Personally I liked '03 better than Brotherhood. It took itself more seriously than Brotherhood, which makes it feel more like a seinen than a shounen; it took longer to introduce Pride and so the reveal was much more impactful; the homunculi had a more interesting origin story. The only thing I think Brotherhood did better was the end, and that's only because it's a lot less bleak than '03

[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I don't know if it's nostalgia or not, but I agree with you. I think the build up and character development was better (including the homuncli as you mentioned) in the '03 version. Not to mention I thought the source of alchemical power in the original series was a more interesting concept.

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Not to mention I thought the source of alchemical power in the original series was a more interesting concept.

Yeah, the Brotherhood explanation is weak. Like a tea bag that you let steep for ten seconds. There's something there, but it doesn't really have a flavor. You're left asking "that's it? But how does that power alchemy?" I won't pretend the explanation in '03 was objectively good, but it was definitely strong. Like five tea bags steeping in a single cup for ten minutes. I like my tea strong, but I know not everyone does

[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Absolutely, it may have raised a lot more questions than it answered, but it kept in line with the concept of equivelant exchange (and made the philosophers stone concept tie directly into the enrgy source more). Overall I think it just fit the cruelty of the world of alchemy they created.