Fullmetal Alchemist OG vs. Brotherhood: A Comparative Liveblog

OG 01 vs BH 03

I'll be following episodes according to OG's timeline, and comparing them to the Brotherhood episodes that cover the same content.

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 1: "Those Who Challenge the Sun"

Wikipedia's plot summary:

In a brief flashback, the Elric brothers Edward and Alphonse had attempted to perform an alchemical transmutation in the hopes of bringing their late mother back to life, but they had failed in doing so. As a consequence, Al disappears, Ed loses his left arm, and a grotesque figure appears in the transmutation circle. In the present, the brothers walk across a desert. They arrive at Lior, where they hear about a religious leader named Father Cornello who can create miracles. However, as they realize that he is performing alchemy and ignoring the law of equivalent exchange, they believe that he possesses the philosopher's stone, which they had been searching for to restore Al's body. Threatened, Cornello orders Cray to kill them. Rosé, a girl the brothers meet, is traumatized after witnessing Al's lack of a human body, runs to Cornello. The Elrics follow her, and Cornello releases a chimera on them when they meet. Cornello also transmuted a giant bird from a parrot and sends it to fight against Ed, who fends both of the chimera and the bird off by exposing his automail, his metal arm and leg. Cornello then realizes why Ed is nicknamed the "Fullmetal Alchemist", understanding that the brothers had committed the ultimate sin of human transmutation.

I like this episode a lot as an introduction. It uses in-medias-res excellently, with a shocking opening that makes us wonder what happened to the brothers and how they're still alive four years later. It's immediately followed by a funny opening scene that functions as a palate cleanser for the horror we just witnesses while also establishing the brothers' dynamic with each other, as well as hinting at alchemic mechanics ("If only there was some grass, I could turn it into bread").

I wanted to do a spittake when I saw Ed was only 15 in the present day, though. That's some YA level absurdity there. I somehow remembered him being older. (I also feel like it's rather undermining the horror of his automail stunting his growth -- that's not immediately apparent if he's not supposed to be fully grown in the first place. There are definitely 15-year-olds who are as short as him naturally.)

We get another funny scene when they finally make it to Liore; Ed is exhausted and blames Al, but Al points out he's only tired because he chased Al so hard. This is, again, a really nice and succinct way of establishing their characters and relationship.

Ed finds a fountain in the middle of the city, and discovers it's pumping wine. This is a really nice detail that fleshes out the city, and shows how Cornello's miracles are affecting their everyday life. He's not just making some flashes to wow people, he's actively changing the city and giving people something tangible to believe in. What I think is most important about this detail is that it adds nuance to this conflict. Cornello really is bettering the city and giving the hopeless something to believe in. These people aren't just following him because they're idiots; they are truly desperate. The heroes may be liberating the city from his manipulations, but they're taking good things away from the city too.

The Elric brothers find a bar and Ed finally gets a drink. The bartender turns on the radio -- a detail that shows this isn't your typical fantasy story, but one with an early 1900s tech level. We hear Cornello's broadcast, and the shots decompress to give us time to take it in. We pan over the city, see how everyone reacts to the broadcast, and see Ed's reaction to it as well.

This is the point where we catch up to the manga's opening. The bartender asks if they're street performers; Ed gets affronted, and says only vaguely that they're here to "look for something", piquing our curiosity. Ed asks about Cornello and the entire town suddenly crowds in to tell him the good word, which is both funny and an effective means of conveying exposition. They make explicit what was implied by the fountain of wine: their desert town is normally inhospitable, but Cornello made it better.