For many fans of anime and manga, the work of Hiromu Araka, Fullmetal alchemistremains one of the pillars of the Shonen category years later. Part of the success of the Elric Brothers Adventures is, of course, the animated transposition Brotherhood, which was released in 2009 and overshadowed the first in 2003.

The reasons for the harsh criticism of most communities against the Fullmetal Alchemist's first animated seriesrelate above all to the fact that, starting from the center, the plot moves away from what is told in the paper counterpart. This is because the series began in 2003 while the manga was still going on, during Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood it was only published after the original work was completed, in 61 episodes that are particularly true to the original and with negligible and short filler scenes.

However, the first series is characterized by some precious moments and ideas that still make them valuable. The first 25 episodes roughly follow what happens in the first 11 of the BrotherhoodWith the story originally set in the village of Resembool, the meeting with Shou Tucker, the first appearance of Scar and the death of the late Maes Hughes. From the 14th episode, however, the main changes begin with greater relevance to the Ishval War, for both the residents of Amestris and the Ishvalians, who also examine the relationships between some minor characters in depth.

Few of the filler episodes of the 2003 series have a purely filling value, most of them are used to show other sides of the main characters, like the fight between Edward and Roy Mustang in episode 13 entitled "Fire vs Steel" and also for break the rhythm of dramatic events, as in episode 37, "Second Lieutenant Attack - The Secret of Camp Number 13".

The Fullmetal Alchemist series is characterized by the special attention paid to the difficulties of life and the meaning of death. The story that brings the Elric brothers to Tucker in Brotherhood unfolds in a single episode, while in the first anime it appears in two episodes, and ends with a message of hope that makes Tucker's subsequent actions even more devastating. The death of his daughter Nina is certainly worse compared to the one shown in the 2009 series and is one of the many changes that make the first anime more exciting at certain times from a narrative point of view.

Recall that Lust got a great cosplay and we are leaving you a magnificent statue of Edward and Alphonse.

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Sweety Otaku

One of the best parts of watching anime is how many times a show can surprise you. Sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. But if the Otaku know one thing, it's that anything is possible.

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