by fullmetal that weren't uncovered, it helps me enjoy everything so much more!

[@frazfrazfrazfraz]

The two headed dragon is also commonly referenced in dark souls. Orbeck in ds3 even says something like, "the ideal sorcerer bears the twin faces of the dragon".

[@igodreamer7096]

Great video, Max. Fullmetal Alchemist is such great series/manga, love this in-deep analysis and investigation over the symbolism and they role in the story! Keep up the great work, man!

[@edwardlivingston9651]

I really liked this series of videos, I'm sad to see it go but I'll look forward to it's return.

[@animdalf9178]

The Planescape: Torment music is hitting me right into nostalgia

[@Deusexoona]

Loved this series! It really broke down alchemy in a way I could understand. Having an active example in FMAB really helped make it accessible!

[@dreamingdreamerdream]

One should also pay close attention to the Mercurius Staff. It is a union of opposites, the eagle represents the transcendent function and the serpent represents the bodily function, the former is the dominant function whilst the latter is the inferior function. Jung spoke about this at length in the Zarathustra seminar. In Nietzsche's case for example: the eagle is his Intuition and the snake is his Sensation. The staff is a prime example of the maxima coniunctionis. And thus, just as Nietzsche relates Zarathustra to the Self, the Self is also Mercurius.

[@dango470]

Max "YOU MIGHT WANT TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE NEXT PART Me watching at 2x speed *makes volume louder*

[@DougRobertson]

Crowley considered the word "Azoth" to be a magical formula, much like his own "ABRAHADABRA". He said that AZOTH expressed the wholeness of being and the union of opposites, by representing beginning and end, since it starts with Aleph/Alpha/A, and contains Zeta, the final character in Latin, Omega, the final in greek and Tau, the final in Hebrew.

[@yamiyomizuki]

crowley thought a great many things, most of them drug induced nonsense. never think that crowley is a good source even for information on the western occult tradition, he actually knew very little.

[@DougRobertson]

​@@yamiyomizuki I'm not a fan of Crowley, I find him repugnant. I disagree, however, that he knew very little. Some of his books give that impression, but his more technical works like The Book of Thoth or 777, are very useful for those learning their correspondences.

[@yamiyomizuki]

@@DougRobertson most of what's in those books was made up by crowley, and as such teaches you nothing about what came before.

[@DougRobertson]

@@yamiyomizuki That isn't true. It's true of books he channeled, like The Book of The Law, but not for his technical works. Especially with regard to Alchemy, he references much of what Max references in these videos, with similar interpretation. So either Max's videos are based on Crowley's untruths, both Max and Crowley's work are founded upon the same untruths, or Max and Crowley's work are both founded on something true, at least historically. I'm gonna go with the later.

[@yamiyomizuki]

@@DougRobertson even his technical works are still basically his conjecture, he really didn't know every much, and to be fair at that time most people didn't because they were working from a very small selection of texts, which themselves were largely written by medieval and renaissance authors who were essentially speculating based on a small handful of texts from antiquity. not only was he not actually impressively knowledgeable, crowley also engaged in speculation that has essentially no value because it draws simultaneously on multiple traditions that wouldn't have actually been connected, an easy example having been given by you in the original comment.

[@ajanaya8055]

Ergo Proxy? You actually listened to me! 😭

[@GaraxyAurora]

Your alchemy videos helped me understand the game potion craft better

[@murkrowyeet8484]

shame that technically the Caduceus is representative of commerce, and it's the Staff of Asclepius with ONE snake that was the symbol of medicine. But I guess enough misuse has applied new meaning to the Caduceus anyways also wonder if there may be any connection to the depiction of ouroborous as two dragons eating each other, though that might be a stretch

[@antonlongbow5122]

I feel like he would have a field day with the anime "86". Human consciousness augmentation and a huge "All quiet on the western front" vibe.

[@Raidenski]

Excellent video, very informative! It should be worth noting, the Caduceus is actually a symbol relating to merchants and trade, and not specifically medicine, per se. The symbol for medicine is actually very similar, as it's a rod with a single snake on it; known as the Rod of Asclepius. ⚕️ The distinction is to be made so as not to confuse a "healer" with a "merchant" who may or may not be engaging in accordance with the laws of equivalent exchange if/when their product is labeled as "healing" when in reality/actuality it isn't.

[@cerealwarfare2217]

Damn Ergo Proxy? I'm really excited to see you mention this and also for when the video on it comes out.

[@sofiee8531]

Thank you so much for this series! I watched FMA several years ago and loved it, now I have to rewatch it after soaking in your wisdom about it! ;-)

[@foryouphilanything]

i loved all your fma videos so far, huge thanks for making them!! i'll def check out more of your stuff too

[@dango470]

The pentagram has other symbolisms. The point represents MAN as a being borne of the elements. This is also related to medieval medicine and the four humours theory, where it was believed that health is achieved as a result of balancing the four humours, which represent the four elements. So quintessence = man. The primal matter is taken from the blood of a man. This is something the show picks up on real well, cause soylent green erm philosopher's stone is people. This is also why transmuting on a human is both banned and required to learn "The Truth" and related to the creation of the philosopher stones This is also related to the idea that balancing the humours leads to health, life. Theoretically, from this perspective, balancing the humours/elements within a person well enough will achieve immortality. The pentagram also has a long history of Christian usage before the modern age (medieval Christianity was wild yo). The pentagram in Christian tradition represents the five wounds of Jesus, as well as Mary's five Joys and five Sorrows (those of you who pray the rosary ought to recognize that, five decades). As you mentioned before, Christ figures heavily in alchemical imagery. Christ descended into Hell (blackening), ascendend to Heaven and then the RED BLOOD grants immortality. As stated before, Alchemy is less a precursor to chemistry and more a religion using chemistry as a kind of extended metaphor. The philosopher's stone is the reward of a philosopher :P

[@lordofPockets]

Latin for the win, love that you found Joyce on creating content for us, from my edgy anime-watching teen, thank you!

[@tekbox7909]

This is a fantastic video as always. Makes one appreciate the series even more than before. Also in my opinion it was very clear and understandable

[@sparta117corza]

Brilliant example of how an author can go into some symbolic practices that we all know of on a unconscious level due to their symbolism being everywhere in society, and turn it into one of the most popular series of all time.

[@aku896]

your clear explanation on such complex matter is impressive

[@DavidPeriard]

cant wait for your 1899 recap

[@michaelakinlabi7256]

Working on my comic book while watching your content makes the exercise more palatable.

[@JackDanielThe7th]

After seeing this I’m definitely going back to see the rest of the videos on FMA

[@twon1582]

Yessssssiiiirrrrr. I be waiting on these. I’ve watched the other videos in the series many times and I’m still digesting it,

[@yuviT]

Hey, Israeli Jew here with a few notes to help! 3:00 - There's an issue with translating this part. English is written left-to-right while Hebrew is written right-to-left. The Tetragrammaton are the four letters of the name of God in Hebrew, Yahweh (So in English this would be YHWH). In Hebrew it's written יהוה (from right to left [to avoid any further confusion] starting at the small line) it's Yud, Hey, Vav, Hey. In the image however, you can see the word was separated and switched. It's hard to tell how to read this as from right to left it would read והיה (WHYH, this can be translated into "and has been" sounds like Ve-Ha-Ya) or from left to right as היהו (HYHW, which doesn't mean anything and sounds like Hee-Ho). Therefore, I find it hard to read the parts in the hand. I can say the top part is just gibberish. As for the bottom, I have never head of the word Vegk (וק, letters are Vav and Koof). As for Vega, I'm personally not familiar with any relation between the star and Judaism or the Bible. Note, at 4:00 the hands do read the Tetragrammaton יהוה as normal. 4:10 - I agree, the hands in the book appear to be Kabalistic and not the Hamsa. Hamsa are traditionally just one hand where the fingers are equal, the Kabalsitic hand as we see are two hand with the thumbs pointing out. 4:35 - It's not Modern Hebrew, it looks more like the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet (old Hebrew), but not the same. I'd be happy to chat, translate or compare notes with anyone for future help.

[@kathyl9222]

Alkahestry draws inspiration from Feng Shui, wherein there is the concept of the flow of chi in a space. There are said to also be "leylines", and sometimes these leylines are said to be the paths of dragons.

[@geyler1766]

Your work is amazing This is your sign to make another fma video

[@Glory2Snowstar]

I see you have recovered from the Silent Hill direct, feels good to have ya back!

[@gleamyortalkor8305]

Man this video just made me think of Lockstin's "End of Pokemon" theory back in like 2016. As he used the image of the double headed dragon as a note point. Granted it's completely random, but that theory brought me to look into these things.

[@wandering-W33D]

You really had to assert yourself as my favorite KZbinr by throwing in the Nier music on top of an already fantastic video lol fantastic work man I'm about to rewatch the series

[@jeremygilbert7989]

I'm not familiar with Nier but I definitely give the creator props for using one of my favorite songs from Xenogears at the end there.

[@debrickashaw9387]

Deionarra theme at 5:25. Nice seeing some planescape torment love

[@anonsmith510]

Love your explanations of this kinds of topics, can't wait to see which series you cover next

[@alcypian]

I loved the serie, thank you for sharing this knowledge! Something that would be interesting as well would be shedding light onto the history of alchemy and it came to Europe. From my understanding, alchemy originated from India and the knowledge migrated to China before being exported to Europe through the Muslim empire. Hence why in traditional Islamic medicine, we may find similarities with acupuncture and why in Western alchemy, we could find close similarities with Eastern philosophies such as the yin and yang you mention in the serie. From an fma standpoint, it then makes sense to have ishbala in-between amestris and xing and have similar cultural traits with northern African cultures and Arabian culture. And also with scar's brother creating his own alchemy method, from xing and amestris knowledges. I reaaaaally enjoyed your serie!

[@YamiKyougi13]

I've been studying Alchemy and the adjoining subjects as a hobby since middle school, this nerdy shit is my absolute jam.

[@gowgearhead]

I think I've commented about it before, but you should consider checking out the similarities between Full Metal Alchemist and the PS1 classic Vagrant Story (which has a few other Square Enix games loosely tied to it and set in the same Universe). The plot involves transmutation, occult tattoos (similar to the ones Scar/Scar's brother had) and a plot involving the fate of an entire city which was forcibly abandoned after an experiment with a city-wide transmutation circle. Population forcibly removed. Shady experiment involving a transmutation circle for some entity or group to gain powers? Sound familiar?

[@Sunaki1000]

Was a nice miniseries, I learned a lot. Especially the Green Lion and the true Nature of Sephiroth as the primordial Man was very interesting.

[@anilin6353]

There is an important detail left out which is the power source for the too systems and how they differ.

[@emmanuelprado]

Something funny that I wanted to point out is that Azoth has a very corresponding word in Portuguese, which is "azogue" (literally mercury/quicksilver).

[@raresmocanu1743]

In Romanian, azot is the word for nitrogen. And apparently according to Google translate, English has the word azote as well. Not as good a link as the Portuguese word but interesting nonetheless.

[@_drago]

@@raresmocanu1743 that word reminds me of azotobactor; not a related thing but still.

[@toliman_proxima]

@@raresmocanu1743 it's also name for nitrogen in polish. It's derived from greek ἀ + ζωή (no + life).

[@Oblivion420]

Episode 5??? Let's goooooooo!!!!!

[@loroleibusser5993]

I was reading an old scanlation of the manga where the two headed dragon was referred to as hermaphroditic, which I immediately linked with the concept of completeness from this series.

[@najeekgreen2543]

Hey you just confirmed with scar's arms for me that I used to do when I was getting interested in alchemy and transmogrify how the terra and prima matria actually have a ebb and flo. Mainly somewhat how 4elements based circles and circles using gold mercury deconstruct and rebuild they just use and do it differently

[@theendarkenedilluminatus4342]

you can also see how the different arms hold several different forms and opposing elemental forces, but align them along the paths that the wuxing symbol represents when the arms are brought together. I thought that was a nice touch.

[@mysteriousvenus1410]

I was glad to help!

[@TraceOran]

Mind blow. Excellent lessons my guy

[@themockery7212]

Flipped into a readable orientation, the reconstruction half of Scar's tattoos (obviously) bear the words IGNIS and AQUA, making both arms the union of opposites even regardless of what the weird Latin (or pseudo-Latin) text around them may say. The four letters then read H-E-A-V, evoking Heaven. Now the text around the ancient elements may be gibberish by Arakawa; what she didn't derive from alchemical texts seems to be a lot less meaningful - or accurate - than her use of the well-attested stuff. Others have proposed that they're butchered spellings of the traits of those elements, though only "sicca" seems to bear any resemblance to actual Latin. Dopla is closer to "double" than it is any other word, but doubling earth doesn't have any actual meaning in alchemy that I'm aware of. One could *stretch* this to the breaking point to evoke folding, and folding earth is a fair way of very crudely explaining plate tectonics, the supposed source of Amestrian alchemy - but again, we're stretching credibility to the breaking point and we still haven't explained what's going on around AER. It is interesting to note that a proposed ancient etymology for heaven is Proto-Indo-European (*h₂éḱmō), which means "stone," and has cognates among other languages that mean similar things. The Greek akmon, Persian aseman, and Sanskrit asman all have meanings that include both "sky" and "stone," with the Greek word particularly also having meanings like "anvil," "pestle," and "meteorite" - that last of course being a literal heaven stone. Asman can also mean "thunderbolt," which is interesting as meteoric iron was sometimes known as thunderbolt iron. Whatever the case, this interpretation evokes a divine stone whose interpretation should be self-evident. Even more interesting is a comment by another user that the two halves of Scar's tattoos together allow one to use alchemy without circles *without* meeting Truth, although how far this ability goes isn't well-explored. The implications of this are quite deep - like, Grand Unified Theory of Alchemy deep - but it's unlikely any explanation will ever be forthcoming.

[@volpilh]

I was wondering in the first video on the series, about whether there would be any Aristotelianism. The animating first principle is just that, namely the Cause.

[@thorgor5151]

My summary of alchemy in general (I've only seen FMA and your five videos BTW): alchemy is a bunch of different views with a bunch of different representations of a few universal concepts, like unity & perfection.

[@aaa1e2r3]

Honestly, it had been a lot of fun watching the series so far. I don't recall you addressing this symbol so I was curious, was there any specific meaning in the Anti-Transmutation Circle?

[@theendarkenedilluminatus4342]

My impression was that it refocused the energy and reversed it by realigning the crossing points of the lines of the star into a continuity symbol. There are a few potential sources of it's particular shape, and one that stands out is the shutter effect of a camera lens. The symbol seems to represent a shuttering, a constricting and binding into a new shape in order to reverse the direction of the transmutation that occurred in the same space. It's the same symbol, just rearranged to alter the flow of energy and therefore the effect. There was this chinese wushu show I watched that featured a school of alchemy and the shifu said the final secret to alchemy was that the only difference between an elixir and a poison was the intention of it's creator. How's that for an "As Above So Below" eh?

[@torbjornlekberg7756]

This series you have done is fantastic! I am curious, tho. Did the alchemists of the past truly believe that quicksilver was what our chi or inner energy was, or was it metaphorical? In a 'As above so bellow' kind of way, like quicksilvers chemical reaction, the inner energy effects you, and like the inner energy affects you, quicksilver reacts chemically.

[@Jahsizzl9]

I grew up on the Original 2003 series. My dad showed me it and the movie Gates of Shamballa. That movie terrified me with one specific scene.

[@elijahebbert6884]

The morrowind music at 7:50 got me in the feels yo

[@rosereynolds5446]

The you must destroy to create philosophy in the show is part of scars/his brothers arms and probably based Azoth and the opposites combine

[@mr.muffin2415]

Just found your channel loving the videos so far. nice to have something to watch one after the other

[@Rondorix]

Should I even be surprised the total time of these five fantastic videos adds up to 1:22:21? That its a numerical palindrome? That just feels fitting at this point.

[@fojeefk]

Hello Max! I recenly discovered your channel while looking for something related to mental health and psychology and I have enjoyed quite a few of your videos. I noticed that you have recently started to delve into anime. I used to watch it a ton during my teenage years and it's nice to see that a lot of the shows have such depth in their stories. But I stopped watching for reasons I'll get into soon. I strongly suggest you to slowly move past to different forms of media. I don't mean to say that you are not doing a good job explaining all the intricate details or anything, but because it's a delicate and sensitive topic to approach. Considering the fact that I found your anime videos while loking for something completely different, it goes to show that it's so easy for people to fall into this rabbit hole unintensionally. Unfortunately, A LOT of teenagers(including my 16 y/o nephew) get into the addiction of watching anime. The shows that you have chosen to cover might not necessarily contain disgusting elements, but the viewers might get a sense of validation for watching their favourite shows from your videos which urges them to consme even more content and thus increasing the risk of them being exposed to the dark side of the medium. I'm aware that pretty much all forms of entertainment have their dark sides but anime from the past few years are typically made for people who just seek validation for themselves and a sense of accomplishing something in their lives instead of just being good shows. It's just the truth. Considering how weird Japan punishes acts such as depiction and distribution CP, R4pe, extreme nudity, etc. in comics and anime supposedly targetted for teens, there are more shows than ever that kind of celebrate these disgusting acts. I'm in no intension villainising you or making you feel responsible, but it'll be pretty accurate to assume that a small fraction of the viewers of you anime videos might unknowingly go into this path of consumption. I hope you understand.

[@Alfareon]

2019!? feels like it's been 10 lol. thanks for helping get us through lockdown!

[@danielcrawford4141]

Hey can you please do a video analyzing the psyche of Sunny from Omori?

[@jaygin6518]

Can you breakdown the circles themselves and how to read them ?

[@toneguerrero8232]

You having so much knowledge on alchemy makes me wanna get into so thank you for that lol also I loved this series so much I plan on getting into Alchemy and rewatching FMA. How would you recommend starting research on Alchemy?

[@Matt2801_MC]

Looking forward to your insight into the sacred star of Milos.

[@CotaViking]

Amazing series!

[@ZelphTheWebmancer]

When I first heard of IRL Alchemy I thought it was stupid and outdated, but after learning a tiny fraction about it it seemed actually interesting. Watching your videos makes me interested in studying alchemy and reminds me of a quote about magic systems from an modern hermetic practitioner "There are three types of people: those that believe in magic, those that don't, and those that understood the joke". You seem to understand alchemy quite well. I have one question tho: What is the *deep* meaning behind your channel motto "Stay yellow" and your avatar being in the Simpsons style?

[@captainslender12]

I believe the question about staying yellow was actually answered in one of the prior FMA episodes. If i recall correctly it has to do with one of the ideas for making a pilosopher's stone including the 'yellowing' step but i've forgotten the detail as to what that actually means.

[@victoriousf.i.g.3311]

Got the link for ya right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6e6n5x6mtGGrLM Stay yellow!

[@dango470]

so what is the explanation to that joke?

[@LucienZeroOne]

The cosmic joke aka "reality"?

[@LucienZeroOne]

If u wanna know more about reality and become something different check out: Ormus/"monatomic-gold",manna, kundalini, chakras. Just trust there is more than medieval alchemy analized by some "modern" psychologists... Look into hermetics, sacred geometry, vedic texts, book of the dead, book: holy grail holy blood. Book of Aquarius. Thank me later^^ Truth is "inside" you, just unlock it Namaste🙏 ⚕❤🧡💛💚💙💜🕉🫂♾

[@TheAlison1456]

5:50 i'm also surprised this dragon symbol wasn't made up

[@Tuber-sama]

12:15 Could it be a reference to the idea of "Baphomet", with its left arm inscripted with the word 'coagula' and its right arm with the word 'solve'? Considering how much Levi has studied and written about Alchemy, it seems reasonable to think that the mangaka had this reference as well.

[@jasonsouth1652]

I really want to see you tackle fma 2003 because of source of alchemy being different and also really weird and interesting

[@xan42O]

Caduceus is incorrectly used as a medical symbol Hermes/Mercury was god of many things not medicine. Rod of Asclepius is the real medical symbol, Asclepius being the first physician, god of medicine.

[@saeyabor]

Well done series, FULLYELLOW

[@Hollow23x]

Well the dragon represents begening and the end in geomancy, the head representing the beginig and the tail the end.

[@jackalope2302]

Knowing that another one of your favorite topics is mental health, I would like to recommend that you review Madoka Magica, Gurren Lagann and/or Noragami. All three have strong themes of despair and hope, Noragami a little less so than the other two.

[@MarioAtheonio]

Personally I find the 2003 series philosophically and dramatically more engaging - sometimes taking positions counter to the manga/Brotherhood - especially concerning the existence/nature of god, and the law of equivalent exchange. I'll be very excited to see how it compares alchemically, too.

[@cabinessence_timely_hello]

IMHO the 2003 anime has a more engaging story (specially with how personal the story is and edward's character development), and brotherhood has a better worldbuilding

[@ninjason57]

I agree

[@mooocowcowcowmooo]

Hey Max, dunno If you remember me. Anyways These videos on alchemy have been great. This is the kind of stuff I love in stories.

[@Keijikrall]

You should check out the golden sun series! Pretty heavy alchemical themes in it

[@Spliff220]

hi max, sorry to bother you and write here, but i have some questions about your videos of fullmetal alchemist i dont know if you can help me

[@st.anselmsfire3547]

Does Mercury's connection to alchemy also relate to the quote from Hellsing Ultimate: "The bird of Hermes is my name, eating my wings to keep me tame"? Or is that more directly tied to Hermes Trismegistus? Or did he take the name Hermes in reference to Mercury?

[@KadandEve]

The prima materia, or the circle that the two headed dragon/Mercurius stands upon, is the physical world or the material realm, like you said before the dragon is related to the devil or the ego or Father in FMA, in Gnosticism it would be the unconscious being that created the physical world who chooses to see himself as separate from God and to exalt itself above the highest

[@chadsknnr]

Dear Max Derrat, Have you heard of the "Emerald Tablets (plural) of Thoth the Atlantean"? (not to be confused with "The Emerald Tablet [singular] of Hermes Trismegistus", naturally.)

[@alliadverb]

Thank you so much !!

[@madao7865]

1:16 What a list. There is not a single entry I'm not looking forward to. Though, Texhnolyze does make me worry for Max' mental well-being a little. That sh*t stuck with me for more than a year... in an uncomfortable manner.

[@DrySushi]

Max, you'll always get a like from me. Would love to hear your thoughts on Akira sometime!

[@TrismegistusMx]

I love your series on alchemy in media. I would love for you to watch Puss in Boots: The Last Wish with an eye for alchemy. It's got the divine union of the masculine and feminine, rebirth through death, and a fantastic exploration of mortality and meaning. All that on top of the most beautiful examples of animation of all time.

[@acompletelynormalhuman6392]

So one thing I'm confused on is when you were talking about pentagrams in Western Alchemy you said that the fifth point or the circle around the pentagram represents quintessence (if I remember correctly) my question is if the circle around the pentagram represents quintessence what does the fifth Point represent likewise if the fifth Point represents quintessence what does the Circle represent. also with the symbol where it's a square with a circle in it I'm confused on if it represents the philosopher stone or quintessence or both and I don't understand the distinction in between the Philosopher's Stone and quintessence if there is one. And is there any reason why the alchemical symbol for urine 🝕 looks similar to the previously mentioned square with a circle in it

[@andrewstrausbaugh4517]

I’m very late to the party on this one but I do have a general question. I am a comp sci / mathematics professional so I am accustomed to statements of fact and statements of mistruth. Axioms drive the fundamentals of most of what I have learned in regards to the concept of logical reasons for accepting the things that I hold as true in my field as actual truths. Are there similar things that drive the tenants of alchemy or alchemy at the time or was it all interpretive and philosophical in nature? Is there a reductionist principle in alchemy to get to “the truth” of things or are these concepts alien to alchemy and therefore unnecessary?

[@andrewstrausbaugh4517]

Also wanted to add that I’m a long time fan. Been subbed since right around the spec ops video launch. I was curious about heart of darkness and in a coincidence you had just released a few superb videos on the topics. Thanks for everything

[@SsjBrohun]

Not really a question when you said that you had trouble pointing out how the rest of the marks on scars arm connect. the circle that loops around on its self mak9ng overall loops is call a triquotra, I think my spelling is wrong by anyway. if you did a little bit of research, you will understand how that would have been very easy to explain and connect to the rest of it, however, thank you.

[@lysanderxx1664]

The purpose of the Azoth which is also the Caduceus works well with the origin story of said staff: The snake staff that Moses held up for the Israelites to look upon and be healed. The staff was made my Moses to purposely be a symbol of Jesus Christ, the great physician. According to the Bible and the majority of Christian theology, the description of Azoth from Trancendental Magic in the video description can accurately describe Him.

[@Snowfreak357]

The original series is pretty wild where brotherhood is good, but toned down a notch