Yeah, I know, but before we all re-acknowledge that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an astounding work of animation that gets recommended to everyone (for damn good reason), I want to take a moment to thank its predecessor for still being really, really good.
I know this has been discussed ad nauseam at this point, but I’ve wanted to do this reflection for a while now just for fun, and now that I’m trapped inside it seemed apropos!
Fullmetal Alchemist existed well before 2009 in the form of, well, Fullmetal Alchemist, which some people now affectionately refer to as FMA ’03, and it has garnered a bit of a…reputation in light of its successor’s wild acclaim. While Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ranks #1 on MyAnimeList, Fullmetal Alchemist ranks at #289. Not so bad, but it’s a…difference to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an essential watch and one of my absolute favorite shows. It follows the original story penned by Hiromu Arakawa, which ended publication (unlike some of you!) in 2010, whereas 2003 takes it’s own direction, being that the manga was nowhere near completion at the time the anime was being finished.
The collection of works in Fullmetal Alchemist’s library is…pretty big. It has the original 108 chapter manga (and assorted omake), a…
