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Sigh. There's many regrets I have amassed throughout my life, but one of my biggest ones now shall be not reading this masterpiece sooner. I totally understand the praise this series has received. I admire Hiromu Arakawa's writing, and am excited to yap about this series in this review...
My reviews will always contain spoilers, so if you're new to this series please go watch it or read it and come back if you're still interested.
Quick note: reviews aren't my strong suit so I'm writing to hopefully get a little better... thank you for reading. <3
There's a few points that I'll talk about in particular, including (but not limited to) the characters and how impactful they are, the storyline and of course, the representation of women.
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Arakawa did an incredible job with making these characters come to life and truly affect the reader with their actions and emotions. Perhaps it was the strong start, and I assume people who've read this before know exactly what I mean... Volume 2 introduces a character named Shou Tucker, who is a state alchemist renowned for his work with chimeras. That moment, when the reader finds out that Tucker fused his daughter with the family dog, struck horror deep into the spine of the reader. This is for a couple of reasons, namely the art and expressions of the characters.
The masterfully done artwork complimented and accompanied the atmosphere and seriousness of the situation, where Tucker's menacing face along with Edward's horrified reaction invited the reader to empathize and think over what just happened. In the first place, it's a bold move by the author to take a child and dog (the things that strike most empathy in humans) and turn them into a fused abomination. Incredibly, this was also foreshadowed multiple areas before the event even happened (Tucker's anxiety over the potential loss of his certification and his previous breakthrough where he fused his wife, and the chimera died of starving itself).
This also ties neatly into how Arakawa introduces sudden shifts in tone and mood, at least in the start. I did not expect to be hit with such a depressing incident so early in the story, but it set the mood for the rest of the manga. I felt that I could not let my guard down anymore, just like the characters when they're faced with supernatural homonculi who have Philosophers Stones that grant them immense power. Even the moments with silly goofy humor (which on another note, I wasn't THAT big a fan of) I knew this won't last, something is just around the corner.
And of course, what is the point of writing such a review if I won't be mentioning Maes Hughes and his death. Even if we haven't spent an eternity with this character, he was so well written that you could infer so much: not only was he a wonderful friend and colleague, he was an exemplary dad and husband. With few pages, Arakawa managed to make me care about him enough that I started crying when Envy, one of the humonculi who could shapeshift, took his life. The build up was obvious (which some might argue to be a detriment) but it sets up an incredible plotline for another major character, Roy Mustang, later down the line.
It surprises me still now that this is a shonen, and rather a more mature category due to the material it tackles. I suppose the comedy aspects were necessary to not make this too much of a depress-fest, and the action fit shonen more. But alas, the story makes all other mangas in this "genre" pale in comparison.
I found myself incredibly excited to read on after Tucker was revealed, and then murdered by Scar later on. What Arakawa does well in this particular story is foreshadowing, which is something I truly appreciate. Piecing together what I think might happen has never been more entertaining and fulfilling than in here. The reader gets a taste of this during Shou Tucker scene, but it extends further... One of my favorite characters, Olivier Mira Armstrong, chased her family out of the mansion and became head of the family. This was a natural decision for that time, as she wanted her loved ones safe away in another country during the dangerous confrontations with homonculi that are happening. But who would've thunk that she would use that for sneaking in a tank?? Not me, initially. But the constant hints of people calling the mansion "huge" and "empty" should've sent some signals perhaps. This is great, it was incredibly fun to think back and go like "ooohhhh obviously!!!". This is perhaps not the best example of it, but this is the part of the manga I liked most.
When the story isn't foreshadowing it's next big thing, it's jumping between different characters (even the ones with more morally gray backgrounds such as Scar and his "troupe" who were on a hunt to find notes on a different type of alchemy). I believe the whole story flows really well, you don't get an overbearing of one or the other group during any given time, and it helps contextualize what is happening as we're following the main characters (Ed and Al). It's difficult to say where my favorite part of the story was, all of it is important and very fun to read. I guess the conclusion on this, without going into too much detail, is that every single arc, event and character presentation brings something new to the story each and every volume. There is something to be learned from each interaction, and they all have a very satisfying conclusion at the end. One example I can think of is Marcoh saying to Ed and Al that they pretty much don't realize how deep the "Philosopher Stone" business runs. This is said pretty early on, when Ed and Al are actually seeking him out. And then, you get to compare it to the end of the manga, where the homonculi and Father are trying to sacrifice a gigantic amount of souls in order to create an incredibly powerful Philosopher's Stone.
WAHHHH, I think this is such a strong suit of this manga. Who knew a woman will write incredible female characters? Either way, this topic could be an entire essay if I had my way, but alas this is a review and I'm not scholar. The way FMA presents and handles the women characters is incredible, and it steers clear of the usual traps that authors fall into of just making women "super strong and bold" and totally erasing any other finer details. Let's take a few characters and look at them a little closer: my favorite baddie Olivier Mira Armstrong, and the nerd Winry Rockbell.
At first Major General Armstrong comes off as a ruthless, mean and heartless character that leads her troop like a dictator. Whilst this could contradict what I said in the previous paragraph, this is just one character out of a plethora of others. Armstrong isn't like this for no reason, she despises weakness and yaps about "survival of the fittest" quite a bit. This, in my opinion, is the way she shows that she cares about those around her. My interpretation is that she trains and nurtures those around her to be prepared for anything that comes their way, and treating them harshly (how the world would treat them) increases their odds of survival. This is clearly exemplified by her crew at Briggs: all hardy men that were crucial to the success of saving the world from Father. And the death of Captain Buccaneer is the exemplification of this: only because he was able to weaken Wrath that Scar managed to kill him. Without the incredible training, care and love that Armstrong put into her soldiers, that wouldn't have happened.
That was one example of how care is shown, but let's take another. Winry Rockbell is a childhood friend of Ed and Al's, plus she does automail (so she's a nerd yes). This is good, through her passion for her work she shows her care towards Ed, but also anyone else that stops by the store she works at. This girl wears her heart on her sleeve, shows empathy directly by getting emotional, crying and letting emotions lead her speech. These two characters I have talked about cannot be compared that easily, they are stark contrasts and have their own way of doing this. BUT, they are perfect examples of how women are! Namely: each and every single one of them are different and represent different values, whilst also being complex and multilayered.
Maybe this was a waste of time, to go into this mini analysis and just conclude that "women are different, but complex and not one dimensional", but I do not think so. Especially in shonen, where women get sidelined or are written as one dimensional, I believe FMA does an incredible job to present how diverse and wonderful they can be without making it feel forced or unnatural. This type of stories and literature is what is needed, rather than ego boosting the male lead and being the trophy at the very end for him. We are all different and experience everything in our own unique way, which is what Arakwa has shown very clearly in this manga.
In conclusion? I absolutely adore this series. Not only does it have incredible characters, it tells the story in a fun and interesting way whilst bringing up important topics about freedom, war and friendship. This is the standard, this is the canon, and this is the Bible.
Oh, and of course, thank you for reading! I'm new at reviewing and putting my thoughts into words isn't easy :) but I hope I managed to bring forth a few qualities that I really loved about this work. Til next time!!!
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