Summary
Fullmetal Alchemist has had two different anime adaptations because of its immense popularity and initial success as a manga. The first anime deviated from the manga’s plot at the author’s request, while the second anime, Brotherhood, aimed to faithfully adapt the manga. Brotherhood was well received critically and commercially, leading to the production of an original film and even a live-action adaptation in 2022.
While both originals Fullmetal alchemist cartoons and Brotherhood hailed as a work of exceptional quality, many newer fans are surprised to find that there are two completely different anime series. How did the series get adapted twice and why are they so different?
The Fullmetal Alchemist manga began in July 2001 and quickly became popular, so much so that series creator Hiromu Arakawa was approached about an anime adaptation, which was completed at Studio Bones. The first anime premiered on October 4, 2003 and ran for 51 episodes a year later.
At the time of release, the manga only had chapter 28 out of 108, so the end was still very far away. The manga ended its 108th chapter in June 2010, an impressive nine years after its debut. Arakawa has said that although she had an ending in mind for the Fullmetal Alchemist manga early on, she asked the animation studio to create her own storyline based on what had been published so far.
In an interview for Newtype USA in 2006, Arakawa said she saw “no point in having a multimedia story if everything is exactly the same in all versions.” So 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist was always destined to be different from the manga. In the same interview, Arakawa said that she found it interesting to wonder about the anime version of Homunculi and how their story would end. The first series was a huge success and was later followed by a completely original film, The Conqueror of Shamballa, in 2005.
In September 2008, the manga’s 20th volume was released in Japan, containing a note from Arakawa announcing that a second anime was in development. This second series, now called Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, is being made once again by Studio Bones, will be produced for the big screen and will feature the majority of the cast of the first series returning. their roles, in both Japanese and English. voiceover. However, the most important thing for fans of the series is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is intended to be a faithful adaptation of the manga.
Brotherhood debuted in April 2009, this time running for 64 episodes before ending in July 2010. Since the final chapter of the manga was only released in June, some fans were worried about this. at that time. Luckily, Studio Bones allayed those fears in May, announcing that the final episodes had been produced and the series would end just like the manga. Brotherhood was a critical and commercial success and was popular enough to get an original anime film called The Sacred Star of Milos, which debuted in Japan in July 2011.
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The reason there are two versions of Fullmetal Alchemist is simple: it’s very popular and always has been. The manga was popular enough to spawn an anime series in the first place that it had to create an original ending, and then that anime was popular enough to spawn its own movies. It even continues to be adapted, with the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist being released in Japan in 2022. Adaptation is a natural Fullmetal alchemist again when the manga was (almost) over, especially since the two were so different.
Source: Newtype USA
All episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood available on Crunchyroll!
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