before i start

Dec 28, 2024 7:11 AM

Offline

Nov 2022

this anime has piqued my attention for a while now, especially since it held the number one spot for so long. after putting it off for a while, i finally decided to start watching it today.

however, as i was looking into the reviews, i found out that there’s an alternative version of this anime that came out six years earlier. now i’m wondering if i need to watch the older version first, or if they are completely different. does the earlier one work as a prequel to this, or is it okay to skip it altogether?

i'm not particularly inclined to watch the other one due to its rating, but i don’t want to miss out on anything important. for those who’ve seen both, what would you recommend? would skipping the older version affect my understanding or enjoyment of this one? let me know your thoughts!

and before you say anything, i’m not implying the older version is bad. i'm simply comparing the ratings between the two.

Dec 28, 2024 7:21 AM

nishant0

Offline

Nov 2021

2144

The older version is not prequel, it’s the alternative version of FMAB with anime original content(ending). There is no need to watch it since they aren’t connected at all.

plin plin plon

Dec 28, 2024 7:22 AM

Piromysl

Offline

Jul 2015

12444

2003 version was airing while manga was still being published, so about halfway through it goes with anime original route.
2009 version is a readaptation, that faithfully adapts the whole manga. Only first episode has anime original content.
Both versions are critically acclaimed, but for better experience all you need to watch is 2009 version. You don't have to watch both if you don't want.

Dec 28, 2024 7:28 AM

Yosakusan

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Apr 2017

327

The absolute best experience you can get is watching the first 20 or so episodes of the 2003 version and then watching Brotherhood afterwards since Brotherhood has a filler 1st episode and rushes through a lot of the first arcs to get to the manga content that wasn't adapted in 2003.

Dec 28, 2024 7:34 AM

Aster-ghost

Offline

Feb 2023

the first show was coming out before the manga was finished. It's very good but it's talking about a lot of different stuff than 2009 or the manga.
2009 aka Brotherhood is a more faithful adaptation of the manga. I would watch Brotherhood and if you love that series, definitely check out the earlier one.
They're both extremely dense for a Shonen series and have a lot to say about life and humanity. They're neat.

Dec 28, 2024 7:44 AM

SoulessAnime

Offline

Jan 2021

823

I always recommend the 2003 version first. The overall story is not as good as FMAB, but it gives the first 13 episodes of FMAB way more punch, and isn't by any means a bad series, in fact some aspects are better.

So yeah I recommend both with 2003 FMA first, then just know the first 12 episodes of FMAB will be a rushed version of what you've already seen (but you'll still need to watch them to know exactly what's canon since FMA knew they were going to become anime original since the beginning so they added hints and characters earlier who never actually appeared in those situations)

Dec 28, 2024 7:50 AM

MadMonk762

Offline

Jul 2024

FMAB is better imo, though i do like some aspects of the original better.

my recommendation: if you're only watching one, watch brotherhood. if you're watching both, do 2003 first.

Dec 28, 2024 7:59 AM

sailaway30

Offline

Apr 2023

rikkaheh said:
this anime has piqued my attention for a while now, especially since it held the number one spot for so long. after putting it off for a while, i finally decided to start watching it today.

however, as i was looking into the reviews, i found out that there’s an alternative version of this anime that came out six years earlier. now i’m wondering if i need to watch the older version first, or if they are completely different. does the earlier one work as a prequel to this, or is it okay to skip it altogether?

i'm not particularly inclined to watch the other one due to its rating, but i don’t want to miss out on anything important. for those who’ve seen both, what would you recommend? would skipping the older version affect my understanding or enjoyment of this one? let me know your thoughts!

and before you say anything, i’m not implying the older version is bad. i'm simply comparing the ratings between the two.

No, you do not need to watch the old version. Brotherhood is a remake that is much better than the first one and brotherhood is more faithful to the source material as well.

Dec 28, 2024 8:03 AM

Merve2Love

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Apr 2020

3021

oh jeez....

Watch it or don't.
Don't torture us, tho

Dec 28, 2024 8:06 AM

#10

mobxmentality

Kikuris footrest

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Jul 2022

229

i only watched FMAB and had a complete and satisfying experience with it
maybe if you end up enjoying FMAB you could just watch the original one some time later and compare them yourself

Dec 28, 2024 8:17 AM

#11

rikkaheh

Offline

Nov 2022

Merve2Love said:
oh jeez....

Watch it or don't.
Don't torture us, tho

i am watching it now, just wanted to know where to start 🤣🤣🤣

Dec 28, 2024 8:34 AM

#12

Merve2Love

Offline

Apr 2020

3021

rikkaheh said:

Merve2Love said:
oh jeez....

Watch it or don't.
Don't torture us, tho

i am watching it now, just wanted to know where to start 🤣🤣🤣

Good boy^^

Just saying: This is kinda meant to encourage discussion. This isn't a load of people volunteering to act as your personal Google :P

Dec 28, 2024 9:14 AM

#13

rikkaheh

Offline

Nov 2022

Merve2Love said:

rikkaheh said:

i am watching it now, just wanted to know where to start 🤣🤣🤣

Good boy^^

Just saying: This is kinda meant to encourage discussion. This isn't a load of people volunteering to act as your personal Google :P

is asking if there’s a difference between the two versions and which one is a better move to start the anime not a discussion? one thing i love about MAL is the feature that lets me ask people questions about anime, so now I shouldn’t do that? if you don’t want to feel like my "Google," you can simply ignore it, no one’s forcing you 🤣 why bother leaving a reply if you’re not answering the question in my post? 😘😘

Dec 28, 2024 9:17 AM

#14

Killjoy_Kora

Online

Feb 2020

People in the replies think that cause FMA 2003 does its own thing that it's bad but that's not true. FMA 2003 is a fantastic show in its own right (that does a lot of things better I would argue) that is absolutely worth watching on it's own.

Dec 28, 2024 10:10 AM

#15

JameSmith99

Offline

May 2024

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is much better than the original one I suggest you watch FMAB 👍😁
It's my 2nd all time favorite after Naruto

Dec 28, 2024 11:04 AM

#16

Realicle

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Aug 2023

Recommend watch brotherhood first and if you really like the story then watch 2003.

Dec 28, 2024 11:10 AM

#17

GTRaijin

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Aug 2014

777

I would say it's the same thing as with 1999 HxH and the 2011 remake. Both are great in their own ways, just that one is more true to the manga. I watched both the older ver and the remake of FMA and enjoyed both a lot but FMA:B is a more faithful and complete adaptation. If you have spare time - watch both, if not - FMA:B (remake) is more than enough.

Dec 28, 2024 11:27 AM

#18

captainhooklk

Offline

Aug 2021

You can skip the old version

Watch FMAB

Dec 28, 2024 11:56 AM

#19

Merve2Love

Offline

Apr 2020

3021

rikkaheh said:

Merve2Love said:

Good boy^^

Just saying: This is kinda meant to encourage discussion. This isn't a load of people volunteering to act as your personal Google :P

hmm not what Im talking about, since you still assume that we should care about what you do and help you, rather than having discussions that we all can enjoy and benefit from...

...but...

I take your point xD

Dec 28, 2024 1:00 PM

#20

thischeetobussin

Offline

Nov 2019

272

2003 Fullmetal Alchemist is an alternate version of the story where it takes a separate route for the story later on (starts off canon and diverges into anime canon). The version you wanted to watch (FMA Brotherhood) is the faithful true canon version of the manga and original story so no you don’t have to watch the OG FMA to watch this one. I highly recommend the 2003 FMA though, it’s very under appreciated compared to Brotherhood.

Dec 28, 2024 1:04 PM

#21

thischeetobussin

Offline

Nov 2019

272

Killjoy_Kora said:
People in the replies think that cause FMA 2003 does its own thing that it's bad but that's not true. FMA 2003 is a fantastic show in its own right (that does a lot of things better I would argue) that is absolutely worth watching on it's own.

Completely agree. People disregard and look down upon FMA 2003 because it’s non canon and is different from the manga which ultimately led to negative perception and views towards it. If people actually watched it in its entirety, there’s aspects of the show that I think it does extremely well (personally some aspects even better than Brotherhood). I think it’s a great show too.

Dec 28, 2024 2:33 PM

#22

Spaghettimon

Offline

Jul 2016

You don't need to, but beware that the studio does expect people to have already watched the old one, especially at the start. And whichever you watch, the other one will be different enough in so many ways as to still be very worth a watch.

Dec 28, 2024 3:41 PM

#23

Karkov05

Offline

May 2024

Although the 2003 version is not bad, it is extremely inferior to Brotherhood, I would recommend you watch the 2009 anime first to get a better experience, it will be up to you to then watch the 2003 one as it was in my case.

Dec 28, 2024 3:52 PM

#24

Domukelis

Offline

Nov 2023

Honestly, i liked the original FMA more.

Both are good tho and you can watch one after the other and still have a great experience since the stories deviate.

Dec 28, 2024 4:02 PM

#25

Rinrinka

♡( •ॢ◡-ॢ)✧˖° ♡

Offline

Dec 2014

20654

Simply just watch the Brotherhood version to save your time~

the 2003 one is simply the inferior version so don't bother to watch that unless you have too much time :)

(っ◔◡◔)っ 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝔀𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓭𝓪𝔂 ♥

Dec 28, 2024 9:17 PM

#26

Pendragon572

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Apr 2022

280

The thing is that when the 2003 one has an anime original ending because the Manga wasn't finished at the time.

So the main difference is that, you can think of them as same world but different timelines.

You can watch one or both, and in any order you want.

Dec 29, 2024 5:48 AM

#27

Philltheguy04

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Nov 2020

FMAB is simply a more faithful adaptation of the manga.

Dec 29, 2024 10:17 AM

#28

ShamankinguYoh

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May 2015

253

Watch 03 if you want after brotherhood if you want more FMA, otherwise just stick to brotherhood. Don’t bother watching 03 first and then brotherhood. It’ll mess up your interpretation of the canon story. 03 is best watched after brotherhood if you care to. I didn’t care for 03 at all myself and have a lot of issues with the character writing and plot twists, but that’s not everyone’s experience. If you want more FMA after brotherhood to see an alternate take on the story and universe, 03 is there. My personal favorite version of the story is the manga, but with two full anime adaptations, not many people want to read it.

Dec 29, 2024 10:26 PM

#29

rikkaheh

Offline

Nov 2022

Merve2Love said:

rikkaheh said:

you chose to reply to my post, yet somehow it’s my fault for making you feel obligated when all i did was ask for help. if you don’t want to help, that’s completely fine, i’m not relying on you alone for answers. some people were kind enough to help, and that’s what really matters.

just because i asked for help doesn’t mean i’m assuming you should care. if it bothers you so much, you can just scroll past and move on with your life. no need to waste time complaining. maybe try acting your age sometimes :3

Dec 29, 2024 10:27 PM

#30

rikkaheh

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Nov 2022

thanks guys, i just finished FMA. i'm currently watching the movie sequel, then it's time for FMAB 😍😍😍

Dec 30, 2024 1:45 AM

#31

Rathamus

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Jan 2020

brotherhood is one of my highest rated shows on here, but doesn't crack my favorites. It's very well executed except for a rushed beginning. it kinda felt like they expected their viewers to be returning for a fixed version so they would already be familiar with the set up. it's there and you can follow.. but definitely feels like they were just trying to get past the priest if I remember correctly. after they hit a certain point early on, it's well paced. later I read recommendations to watch the original up to that point then switch and let brotherhood take over but it was after id finished.

Dec 30, 2024 7:17 AM

#32

IAmVento

Offline

Nov 2015

170

Brotherhood has the worst first episode to a shounen anime I’ve seen aside from DNA. It’s completely filler and it skips all the character introductions. The TV writers were trying to speedrun getting to the action because this was a reboot. If you’re willing to, watch the first 5 episodes of the original and then switch to brotherhood. There is some overlap and you’ll see some stuff twice but it gives you a more complete experience

Dec 31, 2024 12:16 AM

#33

KY0T0_

Offline

Jun 2022

I myself started with the original and quite enjoyed it. It’s a good peep into the world and explores some similar plot points, but for the most part does its own thing.

FMAB is the more refined masterpiece that you should be focused on. I think watching the original could feel a bit redundant after FMAB since its ending wasn’t as rounded.

It’s a good watch if you have the time but I wouldn’t worry about it.

Jan 1, 1:13 PM

#34

SnukiSilverWolf

Offline

Dec 2020

Honestly, i feel like Brotherhood is much more descriptive than the FMA. You get to know the characters a lot better, especially the ‘side characters’ you only see here and there in FMA.

But it’s been a while since i’ve seen any of them so

Jan 1, 9:13 PM

#35

ShadowUnown

Offline

Apr 2015

661

Reply to Yosakusan

@Yosakusan ^ Listen to this guy right here.

First 15~20 episodes of classic FMA are a superior adaptation and let you spent a bit more time with certain characters. Then go to FMAB and endure the first 10~15 episodes or skip it (except the 1st one).

FMA03 has a darker tone so you might feel the shift. It also goes to an entirely different direction and ending, so you can keep watching if you want to. FMAB is more lighthearted and shounen-like.

EDIT: oh nvm you've already watched it. The tip is open for others though.

ShadowUnownJan 1, 9:16 PM

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