Anyways..from reading previous reviews and reading comments made on the forums, I think people are being too critical of the new anime. It's only got /12/ episodes so far; give it a little break people, lol. Twelve episodes doesn't define if the anime is going to be brilliant or trash. My point being, as many people haven't read the manga and are only comparing it to the first anime, they're getting very wrong impressions. Yes yes I know, the first anime was good. However, going about and saying "god, this is so /boring/, it's just retelling the same old story just rushed" isn't fair. As a dedicated follower of the manga, this anime is going to have a VERY different plot--starting in about one or two more episodes, I believe. So please don't judge something as "same old same old" when it's just getting started, m'kay? ^^
Okay, I'll just shut up about that now and get to the actual review..thing..of this.
Story : 8
So far, Brotherhood is following pretty dang closely to the manga, which definitely makes me happy. I can assure you, the manga has a developed plot with interesting twists, characters, and very dark turns, while still keeping a nice blend of comedy in there. After our encounter with Greed, nothing will be at all like the first series; no Dante, no Wrath (well, no Wrath from the first series), no parrallel world, nothing like that. Hopefully the "rushed" feeling will also disappear, as Brotherhood will finally be caught up with the first series and can start with completely fresh material. (Note : The anime already has shown its share of fresh material, such as the eleventh episode, but meh.)
Brotherhood as a story is keeping up well and its already shown its darker shades, such as the incident with Nina and Tucker, and Ed and Al's failed resurrection of their mother and its consequences. There have been some things from the story that has bothered me, though, like how many chapters have all been condensed into one episode. Some examples would be the second episode (probably the most rushed of all the series thus far), the eleventh, and the twelfth. Though most of it was stuff that doesn't really hurt the plotline itself if left out, still kind of disappointing. And though I've seen some people argue that it's not rushed at all, and some argue it's completley rushed, I'd give it a medium. There are many episodes (like eps. 4, which many complained about seeing the lack of Nina like in the first series) that only have one chapter to begin with, so yeah, it's not as rushed as it seems.
The comedy also isn't at its best; though it is a change from the complete darkness of the ending of FMA 1 and it fits the general mood of the manga FMA (having a great blend of seriousness, darkness, and comedy), some of the comedy isn't done as well as I'd expected. It seems like it fit more in the manga than it did in the animation, if you know what I mean.
Overall Art : 7
I give it a 7, as it definitely follows the manga art, but still not the best I've ever seen. The houses, like Ed and Al's home, generally irritate me because they seem so childish. It may resemble the manga version, but it /fits/ in the manga; in this series, it's silly. Some of the characters (like Hughes and Scar) seem plain stupid art wise, and bleh. From the preview, Greed didn't look that great either. Still, the art is good enough to be enjoyed when it's serious.
Sound : 7
Once again, I give it a 7. The music is growing on me admittedly, and come on, the beginning and ending themes are to die for. Not much of a real opinion here though.
Character : 7
It hasn't gotten as far into the story yet to make a real opinion; characters don't develop much over a measley 12 episodes when there's such a larger piece of it to come. However, the characters so far are unique and interesting, as I've always found them. For those of you (like me) who were generally annoyed by Alphonse's character, fear not, for he has a much more developed and just plain different personality here. He is not at all the wimpy little brother we knew in FMA 1; he knows how to handle himself and has a much more mature character. As far as I can remember, the characters seem pretty much the same as they were in FMA 1 (for the mean time anyways, as far as it has gotten in this). So yeah..we need a bit more time to see how these characters develop.
Enjoyment : 8
Pretty good so far; seeing the characters all back together and seeing the manga's true plot unfold in animation is undeniably enjoyable for fans of the manga. A bit rushed at times (like episode 2), but it's an enojyment in itself to watch Fullmetal Alchemist unfold. Comedy is a bit dull in places, though.
Overall : 7
My overall review would be a 7, I suppose. Once the series gets to a certain point, I may come back and review to see if my opinion has changed at all.
