For the longest time I was never able to really get into graphic novels of any kind. Even as everyone I knew raved about the latest Batman issue, I just couldn’t force myself to be interested in looking at panel after panel, bubble after bubble. Obviously I’ve always loved reading traditional novels with sentences and paragraphs, and I absolutely love Calvin and Hobbes, but even to this day I can’t stomach western comic books. But Hiromu Arakawa’s manga Fullmetal Alchemist is a different story entirely.
Perhaps it’s that a manga like Fullmetal Alchemist is a great deal more concrete than the sort of long-running story that is the norm with superheroes and the like, if that makes any sense.
Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, and similar works have a beginning, middle, and end just as every series of books must.
Whatever it is, from almost the moment I started reading Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa, I was hooked. I continued being hooked right up until the end, and there’s a very simple reason for that: Fullmetal Alchemist is an absolute masterpiece.
Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist is the story of brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, two young alchemists who attempt to bring their dead mother back to life and become crippled as a result. Edward (the eponymous Fullmetal Alchemist) loses his leg and Alphonse his entire body, leading Edward to sacrifice his arm in order to bind his brother’s soul to a suit of armour.
Fullmetal Alchemist takes place in the Republic of Amestris, a military state led by Führer Bradley.
The state military employs alchemists as human weapons in exchange for extensive research materials, and Edward enlists so that he might restore Alphonse’s body before the armour rejects his soul and he’s lost forever.
Adaptations
As with many of the stories I’ve reviewed, there have been a number of adaptations of Hiromu Arakawa’s original manga. Fullmetal Alchemist has somehow had both the best luck and the worst luck when it comes to adaptations.
The first adaptation was an anime in 2003 titled (quite inappropriately) “Fullmetal Alchemist.” I didn’t much like the 2003 anime, as it strayed from the manga in almost unbelievable ways.
Luckily in 2009 there was a much better anime, whose English title is “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,” and this adaptation follows the story almost to the letter; in fact I consider Brotherhood to be one of the absolute best adaptations I’ve seen of anything. It follows the manga so closely, in fact, that I feel justified in discussing it alongside the manga.
A Shōnen Masterpiece
If you remember my review of my favourite show of all time, Avatar: The Last Airbender, you’ll remember that I said everything about the show is exceptional. That pretty much applies here too.
The plot, characters, setting, animation, pacing, score, and themes are all great. I know it’s technically considered part of the shōnen genre, but to lump it in with any long-running shōnen does Fullmetal Alchemist a great disservice; it’s in a whole other league.
Concerning such long-running shows and manga, as Edward Elric would say, I’m gonna show you how outclassed they really are!
The Characters
As with Avatar: The Last Airbender, if I went into detail telling you about all the complexities of each character then not only would this review be far too long, but I’d also spoil many of the best parts of the story.
The chief characters in Fullmetal Alchemist are memorable, complex, and rife with internal and external conflict. Edward’s tangible and weighty goal of restoring his brother’s physical body is instantly more compelling than the all-too-common “I want to be the best at 𝑥.” His unique quirks, principles, and flaws cement his status as a great character.
The same can be said for so many others, whether it’s Roy Mustang, Ling Yao, Envy, Olivier Mira Armstrong, or Scar.
The Production
The illustrations in the manga are stunning. The character designs brim with personality and every stroke is filled with emotion.
Likewise the animation in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is fantastic, as are the music and voice acting. On the subject of voice acting, the show is unusually good in English.
The casting here is perfect and everyone gives a superb performance. In fact this is one of the few anime where I can wholeheartedly recommend watching the English dub.
The Music
As I’ve already said, the score by Akira Senju is really good, but I know what most of you are probably wondering: how are the opening theme songs? Well, like most anime openings, they’re pretty hit-and-miss.
I wouldn’t say any of these are bad, but some are definitely better than others. “Again” by Yui serves as the first opening, and it’s by far the best.
The fourth and second-to-last opening, “Period” by Chemistry, is also really good. The other three are okay, but none of them compare with “Again” in terms of music or visuals.
Flaws
Fullmetal Alchemist’s flaws are few and far between, and I’d really have to nitpick to find them. There are more of them in the anime, as two of its episodes are essentially filler; the worst offender is the twenty-seventh episode, titled “Interlude Party.”
You can skip that episode if you can be bothered to remember its name. The character of Van Hohenheim is also more likeable in the manga than he is in the anime, and there are a small number of details that got left out.
Themes
Even among the huge cast of characters, the heart of the story is the relationship between Edward and his brother Alphonse. There’s a good reason they’re considered one of the greatest sets of siblings in all of storytelling.
Family is a major theme in the story, and such loyalties are tested against Amestris itself.
The story explores how it is in large part our flaws that make us human, and various characters must weigh friendship and love against personal power. Even the very embodiments of the seven deadly sins face great internal conflict.
Conclusion
I know I’ve given very little away, but you really should read the manga for yourself and/or watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It is without a doubt one of the greatest stories I’ve ever read or watched. Aside from a very few things like Avatar: The Last Airbender or the works of Tolkien, I can’t think of much that’s as worth your time as this.
Unless you really can’t stand a story that gets dark, there’s really not much of an excuse you can make to skip this one; I consider it an unambiguous must-see. Read Fullmetal Alchemist as soon as you can, and prepare to absorb true greatness.