Rating: 4 out of 5

Genre: Manga, 4 Stars 

People who should read this: If you love found family, dark stories, comedy

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Twenty-seven volumes later and I’ve finally finished Fullmetal Alchemist. It was very touch and go there for a second. I had a difficult time getting my hands on the books – they were sold out everywhere (great way to show how loved the series is). Then I made the smart decision to read each volume as I acquired it.

*That’s totally laced with sarcasm*

But, with an amazing gift from my SIL and rereading the first half of the series, I got across that finish line. 

And wow… what an adventure.

FML is the story of two brothers in search of getting their original bodies back. From losing an arm and a leg for one brother to the full body of the other one, the pair had to pay an equivalent exchange when attempting to resurrect their mother. Edward uses his connections as a State Alchemist to search for the mysterious Philosopher’s Stone, a magic-enhancing device that could just give them the power they need for the task. But they’re not the only ones on the hunt and the people supposedly wielding the stones aren’t really human. Their search has them stumbling into the middle of a conspiracy that’s been going on for decades, leading them to the real source of the Philosopher’s Stones. 

I get it. Like all manga series, FML is a commitment. Luckily, the series is complete, and if you’re like me, you can get through a volume in less than an hour. So that’s only twenty-seven hours of your life devoted to the story. Not a bad trade-off if you ask me. Especially when the story has something for everyone. 

Suspense

Found family

Secrets

Conspiracies

Comedic relief

Plot twists

Amazing cast of characters

And plenty of moments to pull your heartstrings

I mean… Al keeps trying to put stray kittens into his armor. What else do you need? 

Granted, the story is drawn out towards the end and the plot points can be hard to follow. It took rereading the first half for me to fully follow along, especially in such a rich world – there’s a lot to learn. However, in all the ways that there were problems, the series is also one of my favorites. 

Manga has this skill of being campy as well as series. FML is no holds bar in that department. If the plot was becoming too series, Edward would be there with a joke or a glare if someone made fun of his height. Then you have Al, the younger brother, offering a pearl of wisdom (like it’s out of the mouth of babes). Mixed into all of that are fully is a fully developed supporting cast. It seemed like every character had that one flaw that could be exploited when needed. But it’s that very writing skill that lends itself to the richness of the story. To the people feeling real instead of two-dimensional drawings on a page (something that’s hard to do with a large cast). Which is one of the reasons that it was easy for me to come back to the page. 

The beginning of the series starts out strong. Or I should say, volume one starts out strong. The reader is dropped right into the world. The brothers have arrived in a town that’s being controlled by a cult leader. They’re not ready to find that the leader is wielding a Philosopher’s Stone or that the antagonists are pulling the strings from above. This has the action going right at the start. Questions abound and the suspense is heightened. 

But then we get to volume two and the story becomes overwhelming. A whole new cast is introduced, including a new antagonist. Or really, a second antagonist, because a whole cast of homunculus just wasn’t enough.  

I’m more in love with the first half of the series when the mysterious undertone is stronger. The questions are endless. Who are the homunculus and how is the Philosopher’s Stone made? Why did the brothers lose their bodies? Who is their dad?  What’s the conspiracy plot in the military? Who can be trusted? How does alchemy work? Then the flashbacks are added in to answer the myriad of questions the reader has collected. Sometimes, they would take up whole chapters, to what felt like whole volumes. I don’t mind a well-flushed-out backstory, but I’m here for the brothers, not the rest of the cast.

Which is why I wasn’t the biggest fan of the second half. Other cast members are pushed forward, leaving the brothers to wander aimlessly – a true statement towards the end. The plot makes some big jumps that can be hard to follow when you’re lost in the weeds. I was struggling to see the point of the characters added in towards the end, such as Major Armstrong’s sister. Then to top all that off, the ending has more fighting. My eyes tend to glaze over these parts. There’s too much drawing on the page for me to focus. 

Even with that, I want to recommend this series to all manga readers, new and old. Sometimes I think that my opinion of the series is biased from all the reading that I do. When you get to this point with me, you start to see the repetitive nature of stories and grow bored when they aren’t original enough, making this review a very personal take on the series. Talk with my SIL. She loved this series so much. She’s actually the reason that I gave it a chance. 

I would go so far as to say that this series is one of the manga classics. 

Just remember… if you do decide to jump in, the series could be heard to get your hands on. 

Happy reading.

Kait