Fangirl February: Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 Review

Video Version:

Ever since I’ve started watching anime, I’ve always had a fear of rewatching my favorite shows, the reason being I’m afraid that I won’t like the show nearly as much as I did during my first viewing. For example, the first time I watched Sankarea, I really loved it. I thought it was a fantastic romance story that had some problems, but I was willing enough to forgive the anime for them. The second time I watched it, however, I was surprised by how much I didn’t like it. The small issues that I forgave earlier were suddenly unbearable, and I was almost unable to stomach the clichés. Not to mention the annoying and downright mood-breaking fanservice in this show, making it worse. Of course, this isn’t always the case. I recently rewatched My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, and that second viewing just reminded me of how much I loved the show. So, when I came up with the idea of Fangirl February, I decided to also test myself to see how much my tastes have actually changed. I was prepared to watch my favorite anime movie and show, and accept that maybe they weren’t worthy of being favorites. However, that didn’t happen. My second viewing of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya proved that I still loved the movie, and allowed me to realize just why I liked it so much. The same happened during my rewatch of Fullmetal Alchemist 2003. Going in with a more critical mindset, I did find some problems with it, but I also gained much more of an appreciation for how good it was, and I can safely say that it’s still my favorite anime of all time. Sit back, relax, and read on as I complete Fangirl February with my review of Fullmetal Alchemist 2003. Be aware that there may be slight spoilers, but nothing too major will be given away.

Story:

I’m going to try not to waste your time with a plot synopsis that you’ve probably heard a million times beforehand, but on the off chance that you’ve never heard of Fullmetal Alchemist, well, here’s the basic story. Two brothers named Edward and Alphonse Elric live in a fictional country called Amestris, and have unfortunately lost their mother when they were very young. However, the two are rising alchemists, so when they feel they’ve learned enough, they try to bring her back using human transmutation, a forbidden practice since basically no one has survived this transaction. This results in Ed losing his right leg, and Al losing his entire body. A desperate Ed attaches Al’s soul to a nearby suit of armor, and loses his right arm in turn. As a result, Alphonse is basically a walking suit of armor, and half of Ed’s limbs are now made of metal, thanks to a couple automail mechanics they happen to know. However, the boys are determined to fix their mistake and get their bodies back, and so they begin their journey to search for the philosopher’s stone, a device said to defy all the laws of alchemy, especially the one about equivalent exchange. This is where the story begins, and what a great story this is. I’ve mentioned this in an earlier video about Akiyuki Shimbo, but the best way to start a story is by utilizing something simple that the audience can understand. In this case, you want the brothers to find the philosopher’s stone in order to regain their bodies, and the show does a great job in getting you invested. This allows for other story elements to build gradually, without confusing the viewer with too much information at the beginning. Though, I do think that the main topic to discuss here is the fact that FMA 2003 deviates from the manga, and how this has angered a good portion of the anime community. In other words, so many people claim that Brotherhood is better solely because it follows the manga. And, when compared, I do kind of see where people are coming from. Brotherhood’s story is more linear, has slightly better pacing, and gets a lot more done than FMA 2003 in terms of battles and the addition of new characters. But, this isn’t a review of Brotherhood, and I never intended it to be. This is a review of the original, and here’s why I think it’s more appealing to me. I’ve always liked anime and books that are focused more on characterization and character development, because, like I’ve said many times, if you don’t care about the characters, then why should you care about what happens in the story? An anime can have one of the blandest and clichéd stories I’ve ever seen, but so long as I like the characters, then I’ll continue watching. This is what FMA 2003 excels at: characters. The so-called “filler” episodes aren’t just there to fill time, they’re there to assist Edward and Alphonse’s development as characters, and to tie into the central theme of the show: that life isn’t fair. Equivalent exchange is not much of reality when you’re shown all this unfairness to the people in Amestris, and in other places, now is it? So why continue to believe it? Heck, this exact question is asked to Edward in the final few episodes! The answer, however, is one you have to answer yourself. Will you give up on all your hard work because of your cynicism, or remain optimistic and pursue your dreams even further? That depends on you. Not to mention all of the brilliant foreshadowing in this show. I heard that, during the production of FMA 2003, the mangaka herself wanted Studio Bones to create their own ending, and it shows, since even scenes that happened in Brotherhood foreshadow later events For example, say, when Edward and Alphonse are on the island for the second time in episode 28, they find footprints. I’m paraphrasing here, but Al says something like, “Hey, Ed, are those your handprints in the sand?” And Ed responds, “No, mine are automail.” But, then they find a certain anime original character. Those who’ve seen the show know exactly whom I’m talking about, and I’m betting that you didn’t notice that quip of dialogue, at least not on your first viewing. And that’s not the only one, but the others would kind of spoil the story if I specifically point them out, and I don’t want to ruin the fun. If I had to nitpick somewhat, I guess that the pacing can be a bit slow at times, but it never really got to the point where I was sitting there waiting for something to happen. Overall, the story is very well foreshadowed, paced, and thoroughly thought-out down to the very last necessary detail, and is one of the best stories in anime in my opinion.

The show follows Edward and Alphonse Elric as they search for the Philosopher's Stone

Characters:

Like I stated earlier, this anime excels in the character department, to the point where this is one of the few anime that I’d give this show a straight 10/10 to this show in the character department. Basically every character in this show serves some purpose in the story, whether it’s to develop the theme or the characters or enhance the world building, and yes, this does apply to the characters that only show up once or twice. Though, I should probably stop ignoring the elephant in the room and discuss the Elric brothers. Firstly, there’s Edward Elric. Ed and Roy Mustang are pretty much the choice favorites of the fans of this franchise, but for me personally, Ed is my favorite character in the entire show and is one of my favorite characters of all time. In fact, if I never watched SNAFU, the character review for my favorite male character would’ve been about Edward Elric. While I don’t want to spend too much time on him, since there are other characters I do want to cover, I will say that he is one of the most realistic shonen characters in anime. Something that the shonen genre suffers from is that the protagonists normally fall under two archetypes: The bland self-insert with no discernable personality or development outside of him just being a nice guy, or the edgemaster who’s super edgy and dark and brooding and thirsty for revenge and is reckless and defies the social norms. But, on the inside, he’s a nice guy who cares about those close to him. Also, did I mention he was edgy? Edward is none of those. Okay, that’s kind of a lie; technically, he’s a variation of the second option, but honestly, that’s a massive stretch. Edward is rather moody, cynical, and has a short temper (HAH), but none of these traits are portrayed as over-the-top or even really emphasized. Well, except when you call him short, but that’s for comedic effect. I think what makes Edward stand out, though, is his relationship with his brother, Alphonse. Ed is the best older sibling in anime, no questions asked, and it is shown that he’d do anything for his brother’s safety. This character trait makes Edward grow up quickly, and because of this is rather mature for a fifteen year old. Though, like the show points out, Ed still has a lot to learn about the world, and that’s the seed of his character development in this version. Though, the amazing part of his development is that, even though parts of Ed have changed, he still feels like Edward Elric at the end of the show, which is a pretty big feat of writing. Next, there’s Al, who is also a really good character. He’s very naïve and innocent, but has a heart of gold and isn’t scared of questioning his brother’s judgment. His naivety is probably a result of Edward’s over-protectiveness, as Ed tries his best to shield Al from the harshness of the world. And, Ed’s not the only older brother to do this; remember the Ishbalan children, Leo and Rick? Leo is a mature older brother who’d do anything to protect Rick since there’s no one else there to look out for him, and as a result, Rick is more caring, trusting, and naïve. And, what about the fake Elric brothers, Russell and Fletcher? Russell is an older brother who’s focused on accomplishing his goal no matter the consequences, while Fletcher is more innocent and ready to sympathize with the real Elric brothers. In other words, each brother balances out the other, with the older brother being more protective and reckless and the younger brother being more sensible and innocent. These pairs of brothers reflect the relationship between Ed and Al, to show how there are people similar to them in the world working to achieve their goals. And this is only a taste of the ingenious characters in this show that I haven’t mentioned yet. Roy Mustang, Maes Hughes, Winry Rockbell, Riza Hawkeye, Alex Louis Armstrong, Furor Bradley, Hoenhiem of Light, Dante, and the homunculi that I can’t even talk about because of spoilers are all great in their own right. The only character I would consider to be somewhat bad would probably be Lt. Archer. He’s pretty underdeveloped in comparison to the rest of the cast. But, he’s my only real problem with the characters. Overall, this is one of the best casts of characters in anime.

The characters of FMA

Presentation:

The esteemed Studio Bones produced Fullmetal Alchemist in 2003, and for its time, the animation is rather impressive. There’s never any huge drop in quality, but when it looks good, it actually looks better than most anime coming out today. However, it is design and coloring that this anime really nails. The colors like to lean towards desert colors, like sand-yellow and light brown, with some blues here and there. This gives the anime a gritty atmosphere, which, might I add, is also great. The backgrounds and general settings all look nice, which is a plus. I also really like the character designs. They’re all memorable, even the side characters. It’s very distinctly Fullmetal Alchemist, though I do see the resemblance in the artist’s other works like Silver Spoon and The Heroic Legend of Arslan…at least, in the images I’ve seen. I need to watch Silver Spoon, and The Heroic Legend of Arslan doesn’t really exist yet…anyway, back to FMA. The soundtrack is awesome. Each piece helps set the atmosphere perfectly, with either ominous, ethereal, or playful tones. My personal favorites are Philosopher’s Stone, Brothers, and Dante’s Theme. Then, there’s the English dub. I’m sure that the Japanese version is more accurate and better acting and whatever, but I love the English dub of FMA. I think the main reason is Vic Migona’s performance as Edward Elric, which is probably one of the best English performances in any animated project period, including major American animated films. Even if you don’t like English dubs, I’d say give it a shot, but if you don’t like it, just go with the sub I suppose.

For its time especially, the animation is great (looks slightly grainy because of the gif though)

Why It’s Featured in Fangirl February:

Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 is my favorite anime of all time for many, many reasons. Superficially, it’s because nearly every aspect is pretty much perfect. It has a story that keeps you hooked and emotionally involved. It has main characters that you get attached to easily, and side characters that are just as likable. Its presentation is fantastic, especially for the time period, with consistent animation and a phenomenal soundtrack. But, a whole ton of anime are like that, so what makes FMA so special? Well, it’s because of how human the show is. There is a lot of moral ambiguity, and nothing within the show is black and white. Every character has a motive, and even if their actions are downright despicable, you can understand why. This is all because of the anime’s focus on the characters and not on having a huge epic story like Brotherhood did. 2003 feels more down to earth and simple, with enough leeway to flesh out the characters without feeling too slow. This is the show that made me realize how important characters are in any story, because without good characters, you don’t care about what’s going to happen to them in the story, therefore depriving the story of any tension or suspense whatsoever. 2003 made that clear through its storytelling and emphasis on character, because without me being able to understand these characters, most of the conflicts in the story would feel hollow and manipulative instead of exciting and suspenseful. Just like how Needless showed me how characters can absolutely ruin a show by being stupid, unreletable, and obnoxious, FMA showed me how characters are the link between the piece of entertainment and the audience, and that the quality of their development and characterization is truly what makes an anime fantastic. And for that, I’m eternally grateful.

Conclusion:

Overall, Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 is my favorite anime of all time for what I believe to be good reasons. The story is great from basically any angle, the characters are some of the best in anime, and the presentation is really good, especially for its time. I give Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 a straight 10/10. No scorecard, just a 10/10. I know that objectively, it should get slightly less, but from a subjective standpoint, it’s the best of the best for me, and it deserves the best rating possible. And, with that, Fangirl February comes to a close. I hope you enjoyed this second installment in my February Specials series! I sure had fun doing it, despite it being delayed on multiple occasions. I’ll see you all in my next review, which will be on...something. Until then!