Full Metal Alchemist General

So, I intend to start watching Full Metal Alchemist.

Having never seen either anime or read the manga, though, I don't know which anime to watch first; the original or Brotherhood.

My question to you all is this: Which is the better show? Not which one is more faithful (since again, never read the manga), but which makes for a more compelling watch? Without spoiling too much, where does each series, in your mind, succeed and fail?

I'm going to be wasting hours of my life based on the results I get from this thread, so you fuckers better make the right decision.

Watch the original anime, but read the manga too. Do not watch Brotherhood.

The first anime has better characterization, but the manga has better worldbuilding. Brotherhood is like the manga, but with worse comedic timing and a rushed first arc.

edited 4th Mar '11 4:16:03 PM by silver2195

The second one is 100% faithful to the manga. The first one diverges halfway.

I personally stopped watching the first at the halfway point, because I just didn't give a shit anymore. But years later I decided to watch the second one anyway, and while I don't think I'd rate it as an all time favorite, it was fucking fantastic anyway.

Not really 100% faithful. More like 80%.

Now granted, I haven't read the manga (see previous statements about not giving a shit), but every complaint I've heard about the changes has boiled down to being petty bullshit. I'll give you 95%, taking into account that things just change when adapting anything.

I don't really mind if it isn't faithful. I'm more concerned with how it stands on it's own.

I'll probably read the manga at some point if I enjoy whichever anime I choose, though.

Both are great, for different reasons. In order to recommend one over the other, I'd need to know your preferences.

Do you prefer a darker or lighter tone in your fiction? Do you prefer badass protagonists or deeply flawed protagonists? Do you like less or more moral ambiguity? For examples, One Piece vs. Code Geass. Do you prefer stories that are more character-focused or plot-focused? Do you prefer stories that are epic in the "save the world" sense, or that have a narrower focus?

Also, while it doesn't fully diverge from the manga until halfway through, the first anime changes things from the start to set up events in the second half.

Watch the few episodes of the first...then watch the much better Brotherhood.

The first anime is only good up until halfway....then it became garbage. Brotherhood on the other hand became awesome at the point where the first anime deviated.

Asides from being more faithful, Brotherhood had action and story. The first anime just had entertaining opening songs.(unlike Brotherhood's rather forgettable first few openings)

edited 4th Mar '11 4:25:57 PM by Signed

@Ungelic: Lately, I like moral ambiguity and flawed protagonists. I enjoyed Code Geass a lot, partially for those reasons. Character focused stories.

Not that I don't enjoy the flip side of all those just as much; it's just that this is what I've been more in the mood for lately.

Signed is hinting at my issue with Brotherhood's first arc here: it seems to expect the viewer to be familiar with the first anime.

You'd probably prefer the first anime over the manga, then.

edited 4th Mar '11 4:26:14 PM by silver2195

@Signed

I strongly disagree. If anything, I think the storytelling and emotional impact of the first just gets better after it fully diverges from the manga. Not better than the manga, but it really does mature with time.

@OP

But see, this is why you're not going to get a consistent vote on which one is better. This is generally a Broken Base where people often love one version and hate the other, and the proportion of who loves and hates what changes depending on where you go on the internet.

Sounds to me that you should give the first anime a go, though, if you're in the mood for something darker and more tragic.

edited 4th Mar '11 4:30:09 PM by ungelic

Signed recommended Brotherhood.

I rest my case.

^...?

Anyways, asides from a better story, the main reason Brotherhood was better for me was that it had better fights and more characters. Compare how quickly Sloth was defeated in the first anime compared to the Sloth in the second one. Compare King Bradley's fight in the first and second anime.

The second anime's Bradley was much better by far.

edited 4th Mar '11 4:31:06 PM by Signed

I'd say watch the first anime up until the Fifth Lab Arc and then pick up Brotherhood from the same point.

Honestly though both are good with the exception of a few WTF moments in the first and those annoying ass eye catches from Brotherhood.

Oh and the First also had a really shite ending but of course all of this is heavy YMMV so yeah.

But see, this is why you're not going to get a consistent vote on which one is better. This is generally a Broken Base where people often love one version and hate the other, and the proportion of who loves and hates what changes depending on where you go on the internet.

Yeah, I figured that would happen. My plan was to take what elements of each anime different people said they like, and try to put them together and make a decision based on that. I wasn't expecting consensus.

@OP

Just to clarify, it's not the Brotherhood doesn't explore the characters at all—because it does—but the first anime is almost completely character driven, while Brotherhood is far more concerned with the plot.

But in terms of tone, the first anime is much closer to Code Geass than Brotherhood is. And probably has the same kinds of writing flaws. So if the Fridge Logic in Code Geass didn't bother you that much, it probably won't detract from the first FMA anime either.

That's not to say that the writing in Brotherhood is perfect, but it does have a tighter plot and better world-building. But, to be perfectly honest, I still found the plot of the first anime—flawed though it was in places—to be a tiny bit more interesting overall.

edited 4th Mar '11 4:41:29 PM by ungelic

What is up with you people and anime? Manga can be enjoyed anywhere and you get to do your own voices. It wins automatically.

^

I have mild dyslexia, so I find it much harder to focus while reading manga than while watching anime. The only reason why I managed to get through the FMA manga at all is because I read it in small increments. I got through Brotherhood much more quickly.

IMO Anime trumps Manga based solely on the soundtracks alone.

I'm an audiophile though so yeah...also off topic.

I liked the ending of the first series...

Ok, and your point? This isn't an either/or discussion, but some of us just prefer anime when available.

^^

Me Too!.

@Furiko: Yeah, but I have to pay for manga :V

So from the vast repository of data little bit I've gathered here, I think I'm gonna give the first anime a shot. Thanks, everyone.

By ending...you mean the movie or anime ending?