Brief overview: Two brothers attempt to bring their mother back from the dead. They fail, and the attempt comes at a great cost: the loss of limbs for Edward Elric (the protagonist) and the loss of Alphonse's body. They are on a quest to somehow restore their bodies through alchemy.
First off, the story: This is an anime where every character has purpose. There are very few throwaway characters, and if they are, they at least make a significant impact in some way. The plot is tied together very well, despite the numerous character arcs (which all bounce off of each other).
The animation is also top notch. Plenty of fast-paced, well animated action but also minor details clearly received love and attention, like the swish of hair. Don't expect to find frozen scenes with dialogue over it.
The only minor nitpick I have about this anime is the music. I know it's an odd thing to pick out, but the rock is a bit out of place is this dramatic, grand-scale story about the ethics of science and knowledge (although it is, at it's heart, an adventure story).
I recommend this greatly. This is an anime to show people that are not fans of anime, because it has an almost universal appeal. If you haven't watched it, you should. Not because it's an 'anime classic requirement', but because it's something that you'll very likely enjoy. And isn't that the most important thing about a story?
