It wouldn’t be “manga week” if I didn’t talk about my
favorite series: ‘FullMetal Alchemist’. I’ve read it start to finish at least
three times. FMA is a shounen series, following two teenage brothers.
The story itself is very sad with so many dark overtones. These
siblings, Edward and Alphonse, have lost so much. Their father left when they
were very young, their mother died a few years later, and in an attempt to
bring her back Ed lost two limbs and Al lost his physical body. They relied on
the kindness of a childhood friends and her grandmother. But Hiromu Arakawa
counters this heaviness by filling as much humor as she can into the writing. Ed
hates to drink milk and gets into heated arguments over his insecurity about
his height. One of the characters, Major Armstrong, is so over the top you have
to laugh at his family pride and never missing the opportunity to show off his
muscles. Almost every character has some kind of quirk that can bring about a
smile. She also adds humor by playing with how the characters are drawn.
Arakawa will simplify and exaggerate features for comedic effect, and she’s
quite successful at it.
FullMetal Alchemist takes the reader on an emotional
journey. We grow up with the protagonists. We see them through their struggles
and their triumphs. I cry at certain parts every time I read the manga. Every
time! But I never get tired of reading FMA.
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