Hello! It’s been almost a full year since I watched Fullmetal Alchemist (the 2003 version) and I want to ask you what your though are on 2003 Al? I love him and he’s definitely a sweet heart but am I the only one who noticed that he starts acting a little aggressive and a bit mean as the episodes progressed? By the way, I absolutely adore you and your account and I hope you have an excellent day/night!

calangkoh:

thank you so much! you have a nice day/night also!

this is like, one of my favorite topics. 03 al is so intriguing, and i love LOVE him.

so in response to what you’re saying, he goes through negative character development: rather than starting the series with something to learn and becoming better by the end, he starts the series not really needing a lesson (he clearly had a level-head, no enormous ego like ed, was patient and kind, wise and understanding, etc) and ends having him go against his own established values.

the thing with 03 al is that he disagrees with ed a lot and verbalizes it. BH al doesn’t really do that, hence why people get kinda shocked at 03 al, who is much more assertive and shares the spotlight with ed rather than being a sidekick. Even though he’s an open-minded person who wants to understand everyone and every viewpoint, he still is a stubborn person himself. He still clings to his own beliefs and idealistic nature even when it gets him in trouble.

Also remember that 03 takes a much more realistic approach to trauma and the psychology of it, and al goes through a lot of stress (stressful situations unique to him, not shared with Ed)

Al gradually losing it (with violent outbursts, making really stupid decisions behind ed’s back out of frustration, questioning his own existence and purpose due to extreme survivor’s guilt, the overall crushingness of him being in the armor for so long) is all a lead up to him sacrificing himself at the end, which was a purely selfish act of defiance against dante and all the shit he had been through (a big middle finger to the very laws of the universe, which is something typically more ed’s speed). He hates his situation and had just finished questioning why he’s even alive at that point, and then he loses Ed, his only tie to any kind of life worth living, and decides to throw away all his values of “keep moving forward,” and not using the stone or alchemy in general for selfish purposes, and even his patient and contemplative nature in a moment of impulsivity.

And the way Ed develops positively to balance the scale, so that HE becomes more patient, open-minded, soft-spoken, humble, and contemplative like Al? To the point that in CoS he’s a stark contrast to teenage Al, who now mirrors his brother more in appearance and personality (imo this character contrast is undermined by the amnesia, unless we can assume all of the development he went through was still with him subconsciously, but still!)? Genius.