I'm still of the opinion that this is one of my favourite anime shows out of both nostalgia and out of pure unadulterated enjoyment. Despite my perfect rating, upon my rewatch I did notice a lot about Brotherhood that stuck out much more than it did originally when I was younger, for better and (a little) for worse.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is top-tier, but it goes without saying the comedy is downright intrusive even though it gets noticeably better later on. As someone who also grew up with the original 2003 show before jumping onto Brotherhood when it was released, preferring the manga-faithful adaption still to this day, it's easy to see that some comedic tones overshadow some of the dramatic tension. I'll probably end up watching 2003 again, but I know that it tended to handle dramatic moments a bit better because of the music, pacing or the direction that leaned more into seinen territory. I just have this hollow feeling for the first half of Brotherhood because it really feels extremely rushed to me even though it follows the manga very closely in terms of adaption rate. As a young pre-teen seeing all these events again I was happy that it was skipped over so I could get to "the good bits" that I had never seen before. At the time, I still wasn't sure what to make of how much "funnier" and "in your face" it tried to be. As an adult now I can see how much the first 13 episodes stick out like a sore thumb especially when it comes to the development of certain characters, or just my overall sentiment of how they went about it. The 2003 show had a lot more subtlety in its direction, and musical tracks that made it a much more depressing show, but it's mainly a difference of opinion than a divide. 2003 goes for the somber while Brotherhood goes for the bombastic. This is especially true for its comedic timing and musical score. Again it's mainly relegated to the first half of Brotherhood that misses some of that hard hitting punches that lack melancholy. That isn't to say Brotherhood isn't absent of any kind of heartbreaking and sentimental moments because there are plenty of those that pull at the heartstrings and got me teary-eyed. I just thought it was important to point out that the earlier preparation before certain events fail to have a any immediate lasting impact. That said, Nina and Hughes' subplot have a much greater effect on the overall story and character motivations, especially the Elric brothers, rather than being strictly to one-off character studies like in 03'. Keep in mind, 2003 remembers its dramatic moments, whereas Brotherhood reflects on them. There are also small little events and events that are omitted; I'm rather indifferent only because they didn't interrupt the story too much (Masked Man on the Island, Train Fight just to name a few). The first episode is filler which I did enjoy, but we could've gotten the same point across had we focused on canon-moments to the same effect without some of the needless foreshadowing too early. We also get an interlude recap episode, and it just had me asking why bother when we skipped smaller important moments like Yoki's introduction in Youswell. Yoki was a character that should have been introduced formally rather than through a meaningless flashback explanation and its a shame because a lot of people won't know the extent to which he redeems himself. I could go on and on about the changes and direction although it would mainly just sound like I'm complaining and nitpicking. I still stand that Brotherhood still has a much superior latter half compared to the 2003 show which has a super unsatisfying conclusion that was rather bittersweet instead of wholesome. Both series have their pros and cons though 2003 tended to its character moments with more grace. I'm still of the opinion that this is still the definitive version and one of my favourite anime shows out there.

Around 14-15 episode mark is when I noticed that Brotherhood picks up and learns to roll with its pacing and leaving just enough plot to reel me back with each passing episode. It's at this point we drop the story so far attitude, and get to the to be continued mentality that managed to keep me hooked. I noticed a huge leap in quality where FMA:B began to really spread it's wings and fly. I learned to re-love the series as it began slowly unraveling its mystery and learning to (more or less) time comedic moments better. FMA:B has such an expansive story and cast of characters that it's hard for me to dislike it really at all because all of it's parts are so strong, offbeat comedy and comparisons to 03' aside. Either way FMA:B and FMA are a huge part of my childhood and it's still one of those shows from then that stands up exceedingly well against every single anime I've seen since. It's a story that really speaks across all generations, has realistic characters that have depth, and is just an overall master craft at doing a fantasy adventure story in the most epic way possibly. Literally every major emotional beat hit even harder than it did before, and many of the lessons resonated to an even greater degree. What's seven more surprising was how introspective the series was about of philosophical concepts and exploring these underlying themes that had me scouring for online discussions about its symbolism. Realizing the poetic irony of the homunculus's deaths was beautiful. Watching it again only made me realized how well it builds its setting, but also its character chemistry and even the concept of alchemy. The series never has a dull moment, and it's something I can feel with how well structured the overall story is for hitting every beat. It's a dramatic fire that continued to burn after the show prepares to wrap up. Not even the finale, but the numerous episodes preceding that are filled with so many high-stakes moments and awe that it was truly a spectacle to behold. Of course, the ending was done perfectly too, and is a payoff that is so well deserved. Most of all, everything just falls into place and has conclusive arcs for everyone involved.

Everything just holds up well, story and especially the beautifully colourful animation that's background-worthy material. Brotherhood is a series that means so much to me, and it feels like yesterday (over a decade ago) that I was unpackaging the first season DVD eager to watch in the hotel at an anime convention not knowing what was in store for the rest of the show. I'm glad about this re-watch, and I still can't believe it's been 12 years since it's debut (even longer since I viewed the original series). Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a damn masterpiece, and such a well crafted anime that explores so much within the span of its 64 episodes. Even to this day, nothing has ever topped this show for me, and its a testament to the quality of its story and cast that still speaks to me in my older age. What a journey. I can't wait to revisit it again in a few years.