I honestly just really like how you adlibbed some scenes, I would def watch a parody of this anime if you were dubbing the voices, it would be hilarious!
@Momo Viixiv i agree honestly i think he should have watched the original first because it Just explains everything so much better like i think brotherhood goes to fast
Fullmetal Alchemist is like Game of Thrones, Copied everything before the original got finished Excel on key scenes and blunder the rest of it. (Stories are absolutely different) but the Animators in Fullmetal Alchemist are already top notched (at that time) Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is the original (but some scenes got cut, it's like expecting you that you've watched the first one) Both stories are good, but the original (Brotherhood) is better in my opinion.
@@upvotecomment2110 yeah i have never read the manga so personally i like the original better but i understand why people like brotherhood i think everybody should watch the original first tho if not to understand it better then to compare
Both shows cut out one of the best bits of the manga. After Ed breaks down crying, and Tucker is talking about keeping his state certification, Al tells him to shut up, because if he doesn’t, Al will be the one to kill him.
Honestly I wish there were just more moments like that with Al in the manga and the series. He has some great moments of just being ruthless or out of pocket and i love every one we got
😂 I've must have mixed my anime and Manga as kid. I haven't watched FMA or the brotherhood for idk since middle or high school. I thought Al said that in the anime. For some reason, I had a animation of Al saying shut up to Tucker talking vividly saved in my head. It weird...
@@shutupmokuba7915 you are not wrong. it was in the original directo's cut, that was aired in Japan. Once it got into the west, for some reason that scene was removed (though not surprising, many of the Anime that gets to the west has many aspects of it changed) and the Anime viewed while airing in Japan can and often times is different from the later dvd releases as they still use DVD and blu ray. These are last minute decision made by studios broadcasters and executives.
@@cdscissor Localizations being changed like that was a well know fact I thought? Different social mores so they can sometimes cut some of the best stuff out because they think we cant handle it or something. Its not just anime but just about any media type I am pretty sure.
this part with the tucker's in the 2003 anime makes me UNWELL remembering it. Ed and Al spent months with them, Nina celebrated with ed and al for eds 12th birthday and was there when elicia was born! Ed made Nina flower crowns, Nina drew Ed a picture of them as a good luck for Eds state alchemist exam! Nina wanted them to be together forever! 😭😭 She was their little sister 😭😭
In 2003 final outro there’s a little segment where it shows all the important characters who have passed on. And one of them is little Nina looking up reaching for the sky. 😢💔
In the manga when a character dies they are usually seen ascending to heaven, except in one case. Shou Tucker is the only character seen going to hell.
You really really REALLY need to watch the OG FMA. it's amazing, it's dark, it has a completely different plot then the Brotherhood version, and this episode proves to all of the viewers that Ed is still a child. In the episodes where he's studying for his exam and is working towards getting his State License, he's only TWELVE! He is a twelve year old child with his eleven year old brother, who is playing with this little girl who he thought of as a sister, and treats her as such! Literally, we as the viewer spend three episodes with Nina and Alexander, getting to know them and loving them as characters. So when this episode happens, it really punches you in the gut. It's not stated out right in the episode, but in the original, they spend actual weeks with the Tucker family, so when she dies, it just makes it that much worse. They even dedicate the end credits to her and Alexander, showing all the fun and carefree days they had together as a sort of family. The episodes after this, we see how much Nina's death impacted him too. The Elric brothers have gone through so much, and this is just the tip of the iceberg, both in the Brotherhood and original series.
BH also cut out Ed’s encounter with that serial killer literally RIGHT after this. That episode immediately following this one is so fucking wild and horrifying
The thing is, FMA was airing when the manga was still being written, and apparently it reached a point where they just had to make up their own story because the source material wasn't written yet. So when they made Brotherhood, they treated it like "Yeah, everyone saw the original anime." People tend to recommend Brotherhood because it's closer to the manga, even if it skips over certain story beats.
This is definitely not the case. The two stories Brotherhood actually cuts are the Yoki episode and the battle on the train episode. Both of which technically take place in between leaving Lior and meeting Shou in the manga. Pretty much everything from these early episodes that is in 03 but not in Brotherhood is anime original, like literally from episode 1 there is anime original content. This whole "common knowledge" of Brotherhood being sped up is complete bull, the manga just moves pretty quickly at the beginning.
@@Vael221 Not true, they also skipped the Masked Man. Besides, in regards to Yoki, skipping a character’s introduction and explaining it via paperwork and flashback does feel like “Yeah, you know this”.
@@TheBlackDemon1996 I agree. It is true that Brotherhood is the better story in the long run. But they rushed the beginning where FMA took its time and the Nina Alexander story hit much harder than Brotherhood. I feel the same way about how they approached the human transformation scene with the mom. Also, FMA's music was much better than Brotherhoods.
@@flokithemad3273 I wasn't trying to say one was better than the other, I've only seen one. I was just explaining what the... well, "problem" is the wrong word, but you know what I mean.
I love that in the manga after Al pulls Ed away Tucker try to say something and Al like “if you one more word this time I’ll be the one to snap. Mr Tucker”
That image of the Nina chimera splattered onto the wall will forever be engraved into my mind. I watched the original Fullmetal Alchemist first way way back when it used to air on Adult Swim at night and some of those episodes still leave such a dang impact today.
It hit so much harder in the original anime and even gave a parallel when the chimera that was Nina was about to be taken away and then the doctor later on. Depressing but a very nice touch
The Elric brother's relationship with Nina in 2003 is better, and not only that, this version decided to dedicate an especial ending to Nina. You can see how Ed's smile is so sad and he wants to cry!. Those little aspects are the ones that makes FMA03 so especial to me. Brotherhood may be the one who follows the manga, but fma03 it's the one who make you fall in love with the characters (for example, the youswell arc).
'do most people need a summoning circle' Yes. The ones that use alchemy for combat purposes tend to have said circle on like, clothes (you can see the flame symbol on Mustang's gloves), that way they don't have to draw it each and every time. Also Ed is not 5'5. I mean maybe as an adult he's that tall, but right now he's under 5 feet. He's a *little* taller when you take into account his shoes (they're platform shoes lol) and that little hair stem, but his actual height is like, 4'11 as stated by others haha
I'd also add that because State Alchemists tend to use pre-made transmutation circles for combat, they don't just specialize in one type of alchemy because it's their area of expertise, but also because the transmutation circle they're using is specifically for their specialty. If Mustang wanted to use alchemy that was not his flame alchemy, he'd have to take the time to draw the transmutation circle.
@@FeyPhantom I feel like this really shows just how talented Ed and Al are. Everytime you transmute a different substance, you need a different transmutation circle. Most people only specialize in one, like Mustang, but everytime Ed (and later Al) transmutes a material, they have to visualize one out of probably hundreds of circles they've either memorized or just figured out on the spot, and transmutation circles are often quite complex. And they have to do that fast enough to keep up with all the fighting that they do in the series. That's absolutely insane if you think about it.
1:40 the main thing about fighting with alchemy is you show up to the fight with pre-drawn circles on your equipment. Those also typically only do one thing (Ice, Fire, Building, etc) with not much variation. Meanwhile Ed can alchemize anything on the fly, and that's why he's such a wild card
Also, fun fact for Danny: FMA and Brotherhood DO have different plots! When the original came out, the manga was still ongoing and it actually caught up and began to surpass the manga, so they went a different direction entirely! It's an entirely new story with different characters and different plot points! That's why most people recommend Brotherhood over the original, it follows the manga
@@Theblecquetzal FMA is its own thing, and IMO the ending of FMA is better. Brotherhoods ending is a tad comical to me how over the top it is. Opening the planets gate and punching god in the face. 03s ending although dramatic and high stakes, its only high stakes for the main characters, if they lose, the planet will be fine.
@@KaleidoAbridged I would say that FMA 2003 is way to overly dramatic as the show goes on, and the whole parallel worlds thing feels so tacked ton, and not set up at all. FMA:B balances the lighthearted with the Darkness and that makes the contrast stronger, as well as the ending feel far better telegraphed and narrative cohesive. Both are still great but if you are watching only one of them, I would lean Brotherhood.
It also hurts more than the original because it's not just one episode Ed and Al literally live with Tucker and Nina for an entire art before this happens.
2003's Ed looks so much more traumatized at what happened to Nina. The look on his face when he finds her remnants splattered on the wall is so heartbreaking. Also, the episode (again, in the 2003 version. I think this is either episode 8 or 9) where he goes after Winry after she gets abducted and finds himself face to face with a serial killer is heartbreaking as well. You really feel bad for him after seeing him witness such things. I mean, the boy is only 12 years old, I believe. He's still a damn child.
@@VerumSpina Yeah, except that not really, because the timeline doesn't make sense. Sure, he is 12 by then (why they had to do this, I have no clue), but the three episodes after all follow the aftermath and it is barely a week, maybe two, except that by the end of it, we're told that they're going on their very first mission as State Alchemist to Liore. The timeline is such a mess.
@@mayadargeon2172it sounds like you just haven’t watched the series in forever since the way yo describe things is inaccurate. Episode 8 follows directly after the events of episode 7, episode 9 then presents the start of Ed’s travels as a state alchemist, before ending the episode as being a recounting of the adventure as the end of the flashback arc that started in episode 3. The implication isn’t that Youswell and liore were close together in time (liore was nowhere close to being Ed’s first mission lmao) but that Ed had been going on these sorts of travels in search of the philosopher stone for several years now and that these were just two of the many adventures he’s had. The whole Nina event coming early in 03 for Ed’s character is of significant importance to defining his relationship to the military and illustrating how much it contrasts with how that relationship is in bh. Admitting that you don’t understand this doesn’t say anything about the show’s quality, it just speaks poorly about you as a viewer.
to answer your question: Ed just ASSUMES the stone is 'fake' because it disintegerated, cause it doesn't match how its described in a book he read once. and also probbaly denial of the possibility that he lsot the thing he was looking for. But we shall see if Ed's assumptions are correct or not.
It's not so much fake as imperfect. If he hadn't pushed so hard the stone probably would've lasted for quite a while, but like a flawed jewel shatters under stress, so did the stone. Even a perfect stone has its limits, but we'll see more of that later.
The 2003 version 100% did Nina's arc better than Brotherhood did. It gave the viewers time to get to know her & care about her, the emotion the boys had for her was much more intense & heartbreaking, it even gave her a special ending credits video after she dies.
Honestly, I think it'd have been more impactful if it ... Actually made sense in the story. While all of this was happening, I was too busy wondering what the fuck Ed was even doing here and why would he need to become a State Alchemist if he could go and study confidential alchemical studies by himself, no watch needed. And also, the reveal was so drawn out, making Ed seem kind of duller ? He's been here for months and never noticed anything ? Also, why did he help Gracia give birth to her kid ? Yeah, no, there were too many things that didn't make sense that I couldn't appreciate it at all, it had been dragged for too long. I did appreciate getting more of Nina, but it was in the end very shallow, and did a disservice to literally everyone invloved. Just. Why. Anyway, after that I couldn't do it anymore and went on to read the manga, because I've been told that the story was good but literally nothing in the 03 anime reflected that. And it just got worse as time went by.
I disagree, The reason for why they're there made plenty of sense, ed and al needed a place to stay during the time they were going to take the state exams, since mustang wanted to keep a watch on the boys, he gets a already established state alchemist to shelter the boys until they take the exams. This is turn allowed ed and al to study using tuckers personal state alchemist books to study from.both ed and al were both to focused in passing the exams and playing with nina and Alexander to even notice anything sketchy going on with tucker. The purpose of ed,al,and nina helping mrs.hugh give birth was simply to show ed first discovered his ability to use clap alchemy -a skill he didn't realize he had until that point.
@@JunTekuTheEngima Yeah, and I'm saying that all those explanations given are bullshit. If Ed could study under big state alchemist even before getting his title, why would he need to get it at all instead of just getting as much of those opportunities as possible ? Why does he need the army or to work under Mustang at all ? And the clap alchemy excuse just ... Doesn't work, that's not how achemy WORKS, you need to actively be thinking about what you want to do, it's not a clap and then magic happens, and yet it's exactly what this anime is trying to make it out to be and it's even more bullshit.
@@mayadargeon2172 what are you taking about? The reason ed wanted to become a state alchemist was to find out more information about the philosopher stone and/or a way to get his body back. The books that tucker or maybe even other state alchemist may have -while useful isn't the same as books only state alchemist have access to, ed needed a way to get access to the state library to do more research -a place only state alchemist have access to. and as of how ed first learns clap alchemy, al tells ed to think of child birth like alchemy and after putting his hands together as if he was going to pray -someone tells him to get hot water,and so ed knew consciously he need hot water and after putting his hands down on the bowl of water it became hot water very similar to how in brotherhood epi 1 the water alchemist could freeze or boil the water in a persons body, its just a change in the temperature of water that's exactly how alchemy works equivalent exchange.
@@JunTekuTheEngima ... Yeah, nah, the clap alchemy bit was bullshit. Also, Ed very much should've known he was able to do that. Thanks for reminding me the bit about the library, legit forgot about it for a moment. It very much wasn't for the philosopher's stone, as Ed takes a while to get there and accept that it's a thing that maybe exist, but yeah.
I think the reason everyone recommends Brotherhood is because in the latter half there are characters entirely missing from 2003, and the plot is just a little tighter, but it's kind of universally acknowledged that the pacing of 2003 is better. There are two arcs missed entirely in Brotherhood, the Youswell arc and Barry the Chopper case, which is a massive shame because those stories do a great job of really solidifying Ed's characters and motivation. Youswell shows that he will 1000% go against the military for his own personal morals and Barry shows both his investigative skills and how he really is afraid of dying, and how fragile he feels, putting him in his first real life or death situation.
The barry the Chopper case was never in the manga and although it was a great filler episode it also creates a massive divide in personality between Barry pre being a suit of armor and Barry post being a suit of armor.
@fiction arch I mean, I totally get that, but I feel it added so much to the character! Ed breaking down and him fighting blind, nearly hurting Al, his vulnerability sans automail, I feel that it really solidified him as a distinct character. I might be biased because I really loved the early arcs of 2003, solidifying him as 'the people's alchemist'
Also the Youswell "arc" is like one chapter in the manga and one episode in FMA03, half of which was completely anime original anyway. Like it's a nice story but it really isn't important that it's missing, we don't really need to be convinced he isn't fond of the military since he's fairly up front about that from the beginning. The other story Brotherhood skips is the train fight, which is also not that important. Basically we get Brotherhood episode 1 instead of what would basically be half an episode each of those two stories, so I consider it a wash.
Universally, indeed. I'd also argue the dialog was better in 2003. The retread in Brotherhood, so as not to repeat themselves verbatim, slightly changes word choices and delivery. It doesn't flow as well, because 2003 did it perfectly.
"She scared the detail out of Al" that line had me rolling. Also, yes, I was waiting for this despressing episode. I like FMAB's better for the way they do Nina, but the emotional parts of Ed in FMA best from it.
Brotherhood isn’t actually the one that changed things. Brotherhood is almost a beat for beat recreation of the manga for the most part. It’s the 2003 series that took a lot of creative liberty, sometimes to better results, and sometimes for the worse. I personally loved Brotherhood more because it felt more cohesive and planned out over all, having the benefit of a clear vision and the source material. I also loved the tone of Brotherhood more, because I feel like it was better at balancing the humour and lightheartedness with the horror and the genuinely touching, human emotions.
my only real issue with bh is that if you havent watched fma or read the manga the beginning isnt explained near as well since they assume youve already seen or read it
@@electricant55 yeah I freaking love the train fight but they cut that, and the coal mine is plot relevant but they cut that only to sloppily explain it later. They cut important, fun stories only to add a filler episode that introduces way to much for a first episode. I honestly feel like 2003 did a better job adapting some of the first few stories like Liore or Nina or the coal mine because they flesh them out more and keep all the earlier stories unlike Brotherhood which felt rushed at first and cut things out for no reason. I love Brotherhood but the first bit of it kinda sucks.
I see FMA 03 and FMAB as two halves of a whole. Yes 03 takes a WILDLY different direction and even focuses on different characters in different ways…even with some different world building concepts. But that doesn’t mean they can’t feed into each other. 03 has a rushed ending and FMAB has a rushed start. It’s actually a good thing to watch them in close proximity. I wouldn’t like FMAB NEARLY as much without 03 there. I truly love them both in equal regard and I hope people recognize you truly should see them both more for reactions.
Also, we didn't end up with an upside-down man glued to a giant furry behemoth. (take THAT point out of context with people who don't know wtf you're talking about, I dare you)
I can’t remember who said this but I 100% agree with FMAB having the perfect first 4 episodes to introduce you into the world Episode 1 - intro the world alchemy and the characters Episode 2 - main characters backstory and setting the goal Episode 3 - exploring the religious extremes Episode 4 - exploring the scientific extremes I love it so much Now we wait for ep 10
woah, i never put two and two together about the parallels of ep 3 v 4 being the extremes of religion vs science! im personally bad at analysis so i usually enjoy shows at face value, but i find it incredibly interesting to see other people talk about their views on a series because i always leave with new amazing insights like this
I absolutely recommend watching both series to get the best FMA experience. Though '03 diverges from the manga at a certain point, I think that the original story it tells is incredibly interesting in its own right. You'll hear a lot of people just writing off '03 and saying Brotherhood is the best definitive version of the anime, but I just don't think that really gives '03 enough credit for what it was able to achieve tonally and character-wise. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Oh Imma answer the question before getting to the actual reaction. Yes, 2003 anime was better imo here. In the original anime, there were several filler episodes where Nina played a supporting role making both her and her father pre-established characters that had more time to grow on the viewers making the twist hit so much harder. On top of that, Ed ends up seeing her body splattered on a wall, while in FMAB, he only finds out about her death from being told by others. A lot less of an emotional reaction. Edit: so on the 2003 vs FMAB debate, 2003 goes anime original after the halfway point, an inevitability the staff knew about going into it so they integrated the stuff adapted with more of a darker edge that fit the vision it'd work towards. If you had to ask me what anime had the best anime original ending, I'd have to say 2003 because it managed to feel consistent throughout. I also loved the art more than FMAB, the shadows are incredible. However, FMAB, while rushes a bit for the first quarter, does adapt the story in full. In terms of writing and quality of english dub, FMAB is the better one, hands down, but the moments in 2003 have stuck with me in my mind a lot more.
@@TheSilverHermitMage Yes, I get this because the beginning of the old FMA followed the manga until a point and then FMAB didnt want to do the exact same stuff so they summarized that part a lot. That's why when people JUST watch FMAB the callbacks are not as impactful. for example the mining town that was pretty much skipped in FMAB comes back a lot. Rose, Nina, and Hughes were not as impactful as they could have been because they kind of rushed the beginning of the story to continue the end of the story correctly. The way the manga reads is the best lol.
Yeah, Bortherhood was mostly trying to speed forward towards the part where '03 diverged from the manga. Why that whole part of the story was done better in '03. Wasn't just Nina, another certain character was also done better. Don't wanna name the character due to spoilers for Danny in case he comes across this, but the certain character in the phone booth
I'm going to completely reject the idea that 03 did Nina's death better. Scar killing Nina in 03 is horrific and unfitting for the character, which alone makes it worse. He is killing for a very specific path of revenge, and while yeah he does kill Nina he is doing it out of (at least in his opinion) and act of kindness. He isn't making a show out of it because he sees he as an abomination, he see's an innocent human child who has been wronged irreversibly. That is why they don't show her death, and why he prays for her afterwards. Also for the record, 2003 has anime original filler in literally the first episode, and has fully original plot material as early as episode 4. It feels consistent because it was always anime original, it was barely following the manga and was creating it's own thing from moment one. Not saying that's a bad thing, in fact that's probably why it is so good, but there are like 2 episodes from 03 that are both in the manga and cut from Brotherhood (5 and 9 which are the train fight and Yoki episode respectively) and even those are remixed to fit into the storyline 03 is creating.
I feel everyone prefers brotherhood because it’s quicker and has a happier tone. But FMA is more dramatic and harsher and a bit more complex. But I always recommend to watch FMA and then Brotherhood because storylines are different and the drama is different
No people prefer Brotherhood because its the actual plot of the manga. The 2003 version did these (and another couple arcs) better but in the long run they changed so much that the actual message of the entire show in the ethical and political aspect got lost. Brotherhood kept that. The 2003 version doing like 2 arcs better does not take away the entire show being better in brotherhood. There’s a reason is one of the greats in anime and manga.
This episode still gets me, it is still one of the most traumatic episodes. The way she grabs hold of Ed to keep him from hurting her "Father" and the look on Ed's face when he realises she's protecting him? Heartbreaking. And I agree, he died too easy. I would have fed him to his other Chimeras. They didn't seem too happy with him either.
I think Ed is shorter than 5,5 at the moment because he actually progressively gets taller as the series goes on as a way of indicating that he actually ages
There is a reason Brotherhood was hyped for years , years and years. And it is because the 2003 anime was amazing. FMA manga was fairly popular, but it was the 2003 that exploded in popularity. No millenial otaku doesn't know Melissa. People often sleep on FMA 2003 because it deviates from the source material, but its direction is arguably more accomplished. Before Brotherhood existed, the 2003 anime was the #1 recommendation.
I'll be honest, it feels like Nina's death hit harder in the original anime because we got to spend more time with her. In brotherhood we get half an episode before she gets fused. In the original we got, like, twice as much time with her. We learn more about her, we see her more, we grow far more attached. In Brotherhood, we get less time and a vast majority of us already know what's going to happen to her, so we've already prepared ourselves. Even those who haven't seen FMA or FMA:B, have heard of Nina and Alexander! I mean, even Danny knew about Nina, and this is his first time watching it! It's something that we know is coming, where as in the original we don't know what's about to happen. It struck us hard cause it took us by surprise. that's why i think the original did it better than brotherhood.
I loved the original. The emotional beats hit like a freight train. It would be neat to see you watch that one after you finish Brotherhood and do a comparison.
As someone who started with the ‘03 version of this show (and actually held off on watching Brotherhood for several years because I thought there’s no way it could be improved upon), Brotherhood is by far better in the long run, but it does kinda assume you’ve seen the first show or read the manga already, because it rushes a bit through the early parts of the story
@genyakozlov1316 I'm happy someone on this earth agrees with me. Almost every moment of the episodes you mention are some of the best in the entire show, 03 was a dark masterpiece of fiction.
The true watch order is FMA 1 and 2, then FMA: Brotherhood. It's a better opening and better intro to Ed and Al, but episode 3 and on in FMA are too different from Brotherhood.
@@GenCavoxCanonical MANGA material you would not see if you did that: 1.Yoki's true introduction 2. Hughes' true introduction 3. More screentime with Hughes 4. More screentime with Maria before (spoilers) thus making "that event" hit weaker in Brotherhood without this 5. An extra chapter in the manga "Fullmetal VS. Flame" adapted as an episode Non-manga things you'll miss: 1. Episode 4 while confronting Majhal, he drops something about transmuted souls that never becomes relevant in 2003 but becomes a plot point in the manga 2. A different and frankly more gut-wrenching take on "The Incident" (topic of this video) 3. Earlier introductions to characters before they're immediately relevant or better introductions in general 4. Extra time with Trisha, though not necessarily adapting the extra chapters where she gets extra screentime in the manga does atleast serve as a substitute in 2003, which Brotherhood lacks. Just your local manga reader stating the facts :)
I am actually so happy you watched the fma original version of the Nina ep too because I also prefer it over brotherhood's take. That fact that it spans over 2 episodes which gives us more time to get attached to Nina and then all the things you said about it being more ominous, Nina being in pain and Ed fighting for her. The original just made it so much more impactful and heart-breaking. This is why I love both the original and brotherhood for different reasons. Brotherhood definitely handles the later portion of the story better as it follows the manga and gets to the main plot sooner but the earlier part I feel are done better in the original. Part of that is because they had less content to work with with the manga being incomplete so they gave more time to the beginning arcs but I think another part is brotherhood expects you to have already seen the original and gone through all that already so it kinda of speed runs the beginning. It also shows with how they've cut arcs out or shortened then - the Sun God Leto ep was 2 eps long in the original. Not hating on brotherhood though ofc, I love it so much too but it's why I always say watching both is the best experience
The second half of brotherhood is better than the original but the original did the earler episodes better. Brotherhood goes through it faster and cuts some stuff out but the orginal builds the charecters up more.
@@mitchellmiller6644 I agree completely with the beginning. When it comes to the end, the idea of what happens with Elrics is interesting, but other than that, the final arc before that kind of dragged on. Thou I like what they did with Elrics' and Mustang's relationship before they came back to Risembol again. Thou, at the same time Mustang's more of an asshole to Edward than in Brotherhood through the first half. Although I do prefer Brotherhood overall, FMA 03 certainly has its moments.
Avoiding spoilers, there’s another character who I feel has more emotional weight in the original. I think it’s because the manga wasn’t finished, so they spent more time on some of these characters to fill time.
Generally the first anime is better for the first ~10 episodes of brotherhood, because brotherhood is like speed-running the content that is more or less the same.
The ‘we’re human’ (26:43) line is a lot less random and cringey in the 2003 version. It’s set at the end of the original Barry the chopper serial killer episode from before Barry was attached to a suit of armour, so he is a complete psychopath. Anyway it was this really traumatic episode for Ed and just after the Nina part too. So he sits on a few steps, hunches in on himself, and starts crying. Because he is just a human with human fears and human capabilities which could barely save himself and certainly couldn’t save a little girl. It just comes across as much more sad, tragic and authentic in the 2003 instead of him awkwardly yelling it to the sky. Because he is just human, and sometimes that sucks.
The two anime are very, very different. I highly recommend watching both. Obviously Brotherhood will inherently have better animation, because it was made later, but, for me, at least, the original anime and Brotherhood are equally awesome. I really appreciate both stories for different reasons. I will understand if you don't want to watch both on the channel, but I highly recommend watching the original series on your own time at the very least. It's very very good. At the very least it's very interesting to see where they took the original source material after it ran out. It's literally animated. Completely voice acted amazing fanfiction! It's so cool! 😀
Personally, I’m not sure which version of FMA I prefer. I love both versions equally. The whole thing with Ed trying to help Nina is because that part of the show happens way earlier than it’s supposed to and Ed only recently tried to bring back his mom
hey, I just found your channel, and I'm really enjoying your videos... especially your comedic style. excellent editing! I just wanted to highly highly recommend my current favorite anime: Golden Kamuy. I think it's very uniquely well rounded, with hilarious comedy, brutal action, intense drama, complex plot, detailed character work, and a heavy dose of pure weird... if you ever find you have an open slot for a new show to react to, I think this one would be wildly entertaining!
I would fully recommend watching the 2003 anime first. Brotherhood may follow the manga's plot more accurately overall, but the emotional reaction I get from the 2003 version is so much stronger. Watching the sped up beginning of brotherhood first might hurt the emotional impact of certain early story beats that the 2003 version does so much better.
I watched it growing up (sheesh!) and forgot basically 90% of the main story beats. Rewatched it again recently as an adult, and was pretty surprised at how dark it was compared to Brotherhood haha. There's also that *insane* Gluttony vs Wrath fight in Conqueror of Shambala.
Honestly, I have NO IDEA what you're talking about. I've been reading the manga and decided to try and watch the first anime and the story is ... Absolutely awful ? Why is Ed like this ? Actually, why is EVERYONE like this ? What the fuck is up with this botched timeline ? Why are plot points drawn out for so long ? What the FUCK is up with the pseudo science alchemy that makes even less sense than the original ? Who are these badly written extras ? Why does the plot make NO fucking sense ? At this point, I think that everyone that says that the first anime is good just have nostalgia goggles on. I'm not even complaining because everything is so different from the manga (tho there IS some of that, because so far I haven't liked ANY of the FMA anime characters, while I absolutely adore them in the manga), it's just that the story straight up doesn't make sense. You're telling me that literally JUST after getting his State Alchemist position, Ed would fucking *resign* to ... Figure out Nina's killer ? What ? What about AL ? His ARM ? HIS ENTIRE LIFE GOAL AT THIS POINT IN TIME ???? Is he _stupid_ ? Also, if it is SO easy to get access to confidential and private alchemical studies and you don't need to be a state alchemist to have it, as is shown by Ed studying under Shou Tucker BEFORE getting his license, then why does Ed need it at all ? The plot doesn't make sense, is actively contradicting itself and is all over the place, the characters have all lost most of their charms and I swear that the "alchemy" is going to fucking make me explode by how nonsensical it is. Why does reviving animals work but not humans ? Is it a question of souls ? Are we implying that animals DON'T have souls then ? And why does more people touching a circle make the circle more powerful ? Are we sure that's how it works ? I am pretty sure that alchemy has limits and isn't magic, so why does the anime try to convince me so hard that alchemy can do literally anything ? I am almost scared to watch more and see how they'll butcher Izumi. It's just. Yeah, no, the only thing this anime got going on for it is the gorgeous animation and the soundtrack. Also, so far I prefer the artstyle over the BH one, but that's literally it. At this point, I'm not even complaining on how much BH skips, of the moment it ignores the bullshit set up by its predecessor.
@@mayadargeon2172@mayadargeon2172 Oh yeah, the changes to Ed's character in the beginning may be hard to contend with, dear manga reader. But fear not! I will explain what I can. Volume 8 of the manga, there is extra chapter explaining how director Mizushima wants FMA the anime to be more about how Ed and Al are still just children, and thus still need to grow. (Arakawa, mangaka, jokingly responds with agreement as she admits that "Ed already started out at lvl 100" So IN THE MANGA, there is already information about why changes were made. Which I think makes sense, the feeling of guilt overwhelmed Ed massively. ANNOYING, sure, realistic? Yes. So let us talk about the early episodes. Yes the timeline was quite a bit harder to follow indeed. Episode 7 is where it pretty much settles in the present and dear manga reader, you should know this. Episode 4 kinda is pointless, yes. But to be fair, it was written by a guest writer, not the anime's main writer Shou Aikawa who otherwise doesn't miss. Now. The coal mine is put after the Nina Incident. Its purpose is OBVIOUS, give Ed a win to get his confidence back after suffering a devastating loss. Mustang almost certainly intended that. Now your claim of animals being able to be revived. You've been tricked, the anime presents this false narrative more than once. (Particularly repeating it with birds.) Particularly the EYES of the bird in episode 1 and in that one Lust episode deeper in the run where the bird IMMEDIATELY dies after being out of sight. Now. Uh, I don't know how to say this but wtf are you talking about with alchemy being nonsensical in the anime? Alchemy's feats in the anime *never* reached how powerful it could be in the manga. Sure it did more silly things like compressing air and turning water into alcohol but that's atleast explained and really kinda weak, for it is tangible in the real world. As for your point about the plot taking long. I don't know what to say, the anime felt well paced to me. By necessity, moving pictures will need to take more time to establish itself than a manga does. It's just a quirk of the medium. I too am a manga reader and do dislike some or even many of the changes made, but you sound like you just hate the anime's story because it's different.
@@cdscissor Thing is, I started with the 03 anime, before deciding it was too annoying compared to all the praises about the story I heard. Watched the first 6 episodes, I found the power system weird, the pacing bad and the characters just overall unappealing, and I didn't understand why FMA would be hailed as one of the best story out there. Then I was convinced to read the manga and found all of my problems resolved and the story better in literally every way, outside of, arguably, the art style which I prefered in the anime. I tried very hard to like the anime, I didn't set in with the goal to hate almost everything shown to me, and even after going further in the manga, I still tried to give the first anime a chance as its own thing, which I couldn't. It doesn't help that everyone hails the first half of the anime as the one to follow before Brotherhood, considering the sheer amount of things changed for the sake of, I dunno, padding ? Why does Ed need gold to transmute stuff into gold ? What the fuck was the girl in the mining town, I'd have guessed that any alchemist would be able to transmute gold, so why would the military man in charge accept Ed's bribe when he already has an alchemist at his service ?
@@mayadargeon2172 @mayadargeon2172 That's easier to explain atleast. There's two. Pick what you want: 1. Just to show the audience what to expect. Remember, animation is a different medium. Audience don't just accept that something happens the way they can for a manga. 2. To keep in line with what has already been established before. In Liore, to fix the clock the parts of the clock must still be there. Or be substituted with something equivalent, for example. Coal dust and dirt don't exactly have an immediate connection to gold, so using the gold coins may have been used to jumpstart the transmutation. As for that idea of gold being easily transmuted, hard to say. But I know in real life alchemy, transmuting materials to gold was considered the holy grail of the science. So by that logic, we can assume that transmuting gold doesn't come easily though for state alchemists it's probably trivial. (Which is why there's a law against it.) Lyra, is most likely incapable of this, as she seems to be a rather inexperienced alchemist. Really only being a one trick pony, and also not being a state alchemist at all. I'm glad you're wondering about her purpose, spoiler: She's a surprise tool that'll help us later. The extra content isn't padding in any way. Remember, 2003 is an ORIGINAL story. It's already setting up its own plot, as you're watching right now! So expect deviations. But also, I like some of the extra episodes too. Like with their mom. She doesn't feel like plot point for the sake of plot in 2003, she feels like a person and I feel like I understand better why they desperately wanted her back. That's how I feel atleast. And again, I think episode 7 is where 2003 really starts to straighten out.
Ed and Al have a strong attachment to Nina and the drama is heavier because they get a couple of episodes to get to know her, too. Overall, FMA 2003 is Darker. You see trauma and its effects, more than some people want. Personally I always advise both, because both are excellent for different reasons.
Wow You didn’t didn’t just hit me with the Nina episode, but also the original FMA version that I completely purged from my memory Thanks for reintroducing that into my adult life
The thing is that when the original FMA came out, the Manga wasn't finished. The first 30 or so episode are very smimilar to the manga and to FMA Brotherhood, but then it takes a complete turn into an original ending, that wasn't _bad_ but it was very, very different from what will happen here. Due to this, the FMA Brothehood series highly condenses some of the first parts of the series, becasue they did not want to retreat old ground, as at that point, most people had watched the original already. I think in hindsight this _was_ a mistake, as people nowadays aren't really watching the old series anymore and they do loose a few emotional beats in the beginning of the series. I would say FMA Brotherhood finds it's actual own feet around Episode 9 or 10 and from then on gets better and better with each episode. All in all, FMA Brotherhood is the better series in my opinion, it just takes a moment to get out of the shadow of it's predecessor
I actually recommend watching FMA 03. Only reason they remade it is cause FMA 03 caught up to the manga, and branched off into its own original story. Brotherhood basically skimmed through the material that FMA 03 covered, which is why the weight doesn't seem to be there since it just wanted to get to the part FMA 03 branched off from right away. Another certain character was also done better in '03 due to this and what happens to that certain character also hits harder like Nina did. Everything afterwards is great though in Brotherhood. And the FMA 03 original direction it took after branching off from the manga is also pretty good. One is basically a dark character study of Ed ('03), and the other is an epic action adventure (Brotherhood). The tone as you can see also differs with '03 being more series and dark, and Brotherhood being more lighthearted. Recommend watching both if you can. They basically became two different stories
I love the emotional depth, range, and nuance in 2003's version. It's darker, more dramatic. The characters all have stellar development and they are faced with extremely harsh truths and realities. I feel like in Brotherhood there's always a way out for them, the tension doesn't feel as impactful. But in the 2003 version the tension was slowly amping up and at certain parts of each arc you were hit with something so harsh it left you thinking hard about things. Both versions are very, very good on their own. But watch both because they are different enough that it's enjoyable to get both.
Another things that, probably made the Nina thing worse (or better depending on how you look at it ig) in the 03 version is that they, lowered Ed and Al's ages there. So he's even YOUNGER dealing with that extremely fucked situation.
24:01 As somebody who loves both versions, here is my two cents: 2003 (the original) is a more introspective take on the story, it slows down to analyze characters and their depths. Brotherhood is a more action-packed adventure of comradery that analyzes the bigger-picture of a world with alchemists at war and has some solid twists. While Brotherhood has better pacing and stays more consistent with its overarching plot, it sometimes misses some scenes that 2003 fleshes out. I should also mention that each analyzes different characters. In the end, they feel like two different stories with similar plot points, since they go in such different directions. (If you want a more in-depth contrast, the RUclips channel Lowart does a heavy exploration of the differences... although it is full of spoilers.)
1:40 well when its combat, they have them on thing they can wear, or just carved in their skin the guy in ep 1 had the thing on his arms and hand remember? so in fighting the stuffs gotta be preset, but most people who WOULD use it for combat, already have it set up yk
The original FMA does in fact do the Nina Arc must better, however a lot of that was anime only content, and not from the manga. Brotherhood is a full adaptation of the manga while FMA ‘03 was made before the manga was finished, and took some pretty bizarre turns towards the end. Hope that clears some stuff up! Also, Ed is 4’11 here and grows to 5’5 by the end. Ed is smol 🥺
As others stated, Danny. FMA aired during the manga's run and finished before the manga did. FMAB is essentially a direct adaptation to the enitre manga. Great episode as always dude, suprised you didn't call for Thomas or Dr. Concerned. Don't worry, you will before long. Also, sorry Tom.
25:57 In the long run, yes. Brotherhood has a much more accurate story to the manga, considering the original only had so much of the source material out at the time, I believe it's the first 25-ish with some originals sprinkled in there, so some plots get Dragged out a little longer like the Nina arc. With the next episode(8 the philosopher's stone) giving you a more disturbing look into Edward's Mentality about How vulnerable and human he is😢 Highly recommend that 03 episode if you liked what you saw here😅
All together I feel that FMA 2003 is better to watch as a marathon, It has more focus on solely the brothers, which is weird to think about when comparing to brotherhood, and though the story is different it was made to be different from the start and was given the blessings of the manga's creator to make it how it was. Also starting from 2003 is better than brotherhood due to pacing, art direction, and music.
One of the manga creators Hiromu Arakawa, first story was called Stray Dog where a half human half dog, that were "military dogs" ( dog of the military is the term given to state alchemist in fma)
Summoning circle??? Its a transmutation circle!!! The first few episodes of FMA are truly amazing, I totally prefer them, & that series. Nina & Alexander get a two part episode that truly destroyed me as a kid, that was the first night I didn't go to sleep, horrified that a father could do that to his own daughter. Plus, FMA was one of the first anime I watched where I generally thought these were real characters, the world was dark & realistic vs most anime out there, still to this day. in FMA you honestly dont even feel like these kids will ever be able to return to their bodies. FMA just hits different & a bit harder, emotionally, its truly an amazing drama vs brotherhood being more action, adventure, comedy. Also I would NEVER EVER tell someone to watch brotherhood first, both Fullmetal Alchemist series' are amazing but you do the first one to get a ground real idea of this world & you then watch brotherhood which just has a big ole fun happy ending but to get the whole FMA experience, you watch FMA first.
Brotherhood is more loyal to the manga. The scene in brotherhood is how it happened in the manga, while the 2003 version took more liberties with the story even at this stage of the story before completely diverging from the story. In the manga, the complete story of Nina happens in one single neatly confined chapter, while in the 2003 version, they extended the story of Ed getting his state license and combined it with the Nina story, also meaning that Ed is much younger in this scene of 2003 than in Broterhood.
This is why I love both fma and brotherhood equally. The original show got down to the more emotional stuff in the beginning and shows in great detail all the heart wrenching side quests they have along the way. But brotherhood has the actual manga storyline and gets down to it a lot quicker. Honestly in my opinion it’s important to watch both to get the full impact of everything. Plus (though I don’t think most people agree) I think the direction the anime original plot lines take in the later parts of fma are absolutely amazing. I also think, from this reaction, Danny would probably agree with my assessment. So yeah my advice to anyone any time is to watch both all the way through.
From what I recall, Brotherhood's rendition was pretty much exactly how it played out in the manga. A very quick but prominent event. In the original, whilst there's a lot more there, because a lot of it is original content all the padding comes with completely unrelated plot points. Overall, the original was the directors looking at the manga plot and going "so what if we took away the comedy and made it as depressing as possible?" A great watch when you love pain, but I think a lot of people deeply appreciate the silly comedy to help counteract the dark plot points in general. The original is one big Whump plot, manga and Brotherhood give the necessary breathing room for wider audiences. Both great but are practically their own separate genres at this point.
FMA is my my personal opinion better. The tone is much darker and just.... more adult? But many like FMAB better because it's more true to the manga. But as a self standing show, FMA is probably better. Maybe I'm a little bias because I watched FMA first. I couldn't even take FMAB seriously after that Rollercoaster, it felt like a kids show.
I'm so happy you're still reacting to brotherhood like,,,,, it's so good and I love your videos. FMA does some things better like long arcs and extreme buildups ESPECIALLY the Nina arc, which is definitely fma's best work, but it also takes absolutely forever to get any new information and by the time you do, you're already falling asleep. Now, to blatantly copy/paste my comment from the last video: Episodes 6, 8, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 36, 40, 42, 43, 44, 46, 48, and 49 all have post-credit scenes, some goofy and others that are actually really important to the plot. It gets confusing if you don't have this list going in and haven't seen all of these! So please make sure that you're watching them!!!
Nina’s journey isn’t over in the original. Brotherhood’s episodes 7/8 cuts out where she returns in the original at episodes 19-23. When you record episode 7/8 it’s definitely worth watching episodes 19-23 (or skimming) of the the original. I found what you did here at the end very interesting and love to see your reaction to the original just like you did here 😊
YESSSSS IVE BEEN WAITING FOR A VIDEO LIKE THIS TO EXIST 2003 is much darker in general, and I like the art direction and style a LOT more. 03’s Nina arc also hit harder because iirc Ed is a few years younger in this version (instead of ~15? he’s around 13) and he stayed with Shou for a longer time period (a few months I think) so they really bonded closely with Nina. In Japanese she also calls him “Edward onii-san”.
Transmutation Circles are basically math equations that allows one to swap around atoms to change one material to another within the bounds of the equivalent exchange formula, you can also draw transmutation circles on items like rings or gloves to circumvent the having to draw them all the time unless you draw a specific one for specific results like Mustang’s gloves
*To answer your question:* The original Fullmetal Alchemist is, _hands down,_ the better story out of the two because it goes more in depth on the _emotional_ side of things and overall just has more meat on it. Botherhood, on the other hand, is the most true to the original manga and so it is considered by the majority of the fandom to be better because it's more canon. However, it relies a lot on the idea that people already know the story and so it just throws you right into things without any sort of foreplay. Moments like this one, with Nina are sorely lacking in Brotherhoods rendition of the anime so, I would 100% suggest you watch other important scenes, when you get to them as well and get the full experience to truly appreciate this anime. My main suggestion is, when you reach *episode 10* of Brotherhood, please watch *episode 25* of the original FMA also, as this is an iconic and impactful scene that isn't done justice in the remake.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 I'm sorry, but it really does rely on that prior knowledge. There are so many situations in Brotherhood that are less impactful because they chose to speed run the story rather than expand it and add in those details. Most people who start with Brotherhood don't even know why characters like Rose and Yoki are given so many highlights and important scenes and that is directly because they don't have the context that the 2003 FMA gave us while watching it. Instead, Brotherhood relies on the expectation that everyone has either already seen or at least already knows about FMA's story in some form of light and so it skips moments of character development and moves right onto the end goal without actually earning the reward of that experience. It's like cheating at a game, like skipping scenes in an RPG because you've already played it before. Except most people these days haven't scene the original show and so they don't have that - thus making Brotherhood feel very in your face, slap dash, and overall confusing. Like, Brotherhood isn't a bad anime, don't get me wrong. It's amazing because Fullmetal Alchemist is an amazing story, even when it's only being summarized, but it's really just not comparable to the original show when it comes to actual content and backstory. For me, having grown up with the show, Brotherhood is always going to feel shallow because it's missing all the context I remember and it's not treating the scenes with the weight or patience that they require. Again, it's an amazing remake, but it's just missing too much of the backstory. I would have been much happier with it if they had just put in that extra time to add the scenes that were missing and fleshed out the moments that meant something.
@@jettgem Rose is introduced in Episode 3, she is written exactly as she was in the manga, unlike FMA 03 which completely changed her. FMAB has a whole scene talking about how the brothers shut down Yoki's operation, then he pops up again a few episodes later. Once again, the Yoki episode in FMA 03 was very different from the manga too. FMAB doesn't speedrun anything, it sticks to the fast pace of the early chapters of the manga, and even the series director has talked about this.
2003 is genuinely great and now super underrated imo. Brotherhood is mostly more recommended because for one thing, it’s newer and shinier, so people opt for it first, and secondly, it’s a closer adaptation to the manga and more in line with a more light-hearted, epic, ultimately feel-good story. FMA 2003 is more of a smaller scale story with a focus on characters and the brother’s internal journey in an unforgiving, adult world, so yes, in a lot of ways it’s darker and more introspective without spelling everything out for you and is more…morally grey with characters. So depending on who you are and what you want out of your entertainment (at the time), people are drawn to one or the other. I personally think both are great for different reasons and kinda compliment each other and their respective themes, and pick up where the other may lack. So if you like Brotherhood, I say, more FMA can never be a bad thing. FMA fans were blessed with more than one storyline and genre to experience these beloved characters in, and I think that’s honestly pretty great. So yes, if you like Brotherhood so far and liked the snippets what you saw of the Nina arc in FMA 03, I’ll never say it’s a bad idea to check that series out too.
I'm happy you compared the two Nina episodes. Personally, I'd recommend evryone to watch the original anime first. Just cause it's darker and some of the events just hit harder. In Brotherhood they kinda rush the first bit from what I've seen which you know makes sense since the main purpose is to just adapt the ending of the Manga that the original anime didn't. And serve as a more faithful adaptation I guess. Which is why I guess most people recommend to watch it first but personally I'd watch the edgier version with the more ominous twists first it's not like it can spoil the ending for brotherhood for you since they're different. Just the beginning which brotherhood kinda rushes anyways.
So the reason why there's a lot more weight in the original anime compared to Brotherhood with Nina's arc is that we have several episodes dedicated to her, and when we're shown what happened to her at the hands of our boi with the shades, it hits much harder. Also, an interesting note, the English voice actor (Vic) broke down crying when we reached that scene of Ed rounding the corner and finding Nina. At least from what I recall, but knowing that hits so much more. (though I might be misremembering, feel free to correct me :/ ) Both versions of the animes have their own merits, pros/cons, and have a plethora of animation talent in both. If you want to watch the first version of the anime it'd be neat to know what you're thoughts of it are, as the show kept going when it reached a point that the manga was still being worked on at the time.
Comment your favorite joke from this video below!
I honestly just really like how you adlibbed some scenes, I would def watch a parody of this anime if you were dubbing the voices, it would be hilarious!
Ed is only 4"11 in the start of brotherhood
@Momo Viixiv i agree honestly i think he should have watched the original first because it Just explains everything so much better like i think brotherhood goes to fast
Fullmetal Alchemist is like Game of Thrones, Copied everything before the original got finished
Excel on key scenes and blunder the rest of it. (Stories are absolutely different) but the Animators in Fullmetal Alchemist are already top notched (at that time)
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is the original (but some scenes got cut, it's like expecting you that you've watched the first one)
Both stories are good, but the original (Brotherhood) is better in my opinion.
@@upvotecomment2110 yeah i have never read the manga so personally i like the original better but i understand why people like brotherhood i think everybody should watch the original first tho if not to understand it better then to compare
Both shows cut out one of the best bits of the manga. After Ed breaks down crying, and Tucker is talking about keeping his state certification, Al tells him to shut up, because if he doesn’t, Al will be the one to kill him.
Honestly I wish there were just more moments like that with Al in the manga and the series. He has some great moments of just being ruthless or out of pocket and i love every one we got
😂 I've must have mixed my anime and Manga as kid. I haven't watched FMA or the brotherhood for idk since middle or high school. I thought Al said that in the anime. For some reason, I had a animation of Al saying shut up to Tucker talking vividly saved in my head. It weird...
@@shutupmokuba7915 you are not wrong. it was in the original directo's cut, that was aired in Japan. Once it got into the west, for some reason that scene was removed (though not surprising, many of the Anime that gets to the west has many aspects of it changed) and the Anime viewed while airing in Japan can and often times is different from the later dvd releases as they still use DVD and blu ray. These are last minute decision made by studios broadcasters and executives.
@@LarindarrYou're the first to mention this that I know. Got any proof to back the claim?
@@cdscissor Localizations being changed like that was a well know fact I thought? Different social mores so they can sometimes cut some of the best stuff out because they think we cant handle it or something. Its not just anime but just about any media type I am pretty sure.
this part with the tucker's in the 2003 anime makes me UNWELL remembering it. Ed and Al spent months with them, Nina celebrated with ed and al for eds 12th birthday and was there when elicia was born! Ed made Nina flower crowns, Nina drew Ed a picture of them as a good luck for Eds state alchemist exam! Nina wanted them to be together forever! 😭😭 She was their little sister 😭😭
In 2003 final outro there’s a little segment where it shows all the important characters who have passed on. And one of them is little Nina looking up reaching for the sky. 😢💔
not only that, in those months Tucker himself had become a father figure to both of them
I had legitimately blocked this memory out of my brain because HOLY FUCK
@@VirtuousWanderer 03 is the more traumatic series XD
UNWELL!! Yes YES
In the manga when a character dies they are usually seen ascending to heaven, except in one case. Shou Tucker is the only character seen going to hell.
Good 😊
As it should be
@@andhispalmugman6314 Absolutely
Ya see god makes good judgment
Father also went to hell, didn’t he?
Nina - "Hey Daddy. What does assessment day mean?"
Danny - "It means you're not going to like the rest of this episode, Nina!"
F'cking Gold 😂
😬😰
Danny to Gluttony: Who the hell are you?! (derogatory)
Danny to Lust: Who the hell are you?! (Affectionately)
Yeah, that sounds about right. I had a similar reaction too.
I mean that was my reaction too
You really really REALLY need to watch the OG FMA. it's amazing, it's dark, it has a completely different plot then the Brotherhood version, and this episode proves to all of the viewers that Ed is still a child. In the episodes where he's studying for his exam and is working towards getting his State License, he's only TWELVE!
He is a twelve year old child with his eleven year old brother, who is playing with this little girl who he thought of as a sister, and treats her as such! Literally, we as the viewer spend three episodes with Nina and Alexander, getting to know them and loving them as characters. So when this episode happens, it really punches you in the gut. It's not stated out right in the episode, but in the original, they spend actual weeks with the Tucker family, so when she dies, it just makes it that much worse.
They even dedicate the end credits to her and Alexander, showing all the fun and carefree days they had together as a sort of family. The episodes after this, we see how much Nina's death impacted him too. The Elric brothers have gone through so much, and this is just the tip of the iceberg, both in the Brotherhood and original series.
BH also cut out Ed’s encounter with that serial killer literally RIGHT after this. That episode immediately following this one is so fucking wild and horrifying
@@ephemereaux Dude that one was my childhood trauma, but I love how impactful it is. Scene in the butchery still gives fucking chills.
I honestly perfer to og anime over brotherhood and so many people hate me for it
Boosting this! fma 03 needs more love !!!
i agree 100 percent. The people doing the fma anime had better story telling talent than the actual manga author.
The thing is, FMA was airing when the manga was still being written, and apparently it reached a point where they just had to make up their own story because the source material wasn't written yet. So when they made Brotherhood, they treated it like "Yeah, everyone saw the original anime." People tend to recommend Brotherhood because it's closer to the manga, even if it skips over certain story beats.
This is definitely not the case. The two stories Brotherhood actually cuts are the Yoki episode and the battle on the train episode. Both of which technically take place in between leaving Lior and meeting Shou in the manga. Pretty much everything from these early episodes that is in 03 but not in Brotherhood is anime original, like literally from episode 1 there is anime original content. This whole "common knowledge" of Brotherhood being sped up is complete bull, the manga just moves pretty quickly at the beginning.
@@Vael221 Not true, they also skipped the Masked Man. Besides, in regards to Yoki, skipping a character’s introduction and explaining it via paperwork and flashback does feel like “Yeah, you know this”.
@@TheBlackDemon1996 I agree. It is true that Brotherhood is the better story in the long run. But they rushed the beginning where FMA took its time and the Nina Alexander story hit much harder than Brotherhood. I feel the same way about how they approached the human transformation scene with the mom. Also, FMA's music was much better than Brotherhoods.
@@flokithemad3273 I wasn't trying to say one was better than the other, I've only seen one. I was just explaining what the... well, "problem" is the wrong word, but you know what I mean.
The best way to expirencen fma
Is to watch 03 till after shou tucker and go with fmab from that point
I love that in the manga after Al pulls Ed away Tucker try to say something and Al like “if you one more word this time I’ll be the one to snap. Mr Tucker”
I think the 5'5 measurement you looked up for ed is his adult form he's 4'11 now
Hey no way I'm as tall as adult Ed, that's funny given my name.
I don't know why but "adult form" is cracking me up, dude didn't grow up he evolved into his adult form lol
Wait but adult Ed is quite a bit taller than Wenry, right? And Wenry isn’t short by any means.
@@mackayla8262 ed grows throughout the series
Pretty sure the 5'5 height is if you include his lil hair antenna thing, but could be wrong 😂
That image of the Nina chimera splattered onto the wall will forever be engraved into my mind. I watched the original Fullmetal Alchemist first way way back when it used to air on Adult Swim at night and some of those episodes still leave such a dang impact today.
That episode has some haunting similarities (including that part) to a nightmare I had when I was young, before FMA was made
It hit so much harder in the original anime and even gave a parallel when the chimera that was Nina was about to be taken away and then the doctor later on. Depressing but a very nice touch
"HE TURNED HER INTO A _RORSCHACH TEST-"_ fucking killed me
His facial expressions really make it...
and Nina
The Elric brother's relationship with Nina in 2003 is better, and not only that, this version decided to dedicate an especial ending to Nina. You can see how Ed's smile is so sad and he wants to cry!. Those little aspects are the ones that makes FMA03 so especial to me. Brotherhood may be the one who follows the manga, but fma03 it's the one who make you fall in love with the characters (for example, the youswell arc).
'do most people need a summoning circle' Yes. The ones that use alchemy for combat purposes tend to have said circle on like, clothes (you can see the flame symbol on Mustang's gloves), that way they don't have to draw it each and every time.
Also Ed is not 5'5. I mean maybe as an adult he's that tall, but right now he's under 5 feet. He's a *little* taller when you take into account his shoes (they're platform shoes lol) and that little hair stem, but his actual height is like, 4'11 as stated by others haha
I'd also add that because State Alchemists tend to use pre-made transmutation circles for combat, they don't just specialize in one type of alchemy because it's their area of expertise, but also because the transmutation circle they're using is specifically for their specialty. If Mustang wanted to use alchemy that was not his flame alchemy, he'd have to take the time to draw the transmutation circle.
@@FeyPhantom I feel like this really shows just how talented Ed and Al are. Everytime you transmute a different substance, you need a different transmutation circle. Most people only specialize in one, like Mustang, but everytime Ed (and later Al) transmutes a material, they have to visualize one out of probably hundreds of circles they've either memorized or just figured out on the spot, and transmutation circles are often quite complex. And they have to do that fast enough to keep up with all the fighting that they do in the series. That's absolutely insane if you think about it.
I haven't watched Brotherhood but in the 03 anime, if I remember correctly, they establish the pre-drawn circles very well when they introduce Mustang
1:40 the main thing about fighting with alchemy is you show up to the fight with pre-drawn circles on your equipment. Those also typically only do one thing (Ice, Fire, Building, etc) with not much variation. Meanwhile Ed can alchemize anything on the fly, and that's why he's such a wild card
Also, fun fact for Danny: FMA and Brotherhood DO have different plots! When the original came out, the manga was still ongoing and it actually caught up and began to surpass the manga, so they went a different direction entirely! It's an entirely new story with different characters and different plot points! That's why most people recommend Brotherhood over the original, it follows the manga
I haven't watched it entirely. So which one is the better one? Does fma deteriorate in quality or is it its own thing?
@@Theblecquetzal FMA is its own thing, and IMO the ending of FMA is better. Brotherhoods ending is a tad comical to me how over the top it is. Opening the planets gate and punching god in the face. 03s ending although dramatic and high stakes, its only high stakes for the main characters, if they lose, the planet will be fine.
@@KaleidoAbridged OK thanks alot. I am watching fma then, cause I do prefer that one. Thanks
@@KaleidoAbridged I would say that FMA 2003 is way to overly dramatic as the show goes on, and the whole parallel worlds thing feels so tacked ton, and not set up at all. FMA:B balances the lighthearted with the Darkness and that makes the contrast stronger, as well as the ending feel far better telegraphed and narrative cohesive. Both are still great but if you are watching only one of them, I would lean Brotherhood.
@@Theblecquetzal just watch them both and decide for yourself rather than listening to biased opinions.
"I wonder if one of those heads wants to die, but it keeps getting out-voted?" Is the most underrated line any reactor has ever given.
He would love Hiram McDaniels
It also hurts more than the original because it's not just one episode Ed and Al literally live with Tucker and Nina for an entire art before this happens.
Isn't it 2 episodes? They do spend months there though, so you get to know Nina and Alexander a lot better
2003's Ed looks so much more traumatized at what happened to Nina. The look on his face when he finds her remnants splattered on the wall is so heartbreaking. Also, the episode (again, in the 2003 version. I think this is either episode 8 or 9) where he goes after Winry after she gets abducted and finds himself face to face with a serial killer is heartbreaking as well. You really feel bad for him after seeing him witness such things. I mean, the boy is only 12 years old, I believe. He's still a damn child.
Not making your point moot, just saying: Ed is 15 during the events of the show.
@@nategoodman7367on 03 version Ed has 12 when Nina die, couse it happen before of Liore.
@@VerumSpina Yeah, except that not really, because the timeline doesn't make sense. Sure, he is 12 by then (why they had to do this, I have no clue), but the three episodes after all follow the aftermath and it is barely a week, maybe two, except that by the end of it, we're told that they're going on their very first mission as State Alchemist to Liore.
The timeline is such a mess.
@@mayadargeon2172 Yes, fma03 falls in the timeline unfortunally.
@@mayadargeon2172it sounds like you just haven’t watched the series in forever since the way yo describe things is inaccurate. Episode 8 follows directly after the events of episode 7, episode 9 then presents the start of Ed’s travels as a state alchemist, before ending the episode as being a recounting of the adventure as the end of the flashback arc that started in episode 3. The implication isn’t that Youswell and liore were close together in time (liore was nowhere close to being Ed’s first mission lmao) but that Ed had been going on these sorts of travels in search of the philosopher stone for several years now and that these were just two of the many adventures he’s had.
The whole Nina event coming early in 03 for Ed’s character is of significant importance to defining his relationship to the military and illustrating how much it contrasts with how that relationship is in bh.
Admitting that you don’t understand this doesn’t say anything about the show’s quality, it just speaks poorly about you as a viewer.
to answer your question: Ed just ASSUMES the stone is 'fake' because it disintegerated, cause it doesn't match how its described in a book he read once. and also probbaly denial of the possibility that he lsot the thing he was looking for.
But we shall see if Ed's assumptions are correct or not.
It's not so much fake as imperfect. If he hadn't pushed so hard the stone probably would've lasted for quite a while, but like a flawed jewel shatters under stress, so did the stone. Even a perfect stone has its limits, but we'll see more of that later.
The 2003 version 100% did Nina's arc better than Brotherhood did. It gave the viewers time to get to know her & care about her, the emotion the boys had for her was much more intense & heartbreaking, it even gave her a special ending credits video after she dies.
Honestly, I think it'd have been more impactful if it ... Actually made sense in the story. While all of this was happening, I was too busy wondering what the fuck Ed was even doing here and why would he need to become a State Alchemist if he could go and study confidential alchemical studies by himself, no watch needed. And also, the reveal was so drawn out, making Ed seem kind of duller ? He's been here for months and never noticed anything ? Also, why did he help Gracia give birth to her kid ?
Yeah, no, there were too many things that didn't make sense that I couldn't appreciate it at all, it had been dragged for too long. I did appreciate getting more of Nina, but it was in the end very shallow, and did a disservice to literally everyone invloved. Just. Why.
Anyway, after that I couldn't do it anymore and went on to read the manga, because I've been told that the story was good but literally nothing in the 03 anime reflected that. And it just got worse as time went by.
I disagree, The reason for why they're there made plenty of sense, ed and al needed a place to stay during the time they were going to take the state exams, since mustang wanted to keep a watch on the boys, he gets a already established state alchemist to shelter the boys until they take the exams. This is turn allowed ed and al to study using tuckers personal state alchemist books to study from.both ed and al were both to focused in passing the exams and playing with nina and Alexander to even notice anything sketchy going on with tucker. The purpose of ed,al,and nina helping mrs.hugh give birth was simply to show ed first discovered his ability to use clap alchemy -a skill he didn't realize he had until that point.
@@JunTekuTheEngima Yeah, and I'm saying that all those explanations given are bullshit.
If Ed could study under big state alchemist even before getting his title, why would he need to get it at all instead of just getting as much of those opportunities as possible ? Why does he need the army or to work under Mustang at all ?
And the clap alchemy excuse just ... Doesn't work, that's not how achemy WORKS, you need to actively be thinking about what you want to do, it's not a clap and then magic happens, and yet it's exactly what this anime is trying to make it out to be and it's even more bullshit.
@@mayadargeon2172 what are you taking about? The reason ed wanted to become a state alchemist was to find out more information about the philosopher stone and/or a way to get his body back. The books that tucker or maybe even other state alchemist may have -while useful isn't the same as books only state alchemist have access to, ed needed a way to get access to the state library to do more research -a place only state alchemist have access to. and as of how ed first learns clap alchemy, al tells ed to think of child birth like alchemy and after putting his hands together as if he was going to pray -someone tells him to get hot water,and so ed knew consciously he need hot water and after putting his hands down on the bowl of water it became hot water very similar to how in brotherhood epi 1 the water alchemist could freeze or boil the water in a persons body, its just a change in the temperature of water that's exactly how alchemy works equivalent exchange.
@@JunTekuTheEngima ... Yeah, nah, the clap alchemy bit was bullshit. Also, Ed very much should've known he was able to do that.
Thanks for reminding me the bit about the library, legit forgot about it for a moment. It very much wasn't for the philosopher's stone, as Ed takes a while to get there and accept that it's a thing that maybe exist, but yeah.
I think the reason everyone recommends Brotherhood is because in the latter half there are characters entirely missing from 2003, and the plot is just a little tighter, but it's kind of universally acknowledged that the pacing of 2003 is better.
There are two arcs missed entirely in Brotherhood, the Youswell arc and Barry the Chopper case, which is a massive shame because those stories do a great job of really solidifying Ed's characters and motivation. Youswell shows that he will 1000% go against the military for his own personal morals and Barry shows both his investigative skills and how he really is afraid of dying, and how fragile he feels, putting him in his first real life or death situation.
The barry the Chopper case was never in the manga and although it was a great filler episode it also creates a massive divide in personality between Barry pre being a suit of armor and Barry post being a suit of armor.
@fiction arch I mean, I totally get that, but I feel it added so much to the character! Ed breaking down and him fighting blind, nearly hurting Al, his vulnerability sans automail, I feel that it really solidified him as a distinct character. I might be biased because I really loved the early arcs of 2003, solidifying him as 'the people's alchemist'
I always saw it as this
Plot: Brotherhood
Characterization: 03
First half: 03 by a mile
Second half: Brotherhood.
Also the Youswell "arc" is like one chapter in the manga and one episode in FMA03, half of which was completely anime original anyway. Like it's a nice story but it really isn't important that it's missing, we don't really need to be convinced he isn't fond of the military since he's fairly up front about that from the beginning. The other story Brotherhood skips is the train fight, which is also not that important. Basically we get Brotherhood episode 1 instead of what would basically be half an episode each of those two stories, so I consider it a wash.
Universally, indeed. I'd also argue the dialog was better in 2003. The retread in Brotherhood, so as not to repeat themselves verbatim, slightly changes word choices and delivery. It doesn't flow as well, because 2003 did it perfectly.
"She scared the detail out of Al" that line had me rolling. Also, yes, I was waiting for this despressing episode. I like FMAB's better for the way they do Nina, but the emotional parts of Ed in FMA best from it.
Brotherhood fan: *Damn, this story is dark*
Me who watched FMA when I was 9: *You have no idea how bad it gets!*
I watched FMA03 when I was ridiculously young as well... I've got to go back to it and watch it with adult eyes this time!
Brotherhood isn’t actually the one that changed things. Brotherhood is almost a beat for beat recreation of the manga for the most part. It’s the 2003 series that took a lot of creative liberty, sometimes to better results, and sometimes for the worse. I personally loved Brotherhood more because it felt more cohesive and planned out over all, having the benefit of a clear vision and the source material. I also loved the tone of Brotherhood more, because I feel like it was better at balancing the humour and lightheartedness with the horror and the genuinely touching, human emotions.
my only real issue with bh is that if you havent watched fma or read the manga the beginning isnt explained near as well since they assume youve already seen or read it
It's not, Brotherhood skipped a lot of the content from early manga
@@electricant55 yeah I freaking love the train fight but they cut that, and the coal mine is plot relevant but they cut that only to sloppily explain it later. They cut important, fun stories only to add a filler episode that introduces way to much for a first episode. I honestly feel like 2003 did a better job adapting some of the first few stories like Liore or Nina or the coal mine because they flesh them out more and keep all the earlier stories unlike Brotherhood which felt rushed at first and cut things out for no reason. I love Brotherhood but the first bit of it kinda sucks.
I see FMA 03 and FMAB as two halves of a whole. Yes 03 takes a WILDLY different direction and even focuses on different characters in different ways…even with some different world building concepts. But that doesn’t mean they can’t feed into each other.
03 has a rushed ending and FMAB has a rushed start. It’s actually a good thing to watch them in close proximity. I wouldn’t like FMAB NEARLY as much without 03 there. I truly love them both in equal regard and I hope people recognize you truly should see them both more for reactions.
Also, we didn't end up with an upside-down man glued to a giant furry behemoth.
(take THAT point out of context with people who don't know wtf you're talking about, I dare you)
I can’t remember who said this but I 100% agree with FMAB having the perfect first 4 episodes to introduce you into the world
Episode 1 - intro the world alchemy and the characters
Episode 2 - main characters backstory and setting the goal
Episode 3 - exploring the religious extremes
Episode 4 - exploring the scientific extremes
I love it so much
Now we wait for ep 10
woah, i never put two and two together about the parallels of ep 3 v 4 being the extremes of religion vs science!
im personally bad at analysis so i usually enjoy shows at face value, but i find it incredibly interesting to see other people talk about their views on a series because i always leave with new amazing insights like this
Never thought of it this way. Wow. This got deep.
I need to double check which episode, 10 was so I rewatched it and now I'm mad at you for making me relive that >:(
@@Kozuki_Oden_Ish Major Hughes?
@@Kozuki_Oden_Ish it's a terrible day for rain
I absolutely recommend watching both series to get the best FMA experience. Though '03 diverges from the manga at a certain point, I think that the original story it tells is incredibly interesting in its own right. You'll hear a lot of people just writing off '03 and saying Brotherhood is the best definitive version of the anime, but I just don't think that really gives '03 enough credit for what it was able to achieve tonally and character-wise. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.
to me the beginning and end of fma are better then fma bh but bh middle is better
Oh Imma answer the question before getting to the actual reaction. Yes, 2003 anime was better imo here. In the original anime, there were several filler episodes where Nina played a supporting role making both her and her father pre-established characters that had more time to grow on the viewers making the twist hit so much harder. On top of that, Ed ends up seeing her body splattered on a wall, while in FMAB, he only finds out about her death from being told by others. A lot less of an emotional reaction.
Edit: so on the 2003 vs FMAB debate, 2003 goes anime original after the halfway point, an inevitability the staff knew about going into it so they integrated the stuff adapted with more of a darker edge that fit the vision it'd work towards. If you had to ask me what anime had the best anime original ending, I'd have to say 2003 because it managed to feel consistent throughout. I also loved the art more than FMAB, the shadows are incredible. However, FMAB, while rushes a bit for the first quarter, does adapt the story in full. In terms of writing and quality of english dub, FMAB is the better one, hands down, but the moments in 2003 have stuck with me in my mind a lot more.
Yeah, I definitely think the beginning of fma 2003 is better than fmab's beginning, but I like fmab more overall :D (Both are amazing though)
I agree it was so devastating and shockingly brutal compared to brotherhood
@@TheSilverHermitMage Yes, I get this because the beginning of the old FMA followed the manga until a point and then FMAB didnt want to do the exact same stuff so they summarized that part a lot. That's why when people JUST watch FMAB the callbacks are not as impactful. for example the mining town that was pretty much skipped in FMAB comes back a lot. Rose, Nina, and Hughes were not as impactful as they could have been because they kind of rushed the beginning of the story to continue the end of the story correctly. The way the manga reads is the best lol.
Yeah, Bortherhood was mostly trying to speed forward towards the part where '03 diverged from the manga. Why that whole part of the story was done better in '03. Wasn't just Nina, another certain character was also done better. Don't wanna name the character due to spoilers for Danny in case he comes across this, but the certain character in the phone booth
I'm going to completely reject the idea that 03 did Nina's death better. Scar killing Nina in 03 is horrific and unfitting for the character, which alone makes it worse. He is killing for a very specific path of revenge, and while yeah he does kill Nina he is doing it out of (at least in his opinion) and act of kindness. He isn't making a show out of it because he sees he as an abomination, he see's an innocent human child who has been wronged irreversibly. That is why they don't show her death, and why he prays for her afterwards.
Also for the record, 2003 has anime original filler in literally the first episode, and has fully original plot material as early as episode 4. It feels consistent because it was always anime original, it was barely following the manga and was creating it's own thing from moment one. Not saying that's a bad thing, in fact that's probably why it is so good, but there are like 2 episodes from 03 that are both in the manga and cut from Brotherhood (5 and 9 which are the train fight and Yoki episode respectively) and even those are remixed to fit into the storyline 03 is creating.
I feel everyone prefers brotherhood because it’s quicker and has a happier tone. But FMA is more dramatic and harsher and a bit more complex. But I always recommend to watch FMA and then Brotherhood because storylines are different and the drama is different
Haven't listened to such L take in a long time
I absolutely prefer the original.
No people prefer Brotherhood because its the actual plot of the manga. The 2003 version did these (and another couple arcs) better but in the long run they changed so much that the actual message of the entire show in the ethical and political aspect got lost. Brotherhood kept that. The 2003 version doing like 2 arcs better does not take away the entire show being better in brotherhood. There’s a reason is one of the greats in anime and manga.
I prefer the original, but I do like that Brotherhood took the manga route. It's just both sides of the same coin
Following the manga does not mean that it’s of higher quality.
Ed's not 5'5 he's 4'11
He's both the 5'5 I would asome to be his adult form
Nah. He’s 3’9.
@@levantdiggerus3473 he's actually 1'1
@@Arixandrine that's average
@@cardboard_hat nah average is 5 inches😂
This episode still gets me, it is still one of the most traumatic episodes. The way she grabs hold of Ed to keep him from hurting her "Father" and the look on Ed's face when he realises she's protecting him? Heartbreaking.
And I agree, he died too easy. I would have fed him to his other Chimeras.
They didn't seem too happy with him either.
I think Ed is shorter than 5,5 at the moment because he actually progressively gets taller as the series goes on as a way of indicating that he actually ages
There is a reason Brotherhood was hyped for years , years and years. And it is because the 2003 anime was amazing. FMA manga was fairly popular, but it was the 2003 that exploded in popularity. No millenial otaku doesn't know Melissa. People often sleep on FMA 2003 because it deviates from the source material, but its direction is arguably more accomplished.
Before Brotherhood existed, the 2003 anime was the #1 recommendation.
I'll be honest, it feels like Nina's death hit harder in the original anime because we got to spend more time with her. In brotherhood we get half an episode before she gets fused. In the original we got, like, twice as much time with her. We learn more about her, we see her more, we grow far more attached. In Brotherhood, we get less time and a vast majority of us already know what's going to happen to her, so we've already prepared ourselves. Even those who haven't seen FMA or FMA:B, have heard of Nina and Alexander! I mean, even Danny knew about Nina, and this is his first time watching it! It's something that we know is coming, where as in the original we don't know what's about to happen. It struck us hard cause it took us by surprise.
that's why i think the original did it better than brotherhood.
I loved the original. The emotional beats hit like a freight train. It would be neat to see you watch that one after you finish Brotherhood and do a comparison.
As someone who started with the ‘03 version of this show (and actually held off on watching Brotherhood for several years because I thought there’s no way it could be improved upon), Brotherhood is by far better in the long run, but it does kinda assume you’ve seen the first show or read the manga already, because it rushes a bit through the early parts of the story
Watch 2003 till you finish the nina tucker story then switch to brotherhood.
Both anime are great but I agree that brotherhood has the better ending.
@@Claire-tz8yl The ending is the worst part of the manga. 2003's last eleven episodes are peak fiction.
@genyakozlov1316 I'm happy someone on this earth agrees with me. Almost every moment of the episodes you mention are some of the best in the entire show, 03 was a dark masterpiece of fiction.
The true watch order is FMA 1 and 2, then FMA: Brotherhood. It's a better opening and better intro to Ed and Al, but episode 3 and on in FMA are too different from Brotherhood.
@@GenCavoxCanonical MANGA material you would not see if you did that:
1.Yoki's true introduction
2. Hughes' true introduction
3. More screentime with Hughes
4. More screentime with Maria before (spoilers) thus making "that event" hit weaker in Brotherhood without this
5. An extra chapter in the manga "Fullmetal VS. Flame" adapted as an episode
Non-manga things you'll miss:
1. Episode 4 while confronting Majhal, he drops something about transmuted souls that never becomes relevant in 2003 but becomes a plot point in the manga
2. A different and frankly more gut-wrenching take on "The Incident" (topic of this video)
3. Earlier introductions to characters before they're immediately relevant or better introductions in general
4. Extra time with Trisha, though not necessarily adapting the extra chapters where she gets extra screentime in the manga does atleast serve as a substitute in 2003, which Brotherhood lacks.
Just your local manga reader stating the facts :)
I am actually so happy you watched the fma original version of the Nina ep too because I also prefer it over brotherhood's take. That fact that it spans over 2 episodes which gives us more time to get attached to Nina and then all the things you said about it being more ominous, Nina being in pain and Ed fighting for her. The original just made it so much more impactful and heart-breaking. This is why I love both the original and brotherhood for different reasons. Brotherhood definitely handles the later portion of the story better as it follows the manga and gets to the main plot sooner but the earlier part I feel are done better in the original. Part of that is because they had less content to work with with the manga being incomplete so they gave more time to the beginning arcs but I think another part is brotherhood expects you to have already seen the original and gone through all that already so it kinda of speed runs the beginning. It also shows with how they've cut arcs out or shortened then - the Sun God Leto ep was 2 eps long in the original. Not hating on brotherhood though ofc, I love it so much too but it's why I always say watching both is the best experience
The second half of brotherhood is better than the original but the original did the earler episodes better. Brotherhood goes through it faster and cuts some stuff out but the orginal builds the charecters up more.
imo the beginning of 03 and end are better but bh has a better middle section
@@mitchellmiller6644 I agree completely with the beginning. When it comes to the end, the idea of what happens with Elrics is interesting, but other than that, the final arc before that kind of dragged on. Thou I like what they did with Elrics' and Mustang's relationship before they came back to Risembol again. Thou, at the same time Mustang's more of an asshole to Edward than in Brotherhood through the first half.
Although I do prefer Brotherhood overall, FMA 03 certainly has its moments.
@najpotenicewolf934 I'm kinda the opposite I feel like the ending on bh was rushed 03s dragged a bit but felt flushed out
Avoiding spoilers, there’s another character who I feel has more emotional weight in the original. I think it’s because the manga wasn’t finished, so they spent more time on some of these characters to fill time.
A LION DRESSED FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH THE IRS???? Danny, where does this come from?? 😂😂😂
I'm slightly obsessed with watching Danny's mouth, especially when he's saying TERRIBLE things...
What brings me to tears is the fact that she still cares about her father
Generally the first anime is better for the first ~10 episodes of brotherhood, because brotherhood is like speed-running the content that is more or less the same.
The ‘we’re human’ (26:43) line is a lot less random and cringey in the 2003 version. It’s set at the end of the original Barry the chopper serial killer episode from before Barry was attached to a suit of armour, so he is a complete psychopath. Anyway it was this really traumatic episode for Ed and just after the Nina part too. So he sits on a few steps, hunches in on himself, and starts crying. Because he is just a human with human fears and human capabilities which could barely save himself and certainly couldn’t save a little girl. It just comes across as much more sad, tragic and authentic in the 2003 instead of him awkwardly yelling it to the sky. Because he is just human, and sometimes that sucks.
The two anime are very, very different. I highly recommend watching both. Obviously Brotherhood will inherently have better animation, because it was made later, but, for me, at least, the original anime and Brotherhood are equally awesome. I really appreciate both stories for different reasons.
I will understand if you don't want to watch both on the channel, but I highly recommend watching the original series on your own time at the very least. It's very very good. At the very least it's very interesting to see where they took the original source material after it ran out. It's literally animated. Completely voice acted amazing fanfiction! It's so cool! 😀
I like how Danny not so subtly transitioned the video into an Abridged parody for a while.
Him realizing there's more trauma in FMA vs FMA Brotherhood should be telling of why he was recommended Brotherhood.
You are being spared!
The Hughes death scene in FMA broke 13 year old me. That and when Ed learns about it.
Personally, I’m not sure which version of FMA I prefer. I love both versions equally. The whole thing with Ed trying to help Nina is because that part of the show happens way earlier than it’s supposed to and Ed only recently tried to bring back his mom
Where did you get the information Edward is 5'5 man??? My guy is 4'11 💀
In the manga it shows he's 5'5 with his shoes and hair thing.
As an adult he is 5'5
@@skybluegames6663 same thing
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I would fully recommend watching the 2003 anime first. Brotherhood may follow the manga's plot more accurately overall, but the emotional reaction I get from the 2003 version is so much stronger. Watching the sped up beginning of brotherhood first might hurt the emotional impact of certain early story beats that the 2003 version does so much better.
I watched it growing up (sheesh!) and forgot basically 90% of the main story beats. Rewatched it again recently as an adult, and was pretty surprised at how dark it was compared to Brotherhood haha. There's also that *insane* Gluttony vs Wrath fight in Conqueror of Shambala.
Honestly, I have NO IDEA what you're talking about. I've been reading the manga and decided to try and watch the first anime and the story is ... Absolutely awful ? Why is Ed like this ? Actually, why is EVERYONE like this ? What the fuck is up with this botched timeline ? Why are plot points drawn out for so long ? What the FUCK is up with the pseudo science alchemy that makes even less sense than the original ? Who are these badly written extras ? Why does the plot make NO fucking sense ?
At this point, I think that everyone that says that the first anime is good just have nostalgia goggles on. I'm not even complaining because everything is so different from the manga (tho there IS some of that, because so far I haven't liked ANY of the FMA anime characters, while I absolutely adore them in the manga), it's just that the story straight up doesn't make sense.
You're telling me that literally JUST after getting his State Alchemist position, Ed would fucking *resign* to ... Figure out Nina's killer ? What ? What about AL ? His ARM ? HIS ENTIRE LIFE GOAL AT THIS POINT IN TIME ???? Is he _stupid_ ?
Also, if it is SO easy to get access to confidential and private alchemical studies and you don't need to be a state alchemist to have it, as is shown by Ed studying under Shou Tucker BEFORE getting his license, then why does Ed need it at all ? The plot doesn't make sense, is actively contradicting itself and is all over the place, the characters have all lost most of their charms and I swear that the "alchemy" is going to fucking make me explode by how nonsensical it is. Why does reviving animals work but not humans ? Is it a question of souls ? Are we implying that animals DON'T have souls then ? And why does more people touching a circle make the circle more powerful ? Are we sure that's how it works ? I am pretty sure that alchemy has limits and isn't magic, so why does the anime try to convince me so hard that alchemy can do literally anything ?
I am almost scared to watch more and see how they'll butcher Izumi.
It's just. Yeah, no, the only thing this anime got going on for it is the gorgeous animation and the soundtrack. Also, so far I prefer the artstyle over the BH one, but that's literally it. At this point, I'm not even complaining on how much BH skips, of the moment it ignores the bullshit set up by its predecessor.
@@mayadargeon2172@mayadargeon2172 Oh yeah, the changes to Ed's character in the beginning may be hard to contend with, dear manga reader. But fear not! I will explain what I can.
Volume 8 of the manga, there is extra chapter explaining how director Mizushima wants FMA the anime to be more about how Ed and Al are still just children, and thus still need to grow. (Arakawa, mangaka, jokingly responds with agreement as she admits that "Ed already started out at lvl 100"
So IN THE MANGA, there is already information about why changes were made. Which I think makes sense, the feeling of guilt overwhelmed Ed massively. ANNOYING, sure, realistic? Yes.
So let us talk about the early episodes. Yes the timeline was quite a bit harder to follow indeed. Episode 7 is where it pretty much settles in the present and dear manga reader, you should know this.
Episode 4 kinda is pointless, yes. But to be fair, it was written by a guest writer, not the anime's main writer Shou Aikawa who otherwise doesn't miss.
Now. The coal mine is put after the Nina Incident. Its purpose is OBVIOUS, give Ed a win to get his confidence back after suffering a devastating loss. Mustang almost certainly intended that.
Now your claim of animals being able to be revived. You've been tricked, the anime presents this false narrative more than once. (Particularly repeating it with birds.) Particularly the EYES of the bird in episode 1 and in that one Lust episode deeper in the run where the bird IMMEDIATELY dies after being out of sight.
Now. Uh, I don't know how to say this but wtf are you talking about with alchemy being nonsensical in the anime? Alchemy's feats in the anime *never* reached how powerful it could be in the manga. Sure it did more silly things like compressing air and turning water into alcohol but that's atleast explained and really kinda weak, for it is tangible in the real world.
As for your point about the plot taking long. I don't know what to say, the anime felt well paced to me. By necessity, moving pictures will need to take more time to establish itself than a manga does. It's just a quirk of the medium.
I too am a manga reader and do dislike some or even many of the changes made, but you sound like you just hate the anime's story because it's different.
@@cdscissor Thing is, I started with the 03 anime, before deciding it was too annoying compared to all the praises about the story I heard. Watched the first 6 episodes, I found the power system weird, the pacing bad and the characters just overall unappealing, and I didn't understand why FMA would be hailed as one of the best story out there.
Then I was convinced to read the manga and found all of my problems resolved and the story better in literally every way, outside of, arguably, the art style which I prefered in the anime.
I tried very hard to like the anime, I didn't set in with the goal to hate almost everything shown to me, and even after going further in the manga, I still tried to give the first anime a chance as its own thing, which I couldn't.
It doesn't help that everyone hails the first half of the anime as the one to follow before Brotherhood, considering the sheer amount of things changed for the sake of, I dunno, padding ?
Why does Ed need gold to transmute stuff into gold ? What the fuck was the girl in the mining town, I'd have guessed that any alchemist would be able to transmute gold, so why would the military man in charge accept Ed's bribe when he already has an alchemist at his service ?
@@mayadargeon2172 @mayadargeon2172 That's easier to explain atleast.
There's two. Pick what you want:
1. Just to show the audience what to expect. Remember, animation is a different medium. Audience don't just accept that something happens the way they can for a manga.
2. To keep in line with what has already been established before. In Liore, to fix the clock the parts of the clock must still be there. Or be substituted with something equivalent, for example. Coal dust and dirt don't exactly have an immediate connection to gold, so using the gold coins may have been used to jumpstart the transmutation.
As for that idea of gold being easily transmuted, hard to say. But I know in real life alchemy, transmuting materials to gold was considered the holy grail of the science. So by that logic, we can assume that transmuting gold doesn't come easily though for state alchemists it's probably trivial. (Which is why there's a law against it.)
Lyra, is most likely incapable of this, as she seems to be a rather inexperienced alchemist. Really only being a one trick pony, and also not being a state alchemist at all.
I'm glad you're wondering about her purpose, spoiler: She's a surprise tool that'll help us later.
The extra content isn't padding in any way. Remember, 2003 is an ORIGINAL story. It's already setting up its own plot, as you're watching right now! So expect deviations. But also, I like some of the extra episodes too. Like with their mom. She doesn't feel like plot point for the sake of plot in 2003, she feels like a person and I feel like I understand better why they desperately wanted her back.
That's how I feel atleast. And again, I think episode 7 is where 2003 really starts to straighten out.
i’d like to mention that in the original Edward is 12 years old during the nina arc while he’s 14-15 in FMAB
Danny taunting his editor about the second episode is absolutely killing me
Ed and Al have a strong attachment to Nina and the drama is heavier because they get a couple of episodes to get to know her, too. Overall, FMA 2003 is Darker. You see trauma and its effects, more than some people want. Personally I always advise both, because both are excellent for different reasons.
Wow
You didn’t didn’t just hit me with the Nina episode, but also the original FMA version that I completely purged from my memory
Thanks for reintroducing that into my adult life
The thing is that when the original FMA came out, the Manga wasn't finished. The first 30 or so episode are very smimilar to the manga and to FMA Brotherhood, but then it takes a complete turn into an original ending, that wasn't _bad_ but it was very, very different from what will happen here. Due to this, the FMA Brothehood series highly condenses some of the first parts of the series, becasue they did not want to retreat old ground, as at that point, most people had watched the original already.
I think in hindsight this _was_ a mistake, as people nowadays aren't really watching the old series anymore and they do loose a few emotional beats in the beginning of the series. I would say FMA Brotherhood finds it's actual own feet around Episode 9 or 10 and from then on gets better and better with each episode.
All in all, FMA Brotherhood is the better series in my opinion, it just takes a moment to get out of the shadow of it's predecessor
I actually recommend watching FMA 03. Only reason they remade it is cause FMA 03 caught up to the manga, and branched off into its own original story. Brotherhood basically skimmed through the material that FMA 03 covered, which is why the weight doesn't seem to be there since it just wanted to get to the part FMA 03 branched off from right away. Another certain character was also done better in '03 due to this and what happens to that certain character also hits harder like Nina did. Everything afterwards is great though in Brotherhood. And the FMA 03 original direction it took after branching off from the manga is also pretty good. One is basically a dark character study of Ed ('03), and the other is an epic action adventure (Brotherhood). The tone as you can see also differs with '03 being more series and dark, and Brotherhood being more lighthearted. Recommend watching both if you can. They basically became two different stories
I agree. After Brotherhood he should give 03 a chance
I love the emotional depth, range, and nuance in 2003's version. It's darker, more dramatic. The characters all have stellar development and they are faced with extremely harsh truths and realities. I feel like in Brotherhood there's always a way out for them, the tension doesn't feel as impactful. But in the 2003 version the tension was slowly amping up and at certain parts of each arc you were hit with something so harsh it left you thinking hard about things.
Both versions are very, very good on their own. But watch both because they are different enough that it's enjoyable to get both.
Another things that, probably made the Nina thing worse (or better depending on how you look at it ig) in the 03 version is that they, lowered Ed and Al's ages there. So he's even YOUNGER dealing with that extremely fucked situation.
Exactly. he was only like 12 or something in the 03 version. Like, he's not even a teenager yet. He's a freaking CHILD.
yer the original FMA nina ep still lives in subconscious over 10 years later
24:01
As somebody who loves both versions, here is my two cents:
2003 (the original) is a more introspective take on the story, it slows down to analyze characters and their depths. Brotherhood is a more action-packed adventure of comradery that analyzes the bigger-picture of a world with alchemists at war and has some solid twists.
While Brotherhood has better pacing and stays more consistent with its overarching plot, it sometimes misses some scenes that 2003 fleshes out.
I should also mention that each analyzes different characters.
In the end, they feel like two different stories with similar plot points, since they go in such different directions.
(If you want a more in-depth contrast, the RUclips channel Lowart does a heavy exploration of the differences... although it is full of spoilers.)
Brotherhood is amazing but the 2003 version and the manga are so dark and much more dramatic. Both have very impactful stories
1:40 well when its combat, they have them on thing they can wear, or just carved in their skin the guy in ep 1 had the thing on his arms and hand remember? so in fighting the stuffs gotta be preset, but most people who WOULD use it for combat, already have it set up yk
One of the things FMA had over other anime was the music it always felt better then others and more involved
I will never emotionally recover from hearing their mom be called a "burnt sea monkey"
The original FMA does in fact do the Nina Arc must better, however a lot of that was anime only content, and not from the manga. Brotherhood is a full adaptation of the manga while FMA ‘03 was made before the manga was finished, and took some pretty bizarre turns towards the end. Hope that clears some stuff up!
Also, Ed is 4’11 here and grows to 5’5 by the end. Ed is smol 🥺
3:18 thats grown Edward!!! current 15 year old Edward is 150cm which I think is around 4'11
"Oh my god, she scared the DETAIL out of Al!"
😂😂😂 bro
Okay, you need to watch the original FMA, well, just generally, but especially on the next tear jerker episode.
Things I love about 2003: Sloth's identity, the identity of the killer of Winry's parents, The ending .
I don’t remember Ed being such an edgy college atheist in this episode but granted it’s been almost a decade since I’ve watched both series. Lol
i love the fact you said nina and alexander fusion danced when there's actually a shirt of them doing the fusion dace lol
As others stated, Danny. FMA aired during the manga's run and finished before the manga did. FMAB is essentially a direct adaptation to the enitre manga. Great episode as always dude, suprised you didn't call for Thomas or Dr. Concerned. Don't worry, you will before long. Also, sorry Tom.
The music that plays in the 2003 version once Ed asks (Where have Alexander and Nina gone to) really shows the horror!
25:57 In the long run, yes. Brotherhood has a much more accurate story to the manga, considering the original only had so much of the source material out at the time, I believe it's the first 25-ish with some originals sprinkled in there, so some plots get Dragged out a little longer like the Nina arc. With the next episode(8 the philosopher's stone) giving you a more disturbing look into Edward's Mentality about How vulnerable and human he is😢
Highly recommend that 03 episode if you liked what you saw here😅
I am absolutely TERRIFIED of this Nina/Alexander contraption HELP 😭
The first version of fma was what I saw years ago. It was truly traumatic. Still feel bad for Nina because of it.
All together I feel that FMA 2003 is better to watch as a marathon, It has more focus on solely the brothers, which is weird to think about when comparing to brotherhood, and though the story is different it was made to be different from the start and was given the blessings of the manga's creator to make it how it was. Also starting from 2003 is better than brotherhood due to pacing, art direction, and music.
in the 2003 FMA you also see Nina the brothers and Shou over multiple episodes so you see their attachment more making the point even more devistating
One of the manga creators Hiromu Arakawa, first story was called Stray Dog where a half human half dog, that were "military dogs" ( dog of the military is the term given to state alchemist in fma)
LETS GOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been so excited for this I've been watching the first ep every day
Summoning circle??? Its a transmutation circle!!! The first few episodes of FMA are truly amazing, I totally prefer them, & that series. Nina & Alexander get a two part episode that truly destroyed me as a kid, that was the first night I didn't go to sleep, horrified that a father could do that to his own daughter. Plus, FMA was one of the first anime I watched where I generally thought these were real characters, the world was dark & realistic vs most anime out there, still to this day. in FMA you honestly dont even feel like these kids will ever be able to return to their bodies. FMA just hits different & a bit harder, emotionally, its truly an amazing drama vs brotherhood being more action, adventure, comedy. Also I would NEVER EVER tell someone to watch brotherhood first, both Fullmetal Alchemist series' are amazing but you do the first one to get a ground real idea of this world & you then watch brotherhood which just has a big ole fun happy ending but to get the whole FMA experience, you watch FMA first.
Brotherhood is more loyal to the manga. The scene in brotherhood is how it happened in the manga, while the 2003 version took more liberties with the story even at this stage of the story before completely diverging from the story. In the manga, the complete story of Nina happens in one single neatly confined chapter, while in the 2003 version, they extended the story of Ed getting his state license and combined it with the Nina story, also meaning that Ed is much younger in this scene of 2003 than in Broterhood.
“ Is Fullmetal Alchemist better than brotherhood?”
ME: YES!!!! (screaming at screen)
A great meme once said:-
"Guys, this picture doesn't fit as my twitter banner"
"Nevermind I figured it out"
This is why I love both fma and brotherhood equally. The original show got down to the more emotional stuff in the beginning and shows in great detail all the heart wrenching side quests they have along the way. But brotherhood has the actual manga storyline and gets down to it a lot quicker. Honestly in my opinion it’s important to watch both to get the full impact of everything. Plus (though I don’t think most people agree) I think the direction the anime original plot lines take in the later parts of fma are absolutely amazing. I also think, from this reaction, Danny would probably agree with my assessment. So yeah my advice to anyone any time is to watch both all the way through.
From what I recall, Brotherhood's rendition was pretty much exactly how it played out in the manga. A very quick but prominent event. In the original, whilst there's a lot more there, because a lot of it is original content all the padding comes with completely unrelated plot points. Overall, the original was the directors looking at the manga plot and going "so what if we took away the comedy and made it as depressing as possible?" A great watch when you love pain, but I think a lot of people deeply appreciate the silly comedy to help counteract the dark plot points in general. The original is one big Whump plot, manga and Brotherhood give the necessary breathing room for wider audiences. Both great but are practically their own separate genres at this point.
FMA is my my personal opinion better. The tone is much darker and just.... more adult?
But many like FMAB better because it's more true to the manga. But as a self standing show, FMA is probably better.
Maybe I'm a little bias because I watched FMA first. I couldn't even take FMAB seriously after that Rollercoaster, it felt like a kids show.
no its the same for me, i absolutely love brotherhood but FMA has a special place in my heart
Where to watch 2003 version
I'm so happy you're still reacting to brotherhood like,,,,, it's so good and I love your videos. FMA does some things better like long arcs and extreme buildups ESPECIALLY the Nina arc, which is definitely fma's best work, but it also takes absolutely forever to get any new information and by the time you do, you're already falling asleep. Now, to blatantly copy/paste my comment from the last video: Episodes 6, 8, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 36, 40, 42, 43, 44, 46, 48, and 49 all have post-credit scenes, some goofy and others that are actually really important to the plot. It gets confusing if you don't have this list going in and haven't seen all of these! So please make sure that you're watching them!!!
Nina’s journey isn’t over in the original. Brotherhood’s episodes 7/8 cuts out where she returns in the original at episodes 19-23.
When you record episode 7/8 it’s definitely worth watching episodes 19-23 (or skimming) of the the original.
I found what you did here at the end very interesting and love to see your reaction to the original just like you did here 😊
What do you mean brotherhood cut it out she does not comeback in he manga. Brotherhood follows the manga.
@@plantcrone9662 I’m talking about the original anime, not the manga :)
YESSSSS IVE BEEN WAITING FOR A VIDEO LIKE THIS TO EXIST
2003 is much darker in general, and I like the art direction and style a LOT more.
03’s Nina arc also hit harder because iirc Ed is a few years younger in this version (instead of ~15? he’s around 13) and he stayed with Shou for a longer time period (a few months I think) so they really bonded closely with Nina. In Japanese she also calls him “Edward onii-san”.
Danny: "is FMA...better than Brotherhood?"
me: "YES! YES IT IS, DAMMIT!!!"
yesss more FMA!!! let's go
And Continuing to suggest Iruma-kun on nearly every video in the hopes of you'll one day check it out.
I shall be right next to you from now on
This is amazing! 😂 I cannot wait to see the rest. As far as favorite jokes : the nitpick commentary like "oh hello All-Might"
He right tho
Transmutation Circles are basically math equations that allows one to swap around atoms to change one material to another within the bounds of the equivalent exchange formula, you can also draw transmutation circles on items like rings or gloves to circumvent the having to draw them all the time unless you draw a specific one for specific results like Mustang’s gloves
*To answer your question:* The original Fullmetal Alchemist is, _hands down,_ the better story out of the two because it goes more in depth on the _emotional_ side of things and overall just has more meat on it. Botherhood, on the other hand, is the most true to the original manga and so it is considered by the majority of the fandom to be better because it's more canon. However, it relies a lot on the idea that people already know the story and so it just throws you right into things without any sort of foreplay.
Moments like this one, with Nina are sorely lacking in Brotherhoods rendition of the anime so, I would 100% suggest you watch other important scenes, when you get to them as well and get the full experience to truly appreciate this anime.
My main suggestion is, when you reach *episode 10* of Brotherhood, please watch *episode 25* of the original FMA also, as this is an iconic and impactful scene that isn't done justice in the remake.
FMAB doesn't rely on people already watching FMA at all, lol.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 I'm sorry, but it really does rely on that prior knowledge. There are so many situations in Brotherhood that are less impactful because they chose to speed run the story rather than expand it and add in those details. Most people who start with Brotherhood don't even know why characters like Rose and Yoki are given so many highlights and important scenes and that is directly because they don't have the context that the 2003 FMA gave us while watching it. Instead, Brotherhood relies on the expectation that everyone has either already seen or at least already knows about FMA's story in some form of light and so it skips moments of character development and moves right onto the end goal without actually earning the reward of that experience. It's like cheating at a game, like skipping scenes in an RPG because you've already played it before. Except most people these days haven't scene the original show and so they don't have that - thus making Brotherhood feel very in your face, slap dash, and overall confusing.
Like, Brotherhood isn't a bad anime, don't get me wrong. It's amazing because Fullmetal Alchemist is an amazing story, even when it's only being summarized, but it's really just not comparable to the original show when it comes to actual content and backstory. For me, having grown up with the show, Brotherhood is always going to feel shallow because it's missing all the context I remember and it's not treating the scenes with the weight or patience that they require. Again, it's an amazing remake, but it's just missing too much of the backstory. I would have been much happier with it if they had just put in that extra time to add the scenes that were missing and fleshed out the moments that meant something.
@@jettgem Rose is introduced in Episode 3, she is written exactly as she was in the manga, unlike FMA 03 which completely changed her.
FMAB has a whole scene talking about how the brothers shut down Yoki's operation, then he pops up again a few episodes later. Once again, the Yoki episode in FMA 03 was very different from the manga too.
FMAB doesn't speedrun anything, it sticks to the fast pace of the early chapters of the manga, and even the series director has talked about this.
2003 is genuinely great and now super underrated imo. Brotherhood is mostly more recommended because for one thing, it’s newer and shinier, so people opt for it first, and secondly, it’s a closer adaptation to the manga and more in line with a more light-hearted, epic, ultimately feel-good story. FMA 2003 is more of a smaller scale story with a focus on characters and the brother’s internal journey in an unforgiving, adult world, so yes, in a lot of ways it’s darker and more introspective without spelling everything out for you and is more…morally grey with characters. So depending on who you are and what you want out of your entertainment (at the time), people are drawn to one or the other.
I personally think both are great for different reasons and kinda compliment each other and their respective themes, and pick up where the other may lack. So if you like Brotherhood, I say, more FMA can never be a bad thing. FMA fans were blessed with more than one storyline and genre to experience these beloved characters in, and I think that’s honestly pretty great. So yes, if you like Brotherhood so far and liked the snippets what you saw of the Nina arc in FMA 03, I’ll never say it’s a bad idea to check that series out too.
I'm happy you compared the two Nina episodes. Personally, I'd recommend evryone to watch the original anime first. Just cause it's darker and some of the events just hit harder. In Brotherhood they kinda rush the first bit from what I've seen which you know makes sense since the main purpose is to just adapt the ending of the Manga that the original anime didn't. And serve as a more faithful adaptation I guess. Which is why I guess most people recommend to watch it first but personally I'd watch the edgier version with the more ominous twists first it's not like it can spoil the ending for brotherhood for you since they're different. Just the beginning which brotherhood kinda rushes anyways.
omg you should watch the FMA serial killer episode.. that absolutely traumatized me as a kid
So the reason why there's a lot more weight in the original anime compared to Brotherhood with Nina's arc is that we have several episodes dedicated to her, and when we're shown what happened to her at the hands of our boi with the shades, it hits much harder. Also, an interesting note, the English voice actor (Vic) broke down crying when we reached that scene of Ed rounding the corner and finding Nina. At least from what I recall, but knowing that hits so much more. (though I might be misremembering, feel free to correct me :/ )
Both versions of the animes have their own merits, pros/cons, and have a plethora of animation talent in both. If you want to watch the first version of the anime it'd be neat to know what you're thoughts of it are, as the show kept going when it reached a point that the manga was still being worked on at the time.
If it helps, the "Zapping to death" is literally Scar *deconstructing Tucker's brain* on a molecular level.