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I'm rewatching Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 tonight for the first time in a long time. Say what you will about pros and cons between this and Brotherhood, but Brotherhood did not have the train hijacking episode, which remains the best possible way to introduce Mustang and Friends.
I don't like the idea of suggesting that source material purists watch the first dozen episodes of 03 before switching to Brotherhood, because they're so completely different in production style that it would still be whiplash, not fair to the arists involved on either...
...but I don't know how anyone handles the pace and tone problems in Brotherhood's first dozen episodes to get emotionally involved enough in the story to care about what happens after that.
If you want to get into Fullmetal Alchemist, I'd say you really should try to start with the first anime from 2003. If you feel it's too old, slow, or boring at any point, switch to Brotherhood, and you'll be in good company with lots of people who've only seen that version.
If you don't mind the 4:3 ratio and slower pace of FMA 03, and still find the story wildly compelling, then fully digest it to the end, then put that into the context of already being the biggest anime thing ever in the mid-00s. It's a trip.
After you've seen that, start Brotherhood with the knowledge that the first dozen episodes of victory lapping in fast forward was produced this way knowing that everybody had already seen the "first one." It is in many ways less beginner-friendly.
But after that, you get a more straightforward and in-depth continuation of the original author's vision, a vision many people ultimately prefer, along with the more modern production values.
So my completely unhelpful advice is to watch both. Watch both of them. They are so wildly different that one's style, tone, look, or sound is going to appeal to something about your taste in TV watching before the other, regardless of plot differences or source faithfulness.
After all these years of debate, there's still no litmus test for which one you'd probably prefer without just watching the 100+ episodes of both, but here we go, this is the best I got right now:
1) How do you feel about MCU movies?
The more positive your feelings, the greater likelihood you will enjoy Brotherhood.
2) How do you feel about Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies?
The more positive your feelings, the greater likelihood you will enjoy FMA 03.
The more positive your feelings, the greater likelihood you will enjoy Brotherhood.
2) How do you feel about Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies?
The more positive your feelings, the greater likelihood you will enjoy FMA 03.
Enjoy in general, not prefer over the other version. There's no litmus test for anything that personal.
Anyway, Fullmetal Alchemist is great. I will always prefer the 2003 adaptation. Giving my cold dead heart warm feelings tonight.
Anyway, Fullmetal Alchemist is great. I will always prefer the 2003 adaptation. Giving my cold dead heart warm feelings tonight.
oh no people still really care about this debate rip my mentions
When I first saw this show, I was about Edward’s age. Now I am about Mustang’s age.
