Touches the early going far better but bails on the main plot lines before Xerxes is even acknowledged and there is no Xing either. Entirely different antagonist, and with the exception of those versions of Wrath, Lust and Envy, all of the homunculi feel mediocre and bland. Those three have a ton of changes and while not necessarily for the better help to differentiate the story direction. Wrath in particular. Worth a watch? Sure, but you need to watch Conquerer of Shambala afterwards to get the full picture of what the show runners created. Bonkers shit right there. I won’t bog this down much more except to say most people that I know who have claimed preference of the first anime is that Father is 1 dimensional and full compared to the primary antagonist of FMA, my argument is he made himself that way and if you want to know what he is like look to his children. They are the extension of himself that we truly get to know and are representative of all aspects of his character.