FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
CREATOR COMMENTARY COLLECTION
EDITOR’S INTRO
Hey, this is Echoes! I run the FMA 2003 Appreciation account and wrote these English commentaries. These are originally from the Fullmetal Alchemist Official Fanbooks, which were published in Japan alongside the original broadcast of the anime. Please feel free to help spread some of this information around, whether for research purposes, or sharing it with other fans. I’m very happy to help provide more insight to the 2003 anime - all I ask is either credit or to link the Twitter account. Thanks, and have fun reading!
(NOTE: Unfortunately there are no commentaries for the first twenty episodes. They only began in volume three, starting with episode 21. I’m not sure why, but it’s likely because this is when the anime starts to heavily deviate from the manga.)
EPISODE 21: “The Red Glow”
In the original manga, Only Ed and Al head to the Fifth Laboratory. I've added a little more here, not only aiming to make the anime unique from the manga, but also to impress viewers as well. I structured the story in a way so that almost all of the people who had future goals, such as Tucker, Kimblee, and Greed were in the Fifth Laboratory. The purpose in making it like this was to align parallel storylines. I had other ideas without the parallel storytelling, but scrapped them and went with this when I thought, "Well, it's interesting, so why not?" I thought it would be fun, so I made them all appear in the story.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 22: “Created Human”
The most important part of this episode is the last minute. What action did Ed take? "Should I do it?", Ed wonders, "We can regain what we lost, even if I have to do something wrong.” However, doing so can create more serious problems in a situation such as this one. That's why I wanted to portray these feelings properly. If I hadn't, Ed would seem just like a passive child who doesn't see the reality of things. From the creator's point of view, the fact that Ross hugged him was a sign that he made the right decision. It was moving, to see how much Ed has grown.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 23: “Fullmetal Heart”
One methodology is to wait until the very last minute to push the protagonist to the edge, in order to make him or her break down. This is what happened to Ed in episode 22. However, this time we get to see Al's problems in a new light. In this episode, we see Al driven a few steps further to the edge than before. Al has a lot of subtle emotions that are difficult to describe. Thanks to Kugimiya-san's performance, the internal pain shown on screen conveys a lot of emotion.
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 24: “Bonding Feelings”
Al's question of his own existence is an unbearable burden to bear with no fundamental solution. Nonetheless, Al has to find a way to move forward. By overlaying each of the brother's inner feelings, we can find out the truth. Despite his doubts, Al clearly has his own feelings and memories. So, you have no choice but to believe and accept them as well. I wanted to avoid leaving them as internal scars.
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 25: “Words of Farewell”
This is a very memorable moment in the original manga, similar to episode 7. It balances both setting the framework for the future of the story, while acting as a climax for everything thus far. For the anime, I wanted to make things more interesting. Of course, I also wanted to keep the same impact everyone felt when reading the original manga. So, I approached this moment with great care. Everything so far in the story escalated here, at the end of the second act. If the show only had two acts, I would've expanded upon the Fifth Laboratory and reached this climax much quicker. However, when it was officially decided the show would contain four acts, I decided to make Hughes's story a stronger element in the anime. Originally I thought this would be the end of the show, but I'm glad it wasn't.
Sho Aikawa
The funeral scene is driven by music. From the very beginning I had this decision for the scene's direction in mind. In fact, I also originally wanted the scene with Ed on the train to lack any conversation. When I first saw Kusakawa-san's script, I felt the conversation was a bit much and wanted to cut it out. But, I left it in as I felt it was very effective once the storyboard was laid out. The illusion of Hughes was also very effective, I'm very proud of how this episode turned out.
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 26: “Her Reason”
Not only can you see the energetic side of Winry, but also her inner turmoil that isn't visible on the surface. Such as her true feelings for Ed. A lot of people came up to me and said, "Shima-san, I'm sure you will like this kind of girl!" I didn't realize until after they told me, but I do indeed have a lot of respect for Winry. I wasn't aware at first, but she's a strong heroine symbol (laughs).
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 27: “Teacher”
Izumi's a person who has committed a great sin, which she shares in common with Ed and Al. The last scene begins with an intense beating before she apologizes to them. Izumi looks incredibly strong, but then she embraces them. There's a great paradox I wanted to portray in order to properly display Izumi's "weakness". Aikawa-san is a cat person by the way, and couldn't bear the idea of a cat dying. But hey, I loved the idea. I wanted to practice drawing cat anatomy, since we're so used to drawing human anatomy (laughs)."
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 28: “One is All, All is One”
The original manga was very popular at the time, but we weren't sure of everything that was going to happen. So, we were careful in sticking to our plan of not deviating far from the manga’s content at first. However…"One is all, all is one"...I wondered if Ed and his brother truly understood the meaning of that philosophy at the time. After all, they went on to commit the greatest taboo. So, from the way I see it, they didn't really understand it all. I was also able to produce a lot of gags in the script during the production of this episode. I think it creates a wonderful childlike atmosphere.
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 29: “The Untainted Child”
As we approached the third act, I thought it was necessary to introduce a rival to Ed. While Envy exists, there is still too much of a gap between the two of them. So, we needed a character Ed could match evenly with. As a result, I thought of the idea of a boy who has Ed's arm and leg that he could go toe-to-toe with. He was based on Kaspar Hauser, a boy from 19th century Germany who was discovered to have grown up without contact from the outside world. I wanted to write a story about this child’s growth.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 30: “Assault on South Headquarters”
Izumi's story in teaching the mysterious boy is touching. It's something I wanted to go in depth about. Episodes 29-31 are all about Izumi and Wrath (the mysterious boy). However, I wanted to make things a little more flashy, so I included Greed, Envy, and Archer too. Before we knew it, we had a five-way fight going on (laughs). What's done is done, so I had no choice but to include a few lines of dialogue for them all (laughs).
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 31: “Sin”
Izumi's story in the original manga and anime aren't so different, are they? After failing to give birth to a child, she brought upon herself to perform human transmutation. In the anime's original story, Izumi seems to be enduring her past sins with her own eyes. When her past comes back to haunt her in the form of her lost child, will she still remain unfazed and refuse help? I wonder if any human being could be that strong. For Ed and Al, Izumi was as close to a symbol of perfection as can be. It was necessary to portray Izumi's vulnerability and sins in order for Ed and Al to grow up.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 32: “Dante of the Deep Forest”
The original story was composed of a writing team of three people. I wanted Yamatoya-san to assist in supervising writing, but Wrath's story became unusually deep and he couldn't contribute. Unfortunately I was the only one who could do it. I had many conversations with Yamatoya-san about cutting his script down from one and half episodes. Basically, Yamatoya-san was in charge of everything on Yock Island, while I supervised the entirety of Dante's story and so forth. I wish we could've included more of Greed's story, which was established in the manga long after we decided the anime would be a year-long series. It's a shame we couldn't incorporate him to a greater extent, but I still think he became a strong character regardless. Lyra has also been reintroduced in the story at this point. When it was decided she was going to be a major character, I was excited for Kakazu-san to come back, since she has such a wide acting range.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 33: “Al, Captured”
I've been hard at work on the script for Greed's story, using the original manga as inspiration. I've been very excited about it, and I'd like to thank all the viewers! Especially because near the end we see a situation unique to the anime, but I personally love it and can't wait for the next episode. In "Fullmetal Alchemist", more so in the anime, there are many characters who feel a heavy burden and isolate themselves from others. But Greed stands out, because he never loses his identity despite that. I was fascinated by such a character.
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 34: “Theory of Avarice”
Just what is Greed going to leave behind for Ed? I personally wanted to give his existence a greater sense of purpose. All of the staff worked very hard on this episode, as a lot of effort was put into the fight scenes. From the moment the storyboards were being made, we felt confident this episode would turn out well. I think we were able to portray Greed’s demise in a heavy way that feels unique to the anime.
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 35: “Reunion of the Fallen”
The homunculus named Lust was involved with Ed from the beginning, and I knew this would result in some emotional turmoil. This was a story I had intentions to tell for a while, so I consulted Kurakawa-san about my ideas. He decided we should approach things from an abstract angle, rather than plainly dropping exposition. Additionally, I knew Inoue-san would also be a good fit for this project. This episode resulted in having a very rich atmosphere, thanks to Ando-san’s direction.
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 36: “The Sinner Within”
At the end of this episode, we see Rio and Rick can’t let go of their feelings of discrimination towards the Ishvalan exile. For example, they believe Ed and Al are cursed even after learning of Al’s true nature. At first I planned to have the brothers point a gun at the Elrics, and upon pulling the trigger, the bullet would ricochet off Al’s armour and hit Rick, the younger brother. This would cause Ed and Al to weep at their helplessness…but, as I thought about it I realized this could’ve made the story too nihilistic. So instead, I wanted to convey the roots of the issue through Ed’s words alone.
I feel as though some might say Ed is “putting himself on a pedestal” through his “lecture” in that scene. But if you really listen to Park-san’s performance, you’ll understand there’s more as Ed is reminded of his own differences. He realized such feelings of discrimination are also inside him, through Rio and Rick’s hatred of Scar for being an exile. This is why Ed couldn’t tell them to “not discriminate” but rather “find the answer for ourselves” as he was also speaking to himself. I saw some reactions to this episode where someone said, “This doesn’t really affect me since I don’t feel any discrimination.” I truly feel envious of those who can say that.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 37: “The Flame Alchemist, the Bachelor Lieutenant, and the Mystery of Warehouse 13”
The material for this episode is originally taken from the manga and a light novel. From the beginning stages, I decided together with Aikawa-san it would be good to take a break from the main narrative every once in a while. I thought it would relieve the staff from all the heavy subjects we tackle in the story, while also making for good fan service (laughs.) The concept of not including the main characters is an idea that’s surprisingly common in my animated works too (laughs.) By the way, did you also notice Park-san and Kugimiya-san voiced Armstrong’s mother and sister respectively?
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 38: “With the River’s Flow”
Time to stop and reflect on things. The brothers are consumed by their feelings in a difficult situation, although they still think of each other as they sit by the water. I wanted to display their argument with a sprinkle of slapstick too. I think this episode is a tender observation about the determination between two people. More so, I don’t believe there was another appropriate moment to convey the brother’s immature side (laughs.) Meanwhile, Winry and her friends unearth a terrible secret within Central. As the show reaches its endgame, the situation starts becoming more and more unpredictable. Oh, and did you notice Al transmuted a piece of poo by the riverside?
Seiji Mizushima
EPISODE 39: “Civil War in the East”
Initially our intention was to hold the final episodes of the series in Liore. However, I couldn’t think of any place more suitable for the final showdown with Scar, so I had to find another location to hold the last episodes. The truth about how the war in Ishval started reminds many of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Vietnam, but in all honesty I was reminded of the Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945.) I was in charge of the script from this episode all the way until the end. I recently wrote three episodes of “The Twelve Kingdoms”, so I was confident in my ability to write a complete script. Although I’m nervous that some viewers might not understand my ideas, I hope that you will continue to watch until the end.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 40: “The Scar”
I have not seen the finished episode at the time of writing this commentary, so I’d like to refrain from commenting on anything too specific. Scar and his brother’s past turned out exactly as I imagined it from the beginning of the anime. I was considering the possibility of Lust having no memory of her past (or rather, the person who has her source), but I settled on her current iteration around the time I wrote episode 35. As for Martel’s death, the way she died in the original manga was so gruesome that I couldn’t help but replicate it. I dragged the Führer all the way East to Liore just to do it.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 41: “Holy Mother”
There were many choices when it came to resolving things between Ed and Scar. Previously they had been unable to meet an understanding since their relationship was built on fighting again and again. That’s why there was one positive impact for Rose to lose her voice - Scar was unable to touch him when Ed looked upon her and found out she became mute. At the same time, Scar also made him distrust the military to the utmost degree, influencing his decision to leave. This happens to be the episode where he makes the decision to quit being a military dog, leaving Ed and his brother in a state of isolation. I thought this was a necessary decision narratively, so we could create tension in Ed and Roy’s relationship leading up to the climax. Episode 41 was all about clarifying these motivations.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 42: “His Name is Unknown”
It was decided a long time ago that the story would lead to Al becoming the “philosopher’s stone.” At first I was uncertain whether its creator would be Scar or somebody else, but in the end that’s how things turned out. I’ve politely asked Ed and his friends to take a backseat, as the story here centres more on Lust and Scar. After all, the outcome of this story was only made possible through the consequences of Lust’s actions.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 43: “The Stray Dog”
Concerning the character of Hohenheim - he was created based on a rough draft from Arakawa-san, so we fleshed out his personality from there. The core of this story is Ed and Roy’s relationship, as it’s been a long time since they both departed from East City in episode 16. I guess it’s also been a while since they met in Liore too, huh? During that time, their feelings conflicted with one another. It was important for Roy to voice his feelings about his past in order to clear up any ambiguities. Although Roy does have a sensitive side, he did not do this intentionally, but rather out of instinct.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 44: “Hohenheim of Light”
When the decision was made to change the show from 24 episodes to 51 episodes, we came up with dozens of ideas for who the final villain might be. After consulting with Arakawa-san, we finally settled on the current direction of the story. Naturally, it ended up being pretty different from how it originally began. Dante was introduced in episode 32 because we didn’t want her to appear in the story so early. I feel Dante’s character was wasted when her appearance changed after being reincarnated into a new body. I think I could’ve pulled off things a little better here.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 45: “A Rotted Heart”
The scenario of old Dante taking over Lyra’s body wasn’t decided back when I wrote the script for episode 9. Later on, it was decided Dante was going to be the final villain starting with episode 32. I thought it’d be shocking if old Dante were to die immediately and take over a young woman’s body. It’s also something I thought would be visually appealing too (laughs.) When I was deciding who to choose, I thought Lyra from episode 9 would be interesting. Even though she was created to be a side-character, we were careful to cast an actress who had a wide range of depth if we were to ask them to come back later. Thankfully, we hadn’t begun recording the episode yet, so we asked Yumi Kakazu to do it.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 46: “Human Transmutation”
Man, Tucker sure is a hard worker(laughs)! The main focus of this episode is the intense conflict between Al and Tucker. I originally thought of a direction where we could have a continuous action scene set indoors, however I wanted something more inline with “Fullmetal Alchemist.” So, I decided to carefully depict how Tucker’s sins represent the ego inside each and every human being. I had to present it as a personal issue.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 47: “Sealing the Homunculus”
Wrath taking Trisha’s remains inside his body and fusing with Sloth actually foreshadows the final episode. In that episode, Selim returns to the President’s Office to retrieve the skull, so he can give it back to Führer King Bradley. I wanted this situation to foreshadow the last episode, even if it’s something the viewer couldn’t immediately pick on. Wrath despises Izumi for being his real mother, and runs away from her and Ed in episode 32. Despite this, he still has maternal feelings for her deep inside. The meaning behind Wrath fusing into Sloth’s body is symbolic for a “return to the womb.” Through this action, Wrath officially recognized Sloth as his mother.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 48: “Goodbye”
The reason we held off showing Sloth’s sealing in the last episode was to hold onto the emotions, as to preserve the impact of her final moments. But from there, I was unable to steady the direction of things as Envy, Izumi and the Tringham brothers all suddenly made an appearance - I admit to this being a weakness of my script writing. This episode also depicts the story of Roy’s resolve as Ed makes his departure. Roy’s dream was to rise to the top of the “military” that rules the country. Alas, he let go of that dream once he found out the corruption behind the military’s leaders. That aspect of his decision was something I really wanted to project.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 49: “The Other Side of the Gate”
It was my decision to turn Archer’s body half mechanical. Archer was originally created to be a rival to Roy, and Itou, our character designer, made this mechanical design for him. Roy is currently leading a coup d'etat in Central, and a flesh-and-blood Archer would be no match for him. Since it was too late in the game to introduce a new alchemist in the scenario, I had no choice but to mechanize Archer.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 50: “Death”
The philosophy of equivalent exchange can be considered either positive or negative. However, the lie behind that law can be physically uncovered when taking the law of energy conservation into account. This story illustrates what the truth is. Also, Envy shows us a face that looks just like Hohenheim’s. I do not believe it is his real face, but a symbolic one that he used to manipulate Ed. Nonetheless, he really is Hohenheim’s son, but I’d say his real face is that of the serpent he transforms to before the gate in the last episode. After all, that serpent is the figure of the homunculi, the Ouroboros.
Sho Aikawa
EPISODE 51: “Munich, 1921/Laws and Promises”
After crossing to the other side of the gate, Ed may not be able to return to the world he came from. The only way he could prevent himself from decomposing inside the gate entirely was to leave his body behind. During this process, he came across Al’s body and soul while in the gate, just as he left it at age ten. As Ed crossed to the other side of the world with all his memories intact, Al could only regenerate by losing those same memories of the last four years. The idea of the brothers reaching up towards the sky was actually inspired by a shot from the first opening song, “Melissa.” This shot is meaningful because although they may be in different worlds where they cannot see each other, they’re still happy - and that’s why I think this is a happy ending. Although they lost their dream of “obtaining the philosopher’s stone”, they now have a new dream of “reuniting with one another.”
Sho Aikawa