sofiakkuma:

onewordtest:

I think the difference between FMA ‘03 and the manga/Brotherhood can be summed in the fact that the end of FMA ‘03, Ed and Al learn that equivalent exchange isn’t a hard and fast principle, because you can get back less than you give, but in the manga/Brotherhood, they learn it isn’t a hard and fast principle because you can give back more than you get.  

I’ve never seen a description of the contrast between those two animes more accurate than this; that’s exactly what it is. It’s kind of like looking at the glass of water: FMA ‘03 is seeing the glass half empty while the manga/Brotherhood is seeing the glass half full.