When it comes to Brotherhood the first thing I noticed was the pacing of the show. Stuff that took a long time to develop in the original just zoomed past and took me no time to get used to because I thoroughly enjoy fast paced anime. Although I must say that Brotherhood had a much lighter tone in comparison to the original and the comic elements were always well timed and never even came close to feeling cringe worthy.
To me the main aspect in which Brotherhood trumps the original FMA is the "emotions" on show. This show can be serious at a moment and very sad and filled with emotion the next. It can make you laugh, cry, jump in your seat during the action sequences and in short it never fails in mesmerizing you.
Now for the individual ratings:
STORY- 9/10
No surprises here, absolutely amazing plot line which I had no complaints with. Enough number of twists and turns to keep you hooked and a whirlwind of emotions awaits you around every corner.
CHARACTERS- 10/10
This for me is the exact area in which Brotherhood trumps the original FMA. There are a lot more characters with excellent character development to support the main protagonists, makes it a helluva lot more fun to watch and gives the series a unique zest.
SOUND- 9/10
Gotta say that the openings, endings are one of the best if not the best in anime history. Literally every opening is on point in portraying the emotions of the protagonists and the atmosphere of the show is enhanced due to the excellent soundtracks.
ART- 9/10
Again no complaints here as such, art could have been much better but again there was nothing too flashy here and it did the job well enough imo.
OVERALL- 10/10
For me personally Brotherhood felt much better in literally all aspects but I do respect the original a lot too, for me the 6 year difference between the 2 seasons really shows here. The fact that Brotherhood was meant to be a complete adaptation of the manga also really reflects here, it has minor flaws but none worth paying heed to. I personally felt that this anime is one of the best anime's I've watched recently and it might just be one of the best anime's I will ever watch.
