This was the first anime I watched. Why? I thought that if I were to see only one anime series, I would see the best, so I looked at multiple websites and videos and determined that FMAB was the best. And of the ones I've seen so far to completion, it is the best. Not necessarily my favorite, but the best.
It was so good that I wanted more, which is why I still watch anime today. But let me explain why this anime is so majestic, why I get a certain ineffable feeling of awe when listening to the soundtrack or seeing the OP/ED videos again.
STORY. You can read the summary. Sounds interesting, right? Then watch it. 64 episodes, zero filler, of one connected flawless story revolving around the equivalence of alchemy and its consequences. A masterful paradigm of the first type of anime plot, that is, protagonist vs. antagonist. Equally grim and bright at times, the story soars along towards the ending which is one of the best endings in anime I've seen so far.
ART. Bones may not be my favorite studio, but it certainly evokes the flavor of the story. From the way Edward's eyes expand when he encounters something horrific to the way the brothers turn into jelly next to their teacher to the fire and cadavers and occult gore associated with the evil in this story, the art is done masterfully. Perfect depiction.
SOUND. Akira Senju's style harks back to classical, with substantial use of the deeper strings and percussion. The entire soundtrack can be seen as one grand symphony, with Senju as its composer and conductor. May be a bit repetitive at times, but hey, similar themes reappear, similar types of events, and with 64 episodes one would be hard-pressed to compose unique tunes for every single event that necessitates music. He definitely has a distinctive tone and mark to his music -- you can tell immediately when listening to various anime soundtracks when FMAB OST comes up.
CHARACTER. Edward Elric, the protagonist, is one of my favorite characters of anime. In the entire cast for FMAB, the fact that I like him the best just comes to show how awesome of a main character he is. His determination to do good against overwhelming evil and fight for what he believes in is a high standard. But besides Edward, the supporting cast is just magnificent. The loyal brother Alphonse Elric, the stoic King Bradley, the caring Winry Rockbell, the strong yet gentle Alex Louis Armstrong, and many, many others. In fact, the quality of the English dub for this anime (which I saw) just comes to show how good of an anime this is, to merit so many aptly chosen voice actors. And of course, there's plenty of fighting, which is something I look for in anime and probably what you, dear reader, do too (if you've read this far).
ENJOYMENT. What can I say? I stayed up late every night to finish this in a week. It's that good. This is one of those anime that when watching it you know, you just feel it, that it is of superb quality.
This anime is certainly not childish, weird, or immature. It is quite mature. If you're already a "weeb," then you probably watched this, if not, then I can't understand why you haven't. If you're wading into the wonderful waters of anime for the first time, then be my guest and watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
One word to describe this anime: awesome
