[quote name='karsh']I'd say if you're looking for probably the best story wise, and actually caring for the characters, FMA is the best. I haven't seen them all, but FMA is one of the few anime I have ever watched that made me actually care for the characters. Unlike some shows (Naruto, Bleach to an extent, DBZ), FMA puts the story first, and it really shows. For pure action, like I said, Bleach is the way to go. It has the same style sort of as Naruto. Inuyasha is a very long commitment, being 167 episodes, with at least four movies. But it's worth it. I'm not a big fan of One Piece, but I've only seen the shitty FoxBox dub. Bebop is great, but be ready for a show that really has not overriding story besides the five or so episodes dealing with Vicious. Otherwise, it's a show that has no story connecting it. But it's still one of my favorite anime out there. I almost want to say skip Hikaru no Go. It's a great show, but it got cut off at episode 70-something. The manga is a better option if you want to go into this show. I'm not a fan of Case Closed. It was stupid if you ask me.[/QUOTE]
Yes, storywise, FMA is the way to go. It starts off like your normal run of the mill fantasy anime. Then it throws some comedy at you. Then the first time you see some professor do a grotesque and malicious thing (those who've seen the series know what I'm talkin' about) to a family member, you think, "dang, this anime's deeper than most!" and then you're hooked. All the way. Hook, line and sinker but I'll tell ya, you won't regret it every step of the way.
Rig, if you don't mind the robots, go for FMP. Besides, FMP doesn't play the giant mechs as much as other robot shows like Gundam. The mechs are just devices to move the plot along instead of being the centerpieces like they are in NGE or any of the Gundams.