Fullmetal Alchemist
| Episode Count | 51 |
| Season | Fall 2003 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Shounen |
| Source Material | Manga |
| Rating | TV-14 |
| Streaming | TBD |
Fullmetal Alchemist tells us the tale of two brother alchemists, Edward and Alphonse who paid the price after committing the ultimate taboo of attempting to use Alchemy to resurrect their dead mother. The series deals with the two brothers, one who has lost an arm and a leg and the other who has lost his entire body and is now a talking suit of armor pursuing the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary Alchemical artifact that could hold the key to returning their bodies back to normal. On this journey the two brothers, who have enlisted in the country’s military as State Alchemists, find themselves embroiled in a web of conspiracies around the stone and the very nature of the country they live in. Featuring a colorful cast of characters, great animation and direction from Studio Bones and director Seiji Mizushima, this darker alternate take on Hiromu Arakawa’s acclaimed manga should not be overlooked.
- akasinan
The other writers do a great job at describing and presenting the franchise. What I want to focus on is addressing the elephant in the room and explain why the original series is here instead of Brotherhood.
The first Fullmetal Alchemist anime was made in 2003, very early in the manga's run. The anime's writers were encouraged by the manga's author, Hiromu Arakawa, to write a different ending than she was intending. As such, the first half of the series is a loose but accurate adaptation of the manga while the second half diverges from the manga's story. Not that many people took issue with this...until Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood released.
Fullmetal Alchemist was a WIDELY popular franchise in Japan, hell it arguably still is. It was popular enough to get a second anime adaptation, but this one was focused on directly adapting the manga. This started a myth that Brotherhood replaces the original Fullmetal Alchemist series. But Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was made assuming that you've already seen the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist series. As such, it rushes through what that anime already adapted and slows down rapidly when it starts adapting new material, which can be jarring for pacing.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a great show, and worthy of being considered one of the best anime of all time. But it shouldn't replace the original series. Both are classics for different reasons, and we're highlighting the original series because of how difficult it is to watch it. Brotherhood is highly popular and can be streamed on multiple platforms. The original series has been buried, which is a fate the series doesn't deserve and it's why I made this website in the first place: to make sure other anime of that era stay alive in the future.
- 0215MADman