Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1 Vol. 2

Fullmetal Alchemist: Omnibus #2

by Hiromu Arakawa

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audience T. Containing volumes 4, 5 and 6 of Fullmetal Alchemist

Trapped and injured in a secret alchemical laboratory, Edward Elric is at the mercy of his enemies, Lust and Envy. But they don't want him dead...they have other plans for him. As the laboratory goes up in flames, the brothers find themselves back at square one, with only an inkling of the massive scale of the Philosopher's Stone conspiracy. But then, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes uncovers a shocking secret...

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult

576 pages, Paperback

First published July 5, 2011

About the author

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).

Reviews

[W.R. Gingell]

all proceeding very satisfactorily

[Filipa]

There are no words for all my love for this. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry. It's so so good, well written (great great story), awesome drawings (I can never get enough).
I love how Ed is so strong and at the same time so emotive. I love it's about family, sacrifice and perseverance. I think everyone and everything in here is so good in so many ways. I can't wait to keep reading.

[LeatheHatless]

"Back again are we? You really are a fool."

That is pretty much the sum up of having to go through major tear jearking events for the third time. Man, who knew the god at the door would be so good at reviewing the series.

I will refer the first review I made as the overall review for the all the volumes. As for this one its strengts lie on giving the beothers more depth by peeling into the last. It also sets the tone of the overall plot. It was interesting to see some hooks launched that will play a huge role lather on.

Go read this now!

[Dystopian]

Characters are getting serious! Edward and Alphonse brothers were thrown back to square zero but they are coming back so hard!

[Tilly]

In this volume we got a deep look into the emotional backstory of Ed and Al.
I find it fascinating how much Arakawa can make his readers care for the mother despite how little we know about her.
I'm excited to continue!
5 of 5 stars

[Harney]

grenzdebil und tolle

[Taylor Ramirez]

It’s weird that Scar guy isn’t really in this book but he’s on the cover. It would have made more sense to put a young Al and Edward since a good portion of this book is telling their backstory.

“Envy: You sure it’s such a good idea to let this kid live?”—Page 16

I’m sure it won’t be.

DON’T YOU SLAP EDDIE!

“Edward: And there’s no need to be so polite. I’m just a ‘child’, right?
Black hair: No joke?
Light hair: What a relief! You don’t know how hard it was for me to be so polite to someone younger than me!!”—Page 39

Ruuuuuude.

I LOVE ARMSTRONG SO MUCH!!

“Edward:…I hate milk.”—Page 65

That explains everything.

“Hughes: They would rather shoulder their pain themselves…than cause their loved ones to worry.”—Page 81

*Blinks* Hughes…YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO BE COMIC RELIEF HOW DARE YOU!

They can’t even trust Roy?

The president slipped away from his body guards. He’s like Ed and Al.

We’re finally going to meet this mysterious teacher!

NO NO NO NO DO NOT HURT HUGHES.

BLACK HAIRED DUDE! YOU’RE A TRAITOR!! IT’S ONE OF THE SINNERS FUCK! AND HUGHES! NOOOOOOO.

ROY LIKES DOGS! I’m still horribly depressed that Hughes died bUT AWWWWWWW!

*Aladdin theme starts playing*

Winry giving girl-Aladdin a stern talking to is great.

I think I’ve seen that “Don’t forget 3. OCT. 11” thing before. I didn’t know it was this series.

I SHOULDN’T BE TEARING UP AT A BIRTH BUT I AM!

I like this teacher. Izumi, I think the Firelord in Legend of Korra also has that name lol. I wonder if that’s a FMA reference.

“Mr. Curtis: I can’t help it that I was born with this scary face.”—Page 334

Aw, poor guy!!

IZUMI YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE TWO KIDS ON AN ISLAND!

I’ve seen this tree in one of the intros.

“Hawkeye: Because there’s someone I need to protect.”—Page 498

Who? Mustang? Yeah. It is Mustang. Now I want to see more of Hawkeye and Mustang together.

Oh, now I understand why Ed hates Mustang. Now I don’t know how much I trust him.

“The Fullmetal Alchemist!”—Page 528

Roll credits.

“Izumi: You don’t have to hold back.”—Page 536

I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING!

Izumi, whyyyyyyy? I understand why but why?

Another one of the sins? Alrightie then.

[Debbie]

4.75 stars; if it wasn’t for Volume 4, this would’ve been a full 5 stars.

Volume 4: First few chapters of this volume felt very disjointed, with too much cheesy humor (I’m fine with some cheesiness here and there—it can be charming, quirky and add a bit of levity—but the level it was at in these chapters was overwhelming and distracting). However, chapter 15 saw some great character development, and chapter 16 was heartbreaking...such a stark contrast from chapters 13 and 14. Overall rating for this volume: 3.75 stars.

Vovlume 5: Such a drastic improvement from Volume 4. Volume 5 had such great character development all around; everyone is really coming into their own. We also got to see some great exploration of both the immensity and limits to Edward’s powers. This volume also contained some GREAT plot twists and story arc development. Overall rating for this volume: 5 stars.

Volume 6: Exceptional backstory development in this volume. 5 stars.

[Andrew]

So, the average rating would end up being a 4 star, although in such a compendium there’s definitely ups and downs to be expected.

Volume 4 gets a three star rating...some sad, a little funny and a little draggy at times. Not quite the series I’ve come to love - got a little bogged down in irreverence.

Volume 5 was an improvement as the Brothers Elric and Winry hit the road for a bit of personal growth and adventure. A nice detour, and one that didn't detract from the story.

Volume 6 reminds me of why I love the series. Out of the ballpark. Nice back story with truly compelling events and great humor.

Not enough Alex Louis Armstrong, but I really like their teacher, Izumi Curtis.

[Jessie_Book]

I keep being amazed by how much story, character, action and heart is fit in-between just a few pages of this manga!

[Steve]

OK, I'm pretty much hooked at this point, although ... there's still a long way to go, so I'm curious if I'll stick with it.

And, no, I'm still not sure where it's all going, but I continue to be amused, for the most part, with new characters and players as we meet them.

In terms of packaging and consumption, I much preferred this format (volumes 4, 5 & 6 - Chapter 13 thru 25 (or something like that) all bound up together). It's great content for work/study breaks.

Overall, surprisingly (to me) engaging and evocative stuff.

[Brandon]

The series starts to get darker this volume- and seeing as the first volume had a man perform live experiments on his daughter, that's a tall order. But there's some death, some trauma, and most importantly we get to see some backstory of how Edward and Alphonse learned alchemy (and screwed up the human transmutation). Their "teacher" is a relatively minor character compared to the already large cast so far, but they're also one of my favourites. This series really impresses me with how quiet and subtle it can be. Calling this an action series would be a misnomer, as this 3-in-1 Edition is more drama and emotional beats as we explore the connection between the two Elric brothers- how it's been tested, how they rely on each other, and how annoying they can be.

[Nicole ✨Reading Engineer✨]

IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! MAES HUGHES *cries in the corner*

[Shae]

On reread, there are some main themes that stand out more. Mostly the theme of found and chosen family. I love how the mangaka chooses to address these things, so I am so happy that I picked up on that better.

Volume 4 Quotes I love
"Hey Ed! I heard you snuck a girl into your room!" -Hughes
"He's acting like a kidnapper again..." - Edward about Hughes
"I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS DAMN BODY!!" - Alphonse
"I guess there are some things you have to say out loud to understand." - Winry

Volume 5 Quotes I love
"I want to be able to help you so your road's not so hard." - Winry to Edward
"Anything that is alive will one day die and its body will return to the earth...which in turn makes the flowers and the grass grow. In the same way, our souls become nourishment for the people around us, and live through the memories of those we loved." - Izumi
The death of Hughes is so rough on me every time. You get so attached to how he cares so much about those around him, and loves and adores his family so much. It's truly so rough.
The conflict between Ed and Alphonse where Alphonse wonders if his brother has lied to him is so heartbreaking, but is honestly necessary for the development of Alphonse as a character. I love how they settle things, just like the brothers that they are.
I adore Izumi, and how they are such an integral pillar in these brother's lives. She is a chosen parent to them, and I love that so much. I think it's so lovely to have that shown so clearly on page. Her hubby is truly an amazing partner for her, and I adore them. Delivering the awful backstory through telling Izumi everything was truly a good way to do it. They truly had a mother that loves and adored them, so wanting to bring her back makes complete contextual sense with the ages that they were.
Volume 6 was very much about their training and growing up, and was just a joy to experience again. I had forgotten that most of the memories from the incident had been basically trauma blocked by Al. The full and unbridled determination of these boys is a thing to behold. The vulnerability that they let out with their teacher is beautiful as well. Theirs is a relationship with clear boundaries where they are honored and respected until a trusted person tells them it's ok to break or challenge those boundaries.

[Jen]

** 4.5 stars **

I flew through this one so quickly! There was a lot more to the plot and also a lot of backstory given. Really looking forward to seeing where this series goes!

[Ladiibbug]

Books 4, 5 & 6, 3 in 1 Edition, Vol. 2 - Manga

Very enjoyable read. This is a heady mix of action, intrigue, surprises, humor, and heart-wrenching details of Edward and Al's early childhood years. The backstory of how Edward lost an arm and a leg, and Al losing his entire body (now a soul trapped in a suit of armor) is fascinating.

Author Hiromu Arakawa does a marvelous job of world building ("The Boomtown of the Broken Down" for one). Fun new characters, especially Paninya, the pickpocket. Edward tries to chase her down to get his property back. The ensuing chase and Paninya's amazing acrobatics, which stun and challenge Edward's auto-mail enhancements, made me laugh. Love the artwork throughout the books.

Edward was easier to like after reading of his early years. Now we understand what fuels his anger and intensity. I liked the author's reminders that Edward is just 11 years old.

Still loving Winry, her grandmother, and Lt. Roy Mustang. The author has a nice balance of male and female characters. I liked getting to know more about Lt. Col. Hawkeye. I think the target of her "secret" is obvious?

The theme of the circle of life and death throughout the books was wonderful. Loved the fun artwork and humor in "Extras".

Looking forward to the next books.

[EuroHackie]

These omnibus editions are great, because they contain so much story, but the problem is...they contain so much story, LOL! Let's see...

Volume 4 - we pick up right were Vol 3 left off, in the middle of the fight in the abandoned prison laboratory. Even though they have the upper hand, Envy and Lust allow Ed and Al to live, albeit in a severely injured state. The lab blows up, destroying everything, which delights an arsonist prisoner named Kimblee. Lt Col Hughes, an embarrassingly proud papa, is the latest military victim in this volume. He continues to follow the trail of Dr Marcoh, and it leads to him finding some secret that is worth dying for - quite literally. This is also the first appearance of Fuhrer President King Bradley, the all-powerful leader of the military who has taken a special interest in Ed and Al. Hughes's death leads Roy Mustang to decide that he wants to topple Bradley at the top of the miliary, and Hawkeye is right there by his side, determine to help him. In the last few pages, we meet up with Scar again, who has survived in a small encampment of displaced kinsmen at the edge of East City. He is having nightmares, and we see that Kimblee is an alchemist who was responsible for the genocide of his people in the civil war. Hmm...

Volume 5 - The Elric brothers have decided to return to the home of their teacher, for further help on their quest to regain their original bodies. As Winry is with them, this includes a stop off in Rush Valley, the auto-mail engineer's Mecca. While in Rush Valley, Ed's watch is stolen by a pickpocket named Paninya. He changes her across the region with Al and Winry in his wake, and they are astonished when they see that Paninya has automail legs that are especially nimble. She leads them into the mountains, to her mechanic, Dominic, who is a brilliant but total curmudgeon. Winry is awestruck and begs to be his apprentice, but he won't let her. When Dominic's daughter in law suddenly goes into labor, he seeks a doctor on the other side of the mountain, and Winry is forced into the role of makeshift midwife. The birth of her baby is especially striking for the alchemists - birthing humans is something that alchemy desperately tries to do, but can't, and yet its something a mere mortal human woman can. Dominic is ecstatic at the birth of his grandchild, but still refuses to make Winry an apprentice (especially when he learns that she is the granddaughter of Pinako - apparently there's some history there!). He instead refers her to another mechanic, back in Rush Valley. Ed and Al drop her off on their way to Dublith, to see their former teacher.

Volume 6 - This volume is complete Eldric family history, which starts in the last chapter of Vol 5. We see young Ed and Al (Ed's aversion to milk contributing to his small stature, which he is extremely sore about) and their mother. They never really knew their father, who abruptly left, but their mother praises their burgeoning abilities with alchemy. They continue dabbling with their father's books. They are devastated when their mother dies, and become determined to bring her back to life. In order to do that, they need more than books - they need a leader. Izumi Curtis is passing through their village and uses some basic alchemy to help fortify their walls against a flood. Ed and Al plead with her to take them on as apprentices, which is is extremely reluctant to do until she learns that they are orphans. She agrees to take them on a one-month trial, but it is more than the boys bargained for: they are left on a deserted island for that month, with a scary masked creature hounding them the entire time. Only once they survive does Izumi agree to actually teach them. They take lessons from her for five months before returning home, where they make the fatal mistake of trying to bring their mother back to life.

This passage is really amazing - and we see "the thing" that so scared Izumi and Ed. Ed is given a glimpse of all of the knowledge in the world, in exchange for his arm and his leg. As Al loses his entire body in the accident, they determine that he probably experienced even more, and if they can help him regain his memory, it may be the key to being able to return to their original bodies.

Meanwhile, the military has heard about the Elric brothers, and Roy Mustang sets out to Resembool to recruit them. He is astonished to learn that the boys are so young - 12 and 11 at this time - but nonetheless, offers them the chance to join the military and have unfettered access to alchemy research. Hawkeye has accompanied Mustang on this venture, and she has a brief encounter with Winry, and tells her that she joined the military not because she had any interest in being a solider, but because she has someone to protect.

We also see that Fuhrer President King Bradley had taken an especial personal interest in the Elric brothers, and was present for part of Ed's alchemy license exam. Even way back then, Roy Mustang had a taste for power and an ambition to rise to the top - which is a nice segue back into the present time, when Roy has been promoted and relocated to Central. He assembles a small group of subordinates to take with him: Master Sergeant Kain Fuery, Warrant Officer Vato Falman, Second Lt Heymans Breda, Second Lt Jean Havoc, and Lt Riza Hawkeye. It appears this will be the main group around Roy as he continues his quest to topple Fuhrer President King Bradley.

In the final scene, there's a reappearance of Gluttony, who taunts Ed and Al that he knows their secret. This news filters back to Lust and a currently unknown figure, who wants the brothers brought back to them, as "big guests" for a new game...

I am really enjoying this, even though there are now nearly soap opera levels of tangled plotlines going on. We have our first mention of the Big Bad, and of the Elric patriarch, now calling himself Hohenheim, who apparently holds all the knowledge of the philosopher's stone. There are callbacks to plotlines from Vol 1, and enough bits of humor to lighten the heavy atmosphere as we delve into Elric family history. It's all fascinating and completely absorbing. More than ever, I feel the urge to watch the anime - but I will resist, and read the manga first!

[montserrat]

noice.

[Sophie Crane]

You will not be dissaponted with Fullmetal Alchemist, it is a fantastic manga series. I highly recommend it to everyone, doesn't matter if you are a manga fan or not, you will love it.

[Bery]

The 4, 5 and 6th volumen in this 3-1 edition.

In this book we can see more development of the history and get to know better the characters.

After the discovery of the secret of the philosopher's stone, Edward is involved in a fight while Al gets doubt about his existence. After the fight, Edward gets injured and has to be in the hospital for recovery. He calls Winry to help him with his arm.

After that they travel to find their old teacher, so he can help them in their adventure. Winry will join them as they will pass by Rush Valley, the auto-mail engineers mean.

Some extra stories in here while they are in Rush Valley, another about Scar and Colonel Hughes.

And the best for the final, we know the story of the Elric Brothers, from small boys, how the get into alchemy, their training, the lost of her mother and how they join the government.

[Justin]

This series is so much fun to read. There's great action, lots of humor, and some really heartbreaking moments. Getting a look at the Elric brothers backstory has me fully invested in this series, and I'm excited to read the next volume.

[Tigris]

A really good continuation!!! This series really keeps you on your feet and it does NOT hold back its punches. My queen Winry and Granny. Dunno how I'll read the rest they aren't in any library I can find. 😅

[Zohal]

I haven't found a manga that's engaged me this much since Deathnote.

[Maya]

SO. GOOD.

[Nienora]

Edward kralj feminizma
"You idiot"

[PJ]

Absolutely fantastic

[Ivaelo Slavov]

В тази част историята се връща малко назад, за да покаже откъде са тръгнали главните ни герои, както и грешките, които се опитват да поправят.

[♡ Alisa Doe ♡]

I love the characters, I've always been more of a character person and the characters in this manga all are so amazing I can't wait for the next book!!!

[emmareadsya]

eating good. it's so interesting to be reading and watching the anime at the same time and catch foreshadowing/know the larger context. excellent stuff

[Valerie Patrick]

"life is a complex cycle, so vast that we can't see it with our own eyes"

oh boy this is getting saaaaaad and so profound that 12-year old me did not appreciate this enough at the time