Fullmetal Alchemist. Where do I start?

[Shinzai]

You start with Brotherhood and don't bother with the earlier one.

And only get the cliff notes version of Nina's story? Never.

People have already gone over it, but the original FMA series covers the opening chapters and early part of the story in far more detail. Up till episode 20 something if I remember correctly. The FMA: Brotherhood remake/reboot basically acts as though you've already seen the original series up to where it became anime original. It summarises all the episodes that have fully played out in the previous series, then goes into full-length story arcs as soon as it goes back to adapting the manga directly.

I actually really like the original FMA as a stand-alone show. It's one of the few shows that got an anime original switch-up that didn't turn to pure garbage. FMA: Brotherhood is better overall, because the manga story is better than the anime original one, but hat doesn't mean the original series is bad. It's just not quite as amazing.

[Deleted]

And only get the cliff notes version of Nina's story? Never.

I'm tired of this cries about Nina. Sometimes it seems like some people remember only that one thing from whole anime. Well, but I admit that maybe in 2003 FMA indeed there wasn't as much hard stores like the one with Nina (really, all those "sadness" in 2003 FMA was so stretched and fake, similar like in soap opera or weak rommance movie, and was making me rather laughing and facepalming than sad).
Anyway in FMA: Brotherhood there was A LOT similar stories like the one with chimaera from girl and dog (experiments on prisoners, making the Stone from humans, all those human chimaeras, Bradley's backstory, Xerxes' fall... Nina's story was just a beginning, it was hard, but not the only story like that). It doesn't mean they didn't care about Ninalexander in FMAB - I can say that watching that episode in Brotherhood touched me far more than watching the same in 2003 FMA (and it's important that 2003 FMA I watched as first). And death of the chimeara was uncomparisable better in FMAB. In 2003 FMA just Scar's hand told Scar that chimaera is half-human. It's weird and sick. Really. Schizophreniac even. Hand told him. Doesn't anybody see how they f*cked this scene? For comparison in FMAB Scar was very smart dude so he just guessed that chimaera is Tucker's daughter. Feeling sadness about her fate, he killed her in act of mercy what was the best thing anybody could do. It's HUGE difference in Scar's character development and in whole viewpoint of Nina's death.

About watching Fullmetal Alchemist, well... if someone really wants to see both series for comparison, I advise to start with the earlier one. It will be less disappointing while watched first and you can even enjoy it. But generally 2003 FMA is a waste of time. Whole story is a heresy and totally corrupted version of manga story, because it's mostly about "how to create perfect Philosopher's Stone, who really cares that it's made from living people, but it's POWER" while in FMAB is definitely "how to AVOID using Philosopher's Stone, prevent creating this and find another way, because using power created from human lives is evil".

I even doesn't want to mention that FMAB is complete story, perfectly planned since beginning to the end, logical and almost without fillers (there was maybe few fillers, but most of them was still important part in the story, maybe except "Miracle in Rush Valley"). In 2003 story is completely unlogical, full of holes, scenes unrelated with rest of story, fillers, fillers, fillers, fake dramas, awful rommances and general nonsense, and ending is the biggest nonsense ever.

Another comparison: In FMAB backstories of characters were really tragic for me, but those characters were "ok, my life was tragic but I will not cry, I want to do something with my life to prevent other tragedies!" - for comparison in 2003 FMA backstories were sometimes kinda funny (it's this kind of "sad story", when sadness is so much expanded that this starting to be funny and pathetic, just like in soap operas) more than tragic but they were crying about this during whole story what was really annoying. I hope it isn't too big spoiler, at least I didn't said too much.

Also Homunculi development was definitely better in Brotherhood. In 2003 FMA they were suffering, because they had some memories, and they wanted to have soul, but generally it didn't feel as much tragic for me, and 2003 Lust's problems were rather whimsy for me. But in Brotherhood homunculi were suffering because they were incarnation of deadly sins of their creator, so sin they represented was their power but also the biggest curse - just immagine that you are a kind of superhuman and you are proud of it, but whole your life is about insatiate envy, or greed, or sloth and you cannot do anything with this, because sin you represent is already your whole personality. For me this dichotomy of homunculi, both superiority and weakness compare to humans is their true tragedy. And probably the most tragic was Father, being who wasn't evil since the beginning, but he turned evil because his dichotomy - he was considering himself as being better than humans, but still he wanted to be like one of them.
Also Ishval Civil War was completely different. In 2003 FMA it was a kind of "ok, there was a war, ugly, brutal war of extermination, a massacre... but who really cares, war is war, people are dying, forget it, go find the Philosopher's Stone". In Brotherhood war theme it's still alive, because consequence of this war were harder and characters suffered more because of this war. It's especially visible in story of Marcoh, Winry and Scar and their confrontations.

Plus in 2003 FMA all of major characters are totally screwed, f**cked, destroyed and violated. While in Brotherhood they are intensive. Realistic. Reasonable. I understand their thoughts, their actions, their choices - Kimblee's twisted philosophy of being a neutral observer joining the winning side, or Ed's promise to not kill anyone, Al's desire to help all the weakest ones, Mei's ambitions to save her clan no matter what, Marcoh's stings of remorse for making Stones from humans, Scar's eye for an eye philosophy and his later redemption, Winry's not-forgiving-but-enduring philosophy, Father's thoughts about humans and nature of world, Envy's contempt for humans, Hohenheim's distresses and desire to be a normal father and husband, Olivier Mira's Armstrong opportunism - I was understanding them all, I could identify myself with them all. I can believe people like that could really live. I am attached to them all, heroes and villains.
In 2003 FMA characters are f*cking retarded. Unlogical. Pathetic. Unnecessary pompatic. Characters that suffered the most in 2003 FMA was probably Ed, Al, Scar, Hohenheim, Winry and Mustang - they turned from great, realistic characters with logical purposes to just stupid, boring or useless ones. Generally whole 2003 FMA is about forced drama that some people call "mature". "Mature"? What? It's like saying that Bold and Beautiful is mature. Or Twilight Saga. Really.

The only thing that 2003 FMA had really good was music. Still not better than in Brotherhood, but great. In Brotherhood music is beautiful neo-classical orchestral music, and in 2003 FMA it's great too, with some strong industrial music themes.

And, the last thing, 2003 FMA isn't the "original FMA". Original was manga, and since Brotherhood is in 99% compatible to manga, it does mean that Brotherhood is the original Fullmetal Alchemist. The 2003 version is even not an adaptation, is just completely different story with some similar themes and heroes. Story that had some potential and few good themes, but it was completely wasted.

..........
TL;DR: don't watch 2003 FMA, it's a waste of time, just watch FMA: Brotherhood and enjoy!

[Jotaux]

I liked them both but brotherhood just feels more complete and less rushed at the end.

[Shinzai]

I'm tired of this cries about Nina. Sometimes it seems like some people remember only that one thing from whole anime. Well, but I admit that maybe in 2003 FMA indeed there wasn't as much hard stores like the one with Nina (really, all those "sadness" in 2003 FMA was so stretched and fake, similar like in soap opera or weak rommance movie, and was making me rather laughing and facepalming than sad).
Anyway in FMA: Brotherhood there was A LOT similar stories like the one with chimaera from girl and dog (experiments on prisoners, making the Stone from humans, all those human chimaeras, Bradley's backstory, Xerxes' fall... Nina's story was just a beginning, it was hard, but not the only story like that). It doesn't mean they didn't care about Ninalexander in FMAB - I can say that watching that episode in Brotherhood touched me far more than watching the same in 2003 FMA (and it's important that 2003 FMA I watched as first). And death of the chimeara was uncomparisable better in FMAB. In 2003 FMA just Scar's hand told Scar that chimaera is half-human. It's weird and sick. Really. Schizophreniac even. Hand told him. Doesn't anybody see how they f*cked this scene?

OK, I get that you don't like the original anime version, but let me stop you there. Explanation: Scar's hand in the 2003 version doesn't speak to him in the way you're suggesting, it tells him the chemical compounds and breakdown of anything he touches. He doesn't know it's Tucker's daughter at all. All he can tell is that it's an odd creature that appears to be a mix of human and something else. The form that Nina has been turned into causes her constant pain and he decides to put the creature out of her misery. The designs embedded into his brother's arm are what allow him to perform these alchemic interactions. Though the basis varies slightly between the two shows for his arm's power, as his story wasn't fully fleshed out yet in the manga, again the concept was basically the same. In both versions, the reasons for doing what he does are essentially the same.

While you waffle on about what you hate so much about it, you seem to miss the point that the 2003 version came out 6~7 years before the manga version would even be completed. Complain about how there are so many differences all you want, but there was nothing to base the second half of the 2003 version on. For reference, Lan Fan and the rest of the Xing cast members had only just appeared in the manga as the 2003 version was coming to a close.

Have a look at the following:

"The first Fullmetal Alchemist anime premiered in Japan with a 6.82 percent television viewership rating. In 2005, Japanese television network TV Asahi conducted a "Top 100" online web poll and nationwide survey; Fullmetal Alchemist placed first in the online poll and twentieth in the survey. In 2006, TV Asahi conducted another online poll for the top one hundred anime, and Fullmetal Alchemist placed first again."

I'll simply say this: The 2003 version of FMA was excellent, though in its second half, it was great for very different reasons than its future brother. Overall, Brotherhood is the better show, but to say that the 2003 version is outright bad, is just farcical.

[Maximus Testiculos]

FMA goes too tragic and drama after it deviates, fmab is actually better.

[Deleted]

Have a look at the following:

"The first Fullmetal Alchemist anime premiered in Japan with a 6.82 percent television viewership rating. In 2005, Japanese television network TV Asahi conducted a "Top 100" online web poll and nationwide survey; Fullmetal Alchemist placed first in the online poll and twentieth in the survey. In 2006, TV Asahi conducted another online poll for the top one hundred anime, and Fullmetal Alchemist placed first again."

I'll simply say this: The 2003 version of FMA was excellent, though in its second half, it was great for very different reasons than its future brother. Overall, Brotherhood is the better show, but to say that the 2003 version is outright bad, is just farcical.

I understand that. And as I said, that story, as a something completely different, still had big potential. But in my opinion it was totally wasted, I also dislike destroying characters - because characters are really big strenght of story of Fullmetal Alchemist manga and Brotherhood. Most of them, no matter good, or evil, first, second or third plan, but they are great written. In FMA characters turned ito something similar like characters in Song of Ice and Fire (story that I dislike, too) - they don't seem to be real, they are rather like bots programmed to say or do some things, but I still had the feeling that they are fake.

About 2003 Scar's hand - of course I know it didn't exactly "hand told him". But it's a huge difference in character's development, because 2003 Scar knew many things only because of Stone in his hand. 2009 Scar was intelligent and educated enough to know or guess many things, for example fact that chimaera is Tucker's daughter or about chemical composition of things he needed to decompose.

It's also important that I'm not manga purist. I've read manga just in this year, after fourth time watched Brotherhood - so I never judged any serie with knowing the manga before watching. Anyway fact that FMAB is compatible with manga is for me big advantage - I love when ecranisations are loyal to original story - it's just showing respect for artist who created it as first.

[TheCount]

I liked them both but brotherhood just feels more complete and less rushed at the end.

This. Brotherhood actually follows the manga, original deviates heavily from it. This is due to the fact that the original fma was being made at the same time as the manga. Brotherhood being made around, not sure the year but well after the manga is completed follows the story line very well
Its also just more well done imo.

[Waaldo]

I don't understand why people keep saying skip FMA. It's a great show. Will people really not watch something just because it isn't "canon?" What a dumb mindset.

Brotherhood is obviously better, but unless you watch both you will never know why. Think of FMA is fan fic if it helps, but still watch both. Just make sure to watch FMA first. It's a lot easier to watch it when you haven't seen brotherhood. FMA is good, and I'm sure you will enjoy it, then brotherhood will be even better. It will be even better because you will already have seen FMA.

Also, don't forget to watch the movies. Conqueror of Shamballa is part of the original series, and The Sacred Star of Milos is for Brotherhood.

[Shinzai]

Think of FMA is fan fic if it helps, but still watch both.

An interesting twist on that which I would take is suggesting that the original FMA is essentially part of a multi-verse existence, as presented in Conqueror of Shamballa, where there are different versions of the Elric brothers, each in their own universes/realities. This way, it could be considered that FMA and Brotherhood both exist at the same time, but in different realities, with many differences between them.

[Poppincaps]

I'd watch the first like 13 episodes or something of FMA. I can't remember which episode the arc stops at exactly, but basically the beginning of FMA and FMA:B are the same except FMA:B goes through the first arc very quickly and it doesn't really have the emotional impact that it did in FMA. So watch the first arc of FMA, then watch all of FMA:B.

[Djuntas]

Damnit, people keep recommending this. I tried give it a chance, but it just dosent seem to be for me,

Maybe I will try again. I mean its everything i should like...good animation, mainstream etc.