Fullmetal

The manga starts with Edward questioning what went wrong, calling out for his seemingly missing little brother, yelling that it wasn’t supposed to be like this, and we see that he is missing his left leg. A disembodied text says, “Teachings that do not speak of pain have no meaning…because humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return.”

This scene is the consequence of an action that we have yet to find out. But it is nonetheless gruesome and shocking and raises many questions. First time readers may be wondering about the part of a circle they see Edward’s hands resting on. What is going on?

Hiromu Arakawa, the creator of the manga series does not answer this right away. Instead, the very next panel you see is an objective view of an alleyway in a city, with again, a disembodied voice, but this time, it is preaching about the Sun God Leto and how through prayer and faith, salvation can be achieved. But how does worship compare to what was said on the very first page? It is puzzling to think about, when I have faith in a religion; I gain comfort, an existential shoulder to lean on. So by giving trust, I am allowed to…trust? Arakawa’s refusal to answer the questions raised by the first page right away also suggest that after the consequences depicted in the first page, everything has moved on, presumably, even Edward.
All actions have consequences – action and reaction. While reading Fullmetal Alchemist, it is hard to ignore this fundamental balance that exists in all universes, whether our own or one that is created through fiction. But can we relinquish said consequences? And if we can, how do we do so?

This is where the first volume, no, the first arc of Fullmetal Alchemist really shines. It is brilliantly efficient at creating the characters through which Arakawa will try to answer these questions.

Let’s look at Edward. After the first page, through the duration of the first arc, we get his motivations, history, ideology, his pride, his humor, everything. We find out that his brother, Alphonse, is indeed alive, but exists in an empty suit of armor, we see how much he hates being called short, and we see his skepticism for religion. Yet he states that he and his brother have paid the price for stepping on God’s domain. Edward is undoubtedly full of pride, which is further demonstrated in simple moments like when he introduces himself and Alphonse as being the famous Elric brothers while Alphonse just says that they are alchemists. Alphonse, being an empty suit of armor, is literally a disembodied voice but his is one that is slowly learning, and one that is not professing a self-declared truth.

The state of their bodies is revealed at such a genius moment – when they are fighting for the first time. Edward doesn’t go around showing everyone his prosthetic limbs. Nor does Alphonse take off his helmet and show everyone that there is nobody inside. Instead, only when a chimera lunges at Edward and tries to eat him, does he actually use the metal limb to defend himself.

At the end of the arc, Rose, a girl who was faithful to the Sun God, now finds herself directionless as Edward has revealed to people that the priest was a sham. Edward tells her, coldly, that she needs to move on, that she has a fine pair of legs so she should use them. These two brothers understand the consequences of their past actions. But more importantly, they have moved on.

Let me talk briefly about the next arc, which focuses on a mining town that is under the corrupt rule of a military officer. In the first arc, Edward and Alphonse dismantled a corrupt religious regime but now they must handle a different type of organization. But this is different, whereas the dismantling of the church of Leto caused many people to now exist in a directionless limbo, here, when the Elric brothers save the town, the power is returned back to the miners. It shows, that the Elric brothers truly do stand for justice but it also presents a situation where the results of their actions are perhaps more favorable. As we find out later in the series, the loss of the church of Leto causes that country to fall into war. Every action has consequences, even if you think your actions are just.

The second arc also reveals that the very military that Edward plans to join is corrupt as well. A plot point that is further explored in the last arc in the volume which showcases a train heist that is led by military deserters who have now resorted to terrorism in order to dismantle what they believe is a corrupt military body. It is also by the end of this arc that we are finally introduce to Roy Mustang, who ends the volume by literally creating an explosion out of thin air on the train platform, sending the charging terrorist leader flying away. He also introduces himself as the Flame Alchemist, telling the terrorist to never forget it. You can already tell that there may already be one too many huge egos in this story – cough cough, Edward.

This is only the first volume, so I say with confidence that Fullmetal Alchemist is easily one of the most efficient and complete stories that I have ever read. And when I say that, I am including all storytelling mediums.
I would like to draw more parallels to elements that appear later on in the manga, but I will bow out here so as not to spoil anything. Granted, this series and anime series (I am talking about Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood because that is much more faithful to the original manga series) has been out long enough for the whole spoiler warning rule to be null and void, I will still digress.

This is a manga that is smart, expertly told, filled with compelling characters, while being fun, and never forgetting that it is a manga. I cannot recommend this series enough to those who are still ignorant to the genius of Hiromu Arakawa.