Forum - View topicIn Defense of Fullmetal Alchemist 2003
|
Goto page Previous Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
EndlessEmpty
Posts: 12 |
|
|||
|
Personally--I love FMA 03, and I'm not so keen on Brotherhood (which isn't to say that the series doesn't have merits, just that its sensibilities and mine don't really mesh). I do think though that Roses article really does a wonderful job of articulating FMA's universal, mainstream appeal which by virtue also explains it's success. The main reasons I personally love FMA 03 though are for moments atmospheric, thematic, and character centric--and because of what it represents. It symoblizes the idea that an adapation doesn't need to be faithful in order to be great. And, to me, it's one of the great media exemplars of said notion.
|
||||
|
||||
Hidders
 Posts: 61 |
|
|||
Only because it has 6 years on Brotherhood. |
||||
|
||||
|
AutoOps007
Posts: 245 |
|
|||
|
The 2003 anime was the first anime I truly loved. I thoroughly enjoyed watching both series. Although I slightly prefer brotherhood, I can honestly say I enjoyed the 2003 anime just as much, if not more than brotherhood. It's been years since I've seen either series, but every time I do go back I always watch the 2003 anime series followed by brotherhood. In my opinion the 2003 anime series makes brotherhood better. Had I not watched the 2003 anime I would not love brotherhood as much as I do now. Given the source material they had at the time I don't think they could've done much better than what they did. My life is better having watched both of them.
|
||||
|
||||
|
MajorZero
Posts: 359 |
|
|||
|
I prefer Brotherhood, but plenty of my friends like first adaptation more and it's still one of the most compelling shounen series out there. Unlike Soul Eater (which is fine too) it has story which not falls apart towards the ending and quite honestly some characters were better developed here than in manga.
|
||||
|
||||
Angel M Cazares
 Posts: 5431 Location: Iscandar |
|
|||
|
FMA 2003 does not need to be defended because it is a great anime, and it continues to be highly regarded by the fandom. I used to defend Brotherhood (my preferred FMA) at every chance I could, but I do not do it anymore because it got tiresome and silly for me, and FMA 2003 has won the fandom war.
But I will be interested in reading an ANN editorial in defense of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. |
||||
|
||||
Videogamep
 Posts: 564 Location: CA |
|
|||
I would be interested in an article like that since I have seen a decent amount of criticism towards it, although I don't think Brotherhood needs as much defending as FMA 2003 since it's currently the second highest rated anime here and the highest rated on MAL. According to MAL, which has a larger userbase than ANN, more people have actually seen Brotherhood than FMA 2003.
I'm not so sure about that. Look at their respective ratings both here and on MAL. Brotherhood seems to be a lot more well liked. I think it's just that FMA 2003 fans are more vocal here. Last edited by Videogamep on Wed Aug 05, 2015 10:31 am; edited 1 time in total |
||||
|
||||
KitKat1721
 Posts: 954 |
|
|||
|
I've always preferred the original over Brotherhood. I enjoyed watching both, but the pros of the 2003 series outweighed the pros for the newer adaptation. Stronger direction and pacing, more complex writing (morally ambiguous themes and characters) and overall it felt more emotionally resonant. I think this was best said in the ANN Cast podcast, while FMA had "fewer" deaths or atrocities, they each held a lot more weight individually, and you didn't become numb to it all over time. As far as the ending, to avoid spoilers, I don't think either is perfect but they do each fit the themes of their own story very well, so I think that preference was determined for me by which Journey I attached to more.
|
||||
|
||||
|
AutoOps007
Posts: 245 |
|
|||
Brotherhood doesn't need defending. From what I have seen, Brotherhood is the more popular one. But, however in saying that there isn't much difference. However the real difference is that the hate the 2003 anime series receives. The 2003 anime receives much much more hate than brotherhood. Brotherhood has little to no hate, and those who do hate on it only hate on it because people are hating on the 2003 anime series. I remember during brotherhood's run from about 2009-2011 there were so many people saying the 2003 anime sucks. Everyone was comparing them and 90% of them were all saying brotherhood is way better. So popularity wise they're more or less equal at best, but when it comes to the amount of hate they receive, the 2003 series clearly takes the case. Why do you think this article is named 'In Defense of Fullmetal Alchemist 2003'? That's because it receives so much hate. Brotherhood receives so little hate (except in retaliation) that making an article called 'In Defense of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood' would be redundant. |
||||
|
||||
|
fullmetal-mix
Posts: 13 |
|
|||
|
In my opinion, nothing beats the manga, which I daresay is a masterpiece. However, both anime series come close to matching its amazingness.
(Also, who else has literally spent hours of their life crying over these series??) |
||||
|
||||
Maidenoftheredhand
 Posts: 2633 |
|
|||
I personally don't think Brotherhood needs to be defended either. I think both Brotherhood and the 2003 series are plenty popular and you have a good amount of people who love each and many who don't like one or the other. I was only asking because I feel this site specifically skews so much towards 2003 that if they are going to defend one series I would like to see a defense of both. But I don't think either series really needs it. Personally I love the manga most of all.
Completely disagree with this. As a manga fan, fans of the first FMA used to bash the manga even before Brotherhood came out but it got even worse when Brotherhood started: Oh this is just dumb shounen action...the homunculus suck in this series, everything ended too perfectly, its lack the complexity of the 2003 series etc. Don't get me wrong I am not saying people didn't bash the 2003 series as well. Although there were obvious many people who loved both series equally, FMA 2003 VS Manga/Brotherhood has been an enduring debate for a long time and there are people with strong opinions for one and against the other on both sides. I won't lie people bashing the manga turned me off the 2003 series but I have seen people say the same thing about being turned off the manga/Brotherhood because of people bashing the 2003 series and I don't doubt it. But it is definitely not one side doing it more than the other. I am personally tired of the whole debate and just want people to enjoy what they want. Last edited by Maidenoftheredhand on Wed Aug 05, 2015 10:40 am; edited 3 times in total |
||||
|
||||
Merxamers
 Posts: 720 |
|
|||
Good point. Given how almost all anime series i try to watch nowadays REFUSE to have an actual conclusion, it's pretty dang miraculous that 2003 FMA had: 1. An actual ending that the entire show built up to 2. Ending that deviated from the source material but was still really good! (Looking at you, Soul Eater and Claymore...) |
||||
|
||||
|
Animeking1108
Posts: 1244 |
|
|||
|
My problem with the 2003 series is the ending and the disappointing payoff. First off, they spoiler[kill Izumi off-screen and then Wrath gets a rushed heroic sacrifice because the writers didn't know what to do with him]. Mustang and Winry spoiler[never resolve the issue about the former killing her parents]. Envy spends most of the movie spoiler[pinned to the ground] and his grudge against Hohenheim gets a rushed conclusion. When I first saw COS, I forgot Hohenheim was even in the movie because spoiler[they killed him off so quickly]. It really ticks me off how Envy, the show's secondary antagonist, got reduced to a plot device and how Hohenheim was a non-entity despite his importance in the original series. Alfons and Noah didn't need to be in the movie at all.
Finally, we have spoiler[Ed and Al getting trapped in the alternate universe]. I didn't hate it because it was bittersweet. I hated it because it was easily avoidable. Alphonse had this cool ability to spoiler[transfer his soul into armor at will], and he not once considers using that ability to spoiler[close the gate on the other side, saving him and his brother the trouble of leaving behind their loved ones]. It's not like there weren't any suits of armor lying around. He spoiler[hid in one just so he could sneak into the other side with Edward, and not once does it cross his mind that he could just transfer his soul into the armor]. Why even give Al that ability if all they were going to do with it was give Ed and Al a brief reunion that was going to happen anyway without it? In all honesty, "Conqueror of Shamballa" shouldn't have been a movie. It should have been either a new season or an OVA series. |
||||
|
||||
Haterater
 Posts: 1727 |
|
|||
|
Fan more of '03 than Brotherhood. Liked how they did spoiler[Hugh's and the chimera's death build-up] better. Along with the humor, as I felt the way they did humor in Brotherhood was out of place or didn't fit so well with the new theme. Also didn't like some characters in Brotherhood, like the little girl with the panda being in such dark fights. Comparing the same character to both series, like most in the '03 series best. As someone said, Brotherhood's story felt more epic but at the cost of having so many people needing the spotlight, it was hard to keep up to everyone, so to speak.
But Brotherhood was alright. I would say the first half of '03 and the second half of Brotherhood to have both worlds. |
||||
|
||||
SailorTralfamadore
 Posts: 499 Location: Keep Austin Weeb |
|
|||
I wanted to avoid writing a direct comparison here. "2003 vs Brotherhood" is a topic that's done to death, and I wanted to encourage people to watch it regardless of their feelings about Brotherhood. But a whole bunch of this doesn't apply to the manga/Brotherhood at all. Brotherhood has a much more black and white approach to good and evil. The villains are only "complex" in that a couple of them change sides, when they're convinced of the power of friendship (spoiler[as in Greed's death]) or something of that nature. (spoiler[Scar completely changes his tactics in FMAB], which he doesn't here, in a way that has some unfortunate implications re: real world racism.) The political commentary I described also doesn't apply to the manga either, which references different political and historical issues, and comes to different conclusions. Both Arakawa and the 03 creators have discussed their political inspirations. Arakawa said she was inspired by the plight of the Ainu in Hokkaido (though she also interviewed Japanese WWII vets for the military characters), Mizushima and Aikawa by WWII and the Iraq War. The other stuff is more subjective, but I don't think FMAB or the manga's humor integrates as well. They're more distracting and include more tonal shifts that brought me out of the story. FMAB also doesn't get quite as dark as 03. So while there's some stuff that applies to both versions, I don't think the majority of it does. There are some subtle, but important distinctions there. Last edited by SailorTralfamadore on Wed Aug 05, 2015 11:05 am; edited 2 times in total |
||||
|
||||
|
Pipoko
Posts: 165 |
|
|||
|
I'm a late watcher of FMA, I watched FMA 2003 only some months ago and since that time I've thought about the story and at this point I think I do find it to be one of my favorites only for the incredible thematic conclusion the series had.
I tried FMA many times before that, 2003 and Brotherhood, but during those times it never "clicked". I tried Brotherhood since I finished 2003, but I can never get past the first few episodes. Same goes for the manga. There was nothing to make me care with the manga and Brotherhood versions. Brotherhood seemed especially jarring after 2003 because it felt so forced with it's violence. "Look how much these brothers are suffering, don't you find it horrible?" is what Brotherhood's drama felt like to me. Another thing I noticed when I tried Brotherhood again - the music seemed so unfitting and poorly used, while the 2003's version had a great score. Maybe I'll someday try again with Brotherhood and it'll also stick with me, but those first few episodes did not leave a good impression and neither did the 20 or so chapters of the manga I tried. It just did nothing for me emotionally. |
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group