Kiarou · @_Kiarou
27th Sep 2020 from TwitLonger
Thoughts on Fullmental Alchemist 2003
Rewatching FullMetal Alchemist 03 is an interesting experience. While going through it, I never found myself emotionally invested into the characters or intrigued by the story. At points it dragged with pacing issues and at other points a chaotic randomness took over. The tone was hard to pin down and key characters became frustrating. But I still enjoyed it- How? Why?
No matter how I shake it 03 is an incredibly flawed series, riddled with character inconsistencies, plot conveniences and a general lack of direction. It’s a product of its time in both humor and tone. A lot of the aimlessness is due to manga-anime drifts, which is completely understandable. I’m deeply thankful they decided not to go the filler-route, and through it all I’m even thankful for the series itself. While the execution was not great by modern standards, the concepts and thematic underpinnings of the show were fascinating.
FMA03, in comparison to its counterpart, has an arguably more intriguing take on equivalent exchange. It takes with full earnest the law of entropy and its relationship to an ideal state vs an imperfect reality. This leaves the series open for a far more tragic ending, which it sees through to the very end. The results can leave us feeling empty and hollow- left in a world full of gaps. Gaps for the viewer to fill with their own imagination. So while feeling incomplete, it also feels more interactive.
In retrospect I have a reasonable suspicion that this series was a corner stone for better storytelling in the anime medium. FMA 03 tackled hard philosophical questions in a time where shonen/long running anime series were not worried about themes. It opened up a bulwark for a more interesting future, maybe not solely so but significantly so. I also have the belief that the flaws and missteps of 03 helped Arakawa’s writing process. She had said in interviews that she gave the show runners a rough outline of where she was going and from there they filled in the gaps. She was a weekly watcher just like the rest of us. Seeing ideas that you have executed, some very well and some not so much, is extremely helpful from a writer’s perspective. It gives you the ability to look at the areas that fell short and bolster them up- to perform an autopsy before the corps is even made. I really do believe that 03 was crucial in making the manga and FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood the masterpiece that we all love it for today.
While it’s hard for me to give this series + movie a glowing review- it actually sits around average to slightly above average- it’s a high recommended must watch, especially for FMA:B lovers. Oddly enough, the flaws and tragic open ended nature makes this a gratifying experience and a curious piece of animation history.