Fullmetal Alchemist, is a series about Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers that travel the world in search of the legendary Philosopher’s Stone. After failing to resurrect, the Elric brothers are on a journey to regain what they lost.
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| Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) | |
| Title (english) | Fullmetal Alchemist |
| Title (japanese) | 鋼の錬金術師 |
| Genres | ['Action', 'Adventure', 'Drama', 'Fantasy'] |
| Rating | R - 17+ (violence & profanity) |
| Type | TV |
| Source | Manga |
| Episodes | 51 |
| Duration | 24 min per ep |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Airing Date | Oct 4, 2003 to Oct 2, 2004 |
Table of Contents
Should i watch fullmetal alchemist before brotherhood
There are a lot of changes between the two series. It’s recommended that those looking to fully immerse themselves in the Fullmetal Alchemist universe watch the original and then Brotherhood. It’s not required to comprehend the events taking place in the latter. As the original anime spends more time developing its characters over the course of the episodes, it provides a more complete experience. Some episodes of the original anime are considered as filler but they help establish the characters and make the audience care more for them.
The Brotherhood features more advanced animation and better art than the original, despite both of the series boasting some high-quality art. Brotherhood is more alive with details and background is more elaborate. Nothing happens in the background in the original FMA, even though the visuals are less intuitive. The action scenes are more mediocre because of this. The action scenes look more real-like with The Brotherhood because it’s visually appealing.
While both series are great to watch, they have their differences and are a bit different from one another. The Brotherhood and the Fullmetal Alchemist have the same storyline as the original Manga, since the Brotherhood follows the events of the original Manga. Brotherhood is more life-like, with 64 episodes compared to the original 64, because it has more advanced animation. The original FMA is still better than the Brotherhood because of some aspects.
There are a variety of ways to watch Fullmetal Alchemist given that the original series is not the same as Brotherhood. For example, if you want to get the best representation of the Manga’s story, you can simply watch the content from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
The right order to watch Fullmetal Alchemist
You’ll want to watch everything in this order if you want to see everything in the Fullmetal Alchemist universe.
Watching Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood alone?
You can’t watch Fullmetal Alchemist and not watch Brotherhood. Both the series are completely different from one another.
Skipping Fullmetal Alchemist?
Since it’s closest to Manga and real story, I like to watch brotherhood first. If you want to satisfy your fma cravings, watch the rest.
You cannot skip the fillers, except for a select few, because they are a huge part of the plot. The story must be made sense if you watch all the filler in FMA.
Brotherhood is a long series that has 64 episodes while Fullmetal Alchemist only has 50 episodes. The use of advanced animations can vary between the two. Brotherhood used advanced animation and color choices that made it visually appealing, whereas Fullmetal Alchemist did not use advanced animation or engaging background. The lead villain in the second Brotherhood adaptation is Homunculus, whereas Dante is the main character in the Fullmetal Alchemist. The original Fullmetal Alchemist has a different look and feel than Brotherhood, which follows the original Manga storyline.
Most of the episodes are rated TV-14, so you should not be fooled by the TV-PG rating. Some of the episodes that aren’t in the series are not safe for 13 year olds and up, but are ok for 12 year olds. If you want your child to watch it first, I have a rating of 13 or 11.