Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Fenrir366
"Melissa" by Porno Graffitti: 10/10
An incredible banger.
The first Fullmetal Alchemist series is a unique case. It became increasingly controversial during its broadcast run, as the story took a path of its own, progressively veering away from the manga and creating numerous divergences from the original plot.
And honestly, that is precisely the main issue I have with this work. I don't quite get the point of it: why would an adaptation choose to go its own way instead of sticking to the story created by the original author? When you start altering fundamental parts of the manga, even creating a completely new ending, the work stops feeling like the adaptation of the story I actually wanted to see.
It is particularly frustrating to think about the potential the series had before it too…
Read at the sourcesimonanimeman
I’ve heard so much good things about FMA and now that I’ve watched it I can say it deserves SOME of the glaze. I’m going to try and not compare it to Brotherhood but I have to highlight how it handles its first chunk of episodes way better than FMA Brotherhood. Some characters are fleshed out more like Hughes.
The Tucker episodes were also handled better here. The story here was also interesting and kept me hooked, it had the main villains, the himmonculi play a more “evil human” threat, something very different from Brotherhood. Here it really hammers down the idea of human sin and what it can create. I also enjoy the darker tone here, another contrast to Brotherhood.
Another thing I have to praise is some of the hommonculi like Lust who ended up being a very intriguing character and wa…
Read at the source_Bubassotto_
The first adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist remains one of the most remarkable anime works of the 2000s.
Even with the immense popularity of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, it's impossible to ignore the importance and quality of this 2003/2004 version, which helped transform the franchise into a worldwide phenomenon. And honestly, in some aspects, I consider this adaptation even more impactful than Brotherhood.
The first episodes manage to develop the characters and events much more slowly and in detail, giving more emotional weight to each event. While Brotherhood accelerates the beginning considerably by assuming that a large part of the audience already knew the story, this first adaptation builds everything calmly, allowing the viewer to create a much stronger connection with Edwar…
Read at the sourceflexxiclean
If there's one thing this show gets right, it's the main cast. Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) builds its characters incredibly well. I especially grew to love Edward Elric, a who starts out as this bright-eyed scientist who slowly becomes disillusioned with the world through his time working with the military. His arc really resonated with me, and I enjoyed seeing him mature out of his stubborn shortsightedness. Many of the main and supporting characters are as well-rounded as Ed is, reflecting the complex world they live in. It's the perfect cast and setting for a globe-trotting adventure that quickly turns into a massive conspiracy.
I loved the show's atmosphere, too. The backgrounds, soundtrack, and expressive camera angles enhance the carefree spirit of the earlier episodes, as well as th…
Read at the sourceYuuriko_Kaminoh
I will write this with zero to minimal spoilers to the story.
Story/Plot/World Building: 7
This show is meaningfully deep beyond the surface without trying to be in your face. The alchemy and its system, their military history, and the philosophical themes is very interesting and engaging. The first half being slow-paced is appropriate for how the story is being portrayed. The context is laid out perfectly for how it will turn out later. It prioritizes to show the world first, how this society works, the cause & effect of the past on different cultures and the psychology of its people, even the military itself. Although it may feel like the first half is a slice of life boring anime for other people, every episode leads closer to the truth which was played mysteriously, and every shocking…
Read at the sourceshizukusno1gf
The biggest reason why people could not stand this anime was due to a huge amount of the audience watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood prior to watching Fullmetal Alchemist. FMA03 holds the stark contrast due to being made whilst the manga was also unreleased, hence the writers had to make the narrative up occasionally.
There's no denying the flaws within the show, but overall it was a wonderful experience. The show is a beautiful showcase about the qualities of humanity and a slightly more absurd expression of real world politics. The constant reuse of characters gave it more depth, and each of them contained such profoundness even when they've been gone for more than 10 episodes. Some of the characters felt unnecessary or undeveloped at times other than to add some dialogue or be…
Read at the sourcechumchummaru
Another botched adaptation—it’s a waste of time to even watch it. I just don’t get people who say there’s something more to be found in this adaptation when it doesn’t stick to the source material at all, but I get that most of them haven’t even read it and just watched the anime.
Out of a total of 51 episodes, only 21 stick to the manga (1-3, 5-7, 9, 13–15, 17–20, 23, 25–28, 33–34), of which 3 episodes (4, 10, 37) are filler, and the remaining episodes (8, 11–12, 16, 21–22, 24, 29–32, 35-36, 38-51) are the studio’s own figments of imagination. Personally, I only watched the 21 episodes that stick to the manga (vols. 1-7), though I’d say they’re a mix of both the manga and the studio’s own figments of imagination, designed to tie into their own storylines, so I mostly skipped half of it,…
Read at the sourcejapaneseanime98
Fullmetal Alchemist is a 2003 Japanese anime television series. It is dark and realistic. This Japanese animated television series has lots of stakes and consequences. There is a price for magic. Most shows don't do this have what I call Lord Of The Rings syndrome. Where they try to magic look cool without any form of consequences. Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't need nudity or sexual content trying to enage the viewer like that trainwreck Game of Thrones is. Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 is way dark than most Japanese anime television series. I say Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 is top 3 most darkest Japanese anime Television series. This show has great story, characters, lore and worldbuilding. The show does have a few flaws and a few plot holes. The characters are great chemistry and rich deep psychol…
Read at the sourceyasoqwes
Overall the anime is really good. I like how they don’t overuse alchemy, it feels more realistic and balanced. The series has its own unique style which makes it stand out.
I really enjoyed the side characters as well. The theme of brotherhood between Edward and Al is very well portrayed and emotional. Their journey through hardship and loss made the story unforgettable and deeply moving.
The series tackles heavy themes like sacrifice, morality, and the meaning of humanity in a natural and thought-provoking way. The atmosphere shifts perfectly between dark and serious moments and warmer, lighter scenes, which keeps the story balanced.
The soundtrack fits the mood perfectly, enhancing both the intense action scenes and the heartfelt emotional moments. Even though it’s an older anime, the…
Read at the sourceJaesDBreigh
Boy oh boy this was so bad I had to come out of retirement just to write a review. Outside of nostalgia… simply put, this isn’t a good anime.
I rewatched this to see if my memories were accurate. They weren’t. Which means most people’s aren’t. This… was pretty bad.
Let’s start with the basics: character development. Or rather, the lack of it. Edward and Alphonse remain emotionally immature and narratively static throughout the series. After 51 episodes of death, destruction, betrayal, and trauma, they’re still acting like they just stepped off the playground. You’d expect some genuine transformation, but instead, the story leans heavily on their initial guilt and refuses to evolve past it. They don’t live in the present for anything, constantly trying to fix the past….from start…to finis…
Read at the sourcegoldemarine
Review Title : A Masterpiece of Emotion, Adventure, and Philosophy
Fullmetal Alchemist is a true masterpiece that effortlessly combines action, adventure, and deep philosophical themes into a narrative that grips the heart and mind. From the very first episode, the series immerses the viewer in a world where alchemy is a powerful science, yet it's the emotional journey of the two protagonists, Edward and Alphonse Elric, that becomes the true heart of the story.
What stands out about Fullmetal Alchemist is how it blends an intricate plot with unforgettable characters, each with their own backstory and motivations that slowly unravel. The bond between the Elric brothers, their personal struggles, and their quest for redemption are portrayed with such depth that it makes the audience genuin…
Read at the sourcebananaberrysoda
Its super common to give a character a traumatic backstory as there motivation and a background for future character development.
It can sometimes not hit as hard as it should for whatever reason, maybe its delivered poorly, maybe the character is uninteresting, or maybe there whole backstory is just kinda lousy.
In Fullmetal Alchemist, the protagonists traumatic backstory is INSANELY well written and emotional.
I felt so empathetic for them to the point of genuine tears throughout my time watching the show; the Elric's as characters, carry every second of this show and it's so perfectly done.
As for every other narrative element of FMA... its good! and I definitely feel for why this show is held to such a high standard. My only real gripe holding it from being a perfect show is that I…
Read at the sourcefh1478
I really think this is the best version of Full Metal Alchemist it has the best slow burn story with interspective characters better character setup and payoffs
I think the character design looks more childish. Look more young and has a better design. I cannot put word to it and I like how they are much better to showing all the little mechanical details to things.
I really enjoy how the art design is just so expressive it has the right to make them look happy and sad and horrified especially the horrified eyes are really good in this anime.
I really enjoy how it doesn't go away from the more horrible parts of War about how the people are oppressed and tweeted after they have lost, I really enjoyed the darkness that is in the show it just makes it so much more interesting. I just enjoye…
Read at the sourcekaineumbra
You'll often find people putting Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) down in favor of its "younger brother," Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Despite that, I believe that Fullmetal Alchemist is still is a very good watch and even does some things better than Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.
One gripe I had with Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood was a lot of the comedy, now I did find Armstrong going shirtless funny each time, but a LOT of tension that was created in a lot of scenes was destroyed as soon as they put chibify characters (Like the one scene with Izumi and Ed talking about the horroros of the gate of truth to Al). Yes, Fullmetal Alchemist does this as well, but it doesn't overdo it by putting it in scenes where it shouldn't be in, to say the least.
An important part of Fullmetal Alchemi…
Read at the sourceFatema2006
I can’t believe the majority of people will not watch this masterpiece just because « It does not follow the manga ». Seriously, it’s my favorite anime alongside Brotherhood !
The story does not follow the manga in its second half but it offers some good alternatives ! The origins of the homonculi is different than the original and it’s GOOD, the ost is beautiful, especially Bratja, the pace is slower but for developing the characters the tone is way much darker and the ending is bittersweet. If Brotherhood is centered around battles, 2003 centers around the characters. For example, Edward and Alphonse have much more small moments that makes feel them like people that live outside the main story.
Overall, you will sure enjoy this version if you like darker stories :)
Read at the sourceJastereich
This show was one of my top 10 before I saw Brotherhood. I really loved this show, especially when I wasn't aware that the ending wasn't canon. I will attempt to review this show as a standalone production while simultaneously comparing and contrasting it to Brotherhood.
After seeing the canon ending in Brotherhood, I must say that this version's ending is bad. The manga was unfinished, and instead of taking a break or waiting, the anime team decided to take creative liberties and develop their own conclusion. Regrettably, it appears that the writing team was skilled at interpreting the manga but not at generating their own ideas. Nevertheless, I preferred FMA to Brotherhood until the plot deviation. Although it may have been a bit grim, it provided more depth to each character and thorou…
Read at the sourceadrianwhy
Full Metal Alchemist, the original anime adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa's masterpiece, stands as an unparalleled testament to the power of storytelling and character development. While Brotherhood may have garnered its share of praise, it is the first adaptation that truly captures the essence and emotional depth of Arakawa's original vision.
Where Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood rushes through the narrative, the original anime takes a more deliberate and measured approach. The pacing allows for a nuanced exploration of the characters' backgrounds, motivations, and relationships, creating a more immersive and emotionally resonant experience. The slow burn of the narrative in the original series allows viewers to savor each moment, fostering a deeper connection with the Elric brothers and t…
Read at the sourceHoneyAmanda
Ohhh well
Fullmetal Alchemist is an ABSOLUTE masterpiece in the world of anime. From its gripping storyline to its well-developed characters, this series has left an indelible mark on the hearts of countless viewers, and for good reason.
One of the strongest aspects of Fullmetal Alchemist is its intricate and thought-provoking plot. It weaves a captivating tale of two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who embark on a journey to reclaim what they've lost using alchemy. The exploration of profound themes like sacrifice, redemption, and the consequences of seeking power makes the narrative both emotionally compelling and intellectually stimulating.
Moreover, the character development is simply exceptional. Edward and Alphonse are protagonists with depth and complexity, and the supporting…
Read at the sourceBenyiTheNobody
I am going to divide it into a couple of points that are key to this version and for which I think it is completely worth watching.
The story is quite interesting within the changes made to the original story, you feel the changes in your command as well as your environment, everything feels heavier and darker at many of the points, this makes the important moments much stronger than the original work, especially the death of several of the characters (I won't dare spoilers) but in general the story becomes much more mature and makes you really care more about the protagonists.
the animation and the music are at the exact point, on the part of the animation if you take into account the years, 2003-2004, it is quite outstanding making the battles quite good and the music is one of the bes…
Read at the sourceMike_Morningstar
Fullmetal Alchemist is pretty good I would still say it's not better than manga however writing and the characters are still pretty fun to watch
it's really worth watching and overall art syle is pretty good and episodes are fun to watch characters are pretty good (my favorite is roy mustang)
if you really enjoy this much then you should really watch brotherhood since well brotherhood does some things much much better and has better writing
but really do your self a favour and go read the manga trust me it's pretty awesome and you can pretty much find it everywhere
Read at the source
