So funny story, when I uploaded this yesterday night it was completely fine and not copyrighted by RUclips's detection. I woke up this morning receiving an email that a company had unfairly issued a copyright strike and took down the video. twitter.com/KevinNyaa/status/1190114865165193216 Instead of disputing and waiting for 1 month for the video to be released, I have since re-edited some parts in order to avoid copyright. So that's why this has been uploaded again. Hopefully now it should stay up for good! In relation to the video, I have linked any additional information regarding the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics for further clarification if anyone was interested. See you all again! :)
I was waiting for when you were going to bring up fullmetal alchemist: conqueror of shamballa the conclusion to FMA 2003. People complain about the ending all of the 2003 anime all the time and then i tell them about the movie and then they start to change their mind. The movie finishes up the series. But a lot of people don't realize you have to watch the movie to get the conclusion.
I remember when i was a kid i had a hard time watch the original because I never experience just a dark story before. Nina being transmuted and chimera tucker creating hollow bodies of nina really fked me up. Also the homunculus in the original was more felt more relentless in their killing which adds to my terror
After all the super sad moments before the end, I could not feel that sad during the end. This is such a dark show at times and was the first to tines and was the first to truly nake me sad, but what a damn good show.
I agree. It is one of the best endings I have ever seen. Like have you seen Fairy Tail. I feel like it is one of the only anime I have seen that has captured a similar feeling. Check it out if you haven't THANKS
I wouldn't agree with that. 2003 is all about showing you that things don't have to be perfect, or even fair, for you to be happy. 2003 is about showing people that they can be happy, even when things are depressing. Brotherhood has a similar message too, it's just kind of buried under all the EPIC fights.
In the end, 2003's message is this: People don't always get what they deserve, but they do reap what they sow. Tucker, Dante, Envy, all three of them chased after things that couldn't make them happy, thus they never knew real peace. Edward originally sought to cheat death, but later learned to embrace it, allowing him an Al to experience peace. Tucker didn't deserve to live and Ed didn't deserve to die, but Ed's ending was definitely far better than Tucker's. Al got so many terrible things he didn't deserve, but he sowed peace and determination, and that's what he reaped in the end.
@3rd Way i know it's a little late for this response, but i think Envy/Hohenheim's ending at COS is following a very common theme stablished throught the series, that is "the demons you've created will bring your destruction", we can see this with Dante being eaten by Gluttony, the homunculi she created for her selfish reasons, and Hoheinheim seems to be as selfish and arrogant as Dante before he meets Trisha, the end he gets is made for him repairing his sins, the people he killed for the philosopher stone, and the cruel fate Envy gets as an homunculi as Hoheinheim tries to cheat the death of his own son, and it's kind of justified for Envy to gets his revenge, since we see that the Homunculi's existence is an enormous pain for themselves, from being incomplete.
Fun fact: The 2003 version of Fullmetal Alchemist was actually the highest rated anime on Anime News Network (the biggest anime website at that time) until Brotherhood came out and later replaced it as number 1. Fans of Brotherhood eventually down voted the 2003 version so it's not even in the top 10 anymore.
@@shinramune8041 Same but at the same time not the same. There are huge differences that makes this Brotherhood-Original anime opposition in the first place.
Wow so glad to see FMA 2003 content in 2019. People really shit on it these days and it's so frustrating because it's a great anime. It really pulled on your heart strings, it took it's time to pull you into the story. At the end of the series I felt a bond with the characters. Any way thanks for making this video man.
I totally agree. I feel like Ed is a friend of mine. Actually I feel like i was in this story (i hope as an alchemist, sounds fun) and now i'm just in vacations to the real world
@Dann Rajeeh Wanna see my fanfic of her? It's only got four chapters so far, and won't likely be finished 'cuz I ai't creative, but at least it exists. : archiveofourown.org/works/17790377/chapters/41973587
I always saw the 2003 as more mature. Not just fights, action and screams, but you can find some cruel elements from the real world including: not everything will have a happy ending, it's frustanting, it's sad, it's not fair but it's real.
that's what I found to be interesting about the 2003 series. It was more real than the Brotherhood series, as if trying to teach something rather than just try to be another anime. There are a lot of anime like that which makes them all good imo. Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell SAC, just to name a few.
Barring the 2 skipped chapters (1 technically) FMA:B's start "feels" rushed because the manga is also just that fast. This is the irony of the FMA anime fanbase. By not being bound to the manga the 2003 staff created a version whose set up felt more fitting than the source Brotherhood adapted to fans who claimed they wanted this source.
In Brotherhood's (slight) defense, those new to FMA likely were hooked by not knowing what was cut and enjoying the Anime as an Anime more than an adaptation.
But let's be honest, simply being a better fit for shonen tropes doesn't make it good. It did great worldbuilding and characters then mashed a really interesting world into trying to fit a shonen tropes. The original FMA was interesting (and by extension the manga), brotherhood was too unwilling to let go of shonen to say anything truly interesting.
FMA is one of those shows that ended and needed a rewatch after a time. Let it sink in, watch again, then watch again, you see things and appreciate it more the more you view it and pay attention.
I rember watching Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood and when I finished I realized if Edward listened to the first guy he got into the fight with he would of found out about what was happening alot sooner.
FMA 03 felt so much more human and earnest than Brotherhood. Not that brotherhood is bad by any stretch, but FMA 03 was just more raw with it's messages. It was a harsh story that wasn't afraid to hurt the viewer. 03 just resonated with me really deeply. The ending was unbelievably perfect. I still think about it from time to time.
No you’re right. 2003 is superior in the entire FMA franchise. The only comebacks that Brotherhood fans got is just that it follows the so-called “original” source material despite the plain fact that it was hardly even halfway over by the time 2003 ended, the happily ever after ending where everyone is not only alive but got what they wanted without an actual price or consequence, the flashy fights, the worldwide or countrywide civilization god complex-esque scheme writing technique, and the themes of friendship and power of love conquering all.
@@ribertfranhanreagen9821 people hate 03 because the plot doesn’t follow the manga like Brotherhood does. 03 has so much more emotional depth though even with the pacing problems. Parts of Brotherhood were tonally inconsistent and honestly a bit corny to me.
@@ribertfranhanreagen9821 FMAB had a lot of plot holes in them as well. The biggest one is Ed somehow getting Al back by giving up his alchemy. Not really equivalent exchange.
What i love about FMA is exactly the fact that it had 2 adaptations, 03 and :B It is practically the only piece of media in history, where both adaptations are truly great and bring something new to the series. Basically, everyone has to watch the series twice. I think those shitting on 03 are really trying to destroy this little piece of greatness this show has.
Michał Koczorowski that is true, both are amazing and have their unique things that make them each amazing. Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood is my favorite anime, but I still like the original, top 5
I think the reason why FMAB is remembered better is because honestly, not many anime have complete, satisfying and happy endings, it was especially satisfying because the characters deserved it and they worked for it. I CAN understand why the majority of people like FMAB more, stories and especially anime nowadays never give you the satisfaction of a happy ending that is meaningful and I genuinely feel a lot 03 fans don't appreciate that angle. Just throwing this out here
I agree having 2 adaptions somehow adds to the story and universe and makes it more interesting. For me going against this video the weakest part of 2003 wa the ending as the multiple worlds wasn't forshadowed and IMO was inconsistant with the rest of the story. However compared with bortherhood there are many story elements that were improved upon. The origin of homonculi was more interesting, the less epic plans to create a philosophers stone meant they could allow the plans to succeed which they did. somehow this managed to strike a direct comparison with the then current war in iraq. The 2003 series also paced better, after watching the starting episodes of 2003 I was instantly hooked for brotherhood I found the first 20 episodes to be a chore to watch.
Totally agree, I hate how people just compare both of these adaptions. They were both beautiful and gave a different yet meaningful message on both of them. One being a more depressing view on life and reality. Tackling tons of obstacles the brothers had to face. While the other had a more philosophical view on life, working together and restoring the corrupted humanity and society. Giving a chancd to change even the corrupted ones. Different themes for different people. I sure as hell enjoyed both. Both giving me feels like crazy. Can't stop loving this show. Stop shitting on 03 cause you clearly don't understand the meaning of it and is biased cause of the ending. Stop shitting on brotherhood cause you clearly think the ending is clichéd, which is stupid. Just saying...
03 is a character study focused on Ed and Al, whereas Brotherhood (despite its name) focuses less on them and more how they can learn to not rely on just eachother and rely on the world. It’s why Brotherhood’s ending ends with them splitting ways to explore the world.
You can view the title 'brotherhood' as being about the connections they make with the people they care about, transcending from their blood-brotherhood to the brotherhood of humanity as a whole. A major theme is humanity, and that by accepting and moving on from our flaws/sins, we can strive together to create a better world. This is directly contrasted by the homunculi, which are Father's human qualities stripped from him. But in the end he is alone and ignorant of truth, as the homunculi prevented him from ever learning anything.
I also wanna point out that Edward Elric is one of my favorite anime characters and protagonists of all time and I love how both shows have their own unique way of developing and maturing his character. In both versions he lets go of the idea of alchemy being the ultimate way of life and gives up his own ability to use alchemy to save his brother, because the relationships he has with his family and friends mean so much more to him.
Edward and Al's worst fears were not getting their bodies back, and being parted from each other as a result. COS end was so tragic, because they got their bodies back, and were reunited... but lost every person they ever cared about as well as alchemy. Equivalent exchange in life doesn't mean it's fair.
The ending to BH is not tragic at all. Sure Ed loses alchemy... but he can still live a completely normal life! "I'm willing to sacrifice my ability to use MAGIC!" what a sacrifice man... Mad respect for a guy who's like "I am totally okay with sacrificing my super powers to save my brother!" rather than "I'm going to sacrifice my life to save my brother!" Ed essentially dies in 03. He is reborn in the "real" world but he essentially dies in his own. BH was extremely generic in that it resembles every shounen series ever made.
I’ve been saying the same for so long. Nothing against Brotherhood, but 03 atmosphere, character development and even the dialogue are way more deeper/heavier. I always end up saying 03 is more a Seinen than a Shounen and that’s why i liked way more. Your video described 03 version perfectly.
@@hideo34 I think I'm just not a fan of Alphonse in general in this movie. Also him suddenly getting his memories back seems like a cop out to me. I wasn't a fan of him losing his memories but I would have rather they stuck to their guns instead of dropping the plot line at the last second.
@@theprocrastinator6813 that's because the humor in 03 was used sparingly where it was added only when needed, while in Brotherhood, there's only 1 episode where they don't really use humor, and the bigger problem with Brotherhood is how they shoe horn humorous moments in what is essentially a serious point. Go and watch any episode and you'll find characters express a goofy face when there shouldn't be (a good example of this was the moment Ed explained human transmutation to Rose. In 03, you see a sense of doubt in her, where she's taking Eds words in and starts to question her own beliefs while trying to hold onto them. In Brotherhood though, when Ed starts explaining the makeup of a human body, Rose get's this cartoonie manga esc face that makes no sense and honestly ruins the entire scene).
@@theprocrastinator6813 It definitely did at first, but toward the end it just started adding in needless gut punches at the expense of tonal consistency and the quality of the writing. Why did Rose need to get raped? Why did they have Sloth be the Trisha clone when it made no sense for the sin of Sloth? Why did they spend significant amounts of time on how bad it would have been if Al fell in the water and had his blood seal washed away when Ed knocked Al into the water with zero consequences earlier on in the show? Toward the end, they prioritized E M O T I O N over telling a tight, coherent story.
I had a friend who introduced me to Fullmetal Alchemist. He told me, “ Don’t watch the 2003 version, watch Brotherhood instead.” I had no context on how the plot or characters worked. I was just thrusted in the world. I dropped the show two times, because of it. Eventually I finished it, and I loved it. But I went back to watch 2003 and I gotta say, I wished I ignored my friend’s advice. The tone and characters is so much more grounded. The stakes are personal and grotesque. Ed constantly faces adversities that changes his life forever. The idea of human transmutation, philosopher stone, killing to reach end goals and the military is all done in a morally grey area was very fascinating. My only gripe with the show is the pacing and certain character monologues. Other than that I can honestly say the show was worth the watch. This show stands on it’s own two feet just fine.
I agree. FMA should be watched before Brotherhood. I genuinely liked FMA until that whole Al has amnesia thing. I read the manga and I loved it and I am almost done with Brotherhood, but I feel like watching FMA first gives you a basis for the story and an appreciation for the characters, while Brotherhood gives you (imo) a stronger plot line overall and a happy ending. Both are great, I just prefer Brotherhood overall.
My friend made me watch FMA03 with no context or warning. After the initial shock passed (Ed's screams of pain from his severed limbs is my first memory) I binged through all the episodes. I understand why the ending upsets people. You become invested in the Elric Brothers journey, and at first it seems incredibly unfair that they get such a bittersweet ending. Yet at the time, I approved of the realistic take on making a faustian deal. FMA03 is a great gateway to mature storytelling and conversations and should get a revival.
I haven't watched fma i now the story but i just watched fmab and i loved it i don't understand why you think the its its important to watch fma . Because there is no need . But if you want to watch it as another anime you watch it . But saying that you need to watch fma before fmab is just foolish. Because i haven't heard anyone else then you about dropping show in between. But its your opinion so i have to respect it. 😁
Watching 03 as 15 year-old, I remember being overcome with grief when I realized that Ed had been doing everything in his power to "get his brother back" even if he had no idea how to do that after the Philosopher's Stone didn't work, all the while he actually had Al, his precious brother, by his side! And then at the end of this series Al was truly gone from him. Like, alive somewhere with a better life but more out of reach then ever before. And though setting things right was what he was trying to do all along, now he didn't have to repent for anything anymore, he just needed to find him again. You can live without an arm and a leg but your brother? Nothing could be more important to him and I could feel that he is willing to travel through space and time with ten times more fervor than before. I don't think it's even a question: Maybe for real, maybe in some incorporeal state, but he will meet his brother again. And after that I cried for like 15 minutes :'( It's a good ending for sure.
I loved how the 2003 was a bittersweet ending. For me a core theme of the story, intentional or not, is that there is no happy ending to those who play to be god, so of course the Elric's brothers shouldn't be the exception.
For me brotherhoods ending shows that happiness comes to those who face their life head on and use tragedies as chances for personal growth. Edward happily gives up his alchemy for the sake of Alphonese, but that's a serious sacrifice. Truth itself says it's of equal worth of the life and body of Alphonse. And it was something very important to Edward, he still misses it years later. When he fixes the roofs and slaps his hands he makes a joke of it for himself, but it's clear he misses being an alchemist. The person he was at the beginning of the show would have been devastated by the loss. But Edward has grown since then, and he can admit that he misses being an alchemist, without it making him unhappy. The manga and the original have the deeper theme that the search for perfection is foolish and naïve. Not only would perfection give you no room to grow (thus being undesirable), the search for it distracts you from making the best out of life. None of the characters get in brotherhood get a perfect ending. Edward loses his alchemy, Mustang and Hawkeye can no longer achieve their dreams because of Mustang being blind, Mei returns home failing her quest, Ling loses his mentor and teacher still suffers from her condition. None of their lives are perfect, all of them have grown and decided to be happy despite of it. (well except Alphonse, but he's adorable, so that's okay).
rutger5000 mustang uses a philosophers stone to get his sight back but nevertheless your right, edward made the decision without any regrets, whereas in 03 you sort of feel resentment coming off of edward, like that wasnt the outcome he wished for.
@@rutger5000 It's implied that Mustang recovered his sight, but still the past haunts them ("someday we will have to pay for our sins" or something like that was said by Mustang or Hawkeye at the end). So, your point is pretty solid and the 03' anime comes to the same conclusion, Elric brothers gave their world/family and alchemy in exchange for a new life together with their recovered bodies.
Although I preferred the storyline of Brotherhood I always felt the ending of the original fit the theme of equivalent exchange much better. Brotherhood's solution, although clever, seemed too simplistic. Ed nor Al didn't really sacrifice something meaningful to them. 03's sacrifice was significant: trading not just a literal, physical life but also the emotional and spiritual life, all of the experiences that make life worth living.
Alchemy did mean a lot to him, he entirely rested upon it's strength and even compared himself to God at the start of the series using it. I think the lesson of humility behind the exchange is what makes it beautiful and a far more poetic exchange than 2003's. The end of 2003 doesn't really have any concluding message; instead it bars Ed from Winry in a show where one of the themes is the importance of friendship. It may be a more tragic ending, but definitely nowhere near as narratively sound.
@@Lumi3dd Ed did value alchemy a lot in the beginning but by the end it didn't seem like he did as much. He was quite willing to give it up. I disagree with the 2003 ending not being poetic or narratively sound, it actually seems to be more so than Brotherhood. In the original he had to give up something he didn't want to (his life both literally and figuratively) for his brother's life. That felt much more like equivalent exchange in addition to being more relatable. Brotherhood, although still a good ending, seemed a bit of a cop out.
macroxela FMAB's isn't SUPPOSED to be an "equivalent exchange". The entire point of the scene is that sacrificing something can give you something of much more value than what you sacrificed. "He was quite willing to give it up" Yes, because as the series progressed Ed started to see the evils that alchemy could create, plus how weak he was even when using it. He was still reliant on it to the point of subconscious use prior to sacrificing it and even tried using it again after giving up his gate. It's again, not a tragic ending but it's beautifully constructed and has been foreshadowed since the first episodes. I can say that 2003's is okay considering it's narrative. Still, it's odd for a character who knows the value of life to succumb his friends to that by making that exchange instead of seeing the bigger picture behind alchemy, considering it's one of the franchises' themes. Brotherhood's in comparison complimented the narrative perfectly.
@@KevinNyaa People say it came out of nowhere, I dunno, Scar transmuting 7,000 soldiers looks a lot like an atomic bomb to me. If alchemy comes from human lives then it would make sense for the Philosophers Stone, the greatest amplifier of alchemy to require a large amount of souls.
@@nanoff815 Need to clarify something. Envy states in the 49th episode that none of those soldiers are dead while they're inside of Al's armor as the stone. It's not souls that are being used, it's their lives. The same is true for the people on the other side of the gate. The energy used is the energy spent from them dying, but their Spirits still live on.
There’s a scene where Edward has a conversation with a war veteran who lost his limbs, and I think this conversation along with the scene in the car with Mustang, is one of the most important parts of the series. Ed wonders why the veteran doesn’t try and “undo” his suffering in a way, why he gives up on his dreams. The veteran calls Ed out for being naive and childish, saying you can’t undo your losses because you still gain things with those losses (the veteran-a peaceful life in the country and time with his family, Ed-the adventures with his brother that he had to give up at the end of the series). He also chastises Ed on his blind chasing of a foolish dream, because blindly chasing your dreams discounts your effects on the world around you. It wouldn’t be a dream if it came true. I think the series’ main thesis is what Ed says in the car with Mustang: “There’s a whole world that lives outside of us and our dreams” (which goes hand in hand with “there will never be a war that isn’t in some part caused by all of us”-we can’t live in willful ignorance of our part in the world) And I often think about how in the brotherhood thematic parallel of this scene, the brothers chastise two tortured war veterans for “giving up” by not trying to undo what has happened to them, and these two naive children are framed as right, vs the two war veterans who have been through something they can never understand. it’s a different show with a different message so im not faulting it, but from the lens of a fan coming from 03’s messaging, it’s a frustrating scene that goes against what 03 taught. And i think 03 taught some great lessons. Edit: interestingly I think 03 and fmab have the same idea behind their main message of “one is all, all is one” and self isolation. they just tackle this idea in different ways. fmab wants to say “one is all all is one so dont isolate yourself out of pride, and embrace the people around you as they make you strong. youre not a god above the world, youre a part of it.” while 03 wants to say “one is all all is one so dont isolate yourself out sloth (in this case ignorance and apathy), and accept how you contribute and affect the world around you and how it affects you. you’re not separate from the world you’re a part of it.” I LOVE both these messages, but i personally love and prefer 03’s way of delivering their half of the same message.
Wow, thank you for this. I've always loved the "there’s a whole world that lives outside of us and our dreams" line but it was hard for me to make sense of it. This really helps clear it up, especially with the reference to the veteran. Thanks!
The first show was no Disney fairy tale, and that's why most people despise it. Most people in general don't like facing reality and the first show, although a fantasy sci-fi, is very much grounded in reality. That's not a reason to get depressed because there is still so much beauty in it regardless.
@lazyshoggy: Well yeah but feel good escapism isn't the sole goal of all fictional work, that's why we have variety. I don't like Mangahood, it's themes don't resonate with me but I can't hate it for not being something it never set out to be, it's an uplifting shonen and achieves that goal. The same should be applied elsewhere and for FMA '03.
@@bob45142 Well thank you but no. I'm not a big fan of animes in general, nor of depressing stories. I don't think anything about the 2003 FMA since I haven't watched it, I just was curious about this video because I heard that the ending of FMA was inconsistent and I wanted to hear another opinion. I replied only for the "Disney fairy tale vs reality" part which I find dubious. Darker doesn't mean more realistic and pretending that people who didn't like the first anime despised it because they don't like to face reality instead of, I don't know, finding it inconsistent or simply because they have different tastes seems pretty contemptuous to me. I don't understand why some people feel the need to denigrate FMAB ("Disney fairy tale", "feel good escapism", "entertainment purposes") to justify their preference for the 2003 FMA, as if enjoying a good-ending-heartlifting show like the plebs was somehow a bit shameful. It's ok, everyone enjoy what they want, there's no need to justify anything.
The original’s ending felt more consistent and real than Brotherhood’s ending. The price that Ed had to pay for his desires was the direct connection that he had with his friends and original timeline. This heightened significance of the characters and their actions a lot more. Whereas in the second version, everything was the responsibility of an eyeball in a jar.
I genuinely liked the ending when I first watched it, it gave me the sense that their journey wasn't finished and that they wouldn't stop until they found each other again. There's a certain amount of ambiguity in it that allows you to kind of decide for yourself what happens next. I think that watching Conquerors of Shambala kind of ruined it for me though because it cut off the possibility of Ed ever returning to Amestris and to the people that he cares about and who care about him. I liked having the end where I could imagine what might happen next. Personally, I think the reason why people don't like the ending is because of the one Brotherhood gave us. I think most people just wanted both Ed and Al to be happy, so seeing one ending where everyone is happy and satisfied made people view the 2003 ending as not as good.
Laura Leighty How I felt, 2003 didn’t feel like a completely bad ending, because Edward was not broken in the end, he was determined to find his way back. This might have been the end of his journey as an Alchemist but it wasn’t the end of his story. To me, 03’s ending was a sad one that finishes with the shimmers of hope.
I think after all the hardship the Elric brothers went through for 51 episodes, I don’t think wanting a happy ending is unjustifiable. I remember watching the original ending and thinking to myself “man this is deep” the whole message of even through death, you don’t always find the answers you’re looking for. Tbh, I would’ve preferred an ending where Ed willingly sacrifices his soul in order for Al to regain his body back......but this whole Ed gets teleported to the “real world” and Al getting amnesia was really stupid at the end of day and really undercuts the overall impact of the ending. So instead of finishing what they started, they have to embark on ANOTHER journey to reunite, but based on the overall message, that might not even possible.....it ultimately gives a sense of false hope of “maybe they can be together again” or “maybe not”. The fact that they had to make a whole separate movie just to fix all the mistakes just proves how disjointed the OG series really is. The reason why I like Brotherhood so much more is the fact that it has a definite beginning and end. Despite the rushed first 10 or so episodes, it’s masterfully paced and has no real filler.
MTWENTY That’s fair, Brotherhood was pretty good. I think Al getting amnesia was a bit overboard. However, at least for me, FMA 2003 has more of a lasting emotional impact, when I think FMA I first think of 2003. So it’s completely up to everyone’s opinion which is better, I just am tired of the people who act like Brotherhood was the gift from god and 2003 is a mess.
I think the ending was perfect exactly because it was imperfect. Sounds crazy but hear me out. All throughout their journey, the Elric Brothers see people trying to fulfill their deepest wishes through alchemy but fail miserably because the desired outcome wasn't at all what they got. The brothers got a homunculus instead of their mother, Tucker got a soulless puppet instead of his daughter and so on... For the Elric Brothers to truly achieve their goal at the end of this series wouldn't have made any sense because nothing ever works out the way people intend and for there to be anything perfect or eternal would violate the rules the anime made. Therefore equivalent exchange does not work because that would be perfection the same way eternal life cannot exist and even a prolonged life heavily relies on the death of others. It's exactly what sensei is always preaching throughout the anime. The desire to perfection will fuck with the natural order and no good can come from that.
I like both for different reasons, but, the homunculi thing is SO MUCH more impactful in 03, I mean, c´mon. It's an incredible concept in 03, and in Brotherhood felt like a disappointment.
03 had some pretty interesting ideas but i found them lacking. They were trying to make homunculi a bigger plot point and ultimately didn't do a good execution
@@yoshaosaxofonista Father >>> Dante but the Brotherhood Homunculi are a joke. Especially Envy. In 03 the homunculi are a puzzle to solve, you have to be clever and find their weakness to deal with them. In Brotherhood you just have to kill them over and over (assuming they don't just kill each other for you, lol)
This is why 2003 FMA for me is not above or below Brotherhood, it is equal to me, I like brotherhood for its action packed scenes while 03 really hooked me in with the drama, truly my first beloved anime series as a kid.
I think people often forget that when 03 came out, it was designed as a deconstruction of shounen anime, which was very popular at the time. Now, over the past several years shounen has become popular again, and BH is thusly considered a beacon of anime. But kids today really don't understand the experience of sitting down to watch what you assumed would be another shounen anime, only to see it completely deconstruct everything that makes a shounen anime, well, a shounen anime. It was a HUGE game-changer at the time, and lived as the #1 anime for many years, until BH fans purposefully downvoted it into oblivion. Over the years I've lost all respect for BH stans, they're too toxic for me to bother with anymore. Every time a BH stan tells someone to "skip 03 it's trash" I genuinely hope they walk face first into a wall or step on a lego or something.
i just don't understand how people can't like or at the very least respect both. i love both the 03 anime and BH. both are really great anime and though they use the same characters and setting, they are very different stories! which are both really great. i just don't get it.
@@abiean222 There are so many fascinating unintentional parallels between the two shows. E.g., Roy Mustang in 2003 loses one eye while in Brotherhood he loses both and gets both back. Or in 2003, Bradley in his final battle argues for the possible existence of God, while in his final battle in Brotherhood he argues against it.
I like 03 better but that doesn’t stop me from ALSO liking the BH ending. It’s actually a really cool and really rare thing that we almost never get: Two completely different interpretations of a story. One where it’s mostly consistent to a point and then it splits off into these two parallel universes. I’m happy that we have both, and they are both perfect anime’s to me
uff, i love fma bro i think its my favorite anime so far. but i did watch og first the conqueror of shambala film after and brotherhood years after those i do think bro takes the win but i advise everyone to watch like i did
Bro that's really common for big series like Naruto and Dragon ball. SOME dragon ball z fans often skip the 1986 version and just like that many DBS fans skip even DBZ for animation. I can understand the pain of FMA 03 fans as it was same for me when I decided to watch the whole franchises of naruto and dragon ball
I watched FMA 03 when I was around 12 years old. I was very new to anime and I wasn't really sure what to expect... This show absolutely blew me away, from the message to the characters to the music I was completely engrossed into the show. Every episode keeping me on the edge of my seat waiting in excitement, but if there's anything in this show that really left a mark on me it was the ending. The ending made me cry like nothing before, the pain of losing yet the sweet fragrance of hope kept me yearning for more. Everywhere you look you will find a message, some may find a different one than I have, but, if there's anything I've realized is that this show portrays a very real image.
Couldn't agree more with you about the soundtrack, I love the ending and opening animations in Brotherhood, but I swear I get quickly bored hearing the soundtrack by itself ):
cont-dump: I mean I wish we got the original draft or the intended 12 eps but I wouldn't call CoS happy. Honestly I've never heard anyone describe it as such, usually "bittersweet"is used, so I'm curious on your opinion. I already gave mine months ago so it's here somewhere.
@@ThexDynastxQueen I gave my opinion in another comment but I don't mind writing it again. The ending of '03 was perfect on its own, there was no need for a continuation where Ed and Al ended up together, that completely defeats the purpose of equivalent exchange that the series introduces from the very beginning. I consider CoS's ending a lame excuse for a happy ending because it tries to make all characters content with this decision when they really shouldn't. The very reason why Ed went back to our world was so that Al could stay in their world, having them both in our world renders Ed's sacrifice at the end of 03 meaningless....
Friendly reminder that the real, REAL final ending to FMA '03 is that short, 5-minute OVA that takes place in present time in our world. It shows the modern descendants of Edward, Alphonse and, yes, even Winry off to see their great-grandfather. At the end of if, we see an aged Edward Elrich complete with an automail arm. The OVA indirectly implies that Edward and Alphonse somehow managed to bring Winry over and have kids with her, and also have her make automail limbs for Edward. This OVA is so sweet, and it makes me prefer FMA '03 without question. I love both, though.
@Solaria N lol!!! Well I watched the OVA and mustang and his team were also present but as kids. So I dont think this OVA means much besides that Ed probably lived longer than Al and left Germany to live in Japan
I have seen both Brotherhood and the '03 anime. Comparing the two, they both have their ups and downs, but my personal preference leans towards the '03 anime. I love the tone, the character arcs, and even the differences that a lot of Brotherhood fans crap on. No, there aren't any 'true' happy endings for most of the characters, but each character has a revelation or conclusion that fits their struggles throughout the series, whether it is good or bad. Reality has a way of not working out exactly the way you want it to and sometimes things don't work out at all, but you have to keep pushing forward and work to make the best of your situation. That's the message of Fullmetal Alchemist '03: don't let despair or the bad times keep you down, if you've got a strong pair of legs you can still use them. Get up, and move forward.
Same! I missed the airing of the last 2 episodes and finished it a few years later. I was honestly whiplashed by the events that lead up to its finale. What a crazy but memorable ending.
he had her mom die in front of him 3 times as well if you think about it. first one is when she actually dies, second one is where he momentarily believes he resurrected her but has to put her away in confusion while saving the soul of his brother, and keeping it as a secret for 4 years. and the last time where he turns her into ethanol right after learning homunculi too have some humanity in them; lust changing sides, the mom still having memories etc.
People telling Brotherhood is rushed because it is assumed that you watched 2003 is just a shitty excuse. 2003 is better at storytelling and that's a fact. Even the bittersweet ending is more emotional. People just don't have the gut to admit it. Fanboys are the worst.
Ok I’ll have to disagree, as a massive fan of both series Brotherhood definitely isn’t perfect, but it does have plenty of things that it does correctly and things it does better than ‘03. Supporting characters like Havoc, Ross, and Hawkeye, receive a LOT more development and are all integral to the story and not just random low ranked soldiers Certain characters like Kimblee and Bradley are just done better as well, with them both having much deeper and more interesting motivations for committing atrocities than just “evil”. Worldbuilding is better as well, with there being much more varied scenery than the usual tall buildings of central Don’t get me wrong, 2003 is better in many areas (tone, protagonists, ‘03 Wrath is just goated), but Brotherhood isn’t objectively worse. Overall they’re both amazing shows and both have stellar writing
@@ezrel6477 03 dwelves into "why" a character is the way they are, grounding their past experiences and making you care about them in the present (that's why Hughes moment is way mroe impactful in 03 than B). Meanwhile, B focuses on their journey from the present to who they want to become (that's why Mustang is way more interesting to follow). I feel like 03 has very static characters, but you find out the reasons of who they are, while B has evolving characters whose journey (if you're hooked on it) is more interesting. Watching both shows gives you a sense of understanding of the characters that you can't achieve by watching any of them on their own. That's why I believe watching 03 and then B is the way to go. Development of the past, then development of the present.
@@Germanchu92 agreed! I recommend 03 first for the same reasons (unless the person in question doesn’t want to pirate/buy physical versions lol). I feel that I’d enjoy BH a lot more if it gave the kind of time to explore why each character is who they are like 03 did
Yes, the 2003 FMA sadly has become a forgotten classic. But still excellent till this day and the ending (an original one) it closed the arch perfectly.
I really liked the 2003 version up until the last episodes, I understood the messages and ideas but Edward being sent to the real world was a weird choice and felt strange since their was no mention or ideas that would lead to that point. I've only watched 03 once so I'll probs get a better appreciation for it if I watch it again lol
That's a sad reality. Even I was going with brotherhood first but then I forced myself to watch the 03 first just for better understanding and introduction And after completing the series I just wanted to slap myself for almost skipping this masterpiece for good animation and rating of brotherhood
As someone who doesn't watch FMA 03 vids this was well done and clearly explained the message. I'd still say that CoS touches on the same messaging and if it had been fully realized as intended it probably would've further hammered it in. I enjoy "both" 03's endings for this reason, heaven is lost but we could never actually have it in the first place and that's okay.
My god finally. I have been dying on this hill for years. The ending stuck with me so much longer and made the rest if the story that much sweeter. It was beautiful
2003 FMA was so well written, the progression of time and age between Ed and Al was perfect, you get to see how they both grew up, their appearance changing slightly with each new arch of the story. The ending and how they tied it to the movie ( Conqueror of Shamballa) was perfect with more character development.The movie ties it perfectly to the events in the series, with events that happened in our U.S. history. 2003 gets a lot of hate, but in my opinion it was written so well and its by far one of my favorite animes of all time
I've been looking more into what inspired the overall FMA story lately, and seeing that it has ties to real world concepts and the WWs also really helps the ending's direction that it took make more sense to me. Personally, the ending is still kind of a huge shock that I haven't gotten over yet. It did feel a little too fantastical and sudden for me, but the concept itself is mindblowingly interesting. Hearing you deconstruct it's meaning and implication further is making me appreciate the deeper depth I didn't realize it also had. Brotherhood's symbolism and ending definetly felt more well brought together but the 2003 series really expands and contains some unique explorations that aren't as fleshed out in Brotherhood. Thank you for making this!
I only saw FMA 2003 and I've never seen FMAB or read the manga, so I can't compare them, but I remember I really liked Full Metal Alchemist 2003. What I loved the most about it it's the way Ed and Al's bond was portrayed and I agree that the finale was a good way to end this version of the story. I find it so moving how Ed sacrificed his bond with his brother and the memories they shared to save Al and allow him to live. Your video was an excelent analysis. Thank you.
FMA-03 Dark depressing story and atmosphere that worked really well for an alternative telling. FMA-B A more suspenseful mystery like plot line. With a great endi as well.
The ending of FMA 03 was supposed to be a glass half full, I admit when I was a kid and finished the anime I felt lost and frustrated because I didn’t understand the ending. Hover after watching the anime again & movie I have come to the conclusion that both brotherhood and Fullmetal are both great stories & have their strengths an weaknesses. There both great
I liked them both, but FMA 2003 was more thematically consistent and believable imo. The 2009 Anime ended too perfectly for all major characters which weakened its credibility in my mind. Though I understand it's a happy ending meant to cater to children, the 2003 Anime's ending is more applicable to real life and will be understood by adults on a visceral level. Life is unfair, people don't always get what they deserve and things are never perfect, but you keep moving forward regardless. Life very much life the ending of the 2003 Anime is bittersweet, but there's hope in life still. Even at a young Age, the 2003 Anime left a much bigger impact on me than the more recent one.
Thank you, 03 always felt like a more fleshed out and visceral experience. You could feel how the theme of human nature is explored not only by Ed & Al, but the homunculus as well. Also the McGuffin of the philosopher’s stone felt more impactful when revealed. While Brotherhood is great it got way too shonen with its ending. Like you said 03 shows there’s happiness in life but it won’t always be in the ways you expect. All of us will not get married and have kids. Win the big game. Or win the lottery. Or die peacefully of old age. But we still have the opportunity to shape our lives despite how difficult it gets. The Conqueror of Shambala movie perfectly captures this. The brothers were reunited, but at the cost of having to leave everyone behind. It may not be fair, but to them, it’s what they had to sacrifice in order to finally be together.
I fucking love FMA so God damn much. All its adaptations are fantastic. In my opinion tho, I honestly think Brotherhood is the least of all three versions (the original manga, 03 anime, and BH) and 03 is my personal favorite version. As much as I love the manga, it becomes too much like the stereotypical shonen anime by the end, i.e. teens use the power of friendship to fight God, and while it is one of the better versions of that trope, it still falls into that category, which is incredibly disappointing to me. The rushed first third of BH is such a baffling decision considering how they had decided to adapt the manga completely faithfully yet still felt the need to blaze through everything up to the Warehouse arc (I don't remember the number, don't kill me) just because they assumed people watched the 03 version. On top of that, 03 is such a personal story for the Elric brothers that I can't help but love it. My biggest problem with the manga and BH is that the story feels a bit too grand for my liking. It feels like it should be a more understated story yet it ends up being this world spanning threat that I feel only serves to hurt the overall experience. 03, however, is the opposite: its slow (which I love, considering one of my favorite movies is Blade Runner), methodical, emotional, and far more complex with how it handles its themes and characters. Even the filler is some of the best filler you can get. It actually explores the themes of the show and brings up interesting questions that our heroes have to face. One of my favorite episodes of the entire show is when Ed meets the veteran after his granddaughter steals his leg. It's such a slow and thought provoking episode. Moreover, the decision to make the homonculi the results of failed human transmutations is such a fucking fantastic idea. Not only does it stack even more, lasting consequences (honestly, how much did their failure really affect them? Sure Ed loses an arm and a leg and Al is a suit of armor, but honestly, that just makes them even more capable as fighters than they would be if they were completely human otherwise) on our heroes, but it also adds such a personal edge to the story that I can't help but wonder why Arakawa didn't come up with that idea herself (or maybe she did, I dunno). I've seen this idea from a lot of people that BH is this masterpiece solely because it's a faithful adaptation of the manga. Don't get me wrong, they're both fantastic and to see the manga get a faithful adaptation finally is genuinely awesome, but I see a lot of shade get thrown at 03 for diverging at all. There's not a lot of talk about the actual execution of that divergence (which I personally love) or how it affects the themes or characters. It's just objectively bad because it's not faithful. In my opinion, I respect the hell outta the creators for deciding to diverge from the source material completely instead of destroying the series with endless amounts of filler *cough* Naruto *cough* DBZ *cough* because they didn't have enough material to adapt yet. That's far more interesting and shows a genuine love and passion for the original story. They'd rather interpret the same story their own way rather than ruin an otherwise great show with unnecessary filler. It's basically high quality fanfiction, which I'm totally down for.
Well said. I enjoyed both shows but 03 will always be my favorite. The story choices (like you said, the homunculi being failed human transmutations) felt more consistent and thematically appropriate on a more "understated" and personal level I could relate to. The classic shounen aspect of fighting an overpowered, godlike enemy with crazy supernatural powers never appealed to me, but Dante was a human who fell to human flaws. The theme of 03 was always about human vices and hubris being our downfall and the theme of mistakes and ensuing regret staying with us throughout life. Both very relatable, understandable, and relevant messages. On the other hand, broho's story takes place on a much larger scale and is not nearly so personal or introspective as a result. They're both good shows well worth the watch, but due to personal preference, 03 was more impactful for me. I rewatch it at least once a year, but never felt inclined to rewatch broho. Sorry for the essay. There's my two cents :)
Nice comparison. Although I love both shows equally, I do feel the saddest for FMA 03, because it basically got the short end of the stick. It deserves way more respect and credit than it gets nowadays. It was so highly praised as one of the best anime and people loved the adaptation back then, but when Brotherhood came out it suddenly got shafted-especially by new fans who likely only saw the newest version hyped up and thus only watched BH, and either weren’t prepared for FMA 03 to be so different from a regular shounen, or didn’t bother watching it at all because they heard it wasn’t faithful and automatically followed the hate train without even bothering to consider giving it a chance. FMA 03 paved the way for the standards of anime back then, and now everyone is too impatient to take a slow burn, less action packed version over the bombastic, shinier newer show. I see FMA 03 like I see similarly paced stories like Cowboy Bebop. That show was a much smaller scale story: the pace wandered along much like the cast of lost and broken characters, no huge bad guy to fight or save the world from-almost everything that happened revolved around the crew and happened in the ship-including more filler-esk episodes that despite being filler-still gave us character development and sometimes a nice relaxing break from the otherwise often depressing and pensive tone of most episodes. Plus: it didn’t have a happy ending and a lot of things were not wrapped up for the crew in some massive way-but it was heavily character driven, and people liked that. FMA 03 did things in a similar way and had the same doomed sort of vibe as it went on, and had a relatively small cast to focus on. So I almost wanna say FMA 03 isn’t even really a shounen, but more a drama or character study for the Elrics. It deserves more respect and love than it currently gets. I feel like u miss out if you don’t see both. It completes the experience and is an interesting contrast with different things to take away from both versions.
@@doodlemunchkin2222 I've never been able to put all that into exact words, but that's a great way of describing it. I agree. I wish people wouldn't pit BH and 03 against eachother as if one has to be the "true" FMA. They take such different approaches to the story and characters- one is a plot-driven shounen and the other is a character-driven drama. I believe that both sides of the story are valuable, well worth watching, and add to FMA's overall appeal. Like you said, it's almost as if you're missing half the experience if you decide not to watch one or the other.
@@dreamingblue3939 yeah. Tbh if u combined both u would get the perfect show. They complete each other. And those who argue solely on: “it isn’t based on the manga and diverged so it’s bad” seem to not know that the author and creator of FMA was heavily involved and referenced for a lot of the making of the new FMA plot. She designed a lot of the anime-only characters herself, was in on pitch meetings and oversaw a lot of changes, and gave them her blessing to continue and not wait for her to finish her own version in the manga. Plus she openly says how she loves FMA 03-especially the homunculi and their stories, and has also drawn out koma clips describing and explaining the experience and thoughts on FMA 03’s production, and has also made other komas involving the FMA 03 plot and characters. She herself is not ashamed of it. If they were true diehard fans like they say, they would’ve known that...😌☕️
Really awesome video, thanks for this. It's great to see people still talking about how good this show - and it's ending - were, all the way in 2019. It's so important that people don't write it off just because Brotherhood is flashier and faster paced.
I finished watching fullmetal alchemist these days, and I just loved the ending. I always thought since I saw it that it made perfect sense with the story, people hate sad endings because we usually want distractions with entertainment and to think in a sweeter way. But that's not how life works, and I applaud works that have the courage to give their characters tragic endings. I learned a lot about journey, life and consequence from this anime. Honestly for me it's better than the first one, I'm in a huge rush for you to make this video, I've always thought so. You were really amazing for being able to understand this ending instead of judging it like most people do, completely depriving it of its meanings. At the moment I don't speak English, but thanks to this video I gained a motivation to study your language just to follow your sister channel, the video was incredible and I can only congratulate you.
I like how calm your voice is as you explain. I'm terrified by conflict, so I prefer video essays with a non-confrontational tone. I finished the 2003 FMA anime about twenty minutes ago, and the first RUclips video I checked out about it was littered with hostile comments, so I'm in a state of relieved panic right now. I guess I'm trying to say your video helped me calm my nerves and I feel grateful for that.
Glad I could help! I always try to elevate the the stories I talk about by being more insightful rather than confrontational. Being hostile never works in trying to show someone a different perspective.
This was beautiful. You have perfectly articulated what I've never been able to put to words about what I liked so much about 2003's narrative. It was packed full of so much truth and was truly a work of art. And people don't like that because... well it's pretty uncomfortable to willingly accept the idea that there's so much suffering in life that we'll have to experience. But just because you refuse to acknowledge it doesn't mean it's not there. You're just going to delay the inevitable, like Dante. But if you take on the painful truth and bear it- it becomes a suit of armor. Something so strong that you will be able to withstand anything life throws at you.
Great video, i agree. The ending had been foreshadowed in the series multiple times too. One of the best final fights as well in my opinion, two alchemists talking about their worldviews and philosohies. The dialogue was really well done. I would call FMA 2003 more mature than FMA:B and not really shounen like so the ending really did fit the themes of the 2003 series well. I also think that the ending proved Dante wrong in some aspects. What a great villain, much more refined than Father.
What makes you say that FMA was more mature than FMAB? If anything because of the dialogues and monologues FMAB is more subtle cause it allows the actions of the plot to demonstrate its themes. Father was an artificial human who wanted to loose his humanity as he wanted to gain godly level of sense of significance in the world i.e., his pride needed to be compensated and ed elric who was frustrated at his human limitations in the end his arc was about accepting his humanity and ultimately sacrificing any chance of gaining that significance on a grander scale by giving up alchemy powers and as a result of the two contrasts one is rewarded and the other is consumed by god. As for having a bitter sweet ending thats an incredibly superficial reason to say that the ending is immature by that same token endings like the whiplash is more mature than la la land or the ending for 12 angry men is immature.
@@michaelflores9220 Did you even listen to the video? The brothers` separation is inkeeping with The Series` themes of entropy and equal sacrifice not necessarily meaning nor garnering equal gain!Also,Lyra was already dead aside from as a false persona for Dante when Dante body-hopped into her!Plus she wasn`t that great a person to begin with though Dante and Yoki were definitely worse!
I have heard the argument so many times that "Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) sucks" and never once have I agreed with that statement. I think they're both adaptations superior in their own ways, but I've always had difficulty explaining why I like the 2003 adaptation. Thank you so much for making this video :)
If someone doesn't feel satisfied, because they want to see Ed & Al together in the end, then watch the movie Shanbara o Yuku Mono. It's kind of a sequel to fma.
Fantastic vid man. Seeing people dunk on the original series really does piss me off sometimes man. Especially cuz usually people who say that it sucks didnt even watch it and are just parroting the take.
03 had a more dark art to it. And showed the more dark side of the magics of alchemy.. ot showed what the mystical art could do within the wrong hands.. and it was beautiful
I always preferred 03 over Brotherhood, but because Brotherhood is unanimously picked as the better of the two I always assumed that I was blinded by nostalgia. Maybe that’s true, but 03 has something special that isn’t easily replicated. Humankind cannot gain anything without giving something of equal value in return
Dude I thought the same thing. I especially love the ending for the 03 version, it felt so poetic. I also liked the homunculi from the 03 version more.
@@juanbeltran7266 Oh for sure. Sloth and Wrath were a lot more interesting to me as they really illustrated how Ed and the Homunculi aren’t that much different. They played a lot better with the theme of what it means to be a family
@@froufroudeluxe My reason for rating 2003 over Brotherhood would be the hanling of death. Death in 2003 has much more the feeling of something could happen at anytime much more than 2003. Its like the Game of Thrones feeling of fear for the characters. Death is also perfectly dramatic. Hugh and Nina are of course huge in Brotherhood aswell but have a lot more impact in 2003. Lust death has a high impact in both for different reasons. You have a lot of death and brutality in the "hated" fillers of 2003 aswell. But not to much. Death is always present. When you look at the final battle of Brotherhood you see that alot of the corrupt council, all of the homuncli and father die (or whatever happend to pride). These where presented as dangerous. But the good guys only lost 2 old side characters and van Hohenheim after the fight with an happy ending. Like no one was truly ever in danger.
Thematically 2003 is an interesting take on the world of FMA, and I can respect that they basically flew by the seat of their pants for the second half of the story and didn't make something completely unwatchable. That being said, "thematically interesting" isn't the same as "good," and even when I watched it for the first time years and years ago, before FMAB, I could tell the story had jumped the shark and was running on fumes by the end. All the themes and characterizations you mentioned are good ideas, and if they were the plan from the start, then I think the writing would've been tighter and maybe I'd even agree that it was a "perfect" ending, but it really does seem like they came up with the conclusion "Edward and Alphonse HAVE to be separated at the end of the series" and worked backwards from there, making last-minute adjustments to Dante's, Hohenheim's, and Envy's characters, making a half-baked explanation for what The Gate is, and adding in a baby to act solely as a distracting plot device to make it all work. It was also a bummer to basically see all non-Ed plot threads and character arcs just kind of stop (I notice a lot of people ignore this when talking about 2003). Scar and Roy especially. Scar just turned into a way for the plot to progress by making Al a philosopher's stone and then dying, and Roy's whole "fighting the military" arc was just awful by the end (Robo-Archer especially); his fight with Bradley felt totally inconsequential, capped off by a fakeout death that was resolved like 5 minutes later. It's cool to like 2003, and hell I've watched it a bunch of times as well, but calling the ending perfect or satisfying is something I can't agree with. At best, I think the show is an interesting character study of Edward Elric, but as a story, especially one spanning over 50 episodes, it doesn't hold up. Regardless, I do always appreciate well-thought-out FMA content.
It's curious to me that you view the Roy/Bradley fight as inconsequential. Do you mean inconsequential in terms of affecting Ed's story? Or inconsequential in terms of the political situation in FMA 2003's world? Or something else?
@@thekirkusmaximusful I mean that it felt like the story was focused almost entirely on Ed's story, at the expense of other plotlines that had already been going on since essentially the start of the show, such as the political struggle, reflected by the Roy/Bradley conflict. The whole political struggle essentially ends when Bradley dies because the plot says Selim has to show up in the fight with Bradley's one and only weakness (it feels cheap and inconsequential to have the fight be decided by a contrivance like that), and Roy seems to be killed, but not really (therefore feeling inconsequential). Afterwards, there's barely any exploration for what happens to the nation now that Bradley is dead and the entire state is in chaos, since we're now focused entirely on the Ed/Al situation and don't have much time left to wrap up the story. I don't wanna compare to FMAB too much, since that's not fair to 2003, but FMAB having a whole episode to wrap up all the loose ends, explore what happens after the bad guy is killed, and to talk about what happens next, makes the world feel alive and real, with actions and consequences, rather than how 2003 dropped almost everything to do a pretty good character study on Edward Elric as he's presented in that show.
I’ve always said fma is the best story that can never have an ending that holds up the it, this applies to both versions. I think both endings are serviceable and decent but both have a lot of problems and areas where they suffer as the series progresses.
@@LaserFace23 Interesting. To your point that the story mostly focuses on Ed, I felt that was the intended purpose from the very beginning. The series isn't about Roy's political campaign first and foremost; it's about two kids growing up and learning to accept the world they/we live in. The series isn't trying to make Ed, a 14 year old boy, solve politics by charging into a war with Roy; it's trying to make Ed understand the complexities of war and politics by coming to sympathize with Roy. The coup/assassination plot is an important piece of the story (and admittedly it is a little rushed and Robo Archer felt out of place), but I didn't mind that it ultimately was secondary to resolving Ed and Al's character arcs. To your point that the Roy/Bradley fight was decided due to Selim's apparent deus-ex-machina, I actually thought this was a really fitting end to Pride. I liked that Roy himself was completely outmatched - not only b/c of Bradley's reveal of his Ultimate Eye power, but also b/c it reflects Roy's rash decision making in attempting an assassination against a homunculus in an isolated room without backup. Selim coming back to check on Pride reflects the apparent love btwn father and son, and Pride's rage and strangling Selim reveals that that love was never genuine - it was a charade to give Pride confidence and assure him of his humanity. Remember that Pride was Dante's favorite homunculus - not just b/c he was the only one to remain absolutely loyal to Dante till the end, but also b/c Pride was the only one to age like a human. Giving Pride a son that he could "love" was just another way to fuel Pride's ego - to give Pride all the affectations of being human (being humanity's political leader, having a family) - without any of the substance of being human (experiencing loss, corruption, desire, etc.) And the fact that Selim comes back is Pride's "humanity" ultimately being "flawed" - a being who scoffs at the foolishness of humans was ultimately undone by his own attempt to pass as human - his own "human flaw". I don't know if I what I just said will make much sense to you - my only point is that I personally see an internal logic to Selim/Bradley's relationship that makes Pride's death more than just a "copout" to me.
As someone that watched FMA brotherhood first, the ending to the 03 FMA was heartbreaking. Throughout the series, you want Ed and Al to be together again in their bodies but they end up separated, in different worlds with no means to go back and not knowing if the other is still alive. Yet, it reflects on the sacrifice both brothers were willing to do for one another and how they both grew up enough to learn that their peace could come not by the desired ending but by accepting what comes from life, as unfair as it might be (contrary to what they perceive at the beginning, their mother's death seen as unfair and avoidable) and Ed being instead reunited with his father, who he didn't like as he, under Ed's eyes, abandoned them and their mother. This reflects on Mustang's character as well, he did what he had to do but as a result, he placed himself in an undesirable position and at disadvantage, never achieving what he really wanted (being Fürer). I think in the end, what FMA 03 reflects is in the unfairness of the world and how you can still come to terms with it and accept it.
Fittingly in this context, '03 series felt like an alternate universe to the original story. As in, I could believe that that's what the characters would do given the different circumstances, as opposed to a meaningless butchering of the story
After I watched FMAB which I felt to be fun, I had to go back and watch the 03 version (bought the box set as soon as I saw it way back when). I agree and really appreciate analysis vids like this because I feel as though the original ANIME is more deserving of "best anime" than Brotherhood. Its pathos is appropriate for the subject matter imo. It is, as you've said, a sweet and sad ending of the main protags brotherly love story.
The thing is that Brotherhood is an extremely well executed shounen-show which is more action-oriented while FMA2003 is a seinen, geared towards an older audience with more mature content.
bird Samora I don’t know, I mean brotherhood is very mature for a shonen, but it solves most of its conflicts with straightforward action fights and tries to inject humor into the series way too much and where it really shouldn’t (example death of sloth.)
@@haosmagnaingram6992 i mean sloth wasn't a super important character, but important moments are taken seriously example and spoilers...... The death of greed was taken with seriousness, the moment when Ed said to winry that her hands weren't meant to kill but to give life, lust death, even envy's death didn't have comedy around it.
This video was beautifully done. I like brotherhood but the 2003 version holds such a special place in my heart. It was the first FMA I saw. Although it didn’t technically follow the manga, its story is still amazing as brotherhoods is.
Keep in mind that the manga was hardly even halfway over by the time 2003 ended and everything that happen in 2003’s second half was planned from the very beginning since they knew they were gonna overtake the manga anyway. The 2003 series is superior in the entire franchise. Brotherhood only handled Kimblee (except his death) and Bradley better.
This was by far my favorite ending out of any anime I’ve watched to date, just wow. Such a beautiful tragedy of a story really did make the bittersweet ending appropriate. I understand why people were upset about it, maybe I just watched this show at the perfect time and that’s why it resonated with me so much. Buttt maybe it was just a hell of an anime after all🤷🏽♂️ Also, love how there’s always a vibrant sunset at the end of most of the episodes. Always makes you feel okay even when things are at their worst in the story
I actually really like how the first movie connects to the ending of 2003’s story, and I fully enjoyed the original series, especially the beginning. The episode with human barry the chopper is one of my favorite episodes between either series, and is unique to 2003. That being said, I’m still a sucker for brotherhood’s ending and how tight the plot is
This right here ^^^ I think the thing that was the worst part of 03 for me was Al having amnesia, didn’t make sense to me. But the sacrifice made by Ed in both series is impactful. 03 he sacrifices himself for his brother and Brotherhood he sacrifices the very thing he believed in all his life. He made a name for himself as an alchemist and in the end, he throw it all away bc he knew his family/brother was more important/worth it. Both endings made me teary eyed but I prefer Brotherhoods concrete ending.
@@rashmiperceval3471 Yeah I think so too that it haven't been explained. Al's amnesia comes from his sacrifice to bring Ed back to life. Let's start when Envy reveals his true form shocking Ed and using the moment stabs him in the chest. Naturally, Ed would have died... However earlier thanks to the Kimblee incident if I remember correctly (if not correct me please) Al himself had become the Philosopher's Stone (that is why he couldn't touch Ed for a time because the stone reacted). Using the Stone (that is practically himself) he brought Ed back to life in exchange for his own existence. So the Alphonse who travelled with Ed literally ceased to exist. Ed couldn't accept the fact that Al gave up his chance at life for someone (in his own opinion) as foolish and undeserving as himself and used his alchemy to restore the form of Al that could still exist (the Alphonse who has yet to meet Nina). It is only depicted as an amnesia, but practically it is not. It is just a different Al that has been restored, much like how you can restore your computer/laptop after a breakdown from the backup files. The price Ed gave was his existence in their universe, that is why he got into our universe. I hope this cleared it up a little :)
@@rayn2436 Yes it did thank you. I do remember it being explained in the Shamballa movie but I watched that ages ago so I couldn’t remember. Imo I feel like it should’ve been explained a little better within that ending but it was pretty interesting overall. Also, would Al have given up the existence of those past few years or his soul? Did his soul return to his past body? I just think Brotherhood maneuvered around the gate and his body better, but to be fair, that is how the manga writer (sorry don’t know his name) intended it to be. But once again ty for the explanation
@@rashmiperceval3471 Yeah that's one of the more serious plotholes of the 2003 version. The concept of Al's body. Let's see, if my theory is right then Al gave up his WHOLE existence in exchange for Ed's life. He gave up everything just like that just for his brother's safety and chance at finding happiness. So with that the Al who travelled with Ed, knew Mustang and his team, saw Nina die... etc simply ceased to exist. The Al-being restored-without-the memories-of-their-travels thingy is all thanks to Ed's sacrifice. Since something that ceased to exist cannot be broght back even with alchemy he was stuck with two options: 1. he moves forward alone 2. he tries to bring Al back Now, since you know too the consequences of Human Transmutation it was out of question. However restoring an Alphonse from an earlier time is possible for a skilled alchemist like Edward is. So in a way he was a coward, as he was too scared that he wouldn't be able to move on with the thought that Al is practically dead and with the burden of failure he chose that option. Chosing this makes Ed more realistic and that was I believe the main point of this.
FMA 03 gives me so much hope and catharsis, I truly can't understand people who dismiss it as 'just depressing'. Those same people always get offended when I say BH and the manga's overly happy ending feels fake to me. I will never love an anime more than I love FMA 03, for more reasons than I have room to list here.
Both shows are amazing anime that I think complement each other very well. Brotherhood had a rushed beginning with the first thirteen episodes, but the 2003 series makes up for that with it’s brilliant first half which covers that part of the story beautifully. However the source material that the original show didn’t cover, Brotherhood more than makes up for. Each show explored themes and ideas on philosophy and religion in their own unique ways and developed the main characters in their own unique ways too. Brotherhood is in my top five favorite anime of all time while the ‘03 anime is in my top thirty. I didn’t think the ending of the original show was bad, just the episodes leading up to it felt a little rushed, and the follow-up film Conqueror of Shamballa kinda ruined the ending a bit for me as well.
When I was watching it like 7 years ago, it felt absolutely perfect and heartbreaking and revolutional and I just needed this kind of experience in my life. It was definitely life-changing and it cemented my love towards anime in general.
I completely agree with every point made. As sad as it is to accept the ending for the bittersweet aftertaste, it’s a cohesive ending and it pulls in all the strings of doubts we might have during the series when finding breadcrumbs of information. Do I like the events of the ending? Emotionally speaking no, but it makes so much sense in the context of the storyline and the evolution of the characters themselves.
I loved 2003 vergion much better. Because it still gives me goosebumps for story and music. It was great to see the franchise again as brotherhood. It was fun but just didn't satisfy me as 2003 did.
I watched 03 and was blown away by how emotionally real, political, and grounded it was. I just thought that was what FMA was, my friend hyped up brotherhood as way better. I was hyped, but it wasn't the same at all. 2003 won me over because it was the first show to make death feel real to me. It was a drama. Brotherhood is a shounen.
I was 15 when I watched FMA and grieving over the loss of a friend who died of murder only followed by my grandmother who I was very close with 4 months later. I don't recall my life too well, it is a blur to me. I simply remember spending a lot of time in bed watching anime. In those days, FMA offered me an outlet for emotions deeper than I could explain. I cried endlessly watching this series and was deeply moved. All the themes of the series; such as letting go, grief, accepting death, revenge, resilience, determination, the grey area between good and bad etc. really affected me.
@@0Demiyah0 @0Demiyah0 I too lost someone in a similar fashion at that age, I can't begin to say how much I feel for you and your friend. That sort of event puts us in a dark place-- even darker if we aren't allowed to process the feelings that come along with someone being essentially taken from us. You said it well. Art like that gives us the tools in a lot of ways to allow us to grieve and address that sort of trauma in life. I don't know how to express through text how thinking about this again and your story made me feel but it was positive and I want to thank you for bringing it up. It's difficult to think about but I do think it helps us more in the end. Thank you
Brilliantly made! FMA to this day stay as my favourite anime. Thank you for creating this video and thank you for understanding the details, and the story in the way it should be understood (imo)! :)
A generalization I made more so as an opinion from when I watched both anime was brotherhood was there because it really couldn’t end badly for the Elrich brothers or rather shouldn’t because as a viewer you’re going through all the stress,turmoil, and sacrifice as the characters and for all that progress to end with “you got what you wanted but not the way you wanted it” would’ve depressed everyone heavily. 2003 since it caught up to the manga had to go the only other route other than fillers which was to finish the story for the manga. I always saw the Elrich brother’s journey as a doomed or tragic one because they already learned that equivalent exchange was THE law of the world. Regardless they trudged on in their quest for a miracle work around knowing their last “miracle” ended with such tragedy. 2003 felt so satisfying in the most melancholic way because Ed got his brother’s body back and gained his lost limbs but at the cost of his own “life” and his brother’s memory of him. Yeah the movie sorta fixed the brother thing but it was still at great sacrifice. Overall the anime really taught me that the world works off a system of checks and balances that don’t always seem fair but in the end you’ll get exactly what you deserve. Rambling aside I just really liked Alphonse’s English va and the ost
Actually Arakawa said she gave them permission to change stuff, they already knew shewouldn't be able to finish the manga before the show ended so they asked for permission and ended it differently. Arakawa wanted them to do things differently, she didn't initially want a complete retread of her work
Great job as always Kevin, not much to add because unfortunately 2003 is a blindspot in my viewing experience - one that this video has gone a long way in getting me to rectify that - but just a note that rewatching this today was just as rewarding as the first watch on the original yesterday.
Ah thank you so much! You should definitely check out 03, the general consensus is that Broho is better but a vocal minority vastly prefer the way 03 is handled.
@@KevinNyaa I prefer 2003. I'm not nostalgia blinded. I watched Brotherhood first. I think the manga is the best FMA content with 2003 right behind it. There's just something in the way Brotherhood was adapted that I like less. Dunno what it is.
Thanks man for making this video you never know how goosebumped i was when watching this video of yours, its full of description of how the ending is all about in 03. My thought of the reason why many despise this masterpiece is that we cling to the thing that we think it’s supposed to be at the end of the time. Happiness. The world is cruel therefore explain why the ending shouldve ended the way it was, life is full of inevitables by the time it comes we’ll never see it coming but thats life. Full of mysteries and people seem to cant get grasp on it. What matters is learn from those crucial ones, accept and live on and get what you sow. Cause that’s what life all about reap what you sow and accept the bitter consequences. Its part of blessings we couldn’t careless about.
excellent analysis. just finished fma with my boyfriend and he thinks its one of the best he's seen - he says he has no idea how brotherhood could even top it. ironically, i think the aspect of brotherhood is so much stronger is the 03 version. the narrative asks them "would you die for your brother" and they both agree. the narrative then gives them an impossible decision: "would you choose your brother or the world?". ed decides that he will give up everything he has ever known to seal the gate, and al decides to come too despite knowing what he is giving up. the only thing i dont like about the ending is poor winry :(
Thank you for putting into words something I felt ever since watching this series. I could never quite come to terms with my feelings on FMAs adaptations because in my heart I always liked FMA03 more but couldn't articulate why. After Brotherhood finished airing, the overwhelming consensus seemed to be that it was far superior as a show. FMAB is great, but never came close to eliciting the same emotions from me as FMA03. I really wish everyone would give it a chance. More often than not, my friends who watched 03, even after Brotherhood, also loved it.
I really enjoyed this video. Not too sure if many animes today have these deeper meaning implications you explained. I think much of the current anime shows has been overshadowed with the whole virtual game/isekai genre due to popularity. Thanks for making this! 😃
really, thank you. i... have always had a deep and profound love for 03, never really had the words as to why, at least not in a concise manner. and, well.... whenever i'd see comparisons of the two brotherhood always won out with no consideration to what 03 brought to the table. so thank you, for giving light to the other side
Sapphire Seas agreed! 03 is so underrated and underappreciated..... no one even gives it a chance because they think Brotherhood is the same as 03.... some episodes are but the story goes a completely different way.. i wish people would give 03 a chance. literally more character depth and realism. 03 taught me so much
So funny story, when I uploaded this yesterday night it was completely fine and not copyrighted by RUclips's detection. I woke up this morning receiving an email that a company had unfairly issued a copyright strike and took down the video. twitter.com/KevinNyaa/status/1190114865165193216
Instead of disputing and waiting for 1 month for the video to be released, I have since re-edited some parts in order to avoid copyright. So that's why this has been uploaded again. Hopefully now it should stay up for good!
In relation to the video, I have linked any additional information regarding the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics for further clarification if anyone was interested.
See you all again! :)
What do you think about the follow up movie "Conqueror of Shamballa" it seems to expand on your conclusion in this video.
Copyright strike in 3...
2...
1...
@@cyberninjazero5659 I don't mind it, but I heavily prefer the tv series ending. Felt that it didn't need anymore expanding on.
I was waiting for when you were going to bring up fullmetal alchemist: conqueror of shamballa the conclusion to FMA 2003. People complain about the ending all of the 2003 anime all the time and then i tell them about the movie and then they start to change their mind. The movie finishes up the series. But a lot of people don't realize you have to watch the movie to get the conclusion.
Understood
This ending was so depressing but so poetic at the same time , I couldn't stop thinking about it ever since I finished it
CultureDTCTV same I feel like it was almost more memorable than bother hood
I remember when i was a kid i had a hard time watch the original because I never experience just a dark story before. Nina being transmuted and chimera tucker creating hollow bodies of nina really fked me up. Also the homunculus in the original was more felt more relentless in their killing which adds to my terror
After all the super sad moments before the end, I could not feel that sad during the end. This is such a dark show at times and was the first to tines and was the first to truly nake me sad, but what a damn good show.
@@SpartanLaserCanon it didn't really seem all that dark watching it as a kid .
I agree. It is one of the best endings I have ever seen. Like have you seen Fairy Tail. I feel like it is one of the only anime I have seen that has captured a similar feeling. Check it out if you haven't THANKS
03 adaptation is to get depressed, Brotherhood is to get out of that depression
Вовиня Вист this is straight facts
I wouldn't agree with that. 2003 is all about showing you that things don't have to be perfect, or even fair, for you to be happy. 2003 is about showing people that they can be happy, even when things are depressing. Brotherhood has a similar message too, it's just kind of buried under all the EPIC fights.
kistaana check my new song Philospher Stone ruclips.net/video/KFriByDa8oY/видео.html
House of Matrix no
Restless damn ok 😹😹😹
In the end, 2003's message is this: People don't always get what they deserve, but they do reap what they sow. Tucker, Dante, Envy, all three of them chased after things that couldn't make them happy, thus they never knew real peace. Edward originally sought to cheat death, but later learned to embrace it, allowing him an Al to experience peace. Tucker didn't deserve to live and Ed didn't deserve to die, but Ed's ending was definitely far better than Tucker's. Al got so many terrible things he didn't deserve, but he sowed peace and determination, and that's what he reaped in the end.
@3rd Way I'm not really sure if he managed to kill Hohenheim because there is no evidence to suggest that homunculi can even pass the gate.
“Write the main idea of the video and provide evidence about why this main idea connects to the video*
@@thefreeman1970 You haven't watched FMA '03, have you?
@3rd Way i know it's a little late for this response, but i think Envy/Hohenheim's ending at COS is following a very common theme stablished throught the series, that is "the demons you've created will bring your destruction", we can see this with Dante being eaten by Gluttony, the homunculi she created for her selfish reasons, and Hoheinheim seems to be as selfish and arrogant as Dante before he meets Trisha, the end he gets is made for him repairing his sins, the people he killed for the philosopher stone, and the cruel fate Envy gets as an homunculi as Hoheinheim tries to cheat the death of his own son, and it's kind of justified for Envy to gets his revenge, since we see that the Homunculi's existence is an enormous pain for themselves, from being incomplete.
I think brotherhood is better but the ending made me so sad :(
Fun fact: The 2003 version of Fullmetal Alchemist was actually the highest rated anime on Anime News Network (the biggest anime website at that time) until Brotherhood came out and later replaced it as number 1.
Fans of Brotherhood eventually down voted the 2003 version so it's not even in the top 10 anymore.
that's a cunt move...
Yes, because most Brotherhood fans are immature.
@@rayn2436 its same show tho
@@shinramune8041 Same but at the same time not the same. There are huge differences that makes this Brotherhood-Original anime opposition in the first place.
@@rayn2436 ok
The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows - thats FMA 2003 ending is....and thats why its perfect
@Naori san nope absolutely not it's very good and it actually makes lot of sense if you pay attention to the story a bit
Agreed 😌
Wow so glad to see FMA 2003 content in 2019. People really shit on it these days and it's so frustrating because it's a great anime. It really pulled on your heart strings, it took it's time to pull you into the story. At the end of the series I felt a bond with the characters. Any way thanks for making this video man.
No, it's not perfect. The brothers are separated and Lyra isn't even mourned while her stolen body decays in Gluttony's stomach.
This fanfic is my followup to the 03 anime, it's far from done, but please read it!: archiveofourown.org/works/17790377/chapters/41973587
I totally agree. I feel like Ed is a friend of mine. Actually I feel like i was in this story (i hope as an alchemist, sounds fun) and now i'm just in vacations to the real world
@Dann Rajeeh Do you mourn Lyra? I do. Do you even remember Lyra?
@Dann Rajeeh Wanna see my fanfic of her? It's only got four chapters so far, and won't likely be finished 'cuz I ai't creative, but at least it exists. : archiveofourown.org/works/17790377/chapters/41973587
I always saw the 2003 as more mature. Not just fights, action and screams, but you can find some cruel elements from the real world including: not everything will have a happy ending, it's frustanting, it's sad, it's not fair but it's real.
that's what I found to be interesting about the 2003 series. It was more real than the Brotherhood series, as if trying to teach something rather than just try to be another anime. There are a lot of anime like that which makes them all good imo. Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell SAC, just to name a few.
Brotherhood is realistic as well regardless of the crazy stuff happening around Father, there's still real messages being told.
@@tsipher facts definitely cowboy bebop because it has a bittersweet ending just like fma 03
Its supposed to be Shounen. Its 03 didn't had too muh involvement from the magazine editors and the author so the studio could whatever they want
@@islandboy9381 False.
I think FMA 2003 did the earlier parts of FMA better while Brotherhood rushed to new material not in FMA 2003.
Barring the 2 skipped chapters (1 technically) FMA:B's start "feels" rushed because the manga is also just that fast.
This is the irony of the FMA anime fanbase. By not being bound to the manga the 2003 staff created a version whose set up felt more fitting than the source Brotherhood adapted to fans who claimed they wanted this source.
In Brotherhood's (slight) defense, those new to FMA likely were hooked by not knowing what was cut and enjoying the Anime as an Anime more than an adaptation.
Fma03 is a better character drama.
FmaBrotherhood is a better shonen.
But let's be honest, simply being a better fit for shonen tropes doesn't make it good.
It did great worldbuilding and characters then mashed a really interesting world into trying to fit a shonen tropes.
The original FMA was interesting (and by extension the manga), brotherhood was too unwilling to let go of shonen to say anything truly interesting.
@@AdumbroDeus THIS^.
FMA is one of those shows that ended and needed a rewatch after a time. Let it sink in, watch again, then watch again, you see things and appreciate it more the more you view it and pay attention.
I rember watching Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood and when I finished I realized if Edward listened to the first guy he got into the fight with he would of found out about what was happening alot sooner.
100%
rewatch is important, especially 03 is just made up by somebody and makes no sense
@@connorspagnolo2106 Yeah, but, that was filler
@@blueocean3024 You sound like an idiot.
FMA 03 felt so much more human and earnest than Brotherhood. Not that brotherhood is bad by any stretch, but FMA 03 was just more raw with it's messages. It was a harsh story that wasn't afraid to hurt the viewer. 03 just resonated with me really deeply. The ending was unbelievably perfect. I still think about it from time to time.
No you’re right. 2003 is superior in the entire FMA franchise. The only comebacks that Brotherhood fans got is just that it follows the so-called “original” source material despite the plain fact that it was hardly even halfway over by the time 2003 ended, the happily ever after ending where everyone is not only alive but got what they wanted without an actual price or consequence, the flashy fights, the worldwide or countrywide civilization god complex-esque scheme writing technique, and the themes of friendship and power of love conquering all.
Nope people hate 2003 because it have too many plot holes.
@@ribertfranhanreagen9821 And what are those “too many plot holes” you speak of?
@@ribertfranhanreagen9821 people hate 03 because the plot doesn’t follow the manga like Brotherhood does. 03 has so much more emotional depth though even with the pacing problems. Parts of Brotherhood were tonally inconsistent and honestly a bit corny to me.
@@ribertfranhanreagen9821 FMAB had a lot of plot holes in them as well. The biggest one is Ed somehow getting Al back by giving up his alchemy. Not really equivalent exchange.
What i love about FMA is exactly the fact that it had 2 adaptations, 03 and :B
It is practically the only piece of media in history, where both adaptations are truly great and bring something new to the series. Basically, everyone has to watch the series twice.
I think those shitting on 03 are really trying to destroy this little piece of greatness this show has.
Michał Koczorowski that is true, both are amazing and have their unique things that make them each amazing. Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood is my favorite anime, but I still like the original, top 5
I think the reason why FMAB is remembered better is because honestly, not many anime have complete, satisfying and happy endings, it was especially satisfying because the characters deserved it and they worked for it. I CAN understand why the majority of people like FMAB more, stories and especially anime nowadays never give you the satisfaction of a happy ending that is meaningful and I genuinely feel a lot 03 fans don't appreciate that angle. Just throwing this out here
@@Laiser Happy endings, are just new beginnings.- Power Rangers Ninja Storm
I agree having 2 adaptions somehow adds to the story and universe and makes it more interesting.
For me going against this video the weakest part of 2003 wa the ending as the multiple worlds wasn't forshadowed and IMO was inconsistant with the rest of the story. However compared with bortherhood there are many story elements that were improved upon. The origin of homonculi was more interesting, the less epic plans to create a philosophers stone meant they could allow the plans to succeed which they did. somehow this managed to strike a direct comparison with the then current war in iraq.
The 2003 series also paced better, after watching the starting episodes of 2003 I was instantly hooked for brotherhood I found the first 20 episodes to be a chore to watch.
Totally agree, I hate how people just compare both of these adaptions. They were both beautiful and gave a different yet meaningful message on both of them.
One being a more depressing view on life and reality.
Tackling tons of obstacles the brothers had to face.
While the other had a more philosophical view on life, working together and restoring the corrupted humanity and society. Giving a chancd to change even the corrupted ones.
Different themes for different people. I sure as hell enjoyed both. Both giving me feels like crazy. Can't stop loving this show.
Stop shitting on 03 cause you clearly don't understand the meaning of it and is biased cause of the ending.
Stop shitting on brotherhood cause you clearly think the ending is clichéd, which is stupid.
Just saying...
03 is a character study focused on Ed and Al, whereas Brotherhood (despite its name) focuses less on them and more how they can learn to not rely on just eachother and rely on the world. It’s why Brotherhood’s ending ends with them splitting ways to explore the world.
Yeah pretty much.
You can view the title 'brotherhood' as being about the connections they make with the people they care about, transcending from their blood-brotherhood to the brotherhood of humanity as a whole.
A major theme is humanity, and that by accepting and moving on from our flaws/sins, we can strive together to create a better world. This is directly contrasted by the homunculi, which are Father's human qualities stripped from him. But in the end he is alone and ignorant of truth, as the homunculi prevented him from ever learning anything.
well... in 2003 ending (the movie ending) they explore the other world (our world together)
I also wanna point out that Edward Elric is one of my favorite anime characters and protagonists of all time and I love how both shows have their own unique way of developing and maturing his character. In both versions he lets go of the idea of alchemy being the ultimate way of life and gives up his own ability to use alchemy to save his brother, because the relationships he has with his family and friends mean so much more to him.
Edward and Al's worst fears were not getting their bodies back, and being parted from each other as a result. COS end was so tragic, because they got their bodies back, and were reunited... but lost every person they ever cared about as well as alchemy. Equivalent exchange in life doesn't mean it's fair.
The ending to BH is not tragic at all. Sure Ed loses alchemy... but he can still live a completely normal life! "I'm willing to sacrifice my ability to use MAGIC!" what a sacrifice man... Mad respect for a guy who's like "I am totally okay with sacrificing my super powers to save my brother!" rather than "I'm going to sacrifice my life to save my brother!"
Ed essentially dies in 03. He is reborn in the "real" world but he essentially dies in his own. BH was extremely generic in that it resembles every shounen series ever made.
I like how both had drastically different endings. The end of BH is feel-good, while 03's ending is just perfectly tragic and kinda breaks the meta
I’ve been saying the same for so long. Nothing against Brotherhood, but 03 atmosphere, character development and even the dialogue are way more deeper/heavier. I always end up saying 03 is more a Seinen than a Shounen and that’s why i liked way more. Your video described 03 version perfectly.
I loved this ending, the only thing I didn't like was Al losing his memories.
NANO HUNTER Ff me too
But did you watch the film Conquerer of Shamballa? Because they touch on that and you will be pleasantly surprised * no spoilers*
@@hideo34 Yeah. I'm not a fan. The ending is ok but the rest of the movie just screams wasted potential to me.
NANO HUNTER Ff I thought the ending was beautiful and bittersweet. The fact that the brothers ended up together in the end was so poetic.
@@hideo34 I think I'm just not a fan of Alphonse in general in this movie. Also him suddenly getting his memories back seems like a cop out to me. I wasn't a fan of him losing his memories but I would have rather they stuck to their guns instead of dropping the plot line at the last second.
FMA 2003 more darker then 2009. But both love.
The tone even feels more natural in the 2003 version
Agreed
@@theprocrastinator6813 that's because the humor in 03 was used sparingly where it was added only when needed, while in Brotherhood, there's only 1 episode where they don't really use humor, and the bigger problem with Brotherhood is how they shoe horn humorous moments in what is essentially a serious point. Go and watch any episode and you'll find characters express a goofy face when there shouldn't be (a good example of this was the moment Ed explained human transmutation to Rose. In 03, you see a sense of doubt in her, where she's taking Eds words in and starts to question her own beliefs while trying to hold onto them. In Brotherhood though, when Ed starts explaining the makeup of a human body, Rose get's this cartoonie manga esc face that makes no sense and honestly ruins the entire scene).
@@jish55 thats true, they really did add a lot of humor in these serious moments,
@@theprocrastinator6813 It definitely did at first, but toward the end it just started adding in needless gut punches at the expense of tonal consistency and the quality of the writing. Why did Rose need to get raped? Why did they have Sloth be the Trisha clone when it made no sense for the sin of Sloth? Why did they spend significant amounts of time on how bad it would have been if Al fell in the water and had his blood seal washed away when Ed knocked Al into the water with zero consequences earlier on in the show? Toward the end, they prioritized E M O T I O N over telling a tight, coherent story.
I think that the ending of the 03 version is FASCINATING,while the brotherhood version is SATISFYING.
Same
yeah
One is the world you expect (brotherhood)
The other is the real world (2003)
Mostly that's how I first assessed the 2003 show upon first watch.
You couldn’t have worded it any better😌😌😌
I had a friend who introduced me to Fullmetal Alchemist. He told me, “ Don’t watch the 2003 version, watch Brotherhood instead.” I had no context on how the plot or characters worked. I was just thrusted in the world. I dropped the show two times, because of it. Eventually I finished it, and I loved it. But I went back to watch 2003 and I gotta say, I wished I ignored my friend’s advice. The tone and characters is so much more grounded. The stakes are personal and grotesque. Ed constantly faces adversities that changes his life forever. The idea of human transmutation, philosopher stone, killing to reach end goals and the military is all done in a morally grey area was very fascinating. My only gripe with the show is the pacing and certain character monologues. Other than that I can honestly say the show was worth the watch. This show stands on it’s own two feet just fine.
I agree. FMA should be watched before Brotherhood. I genuinely liked FMA until that whole Al has amnesia thing. I read the manga and I loved it and I am almost done with Brotherhood, but I feel like watching FMA first gives you a basis for the story and an appreciation for the characters, while Brotherhood gives you (imo) a stronger plot line overall and a happy ending. Both are great, I just prefer Brotherhood overall.
My friend made me watch FMA03 with no context or warning.
After the initial shock passed (Ed's screams of pain from his severed limbs is my first memory) I binged through all the episodes.
I understand why the ending upsets people. You become invested in the Elric Brothers journey, and at first it seems incredibly unfair that they get such a bittersweet ending.
Yet at the time, I approved of the realistic take on making a faustian deal.
FMA03 is a great gateway to mature storytelling and conversations and should get a revival.
I haven't watched fma i now the story but i just watched fmab and i loved it i don't understand why you think the its its important to watch fma . Because there is no need . But if you want to watch it as another anime you watch it . But saying that you need to watch fma before fmab is just foolish. Because i haven't heard anyone else then you about dropping show in between. But its your opinion so i have to respect it. 😁
Not only does it stand on it's own, but it walks on its own.
@@andrewwynne6934 If it can walk then I’m going to take it up several notches and say it can swim laps around brotherhood.
Watching 03 as 15 year-old, I remember being overcome with grief when I realized that Ed had been doing everything in his power to "get his brother back" even if he had no idea how to do that after the Philosopher's Stone didn't work, all the while he actually had Al, his precious brother, by his side!
And then at the end of this series Al was truly gone from him. Like, alive somewhere with a better life but more out of reach then ever before. And though setting things right was what he was trying to do all along, now he didn't have to repent for anything anymore, he just needed to find him again. You can live without an arm and a leg but your brother? Nothing could be more important to him and I could feel that he is willing to travel through space and time with ten times more fervor than before.
I don't think it's even a question: Maybe for real, maybe in some incorporeal state, but he will meet his brother again.
And after that I cried for like 15 minutes :'( It's a good ending for sure.
Such a great point! His brother was there the whole time.
I loved how the 2003 was a bittersweet ending. For me a core theme of the story, intentional or not, is that there is no happy ending to those who play to be god, so of course the Elric's brothers shouldn't be the exception.
For me brotherhoods ending shows that happiness comes to those who face their life head on and use tragedies as chances for personal growth. Edward happily gives up his alchemy for the sake of Alphonese, but that's a serious sacrifice. Truth itself says it's of equal worth of the life and body of Alphonse. And it was something very important to Edward, he still misses it years later. When he fixes the roofs and slaps his hands he makes a joke of it for himself, but it's clear he misses being an alchemist. The person he was at the beginning of the show would have been devastated by the loss. But Edward has grown since then, and he can admit that he misses being an alchemist, without it making him unhappy.
The manga and the original have the deeper theme that the search for perfection is foolish and naïve. Not only would perfection give you no room to grow (thus being undesirable), the search for it distracts you from making the best out of life. None of the characters get in brotherhood get a perfect ending. Edward loses his alchemy, Mustang and Hawkeye can no longer achieve their dreams because of Mustang being blind, Mei returns home failing her quest, Ling loses his mentor and teacher still suffers from her condition. None of their lives are perfect, all of them have grown and decided to be happy despite of it. (well except Alphonse, but he's adorable, so that's okay).
rutger5000 mustang uses a philosophers stone to get his sight back but nevertheless your right, edward made the decision without any regrets, whereas in 03 you sort of feel resentment coming off of edward, like that wasnt the outcome he wished for.
@@rutger5000 It's implied that Mustang recovered his sight, but still the past haunts them ("someday we will have to pay for our sins" or something like that was said by Mustang or Hawkeye at the end). So, your point is pretty solid and the 03' anime comes to the same conclusion, Elric brothers gave their world/family and alchemy in exchange for a new life together with their recovered bodies.
Although I preferred the storyline of Brotherhood I always felt the ending of the original fit the theme of equivalent exchange much better. Brotherhood's solution, although clever, seemed too simplistic. Ed nor Al didn't really sacrifice something meaningful to them. 03's sacrifice was significant: trading not just a literal, physical life but also the emotional and spiritual life, all of the experiences that make life worth living.
Edward basically threw away his chance to marry Winry in the OG version , that takes alot of guts
Alchemy did mean a lot to him, he entirely rested upon it's strength and even compared himself to God at the start of the series using it. I think the lesson of humility behind the exchange is what makes it beautiful and a far more poetic exchange than 2003's. The end of 2003 doesn't really have any concluding message; instead it bars Ed from Winry in a show where one of the themes is the importance of friendship. It may be a more tragic ending, but definitely nowhere near as narratively sound.
@@Lumi3dd Ed did value alchemy a lot in the beginning but by the end it didn't seem like he did as much. He was quite willing to give it up. I disagree with the 2003 ending not being poetic or narratively sound, it actually seems to be more so than Brotherhood. In the original he had to give up something he didn't want to (his life both literally and figuratively) for his brother's life. That felt much more like equivalent exchange in addition to being more relatable. Brotherhood, although still a good ending, seemed a bit of a cop out.
macroxela FMAB's isn't SUPPOSED to be an "equivalent exchange". The entire point of the scene is that sacrificing something can give you something of much more value than what you sacrificed.
"He was quite willing to give it up"
Yes, because as the series progressed Ed started to see the evils that alchemy could create, plus how weak he was even when using it. He was still reliant on it to the point of subconscious use prior to sacrificing it and even tried using it again after giving up his gate. It's again, not a tragic ending but it's beautifully constructed and has been foreshadowed since the first episodes.
I can say that 2003's is okay considering it's narrative. Still, it's odd for a character who knows the value of life to succumb his friends to that by making that exchange instead of seeing the bigger picture behind alchemy, considering it's one of the franchises' themes. Brotherhood's in comparison complimented the narrative perfectly.
Simply put, 2003 lacks the advancement, the development that Brotherhood had by Ed coming to a greater conclusion.
Thank you for this video! The ending of FMA 03 is so underappreciated.
It's what I'm here for!
@@KevinNyaa People say it came out of nowhere, I dunno, Scar transmuting 7,000 soldiers looks a lot like an atomic bomb to me. If alchemy comes from human lives then it would make sense for the Philosophers Stone, the greatest amplifier of alchemy to require a large amount of souls.
@@nanoff815 Very well said!
@@nanoff815 Need to clarify something. Envy states in the 49th episode that none of those soldiers are dead while they're inside of Al's armor as the stone. It's not souls that are being used, it's their lives. The same is true for the people on the other side of the gate. The energy used is the energy spent from them dying, but their Spirits still live on.
I started crying immediately after hearing "brothers" it crushes my soul into thousands pieces.
There’s a scene where Edward has a conversation with a war veteran who lost his limbs, and I think this conversation along with the scene in the car with Mustang, is one of the most important parts of the series. Ed wonders why the veteran doesn’t try and “undo” his suffering in a way, why he gives up on his dreams. The veteran calls Ed out for being naive and childish, saying you can’t undo your losses because you still gain things with those losses (the veteran-a peaceful life in the country and time with his family, Ed-the adventures with his brother that he had to give up at the end of the series). He also chastises Ed on his blind chasing of a foolish dream, because blindly chasing your dreams discounts your effects on the world around you. It wouldn’t be a dream if it came true. I think the series’ main thesis is what Ed says in the car with Mustang: “There’s a whole world that lives outside of us and our dreams” (which goes hand in hand with “there will never be a war that isn’t in some part caused by all of us”-we can’t live in willful ignorance of our part in the world)
And I often think about how in the brotherhood thematic parallel of this scene, the brothers chastise two tortured war veterans for “giving up” by not trying to undo what has happened to them, and these two naive children are framed as right, vs the two war veterans who have been through something they can never understand. it’s a different show with a different message so im not faulting it, but from the lens of a fan coming from 03’s messaging, it’s a frustrating scene that goes against what 03 taught. And i think 03 taught some great lessons.
Edit: interestingly I think 03 and fmab have the same idea behind their main message of “one is all, all is one” and self isolation. they just tackle this idea in different ways. fmab wants to say “one is all all is one so dont isolate yourself out of pride, and embrace the people around you as they make you strong. youre not a god above the world, youre a part of it.” while 03 wants to say “one is all all is one so dont isolate yourself out sloth (in this case ignorance and apathy), and accept how you contribute and affect the world around you and how it affects you. you’re not separate from the world you’re a part of it.” I LOVE both these messages, but i personally love and prefer 03’s way of delivering their half of the same message.
Wow, thank you for this. I've always loved the "there’s a whole world that lives outside of us and our dreams" line but it was hard for me to make sense of it. This really helps clear it up, especially with the reference to the veteran. Thanks!
I agree I think 2003 was more mature and grounded
The manga taught one thing
2003 another
The first show was no Disney fairy tale, and that's why most people despise it. Most people in general don't like facing reality and the first show, although a fantasy sci-fi, is very much grounded in reality. That's not a reason to get depressed because there is still so much beauty in it regardless.
Most people already face enough reality in their real life and can appreciate a change in fiction stories to destress.
@lazyshoggy: Well yeah but feel good escapism isn't the sole goal of all fictional work, that's why we have variety.
I don't like Mangahood, it's themes don't resonate with me but I can't hate it for not being something it never set out to be, it's an uplifting shonen and achieves that goal. The same should be applied elsewhere and for FMA '03.
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@@lazyshoggy if u think this is depressing then id just like to see you swollow devilaman crybaby
@@bob45142 Well thank you but no. I'm not a big fan of animes in general, nor of depressing stories. I don't think anything about the 2003 FMA since I haven't watched it, I just was curious about this video because I heard that the ending of FMA was inconsistent and I wanted to hear another opinion.
I replied only for the "Disney fairy tale vs reality" part which I find dubious. Darker doesn't mean more realistic and pretending that people who didn't like the first anime despised it because they don't like to face reality instead of, I don't know, finding it inconsistent or simply because they have different tastes seems pretty contemptuous to me.
I don't understand why some people feel the need to denigrate FMAB ("Disney fairy tale", "feel good escapism", "entertainment purposes") to justify their preference for the 2003 FMA, as if enjoying a good-ending-heartlifting show like the plebs was somehow a bit shameful. It's ok, everyone enjoy what they want, there's no need to justify anything.
Finally someone else who loved this ending! Everyone shits on it so much and it makes me sad because it's so good aah
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Ye
I was so confused I thought that they both died but turns out al was brought back to a normal and Ed was sent to a new universe
@@basketballallstar7864 Al also lost his memories, so he remembers nothing that happened since they tried to being their mother back.
The original’s ending felt more consistent and real than Brotherhood’s ending. The price that Ed had to pay for his desires was the direct connection that he had with his friends and original timeline. This heightened significance of the characters and their actions a lot more. Whereas in the second version, everything was the responsibility of an eyeball in a jar.
I genuinely liked the ending when I first watched it, it gave me the sense that their journey wasn't finished and that they wouldn't stop until they found each other again. There's a certain amount of ambiguity in it that allows you to kind of decide for yourself what happens next. I think that watching Conquerors of Shambala kind of ruined it for me though because it cut off the possibility of Ed ever returning to Amestris and to the people that he cares about and who care about him. I liked having the end where I could imagine what might happen next. Personally, I think the reason why people don't like the ending is because of the one Brotherhood gave us. I think most people just wanted both Ed and Al to be happy, so seeing one ending where everyone is happy and satisfied made people view the 2003 ending as not as good.
Laura Leighty How I felt, 2003 didn’t feel like a completely bad ending, because Edward was not broken in the end, he was determined to find his way back. This might have been the end of his journey as an Alchemist but it wasn’t the end of his story. To me, 03’s ending was a sad one that finishes with the shimmers of hope.
I think after all the hardship the Elric brothers went through for 51 episodes, I don’t think wanting a happy ending is unjustifiable. I remember watching the original ending and thinking to myself “man this is deep” the whole message of even through death, you don’t always find the answers you’re looking for. Tbh, I would’ve preferred an ending where Ed willingly sacrifices his soul in order for Al to regain his body back......but this whole Ed gets teleported to the “real world” and Al getting amnesia was really stupid at the end of day and really undercuts the overall impact of the ending.
So instead of finishing what they started, they have to embark on ANOTHER journey to reunite, but based on the overall message, that might not even possible.....it ultimately gives a sense of false hope of “maybe they can be together again” or “maybe not”. The fact that they had to make a whole separate movie just to fix all the mistakes just proves how disjointed the OG series really is.
The reason why I like Brotherhood so much more is the fact that it has a definite beginning and end. Despite the rushed first 10 or so episodes, it’s masterfully paced and has no real filler.
MTWENTY That’s fair, Brotherhood was pretty good. I think Al getting amnesia was a bit overboard. However, at least for me, FMA 2003 has more of a lasting emotional impact, when I think FMA I first think of 2003. So it’s completely up to everyone’s opinion which is better, I just am tired of the people who act like Brotherhood was the gift from god and 2003 is a mess.
MTWENTY YES THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING!! The connection to the alternate universe really ruined it for me tbh. It would’ve been just fine without it.
We just pretend that Conqueror or Shambala doesn’t exist
I think the ending was perfect exactly because it was imperfect. Sounds crazy but hear me out.
All throughout their journey, the Elric Brothers see people trying to fulfill their deepest wishes through alchemy but fail miserably because the desired outcome wasn't at all what they got. The brothers got a homunculus instead of their mother, Tucker got a soulless puppet instead of his daughter and so on... For the Elric Brothers to truly achieve their goal at the end of this series wouldn't have made any sense because nothing ever works out the way people intend and for there to be anything perfect or eternal would violate the rules the anime made. Therefore equivalent exchange does not work because that would be perfection the same way eternal life cannot exist and even a prolonged life heavily relies on the death of others.
It's exactly what sensei is always preaching throughout the anime. The desire to perfection will fuck with the natural order and no good can come from that.
I like both for different reasons, but, the homunculi thing is SO MUCH more impactful in 03, I mean, c´mon. It's an incredible concept in 03, and in Brotherhood felt like a disappointment.
Yeah especially if you consider soully how they were created differently with different mindsates in both anime
No, its stupid
I preffer brotherhood. Father lore was more interesting.
03 had some pretty interesting ideas but i found them lacking. They were trying to make homunculi a bigger plot point and ultimately didn't do a good execution
@@yoshaosaxofonista Father >>> Dante but the Brotherhood Homunculi are a joke. Especially Envy.
In 03 the homunculi are a puzzle to solve, you have to be clever and find their weakness to deal with them. In Brotherhood you just have to kill them over and over (assuming they don't just kill each other for you, lol)
For me, 2003 is more emotional strong than Brotherhood by faaaaaar and I love the ending.
This is why 2003 FMA for me is not above or below Brotherhood, it is equal to me, I like brotherhood for its action packed scenes while 03 really hooked me in with the drama, truly my first beloved anime series as a kid.
Same here my guy
2003 FMA will always be well above Brotherhood for me.
I think people often forget that when 03 came out, it was designed as a deconstruction of shounen anime, which was very popular at the time. Now, over the past several years shounen has become popular again, and BH is thusly considered a beacon of anime. But kids today really don't understand the experience of sitting down to watch what you assumed would be another shounen anime, only to see it completely deconstruct everything that makes a shounen anime, well, a shounen anime. It was a HUGE game-changer at the time, and lived as the #1 anime for many years, until BH fans purposefully downvoted it into oblivion. Over the years I've lost all respect for BH stans, they're too toxic for me to bother with anymore. Every time a BH stan tells someone to "skip 03 it's trash" I genuinely hope they walk face first into a wall or step on a lego or something.
i just don't understand how people can't like or at the very least respect both. i love both the 03 anime and BH. both are really great anime and though they use the same characters and setting, they are very different stories! which are both really great. i just don't get it.
@@abiean222 There are so many fascinating unintentional parallels between the two shows. E.g., Roy Mustang in 2003 loses one eye while in Brotherhood he loses both and gets both back. Or in 2003, Bradley in his final battle argues for the possible existence of God, while in his final battle in Brotherhood he argues against it.
I like 03 better but that doesn’t stop me from ALSO liking the BH ending. It’s actually a really cool and really rare thing that we almost never get: Two completely different interpretations of a story. One where it’s mostly consistent to a point and then it splits off into these two parallel universes. I’m happy that we have both, and they are both perfect anime’s to me
uff, i love fma bro i think its my favorite anime so far. but i did watch og first the conqueror of shambala film after and brotherhood years after those i do think bro takes the win but i advise everyone to watch like i did
Bro that's really common for big series like Naruto and Dragon ball.
SOME dragon ball z fans often skip the 1986 version and just like that many DBS fans skip even DBZ for animation. I can understand the pain of FMA 03 fans as it was same for me when I decided to watch the whole franchises of naruto and dragon ball
I watched FMA 03 when I was around 12 years old. I was very new to anime and I wasn't really sure what to expect... This show absolutely blew me away, from the message to the characters to the music I was completely engrossed into the show. Every episode keeping me on the edge of my seat waiting in excitement, but if there's anything in this show that really left a mark on me it was the ending. The ending made me cry like nothing before, the pain of losing yet the sweet fragrance of hope kept me yearning for more. Everywhere you look you will find a message, some may find a different one than I have, but, if there's anything I've realized is that this show portrays a very real image.
I watched this when I was 8 lmao that shit fucking blew my narutard mind
@@Uhhhhhyeahuhhhh lmao
Same situation same feeling mane
The emotional pacing, main character arcs, and themes are way better in '03. This was one of those life and mind shaping shows for me!
Couldn't agree more with you about the soundtrack, I love the ending and opening animations in Brotherhood, but I swear I get quickly bored hearing the soundtrack by itself ):
Let's Always remember that "Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa" is the actual ending of the 2003 version.
The original bittersweet 03 ending is miles better that CoS lame excuse for a happy ending.
cont-dump: I mean I wish we got the original draft or the intended 12 eps but I wouldn't call CoS happy.
Honestly I've never heard anyone describe it as such, usually "bittersweet"is used, so I'm curious on your opinion. I already gave mine months ago so it's here somewhere.
@@ThexDynastxQueen I gave my opinion in another comment but I don't mind writing it again. The ending of '03 was perfect on its own, there was no need for a continuation where Ed and Al ended up together, that completely defeats the purpose of equivalent exchange that the series introduces from the very beginning. I consider CoS's ending a lame excuse for a happy ending because it tries to make all characters content with this decision when they really shouldn't. The very reason why Ed went back to our world was so that Al could stay in their world, having them both in our world renders Ed's sacrifice at the end of 03 meaningless....
THAT MOVIE IS ALSO PRETTY DEPRESSIVE BUT GOD DAMN THAT ENDING WAS *PERFECT*
@@MADKapo just cause you didnt like it doesnt mean you get to cover your ears and be "lalala not listening #notmyending"
Friendly reminder that the real, REAL final ending to FMA '03 is that short, 5-minute OVA that takes place in present time in our world. It shows the modern descendants of Edward, Alphonse and, yes, even Winry off to see their great-grandfather. At the end of if, we see an aged Edward Elrich complete with an automail arm.
The OVA indirectly implies that Edward and Alphonse somehow managed to bring Winry over and have kids with her, and also have her make automail limbs for Edward.
This OVA is so sweet, and it makes me prefer FMA '03 without question. I love both, though.
Where do you find this OVA pls?
Waaaaat
@Solaria N lol!!!
Well I watched the OVA and mustang and his team were also present but as kids. So I dont think this OVA means much besides that Ed probably lived longer than Al and left Germany to live in Japan
@solarian1873this is very late but of course no, they’re Edward and Winry’s descendants
I have seen both Brotherhood and the '03 anime. Comparing the two, they both have their ups and downs, but my personal preference leans towards the '03 anime. I love the tone, the character arcs, and even the differences that a lot of Brotherhood fans crap on. No, there aren't any 'true' happy endings for most of the characters, but each character has a revelation or conclusion that fits their struggles throughout the series, whether it is good or bad. Reality has a way of not working out exactly the way you want it to and sometimes things don't work out at all, but you have to keep pushing forward and work to make the best of your situation. That's the message of Fullmetal Alchemist '03: don't let despair or the bad times keep you down, if you've got a strong pair of legs you can still use them. Get up, and move forward.
I just finished FMA 2003 at 4am and I was so caught off guard by the last 2 episodes… this dude Ed managed to “die” 3 times in the span of 2 episodes
which one you like more?
Same! I missed the airing of the last 2 episodes and finished it a few years later. I was honestly whiplashed by the events that lead up to its finale. What a crazy but memorable ending.
he had her mom die in front of him 3 times as well if you think about it. first one is when she actually dies, second one is where he momentarily believes he resurrected her but has to put her away in confusion while saving the soul of his brother, and keeping it as a secret for 4 years. and the last time where he turns her into ethanol right after learning homunculi too have some humanity in them; lust changing sides, the mom still having memories etc.
@@fridaynightplans_both are a masterpiece but I would prefer the 03 version cause I haven't completed brotherhood yet 😅😂
People telling Brotherhood is rushed because it is assumed that you watched 2003 is just a shitty excuse. 2003 is better at storytelling and that's a fact. Even the bittersweet ending is more emotional. People just don't have the gut to admit it. Fanboys are the worst.
Ok I’ll have to disagree, as a massive fan of both series
Brotherhood definitely isn’t perfect, but it does have plenty of things that it does correctly and things it does better than ‘03. Supporting characters like Havoc, Ross, and Hawkeye, receive a LOT more development and are all integral to the story and not just random low ranked soldiers
Certain characters like Kimblee and Bradley are just done better as well, with them both having much deeper and more interesting motivations for committing atrocities than just “evil”.
Worldbuilding is better as well, with there being much more varied scenery than the usual tall buildings of central
Don’t get me wrong, 2003 is better in many areas (tone, protagonists, ‘03 Wrath is just goated), but Brotherhood isn’t objectively worse. Overall they’re both amazing shows and both have stellar writing
@@ezrel6477 03 dwelves into "why" a character is the way they are, grounding their past experiences and making you care about them in the present (that's why Hughes moment is way mroe impactful in 03 than B). Meanwhile, B focuses on their journey from the present to who they want to become (that's why Mustang is way more interesting to follow).
I feel like 03 has very static characters, but you find out the reasons of who they are, while B has evolving characters whose journey (if you're hooked on it) is more interesting.
Watching both shows gives you a sense of understanding of the characters that you can't achieve by watching any of them on their own. That's why I believe watching 03 and then B is the way to go. Development of the past, then development of the present.
@@Germanchu92 agreed! I recommend 03 first for the same reasons (unless the person in question doesn’t want to pirate/buy physical versions lol). I feel that I’d enjoy BH a lot more if it gave the kind of time to explore why each character is who they are like 03 did
Yes, the 2003 FMA sadly has become a forgotten classic. But still excellent till this day and the ending (an original one) it closed the arch perfectly.
Because of Brotherhood's toxic fanbase.
I really liked the 2003 version up until the last episodes, I understood the messages and ideas but Edward being sent to the real world was a weird choice and felt strange since their was no mention or ideas that would lead to that point. I've only watched 03 once so I'll probs get a better appreciation for it if I watch it again lol
That's a sad reality. Even I was going with brotherhood first but then I forced myself to watch the 03 first just for better understanding and introduction
And after completing the series I just wanted to slap myself for almost skipping this masterpiece for good animation and rating of brotherhood
As someone who doesn't watch FMA 03 vids this was well done and clearly explained the message. I'd still say that CoS touches on the same messaging and if it had been fully realized as intended it probably would've further hammered it in.
I enjoy "both" 03's endings for this reason, heaven is lost but we could never actually have it in the first place and that's okay.
My god finally. I have been dying on this hill for years. The ending stuck with me so much longer and made the rest if the story that much sweeter. It was beautiful
THANK YOU, I’VE BEEN STRUGGLING FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE TO PUT TOGETHER THE WORDS FOR WHY I BELIEVE THE 2003’S ENDING IS SO GOOD BUT YOU DID IT FOR ME!
Hey, is your pfp Tetsuo from Akira?
2003 FMA was so well written, the progression of time and age between Ed and Al was perfect, you get to see how they both grew up, their appearance changing slightly with each new arch of the story. The ending and how they tied it to the movie ( Conqueror of Shamballa) was perfect with more character development.The movie ties it perfectly to the events in the series, with events that happened in our U.S. history. 2003 gets a lot of hate, but in my opinion it was written so well and its by far one of my favorite animes of all time
Fma is my favorite anime in general :)
It is infinity percent better than Brotherhood.
@@manofwisdom000 agreed
I've been looking more into what inspired the overall FMA story lately, and seeing that it has ties to real world concepts and the WWs also really helps the ending's direction that it took make more sense to me. Personally, the ending is still kind of a huge shock that I haven't gotten over yet. It did feel a little too fantastical and sudden for me, but the concept itself is mindblowingly interesting. Hearing you deconstruct it's meaning and implication further is making me appreciate the deeper depth I didn't realize it also had. Brotherhood's symbolism and ending definetly felt more well brought together but the 2003 series really expands and contains some unique explorations that aren't as fleshed out in Brotherhood. Thank you for making this!
"Instead of trying to undo your past mistakes, you should make the best of where you are now".
Dang that hit hard and hit deep.
Well-Said. 👍
FMA 03's Ending Resonated so much, precisely because of just how real it felt. #fightme
Thank you so much for making this video.
Agreed!
I only saw FMA 2003 and I've never seen FMAB or read the manga, so I can't compare them, but I remember I really liked Full Metal Alchemist 2003. What I loved the most about it it's the way Ed and Al's bond was portrayed and I agree that the finale was a good way to end this version of the story. I find it so moving how Ed sacrificed his bond with his brother and the memories they shared to save Al and allow him to live. Your video was an excelent analysis. Thank you.
FMA-03
Dark depressing story and atmosphere that worked really well for an alternative telling.
FMA-B
A more suspenseful mystery like plot line. With a great endi as well.
The ending of FMA 03 was supposed to be a glass half full, I admit when I was a kid and finished the anime I felt lost and frustrated because I didn’t understand the ending.
Hover after watching the anime again & movie I have come to the conclusion that both brotherhood and Fullmetal are both great stories & have their strengths an weaknesses.
There both great
I just finished ‘03 and I’m actually letting it sink it I can’t stop thinking about it
I liked them both, but FMA 2003 was more thematically consistent and believable imo. The 2009 Anime ended too perfectly for all major characters which weakened its credibility in my mind. Though I understand it's a happy ending meant to cater to children, the 2003 Anime's ending is more applicable to real life and will be understood by adults on a visceral level. Life is unfair, people don't always get what they deserve and things are never perfect, but you keep moving forward regardless. Life very much life the ending of the 2003 Anime is bittersweet, but there's hope in life still. Even at a young Age, the 2003 Anime left a much bigger impact on me than the more recent one.
Thank you, 03 always felt like a more fleshed out and visceral experience. You could feel how the theme of human nature is explored not only by Ed & Al, but the homunculus as well. Also the McGuffin of the philosopher’s stone felt more impactful when revealed. While Brotherhood is great it got way too shonen with its ending. Like you said 03 shows there’s happiness in life but it won’t always be in the ways you expect.
All of us will not get married and have kids. Win the big game. Or win the lottery. Or die peacefully of old age. But we still have the opportunity to shape our lives despite how difficult it gets.
The Conqueror of Shambala movie perfectly captures this. The brothers were reunited, but at the cost of having to leave everyone behind. It may not be fair, but to them, it’s what they had to sacrifice in order to finally be together.
I fucking love FMA so God damn much. All its adaptations are fantastic. In my opinion tho, I honestly think Brotherhood is the least of all three versions (the original manga, 03 anime, and BH) and 03 is my personal favorite version.
As much as I love the manga, it becomes too much like the stereotypical shonen anime by the end, i.e. teens use the power of friendship to fight God, and while it is one of the better versions of that trope, it still falls into that category, which is incredibly disappointing to me. The rushed first third of BH is such a baffling decision considering how they had decided to adapt the manga completely faithfully yet still felt the need to blaze through everything up to the Warehouse arc (I don't remember the number, don't kill me) just because they assumed people watched the 03 version.
On top of that, 03 is such a personal story for the Elric brothers that I can't help but love it. My biggest problem with the manga and BH is that the story feels a bit too grand for my liking. It feels like it should be a more understated story yet it ends up being this world spanning threat that I feel only serves to hurt the overall experience.
03, however, is the opposite: its slow (which I love, considering one of my favorite movies is Blade Runner), methodical, emotional, and far more complex with how it handles its themes and characters. Even the filler is some of the best filler you can get. It actually explores the themes of the show and brings up interesting questions that our heroes have to face. One of my favorite episodes of the entire show is when Ed meets the veteran after his granddaughter steals his leg. It's such a slow and thought provoking episode.
Moreover, the decision to make the homonculi the results of failed human transmutations is such a fucking fantastic idea. Not only does it stack even more, lasting consequences (honestly, how much did their failure really affect them? Sure Ed loses an arm and a leg and Al is a suit of armor, but honestly, that just makes them even more capable as fighters than they would be if they were completely human otherwise) on our heroes, but it also adds such a personal edge to the story that I can't help but wonder why Arakawa didn't come up with that idea herself (or maybe she did, I dunno).
I've seen this idea from a lot of people that BH is this masterpiece solely because it's a faithful adaptation of the manga. Don't get me wrong, they're both fantastic and to see the manga get a faithful adaptation finally is genuinely awesome, but I see a lot of shade get thrown at 03 for diverging at all. There's not a lot of talk about the actual execution of that divergence (which I personally love) or how it affects the themes or characters. It's just objectively bad because it's not faithful.
In my opinion, I respect the hell outta the creators for deciding to diverge from the source material completely instead of destroying the series with endless amounts of filler *cough* Naruto *cough* DBZ *cough* because they didn't have enough material to adapt yet. That's far more interesting and shows a genuine love and passion for the original story. They'd rather interpret the same story their own way rather than ruin an otherwise great show with unnecessary filler. It's basically high quality fanfiction, which I'm totally down for.
Ok. You’re wrong but ok
Well said. I enjoyed both shows but 03 will always be my favorite. The story choices (like you said, the homunculi being failed human transmutations) felt more consistent and thematically appropriate on a more "understated" and personal level I could relate to.
The classic shounen aspect of fighting an overpowered, godlike enemy with crazy supernatural powers never appealed to me, but Dante was a human who fell to human flaws. The theme of 03 was always about human vices and hubris being our downfall and the theme of mistakes and ensuing regret staying with us throughout life. Both very relatable, understandable, and relevant messages.
On the other hand, broho's story takes place on a much larger scale and is not nearly so personal or introspective as a result. They're both good shows well worth the watch, but due to personal preference, 03 was more impactful for me. I rewatch it at least once a year, but never felt inclined to rewatch broho.
Sorry for the essay. There's my two cents :)
Nice comparison. Although I love both shows equally, I do feel the saddest for FMA 03, because it basically got the short end of the stick. It deserves way more respect and credit than it gets nowadays. It was so highly praised as one of the best anime and people loved the adaptation back then, but when Brotherhood came out it suddenly got shafted-especially by new fans who likely only saw the newest version hyped up and thus only watched BH, and either weren’t prepared for FMA 03 to be so different from a regular shounen, or didn’t bother watching it at all because they heard it wasn’t faithful and automatically followed the hate train without even bothering to consider giving it a chance. FMA 03 paved the way for the standards of anime back then, and now everyone is too impatient to take a slow burn, less action packed version over the bombastic, shinier newer show.
I see FMA 03 like I see similarly paced stories like Cowboy Bebop. That show was a much smaller scale story: the pace wandered along much like the cast of lost and broken characters, no huge bad guy to fight or save the world from-almost everything that happened revolved around the crew and happened in the ship-including more filler-esk episodes that despite being filler-still gave us character development and sometimes a nice relaxing break from the otherwise often depressing and pensive tone of most episodes. Plus: it didn’t have a happy ending and a lot of things were not wrapped up for the crew in some massive way-but it was heavily character driven, and people liked that.
FMA 03 did things in a similar way and had the same doomed sort of vibe as it went on, and had a relatively small cast to focus on. So I almost wanna say FMA 03 isn’t even really a shounen, but more a drama or character study for the Elrics. It deserves more respect and love than it currently gets.
I feel like u miss out if you don’t see both. It completes the experience and is an interesting contrast with different things to take away from both versions.
@@doodlemunchkin2222 I've never been able to put all that into exact words, but that's a great way of describing it. I agree. I wish people wouldn't pit BH and 03 against eachother as if one has to be the "true" FMA.
They take such different approaches to the story and characters- one is a plot-driven shounen and the other is a character-driven drama. I believe that both sides of the story are valuable, well worth watching, and add to FMA's overall appeal. Like you said, it's almost as if you're missing half the experience if you decide not to watch one or the other.
@@dreamingblue3939 yeah. Tbh if u combined both u would get the perfect show. They complete each other.
And those who argue solely on: “it isn’t based on the manga and diverged so it’s bad” seem to not know that the author and creator of FMA was heavily involved and referenced for a lot of the making of the new FMA plot.
She designed a lot of the anime-only characters herself, was in on pitch meetings and oversaw a lot of changes, and gave them her blessing to continue and not wait for her to finish her own version in the manga.
Plus she openly says how she loves FMA 03-especially the homunculi and their stories, and has also drawn out koma clips describing and explaining the experience and thoughts on FMA 03’s production, and has also made other komas involving the FMA 03 plot and characters. She herself is not ashamed of it.
If they were true diehard fans like they say, they would’ve known that...😌☕️
Really awesome video, thanks for this. It's great to see people still talking about how good this show - and it's ending - were, all the way in 2019. It's so important that people don't write it off just because Brotherhood is flashier and faster paced.
I finished watching fullmetal alchemist these days, and I just loved the ending. I always thought since I saw it that it made perfect sense with the story, people hate sad endings because we usually want distractions with entertainment and to think in a sweeter way. But that's not how life works, and I applaud works that have the courage to give their characters tragic endings. I learned a lot about journey, life and consequence from this anime. Honestly for me it's better than the first one, I'm in a huge rush for you to make this video, I've always thought so. You were really amazing for being able to understand this ending instead of judging it like most people do, completely depriving it of its meanings. At the moment I don't speak English, but thanks to this video I gained a motivation to study your language just to follow your sister channel, the video was incredible and I can only congratulate you.
I like how calm your voice is as you explain. I'm terrified by conflict, so I prefer video essays with a non-confrontational tone. I finished the 2003 FMA anime about twenty minutes ago, and the first RUclips video I checked out about it was littered with hostile comments, so I'm in a state of relieved panic right now. I guess I'm trying to say your video helped me calm my nerves and I feel grateful for that.
Glad I could help! I always try to elevate the the stories I talk about by being more insightful rather than confrontational. Being hostile never works in trying to show someone a different perspective.
2003 has a special place in my heart, I built my bonds with those characters and that supported mangahoods generally quicker pace
This was beautiful. You have perfectly articulated what I've never been able to put to words about what I liked so much about 2003's narrative. It was packed full of so much truth and was truly a work of art. And people don't like that because... well it's pretty uncomfortable to willingly accept the idea that there's so much suffering in life that we'll have to experience. But just because you refuse to acknowledge it doesn't mean it's not there. You're just going to delay the inevitable, like Dante.
But if you take on the painful truth and bear it- it becomes a suit of armor. Something so strong that you will be able to withstand anything life throws at you.
Great video, i agree. The ending had been foreshadowed in the series multiple times too. One of the best final fights as well in my opinion, two alchemists talking about their worldviews and philosohies. The dialogue was really well done.
I would call FMA 2003 more mature than FMA:B and not really shounen like so the ending really did fit the themes of the 2003 series well. I also think that the ending proved Dante wrong in some aspects. What a great villain, much more refined than Father.
What makes you say that FMA was more mature than FMAB? If anything because of the dialogues and monologues FMAB is more subtle cause it allows the actions of the plot to demonstrate its themes.
Father was an artificial human who wanted to loose his humanity as he wanted to gain godly level of sense of significance in the world i.e., his pride needed to be compensated and ed elric who was frustrated at his human limitations in the end his arc was about accepting his humanity and ultimately sacrificing any chance of gaining that significance on a grander scale by giving up alchemy powers and as a result of the two contrasts one is rewarded and the other is consumed by god.
As for having a bitter sweet ending thats an incredibly superficial reason to say that the ending is immature by that same token endings like the whiplash is more mature than la la land or the ending for 12 angry men is immature.
No, it's not perfect. The brothers are separated and Lyra isn't even mourned while her stolen body decays in Gluttony's stomach.
@@michaelflores9220 Did you even listen to the video? The brothers` separation is inkeeping with The Series` themes of entropy and equal sacrifice not necessarily meaning nor garnering equal gain!Also,Lyra was already dead aside from as a false persona for Dante when Dante body-hopped into her!Plus she wasn`t that great a person to begin with though Dante and Yoki were definitely worse!
@@michaelflores9220 Also,the brothers are reunited thanks to Wrath`s sacrifice in "Conqueror of Shamballa"!
@@AspieMediaBobby When working as a maid and meeting Ed again she is depicted as showing genuine remorse. Edward even says Lyra had "done a 180".
I have heard the argument so many times that "Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) sucks" and never once have I agreed with that statement. I think they're both adaptations superior in their own ways, but I've always had difficulty explaining why I like the 2003 adaptation. Thank you so much for making this video :)
If someone doesn't feel satisfied, because they want to see Ed & Al together in the end, then watch the movie Shanbara o Yuku Mono. It's kind of a sequel to fma.
and if you dont feel satisfied after the movie, read Idea's doujinshi, the art is sick the story is dope but it is BL though and Ed got raped
ps - her doujinshi countinue the story after the movie
@@iHaveGrudgeAgainstUT as much as I love those doujinshi, I don't see how it's more satisfying than the actual story
YESSS CONQUEROR OF SHAMBALLA perfectly tied in everything 🥺
Or just watch Brotherhood lmao
Fantastic vid man. Seeing people dunk on the original series really does piss me off sometimes man. Especially cuz usually people who say that it sucks didnt even watch it and are just parroting the take.
03 had a more dark art to it. And showed the more dark side of the magics of alchemy.. ot showed what the mystical art could do within the wrong hands.. and it was beautiful
I always preferred 03 over Brotherhood, but because Brotherhood is unanimously picked as the better of the two I always assumed that I was blinded by nostalgia. Maybe that’s true, but 03 has something special that isn’t easily replicated. Humankind cannot gain anything without giving something of equal value in return
Dude I thought the same thing. I especially love the ending for the 03 version, it felt so poetic. I also liked the homunculi from the 03 version more.
@@juanbeltran7266 Oh for sure. Sloth and Wrath were a lot more interesting to me as they really illustrated how Ed and the Homunculi aren’t that much different. They played a lot better with the theme of what it means to be a family
@@froufroudeluxe My reason for rating 2003 over Brotherhood would be the hanling of death. Death in 2003 has much more the feeling of something could happen at anytime much more than 2003. Its like the Game of Thrones feeling of fear for the characters. Death is also perfectly dramatic. Hugh and Nina are of course huge in Brotherhood aswell but have a lot more impact in 2003. Lust death has a high impact in both for different reasons. You have a lot of death and brutality in the "hated" fillers of 2003 aswell. But not to much. Death is always present. When you look at the final battle of Brotherhood you see that alot of the corrupt council, all of the homuncli and father die (or whatever happend to pride). These where presented as dangerous. But the good guys only lost 2 old side characters and van Hohenheim after the fight with an happy ending. Like no one was truly ever in danger.
true. brotherhood's ending felt too good to be true for a story that tells about "equivalent exchange" imo
@@lumie372 that’s bc brotherhood is aimed at the typical anime fan (not bad by any means). 2003 feels like an actual literary work.
Thematically 2003 is an interesting take on the world of FMA, and I can respect that they basically flew by the seat of their pants for the second half of the story and didn't make something completely unwatchable.
That being said, "thematically interesting" isn't the same as "good," and even when I watched it for the first time years and years ago, before FMAB, I could tell the story had jumped the shark and was running on fumes by the end. All the themes and characterizations you mentioned are good ideas, and if they were the plan from the start, then I think the writing would've been tighter and maybe I'd even agree that it was a "perfect" ending, but it really does seem like they came up with the conclusion "Edward and Alphonse HAVE to be separated at the end of the series" and worked backwards from there, making last-minute adjustments to Dante's, Hohenheim's, and Envy's characters, making a half-baked explanation for what The Gate is, and adding in a baby to act solely as a distracting plot device to make it all work.
It was also a bummer to basically see all non-Ed plot threads and character arcs just kind of stop (I notice a lot of people ignore this when talking about 2003). Scar and Roy especially. Scar just turned into a way for the plot to progress by making Al a philosopher's stone and then dying, and Roy's whole "fighting the military" arc was just awful by the end (Robo-Archer especially); his fight with Bradley felt totally inconsequential, capped off by a fakeout death that was resolved like 5 minutes later.
It's cool to like 2003, and hell I've watched it a bunch of times as well, but calling the ending perfect or satisfying is something I can't agree with. At best, I think the show is an interesting character study of Edward Elric, but as a story, especially one spanning over 50 episodes, it doesn't hold up. Regardless, I do always appreciate well-thought-out FMA content.
To each their own, I guess! Thanks for the civilised comment even though we disagree, I always appreciate that.
It's curious to me that you view the Roy/Bradley fight as inconsequential. Do you mean inconsequential in terms of affecting Ed's story? Or inconsequential in terms of the political situation in FMA 2003's world? Or something else?
@@thekirkusmaximusful I mean that it felt like the story was focused almost entirely on Ed's story, at the expense of other plotlines that had already been going on since essentially the start of the show, such as the political struggle, reflected by the Roy/Bradley conflict. The whole political struggle essentially ends when Bradley dies because the plot says Selim has to show up in the fight with Bradley's one and only weakness (it feels cheap and inconsequential to have the fight be decided by a contrivance like that), and Roy seems to be killed, but not really (therefore feeling inconsequential). Afterwards, there's barely any exploration for what happens to the nation now that Bradley is dead and the entire state is in chaos, since we're now focused entirely on the Ed/Al situation and don't have much time left to wrap up the story.
I don't wanna compare to FMAB too much, since that's not fair to 2003, but FMAB having a whole episode to wrap up all the loose ends, explore what happens after the bad guy is killed, and to talk about what happens next, makes the world feel alive and real, with actions and consequences, rather than how 2003 dropped almost everything to do a pretty good character study on Edward Elric as he's presented in that show.
I’ve always said fma is the best story that can never have an ending that holds up the it, this applies to both versions. I think both endings are serviceable and decent but both have a lot of problems and areas where they suffer as the series progresses.
@@LaserFace23 Interesting. To your point that the story mostly focuses on Ed, I felt that was the intended purpose from the very beginning. The series isn't about Roy's political campaign first and foremost; it's about two kids growing up and learning to accept the world they/we live in. The series isn't trying to make Ed, a 14 year old boy, solve politics by charging into a war with Roy; it's trying to make Ed understand the complexities of war and politics by coming to sympathize with Roy. The coup/assassination plot is an important piece of the story (and admittedly it is a little rushed and Robo Archer felt out of place), but I didn't mind that it ultimately was secondary to resolving Ed and Al's character arcs.
To your point that the Roy/Bradley fight was decided due to Selim's apparent deus-ex-machina, I actually thought this was a really fitting end to Pride. I liked that Roy himself was completely outmatched - not only b/c of Bradley's reveal of his Ultimate Eye power, but also b/c it reflects Roy's rash decision making in attempting an assassination against a homunculus in an isolated room without backup. Selim coming back to check on Pride reflects the apparent love btwn father and son, and Pride's rage and strangling Selim reveals that that love was never genuine - it was a charade to give Pride confidence and assure him of his humanity. Remember that Pride was Dante's favorite homunculus - not just b/c he was the only one to remain absolutely loyal to Dante till the end, but also b/c Pride was the only one to age like a human. Giving Pride a son that he could "love" was just another way to fuel Pride's ego - to give Pride all the affectations of being human (being humanity's political leader, having a family) - without any of the substance of being human (experiencing loss, corruption, desire, etc.) And the fact that Selim comes back is Pride's "humanity" ultimately being "flawed" - a being who scoffs at the foolishness of humans was ultimately undone by his own attempt to pass as human - his own "human flaw". I don't know if I what I just said will make much sense to you - my only point is that I personally see an internal logic to Selim/Bradley's relationship that makes Pride's death more than just a "copout" to me.
I just watched this fma on Netflix and finished it within 3 days. A hell of a masterpiece. 💯 ❤😍
As someone that watched FMA brotherhood first, the ending to the 03 FMA was heartbreaking. Throughout the series, you want Ed and Al to be together again in their bodies but they end up separated, in different worlds with no means to go back and not knowing if the other is still alive. Yet, it reflects on the sacrifice both brothers were willing to do for one another and how they both grew up enough to learn that their peace could come not by the desired ending but by accepting what comes from life, as unfair as it might be (contrary to what they perceive at the beginning, their mother's death seen as unfair and avoidable) and Ed being instead reunited with his father, who he didn't like as he, under Ed's eyes, abandoned them and their mother. This reflects on Mustang's character as well, he did what he had to do but as a result, he placed himself in an undesirable position and at disadvantage, never achieving what he really wanted (being Fürer). I think in the end, what FMA 03 reflects is in the unfairness of the world and how you can still come to terms with it and accept it.
Fittingly in this context, '03 series felt like an alternate universe to the original story. As in, I could believe that that's what the characters would do given the different circumstances, as opposed to a meaningless butchering of the story
FMA 03 will always be my favorite anime. It resonated with me so much deeper than brotherhood did. Well done on the analysis.
This is why I said FMA AND FMAB are really good and told people if you ignore the manga it’s amazing. However people hated this take.
After I watched FMAB which I felt to be fun, I had to go back and watch the 03 version (bought the box set as soon as I saw it way back when). I agree and really appreciate analysis vids like this because I feel as though the original ANIME is more deserving of "best anime" than Brotherhood. Its pathos is appropriate for the subject matter imo. It is, as you've said, a sweet and sad ending of the main protags brotherly love story.
The thing is that Brotherhood is an extremely well executed shounen-show which is more action-oriented while FMA2003 is a seinen, geared towards an older audience with more mature content.
@@MilesCW they are both mature
bird Samora I don’t know, I mean brotherhood is very mature for a shonen, but it solves most of its conflicts with straightforward action fights and tries to inject humor into the series way too much and where it really shouldn’t (example death of sloth.)
@@haosmagnaingram6992 i mean sloth wasn't a super important character, but important moments are taken seriously example and spoilers......
The death of greed was taken with seriousness, the moment when Ed said to winry that her hands weren't meant to kill but to give life, lust death, even envy's death didn't have comedy around it.
@@haosmagnaingram6992 now sure fmab has a lot of comedy but it does take its serious moments serious.
This video was beautifully done. I like brotherhood but the 2003 version holds such a special place in my heart. It was the first FMA I saw. Although it didn’t technically follow the manga, its story is still amazing as brotherhoods is.
Keep in mind that the manga was hardly even halfway over by the time 2003 ended and everything that happen in 2003’s second half was planned from the very beginning since they knew they were gonna overtake the manga anyway. The 2003 series is superior in the entire franchise. Brotherhood only handled Kimblee (except his death) and Bradley better.
This was by far my favorite ending out of any anime I’ve watched to date, just wow. Such a beautiful tragedy of a story really did make the bittersweet ending appropriate. I understand why people were upset about it, maybe I just watched this show at the perfect time and that’s why it resonated with me so much. Buttt maybe it was just a hell of an anime after all🤷🏽♂️ Also, love how there’s always a vibrant sunset at the end of most of the episodes. Always makes you feel okay even when things are at their worst in the story
I actually really like how the first movie connects to the ending of 2003’s story, and I fully enjoyed the original series, especially the beginning. The episode with human barry the chopper is one of my favorite episodes between either series, and is unique to 2003.
That being said, I’m still a sucker for brotherhood’s ending and how tight the plot is
This right here ^^^ I think the thing that was the worst part of 03 for me was Al having amnesia, didn’t make sense to me. But the sacrifice made by Ed in both series is impactful. 03 he sacrifices himself for his brother and Brotherhood he sacrifices the very thing he believed in all his life. He made a name for himself as an alchemist and in the end, he throw it all away bc he knew his family/brother was more important/worth it. Both endings made me teary eyed but I prefer Brotherhoods concrete ending.
@@rashmiperceval3471 Yeah I think so too that it haven't been explained. Al's amnesia comes from his sacrifice to bring Ed back to life. Let's start when Envy reveals his true form shocking Ed and using the moment stabs him in the chest. Naturally, Ed would have died... However earlier thanks to the Kimblee incident if I remember correctly (if not correct me please) Al himself had become the Philosopher's Stone (that is why he couldn't touch Ed for a time because the stone reacted). Using the Stone (that is practically himself) he brought Ed back to life in exchange for his own existence. So the Alphonse who travelled with Ed literally ceased to exist.
Ed couldn't accept the fact that Al gave up his chance at life for someone (in his own opinion) as foolish and undeserving as himself and used his alchemy to restore the form of Al that could still exist (the Alphonse who has yet to meet Nina). It is only depicted as an amnesia, but practically it is not. It is just a different Al that has been restored, much like how you can restore your computer/laptop after a breakdown from the backup files.
The price Ed gave was his existence in their universe, that is why he got into our universe.
I hope this cleared it up a little :)
@@rayn2436 Yes it did thank you. I do remember it being explained in the Shamballa movie but I watched that ages ago so I couldn’t remember. Imo I feel like it should’ve been explained a little better within that ending but it was pretty interesting overall. Also, would Al have given up the existence of those past few years or his soul? Did his soul return to his past body? I just think Brotherhood maneuvered around the gate and his body better, but to be fair, that is how the manga writer (sorry don’t know his name) intended it to be. But once again ty for the explanation
@@rashmiperceval3471 Yeah that's one of the more serious plotholes of the 2003 version. The concept of Al's body.
Let's see, if my theory is right then Al gave up his WHOLE existence in exchange for Ed's life. He gave up everything just like that just for his brother's safety and chance at finding happiness. So with that the Al who travelled with Ed, knew Mustang and his team, saw Nina die... etc simply ceased to exist.
The Al-being restored-without-the memories-of-their-travels thingy is all thanks to Ed's sacrifice. Since something that ceased to exist cannot be broght back even with alchemy he was stuck with two options: 1. he moves forward alone
2. he tries to bring Al back
Now, since you know too the consequences of Human Transmutation it was out of question. However restoring an Alphonse from an earlier time is possible for a skilled alchemist like Edward is. So in a way he was a coward, as he was too scared that he wouldn't be able to move on with the thought that Al is practically dead and with the burden of failure he chose that option.
Chosing this makes Ed more realistic and that was I believe the main point of this.
@@rayn2436 gotcha
FMA 03 gives me so much hope and catharsis, I truly can't understand people who dismiss it as 'just depressing'. Those same people always get offended when I say BH and the manga's overly happy ending feels fake to me. I will never love an anime more than I love FMA 03, for more reasons than I have room to list here.
Both shows are amazing anime that I think complement each other very well. Brotherhood had a rushed beginning with the first thirteen episodes, but the 2003 series makes up for that with it’s brilliant first half which covers that part of the story beautifully. However the source material that the original show didn’t cover, Brotherhood more than makes up for. Each show explored themes and ideas on philosophy and religion in their own unique ways and developed the main characters in their own unique ways too.
Brotherhood is in my top five favorite anime of all time while the ‘03 anime is in my top thirty.
I didn’t think the ending of the original show was bad, just the episodes leading up to it felt a little rushed, and the follow-up film Conqueror of Shamballa kinda ruined the ending a bit for me as well.
When I was watching it like 7 years ago, it felt absolutely perfect and heartbreaking and revolutional and I just needed this kind of experience in my life. It was definitely life-changing and it cemented my love towards anime in general.
I completely agree with every point made.
As sad as it is to accept the ending for the bittersweet aftertaste, it’s a cohesive ending and it pulls in all the strings of doubts we might have during the series when finding breadcrumbs of information.
Do I like the events of the ending? Emotionally speaking no, but it makes so much sense in the context of the storyline and the evolution of the characters themselves.
This video basically proves why I love 2003 fma more than any other anime
It was really cool watching both shows, seeing them slowly, but steadily diverge, like watching alternate universes.
Ironically, in the end, Dante put in little effort and manipulated others into doing her work for her and received nothing. An equivalent exchange
I enjoyed brotherhood but 03 holds a special place in my heart. Pretty sure i accidentally modeled my personality around Ed and Col. Mustang.
I loved 2003 vergion much better. Because it still gives me goosebumps for story and music.
It was great to see the franchise again as brotherhood. It was fun but just didn't satisfy me as 2003 did.
Nearly destroyed the show
I watched 03 and was blown away by how emotionally real, political, and grounded it was. I just thought that was what FMA was, my friend hyped up brotherhood as way better. I was hyped, but it wasn't the same at all.
2003 won me over because it was the first show to make death feel real to me. It was a drama. Brotherhood is a shounen.
I was 15 when I watched FMA and grieving over the loss of a friend who died of murder only followed by my grandmother who I was very close with 4 months later. I don't recall my life too well, it is a blur to me. I simply remember spending a lot of time in bed watching anime. In those days, FMA offered me an outlet for emotions deeper than I could explain. I cried endlessly watching this series and was deeply moved. All the themes of the series; such as letting go, grief, accepting death, revenge, resilience, determination, the grey area between good and bad etc. really affected me.
@@0Demiyah0 @0Demiyah0 I too lost someone in a similar fashion at that age, I can't begin to say how much I feel for you and your friend.
That sort of event puts us in a dark place-- even darker if we aren't allowed to process the feelings that come along with someone being essentially taken from us. You said it well. Art like that gives us the tools in a lot of ways to allow us to grieve and address that sort of trauma in life.
I don't know how to express through text how thinking about this again and your story made me feel but it was positive and I want to thank you for bringing it up. It's difficult to think about but I do think it helps us more in the end. Thank you
FMA 2003 is a shonen too, no different. If anything, it's more flashy, while most of Brotherhood is actual political/character drama
Brilliantly made! FMA to this day stay as my favourite anime. Thank you for creating this video and thank you for understanding the details, and the story in the way it should be understood (imo)! :)
Shoutout to the clown JeloApocalypse for bashing this and unintentionally boosting it.
Fuck that idiot
What did he say?
What happened?
Jelo is obviously doing something right with his amount of subscribers. 2003 fma sucks ass. No way to boost it.
Noob Spawn77 explain why it’s bad
A generalization I made more so as an opinion from when I watched both anime was brotherhood was there because it really couldn’t end badly for the Elrich brothers or rather shouldn’t because as a viewer you’re going through all the stress,turmoil, and sacrifice as the characters and for all that progress to end with “you got what you wanted but not the way you wanted it” would’ve depressed everyone heavily. 2003 since it caught up to the manga had to go the only other route other than fillers which was to finish the story for the manga. I always saw the Elrich brother’s journey as a doomed or tragic one because they already learned that equivalent exchange was THE law of the world. Regardless they trudged on in their quest for a miracle work around knowing their last “miracle” ended with such tragedy. 2003 felt so satisfying in the most melancholic way because Ed got his brother’s body back and gained his lost limbs but at the cost of his own “life” and his brother’s memory of him. Yeah the movie sorta fixed the brother thing but it was still at great sacrifice. Overall the anime really taught me that the world works off a system of checks and balances that don’t always seem fair but in the end you’ll get exactly what you deserve. Rambling aside I just really liked Alphonse’s English va and the ost
Actually Arakawa said she gave them permission to change stuff, they already knew shewouldn't be able to finish the manga before the show ended so they asked for permission and ended it differently. Arakawa wanted them to do things differently, she didn't initially want a complete retread of her work
Great job as always Kevin, not much to add because unfortunately 2003 is a blindspot in my viewing experience - one that this video has gone a long way in getting me to rectify that - but just a note that rewatching this today was just as rewarding as the first watch on the original yesterday.
Ah thank you so much! You should definitely check out 03, the general consensus is that Broho is better but a vocal minority vastly prefer the way 03 is handled.
@@KevinNyaa I prefer 2003. I'm not nostalgia blinded. I watched Brotherhood first. I think the manga is the best FMA content with 2003 right behind it. There's just something in the way Brotherhood was adapted that I like less. Dunno what it is.
Saw that Jello Apocalypse (crybaby) was giving you shit on twitter so I thought I'd drop a sub. cheers
Thanks man for making this video you never know how goosebumped i was when watching this video of yours, its full of description of how the ending is all about in 03. My thought of the reason why many despise this masterpiece is that we cling to the thing that we think it’s supposed to be at the end of the time. Happiness. The world is cruel therefore explain why the ending shouldve ended the way it was, life is full of inevitables by the time it comes we’ll never see it coming but thats life. Full of mysteries and people seem to cant get grasp on it. What matters is learn from those crucial ones, accept and live on and get what you sow. Cause that’s what life all about reap what you sow and accept the bitter consequences. Its part of blessings we couldn’t careless about.
excellent analysis. just finished fma with my boyfriend and he thinks its one of the best he's seen - he says he has no idea how brotherhood could even top it.
ironically, i think the aspect of brotherhood is so much stronger is the 03 version. the narrative asks them "would you die for your brother" and they both agree. the narrative then gives them an impossible decision: "would you choose your brother or the world?". ed decides that he will give up everything he has ever known to seal the gate, and al decides to come too despite knowing what he is giving up.
the only thing i dont like about the ending is poor winry :(
I was looking for this video these days, glad it came back
I feel like the ending for fma is hopeful. Ed and al will keep persevering to get back to each other no matter what
Love this video, glad to see it back on RUclips after several months of being down for copyright
Thank you for putting into words something I felt ever since watching this series. I could never quite come to terms with my feelings on FMAs adaptations because in my heart I always liked FMA03 more but couldn't articulate why. After Brotherhood finished airing, the overwhelming consensus seemed to be that it was far superior as a show. FMAB is great, but never came close to eliciting the same emotions from me as FMA03. I really wish everyone would give it a chance. More often than not, my friends who watched 03, even after Brotherhood, also loved it.
I really enjoyed this video. Not too sure if many animes today have these deeper meaning implications you explained. I think much of the current anime shows has been overshadowed with the whole virtual game/isekai genre due to popularity. Thanks for making this! 😃
really, thank you. i... have always had a deep and profound love for 03, never really had the words as to why, at least not in a concise manner. and, well.... whenever i'd see comparisons of the two brotherhood always won out with no consideration to what 03 brought to the table. so thank you, for giving light to the other side
Sapphire Seas agreed! 03 is so underrated and underappreciated..... no one even gives it a chance because they think Brotherhood is the same as 03.... some episodes are but the story goes a completely different way.. i wish people would give 03 a chance. literally more character depth and realism. 03 taught me so much