Fullmetal February: Fullmetal Alchemist (2003 Anime Series)

(Source: Wikipedia.org)

The journey to Fullmetal Alchemist's live action movie continues! In this post, we will be analyzing the first of the two anime adaptations of Hiromu Arakawa's classic manga. This version, simply titled Fullmetal Alchemist, aired in Japan from October 4, 2003 to October 2, 2004. Like the manga it is based on, the story centers around two brothers named Edward and Alphonse Elric; after a failed attempt to resurrect their mother using human transmutation, the two set off on a journey to find the fabled philosopher's stone so they can restore their original bodies.

This series remains mostly faithful to the original manga, to a certain point in the story; afterwards, it follows a mostly original plotline since Arakawa was not finished with the manga at the time. Coincidentally, some elements of this plot would be re-used in the closing chapters of the canon story and in the next anime adaptation. However, while it heavily deviated from the source material, the plots they did adapt from the manga were handled pretty faithfully. Ironically enough, some parts of the story were handled more faithfully than Brotherhood; an anime meant to be based more on the source material. Unfortunately, the anime-exclusive material is wrought with various problems.

For starters, the rules of the universe in this version are painfully inconsistent with both the manga and in this continuity. In many episodes, the rules seem to change to suit the current storyline; such as those surrounding the seal bonding Alphonse's soul to the suit of armor. In the manga (and some parts of the anime), if he were to get wet, the seal would wash off and Al's soul would be lost. Despite that, Al is thrown into bodies of water multiple times and still manages to keep the seal intact. Additionally, alchemists seem to use their abilities however they please; if they were to do so in the manga (Edward and Al's taboo aside), they would be court marshaled immediately! The second problem with this series concerns a certain character created exclusively for it; the homunculus known as "Wrath". In my opinion, he is one annoying child; he whines so much, it makes the infamous Caillou seem grateful (and we all know he is far from it).

Despite the grating negatives of this series, there are also a slew of positives it created by telling its own story. While the artificial philosopher's stones and the gate of truth were merely glossed over in Arakawa's version of the story, this anime expands upon them and creates their own lore surrounding these aspects of the world. It also reveals their true purpose for the gate and later expands upon it in the movie, Conqueror of Shamballa. 

Overall, this version of Fullmetal Alchemist is definitely worth watching. It expands upon Arakawa's source material and does it beautifully, while also providing a story of its own after a certain point. However, if you are a purist and prefer something much closer to the manga, then I would recommend either reading said manga or simply watching 2009's adaptation, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.