Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition, Vol. 4
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-13 08:54:41
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Hiromu Arakawa
- ISBN：1421599856
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Alchemy tore the Elric brothers’ bodies apart。 Can their bond make them whole again？
A hardcover， deluxe collector’s edition of one of the most beloved manga and anime of all time！ Fully remastered with an updated translation and completely fresh lettering， and presented with color pages on large-trim archival-quality paper， this gorgeous hardcover edition presents the timeless dark adventures of the Elric brothers as they were truly meant to be seen。 Includes brand-new cover art， with color insert and behind-the-scenes character sketches from author Hiromu Arakawa！
In an alchemical ritual gone wrong， Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg， and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor。 Finding themselves at a crossroads， the brothers seek the guidance of a teacher， but her lessons are harder to master than any alchemy。
A hardcover， deluxe collector’s edition of one of the most beloved manga and anime of all time！ Fully remastered with an updated translation and completely fresh lettering， and presented with color pages on large-trim archival-quality paper， this gorgeous hardcover edition presents the timeless dark adventures of the Elric brothers as they were truly meant to be seen。 Includes brand-new cover art， with color insert and behind-the-scenes character sketches from author Hiromu Arakawa！
In an alchemical ritual gone wrong， Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg， and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor。 Finding themselves at a crossroads， the brothers seek the guidance of a teacher， but her lessons are harder to master than any alchemy。
Reviews
Mendousse
，
Flashback sur l'histoire des deux héros Flashback sur l'histoire des deux héros 。。。more
Karoline Andrew
，
Still loving this series and this cover is amazing， love it！
Rockleese
，
If you look up "perfect" In a dictionary you will find this manga If you look up "perfect" In a dictionary you will find this manga 。。。more
Emma
，
This volume of FMA explains the origin story of Ed and Al， which in my， humble， opinion was done excellently！ FMA just gets better and better with each volume， and while I’ve already watched Brotherhood， this story never ceases to amaze me。
Perrine Merenne
，
That background story made me cry。 Wow。
John Walker
，
Another amazing character introduced in this novel。 We finally learn and see the history of the Elrics teacher， Izumi。 I also loved how she brings in more lore， and she is someone that connects to the characters in a way we haven't seen yet。Most of this is a flash back novel。 And I think the series has been very well paced to occur at this time。 I think the way it transitioned to the past was also very well done。 In general alot of how the panels were done in this volume/edition looked and felt Another amazing character introduced in this novel。 We finally learn and see the history of the Elrics teacher， Izumi。 I also loved how she brings in more lore， and she is someone that connects to the characters in a way we haven't seen yet。Most of this is a flash back novel。 And I think the series has been very well paced to occur at this time。 I think the way it transitioned to the past was also very well done。 In general alot of how the panels were done in this volume/edition looked and felt great。 It had some of the best humor in its panels。 Most of them were "montages" so you got little bits of fun and cute moments。With most of these novels， the humor is always right along side the drama and the pain。 And we finally see how they lost their bodies。 This was all amazing， and horrifying。 It answers some questions， but gives alot more！ I feel like overall this was a really good time to bring in their back story， I like how we didnt start with this back in volume one。 The story， characters， humor and plot structure has earned all these volumes a 5 star so far！ 。。。more
Ellen
，
We get some more background and meet more characters that are highly entertaining。 This series is GOLD。
Maé
，
I loved learning about the origin story of the Elric brothers。 I think I preferred the timeline of it way better compared to the anime， it made Ed getting his name as the Fullmetal Alchemist way more impactful in my opinion。 As always I loved this volume and I can't wait to read the rest of it。 I loved learning about the origin story of the Elric brothers。 I think I preferred the timeline of it way better compared to the anime， it made Ed getting his name as the Fullmetal Alchemist way more impactful in my opinion。 As always I loved this volume and I can't wait to read the rest of it。 。。。more
Steff Fox
，
| Read on Reader Fox | You're so not cute。Winry helps deliver a baby while Ed and Al sit around completely useless at the start of Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 4 of the Fullmetal Editions and it's wonderful。 Of course， I live for the Ed and Winry moments。 These two are just so darn adorable together， even when in serious conversation。 You can't help loving them together。The FlashbacksFalling in line with Ed and Al moving on to meet up with their alchemy teacher， Volume 4 is the flashback secti | Read on Reader Fox | You're so not cute。Winry helps deliver a baby while Ed and Al sit around completely useless at the start of Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 4 of the Fullmetal Editions and it's wonderful。 Of course， I live for the Ed and Winry moments。 These two are just so darn adorable together， even when in serious conversation。 You can't help loving them together。The FlashbacksFalling in line with Ed and Al moving on to meet up with their alchemy teacher， Volume 4 is the flashback section of the story。 This is where we learn about their parents， specifically the mom who motivated much of what got the boys to where they are now。 We learn about their childhood， how they developed an interest in alchemy， and how Ed joined the military。Any questions about their backstory are basically answered here。 You also learn about all their time with Teacher， Izumi Curtis。 And， of course， the darkest bits of the boys' past is revealed: the full story behind how Ed lost his limbs and why Al is bonded to a suit of armor。 It's devastating and gruesome， but still manages to be intriguing。Thus the only secret left to be unveiled is one they don't even know the truth about themselves。 Neither Ed nor Al could shed any true light on the secrets of their father。ExceptionalI will likely be forever impressed with the brilliant way in which this story is told。 The intricacies of the plot and the depth of the characters is incredible。 Arakawa does such a fantastic job of weaving the complex lives of these characters together to build a cohesive and exceptional story。 And you can feel it in every page of this volume。| Instagram | Twitter | Reader Fox Blog | Bloglovin’ | Facebook | 。。。more
LaPommequirougit
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https://lapommequirougit。com/2020/11/。。。Je remercie les Éditions Kurokawa pour l’envoi de cette lecture。 Un classique que je prends de plus en plus de plaisir à lire ！Al et Ed vont retrouver leur ancien maître。 Celle qui leur a enseigné beaucoup enseigné avant que le grand drame n’arrive。 C’est ainsi que dans ce tome nous allons nous plonger dans le passé des deux personnages。Nous allons voir l’entraînement qu’ils ont vécu， comment ils ont été recrutés par l’armée， etc。Ce tome était vraiment trè https://lapommequirougit。com/2020/11/。。。Je remercie les Éditions Kurokawa pour l’envoi de cette lecture。 Un classique que je prends de plus en plus de plaisir à lire ！Al et Ed vont retrouver leur ancien maître。 Celle qui leur a enseigné beaucoup enseigné avant que le grand drame n’arrive。 C’est ainsi que dans ce tome nous allons nous plonger dans le passé des deux personnages。Nous allons voir l’entraînement qu’ils ont vécu， comment ils ont été recrutés par l’armée， etc。Ce tome était vraiment très plaisant。 C’était intéressant de découvrir le passé de nos deux personnages principaux。 Cela nous apporte notre dose d’émotions nécessaires pour nous attacher encore un peu plus à eux。De plus， nous allons entendre parler d’une certaine « vérité » qui va directement m’intriguer。 Autant vous dire， ce tome est une belle mine d’information pour la suite ！ 😉En bref， un tome extrêmement plaisant qui nous plonge au plus profond du passé de nos deux personnages。 Votre cœur va se balancer entre émotions et intrigues et vous en ressortirez plus curieux encore ！ 。。。more
꧁ ꕥ James ꕥ ꧂
，
Getting to see much more backstory in this edition was pure gold and I loved the addition of Izumi！！ Hilarious and really well developed。
Irene
，
La parte de la transmutación。。。。 no veía de las lágrimas。 AMAZING
Oksana Kviten
，
Давно я так не реготала вголос）Гумор тут просто шик， що ситуація в яку потрапляють персонажі， що рисовка їхньої реакції - це просто щось з чимось） А бонусні жартівливі історії просто вогонь） я досі сміюся з того як в Ела в броні мявкав безпритульний котик）Гумор дуже доречний та ситуаційний））Мікс драми та гумору нікуди не подівся， тому якщо історія сумна， то просто до сліз， якщо смішна。。 ну впринципі теж до сліз。）Незнаю чому， але сильно мені згадався серіал Світлячок） там також був поїзд， прийман Давно я так не реготала вголос）Гумор тут просто шик， що ситуація в яку потрапляють персонажі， що рисовка їхньої реакції - це просто щось з чимось） А бонусні жартівливі історії просто вогонь） я досі сміюся з того як в Ела в броні мявкав безпритульний котик）Гумор дуже доречний та ситуаційний））Мікс драми та гумору нікуди не подівся， тому якщо історія сумна， то просто до сліз， якщо смішна。。 ну впринципі теж до сліз。）Незнаю чому， але сильно мені згадався серіал Світлячок） там також був поїзд， приймання пологів у одній із історій та чудесна дівчина механік））））Справа в тому що розповідь складається з багатьох маленьких історій。 Брати Ульрики в пошуках філософського камня їздять по різним локаціям і спілкуються з дуже різношерстними персонажами。 Автор дуже лаконічно описує цих персонажів， формуючи певний яскравий образ і старається закривати їхні лінії。 Весь цей час， на фоні， ще з першої книги тягнеться нитка головного замісу。 Часом брати перетинаються з нею， або з наслідками діяльності цих поганців антагоністів， але сильно ця лінія не розвивається。 І це не страшно， бо самі брати та їхні історії дуже цікаві。 Більше того， ці історії дають чудові посили。 Наприклад коли брати сваряться， то Хьюз говорить Уінрі， що у них такий характер， вони показують свої почуття вчинками， а не словами。 Уінрі змушує Альфонса поговорити з братом， і тоді вони миряться， а Уінрі каже-деколи слова набагато важливіші。 Сам персонаж Уінрі є дуже цікавим та самобутнім， як і багато інших。 Наприклад мені дуже цікаво читати і про супер амбіційного Мустанга， і про вчителя， і про ішварця на шляху помсти） Історія виходить дуже багатогранна。4 книга присвячена їхньому ДО。 Їхньому дитинству。 Як вони зустріли вчителя， як проходило навчання， та як вони здійснили ту саму трансмутацію。 。。。more
Michael Sorbello
，
This is a review of the entire series。Fullmetal Alchemist takes place in the fictional country of Amestris which is heavily based on the Industrial Revolution。 Amestris is a unitary state under the rule of a parliamentary republic， run by state alchemists that serve the king utilizing the mystifying arts of alchemy。 Alchemy is the power to alter the physical world utilizing its natural elements， performing magic and miracles in the form of science。 Alchemy follows the law of equivalent exchange， This is a review of the entire series。Fullmetal Alchemist takes place in the fictional country of Amestris which is heavily based on the Industrial Revolution。 Amestris is a unitary state under the rule of a parliamentary republic， run by state alchemists that serve the king utilizing the mystifying arts of alchemy。 Alchemy is the power to alter the physical world utilizing its natural elements， performing magic and miracles in the form of science。 Alchemy follows the law of equivalent exchange， you must sacrifice something that is of equal value to what you create。 You must sacrifice a life to create a life， you must extinguish one flame to ignite another， you have to sacrifice one home to build another， etc。。。After being abandoned by their father as children and subjected to watching their mother die， Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse once attempted to utilize the power of alchemy to bring their mother back from the grave， ignoring the dangers of creating a life by offering something of equal value。 Edward loses an arm and a leg while Alphonse loses his entire body; his soul placed in a hollow suit of armor that can't feel the touch of others。 As neither of them sacrificed their lives in their entirety， the exchange failed and the boys created an abomination in place of their dead mother。After burning their own home down and dealing with the abomination they created， Edward and his brother enlist themselves in the military to atone for their sins and learn more about the many secrets of alchemy; potentially learning how to recover their original bodies in the process。 While serving in the military， the brothers begin to realize how the wonders of alchemy can be abused for nefarious purposes。 Immortal life can be gained by sacrificing hundreds of innocents souls， wars can be staged and foreign nations can be annihilated under false charges， human experimentation aided by alchemy can lead to unnatural mutations， the world of alchemy is more dark and dangerous than either of them could've bargained for。Fullmetal Alchemist grew on me the longer I read it。 When I first started reading， it seemed like it was going to be generic shounen material， but it gets deeper and darker the further it goes on。 The way it handles political and religious corruption， the dangers of advanced states abusing their technology and resources at the expense of foreign nations caught in the turmoil， and the sad futility of revenge are all very well done。The characters all bear the weight of what alchemy is capable of。 Edward and Alphonse carry the burden of abusing alchemy for selfish purposes。 Their master Izumi loses her womb after attempting to resurrect her dead child。 Scar takes many lives after his entire country is desecrated and gets trapped in a pointless cycle of revenge。 Roy and Riza endure the regret of committing brutal war crimes for the sake of protecting their own nation。 Alchemy creates and destroys in equal measure and no one is free from the consequences of tipping the balance。The fight scenes are flashy and exciting without being too over-the-top because of the dangerous limitations that alchemy involves。 The law of equivalent exchange keeps the power scaling in check and adds plenty of tension to the action。 The female characters are especially well done， all of them are strong and unique in their own way。 The lead heroine Winry being a skilled mechanic， Riza being an honorable warrior of the military， Olivier Armstrong as cold and vicious as the snowy fortress she guards， and that's just a few of them。The villains are an interesting parody of the seven deadly sins。 Each of them represent the darkness and regrets of each of the main characters and they can only be conquered by coming to terms with their own flaws and sins。 The characters having to overcome their personal demons to take on the greater demons trying to overthrow the world from the shadows made the struggles of every single person in the story feel personal。 Every character， no matter how minor had their moments to shine。 Everyone had a vital role to play and the camaraderie between friend and foe alike never felt cheesy or forced。Unlike most shounen series I've read， the final arc was my favorite。 A lot of long-running shounen series have a habit of being dragged out， losing touch with what made them great or breaking their own rules in messy， plot-hole-filled final arcs that leave a lot to be desired。 Fullmetal Alchemist has no lose ends， all characters have complete arcs where they learn and grow from their dark pasts， the romance and comedy are handled well without relying on cheap fanservice， the action scenes are great but they don't overshadow the plot and the final chapters tie everything together beautifully。 It's not my favorite manga by any means as I usually tend to favor seinen， but it's definitely one of the greatest stories to ever come out of the shounen demographic in my opinion。 The ending is a tearjerker but it left me in good spirits。***My Social MediaMy YouTube Channel: https://www。youtube。com/channel/UCPPs。。。My Instagram Account: https://www。instagram。com/michael_sor。。。My Wattpad Account: https://www。wattpad。com/user/Michael-。。。My Twitter Account: https://twitter。com/SorbelloHorrorMy Facebook Account: https://www。facebook。com/michael。sorb。。。 。。。more
Jimmy Ibañez
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Incredible！！！ Amazing moments
Amina D'Anima
，
Comment vous dire que cette série de mangas m'anime d'une émotion si puissante qu'elle m'est impossible à décrire: je passe littéralement par toutes les émotions durant ma lecture。L'intrigue est tellement menée avec maestria que j'en perd mes mots : toutes les rencontres ont leur importance， chaque personnage a un rôle clé dans l'avancement de l'histoire et surtout il y a de la complexité et elle ne se limite pas à un simple manichéisme。 Pour comprendre le pourquoi du comment， nos personnages de Comment vous dire que cette série de mangas m'anime d'une émotion si puissante qu'elle m'est impossible à décrire: je passe littéralement par toutes les émotions durant ma lecture。L'intrigue est tellement menée avec maestria que j'en perd mes mots : toutes les rencontres ont leur importance， chaque personnage a un rôle clé dans l'avancement de l'histoire et surtout il y a de la complexité et elle ne se limite pas à un simple manichéisme。 Pour comprendre le pourquoi du comment， nos personnages devront creuser quitte à passer par des hauts et des bas。Que vous dire de + à part que les combats sont dessinés avec brio， que les personnages sont ultra intéressants et que les souvenirs （flash-backs） sont tellement bien amenés qu'ils apportent de la profondeur aux persos principaux。 En résumé， chapeau bas à Hiromu Arakawa！ Vraiment trop impatiente de poursuivre！ N。B : J'ai été + que ravie de découvrir la première entrée d'Izumi Curtis aka la BEST SENSEI EVER！！！（qui apparaîtra dans la prochaine couv *_* ） 。。。more
Joselin Orrillo
，
Un tomo en el que vemos el pasado de los Elric y el inicio de su relación con Izumi Curtis， su maestra。 Este es el primer acercamiento real de mis pequeños con la alquimia o al menos con su significado， luego de aprender las bases con los libros de su padre， Al y Ed encuentran con su camino a esta mujer que es capaz de transmutar obviando los circulas， cosas que veremos después en Ed y que este tomo explica muy bien。
Ada
，
4。5 rounded down。*Sigh* I really liked this。
Emily
，
Vol。 1 ★★★★★Vol。 2 ★★★★☆Vol。 3 ★★★★☆Vol。 4 ★★★★★Vol。 5 ★★★☆☆Vol。 6 ★★★★☆ Vol。 1 ★★★★★Vol。 2 ★★★★☆Vol。 3 ★★★★☆Vol。 4 ★★★★★Vol。 5 ★★★☆☆Vol。 6 ★★★★☆ 。。。more
Carlos Eguren
，
243/365Si algo me ha gustado de este tomo es que la serie no se pierde en volúmenes y volúmenes hasta desarrollar los orígenes de los personajes， sino que ya en el cuarto tomo， y tras el flashback del primer número， tenemos la historia de los hermanos Elric。Fantásticamente contada， tenemos un volumen conmovedor y lleno de grandes momentos que hacen de Fullmetal Alchemist uno de esos mangas capaces de desarrollar un sistema de magia， plasmar la relación de dos hermanos， hablar de la inevitabilida 243/365Si algo me ha gustado de este tomo es que la serie no se pierde en volúmenes y volúmenes hasta desarrollar los orígenes de los personajes， sino que ya en el cuarto tomo， y tras el flashback del primer número， tenemos la historia de los hermanos Elric。Fantásticamente contada， tenemos un volumen conmovedor y lleno de grandes momentos que hacen de Fullmetal Alchemist uno de esos mangas capaces de desarrollar un sistema de magia， plasmar la relación de dos hermanos， hablar de la inevitabilidad de la muerte e incluir duelos a muerte。 Como debe ser。 。。。more
Noelle Haycraft
，
This one was definitely my favorite of all of the Fullmetal Editions that I've read so far！！ There are so many emotions that are shown in this volume and you experience every single one of them。This volume really dug into the past of the Elric brothers and how they came to be who they are。 We also get a lot of flashbacks that I really enjoyed。 New characters are introduced in this book that have such an enormous impact on the rest of the series and I was so glad to finally see them！！ I don't rea This one was definitely my favorite of all of the Fullmetal Editions that I've read so far！！ There are so many emotions that are shown in this volume and you experience every single one of them。This volume really dug into the past of the Elric brothers and how they came to be who they are。 We also get a lot of flashbacks that I really enjoyed。 New characters are introduced in this book that have such an enormous impact on the rest of the series and I was so glad to finally see them！！ I don't really want to go into a lot of detail on what's in this book because of spoilers， so this will be the end of my regular review， below I'll have spoilers。 Happy Reading！！！（view spoiler）[Honestly， to see both Al and Ed interact with their mom was super heartbreaking knowing what happens to her。 And their dad。 They truly got fucked with the parent department， their dad being totally absent from their life after they turned around 5-6， and their mom dying of some mysterious disease not long after。I'm actually a bit curious now。 Do they ever address what killed their mom？？ Was it the fact that Hoenheim left them？ I'm so confused at that part because there weren't any symptoms shown and she just fucking dropped dead one day。 What the heck？？And then we got to see my favorite character or characters。 Al and Ed's teacher and her husband！！ Honestly， they're couple goals and I love them so much。 They're so strong and obviously care so much about the Elric brothers that it's almost heartwarming to see them now in the story。 Yeah。。。 seeing Al and Ed perform the human transmutation experiment was devastating in manga form， just like in the anime。 Not really much to say after that。 Teared up， admittedly。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Alex
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This volume centres mainly on Ed and Al's backstory and their relationship with their teacher。 I love Ed and Al's backstory so much。 It's absolutely tragic。 Those boys have been through some tough times。Their teacher is absolutely brutal。 Imagine being stranded on an island， aged 10/11。 Though saying that I would probably have volunteered to do exactly that when I was that age as I was up for any adventure back then。 I still am but I draw the line at having to catch your own food and make your o This volume centres mainly on Ed and Al's backstory and their relationship with their teacher。 I love Ed and Al's backstory so much。 It's absolutely tragic。 Those boys have been through some tough times。Their teacher is absolutely brutal。 Imagine being stranded on an island， aged 10/11。 Though saying that I would probably have volunteered to do exactly that when I was that age as I was up for any adventure back then。 I still am but I draw the line at having to catch your own food and make your own shelter on a deserted island。 Ed and Al consistently show how strong their bond is and how determined they are。 I really do love them so much。 They balance each other so well。 Ed can be arrogant and dramatic at times while Al is more grounded and kind。I'm reading this at the same time as I rewatch the anime， well brotherhood， I don't think the 2003 anime is as good。 Both Brotherhood and the manga are absolute masterpieces。 It's nice to read a volume and then see it be brought to life on screen。 I don't know what else to say。 I'm sure everybody knows what it's like when you have a favourite thing and you just get that gushing feeling。 That's how this series makes me feel。 。。。more
Annie
，
Yes
Tulip
，
tập 4 về tập 4 về。 Thực sự rất thích cái cảnh hóng chờ từng cuốn từng cuốn， rồi háo hức đọc như này。 Bộ Thanh gươm diệt quỷ hấp dẫn quá nên đã đọc 1 lèo （thaạt ra vẫn chờ từng chap cuối）， chứ bộ này kiên nhẫn chờ 2 tháng 1 cuốn nè。Cuốn này đi sâu về quá khứ 2 anh em， cũng như xoáy sâu vào câu hỏi: có nên hồi sinh người chết hay không？ Cuốn sách， cũng như nhiều truyện khác， quy về khái niệm như thế này: thế giới này luôn chuyển động theo 1 dòng chảy vĩ đại， con người sinh ra hay chết đi cũng nằm tập 4 về tập 4 về。 Thực sự rất thích cái cảnh hóng chờ từng cuốn từng cuốn， rồi háo hức đọc như này。 Bộ Thanh gươm diệt quỷ hấp dẫn quá nên đã đọc 1 lèo （thaạt ra vẫn chờ từng chap cuối）， chứ bộ này kiên nhẫn chờ 2 tháng 1 cuốn nè。Cuốn này đi sâu về quá khứ 2 anh em， cũng như xoáy sâu vào câu hỏi: có nên hồi sinh người chết hay không？ Cuốn sách， cũng như nhiều truyện khác， quy về khái niệm như thế này: thế giới này luôn chuyển động theo 1 dòng chảy vĩ đại， con người sinh ra hay chết đi cũng nằm trong dòng chảy đó， vì vậy， không được hồi sinh người chết。Nhưng theo mình， những tác phẩm như kiểu chàng Orpheus cứu vợ rồi không thành ấy， nó thiên về hướng mô tả sự vĩ đại của cái chết， sự nhỏ bé của con người trước quy luật thiên nhiên。Cơ mà nếu con người có thể hồi sinh người chết， thì sự hồi sinh ấy cũng là tuân theo quy luật tự nhiên mà thôi。 Vậy thì đấy đâu phải là lý do cho việc không nên hồi sinh người chết？ 。。。more
Sara
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In this volume， we get the conclusion of the storyline in Rush Valley， and the boys finally make it to Dublith to their teacher’s home。 This sparks a flashback that lasts the rest of the novel。 The young Elric boys lose their mother and devote their lives to alchemy to bring her back。 They find a teacher in Izumi Curtis， a housewife passing by who helps save the town from flooding。 Curtis deposits the boys on an island for an entire month and tasks them to solve the riddle “one is all， all is on In this volume， we get the conclusion of the storyline in Rush Valley， and the boys finally make it to Dublith to their teacher’s home。 This sparks a flashback that lasts the rest of the novel。 The young Elric boys lose their mother and devote their lives to alchemy to bring her back。 They find a teacher in Izumi Curtis， a housewife passing by who helps save the town from flooding。 Curtis deposits the boys on an island for an entire month and tasks them to solve the riddle “one is all， all is one。” After their training， the boys return home and decide to conduct the human transmutation they’ve been waiting for。 Meanwhile， Lt。 Colonel Mustang travels to Resembool to recruit a 31 year old alchemist， only to find too late that he's after 11-year-old Ed。 Mustang finds the evidence of their transmutation， but still offers to sponsor Ed’s entrance exam to become a state alchemist。 We get our first glimpse of President Fuhrer King Bradley as he decides to attend the practical exam for the youngest alchemist in the military’s history。The tragic backstory of the Elric brothers is one of the pieces of this story that make it so rich。 All of us can relate to some sort of loss we felt in our childhood， and most of us know what it's like to lose someone and not really understand why they're gone。 This universal theme of loss spurs the Elrics on and makes them sympathetic characters for the reader。 We don't care that the boys are breaking one of the greatest alchemical laws to bring their mother back， because we want them to reverse that pain and loss they felt。 Arakawa's illustrations in this volume are perfect - the way she draws the Elrics as children is wonderful， and who doesn't love Al in his actual human body？ Re-reading this amazing series in hardback has me extremely motivated to share it with everyone I know。Sara's Rating: 10/10Suitability Level: Grades 7-12Read more graphic novel reviews at www。graphiclibrary。org。 。。。more
Adrianne
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This has been my favourite volume so far！ I loved the brother’s backstory and the introduction of their past teacher。 She’s badass！
Michelle
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Always so fun to get back into this manga series。 This volume focused a lot more on their backstory with several flashbacks that shows how he became the fullmetal alchemist。 I’m currently watching the show for the first time as I read the mangas and it’s so interesting to see what the show leaves out。 The brotherhood show follows it pretty closely but it’s nice to see more of the details in the manga。
Neil R。 Coulter
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Huge amounts of backstory in this volume， as we flashback to see Ed and Al meeting their teacher， performing the transmutation alchemy that sets the whole story in motion， and then becoming dogs of the military。 We also learn something more about the dad， who disappeared when the boys were young but will， it seems， be reentering the story in the present sometime soon。This volume opens with Winry delivering the baby， and I love how the new life forces Ed to face mysteries that are beyond the unde Huge amounts of backstory in this volume， as we flashback to see Ed and Al meeting their teacher， performing the transmutation alchemy that sets the whole story in motion， and then becoming dogs of the military。 We also learn something more about the dad， who disappeared when the boys were young but will， it seems， be reentering the story in the present sometime soon。This volume opens with Winry delivering the baby， and I love how the new life forces Ed to face mysteries that are beyond the understanding of science。But think about it—it’s the birth of a new life！ What alchemy has been unable to do after hundreds of years of research—create a living human。。。a woman can do in 280 days！ （12–13）When the series began， I didn’t realize that Ed and Al were going to go through so much wrestling with the idea of God。 It’s an interesting character arc so far。 “I know this sounds kinda pathetic，” Ed confides to Al。 “But right now， I’m scared to the core。” “Me too，” Al replies。Guess this is one of those times when all you can do is pray。 I feel so useless。 （7）It’s so great to watch these characters， who began by seeking the ultimate power， come to grips with the idea that there is power and mystery in the universe that’s far beyond what alchemy can ever do。 。。。more
Luka Krizanec
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Best one so far
Isabella
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