The art is fairly generic and is neither realistic nor basic. It isn't memorable nor unique, although the character designs were solid. The background scenery wasn't anything special and didn't deviate or distract from the scene at hand. The animations were fluid and non-choppy.
I watched the English DUB of this show and the voice actors did a decent job of fitting their characters. Some character voices did seem strained but not enough to hurt the experience. The music, intro, and outro fit the style of the show well.
The characters were neither well rounded nor constricted. Most of them kept their flaws/strengths and didn't seem to "grow." Character reactions to situations/events were at times ridiculous but that may have been due to the show's odd sense of humor. The villains had clear-cut goals but their methods of achieving those goals threw a damper on the seriousness of the show. Instead of being go-getters, the antagonists seemed to be behaving like a cat playing with its morsel without ever eating it. Character count was on point with each character providing value to the (haphazard) storyline.
The show started out strong but as the episodes went by, my interest waned. I doubt I would rewatch Fullmetal Alchemist in the future because it just didn't entertain me enough to keep my focus. The storyline became stale and the lack of character development further added to its deterioration. That being said, I'm confident many anime and non-anime fans will enjoy Fullmetal Alchemist. It's honestly not a terrible show - it just wasn't my cup of tea.
