In defense of chronological order, the “original release” is only 14 episodes and the so-called broadcast order that many recommend is a fanmade amalgamation of the 2006 broadcast and 14 of the 28 episodes that aired in 2009.
In a literal sense, the “broadcast” or “original” order is not the original order of the broadcast. There were 14 episodes in the 2006 series and 28 episodes in the 2009 series, only half of which were new. “Broadcast” order is just the 2006 series with the new episodes tacked onto the end.
There’s nothing wrong with the broadcast order, but many people think of it as “the original” or “closer to the original artistic intent”. If you’re watching 28 episodes of the show, that’s simply not true. Many of the episodes are placed much better in the 2009 (chronological) order, especially Live Alive and Someday in the Rain. I would never recommend watching those so early, as one would do in “broadcast” order.
I personally recommend the chronological order OR if you’re willing to be a little bit confused trying to figure out what episode to watch next, a custom watch order like this one posted by user Xirema to Reddit or this one that I created and posted to MyAnimeList a couple years ago.
In defense of chronological order, the “original release” is only 14 episodes and the so-called broadcast order that many recommend is a fanmade amalgamation of the 2006 broadcast and 14 of the 28 episodes that aired in 2009.
In a literal sense, the “broadcast” or “original” order is not the original order of the broadcast. There were 14 episodes in the 2006 series and 28 episodes in the 2009 series, only half of which were new. “Broadcast” order is just the 2006 series with the new episodes tacked onto the end.
There’s nothing wrong with the broadcast order, but many people think of it as “the original” or “closer to the original artistic intent”. If you’re watching 28 episodes of the show, that’s simply not true. Many of the episodes are placed much better in the 2009 (chronological) order, especially Live Alive and Someday in the Rain. I would never recommend watching those so early, as one would do in “broadcast” order.
I personally recommend the chronological order OR if you’re willing to be a little bit confused trying to figure out what episode to watch next, a custom watch order like this one posted by user Xirema to Reddit or this one that I created and posted to MyAnimeList a couple years ago.