In the anime “Metal Alchemist” (aka Steel Alchemist), there are two seasons that narrate in somewhat similar stories, but are very different from each other. Disclosure of the main aspects of each of them can be seen in the article.
The plot of the first season
The 2003 anime “Metal Alchemist” tells the story of the Elric brothers - Alphonse and Edward. In childhood, they violated one of the main alchemical prohibitions - they tried to resurrect a person. Their mother died when they were very young, and therefore they tried to correct the situation. As a result, the older brother loses his leg with his hand, and the younger brother - of the whole body. Edward attached his soul to the armor and thereby deprived him of the opportunity to eat and sleep. Soon they become state alchemists and begin the hunt for the philosopher's stone for the return of their own bodies. Homunculi, misunderstanding from many people and other obstacles will stand in their way, but the brothers stubbornly go to their goal, which attracts the audience.
Season one universe
The whole world in the anime "Metal Alchemist" is based on the science of equal exchange. Its main law says that you can create a new object only from a suitable amount of materials for it. A special circle is drawn where the initial resources are placed, and as a result of human intervention, transformation takes place. This fact, as well as the existence of a mythical philosophical stone, was the basis of the plot. Two brothers went to the public service only to have resources to search for information about him. The existence of artificial people, homunculi, is also explained by the limitless possibilities of stone, which can even give immortality. In the anime "Metal Alchemist" in 2003, the narrative is leisurely, and the universe is revealed only around the main characters. A few flashbacks at the end allow you to better understand the history of the appearance of the philosopher's stone, but many topics remained uncovered superficially or not touched at all. That is why the story was rewritten in the second season.
Characters
The number of characters in season 1 of Metal Alchemist will appeal to fans of diversity. Here is a man named Scar, who inherited his abilities from his brother. He is obsessed with revenge on all those who fought a war in his home country, Ishwar. In addition to the main characters, there are also state alchemists, but of these, only Roy Mustang appears more often on the screens. Only brothers are shown as positive characters, the rest use alchemy only for their desires. The history of homunculi, which are named after the seven deadly sins, is revealed gradually. Laziness, Anger, Pride and others from this number are tools of the main villain in achieving their goals. Minor characters appear along the course of the story, and only the narration of some of them runs through the entire plot as a thread. For the anime of 2003, the level of disclosure of personalities was quite deep, but his merit crossed out the second season.
The plot in the sequel
The anime “Metal Alchemist 2: Brotherhood” can hardly be called a direct continuation. It is rather a conversion of the entire narrative into a new wrapper of 2009. The plot continues to develop around young brothers who tried to resurrect their mother and paid for it. In the second season, it is explained that they learned alchemy based on the records of their father. Since they had innate abilities for this, they managed to do it easily. Soon after the tragedy with their bodies, the state alchemist Roy Mustang visits them and invites him to public service. This opportunity is used by Edward and Alphonse to search for the philosopher's stone. From this moment, great differences begin in the narratives, because the adventures of the main characters open the curtain over the entire basis of alchemy, the hidden motives of the entire leadership of the country and the essence of the philosopher's stone. In general, the plot looks more vigorously, although there were some cross-cutting themes from the first season.
Universe
In the second season of Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the universe is developing more actively. The geopolitical situation is indicated here, the past wars in the country are recalled, and most importantly, the problems of alchemists in the service of the state are disclosed. They are used for mass extermination of people on the battlefields, which shows the moral side of most characters. It is from the judgment of the wrong actions of the country's leadership that Roy Mustang and his team arouse the desire to change everything. On the other hand, viewers are literally building up the feeling that terrible things are happening in the state of alchemists. The presence of homunculi and their conversations on this subject lead to different thoughts. The authors managed to create a more integrated universe, where the story of a huge number of characters is revealed and the motivation of most of them is better developed. From the first moment of Mustang’s fight with an ice alchemist, spectators are thrown into the atmosphere of mystery if you carefully listen to their conversation.
Characters
In Season 2 of Metal Alchemist, some characters will be familiar to those who watched the first, original narration of 2003. For example, this is Roy Mustang, although he now has his own personal team, the history of which will be shown throughout the series. The scar with his revenge for the war in Ishvara was also shown by Shu Tucker and the chimera episode, although the story has changed a bit. Among the main changes, it is worth noting the well-known history of homunculi, which has been completely changed. The essence of each of the artificial creatures is reflected deeply enough. Friends of the service of the main characters often appear on the screen, including Luis Armstrong, Maes Hughes and Olivia Armstrong (a little later). Shown are those alchemists who are satisfied with the ability to use force in the war. Among them is the interesting personality of Zolf Kimbley, and in the episodes the Basque Gran is shown. The total number of characters has grown significantly. In the course of history, new personalities appear that smoothly intertwine with the plot. The viewer does not have questions about whether to introduce new personalities, and this is a good result due to their total number.