Ling Yao is hilarious

Ling and May come into play. Ling is cool, kind of self-centered, in a way. but funny too.

- i feel like the military will have some dissent after a lot of the darker secrets about them coming to light, and i'm afraid for my boys
- learning about bradley doesn't surprise me at all
- i have a feeling that the father of edward and alphonse will play a big role in the future or will have a surprising identity
- i'm already in love with xiao mei and mei chan

In my last book review on volume five, I bashed the story and its plot and I still stand by my opinion on that volume in the series. However, the eighth installment has heavily redeemed itself since then and has been one of my favorite volumes in the entire series. How has it redeemed itself? Well, for starters, the plot is much more interesting and immersive than the last with little twists and even big twists that really put me on the edge of my seat. I realized that this read was much more enjoyable than volume five overall because the arc was something I could immerse myself into and was more interesting in general. This book overall was a big step-up from volume five and can even be considered as one of the best in the series (so far).

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume Eight is everything that volume five should have been. It has suspense, thrills, plot twists and events that will make your jaw drop. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this installment in the series and have found it to be quite a surprise considering what the previous volumes had in store. In this volume, they’ve strayed away from all of the boring story dialogue and have actually focused on the action and plot advancements in the story. It feels fresh and new with the shocking reveals that no one would’ve ever expected. Particularly, -SPOILER ALERT- I really enjoyed the part where Fuhrer Bradley revealed himself to secretly be the homunculus Wrath who used to work alongside the other homunculi before he was betrayed. No one else is aware of Fuhrer Bradley's true identity which makes the plot even more exciting and suspenseful as he is one of the most trusted and powerful characters in the series so far. The homunculi have been really involved in this installment which is something I’ve really enjoyed as they are some of my favorite antagonists. It’s interesting to see their “master plan” come together and everyone fall into the trap as it develops, “The homunculi may have started a war, but we were to ones who carried it out”. (pg. 134) Volume eight has introduced a new and fresh plot that continues to grow and be expanded upon. This plot has opened up many gateways to new arcs or characters that the story may bring on. .

Speaking of new plot and character arcs, we are introduced to many characters from a region of China called Xing. These characters are all there for the same exact reason, to gain immortality by finding and obtaining the philosopher’s stone. This opens up a whole new avenue of possibilities for the story to take. It seems that these characters are going to conflict a lot with Edward and Alphonse in their journey as these Chinese characters have already started mentioning their names and asking around about them. This arc has basically opened up an entirely new story that gives a fresh and new feeling to the text. This is why I so thoroughly enjoyed this read and what it had to offer. This is the style of book that I am looking for, one that constantly keeps me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what’s new or what happens next. Volume eight perfectly replicates that and honestly might be one of my favorite installments in the entire series. If you’re looking for a suspenseful and action packed plot then this book is most definitely for you. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in manga.