I originally passed up FMA when it was airing on Toonami. I'm not sure what turned me off, but if I had given it a chance it would have completely supplanted my love for many other shows at the time. The creative premise of creation, differences between humans, and a constantly moving adventure is immediately approachable and toyed with brilliantly. Some of the ideas the story pulls out really had me desperate to learn the reasons behind it and how that effected the overall narrative. I never felt like things were too convoluted to fit because they gave a solid 13 episodes of establishing the dynamics of the world without ever losing pace for the story.
My favorite part of the general narrative is how it uses its characters. This show really surprises you with whom they bring back into the show and the roles they are given. The world truly feels interconnected through them, though I did feel that some of the players were less than they needed to be. I've never seen Roy Mustang, for example, as a truly great character, even though he accomplishes a lot. The Elric brothers really anchor everything though, and their interactions really make this story find its stride (save for an annoyingly predictable conflict earlier on).
FMA is a quintessential fantasy series with some incredibly smart world-building which plays heavily into the scenarios at hand. It doesn't feel overwhelming or pretentious, and when it plays into the action it can be quite fascinating. I wish the action was a bit more frequent, but perhaps that's just wishful thinking. Presentation all around is excellent, as expected of Studio Bones, being consistent despite the many changes in environment and tone. Music is a bit more hit or miss, though the first and last opening are standouts in that department. The dub is amazingly on-point at every turn and other general sounds convey the world and its surroundings very well.
If anyone has qualms about this series, I implore them to really just give it a chance. It's quick to establish, incredibly deep, and makes the whole ride enjoyable without use of too much melodrama. It's an astounding example of TV storytelling with more than a few moments that make you gasp in awe at its well-formulated narrative.
