There are many things I love about the 03 series' inclusion of Menny and Chiko in Izumi's introduction episode, and my love for their inclusion goes a great deal beyond the simple fact that BH opted not to include them.
The short explanation is that this episode remains one of my favorite examples of the 03 series' near immaculate blending of its original content with the manga's content, as well as an example of the 03 series' knack for drawing attention to any amount of symbolism between Ed and Al's situation and someone else's.
But I wouldn't be me if I didn't follow up with a long explanation.
Though some areas inevitably leave a bit to be desired, a lot of the major parts that I love about both the chapter and the episode are skillfully encapsulated within the episode's approximate last five to six minutes; everything, from Mason actually existing in this iteration, to Winry tagging along and being a part of this whole experience, to Al getting the chance to stare down and intimidate a dog on screen for once, and all the way to Ed hitting Izumi with that same complicated question he'd asked her years ago, only this time under much more somber circumstances as he harbors much less innocence in his eyes.
Have you ever wished you could bring someone dead back to life?
Firstly, I have to point out the way the writers decided to go the extra mile and provide a bit more substance to Menny and Chiko's parts by introducing them sooner in the episode than the time at which they're introduced in the chapter. I obviously don't have the scene in this video, but rather than the audience immediately getting hit by Menny's grief over losing Chiko, we're given the opportunity to see Menny earlier in this episode as she's running up to Izumi in excitement and letting her know that Chiko will be having a litter soon.
This not only serves as a nice bit of world building for Izumi's community, but it also helps to portray how the kids adore Izumi and don't always run up to her to request her help with fixing things. And the reason they adore her is apparent in the kindness and patience she's commonly showering them with, naturally leading to Winry questioning later on if she and Sig have any children of their own when the topic of pregnancy is brought up in conversation.
Most importantly though, it strengthens the emotional impact of the conflict involving Chiko near the end of the episode.
It's worth noting that this conflict of Chiko being attacked by the dog does not take place in the manga, nor is Chiko pregnant, but it works to great effect by acting as a brutal representation of Izumi's speech on the cycle of life, and it also creates a scenario wherein Ed is forced to use clap alchemy in front of Izumi.
Which brings me to my next point: I'm very biased towards the way Ed reveals his ability to transmute without a circle here.
There are several differences between the 03 series' and the manga/BH's version of Ed revealing his use of clap alchemy, but I should really point out the way Ed accidentally reveals his ability to Izumi in the 03 series, a differentiation from the way he eagerly performs alchemy for Izumi in the manga and only realizes immediately afterwards how it was a dead giveaway of him committing a taboo once Izumi calls him out on it (BH also reworked the revelation quite a bit, but the main purpose and layout of the scene are still largely retained). We don't know if Ed would've intentionally performed his alchemy for Izumi with a circle in the 03 series to avoid suspicion, but I like how his eventual use of alchemy without a circle was a genuine spur-of-the-moment decision to save the kitten from falling to its doom.
That smile of relief tells us that he's totally unaware of what he'd just done, and it's such a wonderfully striking contrast to Izumi's look of horror as she finally gets her confirmation of what happened to Ed's and Al's bodies.
She already had her suspicions from the moment she found them in Rush Valley, particularly after getting physical with them and noticing how their bodies aren't quite how they should be, but while finding the right time to start such a heavy conversation is certainly a factor, her decision to not bring up her concerns right away largely stems from her very real fear of what they'd done. She knows what's going on, but she's silently in denial the entire time until she sees Ed using clap alchemy. She sincerely tried to instill the dangers of misusing alchemy into the boys back then, and she was well aware of the boys' unspoken aspirations to do such a thing when they begged for her to make them her apprentices. She didn't want to see these children going down the wrong path and making the same mistakes she made, and yet it still happened.
And now, with Menny losing Chiko, Izumi still finds herself burdened with the seemingly impossible task of getting a child to understand that alchemy isn't some all-purpose miracle performing magic that can bring the dead back to life.
Chiko's death is an immensely tragic one here, not only because she's leaving behind the children she'd just brought into the world, but because she didn't even get to die on her own terms. Chiko passed away without warning from health complications in the manga, but Menny had the misfortune of witnessing the cat get killed this time around, making it all the more upsetting to see her struggle to understand that Izumi can't just "fix" her like she's a broken train axle.
Her life has ended, and nothing can be done about that.
But she created new life, and something can be done about that.
The 03 series is widely notorious for its bleak narrative in comparison to the manga and BH, so it's fairly ironic, and astounding, that Menny was given three newborn kittens in return for Chiko's premature passing. Much like how the cycle of life and death will always carry on, there will always be something new to look forward to in one's absence.
Which makes it all the more tragic how the boys didn't have that same luxury, or more accurately, never allowed themselves to have that same luxury of looking forward to whatever would've come their way after their mom's passing. Though the Rockbells and citizens of Resembool had been there for the boys throughout their lives, none of them would've ever come close to filling the vast apertures of longing Trisha's and Hohenheim's absences carved in their hearts.
Never has there been a time when the wind sounded as haunting as it does while blowing through the gaps of Al's armor, almost as though it's a signal for everyone to stop dancing around the subject and finally acknowledge what the boys had done to themselves. And when Ed is the first to speak by asking that familiar question, the scene briefly transitions to a time when he and Al were training with Izumi.
The 03 series warps the story a bit by combining that flashback scene with Ed's first time presenting Izumi with the question of whether or not she's ever desired to bring someone back to life, specifically as a means of directing the scene in a way that shows what would've prompted Izumi to go on about the roles their lives and eventual deaths play in the flow of the world. At the time, Ed expressed his confusion at her original response as she decides to monologue about the transmutation circle's representation of the flow of power in the world, namely the circle's capacity to channel and release that power when used correctly. This philosophy covers more than just alchemy of course, and she demonstrates this by flawlessly countering the boys' attacks and using their power against them.
Understanding alchemy means understanding the flow, and a true alchemist works with the flow, not against it.
Out of their desperation to see their mom again though, Ed and Al work against the flow, not knowing the full scale of the consequences that awaited them on the other side until they activated that transmutation circle.
In her typical brusque manner of speech, Izumi asks the boys about their artificial bodies, and the shame they feel over their past deeds is palpable as she demands an explanation from them; Ed's in the way he can't even bring himself to look Izumi in the eyes and admit to what they'd done, and Al's in the way he goes silent and refuses to speak another word for the rest of the scene.
Instead of recounting the montage of events that led up to and directly followed their failed transmutation, Ed forces himself to rip the bandaid off and blurt out the plain truth of what they'd done on that fateful day, and he just barely manages to finish his sentence before Izumi sends him flying into the tree.
I don't think anyone in their right mind will go out of their way to excuse the way Izumi reacts to Ed telling her what she already knows, especially when compared to the way she only scolds the boys in the manga, because she's merciless in the way she punishes them for going against her teachings and repeating her mistakes. It's honestly hard to watch them take her punches like that, especially Ed as he's the only one who's even capable of feeling her hits. He resolutely keeps up his expression of tolerance and acceptance, as though what's happening to him is something he had coming his way for screwing up his and Al's lives all those years ago, for going against Izumi's wishes and joining the military after doing the one thing she told them not to do.
But we understand why Izumi reacted the way she did, and we understand why Ed and Al won't let themselves become frustrated with her actions.
And Izumi understands why they did what they did, and why they continue to do what they do.
By this point of the episode, no more dialogue is being exchanged between the three of them, and this decision works so well to accentuate the melancholic ambiance of the scene by letting the soundtrack and visuals do the rest of the talking for the characters. Izumi never gives the boys a chance to further explain what their lives have been like in the years following their departure from Dublith, or to downplay the harrowing experiences they've been through like they do in the manga. The boys say nothing to her, and she says nothing to them as she once again approaches, this time with an expression that's noticeably void of the heated concoction of emotions she'd just thrown their way.
To their surprise, she merely hugs them, and her faint smile, while out of their sight, says everything for her: You don't need to hold back.
And they do just that.
Al can do nothing but break down into sobs (something that's actually exclusive to the English dub) and lean into her embrace, despite his inability to physically release his sorrow and feel the warmth of her skin. And although Ed isn't verbally expressive like Al, his face still melts with all of the pain Izumi is coaxing out of him, and we see the corner of his lips curl upwards ever so slightly as he relaxes against her shoulder.
In the manga, this would usually be the end of the scene.
Here though, they never migrate back to Izumi's home to continue their conversation, partly due to Izumi cutting their conversation short before anyone could ever begin to consider going there. Staying put upon the hill gives them a bit more privacy than what they'd likely have at Izumi's home anyways, but there's a more concrete reason for why the final setting in the episode is the hill.
Bathed in the deep orange rays of the sunset, not so far away from their huddle, lies another grave of a mother.
Gone from this world, but forever in the memory of those who loved her.
