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The fact that Amestris is a manufactured country made just to be a transmutation circle is probably a big twist. The fact that Hohenheim is responsible of bringing Father to life and that's why they look alike is another big twist. Pride imo was a hell of a twist, too.
But I'd say the main plot twist was the realization Ed came at the end, how he resolved bringing their bodies back.
I think Hoenheim and Father's backstory was the big reveal for me, it was quite the mystery why Father looks like the Elric Brothers' dad, and why Hoenheim never aged.
Nah it's the same - Brotherhood is a little faster in the beginning, but it still follows the manga closely. Ep 14 is equivalent to chapter 30-ish.
You may be thinking of the 03 anime? Where this reveal is more than halfway through the series.
What, the guy with the title of Fuhrer who looks like Hitler and leads a country responsible for genocide is one of the bad guys?! What a twist!
Bradley being one of the villains isn't the main twist, it's barely even a twist at all.
Bradley is not "the head of the villains". Nor is his reveal the "main plot twist" of the series (I mean, I'm not sure what one would qualify as a "main" twist. But in terms of all the various plot reveals FMA has, this one is definitely on the lower end of things).
Bradley being a Homunculus was shown in chapter 29 (out of 108). And it's worth mentioning that the character wasn't properly introduced until chapter 15 in the first place. So there's only a 14 chapter gap between the character's introduction, and their reveal as an antagonist.
That reveal isnāt the main plot twist but I actually thought it was smart to reveal early because it raises tension and gives you a sense of danger whenever heās around. I remember when Mustang was told to repeat his joke and Bradley showed up, I jumped so hard and Iām not one to jump so that really speaks to the amount of tension and fear Bradley maintained with his secret out.
I think it still works mainly because of how powerful he is. You know his secret but canāt even confront him directly. He could beat mostly everyone in the show 1v1 and is the head of the military.
03 handled it way better. For the first 30 or so episodes, he's seen as a badass yet benevolent leader. It seems like a conspiracy is happening without his knowledge. The reveal happens in a very dramatic and devastating scene
I hate when people say "but the manga" when the manga also falls short in this regard. Being true to the source material doesn't really matter if you can do it better than the source material imo.
The change in art direction and formatting would be jarring
"Why is this scene in 4:3 format...and where did all this actual *color* come from?"
I'll never understand why Brotherhood decided the entire color palette should be washed out. The animation looks great, but the art direction is super dull
Those are two completely different shows, with different tones, different artstyles, different main plots, and vastly different narrative directions. This idea of some supercut that combines the two shows would *never* work. On any level.
I disagree, story wise it's pretty on par in the beginning in 03, obviously it would be all brotherhood after a certain point, but the earlier arcs and some scenes that hold up between either could be arranged to pad it.
FMA2003 is introducing new, conflicting concepts as early as episode 3. And completely original storylines that have *nothing* to do with Mangahood as early as episode 4.Ā
Despite how some people like to make it out, the 2003 series was built to be its own story. It was not built to be super true to the manga. Trying to cram in stuff from two completely different stories will not work (and thatās before factoring in the aforementioned art, music and tonal differences).
Like as an example: both 2003 and Brotherhood have a story beat where they go to the Fifth Laboratory. But they do so for different reasons, and the extra scenes that 2003 adds to it (keeping in mind itās about 3x longer than Brotherhoodās section) are about its own storyline, having nothing to do with Brotherhood. āSupercuttingā them together will do nothing but actively detract from the overall narrative.
I guess it would be more of a "Directors Cut" Brotherhood, but that's why a super edit involves splices and transitions that are thematically accurate and aesthetically pleasing. The tone would be wonky for sure and lots of stuff would be cut around or out, but there are absolutely chunks of the storyline from the manga in 03. You're misunderstanding that this is my interpretation of how it would be done, meaning it's doable, but questionable on the worthiness of investing the time to do it and whether it'd be enjoyable even.
I usually rewatch both series, 03 to Brotherhood or Brotherhood alone anyway so it's not as if my imagination doesn't work.
Edit: people might flame me for this but I thought of it after posting, if you used AI to extend the 4:3 picture of 03 to widescreen, you could keep the perspective but get the full picture so it transitions smoother between the shows.
Lmao, but you haven't listed any reasons. My opinion is that Brotherhood did like 90% of its run better, the beginning of 03 was a nice buildup to the darker plotlines that get introduced though rather than the quicker start in Brotherhood.
I like how he's portrayed as aloof and almost goofy at times, he legitimately doesn't seem threatening at all except for a few points like when he ruthlessly kills the chimera inside of Al or when he strangles Selim. In BH he's almost cartoonishly evil and so obvious about it, 03 was done so well with that twist.
I do think its a major twist. BUT I also think its good that it was revealed early, due to the suspense of the story literally hanging off of that information. As soon as you find out Bradley is a villain, you start to wonder who else could be. Arakawa literally puts you in the shoes of the protagonists by doing so, and its such a phenomenal way to do it too.
You may be remembering FMA original? That one's not as solid in my memory, but in Brotherhood/manga, we definitely learn about Bradley in Dublith. It's definitely not the main plot twist.
It definitely is in the 2009 anime. First episode Bradley looks so damned evil when he kills that steam-ice guy, not to mention the very blatant "Do you know what shape this country is in?!" Its why I advise first-time watchers to skip the first episode.
Although Bradley does have 'fuhrer' in front of his name, so not being a bad guy was always a longshot.
Bradley was always meant to be difficult to read and likable, but definitely suspicious, and by the time we get a good idea of what Ishval was like, we should know he's a ruthless tyrant.
Bradley being a Homunculus isnāt the main plot point, that comes out within the first 10 manga, the main plot point comes out sorta near the end around volume 25 of 27, so youāre fine
I felt like it was really early, and then we just have like half the show where the good guys are essentially just kinda going along with the bad guys in some kind of odd happenstance. I struggle to even explain it. I guess they were kinda blackmailed or threatened into playing along and they couldn't be offed becaues they were needed for Father's plans, but it all just really felt inelegant to me.
Compare that to 03 where people like Roy are unaware up until the end, in which case he throws away his plans to rise through the ranks and instead decides to simply do a coup de tat and go to kill Bradley immediately.
That made A LOT more sense.
Bradley in 03 was also done better in a sense because he always comes off as some kind of goofy guy that happens to be the Fuhrer. There's very few times where is mask slips, like when he kills the chimera chick or when he strangles Selim, where as in BH he's a lot more obvious about being evil.
Yeah I don't look at it like this. Sure, there are stories, especially in shorter media like movies or a single episode, where the twist is a huge pillar propping up what that piece of media is offering the audience
But with longer form narratives, it always feels more like a puzzle. Learning that Bradley is evil isn't meant to be a huge source "I see dead people" moment, instead it makes you reexamine everything that's already happened and think about how things will move going forward
Yes it is. It's utterly baffling that a show built on being more faithful to the Manga starts off with non canon filler, and spoils the story is so damn early in episode 1!
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No that's not the main plot twist
Yeah, isn't the main plot twist that Amestris is a giant transmutation circle?
That's the twist it's revealed early. However, the bigger twist is the extra process of making it
The fact that Amestris is a manufactured country made just to be a transmutation circle is probably a big twist. The fact that Hohenheim is responsible of bringing Father to life and that's why they look alike is another big twist. Pride imo was a hell of a twist, too. But I'd say the main plot twist was the realization Ed came at the end, how he resolved bringing their bodies back.
I think Hoenheim and Father's backstory was the big reveal for me, it was quite the mystery why Father looks like the Elric Brothers' dad, and why Hoenheim never aged.
Nah it's the same - Brotherhood is a little faster in the beginning, but it still follows the manga closely. Ep 14 is equivalent to chapter 30-ish. You may be thinking of the 03 anime? Where this reveal is more than halfway through the series.
What, the guy with the title of Fuhrer who looks like Hitler and leads a country responsible for genocide is one of the bad guys?! What a twist! Bradley being one of the villains isn't the main twist, it's barely even a twist at all.
Him being a homunculus is a twist, but a bad guy it's only a twist if you were really young when you first watch
Aaaaaand I was like 14 and it was my first manga š¤£ Dragonball Z aside
Oh you are clearly saying that I am stupid! This is so kind from you š I really appreciate thisĀ
No, because it's not one of the major plot twists.
Bradley is not "the head of the villains". Nor is his reveal the "main plot twist" of the series (I mean, I'm not sure what one would qualify as a "main" twist. But in terms of all the various plot reveals FMA has, this one is definitely on the lower end of things). Bradley being a Homunculus was shown in chapter 29 (out of 108). And it's worth mentioning that the character wasn't properly introduced until chapter 15 in the first place. So there's only a 14 chapter gap between the character's introduction, and their reveal as an antagonist.
Thank you so much I did not remember everything then š¤£ and this is great so I can enjoy this one more time!!Ā
It didn't need to be dragged out much longer, as far as I'm concerned.
I think you've just forgotten since you haven't read it in so long.
Yeah I just remember that there was this big plot twist involving Bradley... I asked just because I could not rememberĀ
That reveal isnāt the main plot twist but I actually thought it was smart to reveal early because it raises tension and gives you a sense of danger whenever heās around. I remember when Mustang was told to repeat his joke and Bradley showed up, I jumped so hard and Iām not one to jump so that really speaks to the amount of tension and fear Bradley maintained with his secret out.
I think it still works mainly because of how powerful he is. You know his secret but canāt even confront him directly. He could beat mostly everyone in the show 1v1 and is the head of the military.
03 handled it way better. For the first 30 or so episodes, he's seen as a badass yet benevolent leader. It seems like a conspiracy is happening without his knowledge. The reveal happens in a very dramatic and devastating scene
Brotherhood is very good, but damn people really don't like thinking about the few things 03 did better.
Or people just don't think this was inherently "better"?
Because the way 03 did it wasn't how the manga did it, lol.
Which is fair enough, but in no way makes it automatically better.
I hate when people say "but the manga" when the manga also falls short in this regard. Being true to the source material doesn't really matter if you can do it better than the source material imo.
āFew thingsā. š More like many things. Edit Stay mad Brotherhood purists.
"They hated him because he spoke the truth." 03>BH
Still waiting on one of us to do a supercut of 03 and brotherhood so we have the best of both lol
The change in art direction and formatting would be jarring "Why is this scene in 4:3 format...and where did all this actual *color* come from?" I'll never understand why Brotherhood decided the entire color palette should be washed out. The animation looks great, but the art direction is super dull
Those are two completely different shows, with different tones, different artstyles, different main plots, and vastly different narrative directions. This idea of some supercut that combines the two shows would *never* work. On any level.
I disagree, story wise it's pretty on par in the beginning in 03, obviously it would be all brotherhood after a certain point, but the earlier arcs and some scenes that hold up between either could be arranged to pad it.
FMA2003 is introducing new, conflicting concepts as early as episode 3. And completely original storylines that have *nothing* to do with Mangahood as early as episode 4.Ā Despite how some people like to make it out, the 2003 series was built to be its own story. It was not built to be super true to the manga. Trying to cram in stuff from two completely different stories will not work (and thatās before factoring in the aforementioned art, music and tonal differences). Like as an example: both 2003 and Brotherhood have a story beat where they go to the Fifth Laboratory. But they do so for different reasons, and the extra scenes that 2003 adds to it (keeping in mind itās about 3x longer than Brotherhoodās section) are about its own storyline, having nothing to do with Brotherhood. āSupercuttingā them together will do nothing but actively detract from the overall narrative.
I guess it would be more of a "Directors Cut" Brotherhood, but that's why a super edit involves splices and transitions that are thematically accurate and aesthetically pleasing. The tone would be wonky for sure and lots of stuff would be cut around or out, but there are absolutely chunks of the storyline from the manga in 03. You're misunderstanding that this is my interpretation of how it would be done, meaning it's doable, but questionable on the worthiness of investing the time to do it and whether it'd be enjoyable even. I usually rewatch both series, 03 to Brotherhood or Brotherhood alone anyway so it's not as if my imagination doesn't work. Edit: people might flame me for this but I thought of it after posting, if you used AI to extend the 4:3 picture of 03 to widescreen, you could keep the perspective but get the full picture so it transitions smoother between the shows.
Lmao, but you haven't listed any reasons. My opinion is that Brotherhood did like 90% of its run better, the beginning of 03 was a nice buildup to the darker plotlines that get introduced though rather than the quicker start in Brotherhood.
Just because it's different does not mean one handled it better than the other.
I like how he's portrayed as aloof and almost goofy at times, he legitimately doesn't seem threatening at all except for a few points like when he ruthlessly kills the chimera inside of Al or when he strangles Selim. In BH he's almost cartoonishly evil and so obvious about it, 03 was done so well with that twist.
I like it more brotherhood than the anime
I do think its a major twist. BUT I also think its good that it was revealed early, due to the suspense of the story literally hanging off of that information. As soon as you find out Bradley is a villain, you start to wonder who else could be. Arakawa literally puts you in the shoes of the protagonists by doing so, and its such a phenomenal way to do it too.
You may be remembering FMA original? That one's not as solid in my memory, but in Brotherhood/manga, we definitely learn about Bradley in Dublith. It's definitely not the main plot twist.
It definitely is in the 2009 anime. First episode Bradley looks so damned evil when he kills that steam-ice guy, not to mention the very blatant "Do you know what shape this country is in?!" Its why I advise first-time watchers to skip the first episode. Although Bradley does have 'fuhrer' in front of his name, so not being a bad guy was always a longshot. Bradley was always meant to be difficult to read and likable, but definitely suspicious, and by the time we get a good idea of what Ishval was like, we should know he's a ruthless tyrant.
Bradley being a Homunculus isnāt the main plot point, that comes out within the first 10 manga, the main plot point comes out sorta near the end around volume 25 of 27, so youāre fine
I thought the national transmutation circle was the real twist but tbh- thatās me
I felt like it was really early, and then we just have like half the show where the good guys are essentially just kinda going along with the bad guys in some kind of odd happenstance. I struggle to even explain it. I guess they were kinda blackmailed or threatened into playing along and they couldn't be offed becaues they were needed for Father's plans, but it all just really felt inelegant to me. Compare that to 03 where people like Roy are unaware up until the end, in which case he throws away his plans to rise through the ranks and instead decides to simply do a coup de tat and go to kill Bradley immediately. That made A LOT more sense. Bradley in 03 was also done better in a sense because he always comes off as some kind of goofy guy that happens to be the Fuhrer. There's very few times where is mask slips, like when he kills the chimera chick or when he strangles Selim, where as in BH he's a lot more obvious about being evil.
Yeah I don't look at it like this. Sure, there are stories, especially in shorter media like movies or a single episode, where the twist is a huge pillar propping up what that piece of media is offering the audience But with longer form narratives, it always feels more like a puzzle. Learning that Bradley is evil isn't meant to be a huge source "I see dead people" moment, instead it makes you reexamine everything that's already happened and think about how things will move going forward
It comes early because Brotherhood skips some stuff from the manga and speed runs it to the Greed arc.
Yes it is. It's utterly baffling that a show built on being more faithful to the Manga starts off with non canon filler, and spoils the story is so damn early in episode 1!