Is this or Brotherhood your favorite anime?

By far, the original!

It's in my top three favorite anime of all time (counting both anime and American-produced animated shows), with Robotech coming in #1 and Yuyu Hakusho coming in #2. The drama, maturity, occasional comic relief that doesn't come off forced, feeling of family all around, the journey over the destination. The ending also isn't just another happy ending, it's a struggle right up to the end and really everything in the Elrics' lives leads up to that end, both the series finale and the movie following it. They gave the trials they endured their hearts and souls, in more ways than one and in certain ways they got the proper equivalent exchange.

The world isn't perfect and original Fullmetal displayed that prospect brilliantly, every human being is flawed and getting to see how this alternate Earth mirrored our own very flawed early 20th century, it was all quite chilling and compelling!

Superman & The [Red-Blue] Blur = The Man of Steel

I am puzzled people keep on asking to choose between the two... I love both, equally, for different things.

1) FMA 1 for the beautiful, sentimental mood, for a great tor behind the creation of the Homonculi, for some great music, for some of the most emotional scenes in anime I have seen (Izumi going to get Wrath back from the Headquarters still makes me cry).

2) Brotherhood for the humour and funniest scenes, the political plot and moral responsibility for the war on both sides that was more prominent here, for the new Kimblee and Scar and a bunch of new, interesting characters.

I mean, I enjoyed both, in a different way, but at the bottom, they are both great series with great characters that aim at the same thing.

Both are outstanding anime series that put many live action shows to shame. But if I to pick one it would be FMAB because the story wraps up completely and I prefer Hoenheim's backstory in that one more. FMAB was the first animated show where I cried when a character died. I was watching the graveside scene & crying like it was real. Powerful.

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Uhm... What do you guys call "the original anime"? The anime from 2003? I thought Brotherhood is more accurate and sticks to "the original manga", which wasn't finished until 2010. So how is it possible that everyone prefers the 2003 anime instead (with a made up and different storyline than the manga and Brotherhood anime)?

"Omae wa mou shinde iru!" - Kenshiro, Hokuto No-Ken (Fist of the North Star)

I am long overdue in watching the first FMA series. They are both fantastic and I wouldn't want to sacrifice one over the other. That being said, as a whole, I think Brotherhood is the much stronger series. I beg forgiveness since it has been over 2 years since I have watched either, so I can't back up my reasoning very well. As everyone knows, Brotherhood had the benefit of having the ending it was meant to have. All the loose ends were tied and I was left satisfied without feeling the show compromised the natures of the characters or the shows themes. When the first FMA series ended it left a hole, in a very bad way. I guess I just feel that for all the show put me through emotionally, that Brotherhood's ending was the ending I felt I deserved.

No dilemma for me here, 2003 version is my favorite by far (and has huge nostalgia value for me). I don't dislike Brotherhood, it's a great show and has its strong points, but the the first show made me fall in love with all these wonderful characters and has better drama - for example, the origin of homunculi in the 2003 version is simply sad and I liked the open ending better than the perfect one Brotherhood gave us. Brotherhood sticks closer to shounen formula with the whole Father storyline and is a little more action oriented, not a bad thing at all, but I like my soppy angsty drama.

I really can't decide which series I prefer more, I love both. I enjoyed the 2003 version for the darker, more angst tone of the story, but Brotherhood had superior quality animation and vastly better action scenes.

I will say this though, the 2003 version had such incredible music, especially the main theme for the brothers, "Kiro" or "Way Home", gives me goosebumps everytime I listen to it. Brotherhood had a good enough score that worked for the anime, but nothing I'd really listen to outside of it.

The second ( brotherhood ) by far! Which is actually the real original as written by the writer. ( the first studio mainly changed the latter part of the series )

***SPOILER HEAVY***

The first (non-brotherhood) actually has a few better 'darker' more emotional parts like with the death of their mother, the murder of Hughes which they spent moretime with then in Brotherhood ( which makes their sorrow much deeper ) and the murder of the little child. Those scenes are sadly are missing in the second one. They had a lot more time in the first run of FMA to sculpt out the characters and the suffering of both brothers. The motive for their actions is actually much stronger in the first one. But after those episodes the series took a plunge and became standard anime. The ending was a mess and did not really make sense according to the deeper hidden story the writer meant to tell. The anime studio changed the latter part of the story and the ending completely. It was not bad, but it did not make much sense if you look at the second/hidden story.

Here is why:

The story has an alchemistic meaning and moral, which is fairly absent in the first one because of the clueless edits by the studio. ( which is why brotherhood as the real story was released later with the full endorsment of the real writer Arakawa-sensei ).

Some background info to understand my reasoning:

Alchemy is commonly misunderstood as only a means to gain immortality (in Oriental Alchemy) or transmuting lead to gold (in Western Alchemy), but actually it also had/has a far deeper, less materialistic meaning then that. The materialistic view was created to lull the church and governments of old into thinking it was 'harmless' and maybe even benificial to them. While actually the alchemists were also trying to become better humans and living by humanist,spiritual, gnostic and liberal (more modern) ethics which were seen as seditious and heretical by (mainly) the church and the nobility. Which is why the alchemists worked in secret and had ways of secretly communicating amongst them via books, stories, pseudo-science and pictures, which non-alchemists understood as ways to become rich etc.

Alchemistic symbols are often hidden behind multiple layers obscuring their true meaning, so that only people with knowledge on how to see them could understand them.

For example when they were writing about changing base metals to gold they were actually talking about how to change the unpure human soul to a pure one *this was the exclusive area of the church* and you'd be branded a heretic if you thought that man did not need to listen to the church. Or even better, how to become a true mature human and gain symbolic 'kinghood' (= a free human in charge of his own mind/heart and soul, not shackled by his lusts, fears and other wants or other humans. You see why Kings andPopes might not like these hererical teachings.

In the same way the philosopher's stone is not just something 'materialistic', but also 'spiritual'. They were also talking about how to be a better, smarter and wiser humans which could no longer be chained down by despotic governments or religious systems.

In the story of FMA:B it comes down to heaving a FullMetal heart, becoming free while being whole, balanced and a master of their carnal sins/primal urges. Fullmetal is actually 'Steel' as it is an incomplete translation from Japanese to English, because it sounded better?Steel aka purified Iron also has a symbolic alchemistic meaning as the power or will to temper primal urges while keeping the fire burning within.

Back to FMA:B :

By knowing this you see alot more in the story. The story is much more complicated then just a few guys battling away with magic against a few funny named beings. It actually has alot of meaning. As does each episode and the way the story is made/told.

Alot of symbols in the Anime, like the soul door with the tree of life, the true homunculus, the carnal sins and the capture of the pure sun/ god. Have a deeper meaning. Father, the demiurg, the fake god did everything in order to become something greater then himself even casting away the things that made him complete (and better) before. He wanted to change himself by taking and grabbing while forgetting the laws of god, nature and how to be a human in the first place. He even wanted to change nature/god itself by trying to become it himself. All while never ever giving something back in return. While actually he was closer to being that which he wanted to be before casting away all his humanity. Which is very common to most of humankind i'm afraid.


In Brotherhood the 'circle' of the story is complete at the end and Ed gains true maturity as a human and also becomes an adult. In the end after all the hardships his heart becomes a FullMetal heart which is actually the true Philosopher's Stone they are all looking for. The most powerful thing a human can have. A soul and heart that does not waver in times of adversity. A true heart that can love, not by taking, but by sharing according to the law of balance. A heart that does not only want, but also gives. In order to gain something you also have to give something is it not? Which is an awesome and a very wise message indeed. This story has profoundness we all could learn from. :D

In other words the hidden alchemical moral of the story is told IF you can see it of course. It needs some knowledge of symbolism, mysticism and alchemy. This is why FMA:B is a work of brilliance. It all fits according to the hidden story the writer wants to tell while the first does not. The first is just a cool anime, but brotherhood is sublime. If it was a book it would be just as awesome as for example Lord of the Rings. ( which is also full of symbolisms and hidden meanings ).

And so ends my reasoning. Don't mind me, just a simple Historian, animelover and student of symbolism all things mysterious!a