Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood's Botched Opening

Fullmetal Alchemist is my favorite piece of media of all time, nothing comes close to it in my opinion. I know I said that a couple weeks ago but that piece I wrote got me thinking about FMA again, namely FMA Brotherhood.  I've noticed this strange thing about FMAB in that most people I introduce it to don't click with it until Episode 4 or so. Meanwhile I got started with the 2003 version of FMA and got into it at the end of Episode 2, which is the end of the first story arc. And it makes me wonder why? Why does FMAB seem screw up it's opening in the way it's predecessor and the Manga Original seemingly don't?

Well to understand I need to explain what makes Brotherhood, FMA 2003, and the Manga different. The Manga is the original, the classic from which both anime were birthed from and an amazing 27-volume run. FMA 2003, simply called Fullmetal Alchemist, was a first attempt to adapt the manga but it ran out of manga to adapt and chose to make it's own ending. Brotherhood was created at the end of the manga run and is a straight adaptation of the original manga from start to end... kinda.

The original manga and 2003 anime introduced the world of Amestris and the characters in it slowly. The first arc is about the Elric brothers in the town of Liore where they meet a young girl named Rose who practices the local religion. Over the course of the Liore arc we're introduced to the world's magic system and just what makes the Elric brothers special. It's a well done story that focuses on a personal tale within the world while easing one into that world. 

The manga then tells several more stories before the plot truly kicks off, as the Elrics travel from Liore to East City. In the process the reader is introduced to more ideas like military corruption, hatred for the military and anyone in it, along with rebel factions seeking to bring the government down. Things that all rear their head later on in the story.

The '03 anime meanwhile deviates to tell the Elric's origin story earlier. This builds into a six episode long flashback arc but it accomplishes largely the same effect and introduces the same elements the manga did, just in a different way.

By contrast Brotherhood's introduction focuses on the Elric brothers as they attempt to stop a plot by an ex-State Alchemist to freeze over the government's capital. The problem with this story is that there's no slow introduction at all, you're hurled straight into a large scale conspiracy from the word go. With concepts and ideas just hurled at you at a breakneck pace that gives one almost no breathing room.

On top of that, characters are basically dumped on you in a way that makes some of them less cool. Hughes and Armstrong are spared this, in fact this new episode spends a lot of time on Hughes. However Roy Mustang is portrayed as smug but ineffective in his Brotherhood introduction when in his original introduction he's a stone cold badass later revealed to be a bit goofy. 

The other major problem with this new intro is that Brotherhood tries to have it's cake and eat it too, namely in Episode 3 where it does the Liore arc. But the original purpose of the Liore arc has been done by the new introduction episode, which makes Liore feel unnecessary. And that's on top of the fact that Brotherhood's Liore arc is just not as well written as both the '03 and Manga versions.

Worse yet Brotherhood also cuts the rest of the manga's first volume after Liore, meaning the idea of Ed being hated for his military service is something mentioned by Hughes rather than actually shown. Ed's kindness and ability to outthink his foes is not nearly as on full display as it is in the Manga.

It also ruins character introductions, namely with Yoki and Mustang. Yoki, who is introduced in one of the cut stories, has to have his origin shoe-horned into another arc. And I already mentioned that Mustang's introduction is botched by how he's introduced in Episode 1 but his true introduction is at the end of the first volume and that's cut too.

That said once you get to Episode 4, and Brotherhood starts adapting the second manga volume onward, the show starts to gain a better sense of pacing. Like I said at the start, Episode 4 is when the series really starts clicking for people but that introduction is rough and I wish that they committed to a total start from Liore reset.  The middle of the road approach makes FMAB stumble at the starting line.

However the fact that FMAB is still masterpiece in spite of that is a testament to just how excellent FMA's story truly is and one I still love all these years later. That said, I'd still recommend the first two episode's of FMA 2003 or the first volume of the manga as your starting point to FMA. But hey, that's just me, plenty of other people got into the series regardless.

 

(PS:  As much shit as I gave Brotherhood for shoving Yoki's story somewhere else, I think doing that flashback as a 1910's style black and white film is cute.)