Disclaimer: I have not finished Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, all of this is based on observations so far.
I have a long history with the Fullmetal Alchemist series. I had watched the original Bones adaptation, Fullmetal Alchemist, when I was young. It was a favorite of mine at the time, even though I later learned about issues it has. About halfway through, it stopped adapting the manga's story and built its own, which wasn't necessarily as good. Recently, I picked up the manga, also called Fullmetal Alchemist (although for the sake of avoiding confusion, I'll refer to it as the manga from here on), from my library. The story of it was absolutely amazing, and I understood the reason why so many people frowned upon the anime original story. So, after months of a friend constantly telling me to watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, I finally got to one of the most critically acclaimed anime of all time. I'm nine episodes in, and... honestly, I'm somewhat disappointed. I feel that, at least so far, it's not doing its job as an adaptation very well.
For those unfamiliar with the series itself, the manga was created by Hiromu Arakawa and ran from 2001 to 2010. It gained a lot of popularity, and in 2003, popular studio Bones made an anime adaptation. At the time, the manga was still running, so Arakawa gave Bones permission to adapt the story so far, and finish it however they please. The result was the equally popular Fullmetal Alchemist. However, as the manga went on, fans of it were becoming aware that the story of it was, well... better. In 2009, around the end of the manga's run, Bones created another series to adapt the story proper, known as Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It immediately garnered a huge following, and is the number 1 user-rated show on MAL at the time of writing this article.
Now, I haven't watched Fullmetal Alchemist in a long time, but I am familiar enough with it. At the time, the manga was only a fraction through its run, and the anime had half of the episodes to work with about a third of the original storyline. It had an advantage in that it had more time to expand on the earlier parts of the story, but even then, it does an excellent job of adapting what it does have. The changes they make are for it to flow better in the medium it's working in, and to tie the new storyline to what they had of the original. The story may be more flawed, but it makes a better experience in term of watching, for both those new and those who read the manga.
Now, I haven't watched Fullmetal Alchemist in a long time, but I am familiar enough with it. At the time, the manga was only a fraction through its run, and the anime had half of the episodes to work with about a third of the original storyline. It had an advantage in that it had more time to expand on the earlier parts of the story, but even then, it does an excellent job of adapting what it does have. The changes they make are for it to flow better in the medium it's working in, and to tie the new storyline to what they had of the original. The story may be more flawed, but it makes a better experience in term of watching, for both those new and those who read the manga.
The 2003 anime had some advantages to work with, but Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood had the biggest advantage of them all: Arakawa's story. Not to mention, it had a longer episode count to work with, and a bigger team, since Bones was a much bigger name after the likes of other adaptations like Soul Eater. It opens with a foreshadowing episode fans of the series would enjoy, but isn't a very good introduction to the Elric brothers or the world. Then it goes to the backstory episode, and then, the third episode has the Elric brothers entering Reole, where the anime practically rushes through the classic introduction story. Lines are pulled directly from the manga, and the only changes made detriment the flow just to differentiate it from the first anime.
At least as far as I am, it's as if the director has no idea how and when to change things in the process of adapting. When bringing a manga to animation, it's important for the director of the project to understand what works and what doesn't in both mediums, particularly the one they're working in. Changes have to be helpful to the flow of the medium, and it should be different enough that those watching the adaptation aren't literally watching the same thing they read but moving. It's good on the legs of the story it has, but Brotherhood hasn't done enough at the point I'm at to be anything but living in the shadow of the manga it's adapting.
Well, even though I just talked incredibly negative about it, I still have it rated as an 8/10 (really good), and I'm looking forward to continuing watching it, even if it's not perfect. On that note, this is your captain, signing off.
At least as far as I am, it's as if the director has no idea how and when to change things in the process of adapting. When bringing a manga to animation, it's important for the director of the project to understand what works and what doesn't in both mediums, particularly the one they're working in. Changes have to be helpful to the flow of the medium, and it should be different enough that those watching the adaptation aren't literally watching the same thing they read but moving. It's good on the legs of the story it has, but Brotherhood hasn't done enough at the point I'm at to be anything but living in the shadow of the manga it's adapting.
Well, even though I just talked incredibly negative about it, I still have it rated as an 8/10 (really good), and I'm looking forward to continuing watching it, even if it's not perfect. On that note, this is your captain, signing off.