For those who are looking for one of the greatest stories of all time, you've come to the right place. Fullmetal Alchemist has been praised for it's amazing characters, intricate storyline, theme, delivery - actually, it's been praised for almost every aspect. I enjoyed it as much all the other reviewers, so I'd say it's pretty great. But for those who are as new as I am to the FM Averse and are trying to find out if you want to watch it...well. I'll try to help.
So there are two separate continuities for the FM Averse: the 2003 anime and the manga plus Brotherhood. A lot of the fandom has seen both and every now and then there's a debate on which one is better. For a newcomer, it's pretty overwhelming. Two takes on the story when sometimes you can barely handle just one? That's enough to turn other people off. Like a previous reviewer said, both animes equal to 115 episodes - 51 on 2003, 64 on Brotherhood. The manga is 108 chapters. It's not as heavy as Naruto or One Piece or Bleach, but for casual fans it's quite a lot. So are you willing to go through all that? Or will you pick?
In terms of popularity in the Western fanbase, the 2003 anime is fondly remembered. But in the Japanese fanbase, manga and Brotherhood has widely eclipsed the first. I just want to say that both continuities are widely loved. Personally, I prefer Brotherhood. That opinion is based on a Tumblr post about the variety of characters - it was then reblogged with a comment basically saying, "You mean Fullmetal Alchemist BROTHERHOOD." And I was interested in that! I loved Brotherhood with all my heart. So I decided, why not watch the 2003 anime?
And I was...disappointed isn't the word. I just felt like they oversold it. It was definitely different and I think I just didn't handle it well. Watching the 2003 anime was like experiencing a gentle breeze; watching Brotherhood was like being blown away. I don't want to start another debate on which is better! It's just that personally, if you say you want to get into Fullmetal Alchemist, to absorb all the values that Arakawa wanted you to learn, to hear the the story that Arakawa wanted to tell: read the manga. Want an anime? Watch Brotherhood. Want more? The manga has funny omakes and side-stories. Some of them are animated too! There are four OV As and 16 4-Koma Theater episodes.
Read the Manga; Watch Brotherhood
For those who are looking for one of the greatest stories of all time, you've come to the right place. Fullmetal Alchemist has been praised for it's amazing characters, intricate storyline, theme, delivery - actually, it's been praised for almost every aspect. I enjoyed it as much all the other reviewers, so I'd say it's pretty great. But for those who are as new as I am to the FM Averse and are trying to find out if you want to watch it...well. I'll try to help.
So there are two separate continuities for the FM Averse: the 2003 anime and the manga plus Brotherhood. A lot of the fandom has seen both and every now and then there's a debate on which one is better. For a newcomer, it's pretty overwhelming. Two takes on the story when sometimes you can barely handle just one? That's enough to turn other people off. Like a previous reviewer said, both animes equal to 115 episodes - 51 on 2003, 64 on Brotherhood. The manga is 108 chapters. It's not as heavy as Naruto or One Piece or Bleach, but for casual fans it's quite a lot. So are you willing to go through all that? Or will you pick?
In terms of popularity in the Western fanbase, the 2003 anime is fondly remembered. But in the Japanese fanbase, manga and Brotherhood has widely eclipsed the first. I just want to say that both continuities are widely loved. Personally, I prefer Brotherhood. That opinion is based on a Tumblr post about the variety of characters - it was then reblogged with a comment basically saying, "You mean Fullmetal Alchemist BROTHERHOOD." And I was interested in that! I loved Brotherhood with all my heart. So I decided, why not watch the 2003 anime?
And I was...disappointed isn't the word. I just felt like they oversold it. It was definitely different and I think I just didn't handle it well. Watching the 2003 anime was like experiencing a gentle breeze; watching Brotherhood was like being blown away. I don't want to start another debate on which is better! It's just that personally, if you say you want to get into Fullmetal Alchemist, to absorb all the values that Arakawa wanted you to learn, to hear the the story that Arakawa wanted to tell: read the manga. Want an anime? Watch Brotherhood. Want more? The manga has funny omakes and side-stories. Some of them are animated too! There are four OV As and 16 4-Koma Theater episodes.
It's fulfilling in all aspects.