The main reason for this statement is the 'changes' in the story. I know this series supposedly follows the manga but that's probably my problem. I've seen some shonen anime and the plot usually isn't the best thing about it, especially the ending. I liked the mysteries and the logic in the first FMA better.
I didn't watch all the episodes in one go because I thought the first 14 episodes were really bad. Up untill those episodes the story is the same as the original and they probably rushed through it. Wasn't that part of the story 30 episodes long in FMA?
My third remark is the animation. I don't exactly know what's different ( I think they didn't use as many shadows) but the art seems worse, less dark which probably fits the shonen story better.
I can understand why a lot of people like this version of FMA better, it's probably because of the same reason why shonen anime are among the most popular, but I think some of the tragedy and consequences of equal trade that were present in the original FMA were lost in this series.
