Fullmetal Alchemist #4 ★★★★☆

~ Bookstooge

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Title: Fullmetal Alchemist #4
Series: Fullmetal Alchemist
Author: Hiromu Arakawa
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 193
Words: 9K

From FMA.fandom.com

“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…”

Chapter 13: Fullmetal Body

Chapter 14: An Only Child’s Feelings

Chapter 15: Fullmetal Heart

Chapter 16: Separate Paths

Bonus Chapter: Dog of the Military?

Man, this volume had it all. Shocking secrets. Great laughs. Tragic deaths. Romance. Family. You name it and it was probably in here. And I liked it.

With the Homunculi saving Edward but hinting that they are only doing it so they can sacrifice him later, it is made evident beyond a doubt that they are evil. While they seem to want to stir up strife and war everywhere, what their actual plan is is still a mystery. And now that we know that Envy can look like anyone and shapechange at will, well, everybody is a suspect. That really amps the tension up.

While Hughes’ death was sad, it didn’t overshadow the whole volume. The manga-ka kept things pretty light and in the bonus chapter really made me laugh my head off. I think the following picture encapsulates the humor. In a previous panel, the puppy is peeing against a wall because it’s not housebroken and this is how it’s owner responds. Hahahahahahahaa.

At the same time, I never felt that the lighthearted humor made light of the trauma that various characters experience. Alphonse goes through an existential crisis as suddenly he begins to doubt whether he was ever actually a real person. Until Winry beats him over his metallic head with a big ass wrench and tells him not to be stupid. I laughed but I also understood the doubt and pathos he was feeling. He’s a suit of armor after all.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot more than the previous volume, for which I am very thankful.

★★★★☆

27 thoughts on “Fullmetal Alchemist #4 ★★★★☆”

  6. Interesting how they translated it, but didn’t invert the image. The panel showing the pet holding up its paws is on the right rather than the left – something that makes perfect sense to from a Japanese perspective, but could be confusing to a Western audience.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. They used to flip the pages back in the day. But it caused more problems and fans screamed. So now the releases are done properly. Reading it as close as was intended is the important thing.

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    1. I did, a long time ago.
      I watched the first one, which was created before the Manga had finished, so they had to make up their own ending. Then 2 years later fma: brotherhood was created and the Manga had finished by then so they stuck to that ending. I never watched brotherhood.

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    1. It is really weird, but I’m learning to kind of roll between the seriousness and the silly. And since it’s not One Piece kind of silly, I am having to learn to really roll with it :-/

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