I feel like anyone who gives this anime a chance will fall in love. How can you not sympathize with two very troubled young boys missing their mother and trying to bring her back? The bond between the brothers holds this whole series together, and it gives them a constant characterization. The military's involvement is very elaborate, but still makes sense and connects to everything.
I know a lot of people say this first adaptation is inferior to the manga, but I disagree. This version of the Homunculi's origins puts far more responsibility on the alchemist, and it ties the homunculi's creation into the main plot of the series. Maybe it's just because I saw this first, but I feel they did a better job of pacing things like Nina's story and Hughes' investigation. Hohenheim's reasoning for leaving his family in this version make him seem like less of a wimp. Although I prefer Brotherhood's ending to Shambala, the writers still did a great job in connecting everything.
Also worth a note- I usually join the subtitled camp, but this English adaptation made me start giving dubs a chance. You can really hear that the voice actors care about making a quality show.
