I Finally Watched FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 2003 and... (FMA '03 Review) 

As a fan of both adaptations, it really disappoints me that so many people who have gotten into FMA after 2011 have been discouraged from watching the original 2003 show-or just straight up told not to watch it. The show has been known to be a forerunner in the early 2000’s as one of the greatest animes and one of the first to break through into the States and gain huge popularity here. It was always seen as a quality show with great mature themes, atmosphere, and grounded lovable characters. Even with the manga adaptation existing and doing well at the time, FMA 03’s story was still respected and praised, even with the manga readers. So how is it that when the manga anime adaptation came around, people started to completely disregard 03 and throw all of its accomplishments and praise out the window? Just because a flashier, shinier anime adaptation comes around shouldn’t change the fact that FMA 03 is still just as an iconic and great show as it was before. I really think the 03 hate train started with newer anime fans who jumped into anime when BH was hot and 03 wasn’t getting as much spotlight anymore, and because it was known that BH was more manga faithful, newer fans automatically assumed FMA 03 wasn’t worth the time or trash-so that mentality began to spread as a fact and tainted 03’s image and the way any new fans approached it when attempting to give it a chance. Either way, it’s pretty sad, and honestly a little unfair to compare them when they’re both so tonally different. They’re almost 2 completely different genres.

03 is criminally underrated honestly

You forgot to mention the soundtrack. It's just amazing and sets the tone so well.

To me, in the 2003 adaptation, Ed and Al felt more like brothers than in Brotherhood. And that might be because Bones used their time creating a character-centric story and we got to watch the boys growing up, seeing them comprehend the idea of losing a parent when Winry lost hers. That was genuinely heart-wrenching -- watching the boys run to hug their ill-fated mother when they understood it could happen. And for some reason, Al felt more like the little boy he was despite being attached to the armor than he felt in Brotherhood. In the end, when they sacrificed themselves for the other (resulting in them being separated into two different universes), that felt exactly like what each would do, because they felt more like brothers. Not to say that Ed and Al in Brotherhood didn't feel or seem like brothers -- just not as much as in the 2003 FMA. This to say that I loved each adaptation and really SHOULD get around to reading the manga already. It's always fun to hear other people's ideas, so thanks for sharing yours.

Dante is an interesting antagonist to me because her late reveal as the mastermind is really to set up Ed’s final moral confrontation and final nail in the coffin for his faith in the law of equivilant exchange. Which is basically what his arc and relationship with alchemy and the way he uses it to cope with his past mistakes was leading up to. She’s the biggest challenge to his world views that were already crumbling as the show progressed. She isn’t really meant to be the big bombastic baddie or huge threat physically to the protags-the homunculi are there to fill that role more-instead Dante works as a final foil for Ed’s character and practically reveals the true message that FMA 03 was leading up to all along. It wasn’t a physical battle, rather it relied more on Ed and Dante’s moral and mental battle. Which fits with FMA’s more intimate character-centric tone and philosophical themes tbh. She is to Ed what Ed was in the first episode to Rose. It’s a nice full circle for his arc. For that reason, I think she works.

I feel the story from 2003 was super strong and you were really attached to the characters. Scar , greed , Nina , and mustang all felt more real in 2003 And I actually loved lust

Yea that Major Hughes storyline was definitely better handled in the 2003 version

What i love about the 2003 adaptation is the ending bittersweet, feels real he got his brothers body back but there was an exchange for that , the sadness it sticks with you, but at the same time is hopeful, now they no longer want to bring back their mother they just want to be back togather, Also I really liked that this show was more a Drama than a full-on shonen with a final boss battle with world-ending stakes like literally every single shonen anime has (NARUTO, DBZ, FMA BROTHERHOOD, SAINT SAIYA etc etc etc), I like that Humuncali are the by product of human transmutation, again it brings more drama to the table. for this and many other reasons i like 2003 better than FMA brotherhood, yeah go ahead burn me alive.

I loved Dante's underground city and the ballroom.

Love this show. Enjoyed it more than Brotherhood.

I love the 2003's ending not the least because it fits so well into the breakdown of the "equivalent exchange" concept. I really appreciate Dante and Hohenheim's thoughts on how this law may be used sometimes but doesn't define the life. As Dante said, people do not always gain as much as they pay, so, this bitter-sweet ending kind of shows that even if Ed and AL have been through a lot and paid a great price, it doesn't mean they will get a "happily ever after".

For me fma03 was the introduction to this amazing series when I was a kid and I will forvere be grateful to it. My two cents on fma vs brotherhood: • fma: has better character design, way better soundtrack and overall tone (more tragic and dramatic, which I love) but the plot kinda gets all over the place towards the ending. Some ideas where great (homunculi being the result of a failed human transmutation and our world being on the other side of the portal) but there were definitely some inconsistencies in their execution, mainly because the beginning of the story was designed with another direction in mind, and I think it shows. Overall fma03 is great: I think it was a better made anime than brotherhood but the ending is way too sad for my poor little heart. • brotherhood: I like the plot better (because the manga is my absolute favorite), but as aside from that it’s weaker then fma on every major point. The character desing and the background style are really not my thing, looks like it was made in a rush (which I know it was, but still I expected a lot more). And given the fact that they had the amazing narrative of the manga to follow, I think they made a very safe and at the same time not complete adaptation, being too literal in some instances where they could have taken advantage of the different medium and simultaneously cutting out some amazing moments of character development, that were in the manga. With the advantage of knowing the original plot they could have done so much more in my opinion. I think if we had the team of fma03 adapting the complete original story, the final result would be a MAJESTIC anime. But we have two enjoyable adaptations with what I consider complementary flaws.

2003 felt more Grounded if that makes sense. Like Dante’s actions had impacts on the World, but not to the scale of Father. You know for a fact that once the Elrics are gone they won’t be remembered, only being remembered by the people they had an impact on in the world, and once they pass away no one will remember them. While the BrotherHoods ending feels like the finale will go down in History Books, and be remembered for centuries because of the impact it had on the world where basically everyone almost died. Also I recommend you watch the movie. It ties in some characters to have a conclusion like Gluttony, and Wrath who’s fates are unknown at the end of 2003, same with Ed. It just ties the movie together better. I don’t want to say the ending is the best, but it’s better than the TV show ending.

For me, as someone who doesnt read any type of mangas with stories ( I only read comedy or ecchi mangas), all anime is anime original for me. WIth that said: I could NEVER get into FMAB on its own at first. I also never cared about watching FMA03 or FMAB. But it was around last year that I wanted to give both animes a watch and see what all the hype and hate is all about. I started with FMAB since I was told it was better and had better graphics. I started it and by episode 3 I was bored. By 10, I dropped it. It was too silly most of the time for me to sit and watch 64 episodes of it. So I then decided to watch FMA03. And it hooked me in. The thing that makes FMA03 and FMAB so different is that FMA03 feels like a seinen, so I was able to get hooked into the story. After I saw FMA03, I decided to rewatch FMAB and this time I enjoyed FMAB. My opinions on both: FMA03 has a nice story from start to finish and never bores me, but FMA03 was never really epic. FMAB had many epic moments, epic battles, graphics. The reason why FMAB had so many slaptick comedy was because it wanted to allure to a younger audience, which FMA03 never really didnt allure to a younger audience. Both animes are great. But FMA03 is underrated and forgotten, while FMAB can be overrated at times.

Ending of the 2003 is kind of how I expected Brotherhood to end

2003 is great. I think it’s a much more character driven story than brotherhood. I also liked 03 Sloth a lot more because she’s a character not just a plot device. Bradley makes a better Wrath in brotherhood than a Pride in 03, but 03 wrath is really interesting . It’s a good adaptation. 03 Kimblee doesn’t work as well as brotherhood kimblee. It’s a great show all around

Sloths conclusion when Ed kills her is one of the best scenes in that show

In regards to Sloth, her apathetic nature is actually quite fitting of her name.

The 03 fullmetal alchemist series doesn't have a definite cut off point from the manga. As it was planned from the beginning to go its own separate direction using what was available of the manga so far

The movie's story had huge huge huge potential but the story was very rushed and it would have been better if Conqueror Of Shamballa was a part of the series instead the movie. But it was worth it, the story did have me crying, and Alfons Heidrich was a very well written character, better than Alphonse Elric from 2003 (btw Alphonse Elric 2009 is my most fav character). But can't really complain considering Bones was a small studio back then and for its time, it was better than most other anime going on.

Loving both version. Some things in 2003 were way better for me. The overall tone of it, the soundtrack, the origin of the sins (it felt way darker in 2003 version). It makes me sad, how overlooked FMA 2003 is, like it doesn't exist. I think it worth watching both version.

Forgotten gem 💎

2003 had potential for a good ending but shamballa ruins it(watch it for closure but don’t expect anything big like I did it’ll just piss you off). The story for 03 was amazing and it was way more darker and got to know that characters more as in brotherhood. As much as I love brotherhood I felt like lust, envy and gluttony were generic villains but in 03 as it seems that way in the beginning we see why they are searching for the stone and why they are the way they are. Idk 03 will always have praise from me and so does brotherhood, but it would’ve been better if they took more time with the beginning of brotherhood making the show as dark as in FMA03(as it should be, like everything that happens to the brothers should take a toll on them as shown in 03). The shou tucker thing was disturbing and tragic as we see just how much he has fallen and how turning nina into a chimera actually affected him. Again like I said earlier it gives more depth for the characters and I LOOVE that, I also love hohenheim in 03 than in brotherhood though as much as I liked Dante as a villain father did better. Both have weaknesses but I think the big weakness for broho was the pacing and character development imo

I rather like the ending of the 03 series. I don't much care for the COS Movie. They did Mustang wrong!

It's interesting how you mentioned wanting the series to have actually concluded in the series itself, and originally the movie was planned to be just that, but the manga Publishers wanted a new anime so they forced them to condense their ideas into that movie, and that's what makes conqueror of Shamballa interesting, but it also is to its detriment, because they had ideas worth over a hundred more episodes, and it had to be condensed down into a movie that was not able to explore it all in a good time frame. I would still recommend the movie, it's still really interesting overall, but it is sadly held back by the fact that it was something that was intended to be way more than just a movie.

2023 marks the 20th anniversary of FMA 2003

At 6:25 ish, when you said Bradley tried to kill his own son, he actually straight up did it. Like you hear the whole neck snap and everything and it's actually suuuper fucked, though it does fit the tone of the series

this is my favorite fma that's why i like watching videos about it

Father and Dante are very similar characters in certain ways. 1. They both seek to use the philosopher's stone at the cost of countless lives to become more than what they are. 2. They both take advantage of the homunculi and never think of the possibility that their motives and emotions will conflict with the plan. This ultimately leads to their downfall when they are destroyed by a homunculus. 3. They both have a certain pride in themselves (despite one trying to remove it) and think that they are above humans. They see life as a resource. 4. They both create a philosopher's stone with Hoenhiem. 5. The both take a form that isn't their own.

I agree there wasn’t enough roy!! I wish we got to know a BIT more about his past

I know I'm 2 years to late but if you're still kind of confused the ending of 2003 the series is basically an embodiment of Edwards growth and also the core messages of the story besides it was foreshadowed in the beginning of every episode The Law of Equivalent Exchange being told to us yet throughout the journey it gets questioned and broken by big or small ways and the ending attacks the very core of Edward character finally bringing this question into Ed want more a series that challenges and breaks Edwards morals and beliefs attacks the very core of his character by randomly showing him the reality of the world and it's supposed to be unexpected there was only a few instances it got foreshadowed like that flashback where Ed sees inside the gate for the first time and there's flashing images of real life pictures of World War 1 but here's the thing Edward is just as confused as all of us are think about it he is a character that wants to learn about this world using rules and logic what is a greater challenge to him by seeing the truth of alchemy being something he never could have expected by the end the series tells us that even if you work hard you might not get what you want in return or you will get it but not in the way you expected but you will always have something worth having and you can't just give up just because the world is cruel the world can be also beautiful and in whatever you believe in life is still worth living I think both versions are great the ending of 2003 is amazing and is up there with the ending of Brotherhood but u right both versions are neither better and both are amazing I'm so sorry for making a Bible verse 💀 also 03 deserve more points ngl but still also with the shou tucker stuff in 03 the reason he's alive is to make parallels with him and Edward a little bit more they both want to bring someone back and sacrifice a lot to get it and yet there reward is incomplete by the ending they are both the same Tucker has said it the moment Ed confronted him about nina Shou Tucker is basically Edward but if he went down a different path in 03 there's plenty of philosophical questions in it if you look deep enough and ngl the foreshadowed a lot too if u look deep enough as well like envy in laboratory 5 telling Ed that he has his blood and shit which foreshadows that they are related and this isn't the only time he bad mouths hohenheim also them going town to town was to get information on the Philosopher's Stone or to stop the homunculus in their plans on making one using human lives with the Civil War going on in isval but scar made it himself I think u should watch 03 then fmab cuz 03 develops the main cast and the antagonist group more in some unique amazing ways that's why the beginning of 03 has a slow pace to get you with the characters this series isn't supposed to be satisfying it makes sense for a story that is this somber to have such a bittersweet ending

Both are masterpieces in my opinion. Brotherhood had the better overall plot in my opinion and a lot better overall story, but 03 had better character development and tone. The ending seemed way more convoluted and less satisfying in 03. I loved the way they ended Brotherhood.

My personal opinions on the FMA ‘03 vs FMA Brotherhood argument. 1. I personally enjoy the beginning and most of the middle of ‘03. Even the ending is good the only thing is my heart can’t take sad or bittersweet endings so often I avoid those in fact that’s why I avoided it in the first place but then of course I watched it anyways. I personally whenever rewatching it watch the edited version of Shamballa because I can’t stand the bittersweet ending of the original (it makes me break down in tears. I’m a very emotional person). I think FMA brotherhood had a rushed beginning but it really shone once it got through the stuff in ‘03. I enjoyed Ling, Greed, and all of the other characters not in ‘03. I didn’t mind the pacing too much but then again that’s just me. The ending was also just perfect. I love happy endings and this was just a perfect ending for this story. 2. I think comparing them does a disservice to both of the series. Both have their pros and cons and both are almost totally different genres. FMA ‘03 is more of a drama and FMA Brotherhood feels more like a traditional action with a bit of drama mixed in. It’s like comparing apples and bananas. Yeah they are in the same family but they are totally different and comparing them does a disservice to both. “Apples are better because they’re tasty” “Bananas are better than apples because they are sweeter” these arguments tend to be senseless and then it forms into a Us vs Them mentality. People witch hunt others just because they don’t like something. I used to be that way and I never seemed to be happy with that kind of mindset. Both are good in their own way and you need both to fully experience the show. I recommend people ‘03 before brotherhood so they can get a feel and attached to the characters before jumping into brotherhood. 3. Change can be good! Another reason people don’t like ‘03 is the changes they made. I think some of the changes they made are great! I liked Wrath being a child and I think it made a lot of sense! He wants to get back at the people who put him through pain and loneliness. Bradly being Pride also made a bit more sense than him being Wrath. He controls over dozens of people and prides himself in being a great leader. All of it makes sense! I also thought Ed killing Greed and letting Marta live a bit longer was a great idea! However with the comes the bad. Not to drone on forever but the main changes I didn’t like was 1. A becoming the Philosophers stone (why??? No genuinely somebody tell me why this was needed???) 2. Some of the filler. I also just prefer the art style of ‘03 than brotherhood. It has a nice edge to it that is present in early 2000s anime. 4. Often I think people trust others opinions too much. Some people say that FMA ‘03 is trash and think that’s the truth (pun intended). I think you need to watch both to get a good experience and understanding of the story of FMA. That’s my belief with most things. I was hesitant to get into Persona 2 because of some things people said about it but I did it and I truly loved it! So take things people say with a grain of salt. Also great video! Loved it :>

I think people should watch 2003 before brotherhood, watching brotherhood first kind of ruins the twists and some of the scenes in 2003 that I think were done better.

What I like about brotherhood is that its mangaka is a woman and she is the only magaka I've seen who has a female villain whose character is literally "woman", and idk like literally Derieri The Purity, Melascula the Faith, Magne, Himiko Toga, Annie Leonhart, Etc are all female villains written by a male author and they have an actual personality Also Sloth isnt just some random fast dude, she is an actual character, and I genuinely think that 2003 FMA Sloth is one of the best written characters in any peice of Media, she is really easy to sympathize with and I feel like she is also supposed to represent how society always wants women to have children and become mothers, and if they dont they are evil, cruel, heartless monsters Envy was pretty good in Brotherhood just wish that they got development And finally Wrath was also an okay character These 4 homunculi are basically half the reason why I even watch the show, and I really like how early on the show hints at homunculi being failed people as let me remind you this SLOTH IS INTRODUCED IN EPISODE 13, WHICH IS BEFORE MAES HUGHES DIES, ALSO IN 2003 MAES DIES IN EPISODE 25, WHICH IS ABOUT A QUARTER INTO THE STORY, WHEREAS IN BROTHERHOOD HE DIES IN EPISODE 10 AND IS DEAD FOR LIKE 54 SOMETHING EPISODES, IN 2003 MAES IS DEAD FOR 26 EPISODES, IN FACT YOU COULD ADD AN EXTRA 26 EPISODES and he would still be dead longer in brotherhood

you were surprised by the RL-setting? It was actually alluded to it two times in the show. In the beginning when Edward sees the "the truth" with the mass picture flashes (you see our world's stuff there) and the gate itself, which is actually a RL statue.

I think FMA 03 going off and creating its own story is fine, as it can be viewed almost as a alternative timeline where most of the characters are the same, but some are almost completely different. I did enjoy the series as a whole, but the ending to Conqueror of Shamballa was dog shit.

The 2003 version should not be viewed as an adaptation, because it isn't an adaptation. It's meant to be something else from the manga, which the author was okay with. The one issue I have with the 2003 version is the ending of the show. The inclusion of (SPOILERS) our world just didn't do it for me. I found it to be weird and fanfiction-y to me. I know some people have argued that it was hinted at before, but it was never truly developed or made reasonable that it could happen. Here, it takes away from the fight with Dante and the homunculi. Maybe if the show was allowed to continue with the 13-episode story-arc that would involve this, I probably would have been fully onboard. But as it stands, I found it to be underdeveloped and out of nowhere, especially in the movie that would follow. But, as it is, the show is still good and find it to be a nice alternative to Brotherhood, even though I like Brotherhood more.

The Story isn't complete without The FMA : Conqueror of Shambala Have you watched it?

03 is a classic the ost is sooooo fucking good!!

I'm from Japan, and Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 was planned to have its own ending from the get go. Every single American anime youtubers that I see seem to believe that it was forcibly drifted off from the moment that it caught up with the manga and the ending was rushed because of that. This is not simply not true, and that's not even how anime projects are done. When the 2003 anime aired in Japan, it was a huge hit from the beginning. It is comparable to the attention that Attack on Titan anime received when it started airing, if not more. I could see all sorts of interviews with the FMA anime director and the team all over anime/manga related magazines and websites. They knew from the get go that the manga was yet far from its intended ending, and they had already decided to have their own completely different ending from the manga. In fact, the manga was not even that famous at all, but the phenomenal success of the 2003 anime brought fame to the manga as well which eventually lead to another anime adaptation known to be FMA Brotherhood.

I know I’m a little late but I’d say episode 20 is when things start to diverge past a point of no return. Honestly if I wanted to rewatch Brotherhood, I would start with the 2003 version up to episode 19, then start Brotherhood on ep. 8. Just make sure to watch ep. 2 of Brotherhood before swapping over for a deeply important change with things that happen on the other side of the gate! This is what I prefer because I still get to see the superior pacing and tonal brilliance of ‘03 while still getting the original story pretty close to what it was supposed to be. You get to spend so much more time with some characters than you otherwise would have.

In the movie it's revealed that Envy hate Van Hohenheim

Mustang was cool. He did not have much action

You need to watch the movies that way you now how Envys, Gluttony, and Wrath's story ends

03 better

2003 is great but always have felt a little undercooked too me fmab is a better show while 03 having higher peaks

Conqueror of Shamballa is so awful. It does such a disservice to the cast and is needlessly bitter. Any new viewer is better off just imagining a more satisfying ending in their mind. Interestingly, CoS was supposed to be an entire second season of the show but was altered and squeezed into being a film. Maybe it would’ve been better with room to breathe. Oh well.

It follows till the dublith part

after watching the 10/10 FMA B, FMA 2003 is just...bad, because pacing, homunculi from transmutation, soundtrack, ending, mustang kills Winry's parents and Elric brothers are underpowered in most of series till the end and Edward Elric wouldn't have transmuted prisoners, even for saving his brother's life, that's simply a too big of a sin