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Characters (5/5): I love all the characters in this series and loved getting to learn more about Ed and Al’s dad in this book. Fullmetal Alchemist grew on me the longer I read it. When I first started reading, it seemed like it was going to be generic shounen material, but it gets deeper and darker the further it goes on. The way it handles political and religious corruption, the dangers of advanced states abusing their technology and resources at the expense of foreign nations caught in the turmoil, and the sad futility of revenge are all very well done. A pair of brothers who were so desperate to feel their mother's warmth again that they dared do the unthinkable. One of them lost a leg to stand on and all but lost his only remaining family. The other was deprived of ever feeling the warmth of human contract. I've always loved the anime even as a kid, and now that I've grown some strange, keen interest in filling up a bookshelf I've taken to trying to fill at least some of it with manga volumes to break up the monotony of technical non-fiction I tend to obsess over. In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical ""auto-mail"" limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother's bodies...the legendary Philosopher's Stone.
Still loving Winry, her grandmother, and Lt. Roy Mustang. The author has a nice balance of male and female characters. I liked getting to know more about Lt. Col. Hawkeye. I think the target of her "secret" is obvious? I like this teacher. Izumi, I think the Firelord in Legend of Korra also has that name lol. I wonder if that’s a FMA reference. Story (5/5): At this point the story is pretty darn complicated so I won't rehash it all. This volume sees some interesting twists and revelations. We finally get to see a confrontation between Hohenheim and the Father. We also get to see more of Mustang. Major General Armstrong and her brother have an awesome fight scene against Sloth that I really enjoyed. Writing/Drawing Style (5/5): This whole series is beautifully drawn and amazingly written. This is definitely one of the highest quality manga series I have ever read. Ed meets with Winry and others to faint again. Why is he fainting? Is his soul going away? knowing about Briggs they decide to go hide someplace else.
Ed wisely joins the military as the youngest State Alchemist to take advantage of the military vast resources to accelerate the brothers' research. Over the course of the years, the brothers' pursuit of the philosopher's stone bring them closer to danger as they uncover the insidious truths of the world around them. The farther they dig, the more corruption and horror they find. And the more the brothers learn, the harder it is to standby and let the atrocities continue to happen, even if it means losing the chance to restore their bodies to their original conditions.
The theme of the circle of life and death throughout the books was wonderful. Loved the fun artwork and humor in "Extras". Some of the scenes fell like they play out much better in the anime, but that might just be because I'd seen the anime and watched through the original and BrotherHood first before deciding to collect the manga. Some scenes just have that stronger potency when voiced and animated from my perspective. It's really fun to connect parts of an episode with the panels of the manga, though; the manga's basically the storyboard for the show, and when you're intimate with both, it's nice to make the connections with what's the same or different and sometimes can be absolutely /gleeful/ to see how well the tone transferred and stayed generally consistent between both mediums. It's impressive the art style of Hiromu Arakawa. She can balance very well the comical and dramatic moments of the narrative and blend them very well, they never seem to clash at all. The characters are fantastic, very well rounded and developed even the ones that don't get a lot of screen time. Its also nice to see the main themes of loss, grief, hope and humanity being developed as the narrative evolves. Because that is what all the great stories have in common, the ability to answer what it means to be human. Setting (5/5): I continue to really love this world driven by alchemy and power. Excellent world-building in this whole series.
We are getting so close to the conclusion: things are getting intense, lives are a stake, there are fights going on left and right and it’s soooo awesome!
After years of people telling me that FMA is their favorite anime/manga series of all time, I finally understand that sentiment on a spiritual level. Mais c'est comme si on nous teasait des scènes qui ne viennent pas, qu'on aurait ratées. Ou qui viendront peut-être trop tard (je ne sais pas encore, au milieu du tome 4, je les attends toujours).It brings joy in sorrow, victory in battle, light to darkness, life to the dead. That is the power of the blood-red jewel which men honor with the name "The Philosopher's Stone." I loved the ‘situation’ that played out between Envy and Mustang. It was so interesting! Also the way it showed how strong the trust is between Mustang and Hawkeye! Also, the art style is amazing – especially in those comic relief moments! It’s just priceless! That in memoriam part at the end of each volume is just hilarious! * Je regrette juste que tout s'enchaîne aussi vite. Et que du coup tout le contexte historique, politique et social dans lequel le récit et l'intrigue s'inscrivent ne soit toujours pas développés plus que ça. On reste encore trop sur l'action et la réaction des personnages. Or ce serait bien de mettre un peu de lumière sur le cadre et le fonctionnement de cet univers (outre celui de l'alchimie qui est un peu développé). Alright so there’s Lust and Gluttony. I guess more of the Seven Deadly Sins will be coming up. Is Lust the Elric brother’s “mother”? Is that what they summoned?
After burning their own home down and dealing with the abomination they created, Edward and his brother enlist themselves in the military to atone for their sins and learn more about the many secrets of alchemy; potentially learning how to recover their original bodies in the process. While serving in the military, the brothers begin to realize how the wonders of alchemy can be abused for nefarious purposes. Immortal life can be gained by sacrificing hundreds of innocents souls, wars can be staged and foreign nations can be annihilated under false charges, human experimentation aided by alchemy can lead to unnatural mutations, the world of alchemy is more dark and dangerous than either of them could've bargained for. The characters all bear the weight of what alchemy is capable of. Edward and Alphonse carry the burden of abusing alchemy for selfish purposes. Their master Izumi loses her womb after attempting to resurrect her dead child. Scar takes many lives after his entire country is desecrated and gets trapped in a pointless cycle of revenge. Roy and Riza endure the regret of committing brutal war crimes for the sake of protecting their own nation. Alchemy creates and destroys in equal measure and no one is free from the consequences of tipping the balance.Dans ce dernier, ils restent trop superficiels... et c'est d'autant plus sensible que le manga va bien plus vite que l'anime dans le déroulement de l'intrigue principale. Hohenheim reaches Rose town from book 1 and finds the tunel, so the scary eyes are Selim homunculi form called Pride. Mais bon, je ne suis qu'au 4e tome sur 27. Et comme je sais que l'anime a été volontairement conçu pour différer de l'intrigue et la fin du manga, je suis hyper curieuse de découvrir tout ce qui m'attend. Wouldn’t it be smarter not to announce to this religious man that you’re Edward Elric and go undercover?
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