thesilentman said:
But the deal-breaker here was the story. The manga's story just was better executed than the first anime. No further statements
In
FMA's defence, they adapted it while Arakawa was still only about two thirds of the way through the manga (or less, I think) and they overtook her so needed to come up with an original story. She actually approved of it when it came out (though whether that was for PR reasons or not, I don't know). Still, I thought they made a fair fist of it (a lot better than most fillers), though it ended flatly and dear lord the film was crap (mediocre idea, shit execution as you say).
Still, the first part (which follows the manga almost to the letter) was pretty damned good, and the reason I didn't take to
Brotherhood for several episodes was the change in the voice cast. Shinichiro Miki as Mustang just didn't feel right to me, likewise Fumiko Orikasa, Megumi Takamoto, Kaori Nazuka etc. etc. I was just relieved that Keiji Fujiwara and Kenji Utsumi retained their roles.
So... based on sheer thrills of the second half,
Brotherhood, for acting
FMA (first anime) and for the story as a whole, the manga. Screw all the films (though I haven't seen the
FMA:B movie)... -_-