It has been a week since I finished this, and I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending. The pacing really threw me off, but the ending itself was actually really good. But there is just something about it that I can't get into. Anyway, I would definitely recommend people to watch both anime adaptations !! Personally though, I love Edward's characterization and arc, the homunculi lore, and the Big Bad villain here better than their FMAB counterparts. Maybe Roy Mustang's and Scar's respective characterization and arcs too, but I feel like their FMAB "endings" were stronger. But if I really had to pick between the two, I would choose FMAB because Olivier Mira Armstrong is my favorite character. I would also like to mention that Fullmetal vs Flame is such an iconic episode!
I watched it recently but it was amazing. Something u can watch with kids as well
One of the best anime I have watched. I think it is on par with avatar The Last Airbender and attack on Titan.
Not as good as Fullmetal Alchemis Brotherhood, but very, very creative.
please guys, don't watch this. its a waste of time. trust me brotherhood is way way way better than this! I've seen both so trust me!
I cried at the end of the first one but the movie is a continual of the show so i have to watch it but brotherhood was happier
I’ll never understand why this is so highly regarded. It’s not offensive, exactly, just not remarkable.
“Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy’s First Law of Equivalent Exchange.”– ALPHONSE ELRIC
This is how Fullmetal Alchemist starts. At every opening sequence, it keeps reminding us of this and only truth. But our young protagonists are in search of a philosopher stone which will allow them to bypass this law. Why are they so determined to break this one true law and what do they hope to gain out of it? You have to watch a serious, gritty, dark take of Edward and Alphonse Elric.
Fullmetal Alchemist is my second anime. After Death Note, I had not seen one in a while. This was a good refresher and a trip down the memory lane. Like the former, Fullmetal Alchemist is also governed by a set of rules. I guess this is a trademark of anime as a genre. There are a few concrete rules and the characters do all in their power to accomplish goals by skirting past the edges. The robustness such a setting offers is brilliant, for it puts up constraints on the plot, the stories and the audience’s minds. There are no sudden plot devices to help along, and that feels sincere. The attention given to chemistry shows the seriousness of the material.
The characters are strong and well chiselled. You exactly know the motivations and at times some of them are black as they come without any shades of grey. The story doesn’t shy away from the usual self-imposed boundaries of fiction, like not harming children. The characters here will take all the steps to advance their agenda. This results in some darker themes, including what is existence? What are you, your body or your soul? Also the role of military and pros and cons of following orders.
Anime is that branch of the cartoon which takes itself quite seriously. The content and themes are not usual for a very young age, which we usually associate cartoons with. Anime has unlocked the potential of fluid storytelling without the fuss of real actors. The drama can be over the top, and so can be the action.
As a side note, with the advent of things like Death Stranding, making a character truly timeless is now possible and anime has shown that a lot of seriousness can be brought even in the medium of cartoons. But I digress.
Fullmetal Alchemist the original aired in 2003 and I’d recommend it to start your anime journey. With just 51 episodes, it’s much more approachable compared to the likes of Dragonball Z. I’d definitely recommend it for the contents and voice acting. I watched the dubbed version.
Special shoutout to Aaron Dismuke who voiced over Alphonse in English. Aaron was 12 years old when he did the voice over, making it spot on and very relatable.
I'm kind of disappointed. Feels like only one character had a life outside the storyline, Maes Hughes, and the rest feels kind of flat and underdeveloped. They have their own skills and such, but outside the brothers, it feels like they either don't have a goal at all, or their goal is "Help Roy achieve his goal". There are exceptions of course, but they are either bad guys or borderline bad guys...
And Roy Mustang is another disappointment cause I remembered it as I liked him, but I just didn't find myself caring one way or another about him. His reasons and explanations and depth came way too late for me. Everyone is supporting him and his goal of becoming the leader, but I never understood why they do, or why I should care, or why I should want him as the leader...
From around the murder of Maes Hughes and onwards, I felt like I had to force myself to continue watching.
I do love that they "revisit" places and characters again later on in the series, and talks about characters before they are shown and such. And the story and world itself are so fascinating, making me want to like the anime.
Fullmetal Alchemist is a great Sci-Fi Thriller anime of all time
I solemnly can say that it is almost as good as Avatar... Just in love with everything this show provides...
I'm surprised at seeing so much good comments, honestly.
I'm at the 45th episode and... well, it's just not that good. Fullmetal Alchemist was my 1st manga serie and I love it so much but I just don't really find the same spirit in this anime?
It's not that bad per se but it's deeply lacking if you compare it to the manga, especially with the character of Winry : it's like they totally forgot that she's also a badass. It's really frustrating.
I wouldn't say that it's a bad anime though. I really like the pacing and the show focus a lot on the relationship between Elric brothers which is definitely a good thing. The animation is also really satisfying.
Anyway, I'm going to watch Brotherhood soon and I hope I'll be more contented ~
Amazing one of the best series I have ever seen especially the song : brajita brothers :))
this is a great show (not just anime)
The ending to the first Full metal Alchemist series good in its own right but FMA:Brotherhood out shined it.
Shout by NoahBlockedParent2021-02-08T02:00:39Z
I'd argue that this show has actually aged quite well. It has the world building and narrative power to hold its own against the other phenomenal series that are out there. However, the simple fact is I could tell where the series diverged from the Manga simply because it felt different and in a way that was not nearly as perfect as the start of the series.
In addition, the graphics are a little choppy and they do show their age, especially when compared to something like Demon Slayer that turns the visuals of an Anime into a beautiful art form. Don't get me wrong, for the time period the animation is quite good, I'm just spoiled by having seen the magical works of art that come from decades more experience.
For primarily these reasons, I think I'm going to move onto Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in the hopes that it takes such an incredible work of narrative art and makes it better to withstand the passing of time. I don't regret watching this series first, but I just know that Brotherhood can be everything this show was and more.