The thing about FMAB first episode is that Bones did assume you knew the characters. This was because they had already adapted part of the manga, and assumed the people watching were already fans of the original series. The first 14 episodes go by at a break neck pace, as those parts of the story were covered in the first 30 episodes of the oroginal. So fast paced in fact that some of the moments don't land as hard. It's awesome after that though.
Then why do people suck off this series as perfect, when the first 14 episodes are speedy Gonzales level of rushing? Either you can go into the show on its own or ya can’t, you can’t have both
@@ragnaricstudios5888You can, because lots of people have and loved it. However, it is better if you have experience with the manga or original anime. It's not a perfect anime, because that doesn't exist, but it is one of the best.
@@ragnaricstudios5888 Because they're not too rushed to get the point across and the other 50 episodes are peak fiction. Never watched the original or touched the manga, still one of my top 10 for over a decade.
I fucking love that the "Ed short lol" jokes come full circle. It aged so poorly UNTIL you get to the end and realize it was PLOT RELEVANT which makes it STILL unfunny. God, I love this series.
He should, considering he says the darker stuff are his favourite part, and how he disliked the cheesy ending of the priest arc, or how he thinks the comedy is too much, I wouldn't be surprised if ends up liking it more
@@Invus1 They really don't. Even back in 2010 or whenever when I watched the show, everybody said that you were supposed to watch the first few episodes of the original FMA. They jump into Brotherhood assuming you already kinda know the characters
It's odd to say but the "Ed is short joke." is more meant to show who he is and his position in the world and that he really is still just a kid. Despite his try hard/cool guy act he is still rather immature. Also he's a State Alchemist, which is basically a military officer job, so people don't expect a literal teenager to be it. The series really goes into it later about themes of the younger generation having to step up to fight the good fight. And the short jokes do stop after awhile (and even has a nice subtle pay off moment in it later on.)
I will also say adaptation errors play to some extent as well. The comedy works a lot better in the manga as omake panels that the readers can read at their own pace or treat as throwaway gags if they choose. But in the anime, you're forced to sit through them. But I do agree they get less frequent as the show goes on because of obvious plot reasons.
that joke always reminds me that he is short even shorter that winry, but sometime along the series when every mystery was slowly being uncovered the joke stopped and I didn't even notice it. But the moment when Winry and Ed had a conversation, close up and I saw Ed taller than Winry was a fckn great because that scene basically a slow payoff of what Ed has been through, his development as a character, his matureness, everything. It reminded how much Ed changed since the first ep.
it’s also called attention to because there is an actual reason Ed is so short: he’s keeping his brother alive with his nutrients and his sleep. We don’t see much of the sleep, so we have to see him being short being made a deal as a hint towards what’s going on with his brother.
@@karlatran9316 This is mainly the problem that I felt having to watch Asta being extremely annoying in Black Clover. I think, having to account for how comedy/character quirks are translated to anime form is the most difficult thing to get right in adaptations.
The first episode of fmab is all filler. It was used because it was assumed that a lot of people watched the 2003 series. The first few episodes of 2003 are a lot stronger than brotherhood
Gintama did the same thing lol. The only detriment the two greatest anime have is having their first episodes being filler lol. At least the FMAB pilot was entertaining 😭
I'm dubious when people say the original FMA anime had the better beginning because they must be saying it with rose-tinted glasses on. People forget that there's actually a lot of painful filler that actually contradicts the intended characterisations of a lot of the cast that you have to sit through to get to the overarching story, (which wasn't written with as much foresight to the extent of the manga/Brotherhood's overarching story). In terms of anime adaptations, 03 FMA had the better first three initial episodes but I way prefer Brotherhood from episodes 4 onwards.
About the joke, I kinda like how they handle it on some point. The package of Ed being short, Ed hates milk, and Al's body is to big to fit in small place; were use as catalyst for more serious tone in episode 9. Ed didn't want to drink his milk, Al suggest Ed to drink it if he want to grow, Ed jokingly said Al have it easy because he is so big, Al snaps and said he didn't ask for that kind of body.
Sadly, the biggest weakness of FMA: Brotherhood is that it assumed you watched the first anime, so it rushes a lot of the beginning. The two animes don't diverge from each other until about episode ~23.
It actually doesn’t assume that, it literally just follows the manga 1:1. The problem is everyone saw the original fma and thought it was a lot better at the beginning, so now everyone compares the two Edit: I was mistaken about it being 1:1 to the manga, HOWEVER my second point still stands. The directors of brotherhood have went on to state they did NOT assume the audience saw 2003
@@sophiadebar382 It doesn't perfectly it cuts out the coal town arc and has the characters in those few episodes appear later, its not that important at all though but there is some cut stuff. Though I do think it doesn't assume you watched the first as it does work on its own, though I wll say episode 1 is just dumb filler.
@@sophiadebar382 but isn’t it still worse than the manga? I honestly feel like the first half of the show feels like it’s paced differently from the ladder half
@@sophiadebar382 The manga literally begins with Liore, not the ice alchemist. Then the manga follows that with the downfall of Yoki in the mining town, something brotherhood skipped completely. I agree that Brotherhood overall follow the manga, but it does rush the beginning arks for whatever reason.
For as much as FMA Brotherhood deserves it's credit. The OG FMA genuinely handles the first part better. Like both are products of their time, but Brotherhood feels like it's hitting spark notes to just get through the first bit just to get it out of the way. That episode with Tucker in brotherhood was 2 in the original, and the impact was doubled for it. That mixed start has always been the hangup I have with the general consensus that FMAB is the GOAT.
The thing is, Brotherhood came out so soon after the OG series that it is assumed that viewers have seen it, ergo the main characters are familiar. Also, Lt. Yoki's OG series arc is omitted due to the same assumption.
I will say in 2017 I watched FMAB and it was the third anime series I had ever watched (excluding anime that aired on Cartoon Network as kids shows). As someone brand new to the series, I didn’t have any trouble following those first 14 episodes and what they were trying to convey, and they didn’t seem especially rushed to me.
The kid-dog thing was done WAY better in the original FMA anime, because it took like 3 episodes, and you get more attached. In Brotherhood it's all just one episode.
@@TheJiminatorHS Hard disagree, Brotherhood rushed through all the content it shared with the original FMA, the first 12 episodes of the original FMA are a better start, only after that does brotherhood actually improve on it.
Not gonna lie, FMAB’s first episode is still strong and one of my favorite first episodes. Sometimes a story doesn’t have to begin with introductions. It’s like being introduced to a friend group, everyone else already knows each other, but you start learning their dynamic and stories bit by bit.
That’s a fair point to bring up and I can’t deny that it “works” in introducing the world, a bit of how alchemy works, and introducing Ed and Al. However, what aggravates me the most about the first episode is that not only does the show expect you to fully digest a good chunk of the ensemble cast in addition to the Elric brothers (especially with the approach that the show assumes you saw the first FMA anime already), but it retroactively diminishes some reveals that were better executed or had a bigger impact in both the first anime and the original manga.
It's basically "In Media Res" and it's a well known writing technique to create future suspense and generate interest before they start building up to the more satisfying parts. Its kinda strange that it was received poorly here.
@@Invus1 SPOILERS: I feel that this episode fails with its execution because it’s an episode that is trying to allude to what the conflict will be and some of the big mysteries of the narrative, rather than spend that time affectively introducing audiences to the characters and the world, leading to all of these eventual reveals to feel a tad lack luster in comparison to how they were build up to overtime and progression in the manga. The mystery with King Bradley feels heavy handed in the portrayal of alluding a more sinister side to him, affectively diminishing the meticulous build up to the reveal of his allegiance with Father and the Homunculi. Isaac McDougal is a tonally inconsistent antagonist that only exists to give the Elrics someone to fight and “attempt” to generate intrigue with the inner machinations of the military, but this was done much better with Hughes because he is a character we are given time to know and we see him able to put some of the pieces together based on key information from the Elrics and the similarity between the civil uprising in Liore and the war in Ishval before the Homunculi kill him for getting too close to the truth. Whether McDougal had come to a similar conclusion or if he was just disgusted with his time in Ishval is left completely vague and is only given small references later on during the Fort Briggs episodes, trying to play off his speech to Edward as an “aha” moment of clarity when this was more effectively portrayed when Mustang realizes that the members of the top brass are in on Father’s plan are possibly what Hughes tried to warn him about. He’s a pointless character that the anime tries to make important by playing up the “character that tries to stop the villain before everyone else is clued in” trope, but any significance this might’ve had is done much better with other characters and twists that were already in the manga and are still present in Brotherhood. The reveal of Mustang’s weakness to water during the fight with Scar in the manga is impactful because it’s the first time we Mustang at a moment of weakness, which contrasts with how powerful and more put together he comes across as earlier on. Because we see it in this first episode, it makes that scene with Hawkeye chastising Mustang for forgetting that he can’t fight in the rain feel like a pointless inclusion instead of an important reveal of Mustang’s strengths/weaknesses like it should be.
@@theassortedhobbyist kind of agree with the second thing, but completely disagree with the first. stories don't always show you the characters so you instantly memorize who they are, i've noticed plenty of mangas and animes who do that, and shonen fans who expect the show to explain you everything in the first episode in FMAB, they just show you what a day in ed and al's life is. what family is this? idk but it looks cute and they love the brothers, which are now talking about what they'll do when they recover their bodies (already a perfect way for us to get invested), who is that fire dude and the blonde lady? idk but they're cool. anime often tries the same but often shows very little characters and they overly explain everything, so it feels very fake this one draws you inside the plot without expecting you to remember anything, cause its just a taste of what they show will be, it really only wants you to remember the ice dude's lines about the government, and his final scenes of course, which is infortunate cause plenty of anime fans didn't pay attention to him and as the years go on, i've noticed its because people are too used to the first shonen villain being some stupid bum
I’m glad that Garnt has gotten to watching the First four episodes of FMA:Brotherhood. Looking forward to hearing his thoughts once he gets done with the whole thing.
Throughout the entire show, when a character is not being sincere or hiding at least some part of the truth, their eyes get hidden, either by the glasses fogging or some other way, and that happens with Shou Tucker in almost all of his scenes, it's really subtle, and ties in with the theme of eyes for the main antagonist and the truth personification beyond the gates.
Did know one tell any of them to watch the og FMA till Hughes is introduced then swap to Brotherhood? The outing of the priest is done in spectacular fashion in the og FMA anime and a good chunk of the 1st 1/4 of brotherhood is a recap/retelling of character intros
I really hope Garnt actually ends up making a video on FMAB if he does complete it. I'm very certain he's gonna love the anime. Even putting my nostalgia aside, there's really not many anime that has left me as satisfied as this even throughout all of the years. 😁
This is why I always recommend for people to first watch the 2003 FMA animation and them watch FMA Brotherhood , Brotherhood was made with the assumption that you already watched the 2003 version, even if they diverge mid way through, they still complement each other.
Now I hope that Garnt doesn't ignore the 2003 anime just because he started with Brotherhood. Personally I even think the 2003 is slightly better, but it's close enough that it's basically a tie.
@@javier-qs2hd it does differ from the manga, but in this case the author and the studio decided from the begining that the anime would not stick too closely to the manga and have an original ending, because the manga had barely started at that point. Even in the begining there's a lot of anime original stuff in the begining compared to Brotherhood. If you watched Brotherhood and enjoyed, then I think you should definetly watch the 2003 one. It might differ from the manga, and even though I prefer the 2003, I still think Brotherhood ending was better, but the 2003 anime is still a great show on it's own right.
FMAB 300% assumes that every viewer had already seen FMA 2003. It just dumps you straight into it because in 2012 they couldn't fathom that people hadn't seen the 03 adaptation i guess
People think the first episode of FMAB is filler until you realize that the ice guy was *100% correct* in what he was doing and why, and you won’t have that realization until like, fifty episodes in.
@@Thatman615 filler content is often categorized by material that has zero impact on the plot for the viewer, therefore being a waste of time - the first episode isn’t that, it’s literally setting the viewer up to know that something is extremely wrong with the nation of Amestris, and that there’s a secret plot that only the most senior military staff knows about. the show’s creators made a one-off episode for the sake of legitimately impactful foreshadowing for the main plot, which is completely different than filler that only serves to pad a series for time waiting for the manga to catch enough plot distance to resume the main storyline. I’m glad I could teach you the difference.
@@Thatman615 I mean with that logic the entire story of fma 2003 is "filler" because it is fundemetally different from the manga and brotherhood. Anime original content isn't necessarily always filler
@@yeetkunedo MY bad. I'm so used to skipping filler episodes in stuff like bleach, one piece, and naruto. I forgot about the difference between anime original content that progresses the plot in a meaningful way. Filler content tends to not do that at all. It's just that I prefer how 03 and the manga started, as brotherhoods beginning never sat well with me. Again, my mistake.
I really enjoyed how the og FMA started with their childhood, idk how the manga handles it I still owe that a read, and yes i preffer brotherhood cause they stick to the cannon but the begging... yea I miss the childhood beggining...
It's not, the first chapter in the manga is Liore (episode 3). That's why in episode 3 they keep repeating that he's "the fullmetal alchemist" over and over
the point of the short jokes isn't "hah, he's short" but to characterise ed himself, as he begins the story as somewhat immature and irrational despite his intelligence, but over the story grows up both metaphorically and literally, and even gets drawn taller as the series progresses.
they also literally have a plot reason why he's short. it's fucking 12/10 genius characterization. How many times does a dumb gag that constantly shows up actually play into the actual plot resolution of the final arc? Him being short is how he figures out that his body has been "feeding" Als' in the alternate realm. And its his best bet to believing that Al can be saved, which later gets confirmed. Its so goddamn brilliant that Hiromu tied this bad gag to the biggest moment in the series.
Glad this comment thread is here cause the short joke was actually necessary. It's not really a "joke" but a foreshadowing/character development combo that no one sees coming and even fans miss
It's funny how they have a problem with the short jokes and actually consider it a genuine critique of the show😂 Meanwhile HxH has a literal pedo clown getting horny over kids which is also there for comedy. At least with FMAB it's actually there for a reason to show character growth (both literally and metaphorically like you said) I get if they personally don't find the short jokes funny (I actually do find them funny) but to act like it's a product of its time and would get flamed today is crazy Had to stop watching after that segment cus they were spouting straight bs😂
The only thing lacking from Brotherhood is that they kept the short jokes but didn't keep the part where Roy Mustang shouts "When I'm fuhrer, all female officers will be required to wear TINY MINISKIRTS!"
When I first watched FMA: Brotherhood, I was binge-watching the original and Crunchyroll decided the next episode of the show was episode 1 of Brotherhood. I had no idea I just started a different series and was so confused at first.
Bro thanks for bringing up the weak episode 1 haha, I felt like I was nuts for thinking it was a patchy beginning. It hints at the plot that actually develops in the second episode, so there are maybe 30-40 seconds of useful info.
Unfortunately the first 13 episodes or so of brotherhood is just them speedrunning through the manga storylines that were already in the first series. Makes them feel rushed and less impactful by comparison
@@thomasffrench3639 It's not faithful to the manga. The manga has some introductory side stories that occur just before the main, overarching story starts to unfold that FMAB cut out entirely. That might explain the less-defined characterisation initially and pacing inconsistencies.
@@thomasffrench3639 its very faithful to the manga, but there is one side story cut (the coal miners). Besides that and the first episode being anime only, it's pretty much 1-1.
Literally just no, the pacing on those episodes was actually amazing and most had really good emotional impact! You make it sound like they cut corners to shorten those and get to the gist but that couldn't be farther from the truth! I watched the first twenty or so episodes of FMA before I switched to FMAB and I felt they were at times a little slow (tho still pretty good), I think Brotherhood found the emotional core to a lot of those first episodes and centered the stuff that meaningfully adds to it.
This is why i say watch 2003 first then brotherhood. Since they are vastly different ill say the fma 2003 was very dark compared to the brotherhood series. The darker parts was way more developed in the 2003 with a bittersweet ending, idk why but i think they purposely rushed those parts sincd they assumed you watched 2003.
FMA 2003 is great, and everyone who has time should watch both(first 2003) one. 2003 is more emotional and impactful, goes off on a very unique concept and enhances the experience of watching Brotherhood.
I never watched the anime, but I read it from start to finish in middle school. Full alchemist was well done, I really should revisit it some day. I also loved the little notes the author would leave at the end of every book.
Honestly, the first episode is filler, but in my opinion is a great cold opening to the series, and upon rewatch there's a bunch of different things you can gleam from it.
The short jokes are needed. It really highlights how inspirational Ed is. He overcomes his disabillity of being a short dude, by the end of the journey 😂
Joking about Ed being short is more than just a comedic relief for viewers or maybe doesn't even meant to be it at all. It's Ed's genuine characterization, characters in the story are aware of it outside of comedic relief and even hypothesize why he is so short, and also eat/sleep for two. And that's the case for most of comedic relief in this series or so I think.
The reason why Brotherhood's first 12-ish episodes feel so weak compared to the rest of the series is because Bones already adapted that part in 2003, more or less. For example: the Nina stuff was 2 episodes instead of just one. The studio made Brotherhood with already existing fans in mind.
Can't lie. The running gag of Garnt not seeing Brotherhood actually made me to watch the show. I'm on like episode 30 or smth and... isn't it like not that great as many people say it is? Am I crazy? There are just so many things about the show that doesn't add up. Like the whole character of Ling up to this point being practically non-existent. Well, he's like bro i wanna be immortal and imma eat your food and for some reason imma help you despite all of you not really doing anything from me. And the dialogue is not subtle and so clanky. They be telling you their whole worldview in the most blatant possible way. Like that time Ed was just sitting on stairs after the "dog" accident and just screaming "what are we? Humans???!!" like bro that's just goofy. And could you tell me plz how tf is Scar survived up to this point. He's not even trying to be stealthy, he's fricking walking straight up in day light maybe with a good max, flighting alchemist in open and having all of homunculi on his throut... Now, i'm not saying it's mid but... Is it 10/10?
I'm surprised Grant had such little understanding about the second episode. Calling God "some kid" Ed meets when he clearly introduced himself by many titles.
Joey needs to learn the difference between something not aging well and just being a flaw. It’s so annoying to see “it hasn’t aged well” when it just wasn’t good in the first place. Gundam is just straight up still good, which shows that age doesn’t matter for anime.
I feel like people forget how dark the original was imif i remember correctly the girl from ep. 3 that Ed and Al help in the later episodes its hinted at that she was assaulted and it was so bad she didnt want to talk at all
No one explained the whole thing where FMAB assumed you watched FMA…. It skipped some stuff to streamline it. If you watch FMA then brotherhood is WAY better. But it stands great alone as well.
And even with it being so fast paced they still cry that it’s monster of the week. People today got TikTok adhd brain all pay off no set up. Not sure why they didn’t love game of thrones final season with all the fast moving plot lol. Also monster of the week is good for starting series. Serialized stuff used to not be as popular I we all missed eps and would be lost. No binging as much.
Yeah, Brotherhood expects you to have already watched the 2003 anime, because it came out so close to it. So the first several episodes are kinda rough, because they're re-hashing plots from the first arcs of the 2003 anime.
Watching the first 4 episodes... that's it? Also, plenty of great anime have corny parts. FMA joking about Ed's height was never funny, but there's far more cringey stuff in tons of anime, and we don't hold it against them 😆
The reason it's bad is because we have a direct comparison in FMA 2003. It handles it infinitely better. Pretty much everything the two have in common, 03 does better.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 "Dragged out"? Lol maybe if you are used to the rushed pace of FMAB, but 03 is the perfect pacing, and the whole Liore story is miles better than what's in FMA:B, In terms of theming I even think some alterations were better than in the Manga.
No way, dropping us in the middle of things happening was fucking a GREAT way to start a series, it gets you interested in finding out more about these bad-ass characters!
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Garnt saw FMA before GTA6.
Yep
@@willy_b_coyote This meme is just so overused at this point like relax GTA has a release date already.
Aware
@@Lilo_D._Boom still before half life 3 tho
@@Lilo_D._Boom that's what makes it funny
We cannot clown on Garnt for not watching FMA anymore 😢
We can now clown on Joey for watching one ep of arcane
We can clown on him watching brotherhood before the original
@@bensrandomshows1482brotherhood is the original tho, 2003 is the one who differ from the source material
@@bensrandomshows1482 Brotherhood takes the original manga material 2003 is filler
@@Lilo_D._Boom it doesn't cover the start properly, it's rushed so you have to watch the original first
The thing about FMAB first episode is that Bones did assume you knew the characters. This was because they had already adapted part of the manga, and assumed the people watching were already fans of the original series. The first 14 episodes go by at a break neck pace, as those parts of the story were covered in the first 30 episodes of the oroginal. So fast paced in fact that some of the moments don't land as hard. It's awesome after that though.
Then why do people suck off this series as perfect, when the first 14 episodes are speedy Gonzales level of rushing? Either you can go into the show on its own or ya can’t, you can’t have both
@@ragnaricstudios5888You can, because lots of people have and loved it. However, it is better if you have experience with the manga or original anime.
It's not a perfect anime, because that doesn't exist, but it is one of the best.
@@ragnaricstudios5888 Once you watch it youll understand
@@ragnaricstudios5888 Because they're not too rushed to get the point across and the other 50 episodes are peak fiction. Never watched the original or touched the manga, still one of my top 10 for over a decade.
That's why I recommend watching the first series until the death (if you see it, you'll know) and then switching over
I fucking love that the "Ed short lol" jokes come full circle. It aged so poorly UNTIL you get to the end and realize it was PLOT RELEVANT which makes it STILL unfunny. God, I love this series.
Props to Connor and Joey for downplaying major plot points from the first few eps that become relevant.
It's been a while since I've seen fmab so I must've forgot; when does it become plot relevant?
@@itsSmiv when they find out that he's been eating for both bodies.
@@pstuart17Y'know, I don't think I ever found that out from reading the story, but from some comments somewhere
@@WanderTheNomad they state it explicitly in the later eps of brotherhood. If you watched the original run they changed/skipped a lot
They assume you watched the classic FMA
He should, considering he says the darker stuff are his favourite part, and how he disliked the cheesy ending of the priest arc, or how he thinks the comedy is too much, I wouldn't be surprised if ends up liking it more
The show does a perfectly fine job of introducing the characters lol. Trash Taste was just confused by the use of In Media Res.
@@Invus1 They really don't. Even back in 2010 or whenever when I watched the show, everybody said that you were supposed to watch the first few episodes of the original FMA. They jump into Brotherhood assuming you already kinda know the characters
It's odd to say but the "Ed is short joke." is more meant to show who he is and his position in the world and that he really is still just a kid. Despite his try hard/cool guy act he is still rather immature. Also he's a State Alchemist, which is basically a military officer job, so people don't expect a literal teenager to be it. The series really goes into it later about themes of the younger generation having to step up to fight the good fight. And the short jokes do stop after awhile (and even has a nice subtle pay off moment in it later on.)
I will also say adaptation errors play to some extent as well. The comedy works a lot better in the manga as omake panels that the readers can read at their own pace or treat as throwaway gags if they choose. But in the anime, you're forced to sit through them. But I do agree they get less frequent as the show goes on because of obvious plot reasons.
Character design and joke is different.
that joke always reminds me that he is short even shorter that winry, but sometime along the series when every mystery was slowly being uncovered the joke stopped and I didn't even notice it. But the moment when Winry and Ed had a conversation, close up and I saw Ed taller than Winry was a fckn great because that scene basically a slow payoff of what Ed has been through, his development as a character, his matureness, everything. It reminded how much Ed changed since the first ep.
it’s also called attention to because there is an actual reason Ed is so short: he’s keeping his brother alive with his nutrients and his sleep. We don’t see much of the sleep, so we have to see him being short being made a deal as a hint towards what’s going on with his brother.
@@karlatran9316 This is mainly the problem that I felt having to watch Asta being extremely annoying in Black Clover. I think, having to account for how comedy/character quirks are translated to anime form is the most difficult thing to get right in adaptations.
The first episode of fmab is all filler. It was used because it was assumed that a lot of people watched the 2003 series. The first few episodes of 2003 are a lot stronger than brotherhood
The 1st episode of Brotherhood is amazing.
@@snowman9631 I agree but i can see why epople who didnt see the original wouldnt like it.
Gintama did the same thing lol. The only detriment the two greatest anime have is having their first episodes being filler lol. At least the FMAB pilot was entertaining 😭
I'm dubious when people say the original FMA anime had the better beginning because they must be saying it with rose-tinted glasses on. People forget that there's actually a lot of painful filler that actually contradicts the intended characterisations of a lot of the cast that you have to sit through to get to the overarching story, (which wasn't written with as much foresight to the extent of the manga/Brotherhood's overarching story). In terms of anime adaptations, 03 FMA had the better first three initial episodes but I way prefer Brotherhood from episodes 4 onwards.
@@karlatran9316 some of the early stories like doggo is rushed in Brotherhood, FMA actually gets you more attached to the kid
About the joke, I kinda like how they handle it on some point. The package of Ed being short, Ed hates milk, and Al's body is to big to fit in small place; were use as catalyst for more serious tone in episode 9. Ed didn't want to drink his milk, Al suggest Ed to drink it if he want to grow, Ed jokingly said Al have it easy because he is so big, Al snaps and said he didn't ask for that kind of body.
Sadly, the biggest weakness of FMA: Brotherhood is that it assumed you watched the first anime, so it rushes a lot of the beginning. The two animes don't diverge from each other until about episode ~23.
It actually doesn’t assume that, it literally just follows the manga 1:1. The problem is everyone saw the original fma and thought it was a lot better at the beginning, so now everyone compares the two
Edit: I was mistaken about it being 1:1 to the manga, HOWEVER my second point still stands. The directors of brotherhood have went on to state they did NOT assume the audience saw 2003
No, episode 14 is about when it diverges.
@@sophiadebar382 It doesn't perfectly it cuts out the coal town arc and has the characters in those few episodes appear later, its not that important at all though but there is some cut stuff. Though I do think it doesn't assume you watched the first as it does work on its own, though I wll say episode 1 is just dumb filler.
@@sophiadebar382 but isn’t it still worse than the manga? I honestly feel like the first half of the show feels like it’s paced differently from the ladder half
@@sophiadebar382 The manga literally begins with Liore, not the ice alchemist. Then the manga follows that with the downfall of Yoki in the mining town, something brotherhood skipped completely. I agree that Brotherhood overall follow the manga, but it does rush the beginning arks for whatever reason.
For as much as FMA Brotherhood deserves it's credit. The OG FMA genuinely handles the first part better. Like both are products of their time, but Brotherhood feels like it's hitting spark notes to just get through the first bit just to get it out of the way. That episode with Tucker in brotherhood was 2 in the original, and the impact was doubled for it.
That mixed start has always been the hangup I have with the general consensus that FMAB is the GOAT.
The thing is, Brotherhood came out so soon after the OG series that it is assumed that viewers have seen it, ergo the main characters are familiar. Also, Lt. Yoki's OG series arc is omitted due to the same assumption.
I will say in 2017 I watched FMAB and it was the third anime series I had ever watched (excluding anime that aired on Cartoon Network as kids shows). As someone brand new to the series, I didn’t have any trouble following those first 14 episodes and what they were trying to convey, and they didn’t seem especially rushed to me.
The kid-dog thing was done WAY better in the original FMA anime, because it took like 3 episodes, and you get more attached. In Brotherhood it's all just one episode.
Exactly like the manga.
@@usernamefromhell again, the manga does it all in one chapter.
@@TheJiminatorHS idgaf, original FMA did it better
@@usernamefromhell it really didn't.
You don't need 3 episodes of lazing around to get to know them. I prefer efficient storytelling.
@@TheJiminatorHS Hard disagree, Brotherhood rushed through all the content it shared with the original FMA, the first 12 episodes of the original FMA are a better start, only after that does brotherhood actually improve on it.
Not gonna lie, FMAB’s first episode is still strong and one of my favorite first episodes.
Sometimes a story doesn’t have to begin with introductions.
It’s like being introduced to a friend group, everyone else already knows each other, but you start learning their dynamic and stories bit by bit.
That’s a fair point to bring up and I can’t deny that it “works” in introducing the world, a bit of how alchemy works, and introducing Ed and Al. However, what aggravates me the most about the first episode is that not only does the show expect you to fully digest a good chunk of the ensemble cast in addition to the Elric brothers (especially with the approach that the show assumes you saw the first FMA anime already), but it retroactively diminishes some reveals that were better executed or had a bigger impact in both the first anime and the original manga.
It's basically "In Media Res" and it's a well known writing technique to create future suspense and generate interest before they start building up to the more satisfying parts. Its kinda strange that it was received poorly here.
@@Invus1 SPOILERS:
I feel that this episode fails with its execution because it’s an episode that is trying to allude to what the conflict will be and some of the big mysteries of the narrative, rather than spend that time affectively introducing audiences to the characters and the world, leading to all of these eventual reveals to feel a tad lack luster in comparison to how they were build up to overtime and progression in the manga.
The mystery with King Bradley feels heavy handed in the portrayal of alluding a more sinister side to him, affectively diminishing the meticulous build up to the reveal of his allegiance with Father and the Homunculi.
Isaac McDougal is a tonally inconsistent antagonist that only exists to give the Elrics someone to fight and “attempt” to generate intrigue with the inner machinations of the military, but this was done much better with Hughes because he is a character we are given time to know and we see him able to put some of the pieces together based on key information from the Elrics and the similarity between the civil uprising in Liore and the war in Ishval before the Homunculi kill him for getting too close to the truth. Whether McDougal had come to a similar conclusion or if he was just disgusted with his time in Ishval is left completely vague and is only given small references later on during the Fort Briggs episodes, trying to play off his speech to Edward as an “aha” moment of clarity when this was more effectively portrayed when Mustang realizes that the members of the top brass are in on Father’s plan are possibly what Hughes tried to warn him about. He’s a pointless character that the anime tries to make important by playing up the “character that tries to stop the villain before everyone else is clued in” trope, but any significance this might’ve had is done much better with other characters and twists that were already in the manga and are still present in Brotherhood.
The reveal of Mustang’s weakness to water during the fight with Scar in the manga is impactful because it’s the first time we Mustang at a moment of weakness, which contrasts with how powerful and more put together he comes across as earlier on. Because we see it in this first episode, it makes that scene with Hawkeye chastising Mustang for forgetting that he can’t fight in the rain feel like a pointless inclusion instead of an important reveal of Mustang’s strengths/weaknesses like it should be.
I had already watched the original FMA before Brotherhood, so I hated that the first episode of FMAB was just filler
@@theassortedhobbyist kind of agree with the second thing, but completely disagree with the first. stories don't always show you the characters so you instantly memorize who they are, i've noticed plenty of mangas and animes who do that, and shonen fans who expect the show to explain you everything in the first episode
in FMAB, they just show you what a day in ed and al's life is. what family is this? idk but it looks cute and they love the brothers, which are now talking about what they'll do when they recover their bodies (already a perfect way for us to get invested), who is that fire dude and the blonde lady? idk but they're cool. anime often tries the same but often shows very little characters and they overly explain everything, so it feels very fake
this one draws you inside the plot without expecting you to remember anything, cause its just a taste of what they show will be, it really only wants you to remember the ice dude's lines about the government, and his final scenes of course, which is infortunate cause plenty of anime fans didn't pay attention to him and as the years go on, i've noticed its because people are too used to the first shonen villain being some stupid bum
I liked the short jokes and I love that THERE'S AN ACTUAL LORE REASON, fucking love the show
I’m glad that Garnt has gotten to watching the First four episodes of FMA:Brotherhood. Looking forward to hearing his thoughts once he gets done with the whole thing.
Throughout the entire show, when a character is not being sincere or hiding at least some part of the truth, their eyes get hidden, either by the glasses fogging or some other way, and that happens with Shou Tucker in almost all of his scenes, it's really subtle, and ties in with the theme of eyes for the main antagonist and the truth personification beyond the gates.
People tend to forget but ed being short IS part of the plot 3:42
This youtuber is having problem why fmab is introducing to me this character after watching 900 episodes of one piece what a hypocrite
Did know one tell any of them to watch the og FMA till Hughes is introduced then swap to Brotherhood?
The outing of the priest is done in spectacular fashion in the og FMA anime and a good chunk of the 1st 1/4 of brotherhood is a recap/retelling of character intros
I really hope Garnt actually ends up making a video on FMAB if he does complete it. I'm very certain he's gonna love the anime. Even putting my nostalgia aside, there's really not many anime that has left me as satisfied as this even throughout all of the years. 😁
This is why I always recommend for people to first watch the 2003 FMA animation and them watch FMA Brotherhood , Brotherhood was made with the assumption that you already watched the 2003 version, even if they diverge mid way through, they still complement each other.
Now I hope that Garnt doesn't ignore the 2003 anime just because he started with Brotherhood. Personally I even think the 2003 is slightly better, but it's close enough that it's basically a tie.
i havent seen it but doesnt it just end halfway thru with a filler ending cus the manga wasnt finished?
@@javier-qs2hd it does differ from the manga, but in this case the author and the studio decided from the begining that the anime would not stick too closely to the manga and have an original ending, because the manga had barely started at that point. Even in the begining there's a lot of anime original stuff in the begining compared to Brotherhood.
If you watched Brotherhood and enjoyed, then I think you should definetly watch the 2003 one. It might differ from the manga, and even though I prefer the 2003, I still think Brotherhood ending was better, but the 2003 anime is still a great show on it's own right.
@@diogomelo7897 fs ill give it a go.
i imagine its something like the hxh adaptions where the old one is generally worse with some really good parts
Should've watched till Episode 5. That's really where you start to see a glimpse of the scale of FMAB.
I feel like when they made FMA Brotherhood they expected you to have seen the original.
00:52 I agree, it's almost as if there already existed an entire anime about the characters that you should have watched beforehand.
FMAB 300% assumes that every viewer had already seen FMA 2003. It just dumps you straight into it because in 2012 they couldn't fathom that people hadn't seen the 03 adaptation i guess
I do hope Garnt does watch the original Fma too! Its my preferred choice and it offers a different yet amazing alternate story.
Considering Garnt likes when it’s more serious and darker in tone maybe he should have started with 2003 first then brotherhood later
The series does assume that u know everyone cause they believe you watched the 2003 one
Title : FMA
Content : FMA:B
Reported for clickbait
People think the first episode of FMAB is filler until you realize that the ice guy was *100% correct* in what he was doing and why, and you won’t have that realization until like, fifty episodes in.
He was filler because he was never in the manga my guy...🤨😑
@@Thatman615 filler content is often categorized by material that has zero impact on the plot for the viewer, therefore being a waste of time - the first episode isn’t that, it’s literally setting the viewer up to know that something is extremely wrong with the nation of Amestris, and that there’s a secret plot that only the most senior military staff knows about. the show’s creators made a one-off episode for the sake of legitimately impactful foreshadowing for the main plot, which is completely different than filler that only serves to pad a series for time waiting for the manga to catch enough plot distance to resume the main storyline.
I’m glad I could teach you the difference.
@@Thatman615 I mean with that logic the entire story of fma 2003 is "filler" because it is fundemetally different from the manga and brotherhood.
Anime original content isn't necessarily always filler
@@Thatman615 No it's not called filler. It's called additional content. Filler is an episode that has no impact on anything.
@@yeetkunedo MY bad. I'm so used to skipping filler episodes in stuff like bleach, one piece, and naruto. I forgot about the difference between anime original content that progresses the plot in a meaningful way. Filler content tends to not do that at all. It's just that I prefer how 03 and the manga started, as brotherhoods beginning never sat well with me. Again, my mistake.
We’ll need an update once you finish FMA !!!
I really enjoyed how the og FMA started with their childhood, idk how the manga handles it I still owe that a read, and yes i preffer brotherhood cause they stick to the cannon but the begging... yea I miss the childhood beggining...
I can’t wait to see what he thinks of the homunculus
Fmab assumes you've seen fma and speed runs to the fifth lab.
I just saw this! Thanks for the shout out/ sharing guys! You are great!!
I was told that the first episode of brotherhood wasn't even in the manga.
yep! the manga starts out much better
yea it’s not, it starts off the same way the original anime starts
It's not, the first chapter in the manga is Liore (episode 3).
That's why in episode 3 they keep repeating that he's "the fullmetal alchemist" over and over
I recall back in the days of AZ top 10 videos we used to make fun of him for this. End of an era.
the point of the short jokes isn't "hah, he's short" but to characterise ed himself, as he begins the story as somewhat immature and irrational despite his intelligence, but over the story grows up both metaphorically and literally, and even gets drawn taller as the series progresses.
they also literally have a plot reason why he's short. it's fucking 12/10 genius characterization. How many times does a dumb gag that constantly shows up actually play into the actual plot resolution of the final arc?
Him being short is how he figures out that his body has been "feeding" Als' in the alternate realm. And its his best bet to believing that Al can be saved, which later gets confirmed.
Its so goddamn brilliant that Hiromu tied this bad gag to the biggest moment in the series.
huh you know what I actually never thought of it that way
Glad this comment thread is here cause the short joke was actually necessary. It's not really a "joke" but a foreshadowing/character development combo that no one sees coming and even fans miss
It's funny how they have a problem with the short jokes and actually consider it a genuine critique of the show😂
Meanwhile HxH has a literal pedo clown getting horny over kids which is also there for comedy.
At least with FMAB it's actually there for a reason to show character growth (both literally and metaphorically like you said)
I get if they personally don't find the short jokes funny (I actually do find them funny) but to act like it's a product of its time and would get flamed today is crazy
Had to stop watching after that segment cus they were spouting straight bs😂
Yeah but it was a quick one panel gag that overstayed it's welcome in the anime. It's just poor adaptation.
The only thing lacking from Brotherhood is that they kept the short jokes but didn't keep the part where Roy Mustang shouts "When I'm fuhrer, all female officers will be required to wear TINY MINISKIRTS!"
says a lot about society
I wouldn't mind seeing General Olivier Armstrong wearing miniskirt
I swear he said that. Or was it just in the first anime?
What makes it even more ironic is that Brotherhood does keep a gag at the very end that references said joke despite not having adapted it
@@Ash_Wen-liHe did. He totally did. It was my favorite line from FMA ‘03 , too. 😂
When I first watched FMA: Brotherhood, I was binge-watching the original and Crunchyroll decided the next episode of the show was episode 1 of Brotherhood. I had no idea I just started a different series and was so confused at first.
We definitely need an update when he finishes fmab. He's gonna love Hughes, Mustang and the Armstrong Family!
Bro thanks for bringing up the weak episode 1 haha, I felt like I was nuts for thinking it was a patchy beginning. It hints at the plot that actually develops in the second episode, so there are maybe 30-40 seconds of useful info.
Unfortunately the first 13 episodes or so of brotherhood is just them speedrunning through the manga storylines that were already in the first series. Makes them feel rushed and less impactful by comparison
I’ve actually heard that it’s not that rushed, and is pretty faithful to the manga.
I had such a bad time watching until episode 30. Could not take it after that
@@thomasffrench3639 It's not faithful to the manga. The manga has some introductory side stories that occur just before the main, overarching story starts to unfold that FMAB cut out entirely. That might explain the less-defined characterisation initially and pacing inconsistencies.
@@thomasffrench3639 its very faithful to the manga, but there is one side story cut (the coal miners).
Besides that and the first episode being anime only, it's pretty much 1-1.
Literally just no, the pacing on those episodes was actually amazing and most had really good emotional impact! You make it sound like they cut corners to shorten those and get to the gist but that couldn't be farther from the truth! I watched the first twenty or so episodes of FMA before I switched to FMAB and I felt they were at times a little slow (tho still pretty good), I think Brotherhood found the emotional core to a lot of those first episodes and centered the stuff that meaningfully adds to it.
The beginning of FMA is better than brotherhood.
FMA 2003>FMA: Brotherhood
This is why i say watch 2003 first then brotherhood. Since they are vastly different ill say the fma 2003 was very dark compared to the brotherhood series. The darker parts was way more developed in the 2003 with a bittersweet ending, idk why but i think they purposely rushed those parts sincd they assumed you watched 2003.
FMA 2003 is great, and everyone who has time should watch both(first 2003) one. 2003 is more emotional and impactful, goes off on a very unique concept and enhances the experience of watching Brotherhood.
I never watched the anime, but I read it from start to finish in middle school. Full alchemist was well done, I really should revisit it some day. I also loved the little notes the author would leave at the end of every book.
Bro will watch 10,000 isekais and moe animes but hasn't seen FMA 💀
chances are those 10000 isekai are better than FMA
Seinen is better than Shonen tho
@@Ruicyte biggest copium
@@Ruicyte there isn't even 1 isekai that's well written
@@Grifffffith You're right, but even a 5/10 beats a 2/10
Honestly, the first episode is filler, but in my opinion is a great cold opening to the series, and upon rewatch there's a bunch of different things you can gleam from it.
I agree, overall I don't like the first episode but there's actually a bunch of foreshadowing in it that you can't catch on your first rewatch.
I disagree the first episode is so fucking bad.
Well it's not filler but you do you, man. Filler =/= Original Content. Filler is often Original Content though.
Brotherhoods first episode is a shocker but ive always loved it
The mom scene as a kid legit freaked me out and gave me, if not nightmares then at least, made me creeped out and paranoid.
The short jokes are needed. It really highlights how inspirational Ed is. He overcomes his disabillity of being a short dude, by the end of the journey 😂
I havent been keeping up with TT but this brought me back. About god damn time Garnt!
They weren't trying to make another of their mother, they were trying to resurrect her. Big difference.
"He ain't locking in, he's 10 years old"
Episode 1 is like a prologue of a book
in the brazilian dub, this short Ed joke is fun as fuck, idk what youre talking about ngl, his reactions are incredible
Joking about Ed being short is more than just a comedic relief for viewers or maybe doesn't even meant to be it at all. It's Ed's genuine characterization, characters in the story are aware of it outside of comedic relief and even hypothesize why he is so short, and also eat/sleep for two.
And that's the case for most of comedic relief in this series or so I think.
The reason why Brotherhood's first 12-ish episodes feel so weak compared to the rest of the series is because Bones already adapted that part in 2003, more or less. For example: the Nina stuff was 2 episodes instead of just one. The studio made Brotherhood with already existing fans in mind.
Definitely explains why the emotional aspects never hit when compared to the 2003 series.
The extra Nina stuff in FMA 03 is filler, so incorrect. FMAB is manga-accurate.
@@willfanofmanyii3751doesn't make it better. FMA 2003 is a masterpiece. FMAB pales in comparison
@@susbedo9258 I bet you read a lot of stupid gay fan fics as well. pleb.
@@willfanofmanyii3751
FMAB is not as manga accurate as everyone says it is. Like the mining town stuff is gone until a flashback joke way later on.
if he purely liked the dark stuff he will definitely love it a ton as it goes on
We can still clown on him for not having watched original FMA
Good job Garnt way to give FMAB more of a chance than Joey with Arcane👍🏻
Can't lie. The running gag of Garnt not seeing Brotherhood actually made me to watch the show. I'm on like episode 30 or smth and... isn't it like not that great as many people say it is? Am I crazy? There are just so many things about the show that doesn't add up. Like the whole character of Ling up to this point being practically non-existent. Well, he's like bro i wanna be immortal and imma eat your food and for some reason imma help you despite all of you not really doing anything from me. And the dialogue is not subtle and so clanky. They be telling you their whole worldview in the most blatant possible way. Like that time Ed was just sitting on stairs after the "dog" accident and just screaming "what are we? Humans???!!" like bro that's just goofy. And could you tell me plz how tf is Scar survived up to this point. He's not even trying to be stealthy, he's fricking walking straight up in day light maybe with a good max, flighting alchemist in open and having all of homunculi on his throut...
Now, i'm not saying it's mid but... Is it 10/10?
I'm surprised Grant had such little understanding about the second episode. Calling God "some kid" Ed meets when he clearly introduced himself by many titles.
Episode 1 hits harder after reaching the finale
Joey needs to learn the difference between something not aging well and just being a flaw. It’s so annoying to see “it hasn’t aged well” when it just wasn’t good in the first place. Gundam is just straight up still good, which shows that age doesn’t matter for anime.
True. Sometimes you gotta see it for how good it was at the time, and sometimes it was just straight up bad lol
Yeah, 'it hasn't aged well' just makes sense for things like troupes or stories that were reliant on what people experienced in that time
It's basically a buzz word now
Gundam aged poorly because NASA can't even land a person on the moon anymore and the ISS is going to be dead soon
@@ShotterGames I don’t even think tropes, I think it’s more context and general knowledge of the time.
I feel like people forget how dark the original was imif i remember correctly the girl from ep. 3 that Ed and Al help in the later episodes its hinted at that she was assaulted and it was so bad she didnt want to talk at all
No one explained the whole thing where FMAB assumed you watched FMA…. It skipped some stuff to streamline it. If you watch FMA then brotherhood is WAY better. But it stands great alone as well.
they didnt make fmaB as a stand alone show. they expected you to see fma 03. thats why the first 20-30 ep were turned into like 8
No they didnt. The show stands strong on its own.
And even with it being so fast paced they still cry that it’s monster of the week. People today got TikTok adhd brain all pay off no set up. Not sure why they didn’t love game of thrones final season with all the fast moving plot lol. Also monster of the week is good for starting series. Serialized stuff used to not be as popular I we all missed eps and would be lost. No binging as much.
"ed and alphonse doing a big no-no trying to make a human" is about the worst way you can explain it
Yeah, Brotherhood expects you to have already watched the 2003 anime, because it came out so close to it. So the first several episodes are kinda rough, because they're re-hashing plots from the first arcs of the 2003 anime.
How can someone who loves anime not watch FMA????
he should have seen the original FMA to watch Brotherhood
But then it'd be 10 years later and he'd say "I finally watched 55 episodes of FMA"
the powerscaling of FMAB is top notch.
FMA Brotherhood doesn't become the masterpiece I think it is until the main story kicks in. Setup episodes are just an appetizer.
ed being short is a joke but that also comes later where he grows as hieght wise and as character wise.
everything is tie up very very good in FMAB .
EPISODE 1 IS A LITERAL COLD OPEN. THAT'S ALL GARNT.
4:02 All of Lucky Star explained right here.
I want to hear his reaction on the Ishal war conflict. 😨
Ed being short is hilarious if you drink your Milk. - A guy who's 6'3
Hot take: the OG fma had a better ending than brotherhood
The optimal FMA experience is to watch the old FMA until the alchemist exam and then switch to Brotherhood
You really gotta watch the 2003 OG first...
So when is the FMAB dissertation coming out Garnt ?
Ed being short is kind of a plot point tho
Watching the first 4 episodes... that's it?
Also, plenty of great anime have corny parts. FMA joking about Ed's height was never funny, but there's far more cringey stuff in tons of anime, and we don't hold it against them 😆
we usually do hold it against them tho
The reason it's bad is because we have a direct comparison in FMA 2003. It handles it infinitely better. Pretty much everything the two have in common, 03 does better.
@@Eeeeerisssss False, lol, FMA 03's first 4 episodes are dragged out and already contain filler.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 "Dragged out"? Lol maybe if you are used to the rushed pace of FMAB, but 03 is the perfect pacing, and the whole Liore story is miles better than what's in FMA:B, In terms of theming I even think some alterations were better than in the Manga.
Cringe comedy is the entire reason I almost dropped JJK and Demon Slayer.
The start of the original Fullmetal anime is better than Brotherhood
I think square was the one who wanted a shonen story for their manga magazine
FMAB has some problems with it’s early pacing
"The priest getting exposed by being broadcast to the entire town is so mid-00's."
Meanwhile in every Discord on the Internet:
You really have to watch the first half of the original FMA anime up to episode 25; then you start watching FMA:B
No way, dropping us in the middle of things happening was fucking a GREAT way to start a series, it gets you interested in finding out more about these bad-ass characters!
I never thought I'd see the day.
FMA:B assumes you've seen the '03 version
I would honestly say that the comedy in the show really takes away a lot of impact there’s a lot of it.
also the get over it part was years later
The series does assume that you have watched the original full metal alchemist, which I absolutely recommend
It does not, and is written perfectly fine as a standalone.
Little does Garnt know that of the two versions of Nina, this is NOT the one anyone gets upset or surprised by.
Where does Garnt get his shirts from?
I never thought the day would come 👀