Fullmetal Alchemist Vs. My Hero Academia: Why did Studio Bones fail to replicate their success?

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood remains unmatched—Studio Bones crafted a 64-episode masterwork that redefined anime storytelling. Seven years later, My Hero Academia emerged as their next flagship. While the superhero saga aimed for similar greatness, it delivered a vastly different result. Two major adaptations, same studio, drastically different outcomes.

Studio Bones failed to reproduce their Fullmetal Alchemist success with My Hero Academia because they left the concentrated production model that made Brotherhood legendary. The studio sprinkled its A-team talent across multiple concurrent projects, implemented cost-cutting animation techniques, and prioritized theatrical releases over television quality. Brotherhood received undivided studio attention while the latter became a secondary importance.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is Studio Bones' crowning accomplishment. The adaptation profited from several key advantages that contributed to its lasting success. The studio had a complete manga source material to work with, allowing for careful planning and pacing throughout the entire series. This eradicated the need for filler content or rushed storytelling that often afflicts ongoing adaptations.

The creators of Fullmetal Alchemist handled the series with incredible care and precision. Every frame was framed with precision, and the animation stayed consistently high throughout all 64 episodes. The studio assigned adequate time and resources to ensure that major battle sequences received the treatment they deserved.

Studio Bones also benefited from working with a concluded story arc in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. This allowed the creative team to build toward a definitive climax without worrying about catching up to ongoing manga chapters.

The Challenges of My Hero Academia's Production Not by Fullmetal Alchemist

My Hero Academia confronted entirely different production challenges that eventually impacted its differentiation. As an ongoing series, the anime had to hold a delicate balance between staying true to the source material and avoiding catching up to the manga. As a result, Studio Bones had to slow down the story and insert filler episodes from time to time.

The studio's multi-project method became a significant factor in My Hero Academia's production struggles. While Brotherhood received dedicated focus, Studio Bones had their hands full juggling major titles like Mob Psycho 100, Bungo Stray Dogs, and several My Hero Academia films. This division of resources and talent inevitably affected the television series's production quality.

Studio Bones works via a multi-studio system, splitting their workforce across different lettered studios (Studio A, B, C, etc.). While this system entitles them to address multiple projects simultaneously, it also builds inconsistencies in quality control. Fullmetal Alchemist benefited from a more centralized display approach, while My Hero Academia suffered from divided attention across different studio units.

The time and resource management contrasts between projects became noticeable when comparing Mob Psycho 100's superior animation quality to My Hero Academia's dipping bars. This distinction spotlighted how Studio Bones prioritized certain projects over others, ultimately impacting the overall production value of My Hero Academia.

Pressure of Long-Running Series

Addressing a long-running series like My Hero Academia presents irregular challenges that the Brotherhood has never met. Episodes must be supplied on rigid deadlines, oftentimes resulting in compromised animation quality during vital scenes.

The series' lengthened run also meant trading with viewer fatigue and rising expectations. As the series advanced, fans became increasingly critical of animation shortcuts and production concessions. Even single-frame animation points became subjects of general complaint across social media platforms.

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Despite attempts to manage criticism and improve animation quality in subsequent seasons, My Hero Academia never fully escaped the shadow of comparison to Fullmetal Alchemist's constant excellence. The crack to fan enthusiasm had already occurred, making it hard to rebuild faith in the adaptation's quality.

In conclusion, the comparison between Fullmetal Alchemist and My Hero Academia tells consequential lessons about anime production direction. Studio Bones thrived with Fullmetal Alchemist thanks to their full commitment, a finished story to follow, and smart use of their production resources. Their direction for My Hero Academia faced industry pressures and multi-project requests that ultimately compromised the series' prospects.

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