Forum - View topicWhich Fullmetal Alchemist series do you prefer?
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Angel M Cazares
 Posts: 5420 Location: Iscandar |
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I created this poll because it seems to me that the majority of fans prefer the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist series over Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and I would like to know which anime the ANN community prefers and why. FMA: B is my all time favorite anime series, but I do recognize that the 2003 series was a very good anime and important in my formation as an anime fan.
I prefer Brotherhood because 1) the explanation on the origin of the homunculi makes more logical sense to me, 2) the new characters from the manga add more depth and appeal to 3) a better written story than the 2003 series, and 4) the ending (although a bit too convenient) is more definitive for the story and characters. |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7357 |
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I was always under the impression that any poll I've seen elsewhere seems to come up about 50-50, though it could certainly be different from forum to forum. I feel like when Brotherhood came out and the manga was ending, it was suddenly considered "wrong" to like the 2003 version, at least that's the impression I got from the internet.
Anyway, I've read the manga and seen the 2003 series, so I'm counting that as having experienced both. I prefer the 2003 for a few reasons: 1) The filler expansion of the first half of the series really gave it more time to breathe and let us know the characters better. 2) As a result of #1, spoiler[Maes Hughes' death] really had more of an impact. 3) I thought the manga was far more black and white with what sides were good vs evil while I thought the 2003 version was more ambitious and didn't give out answers concerning that as easily. That made me enjoy both the "good" and "bad" guys more 4) Relating to #3, the 2003 series changed who killed Winry's parents (which I'm not tagging because they were dead before the series started). Manga spoiler spoiler[Scar killing them just made it easier to label him a bad guy and be done with it. He was also crazy when he did it] VS 2003 spoiler spoiler[Roy Mustang was one of our heroes to this point, finding out that he killed Winry's parents in full realization of what he was doing was just much more shocking and powerful for me] 5) I liked 2003's ending. I did not like the manga's ending. I thought the manga ending played it way too safe and was afraid to give any characters an unhappy ending when I thought both series made it clear from the beginning that bittersweet was the best the characters could even potentially earn. 2003 gave me that. The movie helped clear up some of the ambiguity (I didn't hate the movie so...) 6) I actually preferred 2003's homunculi explanation. The manga clearly had the superior Greed, and spoiler[Bradley] clearly makes more sense as Wrath, but in the manga, the homunculi were more clearly pure evil. I liked how, in 2003, Envy and Lust in particular had more goals and personality and I wanted to know more about them than the manga versions. 7) I prefer 2003's explanation for the source of Alchemy. I think the manga raised too many questions because of the different styles for me. I mean, did no one ever travel before and figure out "hey, why isn't this alchemy working here, I should look into this"? How was this not common knowledge in Amestris that their alchemy only worked in Amestris? No matter how much travel regulations and restrictions there might have been, there've been literally centuries for everyone to know this and question it as weird (no matter how much political stuff was trying to stop it). Did they have no immigration or emigration for several centuries? At the very least, that should've been common knowledge within the military because they hire so many alchemists. 8) 2003's 2nd OP is the definitive FMA OP for me. That's just randomness at this point, I think I'm about done. |
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Angel M Cazares
Posts: 5420 Location: Iscandar |
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I know that the manga ending played it safe, but personally, I wanted the main good guys to have some happiness after the hell the have been through. I actually used to like the ambiguous ending of 2003 FMA, but the movie made the ending of the series feel cheap. The ending of the series appears to have been made ambiguous to justify the making of Conqueror of Shambala.
Greed, Bradley and Pride in Brotherhood were quite compelling and were not clearly pure evil, like you say. In fact Bradly and Pride had very interesting things happen to them towards the end. Last edited by Angel M Cazares on Tue Sep 09, 2014 8:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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zawa113
Posts: 7357 |
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I thought Wrath and Pride, while more interesting in the manga, were still pretty clearly pure evil to me. Greed was probably the only one in the manga who wasn't pure evil, but that's more spoiler[a result of being Ling and Ling not being evil than actually being made that way] (and originally, Greed in both series was pretty much the same for me so that's even). I thought that overall, the 2003 series homunculi were more well developed as characters with clearer goals so I enjoyed them more overall. When I read the manga later, I was sad to see Lust reduced to just evil henchwoman with no personality.
But I really liked that 2003 homunculi were the result of spoiler[failed human transmutation, meaning other people had tried and failed and made something as a result and that the homunculi had human pasts now], also resulting in their motivation spoiler[to become human] rather than in the manga where they're more evil henchmen. |
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Angel M Cazares
Posts: 5420 Location: Iscandar |
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This is maybe just me, but the homunculi origin in 2003 seemed somewhat far fetched to me and less interesting than the one on Brotherhood. And I am not trying to change your mind. The reasons why you prefer 2003 FMA are very sold and thanks for your explanation. I get annoyed when I hear people dismiss Brotherhood simply because they hate the first 14 episodes or they already read the manga. |
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