Fullmetal Alchemist is truly a phenomenal series. If you forced me to pick my favourite manga series published within the past two decades, this easily sits in my top three picks. Hiromu Arakawa is a fantastic storyteller, who really fleshed out the world she created and the fairly extensive cast of characters that inhabit it. If you’re someone who loves series that play the long game with their stories and payoffs, then Fullmetal Alchemist should be right up your alley.
The good news is that you’ve been meaning to read the series, the complete Fullmetal Alchemist manga box set is currently on sale for $206.05, down from the usual $350. This box set includes the manga series’ 27 volumes, along with the light novel The Ties That Bind. To get this deal, you’ll need to use the code YIPPEE10 when checking out.
So what is Fullmetal Alchemist about?
Fullmetal Alchemist takes place in a world where alchemy exists, which works as a sort of combination of science and magic, where alchemists can translate almost anything into new forms. However, alchemy is limited by the Law of Equivalent Exchange, which states that something of equal value must be provided when creating transmutations.
The manga follows Edward and Alphonse Elric, State Alchemists who are on a quest to find the legendary Philosopher’s Stone. You see, when the Elric Brothers were younger, they attempted to resurrect their deceased mother through alchemy, but things don’t go as well as they expected.
While they do manage to bring something to life, it’s most definitely not their mother, and the process leads to Edward losing a leg, while Alphonse’s entire body is consumed. Before his brother is killed, Edward sacrifices his arm to attach Al’s soul to a suit of armour, which he now inhabits and controls.
To restore their bodies, the Elrics want to find the Philosopher’s Stone, as it’ll allow them to circumvent the Law of Equivalent Exchange and create anything without limits.
Why should you read it?
As I said before, Fullmetal Alchemist is just a well-crafted series. While taken at face value it may seem like a series that mashes up fantasy and steampunk genres, Arakawa packs so much more into it. As the series progresses, its story’s focus becomes more complex, tackling issues of political corruption, militarisation, personal sacrifice and the danger of pursuing cursed knowledge. While balancing these different themes seems tricky, Arakawa never loses her grip on the story. It’ll go from being incredibly funny to absolutely heartbreaking seamlessly.
Arakawa’s writing shares more in common with something like Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea than action manga like Dragon Ball, One Piece or Naruto. Although there are plenty of action scenes, which really let Arakawa really flex her chops with some dynamic layouts and the mechanics of alchemy.
Fullmetal Alchemist has been adapted into two anime series. The first, which came out in 2003, is an alright series but a bad adaptation, as the manga was only a few years into its run, so the anime heavily deviates from Arakawa’s original story (it was Game of Thrones before Game of Thrones).
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which premiered in 2009, is a much more faithful adaptation, and hands down one of the best anime series ever. If you’re a big fan of Brotherhood but have never picked up the manga, you won’t regret it.
You can equivalently exchange your money for the complete Fullmetal Alchemist manga box set here. Don’t forget to use the promo code YIPPEE10 when checking out as well.
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