It was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga anthology magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan between July 2001 and June 2010 the publisher later collected the individual chapters into twenty-seven tankōbon volumes.
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST MANGA SERIES
"Alchemist of Steel") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa.
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We see virtuous characters being complicit in a horrible system that wages war and invades another country with seemingly no other reason than the color of their skin and their religion, and how the conflict leaves immeasurable death and destruction behind, as well as a power vacuum that continues the conflict and escalates it. The 2003 anime is clearly inspired by real-world history and politics, particularly in its use of Nazi Germany imagery and parallels to the Iraq War. A big theme in the show is the idea that life doesn't always go according to plan, and even the ending itself is rather bittersweet because of how it argues that there's no such thing as a Hollywood ending.
However, rather than downplay it with comedy or force a moral lesson on the audience, Fullmetal Alchemist allows the horror to linger, making it a point to show how characters react to these acts, and how it impacts them moving forward. They know what they did was wrong, and they know that what they have to do to achieve their goals is also somewhat wrong, so there is a feeling of melancholy that follows them in their story as they start to sympathize with those who do wrong things for what they believe are the right reasons. Ed and Al's adventure stems not out of a desire to save the world, but of a need to gain something precious that was lost - because of their own actions.
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After all, the background for the main story is full of tragedy and atrocities that inform the rest of the show's story. Instead, the characters struggle to get over their flaws, make mistakes, and we get to see their point of view, allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions.ĭespite being a shonen show aimed at teenagers, and a sense of humor that brings to mind that of The Last Airbender (goofy visual gags, obvious comic relief characters, and the occasional detour for a hilarious side-mission with the supporting cast), Fullmetal Alchemist maintains a reflective, somber tone throughout its run. More importantly, the show doesn't force characters to become good in order to draw a clear message. A bad guy isn't just a bad guy, just as no good guy is a saint. The show makes it a point to have Ed and Al see a bit of themselves in everyone, even the villains, and question both their own sense of morality and whether their righteous quest is all that righteous. Discovering the role the military played in the Ishval Civil War drastically changes Ed and Al's beliefs, as they are pulled into a more morally gray world that forces them to re-evaluate their conceptions of good and evil.Įven the villains are given complex and tragic backstories that inform their goals, while also being allowed to question their own motives.
Even if they are presented as likable, the soldiers with whom Ed serves are given serious flaws that they struggle with, and the show doesn't shy away from giving these flaws severe consequences for the relationships between characters.
The show is constantly questioning the actions of the characters. Indeed, in a rare move for a shonen series, Fullmetal Alchemist introduces a world that is far from black-and-white. Rather than being some larger-than-life threat to the world, the villains are directly linked to the brothers' journey, serving as a powerful and painful reminder to those who try to play God. Even the villains serve a larger purpose to help the heroes grow. Every relationship is brought back to how it affects the two siblings, from friend and family connections, to teacher-student bonds, to brothers-in-arms, Ed and Al change and grow because of how these relationships make them realize something about themselves. Rather than keep building its supporting cast and their interconnected stories, the show always focuses on how Ed and Al look at the world.
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