[Rewatch][Spoilers] Fullmetal Alchemist 2003. The Fullmetal Alchemist! That’s a cool way to end the first episode. While the 2003 version has a. Fullmetal Alchemist (Original/2003) and FMA: Brotherhood are SEPARATE but EQUAL shows. ( self.FullmetalAlchemist ) submitted 3 years ago * by Boogiepop_Homunculus The Defender of 2003 [ M ] - announcement.
What's up guys Piitaa here. I just finished watching Fullmetal Alchemist and Brotherhood and wow... What a series. I wasn't sure how I would feel about it from what I'd heard from friends and I was almost avoiding it. But I ended up caving and marathoning both in roughly the span of 3 weeks. So now I'm here to discuss my thoughts on the two series and ultimately decide which one I liked better. Now keep in mind these are MY OPINIONS. I understand the love and nostalgia these two shows have for so many anime fans who watched them when they originally aired. However, being one of the few who just recently watched them both I feel my decision will be based on what I believe to be overall quality and not just nostalgia. First I'll be reviewing/discussing FMA (2003). With all that out of the way let's dive in!
![Fullmetal Fullmetal](/uploads/1/2/4/9/124918000/393573816.jpg)
Let's begin with where it all started... Fullmetal Alchemist (2003). I watched this before Brotherhood because my friends all told me that's what I should do and boy were they right. If you didn't already know, The 2003 show of FMA follows the manga all the way up to about the half way marker. Because of this the shows creators were left with two choices: Wait for the manga to catch up OR continue, with the writer's blessing, to finish the story as they see fit. So, in a sense, FMA (2003) is an 'original anime.' Until halfway through, FMA followed the manga pretty closely not leaving out any major story developments. However, the beginning of FMA feels like it takes its time more with early events. Where I felt brotherhood really rushed through them. Especially the Nina story which lasted only an episode for Brotherhood, but was 2-3 episodes long for the 2003 series. Also introducing teacher and the island also played a more central role in the 2003 series than it did in brotherhood. Now what does all this mean to me in terms of my overall enjoyment? Well for starters, the second half of FMA (2003) is an amazing original anime work. No matter what anyone says about it not following the manga and not being the 'real story' when, in fact, the original manga writer gave the writers of the show permission to continue the story without her. So anyone who says that the 2003 FMA isn't the proper story is wrong and needs to understand that in the world of FMA two different stories and endings exist and whether you like one over the other is entirely up to you, you cannot discredit the other for merely being different.
As for my personal enjoyment of FMA (2003) I enjoyed myself throughout the entire show and never felt bored or tired of the story. It kept me engaged and by the end I really cared about the characters beyond the Elrics. Some of my favorite characters include: Winry, Major Armstrong, Envy, Mustang, Izumi Curtis (Teacher), and Scar. As for the animation it was incredible. It would even hold up well against some of the newer shows that have been released over the past few years. Bones did an amazing job and FMA is easily one of their best works. The music and openings/endings were also great. I enjoyed every opening to varying degrees but never skipped them. The endings were more meh for me except for the first one. The background music is beautiful and my favorite song from the soundtrack is Brothers. It's most fans favorite too and for very good reason. It's kind of the anthem for FMA and it's a shame they didn't include it in Brotherhood. Overall I give FMA (2003) an 9/10 And this rating for me means that while no show is perfect this one comes pretty darn close. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME but I actually like this original better than Brotherhood.
Check back for my review/discussion of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood coming in a few days. Be sure to leave a like if you enjoyed and share with me your thoughts on FMA This has become one of my favorite shows of all time and I'd love to discuss it with you. Thanks for reading! Piitaa out! :v: