Top 10 Ways Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) is Better Than Brotherhood
Brotherhood in my opinion is very overrated due to the fact that it overshadows the original too much. I personally think 2003 was better than Brotherhood and here's why.Honestly, Brotherhood's characterization is very weak and lacking. When I saw Hughes's death in Brotherhood, I didn't even feel sad in the slightest because we only knew him for 10 episodes. But when I watched the original, I felt very sad because I was attracted to the character for 25 episodes and he had more development.
'03 does a better job with characters, but because of how the story was changed, some of my favorite characters never even showed up. FMAB has a way more interesting plot, though. I would say more, but I don't want to spoil too much.
Brotherhood feels very bland in the pacing because they rushed everything to the main plot. The Original, on the other hand, decided to keep a steady pace and take its time to flesh everything out.
The pacing in Brotherhood feels too fast and rushed at times. They end up cramming too many things into one episode, making it confusing.
Lust is such a useless character in Brotherhood. In '03, she has a whole backstory and motives. She's such an amazing character in '03.
In the original, homunculi are beings born from the aftermath of human transmutation and want to be human. Brotherhood's homunculi are the reincarnations of Father. Lame! The Original wins!
The concept of the homunculus being the aftermath of human transmutation was very interesting.
Brotherhood relies too heavily on jokes and other humor, to the point where it gets very annoying. The original knew when the time was right to add a joke and tried to limit it.
I understand Brotherhood wanted to get over the rehashes, but they lacked so much of Nina's relationship with Ed and Al. The Original gave her three episodes to build up with the Elrics, and we see the friendship they made. This is why 2003 Nina's death is more emotional than Brotherhood's.
We literally get just one episode with the Elrics and Nina in Brotherhood, so there's barely enough time to feel any connection. While in the original, there's a stronger relationship with her and the Elrics, which makes Nina's demise all the more tragic.
Really? Brotherhood's Sloth is some muscular monster who wrecks things? Boring! Now, 2003's Sloth is Ed and Al's mom after the human transmutation, which feels more complex and interesting than a muscular brute.
Brotherhood Sloth literally does nothing. He has no personality and rarely shows up. In contrast, '03 Sloth is awesome because she adds to the Elric brothers' guilt for transmuting their mother.
Brotherhood feels too much like any shounen anime. This is what I love about 2003. It gives moments of bleakness, sorrow, and shows how life isn't always how we want it to go. It gives more thought into the show, while Brotherhood is like any action-adventure show.
Now, both series did a good job at portraying their relationship, but personally, the Original did it better. In one scene, when the homunculus had Al hostage, Ed was forced to choose between his brother or the prisoners of the 5th laboratory. I feel like it shows the struggle Ed is going through.
Maes Hughes is a fictional character from the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series and its adaptations created by Hiromu Arakawa.