Fullmetal Alchemist Manga vs First TV Series – ROUND EIGHT
So, this is it. The final round of manga/first anime series comparisons. After volume 8 of the manga (actually during volume 8), the differences between the two versions of FMA expand into a large gulf. In volume 8, the Xingese characters are introduced. In episodes of the series, there’s a return to Lior, where Scar tries for revenge against those who destroyed his people.
It’s been fun comparing.
EVENTS:
Fullmetal Alchemist Manga vs First TV Series – ROUND EIGHT
So, this is it. The final round of manga/first anime series comparisons. After volume 8 of the manga (actually during volume 8), the differences between the two versions of FMA expand into a large gulf. In volume 8, the Xingese characters are introduced. In episodes of the series, there’s a return to Lior, where Scar tries for revenge against those who destroyed his people.
It’s been fun comparing.
EVENTS:
Chapter 29: Eye of the King/Chapter 30: The Truth Inside The Armor/Chapter 31: The Snake That Eats Its Own Tail
Event(s): Greed and his gang attempt to escape the military, but are confronted by Alex Louis Armstrong. Close behind him Fuhrer King Bradley, who shows know mercy. He subdues Greed using his “Ultimate Eye” then kills Martel as she hides in Alphonse, leading him to remember The Truth. Bradley, who is Wrath, takes Greed back to the creator of the homunuculi, who melts Greed down and drinks the liquid remains.
Episode 34: Theory of Avarice/Episode 40: The Scar
Event(s): Greed and his gang attempt to escape the military, but are confronted by Alex Louis Armstrong. Greed manage s to get away, and comes upon Dante’s house, where he discovers that she’s dead and a trap has been laid for him. Edward confronts Ed about his missing brother and the two battle, ending with Greed’s intentional death, meant to show Ed how to destroy a homonuculus. Ed reunites with Alphonse and along with Winry, they leave Dublith; Fuhrer Bradley unveils his “Ultimate Eye” when Martel threatens him. He kills Martel as she hides in Alphonse and warns him that the Fuhrer is a homonuculi.
Judgement: Frankly, I enjoyed both the manga and anime’s take on this material, but I sort of enjoyed that Greed went out in the first series showing Ed how to destroy a homunuculus and steeling his resolve.
MANGA < ANIME Time for a character roundup! CHARACTERS: Sloth Judgement: They're ENORMOUSLY different from each other, but I enjoy both equally, for different reasons. I found the Sloth storyline in the anime to be rather poignant and it was good that they brought form to the Elric brothers' sin like that. In the manga, Sloth is pretty cool, and represents the sin of sloth very well, being very fast, but always lumbering around as though he were slow, wasting his potential most of the time. They're both great. MANGA = ANIME Rose Judgement: Okay, so, Rose got some pretty rough deals in FMA. On the one hand, a well-adjusted, happy Rose in the manga gets little or no attention, and is utterly insignificant. On the other hand, a Rose whose faith in the world is pushed to extremes by tragedy and suffering recieves at least B-character status in the anime. Well, shit. I guess she gets screwed either way. Frankly, I don't care much about her either way, but at least shows us something about breaking through tragedy in the anime. MANGA < ANIME Hohenheim Judgement: Hohenheim is a great character. He's mysterious, powerful, and sort of an incorrigible deadbeat dad with a reason. He also, for his flaws, is trying to redeem himself the best he can. Though really, the first series hardly does him justice. The manga goes on to show the reader the secrets of his past, and it's an amazing story. He's essentially the same character in both, but is perhaps more personable in the manga. MANGA > ANIME
Sheska
Judgement: I love Sheska. She’s definitely a favorite character of mine. Essentially Yumiko Readman without the paperkinesis, Sheska is a hardcore bookworm and it’s funny to see how she is constantly underselling herself, despite her amazing memory. In the anime, they kept her around and made her a bit of a conspiracy nut who was trying to solve Hughes’ murder on her own, and then with some help of Winry, who she made good friends with. This showed a more active, likeable side of her.
MANGA < ANIME So, that pretty much covers all the major characters I wanted to compare the manga and anime counterparts for. I think we can see that the manga characters usually have an extra level of badass to them, but I like how real the anime versions are, too. Next time, a wrap-up!