
what in the full metal alchemist chimera is this

No, you should watch the older first. For us manga readers Brotherhood is better, but it kinda ruined experience for newbies because Brotherhood assumes you've already watched the first series and read manga and it cuts out or fast forwards through the beginning. So I reccomend you either read manga first, or watch the older anime first, because the older one is so much better with the beginning and pacing, and the overall experience is so good!
Watch the older series first, then you can watch the movie, forgot the name, something something Shambala... It leaves you with a bittersweet feeling. I'd call it more of a seinen than shounen genre.
After that watch Brotherhood for the canon content and newer animation and overall lighter, bolder, louder and more shounen experience.

I wanna say that while I used to think like you at first, later I realized it's bad advice. It's better for new people to watch older series first, because Brotherhood does butcher the beginning alot simply because it's made for people who already are familiar with the story. That is why a lot of new to FMA ppl drop it if they start with Brotherhood. It lacks that hook, but we're oblivious to it if we watched the first show.

No problem! Actually, the older version is really good too, and the original ending and story was really well done. And it's darker, more serious (I personally prefer seinen to shounen).
But the new version is more... Epic like typical shounen fashion, you know? Epic fights, epic monsters.
So yea, both of them were fcking great. Lol now that I think about it, FMA got me into anime way back then over a decade ago.
Sorry, got carried away here

Ok, no problem! Honestly if you've read the manga, you already know the beginning and starting with Brotherhood won't spoil the exoerience. Though I still reccomend wathching older series first, because I don't know about you, but if I watch the newer one, I don't want to watch the older one anymore, bc it feels like a downgrade... But idk I feel it's a waste to skip older FMA in particular because they did a great job with the original plot and ending for the first series and setting the mood in the very beginning. I loved their take on the story and the original ending in they came up (back then FMA manga was still ongoing).
yall i cant as a Singaporean i cant take seeing the word Singapore in manhwas it just feels so out of place- anyways THE STORY MADE BURST INTO TEARS WHILE ON MY WAY HOME HDBDVSBSBDVRGSVEBSBVSGSIM STILL TEARY WRITING THIS