As in the game, not the series?

I'm looking for new JRPGs to play and for as long as I can remember I've heard a lot about SO from my fellow RPG enthusiasts. It seems there are four games available to play for us Americans but I don't have a PSP so I can't play the remade first game. As such I was planning on just starting with Second Story.

Do I need to play SO1 to understand the plot or setting of the second game?