Alright, I've seen 12 episodes of FMA Brotherhood.
1) The animation is stellar, the action is gorgeous, and scene arrangement ensure a smooth, liquid pacing that ensures you're never bored.
2) The music, the voice actors, everything is great. I can't review sound - go watch and listen!
3) The characters are fantastic. The only character I hate is Ed, shockingly enough. I know, how can you enjoy a series and hate the main character? As far as I can tell, Ed is the male equivalent of a Tsundere, meaning as they develop how he actually thinks and feels, I'll grow to love him. I hope.
The other characters, and there are a lot of them, carry the show. Someone is constantly looking to have something done or has some agenda, and characters with conflicting agendas manifest naturally. This makes for a gorgeous multi-linked plot that is getting both hectic but staying steady and clear.
4) Story: FMA Brotherhood is a show about two brothers making a mistake and then trying to fix it. At least, on the surface. It becomes rapidly clear a whole lot of other things are going on, and these things will doubtless lead our intrepid heroes down down down the rabbit hole until we find ourselves at the heart of some crazy hair brained world reaching plot. Or at least, that is my anticipation.
The brotherhood dynamic, as cited in the title, actually doesn't seem like the critical plot focus to me thus far. It plays an integral role, and parts along the way are definitely fleshing it out, but the real enjoyment from the series lies in the varied assortment of individuals you are meeting along the way. I've read some of the other reviews, and they state these characters aren't being fleshed out enough. Given the fact that the series hasn't ended yet, I'm desperately hoping this is true! Good story telling is done by slowly shaving down to the core of what characters are. Imagine my surprise in Ep. 11 to discover Roy Mustang isn't secretly a bad guy, in spite of how he is originally portrayed, and how I originally perceived him to be. At this critical moment for him, my feelings about him completely toggled over to one where, hey, I know exactly who this guy is, and I like him a lot more for it.
5) Enjoyment: The show makes me lose sleep waiting for it to come out to view. That should indicate just how much I love it so far. I will say this: As long as they keep the quick pace up and keep chipping away at the truth, Brotherhood will become a stellar classic, making people wonder why there was any doubt as to where it was going.
I compare its pacing, and plot advancement solely to Code Geass for how quick and consistent it runs.
***I've just now obtained FMA (the original) and started to watch it, struggled through about 12 episodes, and threw in the towel. It was boring, Brotherhood has spoiled me. I hope this doesn't offend original viewers, but all that other stuff in there is fluff to what Brotherhood is portraying as plot critical, and since my mind is full of Brotherhood thoughts, well...
