Fullmetal Alchemist vs Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Hello everyone! Today I would like to talk about one of my favorite Manga/Anime, Fullmetal Alchemist, and the similarities and differences between the 2003 and 2009 versions. :) I won't go into all the differences as I strongly suggest whoever hasn't watched both to give them a try. As we continue, I will be shortening the names to FMA(Fullmetal Alchemist), and FMAB(Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood).

Spoiler Warnings up ahead! You have been warned!

Basic General plot of FMA/FMAB:

FMA/FMAB is about two young boys named Edward and Alphonse Elric, who after a failed attempt to resurrect their mother, must search for the Philosopher's Stone to regain their bodies. Along the way however, they begin to uncover deeper and darker things that surround this mysterious stone.

Beginning similarities of both anime:

Both FMA and FMAB start out relatively the same when it comes to storytelling during the beginning. Both follow the manga quite well, taking only minor differences to add more to the plot. Things However, begin to shift very swiftly, a little after the laboratory 5s episodes.

FMA 2003 some Differences:

I first watched the 2003 anime before I watched the 2009. During the beginning, the 2003 version fleshes out the characters a lot more, extending certain scenarios longer than the newer one. A prime example of this would be the episode with a character named Yoki. The 2009 version completely skipped his episode, with him recalling it as a minor flashback, versus the 2003 version where he had an entire episode dedicated to him.

Another difference at the beginning would be how the 2003 version would add extra episodes that were in the manga but were skipped in the 2009 version. One prime example, and one of my personal favorites would be the "Flame Vs Fullmetal" Episode. The other being "Warehouse 13" Which was an episode based on the light novel series.

Characters in 2003 only:

Now there are quite a few characters that appear in the 2003 version that don't in the 2009. But I would like to focus on only a few. After all, I will urge anyone who hasn't seen this version, or any of the FMA series to watch it yourself. :)

Firstly, there is Russel and Fletcher Tringham. These two characters originated in the Light novels series first and made a pretty decent importance for the 2003 anime, even reappearing after their episode.

The other character is of this version's Wrath and Sloth. The homunculus in this version are all different, be it their names being swapped, or even how they are essentially created and used. I don't want to get into it too much, but it's really neat!

Then there is Archer. I really dont like this guy. But hes only in this version. xD

Lastly, is Dante, again I don't want to go into too many details of this particular character, but she plays a pretty good role in the 2003 anime.

Though interestingly, the 2009 version did acknowledge her by adding a cameo appearance in episode 58.

Characters are completely different:

After the laboratory 5 episodes, the 2003 anime drifts away from the Manga, and becomes completely different then even brotherhood.

Characters like Shou Tucker go off the radar in this version, meanwhile in brotherhood well we all know what happened to him.

spoilers ahead I will warn when done:

As mentioned before, the Homunculus are so much different in this anime. This is a huge spoiler so if you want to skip I suggest now. But basically in the 2009 version, the homunculi are part of the original homunculus named Father. To make himself the ultimate being he took out parts of his personality he saw as flawed. (basically everything that made someone/something have humanity). Thus the Homunculi were created.

Meanwhile in the 2003 series, Homunculi are the result of an alchemist who attempted Human Transmutation, but their results of trying to bring back their loved ones fail, resulting in a being that has its own body and mind, but no soul. Personally I find the 2003 version of Homunculi being created to be better, as it leaves a way for people to be able to create their own Ocs, and stories based off around it.. :)

Another example in this version Rose, who is in both series also has a baby in the 2003, meanwhile, in the 2009 she does not.

End of spoilers:

Even more main characters like Roy Mustang have a different arc in this series compared to the 2009. Though his main goals are the same, the outcomes are very different. I also feel hes a lot more serious in this version. But his Lieutenant Hawkeye is even more stern.

This list can go on forever, but just know there are a lot of differences when it comes to characters that you both know, and dont know.

Animation Style:

The animation is a lot more sharp in this version compared to the 2009, which makes sense, considering when it came out. Technology wasnt as advanced, and personally I believe digital art wasnt all that far either. However, I feel even with that said, this anime aged quite well, and still es decently even now. Sure its a bit pointier, but in some ways, it works well with this version's really dark theme.

Why the 2003 anime is different

Right off the bat, FMAs Manga was a huge hit, and it didnt take long for them to create an anime series based off the manga. However, because this series was so popular, they made the anime way too soon, causing them to lose content the moment they hit the Laboratory 5 episodes. There was no more manga they could rely on, so in many ways, the entire 2003 series is one big Filler! But an amazing filler that I highly recommend. The ending of this particular anime was the very first time I ever cried for an anime. So even if it became its own thing, and drifted from the manga, dont let it deter you from giving this anime a try. All I can say is this version is a lot darker than the brotherhood.

FMAB 2009 some differences:

The 2009 series was created to be more aligned with the manga series. Even how it ended was the same(Minus what they did to Mustangs face. Xox), but we wont discuss that.

Now because I went from watching the 2003 series to the 2009, I noticed right away, that this series was greatly rushing through the beginning half of the anime up until laboratory 5, where it slows down. It introduces everyone in a filler episode right at the beginning, and then speeds through parts that would have taken the 2003 series a few episodes to finish, vs brotherhood only taking one or less.

Now, I completely understand why they chose to do this, because during that time, the company assumed many had watched the original 2003 version, and feared that those watching brotherhood wouldn't want to continue, seeing how many episodes were exactly the same. They had good intentions in mind, but here they are, almost 20 years later(oof), and many who are now just getting into the series, usually jumps right into brotherhood without giving the 2003 one a try. To me, this causes many characters to be rushed, and a very sad scene with Hughes, to be less impactful, than it was in the 2003 version. The other example I can give is with Yoki again, poor dude, those who only watched FMAB, first saw him as some strange Hobo, before he gives a 2 second flashback. Now he isnt a character anyone really cares too much for, but still, development was lacking.

Differences in Characters:

The main characters in this version are more true to the manga, they are less strict and more comedic, which personally to me, I enjoy a lot more. They are serious when needed, and comedic at times that work.. But it can be really shocking going from the 2003 series to the 2009, or vice versa, and seeing just how different certain characters act.

Now I'm not saying their personalities are drastically different, but its enough for me to point out.

Characters like Scar, who appear in both get a major role in Brotherhood, while characters like Rose, who played a more important part in the 2003 version, sit more on the side in the 2009 anime.

And a huge difference between the two would be Salim Bradely. For spoiler purposes I will not say why, but his role is much different between both series.

Characters only in the 2009 Series:

Like before I will not be going over every character who is in this one and not in the other, but Ill bring up a few I find important enough.

A major character that doesnt appear in the 2003 anime is Ling Yao, and his companions, Lan Fan and Fu. Nobody from Xing appears in the first anime, so even characters like Mai only make an appearance in the 2009 adaptation.

Oliva Armstrong makes an appearance only in the 2009 one, meanwhile the 2003 only brings up Armstrong's little sister. Catherine.

Spoilers ahead please skip if you dont want details:

This version of Slothe is different, while those like Pride, and Wrath are swapped, or changed.

Lastly the character Father only makes an appearance in this Version, while he doesn't in the other.

FMA Movie and the FMAB Movie:

When the anime series both ended, each got a movie shortly after. The 2003 movie was fantastic and answered a lot of questions left behind by the anime. The movie is gorgeous and has improved the animes animation by a landslide. The instrumental music is absolutely stunning.

Meanwhile the FMAB movie was... .well I didnt really like it. Personally it was rushed, and was in their way a reset of the story again. Almost as if they wanted to tell it a different way through movies. Now Im all okay for AU like stories, but my issue with this movie is how rushed it was. There is one scene where Mustang is about to fight, and it cuts away to Edwards. Minutes ed, and next time we see Mustang he is literally dirty and bruised up. Like bruh, we didnt even get to see the fight. I also didnt like the animation in this movie. It was a mix between being pointy like the original, but with a fresher paint like the 2009. Only in my opinion it looked worse than the 2003 animation.

Then there are the live actions movies. They are unique. They sort of take things from both series which I found to be interesting, and create their spin off them.

I highly recommend the first FMA movie, but you need to watch the 2003 series to truly understand it well. Meanwhile I dont recommend the FMAB movie.Its so bad! Go ahead if you want, but it's just meh.

Which anime I would Recommend:

Personally I recommend to anyone who wants to watch an anime series to give both anime a try. Though they start very similar, as stated the 2003 one fleshes out the story more, leaving a bigger impact on certain scenes, and also adds hilarious episodes cut out of brotherhood. After laboratory 5, it takes a much darker path than brotherhood, and overall the show gets very serious. However, Brotherhood is more loyal to the manga series and has a more comedic side to it. It only truly begins to slow down after laborator 5, where it branches from the original and becomes its own.

This anime series is my all time Favorite, and I find myself going back to it time and time again. The music in both is absolutely breathtaking, and the stories are very well written. So honestly I recommend both anime. Many avoid the 2003, but I highly highly many more highly recommend giving it a try.

Extra stuff:

Watching the series in either Sub Or Dub:

To me, Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood are amazing in both Japanese and English. You can tell the VAs really enjoyed what they did, and put their all into their work. The VAs are a bit different from the Japanese one From the 2003 to 2009. Roy and Riza, along with a few others, but Edward and Al's va came back for the 2009. Meanwhile, in English everyone is pretty much the same except Al, as his vA was only a little kid and hit puberty. But his new VA does a fantastic job!

Games:

Both FMA and FMAB got game adaptations for them. The 2003 series got games on systems like the PS2 and DS. While FMAB came out for systems like the PSP and Wii. The newest game I believe came out for mobile in 2022.

Trading Cards:

Like a lot of very popular anime, FMA also has its own Trading Card Game. The game was based off the 2003 series with pictures from the anime. There was also a DS game that came out based around this trading card game.

Light Novels:

Not many know about the light novels but they are really good. They were written by a fan of the series in Japan, but Hiromu adored the stories so much, she allowed him to make light novels for FMA. These stories are all original and I highly recommend them if you haven't read any. :)