First I have to say that I'm an avid animanga goer. I have seen quite some series with different genres, and I also have other favorite titles. But among all of those favorite titles of mine, FMA:B stands gallantly, as it was the only one with such intelligence and perfection I was completely at loss for words when finishing it.
Story - The best part that shines the brightest in the series as whole. FMA:B, just like the manga, focuses on the Elric brothers as they embark upon a journey to get their original bodies back. Everything -- and by everything I mean from their backstories, the little arc, the wonderful climax and the satisfying conclusion -- is very well-thought, well-done. Everything about the alchemy thing and the (minor spoilers maybe) Homunculus thing, they completely blew my mind. The story was so brilliant and even though it started off with so many questions and so many confusions, the expanding story and the resolution answered them all for us. This story is what I would call, smart. It is complex, but not insane. The way we gradually understand the things happening inside the FMA:B universe is thanks to this anime's gratifying explanations. We are not too dumb to understand the story, and we aren't that smart to guess where the story is going either. All the ideas are very wonderful and magnificent. You don't usually find something this clever in an anime series...
As an additional note, I really loved the ending. It was totally 11 out of 10. No spoilers from me, though.
Art - The art is cool as well. They are the usual Hiromu Arakawa style, not too detailed but pleasant to the eyes. I especially liked the alchemy effects and the symbols, they are super cool.
Sound - WELL WELL. I have the entire opening & ending songs. From again until Rain. From Uso until Ray of Shine. I have the entire anime soundtracks, composed by the brilliant Senju Akira, the three discs of magnificence. I listen to them over and over again. I have to tell you the sound is very diverse and beautiful. The voice actors and actresses are also brilliant. Romi Paku, oh gosh, you guys know how well she voices people. Ed is no exception. The sound effects, voice acting, BGMs, and opening-ending themes are all beautiful, what else to say man?
Character - There are a lot of characters here. From our main characters to the enemies. The 'gray' characters as it was initially unclear where they belonged with. Suspicions and betrayals, enemies who turn allies. These characters are blessed with distinguishable characteristics and each one of them are unique. Even the characters who only appeared for little time can be very memorable to you (I'm talking about a certain character). There aren't any useless characters.
Enjoyment - I TOTALLY enjoyed this show. It was astounding. Breathtakingly awesome. This is not the series you could marathon in a day as you will go insane... though I doubt you can wait for the next episode til the next day. The series is very smart, and though there are some tragedies, it's still sweet, beautiful, and heartwarming. The ending doe.
Overall, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, as I had stated before and I will have to state it again now, is a perfect example on how a shounen series must be. Looking for a series with depth and complexity? The perfect series for you. Looking for some laughs? This series also have it, but don't blame me if you get caught up in this marvelous series, even though you didn't mean to.
You will get caught up anyway.
