Central City est, plus que jamais, le centre d'un obscur complot aux ramifications dépassant l'imagination de nos protagonistes. Le colonel Mustang voit son unité démantelée tandis qu'Edward et Alphonse doivent faire face à l'énigmatique géniteur des homonculi. Ce dernier réussi à rallier Lin à sa cause, le prince de Xing succombant aux pouvoirs de la pierre philosophale. Bien décidé à percer les mystères qui s'amoncèlent, Edward se rend chez Riza Hawkeye où le lieutenant va lui relater les terribles chroniques de la guerre d'Ishbal.
Hiromu Arakawa (author: 荒川弘) is a Japanese manga artist, best known for Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師 Hagane no renkinjutsushi). Her real name is Hiromi Arakawa (荒川弘美).
Arakawa was born and raised on a dairy farm in Hokkaidō. She thought of being a manga artist since she was little. After graduating high school, she took oil painting classes while working on her family's farm. During that time, she also created dōjinshi manga with her friends and drew yonkoma for a magazine. After eight years she moved to Tōkyō and started out as assistant writer for Hiroyuki Etō. Her debut as manga artist is in 1999 with STRAY DOG. In 2001 she started working on her famous and award winning series Fullmetal Alchemist, that soon gets a successful anime adaptation. Other works include Silver Spoon (銀の匙 Silver Spoon, Gin no saji Silver Spoon).
Mmm, this one was just barely okay. Quite boring, and without any emotional payoff, this one is meandering and clumsily bumbling along and setting up the scene for the future more than anything else. Maybe the break I had from Fullmetal Alchemist was a tad too long and I lost some of the interest, or maybe it's just a filler volume.
Back on the upward swing from that last volume which took a pretty big dip for me. Is this Sloth we’re now meeting? He hasn’t officially been named yet! Love it!
Masa-masa di mana semua tokoh penting dalam manga ini berpencar dalam pencarian masing-masing. Bahkan Kolonel Mustang pun harus berusaha sendiri karena semua anak buah kepercayaannya sedang 'dibuang' ke berbagai tempat oleh sang Fuhrer.
Elric bersaudara yg berjalan jauh ke ujung utara perbatasan akhirnya bertemu Mayor Jendral Olivia Armstrong... dan tidak terduga, dengan Letnan Falman. Dan homonculus pandir.
I've been waiting for so long to get to the North and meet Olivier Mira Armstrong! Some of this volume seemed repetitive because it goes over the Ishvalan Extermination. BUT I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and assuming this is the first time it's brought up, its just mixing with all the times I've watched the show (both of them), watched videos/ reviews and my internet research lol
After the extended flashback in the previous volume, now the story is moving forward again, with lots of players moving into further reaches of the map. As usual, the parts I most enjoy in this series are the quieter, reflective moments, not the action clashes. This volume has a bit of all of it, and it's all intriguing. So eager to see where this is all headed!
This is one of the places I feel like the series comes to a lull. Kimblee is a fitting cover for this volume because he features prominently. Kimblee is introduced near the beginning of the series but doesn’t really feature prominently until this volume. He’s a minor villain in the series and I’ve never really cared much for the plots involving him. I feel as though Arakawa could have used his character much better. He’s an interesting gentleman villain with a unique alchemy style but it doesn’t feel like he’s allowed to do much.
Olivier Armstrong is also introduced in these chapters – a character I personally love, but again I feel like the story is just dragging here. The action feels weaker and more consequence free than previous volumes and other than the appearance of Sloth it doesn’t really feel like much has happened at all in the eleventh volume of the manga. Arakawa is starting to put the pieces in place for the final confrontation but this just feels like waiting.
Of course I love the art style which is clean enough that the action is always clear while holding shocking detail in the automail, uniforms and weapons. I also love some of the panels we get of Edward where attentive readers will be able to see how much he’s changed and grown from the first volume. For the Fullmetal Editions this is the halfway point in the series and I really feel like it’s up and up from here.
Some of my favourite scenes are in the coming volumes, and we’re going to be seeing more of Winry and Greedling again. I don’t know if the original chapter and volume pairings working better, but in the Fullmetal Edition this volume feels subpar compared to the rest of the volumes we’ve seen so far. I think a large part of that is also that we’re focusing on other characters a lot more now, and without Edward’s humour and pretty face to break up the darker parts of the story it starts to feel a little too lifeless. Still the greatest manga ever written.
After the arc full of emotion with the retelling of the Ishvala War, and as our characters are feeling more motivated than ever, we finally enter my favorite arc of this entire story. I always love to see Ed and Al discovering the North, and all of the new characters this region introduces to us. The plot progresses a lot as every team is trying in their own ways to find out what the Humoncoli are trying to, and I love this sense of everyone getting closer to each other AND to the big secret as the intensity goes up and up.
And what I love the most about FMA is probably that it’s still absolutely hilarious even in really action packed scenes. I can’t even count the number of times the manga made me laugh out loud (but I also can’t even count the number of times it made me cry). We always pass from stress to laughter to sadness to fear so quickly, and it’s always brought so naturally. Nothing makes me feel quite as much as FMA does.
MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER HAS ARRIVED. MY QUEEN. MY NORTH STAR. Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong you have my entire heart and I would very much like to be insulted by you for the rest of my life. Berate me and use me. I’m all yours. 😍
The Fort Briggs era begins and it’s the best thing that could follow after the heaviness of the last few chapters. We’ve got some of the best characters coming in - Captain Buccaneer, Major Miles - and now everyone is starting to become more aligned and unified in their efforts. The fun is about to begin and I guarantee I will be squealing through the rest of the series anytime Olivier appears. I’m so weak for the Armstrong family.
Senang sekali bisa menyelam kembali ke dunia Elric bersaudara setelah sekian lama! Saya takut kurang menghargai pekerjaan Arakawa sensei dari sepuluh tahun yang lalu, tetapi sama sekali tidak: Saya masih sangat menyukainya. Dan versi yang diterbitkan ulang ini luar biasa!!!
Ah yes, Kimblee, one of the most creepy villains of all time. He finds killing and destruction to be an art, and he is very dedicated to doing a thorough job. He respects those who do well at their jobs, just as he wants to do well at his.
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.
Malgré un changement de rythme évident depuis qu’on a atteint l’un des pics de la saga, l’autrice se renouvelle à merveille et nous plonge dans une histoire géopolitique toujours plus sombre et intense où le travail sur la nuance est d’une justesse rare !
Il n’est jamais facile de traiter de la guerre. On tombe trop facilement dans la caricature. Pas Hiromu Arakawa ! Elle a travaillé son sujet et elle prend le temps de le développer. En revenant longuement, de manière totalement immersive, sur la guerre contre le peuple Ishbal, ce sont les mécanismes d’un génocide qu’elle dénonce et quelle actualité ! Elle raconte avec beaucoup de doigté l’engrenage dans lequel se retrouvent pris les militaires, représentés par nos chers Mustang, Lisa, Hughes et les terribles choix qu’ils ont dû faire puis la culpabilité qu’ils portent. Ils savent qu’ils ne sont pas tout blanc et ça rend les choses d’autant plus terrible mais ils veulent payer pour leurs crimes, ce qui est tout à leur honneur et ce qu’ils font en se mettant au service du peuple n’est que le commencement.
Ils ne sont d’ailleurs pas les seules figures de cette guerre que l’autrice dépeint avec une justesse folle et poignante. Scar, qu’on nous présente depuis le début comme l’un des grands antagonistes, bénéficie d’une vraie campagne de réhabilitation depuis quelques temps. En plus d’être devenu l’ami et le protecteur de la petite Mei, l’autrice nous montre les vraie circonstances du drame qui s’est joué avec les parents de Winry et c’est terrible ! Non, Scar n’est pas la bête sanguinaire décrite, mais juste un homme blessé jusqu’aux tréfonds de sa chair et de son âme, qui a eu un moment de folie et qui a totalement vrillé, littéralement. Il a eu un blackout et commis cet acte atroce. Mais lui aussi cherche la rédemption.
Celle-ci est définitivement le moteur de l’histoire et si le moteur est repassé en seconde, c’est pour mieux poser de nouvelles bases. Après la montée jusqu’à la découverte des Homonculus et de leur plan, on revient maintenant aux racines de l’histoire : l’alchimie et ses différentes formes. Alphonse et Edward sont sur une nouvelle piste et nous allons à nouveau voyager avec eux. Les voyages sont formateurs de jeunesse, non, après tout ! L’autrice semble aimer en tout cas faire tourner la roue et les regards pour élargir nos champs de perception.
On découvre à ses côtés une nouvelle héroïne ultra badass comme elle sait les écrire. Franchement quand on y regarde toutes les femmes (ou presque) de cette histoire son incroyablement écrite, avec une force de résilience et une force tout court folle ! Olivia, la soeur d’Amstrong que l’on rencontre n’en est qu’un autre exemple. Avec elle, c’est le grand Nord qu’on découvre et c’est un tout autre paysage, comme un tout autre fonctionnement. Parfait, car c’était bloqué à la capitale et que tout avait été explosé par le Président. On repart de zéro avec une nouvelle Commandante, de nouveaux lieutenants et un nouveau lieu et ses règles. J’ai adoré !
Pas de grande révolution dans ce tome mais une histoire qui avance solidement et traite de génocide, de racisme, de culpabilité et de rédemption avec une rare force et nuance grâce à des personnages terriblement humains, extrêmement bien campés, notamment les femmes. Ainsi même lorsqu’elle baisse de régime la série est super chouette à suivre et on se régale des nouveaux horizons qui se dégagent.
"Io non sono altro che un essere debole. Per questo motivo, ho bisogno del vostro aiuto per proteggere tutto. Proteggerò le vostre vite. E voi proteggerete le persone che stanno sotto di voi, non importa quante. Quelle persone, a loro volta, ne proteggeranno altre ancora. Non importa cosa potrà succedere, dovrete vivere e andare avanti con la vostra forza di volontà. Viviamo e cambiamo questo paese tutti insieme."
Questo undicesimo volume si apre con la parte finale del racconto della guerra di sterminio di Ishval - una storia di dolore, di morte, di senso di colpa. Scar ha perso tutta la sua famiglia e vive per la vendetta. Gli alchemisti di stato hanno giurato di usare la loro arte per il bene, ma di fatto hanno contribuito a un genocidio - anche se esiste anche l'altro lato della medaglia, con i soldati che devono le loro vite proprio a questi poteri. Come fare per espiare i crimini commessi? Per Roy, Riza e anche per il povero Hughes, la risposta è sempre stata solo una: cambiare Amestris, anche a costo di ritrovarsi davanti a una corte marziale una volta riportata la democrazia. È necessario proteggere gli altri, nei limiti delle proprie possibilità, e ispirare altre persone a fare altrettanto. Per il dottor Knox, significa smettere di scappare dal passato e recuperare la sua vocazione da medico. Per il dottor Marcoh significa aiutare Scar a far luce sulle ricerche del fratello e capire le differenze tra le tecniche alchemiche dei vari paesi.
Proprio questo interesse per le altre tecniche alchemiche, mette in movimento i fratelli Elric, spingendoli verso nord, alla fortezza di Briggs, dove incontreranno la sorella del maggiore Armstrong - una donna che non le manda a dire, che se ne frega degli atteggiamenti vuoti dei politicanti della capitale, una donna che pattuglia una zona di confine difficile e che, insieme a suoi uomini, protegge l'intero paese. Ma come detto, anche altri si stanno muovendo in quella direzione, in particolare Scar, Marcoh e la piccola May. Sulle tracce di questo gruppetto, Bradley e il resto della banda hanno mandato Kimblee, l'alchimista cremisi, l'uomo che ha causato la distruzione di Ishval e verso cui Scar ha un conto in sospeso. Nel mentre, nella capitale, anche se privato di tutti i suoi collaboratori più fidati, Roy non ha alcuna intenzione di rimanere con le mani in mano e sta iniziando a cercare nuovi alleati nella crociata contro Bradley.
Ormai siamo entrati nella seconda metà della storia e il senso di urgenza inizia a farsi più forte. Con Bradley che ormai tiene d'occhio tutte le minacce, i nostri protagonisti cercano un modo di raggiungere i loro obiettivi senza rimetterci la pelle. E ho come la sensazione che il peggio debba ancora venire....comunque, Roy Mustang rimane il mio idolo e nessuno può farmi cambiare idea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
In the latter part of volume ten, Ed asked Lieutenant Hawkeye to tell him the truth about the Ishvalan Civil War, and she finishes her story in this volume. Part of the many horrors that was the Civil War were some of the human weapons the military created, namely the State Alchemists they emboldened with power to destroy any Ishvalan they saw. One such weapon was Solf J. Kimblee, the Crimson Lotus Alchemist, a ruthless man who made it his personal mission to wipe out every last Ishvalan. In this volume, Kimblee is freed from his jail cell to go after one last Isvhalan - Scar. Edward and Alphonse decide to figure out why Alkahestry is so different than Amestrian Alchemy, but May and her little "cat" have eluded them. They follow her trail into the North to Fort Briggs, the military's outpost on the frozen border between Amestris and Drachma, where the motto is "Survival of the Fittest".
This volume sees the introduction of one of my favorite characters: Major General Armstrong. No, not the muscular, sparkly Strong Arm Alchemist - his big sister, who is the commander of the forces at Fort Briggs. She's so gruff and trusts no one - the endless winter of Briggs has made her hard and ice cold. Everyone has to earn her respect and trust from their own merits. We also meet another Homunculi, so we have almost all of the seven deadly sins accounted for. There are a lot of moving plot lines in this volume, and it might be difficult to keep tabs on everything between what's happening with Colonel Mustang, the Elric brothers, and Scar and his group. It's best to read this quickly after volume ten and straight into volume twelve.
***finished on April 1*** Not all doom and gloom. Some really interesting moments in this one. BUT SO MANY QUESTIONS! I thought we were done with them! I feel bamboozled.
***Before reading*** After the last volume I could go for something more fluffy but I want to know what happens next. But seeing that smarmy dude on the cover I think that more bad stuff will happen? Pff.. If it does I will read either something totally ridiculous like Yarichin Bitch Club or something somewhat fluffy like Fruits Basket. Although from what I can remember that also gets pretty dark? But in the later volumes so I should be safe for tonight,
***Read for the 30 in 30 Manga Challenge*** Runs from Friday April 1 to Saturday April 30
It's a bit embarrassing to admit but I have way too many unread manga on my shelves. I say it’s embarrassing because unlike my fiction books I feel like manga isn’t too much of a time-commitment. So having series complete, but only the first volume is read, is not okay in my bookish world.
So doing this will hopefully knock some series off my TBR shelves.
This volume of FMA is very important to understanding the Ishvalan War and the motivations behind characters connected to the events of this conflict. These characters include Colonel Mustang, Scar, and Brigadier General Hughes. It also reveals how Winry's parents were killed.
As far as plot development, this may be one of the core most important volumes to read. This is also were we are introduced to Major General Armstrong, a character who commands the Northern Command and upholds the Wall of Briggs. Armstrong is essentially the polar opposite of her brother Alex in temperament.
We are also properly introduced to Kimbley, an antagonist who although very chaotic has a charm to him that makes it difficult to flat out hate him. An effect most of the character in Arakawa's work have if they are a recurring prominent role (I love how complex most of the series' cast truly is).
Do NOT skip 1-10 of the series or you will be very confused. I've known too many people who do not head the volume number on manga titles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Ed dan Al bermaksud mempelajari metalurgi dari negeri Xing yang sebenarnya khusus untuk penyembuhan. Mereka mencari si gadis kacang yang selalu bersama panda kacangnya. Perjalanan membawa mereka ke perbatasan Briggs. disana mereka bertemu dengan adik Mayor Armstrong. Kakak adik ini berkebalikan sifatnya meski sama-sama berbadan besar. Lhaaa... tau-tau di perbatasan Briggs ini muncul homunculus yang bolak balik ngomel MENYEBALKAN!!! Jangan-jangan dia cuma bisa ngomong satu kata itu ya hahaha...
Sementara itu Scar berhasil kabur bersama Dokter MArcoh. Di perjalanan mereka dicegat Kimbley, anak buah Fuhrer. Pertarungan ngawur berlangsung di kereta yang tengah melaju. dua-duanya ini apa ngga mikir penumpang lain ato piye ya? Kimbley kena tusuk. Sukuurrr...
Perjalanan kedua bersaudara ini masih sangat panjang untuk mengembalikan tubuh masing-masing. Selain itu, ada musuh militer serta mata-mata yang diletakkan dimana-mana termasuk Winry. duh, rasanya ngga sabar ke volume terakhir hehehe...
Semakin rumit saudara, apalagi tokohnya terus bertambah. Tapi, yang aku suka, setiap tokoh di dalam komik ini punya ciri khas, jadi mudah mengenali siapa saja yang muncul, meski untuk gambarnya kadang ada kemiripan satu sama lain. Bahkan, kehadiran Letjen Grumman yang ada di awal seri, dengan mudah muncul di ingatan. .
Cerita masih sepotong-sepotong; setiap alur Edward, Scar, dan Roy Mustang, masing-masing masih menyimpan kejutan dan misteri. Dan, pertemuan Roy Mustang dan Letjen Grumman berhasil membuat penasaran, apa yang bakalan mereka rencana untuk menggulingkan Fuhrer. .
Btw, Fuhrer gak muncul di seri ini, sedihnyaaaa... #penggemarantagonis
Трохи спогадів про минуле, щоб додати важливий для сюжету артефакт, випускання Кракена... тобто, Багряного Алхіміка із в'язниці для полювання за Шрамом та його невеликою компанією, яка чкурнула на північ. А за нею і брати Елріки, щоб додати до лору слабкість звичайної автоброні на морозі.
І щоб читач не сумував - додалася нова загадка про невразливого гомункула, що риє землю під військовою фортецею.
Не такий сильний том, як попередні. Свіженький лиходій швидко вигрібає від Шрама, Елріки швидко вписуються в нову компанію військових, особиста драма ішварця не чіпляє (хоча стає основним мотиватором).
Dopo la conclusione del racconto sulla guerra di Ishval, i protagonisti prendono delle decisioni: - Ed e Al partono per il nord - Scar e il suo gruppo decidono di recuperare gli appunti del fratello sull'alchimia - Mustang organizza un colpo di stato Tutto ciò porta la storia alla fortezza di Briggs, dove il male sta scavando (letteralmente) a fondo...
Rispetto al numero precedente, qui tornano i momenti comici tra i personaggi (come Edward che affronta i soldati di Briggs) e introduce alcuni personaggi nuovi (come Kimblee, uno dei più cattivi e carismatici).
Le investigazioni e tutta l'azione si sposta al nord. I fratelli conoscono la sorella maggiore di Armstrong ma la parte migliore del volume riguarda l'incontro/scontro sul treno tra Scar e Kimblee. Kimblee: liberato dal governo stesso e sulle tracce proprio di Scar e del dott. Marcoh, lo avevamo conosciuto nella strage di Ishval per aver ucciso la famiglia di Scar. Lo scontro è ben lontano dalla conclusione e le loro strade si rincontreranno ancora. Riuscirà Scar ad avere la sua vendetta ora che si è letteralmente trovato davanti al principale responsabile della morte della sua gente?
Ugh! Solf Kimblee, you are the worst! Hawkeye finishes her curiously omniscient exposition on the Ishvalan genocide, and the brothers Elric go back on another quest that takes them to the frigid north. Again, the tenuous allegiances between all of the various factions are a bit hard to comprehend. While the story takes another detour, the heart of it remains the Elrics’ search for recovery. The art is exceptional as always. Viz’s gorgeous Full Metal Editions are such a great presentation.
Este volumen continua la historia de la guerra de Ishval. Y pronto vuelve a la historia de los hermanos Elric. Aquí cambia la localización geográfica al norte, ya que llegan al fuerte de Briggs. Comienza una de mis partes favoritas de la historia y conocen a uno de mis personajes favoritos por su fuerza y su carácter, la general Olivier. La historia conserva la intriga del anime, añadiendo más detalles, entre la acción y la comedia.
This book is probably my favorite volume out of the whole series. This is mainly because it contains the most information about Ed and Al and how they can get their bodies back, and it also ends with a great start to what I can see as a pivotal fight in the manga. This is the chapter where things start to pick up, and it seems to be the turning point in the series.
The first volume of FMA to not get 5 stars from me. Honestly, this volume just kind of dragged on too much. I don’t know if that’s a bad thing or not, but compared to the last 10 volumes that had a good pace, this one just slowed down a lot. There were some cool short fights, but the exposition in this one was a little over bearing. Hopefully the next volume or so pick back up the pace
some conflicting thoughts on this volume - while I literally have been giddy at the thought of Olivier Armstrong's introduction, I find Kimblee's storyline actually quite boring.
the early Northern chapters have put the story in a bit of a lull - it feels a little bit like a mix of filler and some plot set-up. still, I think it's nice to have a bit of redirection and a new setting!