It may not be a quote directly cited from the series, but it is one of the things this series has taught me. This show was great from start to end, and despite knowing some spoilers beforehand, it still delivered to a 10 out of 10 rating - something that's not usually happening for a shonen anime because they tend to overuse a certain trope.
To kick off, I have been fairly reluctant to watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, because I have already seen the first series before the remake happened, and I was afraid that half of the anime would be the same as season 1, but since I heard it had rave reviews, I have put it in the corner of my plan to watch list anyway. Some long time after that, I heard the threat that many anime sites are going to be shut down, and I panicked by mass-watching anime and reading manga. Fullmetal Alchemist was one of the anime I started to watch during that period.
The story was admittedly a little predictable. But that might have been because I saw the first season, and a few spoilers on what happens ahead, or it might have not been. Despite the fair predictability, the anime has still delivered a great dose of tension, drama, fun, light-hearted moments to not make me burst out in tears from the heavy dramatic ones, and also action - thus I believe majority of the viewers would enjoy. If anyone is discouraged by the 64 episodes, just start slowly, you'll notice it will consume you in no time, because this anime is one of the few that are neither rushed or way too slow-paced.
Some people say D.Gray-man sneaks around seinen territory, but not nearly as much as this anime. The plot gets into a fairly dark theme at times, sometimes even gets slightly into political matters... and the art matches it well. The colors are not very vibrant, which might have taken a toll on the character designs - then again, this toll has made the characters even more believable and gave distinctive features to them and their descendants.
The soundtrack matches the mood of the anime in all possible moments. Violin is used for several melodies of the soundtrack, which make a perfect match for the dark theme of the anime. As for the openings and endings, they consist of catchy songs, which serve as a great introduction/outro of the episodes. I also have no remarks to the seiyuus, as they did a fairly well job to match the characters' profile.
With matching art and matching voice actors, it is possible to admit the fact that the profile of the characters is constructed to be fairly believable - they have their ups and downs, and it is possible to tell where the characters "got that attitude from". Their reactions are also believable; they do not overreact as much as it happens on other anime of this genre. I would cite a few examples, but I'd prefer to avoid any spoilers so you see that for yourself.
With all that overall, Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood was a very captivating and enjoyable show, captivating me enough to take much breaks than most anime I have watched. I believe the masterpiece rating is indeed deserved for this one, although I wouldn't quite recommend it for starting audiences, as it would make their expectations of other anime series too high... then again I'm just kidding! You probably won't regret watching this one whatever audience you are from, but I can't tell you that for sure - you'll have to see for yourself.
