13 replies to this topic

[Will of NGE]

I have read the manga version of Full Metal Alchemist, but I haven't watched the anime.

Then I find out there are two versions. One with original content and one that follows the manga.

As always, I'd rather see the true work compared to something that changed from source material.

My question is, how truthfull is Brotherhood, and what's the difference between the two? IN DETAIL. Spoilers are not a problem since I've read the manga.

[Nepenthe]

Brotherhood is very faithful to the manga. However, the first couple of chapters in the manga are skipped over rather quickly, as they were covered by the first anime. There is also an extra scene at the beginning of Brotherhood that was never in the manga. You don't see some of the humorous asides that are in the manga, and I believe a little bit of the detail was left out, but overall it's a very good adaptation. I got a much stronger feel for the tragedy that the Elric brothers live than I did in the manga. To me, the animated medium conveyed the emotions a bit more strongly.

[Will of NGE]

So... to what point are Alchemist and Brotherhood "idential to the manga? So I can take the more faithful part of Alchemist and then continue it with Brotherhood.

Or they can't mix together half and half?

[Nepenthe]

I haven't seen the first anime. But the manga hadn't gotten very far when it started, so it caught up pretty quickly. Apparently Arakawa told them to do whatever they wanted, then watched with interest. Apparently characters who hadn't been fleshed out much before the first anime overtook the manga (people like Mustang) got different personalities. And a number of homonculi hadn't been introduced at that point, so Wrath, Pride, Sloth, and maybe some others I'm not thinking of are entirely different. The first anime feels a lot more like your average shounen. It has some interesting ideas, but Arakawa's execution and plotting is simply much better.

 

I would just watch Brotherhood. It's faithful to the point that most of the dialogue is directly from the manga. The scenes are directly from the manga. IIRC, the only part Brotherhood really skips over is the chapter where Yoki is introduced, the chapter about the coal mining town.

[Will of NGE]

So not much damage done in Brotherhood's "trimming". Goodie, when FMA falls into my hands, it will be Brotherhood that gets the honors.

[Flicker]

Despite the differences between alchemist and the manga, I preferrered it over brotherhood. Alchemist simply looked better, not like the flash animation that was Brotherhood.

But that's just preference. Go with brotherhood if you want the same story a second time.

[Little Yuri]

e-e

 

If you want a sadder feel, watch the first FMA then watch the movie, Conqueror of Shamballa which is its sequel.

 

Like some have said, if you want the faithful one, go with Brotherhood.

 

 

 

You'd really want to watch the first one + the movie if you want to be sad, NGE. It's kinda unique and that is its charm.

[Will of NGE]

I'm put off when different media adaptation deviates from the source material.

[Little Yuri]

It's a good anime by itself. I recommend it. If brotherhood gets a 5 for me, the first one gets a 4.

 

I'm not kidding, it's pretty good. The feels from the first one will make you cringe anyway, so what's the wait? You can always watch both anyways, so... lol.

[Will of NGE]

It's a good anime by itself. I recommend it. If brotherhood gets a 5 for me, the first one gets a 4.

 

I'm not kidding, it's pretty good. The feels from the first one will make you cringe anyway, so what's the wait? You can always watch both anyways, so... lol.

 

Don't like mixing stories and I'm not fond of "paralel universe" and rebuilds and such.

[Little Yuri]

Suit yourself.

[Samhill]

Although following the main plot line of the manga, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has some clear differences from the original work (manga), with most of the omitted content from the earlier episodes being removed presumably due to its inclusion in the 2003 anime while the less frequent omissions later in the series were cut presumably due to time or budget constraints. A few examples of the material changed from the original work are:

    •The introduction of exclusive characters (Isaac McDougal, the Ice Alchemist).
   • Earlier introductions of characters (Kimblee and Father are shown for a few seconds in episode 1).
    •Different settings for the first episode.
   • The train incident involving the Elrics' battle against Bald and his Blue Squad is omitted as well as Hakuro's ear wound.
    •The Youswell ordeal, during which Yoki is introduced, is omitted, although Yoki does appear in later episodes and a short flashback recounting the events of that omitted chapter is also shown. Additionally due to May Chang's first appearance in Youswell also being cut, Youswell is only seen once in the series when May visited it a second time during the events in the manga.
    •Since the events of May Chang's first visit to Youswell were omitted, the dialogue during her second visit was changed in the anime to avoid confusion since the townspeople haven't seen her before in the anime version, unlike the manga.
    •Instead of going to another library to look up Tim Marcoh's research after the National Central Library burned down where Ed learned about Sheska from another librarian, the Elrics head straight for Sheska's house by car, with Maria Ross mentioning on who Sheska is.
    •Ed does not arm wrestle in Rush Valley like in the manga and the 2003 anime.
   •Dominic's fear during his first meeting with Winry due to his past association with Pinako Rockbell is omitted.
    •The masked man from Ed and Al's training on Yock Island is not shown.
    •The boys' stay in Dublith is shortened quite heavily, omitting Mason's appearance while also shortening Bradley's arrival.
    •Ed's journey to South City to turn in his yearly assessment report is omitted.
    •Envy's skirmish with Lan Fan in Central as well as Ling Yao and Gluttony later joining the battle is absent.
    •Hohenheim's death is more drawn out than the original manga.
    •The Gaiden (side stories) of the manga that were shown on the 2003 series, where many characters were introduced, including Catherine Elle Armstrong and Black Hayate, are omitted.
    •When Greed is captured by Wrath and taken back to Father, he is crucified in the manga, as opposed to being tied to a metal pillar in the anime. This scene, however, was also edited in the English manga due to religious symbolism. In the English version, the cross is changed to a giant slab.
    •The flashback of the Elric brothers' past was shown quite a bit earlier while on a train ride to Reole, whereas in the manga, it wasn't shown until they arrive at their teacher, Izumi Curtis', shop in Dublith.
    •How everyone finds out about Hughes' death is portrayed many different ways throughout the manga and the 2009 series.
    •Some of the pictures at the end of the manga that show the aftermath of the story, such as Winry and Ed with their children (known by most as the "New Elric Family Photo"), have been changed a bit. Examples include the addition of Paninya and Garfiel in the New Elric Family Photo, Vato Falman with a picture of what appears to be his children instead of other Briggs Soldiers, and Mustang and Hawkeye's picture is changed a bit, depicting Mustang with a mustache and a military hat.
    •In the 2009 series, Havoc's legs are fully healed at the end of the story, wheras in the manga, we see him still in physical therapy post-series.

http://fma.wikia.com/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist:_Brotherhood#Differences_From_the_Manga

Edited by Samhill, 29 August 2014 - 02:20 PM.

[I-Am-X]

Without a doubt, Brotherhood was the better adaption.

 

But I quite enjoyed the first one and the movie that followed it.

[Fluffyknowsyou]

I really didn't enjoy the nazism theme from shamballa because it felt more like it was just tacked on. In the sense they were just using nazis as the main threat just for the sake of using nazis. The original tv ending ended on a rather sad note which separated the elric bros who worked so hard to get Al's body back.

 

Brotherhood was too happy for my tastes and in some ways disappointed me in the anime anyways..the lack of background about xing and the first civilization brought down by father saddened me. Besides that, great anime on its own except for some nippicky points(which wouldn't matter to a manga fan who read it all).