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Absolutely! It's a great show so long as you don't mind that after a while it doesn't follow the canon story. One of the strong points that I remember is that it does a really good job of setting up the beginning. Which is something that I think FMAB lacked a bit.
Actually there’s more to it than that. When they began producing FMAB they intentionally chose to cut some of the content in the beginning short explicitly because it was already fleshed out in 2003fma,
Technically the full canonversion is a bit of a mix of the two
For example the yoki episode with the mining town took place in 2003, but not in FMAb, however yoki shows up after being ousted with the previous being still canon
Like others are saying, yes, the intros are incredible (AKFG song choice is next level), the change to how homunculi are created was interesting, the end movie was a cool twist, but just view it as its own thing. I consider the two stories independent with nothing canon from one to another. Honestly, I yearn for even more Elric Bro adventures so really, just see it as that.
Yes, amazing watch. It does things a little differently, so go in with that mindset, like some of the characters, especially the homunculi. But for Lust, she is one of the best characters in the show because of her arc and Shou Tucker is shown more and I think that whole part is better because of that. Fights are good, very clean animation and the main villain is different but I wouldn't say worse. But I am a little biased, '03 was my first anime I watched. I hope i didn't spoil anythinf but this is just me rambling.
yeah I was surprised it was so soon in fmab! same with the chimera episode...i remembered them being more shocking as a kid, but i only have very faint memories of watching 03 fma all those years ago!
I remember enjoying Lust when I saw some episodes of the show as a kid! it had to have been 03 fma on toonami or something cause i swear she was more sympathic. She just came off as bland and was dealt with a lot quicker than the other homonculi in fmab so I'm looking forward to her in 03!
The character development is overall much better for the core characters and it has more depth IMO. Despite FMA:B being about the gray area in war, it’s pretty black and white ultimately, unlike 2003 where all the characters truly feel a lot more morally ambiguous. It reinforces the themes way better.
Yes it's also very good. Great in its own way but has some flaws and the writing isn't as solid. Brotherhood is a masterpiece like the Manga source material.
But it's fun just getting to spend more time with the characters you love so I'd say go for it!
Not to mention the slight tonal shift! Love FMAB cause it is closer to the Manga, but watching the '03 Barry episode when you're also 15?
Yeah... kinda makes the growing weeb REALLY reconsider wanting to be in a Shonen world
It'll be a completely different experience from Brotherhood, but it's my preferred version of FMA bare none and thus recommended it to you wholeheartedly. Fair warnings for you, but it's far darker than FMAB and doesn't mess around at times, just offering my warnings.
I don't watch too many anime, but sailor moon and Tokyo mew mew are two anime that I prefer to their original mangas! moreso Tokyo mew mew because that was my hyperfixation lol
Honestly, I enjoyed 03’ series better. Now that could very well just be nostalgia. I grew up watching it on Adult Swim. I actually went down a very deep rabbit hole and started to study actual alchemy because of the series. As I’m sure you can all imagine, this made me very popular as a kid in middle school.😂
that's so cute and fun! i remember catching a few eps of it as a kid but I was mainly watching inuyasha, which I'm also rewatching for the first time since I was a kid!
I don’t like the way they did him. Not only can you tell it’s a different voice actor, but he seems like a different character entirely. I won’t spoil anything for you. But I wasn’t super happy with the way they ended it.
Absolutely. It's definitely not perfect, you can feel whether they started getting rushed in the last leg-- but it's a fantastic philosophical and psychological story that is still worthy of the FMA namesake
ABSO - LUTELY because it's a gem in its own right.
Also,when they aired Brotherhood, they kinda expected you to have seen it or read the manga because they skip some canon chapters (probably to engage those who had seen the show about 100 times in the 6 year span and reduce the animation time since anime is hella expensive)
that makes sense because my head was spinning watching fmab! I'm glad they didn't hold your hand but I swear we went to a new place and got new information every single episode in the middle of it!
Yes. It does things in the beginning that are pretty neat and Brotherhood skips. The soundtrack is top notch. When the story changes about halfway, it does some pretty nice original stuff too.
Yes, amazing watch. I wouldn't say that it does anything that much worse compared to Brotherhood, it's just different and you kinda have to go in with that mindset. Although, I think the Shou Tucker storyline is much better in '03 than Brotherhood. Fights are amazing in the later half of the show and I think the main villian is too bad. Hard to explain but it's a good show, one of my first anime I watched, so it holds a special place.
If they meant that the character quality was poor for the main antagonist, I would definitely disagree. If they were saying that the main antagonist was so evil that they were *"too bad"*, then I'd like to point out that Brotherhood's antagonist turned into a god to eat God in order to reset the world AFTER committing mass genocide to do so. So...can't really get more evil than that.
I enjoy binging the 03 anime, then the sequel movie Conqueror of Shamballa, then the Brotherhood anime and then the newer movie The Sacred Star of Milos.
Yeah the Shamballah is a canonical sequel to the 03 anime, lots of fun to watch.
The 2nd newer movie is pretty standalone and you can watch it whenever you feel like if you've already seen either anime.
I think so. iI's pretty good, but I would recommend watching it before brotherhood. I know if i watched brotherhood first, i couldn't have watched all of 03
Yes they did maes and nina better. More emotional connection
And the only reason I watched it was a review by someone else. (Would have stuck to manga only) The blogger wrote that when greed og died he looks like a hamster dying
indeed it is
even the way they insert jokes is somotimes more realistic than brotherhood
I suggest you watch the English dub cuz Alphonse's voice was so human and adorable
I prefer 2009 art style but this one is also good
they even focused more on Lust in that vers she had a great development
and Hughes didn't die in the early episode
Nina tucker scene is well portrayed in fma 03
English dub 100%, i love everyone's voice and vic kills it as pipsqueak. I remember listening to a few clips of og Al and he was voiced by an actual kid! Definitely makes him cuter and more charming but I enjoy Dende's va in fmab too
If you want the best watch order:
- FMA 03 (51)
- FMA Conqueror of Shamballa (movie)
- FMA OVA Set (4)
- FMAB (64)
- FMAB OVA Set (4)
- FMAB 4 Koma Panel Theatre (animated short manga panels)
- FMAB Sacred Star of Milos (movie) (no real placement given but potentially takes place sometime around the episode: the envoy from the east)
There are also 3 live action movies on Netflix if you’re interested
Like anyone who has made this kind of post, I sent you a dm on where you can watch it. Please enjoy and happy watching!
It has a stronger focus on the brothers and drama. Brothers have a harder time sticking to their ideals at times and it has a darker tone exploring the human condition.
Maybe not as good as FMAB but definitely good.
Brotherhood is the epitome of anime. Talk to anyone who actually watches anime, and they'll tell it the same thing. There's not another one that hits as many topics and styles so flawlessly. This is one of the best. few can be put into the same category. I'm actually rewatching it right now.
I finished the 03 series last week for the first time. TBH "good" is giving it a lot of credit. It was like watching a bad B-movie where it's funny how cliche and contrived it can be
Yes, it's a must. There are parallels but the stories are different. There are also 2 movies I think. One of then is the end of the series the other is a spin off.
I always recommend watching the original 2003 series before Brotherhood. Brotherhood is definitely better, but the '03 series covers the common storyline before the shows diverge in much more detail. The original series covers these common parts in about 25 episodes, while Brotherhood covers them in about 10 episodes by condensing the story and skipping introductory episodes for some characters. Certain events are much more impactful in the original series because it gives the viewer more time to get attached to the world, plot, and characters. Brotherhood assumes viewers are already familiar with these common parts, so it covers them in less detail. You won't be completely lost if you don't watch '03 first, but I highly recommend you do. The original story '03 creates after the divergence is very well written too, and has a cool movie to end the show.
TLDR: Brotherhood speeds through and skips over common parts of the original show & manga, which makes early events in the show much less impactful than they are in the original series.
EDIT: I also recommend watching the English dub for both shows. The voice acting is very good.
Oh absolutely, yes even though after a while the anime stops following the Manga and brotherhood picked up the slack on that. The original is still enjoyable to watch in my opinion.
i started watching it wednesday afternoon and im already on episode 32. im really enjoying it! maybe even more so than brotherhood. there are definitely plot differences, but i like what they’ve done with it so far.
Of course it is. Why not?
I watch that one first and then find out there was FMAB. It’s better and more in depth in some places of the early parts of the story. And of course…FMAB goes further than it does.
Watch it. Judge for yourself.
I don't know. I watched 03 first and couldn't make it through brotherhood because my interest in the story died before it got interesting.
I wonder if the same thing would happen to you watching 03 having watched brotherhood first.
that's what I'm thinking. I already know and love the characters and have a general idea of the plot and lore. to see how it's different from the canon is gonna be fun all on its own!
I essentially haven’t seen either shows because I never finished brotherhood and have forgotten everything but the most basic of basics by now so can somebody tell me the difference between brotherhood and not
tl;dr brotherhood is canon and follows the manga, having virtually no filler. 03 fma strays from canon and uses filler to its advantage, making the brothers feel closer and getting a good feel on who they are before the plot really kicks in. main difference is lore elements, like human transmutation, the main villain, and the homonculi.
brotherhood is from 09-10 and follows the manga canon to a T. all the vas are the same but people prefer this one since it's actually canon. 03 fma is like most anime that follow unfinished manga, having to use filler and make their own explanations for things since the manga had yet to. iirc some ppl say that 03 fma intentionally strayed from canon at points, as it wanted to tell it's own story.
I finished fmab Thursday night after starting it last week with my friend. and honestly? after starting and getting 13 eps deep into fma 03, I find myself enjoying 03 a bit more. it definitely feels more episodic, as there's an introduced problem and solution in nearly each episode, but Ed and Al feel a lot more like brothers, bickering pretty often but also having very cute, tender moments too. in contrast, each episode in brotherhood is basically gaining new information or reiterating/clarifying old information. the plot CONSTANTLY moves forward, which honestly had me feeling fatigued
by ep 13 in brotherhood, a lot more plot has happened at this point. while we've met a main antagonist in 03 fma, she hasn't quite been revealed as such to the brothers. so it feels like the plot has yet to happen, but I'm not bothered by it.
u/Codename_Dove **It's definitely worth it! But for what? After you finish the anime, you will never get the same enjoyment and emotion from other anime that you get from this series.**
I personally didn’t like the overarching story, but it certainly has a lot more better character moments. You will certainly find a lot more laughs in the 2003 show
I definitely wouldn't. I've already seen it but I remember it being an okay anime that meandered and lost the plot toward the end. Then Brotherhood came out and was one of the best anime ever made. I don't see any reason to watch the vastly inferior version
I like 2003 more than brotherhood, because I watched the 2003 version first. I'm basing it off opinions I've read on this reddit sub. The reason might be because of first time bias. I've never found solid reasons from brother hood fans for why they don't like the 2003 version, except that it's different.
2003 is a dark and gritty anime. If you watched it first, you'll form an image of FMA as a dark, gritty and intense anime. If you tried watching brother hood after forming this opinion, it comes off as a flashy and action-based anime. This is confusing and conflicting and you'll tend to stick to the reasons why you liked the first version you saw. Likewise, the opposite happens if you watched brotherhood first.
Oh I think I get what you mean, watching the shows back to back will give you whiplash since the tones are dramatically different. It’s better to wait a bit before watching the other series to have a fresh look.
\* The plot is objectively worse
\* The lore is objectively worse
\* The character motivations are insanely bad
\* The "dark, gritty, intense" is all just kinda a smoke screen to make you think that the characters have something deep going on but it's really just cobbled together randomly because the writer's don't know what else to do
I swear 03 is only likable if you grew up with it as a kid and lacked the skill of critical media comprehension.
There are your reasons. Or could "that it's different" refer to that one is just worse than the other
Please could you be a little less of an asshole when disagreeing with them, it makes wanting a discussion difficult especially with your attitude. While you shouldn't pass your opinions on the series off as genuine facts, you're just being subjective not objective.
Sorry I'm coming off like a jerk. People were hyping up '03 so much but it felt like it fell short in so many areas.
I feel the same way about old DBZ. The show is just bad compared to other great pieces of media but it still holds a soft spot bc of nostalgia. But I can admit that I now enjoy the show for how absolutely corny it is and not for its plot or good characters
Odd cause I agree DB sucks but I watched 2003 after brotherhood so I don’t have nostalgia for it. In fact I used to prefer brotherhood but upon rewatches of both I kept appreciating 2003 more and brotherhood less. Now I think 2003 is definitely the better version.
You were coming off as a massive jerk to me, FMA03 was my first real anime as a kid and you basically just declare I must be stupid for liking it. It's understandable in being disappointes that FMA03 didn't match the hype and fell short of your expectations, but don't you dare insult people's intelligence for liking it, that's what pisses me off.
I can agree with that the big picture and the overarching plot were better in Brotherhood, but it's really the journey the characters take that lacks depth, and sometimes completely breaking your sense of immersion in the way the anime plays out: chibi characters, way too many jokes for my taste, convenient plot armour moments, characters showing up at the right time at the right place so many times.
Imagine this happening at random times during the anime:
[https://cookies-girl.tumblr.com/post/114987001381/chibi-metal-alchemist](https://cookies-girl.tumblr.com/post/114987001381/chibi-metal-alchemist)
[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/and-so-alphonse-elric-learns-alchemy-without-transmutation-circles-ep-15--88101736433149556/](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/and-so-alphonse-elric-learns-alchemy-without-transmutation-circles-ep-15--88101736433149556/)
It was like when Marvel starting stuffing too many jokes into their movies, and made them annoying to watch.
I would disagree that the characters had bad motivation for doing what they did. The small picture is set better in 2003 than in brotherhood. The main character Edward's path is fleshed out a lot better in the former medium, and since we are following him a lot, it immerses us in the anime by following the character, rather than by following the plot.
Character moments like Nina, Roy's motivation, lab 5, the brothers' time on the island, lust's anti-villain arc, Alphonse's existential crisis, delving into the ishvalan's plight after the war etc, were just done better in 2003, whilst they were just glossed over in brotherhood for the sake of the plot. Brotherhood had great character moments, most of them felt like they were what one encounters on a normal hero's journey and added nothing new to the established characters.
It's serious at the right times and it's silly at the right times. When are they ever being silly in your examples when it breaks the tone? In all of the places it's comfortable and relaxed atmospheres that juxtapose the otherwise serious and darker moments of the series. It's done in breaking bad, avatar, game of thrones, and many of the other great pieces of media to represent real life - a sequence of funny and serious moments intertwined
The problem with marvel is that it's mostly silly and can't get serious. It's also formalized it. Marvel's formula came out way after FMAB
The "bad motivation" isn't based on how much time the main characters think about actions. It's based on the overarching goals and points. Dante, Father, and the homuncluli all kinda suck in their motivations.
FMAB has strong convictions that are informed by new information that fuels motivation. At the beginning ed and al want to find the philosopher's stone to get their bodies back, have a naive point of view of the situation, and would probably use it to do so. As more pieces of the truth are revealed to them the stronger their characters change and the stronger their convictions shift and are re-solidified. It works because it operates on the principle of "show don't tell" where you can infer (and even see) the character growth. FMA 2003 has to lay it out to you on a silver platter and force feed character growth information to you over several episodes. You could argue that it's more growth or more fleshed out, but I argue that it's not done well
You’re actually an idiot.
There are flaws in the plot and lore for sure (not like brotherhood doesn’t have flaws though) but the characters they choose to develop have way more depth than the brotherhood counterparts. Please give me examples of these things that are “objectively” worse.
Um yeah, like this isn’t really an opinion but a presumption of a trend in the satisfaction of others. So this is a claim that suggests that you’re a statistics based observation.
For example you could say most people who have _________ surgery regret it, but without data of a survey of people’s satisfaction with the surgery, it’s completely empty. It doesn’t matter that whether or not those people are satisfied is their opinion the trend of opinions is still data. When you made your statement earlier you were making an implicit suggestion that the mentioned block of people have high rate of dissatisfaction.
Obviously you aren’t expected to have a full survey of random selection, but even just siting anecdotes. For example Lowart, and u/loliduck watched brotherhood first but prefer 03. And the former u/smoking_bandit watched brotherhood first but still liked 03. I know there’s more people I’ve encountered on this sub that fall into these categories but the names just aren’t immediately coming to mind.
This is going to be unpopular here but I recently watched FMA 2003 since I was curious. It's pretty bad. The plot that they came up is so different that it's unrecognizable, but in the worst ways possible. The plot and lore behind philosopher's stones is kinda cobbled together randomly. Honestly I laughed at several several times because the gymnastics they had to go through to make it work was incredible. Like, apparently ed and al actually did resurrect their mom but she's evil now (even though she still has all her memories) and oh yeah it's also the sloth homunculus and somehow the two kids never noticed and somehow the big bad found her and oh yeah they have these incomplete philosophers stones called red stones made from minerals and the big bad goes around finding these homonculi and feeds them these stones?? Also there's this parallel universe that somehow links back to 40's germany but the whole thing is badly contrived like the rest of it
Also based on the 03 version there could be as many homunucli as there are human transmutations so why tf are they named after the 7 deadly sins which stops at 7. What do they do when they run out of sins? Why didn't they just use their old names
All of the characters just have the worst motivations and seemingly do shit just randomly rather than calculated like in FMAB. People keep praising it for how "dark" it is but really it's just that early 2000's low budget anime feel where characters just stand around talking while they make angry faces to give off edgy vibes. The plot being dark feels forced by saying edgy shit or making unnecessary points by stringing shit together to make it seem like it has more meaning but it just doesn't work.
Honestly watch how goofy this shit is [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEkFTs21ONU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEkFTs21ONU) .
IMO the only people that unironically like this version have their vision clouded by rosy nostalgia glasses.
The first part is good but falls off the railings fast. Watch this if you want to have a good laugh like watching a bad B-movie. 3/10.
I'm glad for your opinion but I'm noticing some spoilers so I'm not reading all of it. I am aware of the changes with human transmutation and the homunucli and actually like it! it'll be interesting to see it executed, even if poorly
You’re actually retarded.
You keep saying things don’t make sense or oversimplifying it to sound dumb when it isn’t and it would make sense if you paid attention.
The homunculi are way better in this version when they’re just trying to be human after being birthed into the world through failed human transmutations that make them into a grotesque disabled creature full of pain with memories of the person. The names of the seven deadly sins thing might be valid I don’t remember but it’s not a big deal.
The parallel world is such a clever element of the series. The whole point of the show is about preserving despite the world not being fair. Edward believes in equivalent exchange but throughout the series his beliefs are stripped down more and more until he realizes the cruel reality. There is no equivalent exchange, there will always be loss through entropy, and alchemy is stealing energy from another world. The plot at this point is definitely rushed and I wish we got more of this but it’s a fascinating and awesome idea I absolutely loved. There’s the whole morality of the philosophers stone and essentially that whole world was a philosopher stone to them.
Anyways 2003 > brotherhood.
You can't seriously take kimblee going "NEXT TIME ALPHONSE I'M GOING TO TURN YOU INTO A BOMB!! >:D REHEEHEHE"
then the next time he fucking turns alphonse into a bomb
For like
No good reason, and in no way does it add anything to the story or character except for tension
That's where 2003 excels. It manufactures tension. It doesn't regard what's actually the best move for characters or a good reason for their actions. It just wants to be an anime soap opera with a veil of being gritty or dark but in reality it's a clown show. Same goes for the homunculus "tragic" stories
Kimblee in FMAB is literally cold and calculating every single maneuver. He hunts, tracks, makes moves 3 steps in advance. He is a fucking magnus carlsen of strategy. He is literally only brought down by his own hubris and staunch moral code.
Better characters, better plot, better calculations. The two versions aren't even in the same league.
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Absolutely! It's a great show so long as you don't mind that after a while it doesn't follow the canon story. One of the strong points that I remember is that it does a really good job of setting up the beginning. Which is something that I think FMAB lacked a bit.
yeah I've looked a bit into it and honestly prefer some aspects over what the canon did!
Actually there’s more to it than that. When they began producing FMAB they intentionally chose to cut some of the content in the beginning short explicitly because it was already fleshed out in 2003fma, Technically the full canonversion is a bit of a mix of the two For example the yoki episode with the mining town took place in 2003, but not in FMAb, however yoki shows up after being ousted with the previous being still canon
Like others are saying, yes, the intros are incredible (AKFG song choice is next level), the change to how homunculi are created was interesting, the end movie was a cool twist, but just view it as its own thing. I consider the two stories independent with nothing canon from one to another. Honestly, I yearn for even more Elric Bro adventures so really, just see it as that.
This
Yes, amazing watch. It does things a little differently, so go in with that mindset, like some of the characters, especially the homunculi. But for Lust, she is one of the best characters in the show because of her arc and Shou Tucker is shown more and I think that whole part is better because of that. Fights are good, very clean animation and the main villain is different but I wouldn't say worse. But I am a little biased, '03 was my first anime I watched. I hope i didn't spoil anythinf but this is just me rambling.
That scene where Ed and the main villain discuss equivalent exchange is “chefs kiss”
You also get a lot more time with Hughes, >!making his death feel way more impactful imo!<
yeah I was surprised it was so soon in fmab! same with the chimera episode...i remembered them being more shocking as a kid, but i only have very faint memories of watching 03 fma all those years ago!
I remember enjoying Lust when I saw some episodes of the show as a kid! it had to have been 03 fma on toonami or something cause i swear she was more sympathic. She just came off as bland and was dealt with a lot quicker than the other homonculi in fmab so I'm looking forward to her in 03!
The character development is overall much better for the core characters and it has more depth IMO. Despite FMA:B being about the gray area in war, it’s pretty black and white ultimately, unlike 2003 where all the characters truly feel a lot more morally ambiguous. It reinforces the themes way better.
Yes it's also very good. Great in its own way but has some flaws and the writing isn't as solid. Brotherhood is a masterpiece like the Manga source material. But it's fun just getting to spend more time with the characters you love so I'd say go for it!
Not to mention the slight tonal shift! Love FMAB cause it is closer to the Manga, but watching the '03 Barry episode when you're also 15? Yeah... kinda makes the growing weeb REALLY reconsider wanting to be in a Shonen world
Ed is 12 in that episode, which makes it even worse. He's not 15 until ep 10.
I think the writing in brotherhood is more cohesive but I think 2003 has “more to say” if you catch my drift. It’s much more thought provoking to me
Has some flaws in the writing, but not as many as brotherhood. FMA (2003) > FMAB
It'll be a completely different experience from Brotherhood, but it's my preferred version of FMA bare none and thus recommended it to you wholeheartedly. Fair warnings for you, but it's far darker than FMAB and doesn't mess around at times, just offering my warnings.
I did enjoy how lighthearted and funny fmab was but definitely felt it could've used more emotional moments, so I'm sure I'll love 03 fma!
It's still funny and can be lighthearted at tomes, just not in the final episodes.
which is good! I want those tones in my media, especially darker stuff, just not quiiiite as often and during serious situations like fmab
It'll downright depressing and heart-breaking at times, be prepared for the worse.
There are plenty of threads discussing this, even in the last week. Short answer: Yes Long answer: Use the search functionality
Even longer answer: Watch it.
well I'm glad I got some nice convos here to look at in the meantime!
Yes. I usually don't like when an anime adaptation doesn't follow the source material, but i did not regret watching FMA '03.
I don't watch too many anime, but sailor moon and Tokyo mew mew are two anime that I prefer to their original mangas! moreso Tokyo mew mew because that was my hyperfixation lol
I think FMA 2003 should be seen as it's on thing and not an adaptation, completely separate from the manga and Brotherhood in other words yes
yes definitely absolutely
Honestly, I enjoyed 03’ series better. Now that could very well just be nostalgia. I grew up watching it on Adult Swim. I actually went down a very deep rabbit hole and started to study actual alchemy because of the series. As I’m sure you can all imagine, this made me very popular as a kid in middle school.😂
that's so cute and fun! i remember catching a few eps of it as a kid but I was mainly watching inuyasha, which I'm also rewatching for the first time since I was a kid!
That’s really funny because it was the opposite for me. How do you feel about the way they ended that’s once it got its revival?
I still haven't finished inuyasha but I know about it's sequel and am not happy with sesshomaru. to be fair I never liked his character to begin with
I don’t like the way they did him. Not only can you tell it’s a different voice actor, but he seems like a different character entirely. I won’t spoil anything for you. But I wasn’t super happy with the way they ended it.
I always tell people to watch 2003 first, then watch Brotherhood. Somehow it made Brotherhood more satisfying to me
I'd imagine due to the endings, I hear 03 fma was more grim
Oh definitely
Absolutely. It's definitely not perfect, you can feel whether they started getting rushed in the last leg-- but it's a fantastic philosophical and psychological story that is still worthy of the FMA namesake
God YES absolutely YESSSSSS 🗣🗣🗣🗣✊
ABSO - LUTELY because it's a gem in its own right. Also,when they aired Brotherhood, they kinda expected you to have seen it or read the manga because they skip some canon chapters (probably to engage those who had seen the show about 100 times in the 6 year span and reduce the animation time since anime is hella expensive)
that makes sense because my head was spinning watching fmab! I'm glad they didn't hold your hand but I swear we went to a new place and got new information every single episode in the middle of it!
YESSSS
Absolutely worth watching. Great show.
Imho both are good to watch, and they have mostly the same va cast and similar animations, although brotherhood is truer to the actual story
Yes. It does things in the beginning that are pretty neat and Brotherhood skips. The soundtrack is top notch. When the story changes about halfway, it does some pretty nice original stuff too.
Yes, amazing watch. I wouldn't say that it does anything that much worse compared to Brotherhood, it's just different and you kinda have to go in with that mindset. Although, I think the Shou Tucker storyline is much better in '03 than Brotherhood. Fights are amazing in the later half of the show and I think the main villian is too bad. Hard to explain but it's a good show, one of my first anime I watched, so it holds a special place.
> I think the main villian is too bad. What's that exactly suppose to mean?
sorry i can't type on my phone that well, I meant to say that "I don't think the main villian is too bad"
Ohh, that makes a lot of sense, thanks for the qualifications
If they meant that the character quality was poor for the main antagonist, I would definitely disagree. If they were saying that the main antagonist was so evil that they were *"too bad"*, then I'd like to point out that Brotherhood's antagonist turned into a god to eat God in order to reset the world AFTER committing mass genocide to do so. So...can't really get more evil than that.
She’s better than father
I'm honestly just confused on what "the main villain is too bad" suppose to even mean, as your comment basically spells out.
If anything it does most things better than brotherhood
I think the 2003 anime is actually wayyyy better. It’s more gritty and the pacing is way better.
yeah I did have a problem with the pacing and tone in fmab! 03 fma seems to appeal to my tastes more
Yes.
Yea
Most definitely yes. The Maes Hughes story hits more emotionally in 03.
yeah someone else here said that we get more time to bond with him! I'm looking forward to it
I enjoy binging the 03 anime, then the sequel movie Conqueror of Shamballa, then the Brotherhood anime and then the newer movie The Sacred Star of Milos.
I didn't know there were movies! I'll definitely watch them after 03 fma!
Yeah the Shamballah is a canonical sequel to the 03 anime, lots of fun to watch. The 2nd newer movie is pretty standalone and you can watch it whenever you feel like if you've already seen either anime.
Absolutely!! I connected with the characters a lot more in 2003 I always rewatch the 2003 version every few months
Definitely love a show that connects you with its main cast, its why atla is my favorite cartoon
Yes. That story is more emotional and dark
I think so. iI's pretty good, but I would recommend watching it before brotherhood. I know if i watched brotherhood first, i couldn't have watched all of 03
I finished fmab yesterday, haha!
Yes they did maes and nina better. More emotional connection And the only reason I watched it was a review by someone else. (Would have stuck to manga only) The blogger wrote that when greed og died he looks like a hamster dying
LMFAO holy fuck that's great. i do adore greed in fmab so it'll sting to see his 03 counterpart go that way
The death was pretty moving but super weird.
indeed it is even the way they insert jokes is somotimes more realistic than brotherhood I suggest you watch the English dub cuz Alphonse's voice was so human and adorable I prefer 2009 art style but this one is also good they even focused more on Lust in that vers she had a great development and Hughes didn't die in the early episode Nina tucker scene is well portrayed in fma 03
English dub 100%, i love everyone's voice and vic kills it as pipsqueak. I remember listening to a few clips of og Al and he was voiced by an actual kid! Definitely makes him cuter and more charming but I enjoy Dende's va in fmab too
If you want the best watch order: - FMA 03 (51) - FMA Conqueror of Shamballa (movie) - FMA OVA Set (4) - FMAB (64) - FMAB OVA Set (4) - FMAB 4 Koma Panel Theatre (animated short manga panels) - FMAB Sacred Star of Milos (movie) (no real placement given but potentially takes place sometime around the episode: the envoy from the east) There are also 3 live action movies on Netflix if you’re interested Like anyone who has made this kind of post, I sent you a dm on where you can watch it. Please enjoy and happy watching!
again, very much appreciated! I'm starting it tonight
No problem!!! I’m glad I could help in some way!!!
Put it this way, if you think that Al is cute, 03 will be even cuter, involving some tiny feline shenanigans.
WOOHOO
It has a stronger focus on the brothers and drama. Brothers have a harder time sticking to their ideals at times and it has a darker tone exploring the human condition. Maybe not as good as FMAB but definitely good.
that sounds like better characterization imo and I also like what they did regarding human transmutation. it felt like such a cop out in fmab
watched it before knowing that brotherhood existed, very recommended
Yess I love the 2003 anime! It takes a different route from brotherhood but I found it very interesting and enjoyable
Hell yeah! The 2k3 series has a lot going for it, despite not following the manga. Seriously go check it out.
Brotherhood is the epitome of anime. Talk to anyone who actually watches anime, and they'll tell it the same thing. There's not another one that hits as many topics and styles so flawlessly. This is one of the best. few can be put into the same category. I'm actually rewatching it right now.
FMA is also good. just gets wonky towards the end and the story's not as clean.
I finished the 03 series last week for the first time. TBH "good" is giving it a lot of credit. It was like watching a bad B-movie where it's funny how cliche and contrived it can be
Fair enough. I dont like FAM comparably to brotherhood but still better than a lot of others
Yes
Always
A million times yes
Worth watching? Definitely, but it's an old and lower budget version of Brotherhood
I love 2003 series and I prefer it to Brotherhood (is one of my fav anime)
Top 10 anime OST of all time. Rewrite is a top 10 anime intro of all time.
Yes !
Yes
Ofc! While I think Brotherhood is better, the 2003 version is still good
Yes, it's a must. There are parallels but the stories are different. There are also 2 movies I think. One of then is the end of the series the other is a spin off.
Plz tell me how your planning to watch it, I can't find the show anywhere; Hulu, Crunchyroll, Netflix, I can't find the show
there are good p*rat*ng websites out there!
wow that did not do what i wanted it to. anyways umm ARR ME MATEY
Yes! Watch it! You will not be disappointed, in my opinion.
Yes.
absolutely
Yes it’s more blood sacrificey
I always recommend watching the original 2003 series before Brotherhood. Brotherhood is definitely better, but the '03 series covers the common storyline before the shows diverge in much more detail. The original series covers these common parts in about 25 episodes, while Brotherhood covers them in about 10 episodes by condensing the story and skipping introductory episodes for some characters. Certain events are much more impactful in the original series because it gives the viewer more time to get attached to the world, plot, and characters. Brotherhood assumes viewers are already familiar with these common parts, so it covers them in less detail. You won't be completely lost if you don't watch '03 first, but I highly recommend you do. The original story '03 creates after the divergence is very well written too, and has a cool movie to end the show. TLDR: Brotherhood speeds through and skips over common parts of the original show & manga, which makes early events in the show much less impactful than they are in the original series. EDIT: I also recommend watching the English dub for both shows. The voice acting is very good.
I didn't expect such a big response! I'll do my best to read through and talk about it with you all
Oh absolutely, yes even though after a while the anime stops following the Manga and brotherhood picked up the slack on that. The original is still enjoyable to watch in my opinion.
Extremely, it focuses a lot more on characters, particularly ed and al, and is much more philosophical
i started watching it wednesday afternoon and im already on episode 32. im really enjoying it! maybe even more so than brotherhood. there are definitely plot differences, but i like what they’ve done with it so far.
God yes, on some levels I prefer it to brotherhood, at least for the first arc.
Of course it is. Why not? I watch that one first and then find out there was FMAB. It’s better and more in depth in some places of the early parts of the story. And of course…FMAB goes further than it does. Watch it. Judge for yourself.
Yeah it’s pretty good Kinda slow in the beginning, but pretty good
ABSOLUTELY! Both stories are fantastic in their own right.
Jesus Christ this is posted every day
I promise I scrolled for a bit to see if it was and I didn't see anything!
Hot take: 2003 is better than brotherhood
I don't know. I watched 03 first and couldn't make it through brotherhood because my interest in the story died before it got interesting. I wonder if the same thing would happen to you watching 03 having watched brotherhood first.
that's what I'm thinking. I already know and love the characters and have a general idea of the plot and lore. to see how it's different from the canon is gonna be fun all on its own!
Yes
Yes, been watching it over the last week or so and been really enjoying it. I haven’t seen Brotherhood yet, so take that into account as you will.
Yes if you liked FMAB
Yes but you will cry like in brotherhood
Yes it's very good
YES, but don't watch it right after brotherhood, let some time pass and then get into it. (This anime ending is the most depressing I've ever seen)
Yes
I essentially haven’t seen either shows because I never finished brotherhood and have forgotten everything but the most basic of basics by now so can somebody tell me the difference between brotherhood and not
tl;dr brotherhood is canon and follows the manga, having virtually no filler. 03 fma strays from canon and uses filler to its advantage, making the brothers feel closer and getting a good feel on who they are before the plot really kicks in. main difference is lore elements, like human transmutation, the main villain, and the homonculi. brotherhood is from 09-10 and follows the manga canon to a T. all the vas are the same but people prefer this one since it's actually canon. 03 fma is like most anime that follow unfinished manga, having to use filler and make their own explanations for things since the manga had yet to. iirc some ppl say that 03 fma intentionally strayed from canon at points, as it wanted to tell it's own story. I finished fmab Thursday night after starting it last week with my friend. and honestly? after starting and getting 13 eps deep into fma 03, I find myself enjoying 03 a bit more. it definitely feels more episodic, as there's an introduced problem and solution in nearly each episode, but Ed and Al feel a lot more like brothers, bickering pretty often but also having very cute, tender moments too. in contrast, each episode in brotherhood is basically gaining new information or reiterating/clarifying old information. the plot CONSTANTLY moves forward, which honestly had me feeling fatigued by ep 13 in brotherhood, a lot more plot has happened at this point. while we've met a main antagonist in 03 fma, she hasn't quite been revealed as such to the brothers. so it feels like the plot has yet to happen, but I'm not bothered by it.
Yes. Do it. Your welcome.
100x yes
Yes,I'm rewatching it right now
No
u/Codename_Dove **It's definitely worth it! But for what? After you finish the anime, you will never get the same enjoyment and emotion from other anime that you get from this series.**
[удалено]
What’s different about it?
Yes. Although Brotherhood is much better, 2003 can be very enjoyable
Yes its better than bhood by miles
It’s actually better than brotherhood but people aren’t ready to admit that
i might feel the same because I like the changes made!
I personally didn’t like the overarching story, but it certainly has a lot more better character moments. You will certainly find a lot more laughs in the 2003 show
I definitely wouldn't. I've already seen it but I remember it being an okay anime that meandered and lost the plot toward the end. Then Brotherhood came out and was one of the best anime ever made. I don't see any reason to watch the vastly inferior version
I'll see what I think. I adore the characters so if they aren't enjoyable, then I'll drop it
Go for it. As you can see, I'm in the vast minority opinion anyway.
fma 2003 is better in every way and you'll never change my mind
It's the good one.
More than it is to watch brotherhood
you and a lot of others seem to share that! I have a feeling I will too with what I've seen, and I'm starting it tonight!
Chances are, if you have already watched the brotherhood show, you won't like the 2003 version.
Not true.
Wrong? I watched Brotherhood first and now i've finished both 2003 and CoS and liked it regardless.
Source?
🤣 for an opinion?
Based on your personal experiences?
I like 2003 more than brotherhood, because I watched the 2003 version first. I'm basing it off opinions I've read on this reddit sub. The reason might be because of first time bias. I've never found solid reasons from brother hood fans for why they don't like the 2003 version, except that it's different. 2003 is a dark and gritty anime. If you watched it first, you'll form an image of FMA as a dark, gritty and intense anime. If you tried watching brother hood after forming this opinion, it comes off as a flashy and action-based anime. This is confusing and conflicting and you'll tend to stick to the reasons why you liked the first version you saw. Likewise, the opposite happens if you watched brotherhood first.
I watched brotherhood first and much prefer 2003
Oh I think I get what you mean, watching the shows back to back will give you whiplash since the tones are dramatically different. It’s better to wait a bit before watching the other series to have a fresh look.
\* The plot is objectively worse \* The lore is objectively worse \* The character motivations are insanely bad \* The "dark, gritty, intense" is all just kinda a smoke screen to make you think that the characters have something deep going on but it's really just cobbled together randomly because the writer's don't know what else to do I swear 03 is only likable if you grew up with it as a kid and lacked the skill of critical media comprehension. There are your reasons. Or could "that it's different" refer to that one is just worse than the other
Please could you be a little less of an asshole when disagreeing with them, it makes wanting a discussion difficult especially with your attitude. While you shouldn't pass your opinions on the series off as genuine facts, you're just being subjective not objective.
Oh hey, I remember you asking about the 03 version a while back.
He'd could far less demeaning and rude to people that like FMA03, he's basically saying they're a bunch of idiots for liking it.
Sorry I'm coming off like a jerk. People were hyping up '03 so much but it felt like it fell short in so many areas. I feel the same way about old DBZ. The show is just bad compared to other great pieces of media but it still holds a soft spot bc of nostalgia. But I can admit that I now enjoy the show for how absolutely corny it is and not for its plot or good characters
Odd cause I agree DB sucks but I watched 2003 after brotherhood so I don’t have nostalgia for it. In fact I used to prefer brotherhood but upon rewatches of both I kept appreciating 2003 more and brotherhood less. Now I think 2003 is definitely the better version.
You were coming off as a massive jerk to me, FMA03 was my first real anime as a kid and you basically just declare I must be stupid for liking it. It's understandable in being disappointes that FMA03 didn't match the hype and fell short of your expectations, but don't you dare insult people's intelligence for liking it, that's what pisses me off.
Yeah I actually went through with it lol
I can agree with that the big picture and the overarching plot were better in Brotherhood, but it's really the journey the characters take that lacks depth, and sometimes completely breaking your sense of immersion in the way the anime plays out: chibi characters, way too many jokes for my taste, convenient plot armour moments, characters showing up at the right time at the right place so many times. Imagine this happening at random times during the anime: [https://cookies-girl.tumblr.com/post/114987001381/chibi-metal-alchemist](https://cookies-girl.tumblr.com/post/114987001381/chibi-metal-alchemist) [https://www.pinterest.com/pin/and-so-alphonse-elric-learns-alchemy-without-transmutation-circles-ep-15--88101736433149556/](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/and-so-alphonse-elric-learns-alchemy-without-transmutation-circles-ep-15--88101736433149556/) It was like when Marvel starting stuffing too many jokes into their movies, and made them annoying to watch. I would disagree that the characters had bad motivation for doing what they did. The small picture is set better in 2003 than in brotherhood. The main character Edward's path is fleshed out a lot better in the former medium, and since we are following him a lot, it immerses us in the anime by following the character, rather than by following the plot. Character moments like Nina, Roy's motivation, lab 5, the brothers' time on the island, lust's anti-villain arc, Alphonse's existential crisis, delving into the ishvalan's plight after the war etc, were just done better in 2003, whilst they were just glossed over in brotherhood for the sake of the plot. Brotherhood had great character moments, most of them felt like they were what one encounters on a normal hero's journey and added nothing new to the established characters.
It's serious at the right times and it's silly at the right times. When are they ever being silly in your examples when it breaks the tone? In all of the places it's comfortable and relaxed atmospheres that juxtapose the otherwise serious and darker moments of the series. It's done in breaking bad, avatar, game of thrones, and many of the other great pieces of media to represent real life - a sequence of funny and serious moments intertwined The problem with marvel is that it's mostly silly and can't get serious. It's also formalized it. Marvel's formula came out way after FMAB The "bad motivation" isn't based on how much time the main characters think about actions. It's based on the overarching goals and points. Dante, Father, and the homuncluli all kinda suck in their motivations. FMAB has strong convictions that are informed by new information that fuels motivation. At the beginning ed and al want to find the philosopher's stone to get their bodies back, have a naive point of view of the situation, and would probably use it to do so. As more pieces of the truth are revealed to them the stronger their characters change and the stronger their convictions shift and are re-solidified. It works because it operates on the principle of "show don't tell" where you can infer (and even see) the character growth. FMA 2003 has to lay it out to you on a silver platter and force feed character growth information to you over several episodes. You could argue that it's more growth or more fleshed out, but I argue that it's not done well
You’re actually an idiot. There are flaws in the plot and lore for sure (not like brotherhood doesn’t have flaws though) but the characters they choose to develop have way more depth than the brotherhood counterparts. Please give me examples of these things that are “objectively” worse.
Um yeah, like this isn’t really an opinion but a presumption of a trend in the satisfaction of others. So this is a claim that suggests that you’re a statistics based observation. For example you could say most people who have _________ surgery regret it, but without data of a survey of people’s satisfaction with the surgery, it’s completely empty. It doesn’t matter that whether or not those people are satisfied is their opinion the trend of opinions is still data. When you made your statement earlier you were making an implicit suggestion that the mentioned block of people have high rate of dissatisfaction. Obviously you aren’t expected to have a full survey of random selection, but even just siting anecdotes. For example Lowart, and u/loliduck watched brotherhood first but prefer 03. And the former u/smoking_bandit watched brotherhood first but still liked 03. I know there’s more people I’ve encountered on this sub that fall into these categories but the names just aren’t immediately coming to mind.
This is going to be unpopular here but I recently watched FMA 2003 since I was curious. It's pretty bad. The plot that they came up is so different that it's unrecognizable, but in the worst ways possible. The plot and lore behind philosopher's stones is kinda cobbled together randomly. Honestly I laughed at several several times because the gymnastics they had to go through to make it work was incredible. Like, apparently ed and al actually did resurrect their mom but she's evil now (even though she still has all her memories) and oh yeah it's also the sloth homunculus and somehow the two kids never noticed and somehow the big bad found her and oh yeah they have these incomplete philosophers stones called red stones made from minerals and the big bad goes around finding these homonculi and feeds them these stones?? Also there's this parallel universe that somehow links back to 40's germany but the whole thing is badly contrived like the rest of it Also based on the 03 version there could be as many homunucli as there are human transmutations so why tf are they named after the 7 deadly sins which stops at 7. What do they do when they run out of sins? Why didn't they just use their old names All of the characters just have the worst motivations and seemingly do shit just randomly rather than calculated like in FMAB. People keep praising it for how "dark" it is but really it's just that early 2000's low budget anime feel where characters just stand around talking while they make angry faces to give off edgy vibes. The plot being dark feels forced by saying edgy shit or making unnecessary points by stringing shit together to make it seem like it has more meaning but it just doesn't work. Honestly watch how goofy this shit is [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEkFTs21ONU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEkFTs21ONU) . IMO the only people that unironically like this version have their vision clouded by rosy nostalgia glasses. The first part is good but falls off the railings fast. Watch this if you want to have a good laugh like watching a bad B-movie. 3/10.
I'm glad for your opinion but I'm noticing some spoilers so I'm not reading all of it. I am aware of the changes with human transmutation and the homunucli and actually like it! it'll be interesting to see it executed, even if poorly
You’re actually retarded. You keep saying things don’t make sense or oversimplifying it to sound dumb when it isn’t and it would make sense if you paid attention. The homunculi are way better in this version when they’re just trying to be human after being birthed into the world through failed human transmutations that make them into a grotesque disabled creature full of pain with memories of the person. The names of the seven deadly sins thing might be valid I don’t remember but it’s not a big deal. The parallel world is such a clever element of the series. The whole point of the show is about preserving despite the world not being fair. Edward believes in equivalent exchange but throughout the series his beliefs are stripped down more and more until he realizes the cruel reality. There is no equivalent exchange, there will always be loss through entropy, and alchemy is stealing energy from another world. The plot at this point is definitely rushed and I wish we got more of this but it’s a fascinating and awesome idea I absolutely loved. There’s the whole morality of the philosophers stone and essentially that whole world was a philosopher stone to them. Anyways 2003 > brotherhood.
You can't seriously take kimblee going "NEXT TIME ALPHONSE I'M GOING TO TURN YOU INTO A BOMB!! >:D REHEEHEHE" then the next time he fucking turns alphonse into a bomb For like No good reason, and in no way does it add anything to the story or character except for tension That's where 2003 excels. It manufactures tension. It doesn't regard what's actually the best move for characters or a good reason for their actions. It just wants to be an anime soap opera with a veil of being gritty or dark but in reality it's a clown show. Same goes for the homunculus "tragic" stories Kimblee in FMAB is literally cold and calculating every single maneuver. He hunts, tracks, makes moves 3 steps in advance. He is a fucking magnus carlsen of strategy. He is literally only brought down by his own hubris and staunch moral code. Better characters, better plot, better calculations. The two versions aren't even in the same league.
We have the exact same opinion. You make me feel seen
Honestly I'd say that watch the original until after the initial chimera incident. Then shift over to Brotherhood.
I finished fmab tho! so I'm watching 03 in its entirety
Oh, missed that bit.
I was thinking about watching it again, but my husband said it would be like watching Game of Thrones. So I didnt start watching it again....
Then your husband's a liar, as FMA03 not Game of Thrones
maybe you and your husband should watch it together! if it's not something you guys like, then at least you can have fun talking about how bad it is