This entry is part 63 of 78 in the series HATE FUN 2003
This thing.
Not a bad show by any means, but everything good about the story, it took from the manga, and everything bad, it added itself. Which meant it peaked halfway through the series.
So what’s good? The characters that came straight from the manga all stay strong even when put through events that are unique to the anime and, outside some animation set pieces, that’s the strongest element of the show. Also there’s two tragic events taken straight out the manga that happen in the first half that really hook you into the series.
What hurts it I think are two significant differences to the manga. The first is the change in the way alchemy works, specifically in relation to the homunculi. In the manga, alchemy feels like it’s had the same origins and development as it had in the real world, enhancing FMA’s world as being an alternate version of our history. Changing that really hurt the world building in my eyes. It took it too far from being a pseudo-science and into magic.
The second difference is related to that, but it’s more specific. It’s the character of Wrath in the anime. He is the Scrappy Doo of FMA. He’s supposed to be this tragic, important figure, but he is just annoying. I can barely remember any of the second half of the series as my main memory of watching it is being annoyed at Wrath.
He annoyed me to the point that I’m probably one of the few people who actually thought the movie was an improvement on the ending the TV series had, as Wrath barely played a part in it.
They’re currently airing an adaptation that is truer to the manga, though I’ve not seen more than the first episode as yet, so can’t really compare the two.
New Adachi adaptation. Baseball, of course. Osamu Sekita, who just started showing up on the credits of the UY episodes I’m writing about at the moment, directs. Will probably check this out as it’s an Adachi story, and I’m interesting in seeing what a modern adaptation of his art style will look like.
Yet another show with an odd heritage. Nippon Animation adapt the recently written prequel to Anne of Green Gables, a book they animated in 1979. However that was directed by Isao Takahata. This has Katsuyoshi Yatabe directing it. Yes, the man who gave us Dinosaur King, Gundress and Boku no Pico. What a weird resume that man has.
Chiaki Kon seems in demand at the moment, and follows Nodame Cantiable Paris with this shoujo romance adaptation. Can’t say the character designs are appealing in anyway whatsoever.
So what we all knew due to those leaked fake documents that weren’t fake has been confirmed. A new series of Fullmetal Alchemist is coming in April 2009. Based on the manga. So it won’t go to pot after 25 episodes this time. Plus we get the further adventures of Barry The Chopper and a tiny, tiny panda. Amongst other great things. The main great thing being that alchemy in the manga resembles the various forms of historical alchemy a lot more than it did in the anime. Also NO WRATH, the Scrappy Doo of FMA.
And of course Maes Hughes gets to die all over again. But this time it’ll probably happen faster and with less filler beforehand.
First things first. The anime isn't as good as the manga. Up to episode 25, the anime follows the manga quite closely, but after then it goes it's own route, gets lost and then finds it's way to a satisfactory ending.
Here's where I think it goes wrong:
Making the homunculi failed resurected humans. One of the joys of the manga is the way Hiromu Arakawa has clearly researched the various forms of alchemy that “existed” in the real world, the Xing alchemists missing from the anime being one of the best examples. The manga's homunculi are true artificial creations, and include part of their creator as their ingredients, much as classical homunculi did. While I think the anime gets some good use out of their new origin, it does lead to the worst element of the anime…
Wrath.
Wrath is the Scrappy Doo of FMA.
Interestingly, director Seiji Mizushima was also responsible for another series that went waaay off the rails once it left the manga's story behind – Shaman King. It's almost like they had that show's Lyserg in mind when they created that annoying whiny pile of ressurected flesh.
Despite the clumsy 3/4 of the show, overall it's an enjoyable watch. All the episodes up to 25 are especially good, and the climax makes you forget the terrible lapse of judgment that is Wrath.
