Without them, FMA significantly less interesting and entertaining.
FMA Brotherhood needed to expand on that to win this category, but it didn’t.įMA: Aside from the Elric Brothers, the FMA universe is full of unique characters.
The animation of both series is excellent, but one of the strongest aspects of the first series is the way they styled the acts of alchemy. In general, the series has a darker tone that is clear in the animation as well. Though the animation is more detailed and sharper, it’s mostly due to new technologies instead of any creative innovation. It was this attention to detail that made the show so well-rounded.įMA Brotherhood: Unlike its approach to the story, the second anime series does not improve on its predecessor’s work. Also, the animators got little details (like the hands reaching out for young Al) correct. The show’s animators created a tone that uniquely balanced the serious and humorous aspects of the story without detracting from the overall action. Instead of making the acts of alchemy seem laughable, it made them compelling and – dare I say it – cool. FMA Brotherhood is significantly more compelling.įMA: The animation style did an excellent job of bringing the manga to life on screen. While FMA can be credited for its more emotional storylines, those are early on and are not well-replicated throughout the show’s run. Though it was very different than its predecessor, it was a strong story that resulted in a strong conclusion. The result was a much more suspenseful show that focused on alchemy as much as it did on politics. This didn’t work, and by the time the series ended, it was clear that the anime’s creative team needed more material to keep the show engaging.įMA Brotherhood: Having been made after the manga was complete, the creators had a stronger and more detailed template to draw from.
Instead of expanding on the larger FMA world, it focused on the characters emotional ties and used those to propel the story forward. As the manga had not been completed at the time of production, the story started out true to the manga – then veered dramatically.
It’s clear that FMA was a financial and creative success.īut, if we’re comparing the two manga adaptations, let’s break it down by specific categories to determine which is better:įMA: This was the introduction for many fans into the Elric Brothers.
Several live action adaptations have been made and planned, as have animated films extending the franchise, and you can still find FMA merchandise at cons and in stores across the country. It spawned two anime adaptations, the first of which started and ended before the manga had even ended. It’s no secret that Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the industry’s most successful manga franchises. The two Fullmetal Alchemist adaptations are both well-crafted pieces of anime, but which is better? That’s a debate left to the fans and as a fan, I’m going to debate it with myself here. When two anime series adapt the exact same property, you can’t help but compare them.