Fullmetal Alchemist happens to be a one-of-a-kind in the manga genre. I mean, c'mon people: has ANYONE encountered such a brilliantly diverse series? Amongst a world of manga that is somewhat the same and unoriginal(enough with the vampire manga already, people!), Fullmetal Alchemist, or FMA as it is nicknamed by fans, stands out.
This series is so well-known that I really shouldn't have to summarize it, but I will just in case you are one of the five or six people on this planet who have no idea what this series is about:

Twelve-year-old Edward Elric and his ten-year-old brother Alphonse have just lost their mother to a terminal illness. Abandoned by their father at an early age, they decide to learn the science of alchemy to try and resurrect her from the dead. Their attempt fails by a huge margin, leaving Ed minus two limbs and Al's soul glued to a seven foot tall suit of armor. Fast forward a few years: the two oddball brothers are on a search for the mythical Philosophers Stone, something that has been said to amplify alchemy, making it possible for the brothers to get their bodies back to normal. To aid him in his search, Ed has joined the military, becoming a State Alchemist in order to be granted access to the gigantic hordes of information that the state reserves for the 'dogs of the military,' in the hopes that there will be some kind of clue as to the stone's whereabouts.

To be blunt, Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the best manga's that I have ever read, period. The characterization is done to perfection (it's IMPOSSIBLE not to like Ed and Al), the plot has enough twists and turns to keep your head spinning, and the art is unique and wonderful to look at. If you haven't already read this series, then what are you waiting for? I command you to read FMA and I dare you not to like it!

鋼の錬金術師 1 = Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1 (Fullmetal Alchemist, #1), Hiromu Arakawa

Hiromu Arakawa is best known for the manga series Fullmetal Alchemist, the manga series was adapted into two anime television series.

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. Equipped with mechanical “auto-mail” limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother’s bodies...the legendary Philosopher’s Stone. Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg…and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel. Now Edward is an agent of the government, a slave of the military-alchemical complex, using his unique powers to obey orders…even to kill. Except his powers aren't unique. The world has been ravaged by the abuse of alchemy. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philosopher's Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are…

تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز نهم ماه می سال2022میلادی

عنوان: کیمیاگر تمام‌ فلزی؛ نویسنده و تصویرگر: هیرومو آراکاوا؛ مترجم: فاطمه سعیدی؛ مدیر پروژه: محمدمهدی جلالیان؛ بازبینی و تصحیح: مهدی عالمی؛ تهران، نشر ابراهیم، سال1399؛ در186ص؛ مصور، رنگی، شابک9786227376333؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، نشر رویاپردازان، سال1400؛ در186ص؛ شابک9786229836163؛ موضوع مانگا و داستان تصویری از هنرمندان ژاپن - سده21م

دو برادر به نام‌های «اِدوارد» و «آلفونسو الریک»، پس از درگذشت مادرشان دلشان می‌خواهد، که وی را با کیمیاگری زندگی دوباره ببخشند؛ با «قانون تبادل برابر» در کیمیاگری، «آلفونسو» همه ی بدنش، و «اِدوارد» یک پای خود را، از دست می‌دهند، و فرایند زنده‌ سازی نیز شکست میپذیرد؛ «اِدوارد» فداکاری می‌کند، و دست راست خود را قربانی میکند، تا روح برادر خود را، درون یک زره قرار دهد؛ دو برادر برای بدست آوردن بدن‌های پیشین خویش، برای یافتن سنگ کیمیاگری، روستای خود را ترک می‌گویند؛ این داستان در شهر خیال انگیز «آمستریس» روی میدهد؛ شماری از کیمیاگرها برای دولت کار می‌کنند، آنها کیمیاگران ایالتی هستند، و در ارتش درجه ی سرگردی دارند، کیمیاگرها اگر اراده کنند، به یاری اشکالی که دایره ی تبدیل نام دارد، توانایی آفرینش هر چیزی را دارند، اما برای هر کار، بر اساس قانون مبادله ی یکسان، باید چیزی به ارزش همسان کار داشته باشند، تنها چیزی که کیمیاگران اجازه تبدیل آن را ندارند، انسان و طلا است؛ در تاریخ هرگزی اشاره‌ ای به تبدیل موفقیت آمیز یک انسان نشده، کسانی که دست به چنین کاری می‌زنند، یک عضو بدن خویش را از دست میدهند، و نتیجه ی کار هم یک موجود ناانسان است

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 21/02/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

When I first read this manga, at the enthusiastic insistence of my Cub, the thing that struck me the most was the motivation the Elric brothers had for performing the sternly verboten alchemy experiment that landed Alphonse in a metal armour and cost Edward half of himself.

That's something I can understand on a very personal level. When my hero and father prematurely left for the Heavenly Shire, I'd have done the same as the Elrics, if I had known how. For some of us, the passing away of a parent in childhood etches an indelible line on the fabric of time, creating a before and after such a major upending of circumstances. Dad's passing away meant the loss of my earthly Shire, and life has never been the same since, for better and for worse.

So, when I retook this manga for a reread, again at the insistence of a certain someone, my reliably faulty memory had mostly let go of the plot so my curiosity needed to be satisfied on a few plot points before deciding whether it'd be worth my while to (re)invest on this tale of two young brothers on a quest to fix a major mistake with widespread consequences. Who better to ask than the chief suspect and culprit behind my reading this? I asked the Cub:

E. Whether he was such a Mustang simp in all seriousness or as in jest. ("You will be a Mustang simp too.")
D. Whether there was an exploration of faith on the part of Edward, as he's a declared agnostic who dared play God with that alchemy experiment. ("No, he doesn't explore faith.")
C. Whether there was romance in here. ("Later for him.")
B. Whether there was a redemption arc. ("Yes.")
A. Whether Edward's eyes really were yellow. I have my reasons for needing to know this So Very Important Detail, thank you very much, why do you ask? ("Yes, his eyes really are yellow.")

My curiosity satisfied, I proceeded to reread. This first volume is a set-up piece, it starts with the Elrics already in their current state, so the first episode has a soft in medias res type of narration, and it's only from the second episode on that you learn what Edward and Alphonse have done, as well as a brief glimpse into what alchemy is like in this world, what alchemists do, how they're trained, and what kind of government is in charge. But not much, so you're still not aware of the background explanations for much of the world. You are introduced to the story's villains a bit abruptly as well, which heightens their largely cartoony imagery reinforced by them being named after the Seven Deadly Sins. It can be slow, a lot looks so random, so you need patience.

There's not much else to this first volume than that, really. It's the nature of set-up volumes. It won't grab you from the throat and drag you around at a dizzying speed, no, so don't expect that from this volume; maybe that'll come later, but it'd be false expectations to want that from the start. I'd probably have dropped it if not for the enticing tidbits the Cub fed me as encouragement, because I'm the kind to prefer stories that grab me from the start even when they do not exactly have the most stunning openings, and since the one thing that'd grab my attention and keep it was in the second episode, the start was a struggle for me. I'm glad that I persisted, however, because this is really promising in spite of the slowness and drag. It promises to explore themes I like in my fiction, and it has a dose of slapstick humour to enliven things up a tad, an important detail given that this appears to go the gradual and slow onion-peeling way of character development.

So, yeah, I'm going to stick with the Fullmetal Alchemist's little butt to the bitter end.

Llevaba años posponiendo esta historia y solo quiero darme cabezazos contra la pared por mi estupidez

W sumie mi się podobało

I loved Silver Spoon, so I thought it was time to try out the creator's most famous series. I have the first six volumes on hand from the library.

I must say, this first outing does not do much to impress me. The main character, Edward Elric, is a bratty and cocky rogue, his brother Alphonse is a nonentity (in more than one way), and most of the other characters are bare sketches, with one-dimensional villains like the one-offs -- a religious fraud and an evil mine company owner -- and some who are part of a larger cabal fashioned after the Seven Deadly Sins. Elric's fellow militarized alchemists appear too briefly to judge what they might be like.

This has pilot written all over it, and I remember I had some reservations about Silver Spoon, Vol. 1 so I'm comfortable charging on with the series despite my initial disappointment. But I do know that I prefer slice-of-life over epic fantasy, so there is a chance I may not make it past this first stack.

Oh my goodness, I can't believe I almost forgot how much I absolutely love this series!!! This manga really helped me though as I was about to get in a reading slump. This manga is full of action, comedy, and a unique take on alchemy!! Plus, I absolutely love and adore Edward Elric ❤️ Definitely check this one out, it's a classic!!!

2 Stars

Um.... Am I missing something??

This series has a super high average (4.49 as I write this) and several of my friends have really enjoyed it. But I was just very underwhelmed?

This is incredibly creative, both the magical aspect and the brothers being the way they are. The brothers were both fun characters and their loyalty to each other was enjoyable.

But I wish this world had been explained a little more before they just started embarking on all these different adventures. It sort of feels like they are just going to wonder town to town and keep getting in trouble. Not only was the large cast of side characters kind of annoying, but there didn't seem to be much of an overreaching plot.

I know lots of people love this series, but it's just not for me.

Oh this was so fun !

No voy a dar impresiones generales de toda la obra dado que estamos en el primer volúmen, por lo tanto solo hablaré de este como inicio de la historia y este es...

Ahhhhhh, ¡pero qué perra maravilla es esto!

La historia que nos presenta Arakawa es directa: Edward y Al han mutilado sus cuerpos a causa de la realización de un tabú alquímico, por lo que se embarcan en una aventura para recurarlos. Ed se convierte en un alquimista estatal y comienza a viajar por el país con el fin de conseguir información acerca de la piedra filosofal, instrumento con el cual logrará su objetivo.

La premisa, si bien puede parecer simple, presenta bastantes matices que la hacen cargarse de un significado mucho más profundo y que nos permite ir conocimiento la mentalidad de los hermanos a cada paso que dan, y en unión con un dominio del espacio, uso de sombras y expresiones remarcadas en el dibujo, podemos apreciar más respecto a su objetivo, haciéndolo así no solo un ideal a cumplir (como paso en muchos mangas), sino en un significado que se construye a través de cada capítulo.

La presentación del mundo junto con el contenido filosófico se ha dado de forma gradual y entretejido para presentarnos el contexto en el que se desarrollará la historia, el tono de la misma, y las vertientes que se entrecruzan en el ruedo.

Capítulo 1. Los dos Alquimistas
Empezamos duro con un planteamiento filosófico en el que la autora nos da un contraste entre la fe y la ciencia. El punto de vista crítico y hasta cínico de Ed en contra de la fe de Rose en Lior. Aquí se nos dice como él pagó el precio de querer jugar con algo que va más allá de la comprensión, aprendemos más del protagonista en un diálogo directo pero, también, a través de lo que no se dice: ¿Qué llevó a Ed a pensar de esta forma?

Capítulo 2. El precio de la vida
Cómo la religión puede manipularnos a través de las emociones y la necesidad que tenemos de ver una mejoría en nuestro entorno. Aquí se hace evidente el principio del intercambio equivalente, tanto de forma directa con el cuestionamiento de "¿cuánto vale una vida humana?", como en el diálogo final de Ed con Rose. No podemos cambiar algo que ya pasó, pero en nosotros está el ejercer un trabajo (levantarse) para poder cambiar lo que queremos. Esto, sumado a la posición de Ed en donde es el que imparte esta enseñanza a pesar de su corta edad, nos deja claro tenemos un protagonista que tiene muy claras sus bases, que no es común no solo por las características que se le dan (la alquimia y los automails), sino por su pensamiento.

Capítulo 3. La Ciudad Minera
Con los capítulos anteriores nos hicimos una idea de cómo es el mundo y en que posición se encuentran las personas de Amestris (Lior) como para caer en una secta; y aquí se nos da otra posición respecto a cómo son vistos los miembros del estado (el abuso de poder) y la condición económica (en dónde se encuentra bastante azotados por el contexto). Sumado a esto, aprendemos más de Ed y de Al, siendo Al más transparente en sus ganas de ayudar a su hermano, quien no lo dice porque toma la responsabilidad en sus manos (importante que se compromete sin involucrar a nadie, lo que habla de su personalidad) para ayudar a aquellos que, incluso, llegaron a ofenderlo. Me gusta la forma en la que se muestra su compromiso y me da material para creer su camino viendo sus acciones, no sus pensamientos.

Capítulo 4. La batalla en el tren
Este es el capítulo más flojo, entre comillas. A diferencia de los pasados está menos cargado de significado filosófico y de una exposición de carácter; pero en contraste nos permite encontrarnos con otros detalles importantes como la confianza del Coronel Roy Mustang en Ed y en que pueda realizar una misión sin indicación, sus habilidades en la alquimia de fuego y también, la habilidad de Ed tanto alquímica como físicamente, por no hablar de su capacidad resolutiva (e inteligencia para utilizar el medio a su favor) al momento de resolver conflictos.

En resumen, me ha parecido un excelente inicio, muy sólido, en donde la autora nos presenta no solo a sus personajes principales y nos da atisbos de su personalidad, sino en donde se presenta un contexto en todas sus vertientes (cultura, economía, milicia, tecnología, comunicación, sistema de magia) para introducirnos en el mundo creado a través de la ilustración y la historia. Con diálogos interesantes, un uso de los elementos gráficos que explota el contenido y una narrativa adecuada y elocuente, me parece de los mejores inicios (en general) que se puedan dar a una historia.

Enjoyed reading this volume. Love the anime, so thought I'd read the source material. Love the art.

Savetujem svim budućim čitaocima da ne donose konačne zaključke na osnovu prvog broja ove mange - ili odmah uzmite prva dva toma ili ne se ne 'vatajte u kolo. Prvi broj može delovati naivno i sa jednostavnim raspletom, ali drugi tom već otvara prostor za teže teme i veoma dobrodošlo napuštanje toplog plićaka.