u/Appropriate-Move5700

Hello. I am looking for a new JRPG to jump into and I am wondering if I should play Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream or Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. To preface, I have never played any of these games before. I plan on playing on Steam as my platform of choice. Which one between these two titles would you guys recommend I start with? Also, I know people have recommended Atelier Sophie 2 as a starting point, but what was the experience like for people in this community going from Atelier Sophie 2 to Atelier Sophie 1?

Also, this isn't regarding lewdness, but I personally like the second one more.

I usually avoid watching anime if they're adaptations of light novels in the fear that the anime isn't good, but I wanted to hear this community's opinions on this adaptation in particular. Can I watch this without reading them? Am I missing out on a bunch? I don't mind reading them eventually.

I know it wasn't received well.