Only if you have also watched fma

Jul 3, 2022 1:07 AM

Offline

Apr 2022

142

Original FMA was a huge hit before Brotherhood became a thing.

It has thousands of fans.

IMO, you should at least give it a chance, and see for yourself if it works for you.

Jul 3, 2022 1:09 AM

#3

faithbeams

Offline

Mar 2018

1

fma was finished before the manga was over. fmab follows through with the manga's plot. both are still really good in their own ways, however, and if you have the time definitely watch them both!

Jul 3, 2022 1:10 AM

#4

Avalongus

Offline

May 2009

1043

Azering said:
Original FMA was a huge hit before Brotherhood became a thing.

It has thousands of fans.

IMO, you should at least give it a chance, and see for yourself if it works for you.

True, and agreed. I also actually like the 2003 version way more.

Jul 3, 2022 1:15 AM

#5

Iconicahlly

Offline

Apr 2022

70

El-Psy__Congroo said:
I was going to watch fma
And i just found fmab is a seperate story and is better (i thought it was a sequel)

Ones who have watched both tell me should i invest my time on watching both or only fmab ?

it think it's worth it overall

Jul 3, 2022 1:29 AM

#6

V1P3R0P

Offline

Mar 2021

3420

El-Psy__Congroo said:
I was going to watch fma
And i just found fmab is a seperate story and is better (i thought it was a sequel)

Ones who have watched both tell me should i invest my time on watching both or only fmab ?

FMA and FMAB are kinda the same. FMA was made when the manga was still ongoing, The story deviates after 20 or so episodes. FMAB was produced after the manga completed and is a faithful adaptation.

Jul 3, 2022 1:41 AM

#7

CCBG

Offline

May 2021

48

I'd say watch both. While FMA become anime original after about 20 episodes, it's still really good in my opinion, and different enough from FMAB in a way that you can watch both and get completely different experiences

Jul 3, 2022 1:49 AM

#8

Khushal_v

Offline

Mar 2021

1390

El-Psy__Congroo said:
I was going to watch fma
And i just found fmab is a seperate story and is better (i thought it was a sequel)

Ones who have watched both tell me should i invest my time on watching both or only fmab ?

watch fma, you won't regret it not even a little

through story and animation is better in brotherhood but the tone is much darker and better in original and the music and character development are great in both

but if you watch the original you may not like first 14 episode of fmab because it basically tell the same story compared to 1st half of fma where fma told the story with better details

but you can't skip first 14 episodes because some things are changed which are important in later part of story

Jul 3, 2022 1:59 AM

#9

Alriven

Offline

Sep 2021

1030

Both are definitely worth a watch. Since FMA:B removed some rather irrelevant chapters from it's early episodes which was already adapted in FMA 2003, there's a small chance that you'll not like the beginning of Brotherhood if you watch 2003 first and then move to FMAB. Not that it's bad in anyway, it's just relatively fast paced compared to 2003. So I'd highly suggest you to watch FMA:B first and then move onto FMA 2003.

Jul 3, 2022 2:07 AM

#10

kushakashi

Offline

Nov 2019

819

El-Psy__Congroo said:
I was going to watch fma
And i just found fmab is a seperate story and is better (i thought it was a sequel)

Ones who have watched both tell me should i invest my time on watching both or only fmab ?

FMA (2003) is better till it's not . . . it's slower and darker, its focus is more on the philosophical side rather than the action. but they ran out of manga to adapt halfway through so they made the rest up (and aside from the last episode the rest of the made-up episodes are garbage)
i'd say it's worth the watch.

Jul 3, 2022 2:21 AM

#11

PikaboyTK

Offline

Feb 2021

572

El-Psy__Congroo said:
I was going to watch fma
And i just found fmab is a seperate story and is better (i thought it was a sequel)

Ones who have watched both tell me should i invest my time on watching both or only fmab ?

I'd recommend to watch both. Both of them are completely different shows despite having certain similar aspects. FMA03 is a much darker show while FMAB takes things a little bit lightly. FMA03 has a slower pacing comparatively. FMAB is more of a action packed shounen while the original is more of a drama.

When it comes to the manga, FMAB adapts it completely while FMA03 takes only a few things from it. When people say that FMA03 diverges after a certain number of episodes, they are wrong. It's different right from the get-go.

Jul 3, 2022 2:37 AM

#12

SeneschalD

Offline

Jun 2021

433

I liked FMA 2003 more than FMAB because 2003 version is much more deep, serious, dark and mature.It's like seinen.Brotherhood is more like shounen.They target different demographic.Give it a try and see for yourself.I absolutely recommend you to watch it.

Just as pure oxygen is harmful to the body, the naked truth has the power to destroy men's minds. Only by diluting it with lies and taking it in small doses can humans maintain a healthy soul.

Jul 3, 2022 3:34 AM

#13

TerrificUsername

Offline

Jul 2021

43

In my opinion the original fma is better as it's less cliche than brotherhood and has a bittersweet ending unlike brotherhoods, again, cliche ending. I also don't like how brotherhood just skips past most of the start of the story in about 14 episodes where the 2003 version goes in depth. In my opinion, the soundtrack for the original 2003 Is also much better and memorable but that's not to say brotherhood is not great in its own respect

Jul 3, 2022 4:14 AM

#14

biteeasily

Offline

Oct 2021

60

Unlike FMAB, FMA starts off great and ends badly with one of the worst sequel movies ever. I normally prefer bittersweet endings but I have to admit that FMA's was really bad. So it's not a surprise as to why most people prefer FMAB over FMA. The storyline of FMAB is far more epic and makes more sense than FMA.

Jul 3, 2022 5:42 AM

#15

Gia_Anggia

Offline

Oct 2018

19

if you want the direct adaptation from the manga you should watch fmab, but if you okay with the storyline kinda drift off from the manga you should watch fma too but both are nice in my opinion

Jul 3, 2022 6:32 AM

#16

ecliptyk

Offline

Mar 2018

179

The original FMA looked better overall and the first half is arguably better than the first half of FMAB as well. FMAB is more faithful to the source though so I would stick with that for now. Give the original a shot later. It also has some amazing OPs btw.

Jul 3, 2022 6:38 AM

#17

the_moon_snail

Offline

Aug 2021

158

You can watch both but if you'll watch only one of them i suggest fmab. fmab has better story and ending. Then if you enjoy watching it you can watch fma for some nice random scenes. They both good but fmab is better

Jul 3, 2022 6:42 AM

#18

Evvixent

Offline

Feb 2021

43

If you want a more darker story that dives straight into it and with a sad ending, then watch of FMA. I personally prefer the og FMA over brotherhood.

Jul 3, 2022 6:43 AM

#19

Salty-GB

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Apr 2020

2186

Just read the manga. Brotherhood is a mess.

Jul 3, 2022 6:44 AM

#20

Sq33k33z

Offline

Oct 2021

551

Watch both. But watch FMA 2003 first because. I prefer that one and as other people have said, it's darker and more of a drama than FMA:B. Halfway through it becomes original because it had caught up to the FMA manga. Personally I loved it and thought the ending was great. At least it doesn't have the unnecessary tone ruining "comedy" that FMA:B has. Not to say that. FMA:B isn't great I just prefer 03

Jul 3, 2022 8:40 AM

#21

ghier

Offline

Aug 2019

1505

Who are all these people saying watch both? Lol, you know how huge a time commitment that is?

Just watch FMAB for the better storyline. The ending of the original is still interesting I guess, but it ain’t as good and the animation quality is worse.

Jul 3, 2022 8:49 AM

#22

Robutche

Offline

Jun 2022

1

I would say if you have time watch them both, but if I had to pick one it would be Brotherhood. The story is more exciting and moves at a slightly quicker pace.

Jul 3, 2022 10:39 AM

#23

johneaston

Offline

Jan 2021

217

Brotherhood is the better show, so if you're only going to watch one, watch it.

However, FMA 2003 is also very good in its own right. I recommend watching them a long time apart from each other so you can judge each on its own.

And unlike what other people tell you, do not, under any circumstances, watch the early episodes of 2003 instead of the early episodes of Brotherhood. The two shows have different tones and overall feeling to them, and they do not mesh well going straight from one to the other.

Jul 3, 2022 10:53 AM

#24

Ginger_Menace19

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May 2022

112

I mean it's up to you, personally I didn't like the slower pace of FMA, a lot of people say it's deeper but I disagree. Plus it looks way worse, the action is meh, and the ending was pretty bad, people who simp for FMA just do that bc they saw that version first.
Brotherhood is way more intense, has an overall better used cast, the pacing is a whole lot better, the story feels higher stakes, the action and animation are tremendous better.... and the ending is satisfying, unlike the original.
It's up to you, the 03 version certainly isn't without merit, but I strongly advise watching Brotherhood first for the best viewing experience.

Jul 3, 2022 11:41 AM

#25

MrSlowJam

Offline

May 2022

52

Ginger_Menace19 said:
I mean it's up to you, personally I didn't like the slower pace of FMA, a lot of people say it's deeper but I disagree. Plus it looks way worse, the action is meh, and the ending was pretty bad, people who simp for FMA just do that bc they saw that version first.
Brotherhood is way more intense, has an overall better used cast, the pacing is a whole lot better, the story feels higher stakes, the action and animation are tremendous better.... and the ending is satisfying, unlike the original.
It's up to you, the 03 version certainly isn't without merit, but I strongly advise watching Brotherhood first for the best viewing experience.

I guess you are very young and prefer the light tone thats why you are saying all these things because fmab was a drag, I literally had to force myself not to drop it, it's only saving grace is Scar but even his character is not treated well enough.

Jul 3, 2022 11:44 AM

#26

Wematanye

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Aug 2019

2678

There's literally no point in watching FMA since it's basically all filler and did nothing better than FMAB.

Jul 3, 2022 11:59 AM

#27

MissAnybody10

Offline

Sep 2021

290

both are good, but fmab follows the manga and fma doesn't it also doesn't have a good ending but the tone in fma is a lot darker the first few episodes will but you hard so I think you should watch the original first and then fmab

Jul 3, 2022 12:22 PM

#28

Aguy711

Offline

Apr 2021

151

I’ve seen both (only the main series though not the movies since I didn’t know there were movies when I first watched it).

I don’t know if the movies make the original worth it but tbh brotherhood is much better. The original has a lot more filler.

You should probably just watch brotherhood and if you’re really wanting more FMA afterwards then watch the original.

Jul 3, 2022 12:27 PM

#29

RioFS

Offline

May 2021

60219

Do watch both fully unless you are pressed for time in which case just watch the Brotherhood version. The 2003 version has a better start and does some things better than the 2009 version but overall the later adaptation just has a better conclusion and Ling.

Jul 3, 2022 12:33 PM

#30

xZabuzax

Offline

Nov 2016

4114

I enjoyed FMA (2003) way more, this one was more serious, darker, and mature and I could feel the things at stake here. I enjoyed the OST more too. Unfortunately, this one deviated from the manga so it has filler episodes, they aren't that bad though.

I disliked FMAB with passion though, this one is way more childish, and has A LOT of comedy, and to make it worse, it has that crappy comedy at inappropriate times too which made it even worse for me and this happened a freaking lot! I hated it actually. I couldn't feel the things at stake here either, it was simply too childish for me. The beginning was also rushed, the best emotional moments happened in the beginning and I found those moments crap in FMAB because of it, the OST is also mediocre IMHO.

Both animes have their good and bad moments, while I dislike FMAB with passion, not everything was bad in it, I did like some things in FMAB more but as a whole, I enjoyed FMA (2003) way more.

My advice, watch both of them and form your own conclusion.

Jul 3, 2022 1:09 PM

#31

Snake_is_solid

Offline

Aug 2021

3

El-Psy__Congroo said:
I was going to watch fma
And i just found fmab is a seperate story and is better (i thought it was a sequel)

Ones who have watched both tell me should i invest my time on watching both or only fmab ?

Watch both imo, they both start kinda the same but take different paths

Jul 3, 2022 1:18 PM

#32

Ginger_Menace19

Offline

May 2022

112

MrSlowJam said:

Ginger_Menace19 said:
I mean it's up to you, personally I didn't like the slower pace of FMA, a lot of people say it's deeper but I disagree. Plus it looks way worse, the action is meh, and the ending was pretty bad, people who simp for FMA just do that bc they saw that version first.
Brotherhood is way more intense, has an overall better used cast, the pacing is a whole lot better, the story feels higher stakes, the action and animation are tremendous better.... and the ending is satisfying, unlike the original.
It's up to you, the 03 version certainly isn't without merit, but I strongly advise watching Brotherhood first for the best viewing experience.

I guess you are very young and prefer the light tone thats why you are saying all these things because fmab was a drag, I literally had to force myself not to drop it, it's only saving grace is Scar but even his character is not treated well enough.

To be fair, i watched that a while ago. However, I watched the original much more recently, and I just had some beef with it. Greed (who was one my favorite characters) didn't feel nearly as impactful to the story, and rather then having a super cool part in the story, he was rather poorly treated (no spoilers for the guy who asked, but if you've seen the show you know what I mean). Another character poorly dealt with is Mustang, in FMAB he's awesome, and has a lot more screen time/relevance then in FMA, where he's just the mysterious dude who doesn't do much,, definitely doesn't get the respect he deserves.
Pride was the only character I noticed that was better in FMA, everyone else felt better in FMAB.
As for the tone being dumbed down by comedy, I sort of agree, Demon Slayer has the same issue where they use light comedy in serious situations and it messes things up. But in truth, I seriously don't see how the later half of FMA could be better... the ending was kind of a jumbled mess, it wasn't satisfying in the least. It really was just the second half of the show, besides the music there wasn't much going for it from my view.

also I'm like 20 dude 😂 I just didn't like the way FMA paced itself, especially compared to FMAB. But I can't really have beef with you since you have AOT in your favorites, that's my all time no. 1 (please no spoilers btw I've only seen up to season 4 part one)

Jul 3, 2022 3:32 PM

#33

ptero93

Offline

Jan 2021

384

Watch fma first, then fmab. No matter how you look at it they're both great stories with different themes, but fmab is slightly better so its best to watch it afterwords.

Jul 4, 2022 12:33 AM

#34

MrSlowJam

Offline

May 2022

52

Ginger_Menace19 said:

MrSlowJam said:

I guess you are very young and prefer the light tone thats why you are saying all these things because fmab was a drag, I literally had to force myself not to drop it, it's only saving grace is Scar but even his character is not treated well enough.

To be fair, i watched that a while ago. However, I watched the original much more recently, and I just had some beef with it. Greed (who was one my favorite characters) didn't feel nearly as impactful to the story, and rather then having a super cool part in the story, he was rather poorly treated (no spoilers for the guy who asked, but if you've seen the show you know what I mean). Another character poorly dealt with is Mustang, in FMAB he's awesome, and has a lot more screen time/relevance then in FMA, where he's just the mysterious dude who doesn't do much,, definitely doesn't get the respect he deserves.
Pride was the only character I noticed that was better in FMA, everyone else felt better in FMAB.
As for the tone being dumbed down by comedy, I sort of agree, Demon Slayer has the same issue where they use light comedy in serious situations and it messes things up. But in truth, I seriously don't see how the later half of FMA could be better... the ending was kind of a jumbled mess, it wasn't satisfying in the least. It really was just the second half of the show, besides the music there wasn't much going for it from my view.

also I'm like 20 dude 😂 I just didn't like the way FMA paced itself, especially compared to FMAB. But I can't really have beef with you since you have AOT in your favorites, that's my all time no. 1 (please no spoilers btw I've only seen up to season 4 part one)

Neh man I didn't intend on beefing with anyone and I understand that fmab is a Gateway for most anime fans, so I understand why it's adored , but if you watched alot of shounen, you understand that the themes where not properly executed. But you are still young if you are a 2K 😂😂, as you are born in 2000's

Jul 4, 2022 2:52 AM

#35

Kirisakei

Offline

Aug 2020

554

FMAB's all good, but 2003 FMA is also definitely worth checking out.

Jul 4, 2022 8:54 AM

#36

Jagritp24

Offline

Apr 2022

1

Interestingly enough,my first anime was fma and I only watched it because I didn't know much back then and thought it was the same content was 13 less episodes, I just finished fmab a few weeks ago.

Jul 4, 2022 9:39 AM

#37

BigA666

Offline

May 2021

131

watch fmab first because it's more enjoyable for most people than fma 03

Jul 4, 2022 12:28 PM

#38

whitebagelxyz

Offline

Apr 2022

166

FMA and FMAB in my mind will always be like one of those video games where you have play it more than once to get the true ending, and your first play through is always going to be the incomplete ending no matter how hard you try.

FMA is a treat because it felt like an alternative path that led to a failed ending. Like, Edward was so close, but still he couldn't figure out the true meaning of equivalent exchange, so after everything,

FMAB feels like the true ending in that sense, because he figured it all out what equivalent exchange truly means and that it transcends more than what you can detect on a materialistic level,

Together, they are complete.

Jul 4, 2022 5:54 PM

#39

Oli_98

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Apr 2022

5

Brotherhood follows the manga so I prefer it over the 03 version

Jul 5, 2022 3:15 AM

#40

Ayuima

Offline

Mar 2017

216

They are both good and there are plenty of differences that makes watching both still worth it, they don't really end the same despite telling a similar story.

Jul 5, 2022 11:24 PM

#41

Artist_Lee

Offline

Apr 2022

8

Personally, if you are willing to watch both, I would watch both.

FMA (2003) has episodes in the beginning that are really expanded upon and give you a good understanding that FMAB doesn’t have (as I’ve heard since 2003 already had those chapters of the manga adapted they didn’t dwell on them as much in FMAB, as I think there was an assumption that people would have already seen 2003). Because of those early episodes, I had more appreciation for certain characters (and properly knew of other characters) when I saw them in FMAB. So, if you do watch both, I highly recommend watching 2003 first!

I also recommend watching 2003 as even though the story is very different from the manga, there is still a very interesting, and dark tone and story overall. There are actually some story aspects that I prefer in 2003 then FMAB due to the themes.

However, if you don’t want to watch both, then I think it’s fine to stick with FMAB, as I do overall like the pacing and the story as a whole more in that series. But there are good things in both.

Just keep in mind, tonally, the 2 are very different and 2003 is easily darker in tone then compared to FMAB

Jul 6, 2022 3:50 AM

#42

Hydra112

Offline

May 2020

194

Avalongus said:

Azering said:
Original FMA was a huge hit before Brotherhood became a thing.

It has thousands of fans.

IMO, you should at least give it a chance, and see for yourself if it works for you.

True, and agreed. I also actually like the 2003 version way more.

Same,like the darker thone and themes.

Jul 8, 2022 10:50 AM

#43

Tiberius96

Offline

Jan 2022

8

My opinion, having watched the original before B:

I think ~B is worth watching before B. People are split on which is the better show, and I won’t wade into that (fwiw I think ~B>B). But my impression of B is that the people making it assumed most of the audience had already seen the original. There are some little in-jokes here and there, but more importantly, there are at least two pretty big moments in both shows which I think fans generally acknowledge as being very impactful which, imo, are more impactful if you’ve already seen ‘03, because it involves characters who get a lot more time in ‘03 than in B.

I think there are some viewing guides out there that recommend watching 03 up to a certain point and then hopping over to B, perhaps in part because of what I mentioned earlier. You might try to find those.

Jul 8, 2022 2:14 PM

#44

removed-user

Offline

Jul 2018

561790

To this day, I do not understand just wtf happened at the end of the original FMA. Ed dies and gets sent somewhere? Was hard to keep track of everything and seemed like a total mess to try and understand. FMAB though, was the faithful adaptation and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Nailed pretty much everything from start to finish.

Jul 8, 2022 2:17 PM

#45

deg

lagom

Online

Jan 2009

107741

go ahead and watch the 2003 version since its enjoyable too and its popularity confirms that

Jul 9, 2022 8:46 AM

#46

SFirebolt

Offline

May 2016

74

Only watch brotherhood. Due to nostalgia people want you to watch FMA but honestly story wise it’s brotherhood that’s loyal to the manga and tells the complete story.

If after you watch brotherhood you are still interested THEN watch FMA. but don’t watch fma before FMAB

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