I totally agree with you there. In the Anime, they shadow out Al too much... I'm like, "WTF!? YOU CAN SHADOW OUT THE SMEX!!!"

I had already watched the whole anime series when I got to read the manga... and I loved Alphonse so much (he and Ed are my favourite characters). My sister gave me the series on VCD and told me to watch it... I didn't had really good expectations (what was so great about this blonde short guy with a not very friendly gaze and the weird huge robot at his side?), but when Al first spoke and I heard that cute voice coming out of that big armor... I just died xD.
Then I got to meet the manga!Al. Yes, he was more mature (although I think he IS mature on the anime too, but sometimes he acts more childish). I liked this mature Al too, but I never stoped liking the anime one. I love those scenes on the anime that we don't get to see so often on the manga when they remind us that even if they (Ed and Al) are strong fighters and alchemists, even if Ed belongs to the army, they're still kids.
I'm not saying that Anime!Al is better, not at all. But I like them both. It's a good thing to me that there're so many diferences between the manga and the anime, this way I get two versions of a story with great characters that I adore.

I love Al in both versions, but I think his character was distorted in some of the anime. The writers made him too immature, to gullible, and WAY to angsty (I mean, FMA is angsty enough already!! Don't add more!)

I think one of the classic examples of this is in episodes 23 and 24. After the fight in Lab 5, Al is effected by Barry telling him that his brother created his memories, and that he was never really human. While in the manga, it only takes a brotherly argument and a little sparring session to knock the sense back into Al, the anime treats it far differently. Gah- the metal suit of armor LEAPS off a hospital roof and then runs off crying! It takes an entire episode of kidnappings and angst and Scar/Al for Al to finally admit that he was wrong.

The manga definitely highlights his maturity, and lets him always be a strong character. No extra angst.

...Plus Al doesn't need a transmutation circle in the manga *thumbs up*

I would say that the manga pulls the characters off better. I like how Edo grows(he really does physically too XD)mentally and that Al is like an equal to him, instead of the reliant little brother. After all, the difference is only one year. And the fact that he teases Edo is the best! and hes actually got a tiny bit of mischief in him which adds that needed spunk(not that I don't like anime!Al though). Roy is also shown to be more "useful" in the manga, showing that he has talents and wit beyond just snapping fingers. As for the sins, I think Lust was better in the anime. That may be due to certain plot differences though, all the Homunculi in the manga are pure evil and don't seem to have the individuality like they do in the anime.

Though, I do love that Havoc's girlfriend just happens to be Lust.

<3 irony.

Oh, but what about Wrath/Bradley? I think recent chapters are showing that he's a bit more complicated on the inside... :)

I always loved how the manga handled the Greed / Al thing... How the anime adopted it was alright, but in the manga that whole deal with Greed kidnapping Alphonse was hilarious in parts. And Alphonse and Greed got along so well. ^^; I definitely liked the chemistry of that whole story arc a lot better in the manga. XD;; And yes, Al doesn't need a transmutation circle... *much <3-eage*

I just love the whole direction the manga is going right now. But I'm getting a little antsy about getting back to the whole thing about what they created not really being their mother. Though Gluttony's a trip right now... WTF?

As far as Al goes, I love that scene when Roy, Havoc, Al, and Riza split up down in the tunnel, Roy knew that Al'd be able to protect Riza, and he did! Yay Al!

And Ed, he's much more calculating in the manga. He simply thinks more... as long as no one calls him short.

And don't get me started on how much I'm loving Manga!Roy right now. He's giving us Roy/Havoc fangirls soooo much to work with right now. Heee. But I also love that he's much more driven in the manga... and no stinking groveling! *kicks that episode where he practially kissed Hakuro's ass* rawr! that ain't Roy! Seriously, that scene makes me queasy.

*finds bunny* ... y halo thar.... Waugh! *is bitten*... gotta go guys... *opens Word with a bunny attached to her arm*

Somebody, tell me, what this “smex” is!

I agree with lyra_elric that it’s good to see some different versions of heroes (and the Elric brothers are my favorite heroes too, I love them equally, but I’ve a special feeling to Al because he reminds me my best friend), but I think it’s a bit unfair, because most people saw only TV and didn’t read manga so they don’t know how cool Al may be (I read the manga first, at least first eight volumes, and later I couldn’t get rid of the impression that they made Al totally colorless in the TV… and my very good friend who sent manga to me but hadn’t read it herself didn’t like Al at all!)


The other friend of mine who doesn’t know English well enough to read manga was surprised when I told her that Al was teasing Ed all the time and making laugh at their relationship with Winry. He is supposed to be too “good” for it, but that makes me so angry! Of course, all younger brothers teases their elder ones… (mine isn’t an exceptions *trembles*) that’s just normal and that makes their love only stronger! They both look better that way. I agree with hagane_no_mame that it’s much better when they are equal (in manga it is Al who takes care of Ed oftener, not vice versa).

Oh, I share the opinion of hawkeye_chuui! The voice acting team is perfect but the others... Hawkeye and other militry people... ohhh *cries*... And I liked that homuncili were "pure evil* I'm bored with this gyes who are "not as bed after all but they had a difficult childhood". And I 'm so glad that there is at least one more person who likes manga style more! I mean anime is also cool, but... Ans manga is much more interesting! The plot requires some intellectual power to wag through. And what is with Hoenhime?! I just want to know what he is in the manga! He's really strange there... And I wonder what reason does Roy have in manga to desire to become the fuhrer? If he didn't kill winry's parents (which is only good for all of us though I wouldn't mind if it was him... i mean he really could do something like that in his youth...) And I think that Roy could really humiliate himself with some higher officers... i think he's good enough to it becouse of his aim (though he would never sacrifise something or somebody except himself or his honour..)

Oh, this episode on the hospital roof! It seemed to me so natural in manga and it looked so tense in the anime! I mean in manga it was just like in the reality… And it was nice to see how Ed used his being ill to win Al because Al was afraid to hurt him. And later it was nice to see when Al took his little revenge with Mrs Hughes’ pie…
Though I’d like to read that fic… When I read the manga it was obvious that Al was wrong because we had seen the pictures on the Pinako’s wall, but it suddenly came to my mind: “What if he was right? What if Ed’s younger brother really had died in his babyhood?” But this would make Ed a really terrible character…

I don’t think manga!Ed is sneky… He surely thinlks more and he's really clever, though in the anime he's jaust called "clever" and that's all...He is not a coward and he is not a betrayal… He just a normal egoistic boy who isn’t eager to save the world, but if he has to he will. I mean that’s how many people do: he says he doesn’t care what other people will think or say but in reality he still tries to be good. But we all know that a person can’t be good all the time, and Hiromu Arakawa knows it as well.

Oh my, how much I wrote… What “to love” means… I’ve already read a lot of unpleasant things about the fascist’s Germany becouse of the Hagaren, if things go on this way I will learn quick typing in English… ^_^ *rolls down from the chair*

i think manga is much better than anime in general. the characters look more realistic too me, also the way Arakawa developes the plot shows every character in a very special way. i mean, she makes every character important in some way - you can see more aspects of each character, even the minor ones (eg. Fuery, Havoc, Ranfan or Trisha). Anime, however, is more emotion-oriented and makes audience look rather at character's actions than the character itself (don't get me wrong, i just think they create more action at the cost of character's developent :P) It's just TOO plain for me - Al is sweet little boy (they start to care abot him at the very end of anime -_-), Winry is irritating, weaker than in the manga, Ed is mostly a BRAT and moreover, his relationship with Al gets more strange with every episode, Roy is... i'm just sick of anime!Roy =_=' Other thing is, anime gives you big dose of _pointless_ angst (eg. Roy killin' Winry's parents, Sloth shit!plot and Wrath maybeabitlessshit!plot etc.)
There's also another thing which is always the strong point about manga - usually ONE person creates manga (let's ignore CLAMP, beacause each women has her role in this group too). One author = no plotholes and also more sense in the story (anime!sins are just a big piece of crap for me, sorry). Arakawa is a person that knows what readers would like and she has great sense of humour. She does her job excellent.
However, just in case anime fans are going to kill me :D", FMA anime is really good for an anime - seiyuus are awesome, music is great, and (even despite this fckn twisted plot that i hate) the ending is pretty interesting [seriously, i LOVE manga, i'm indifferent to the anime, but i think i'm going to like the movie muchly, even though i hate them for making Al into "Edphonse" ^^']

Manga!Ed = more devious, more of a teenager. Manga!Al = smart-alecky, common-sense, and kick-ass. And I just love the way the brothers' relationship in the manga shows them more as equals. "NIIIISAAAAAAN!!!" damsel-in-distress!Al annoys me. >_>;

And I'm sad that the anime didn't have any Izumi/Seig lovey-dovey scenes. D:

"It's just TOO plain for me"
For many people with taste in literature, I think.

"Ed is mostly a BRAT and moreover, his relationship with Al gets more strange with every episode"
I believe they made it with a strong intention to amuse fangirls… especially yaoi-fans. In manga yao is out of question, in the anime I wouldn’t be so sure… I decided to divide this two things for me completely.
I think I’m not going to like the movie (though I deadly want to see it) because I wished Ed and Al were happy in the end… And how can they be happy being apart from their world and especially Winry?...

By the way, I didn’t like this turn with “another world” in the TV. It looks like “dues ex machine” because there were no hints on it before. In other words, if the gun shoots in the last scene, in the first one it should hang on the wall.

I just hope Arakawa-sensei will do better…

*I can imagine how angry she was with those TV-makers… It’s obvious they never asked her ir they didn’t listen. I saw here some pictures from her pamphlet on the movie… I think this indicates her feelings pretty well*