time for an unpopular internet opinion, buckle up nerds, we're doing alchemy! (and you're not allowed to argue with me. dont have energy for that)
I hate when people say brotherhood was better than 03 fma just to shit on 03 and have nothing good to say about it, and tell people not to watch 03 because "its bad/brotherhood is better" and they only say its bad *because* its different from brotherhood/doesn't follow the manga. i never see any actual good opinions. i'm sure they're out there, and I respect everyone's opinions. but it's only ever the "it was bad because it didn't follow the manga/it was good until it diverged from the manga" ones i ever see. but no one says why following the manga is better. it's only ever seems to be the elitist "manga is bible" attitude. and even if they did have a reason beyond that, it's opinion, not fact. but everyone talks like it's a "fact" that brotherhood is superior in every way and 03 isn't worth watching anymore or liking it is bad/wrong.
most don't want to admit it's a solid or entertaining original story. there's some weird taboo in the anime community where you can't like things that are divergent from the manga. you must worship the manga as the best. anime fans treat manga like the bible. and that means it's the "best" and you aren't allowed to like anything that "disrespects" the source. which imo is so weird and cringe /neg.
many of these people probably watched 03 when it first came out or at least before brotherhood and maybe even before reading the manga. many probably thought it was the best anime ever, since it was considered one of the best before brotherhood. it was extremely popular among anime and often considered the best in its time. until brotherhood passed it in ratings. and everyone jumped on the "following the manga exactly is better" bandwagon.
i'm not saying one is better than the other. that's the point. it's based on opinion and not fact. one doesn't *need* to be better. you can like both! It's ok! it all depends on which you personally prefer. but saying the determining factor to what is "better" is "copying the manga exactly" is just a bad way to decide which is objectively better. i just read a thing where the director of 03 said in an interview they weren't even originally meant to follow the manga and planned an original series from the beginning with the manga as influenced for the start of the story's direction. so they didn't even "lose the plot" like everyone believes. it was on purpose. so they never "disrespected" your precious manga or created a whole filler series. it was meant to be that way. and they did a good job making something entertaining that was held in high regard for years.
everyone acts like it's blasphemy to say you like 03 and I dont understand why! it wonder how mamy people are letting what others say dictate their opinion? did you like 03, see people shit on it after brotherhood, and decide you also hate it now because of that? do you remember the joy of watching 03 and how much you enjoyed it for the first time? or if youre and newer fan and saw brotherhood first, did you let people tell you brotherhood is better so you went into 03 already thinking its bad and weren't able to properly enjoy it? it was often considered a masterpiece before brotherhood, and brotherhood releasing doesn't just automatically change that?????? they're two separate things, and thats ok! they're allowed to be different!
contrary to popular belief, you CAN LIKE BOTH. FOR DIFFERENT REASONS! they both have different vibes, different elements that make them good, and great qays of doing different things. both have their strengths and weaknesses. you can indulge in the nostalgia of 03 and enjoy the darker story with a sad ending. or you can get a fresher, faster paced and more positive outcome from brotherhood. it really depends on factors like that rather than which one copied the manga fhe best. if you like the manga, go read that! if the manga is what you base your opinion on, tell people to read that instead of telling people not to watch 03 ???? "brotherhood is better dont watch 03" I see SO many people tell new people that when they ask which to watch. instead, either tell them to start with 03 since it came out first and then brotherhood, or ask them if they want a darker, slower story or a more hopeful and fast-paced story.
i'm not saying you can't like brotherhood more or you can't dislike 03. but it just makes me really irritated that 03 used to be considered one of the best anime of all time and everyone agreed and was obsessed with it and as soon as brotherhood comes out, everyone abandons it and says its horrible and bad and no one should watch it anymore, when it's still just as enjoyable as it was back then! STOP comparing so much and learn how to enjoy things! if you liked it before, why can't you still like it? if you're new, why are you letting other people's opinions influence your own?
I know it's unpopular opinion central on this post, but you can, in fact, enjoy things that are from the same series but are different storylines or styles. brotherhood following the manga does not erease all the years of 03 being hailed as one of the best anime and all the love and enjoyment so many people got out of it! there's was a reason for that! it just feels very invalid and snobby that the main reason people say brotherhood is "better" is because it copies the manga exactly and 03 is bad just becaue it doesn't. 03 wasn't even meant to copy the manga to begin with! it was supposed to be an original story. and if you thought it was good back then, I dont understand why you're comparing two different things and deciding the first one you clearly enjoyed is now suddenly bad and not worth watching. why are you embarrassed to admit you enjoyed 03? why can't you still enjoy 03? if you liked it before, you can still like it now. separate it from the manga/brotherhood like it's meant to be and keep enjoying it! dont jump on the bandwagon! if you genuinely dislike it now after all that, I can't understand why. I can only see it being because you are influenced by others and/or can't separate it.
every time I see 03 mentioned, it's people shitting on it and saying brotherhood is better. no one ever says good things about it or reminiscences about those times. especially since its what got mamy people into fma or anime in general to begin with. it was one of my first animes, and has remained my favorite series since then.
maybe i'm alone in this, but I liked 03, I enjoyed it, it was my favorite thing for years. i STILL like 03 and enjoy it. I still watch 03 first before I rematch brotherhood. I don't compare. I can like both. for different reasons. maybe i'm just a nostalgic person and staying up til 3am to watch it as a kid was the highlight of my horrible childhood and gave me something to love and look forward to. but you will not hear me shitting on it even if I liked brotherhood a bit more personally. you can like more than one thing without shitting on the one you prefer least!
tl;dr: i'm tired of seeing 03 hate and erasure. saying something is "better" *only* because it follows the source material exactly and any deviations are bad is just not it. bad opinion. normalize enjoying 03. you have no reason to act like your enjoyment of 03 is bad or somehow overridden by brotherhood or that others should forgo experiencing it. you shouldn't tell others your opinion as if it's a fact. let them make their own opinion and let people like 03 more if they want!
thanks for coming to my Ed talk.
