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big22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This review is based on the entire Fullmetal alchemist series.
lyrapollock's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
sbkt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is the 3rfd time I've read this series. I've watched the anime twice & it still is incredible!
neladon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annevdh's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve read these before, and seen the anime, but it still captivates me and probably still will when I reread it for the 100th time. Just love it <3
fieldofhats's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I had heard from various people on internet threads that Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood tells most of the story from the manga, but the manga has more material in it. I was curious to see if the manga was different from the last season anyway, so because of those things I just decided to undertake reading it in its entirety.
I already know and love the story, so no surprise that I enjoyed reading this, but there were some interesting differences. First, the manga feels more episodic, especially in the first two volumes. Each chapter is connected by the main plot, but they have their own story that’s told and finished in one go (with the exception of some two-parters). This is more or less like the first season of FMAB, but the anime felt more cohesive to me. I also thought it interesting that some stories are shorter than in the anime, notably “The Alchemist’s Suffering.” And some stories only appear in the original anime, like “The Mining Town” and “Battle on the Train”, both of which were more fleshed out in the anime portrayal.
On the flip side, there is one dedicated story in the anime that doesn’t appear in the manga — “The First Day.” The manga doesn’t have a flashback chapter that shows how the Elric brothers brought their mother back, and I honestly think it hurts the story. But that leads into the similarities and differences in character development. I didn’t feel as though the characters were as developed in the manga as they were in the anime. We see subtle growth with Edward, but not a lot beyond that. We get to see each character’s personalities and traits shine, but we don’t see them develop. This is a minor thing right now, though, since there’s still so much left. I expect we’ll see much more development as we go on, and since the characterization was done so well, I’m not worried about it.
So far, it’s too early to tell whether it’s worth it to read if you’ve already watched the anime. If you haven’t, I bet it would be fun to read the manga first, but if you’ve already seen the anime, you could feasibly skip at least this first volume. There’s nothing added that’s interesting enough to justify reading this volume, in my opinion, but I still had fun because I just love this series so much.
I already know and love the story, so no surprise that I enjoyed reading this, but there were some interesting differences. First, the manga feels more episodic, especially in the first two volumes. Each chapter is connected by the main plot, but they have their own story that’s told and finished in one go (with the exception of some two-parters). This is more or less like the first season of FMAB, but the anime felt more cohesive to me. I also thought it interesting that some stories are shorter than in the anime, notably “The Alchemist’s Suffering.” And some stories only appear in the original anime, like “The Mining Town” and “Battle on the Train”, both of which were more fleshed out in the anime portrayal.
On the flip side, there is one dedicated story in the anime that doesn’t appear in the manga — “The First Day.” The manga doesn’t have a flashback chapter that shows how the Elric brothers brought their mother back, and I honestly think it hurts the story. But that leads into the similarities and differences in character development. I didn’t feel as though the characters were as developed in the manga as they were in the anime. We see subtle growth with Edward, but not a lot beyond that. We get to see each character’s personalities and traits shine, but we don’t see them develop. This is a minor thing right now, though, since there’s still so much left. I expect we’ll see much more development as we go on, and since the characterization was done so well, I’m not worried about it.
So far, it’s too early to tell whether it’s worth it to read if you’ve already watched the anime. If you haven’t, I bet it would be fun to read the manga first, but if you’ve already seen the anime, you could feasibly skip at least this first volume. There’s nothing added that’s interesting enough to justify reading this volume, in my opinion, but I still had fun because I just love this series so much.
readingshadowwolf's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it, can’t wait to read more in this series.
myrsini's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hrkershaw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
leathehatless's review against another edition
5.0
How could I give this masterpiece anything other than 5 stars? This is the manga of a generation, the tale of the Elric brothers is one that must be told time and time again. This is the best search for the philosopher's stone of the modern era.
It's impressive the art style of Hiromu Arakawa. She can balance very well the comical and dramatic moments of the narrative and blend them very well, they never seem to clash at all. The characters are fantastic, very well rounded and developed even the ones that don't get a lot of screen time. Its also nice to see the main themes of loss, grief, hope and humanity being developed as the narrative evolves. Because that is what all the great stories have in common, the ability to answer what it means to be human.
Also, I loved the special content added in the editions such as the short strips and the in memoriam. It's so funny, the author has a great sense of humor. I also enjoyed the thematic pages between some chapters.
Of course, I absolutely recommend this series. For everyone. If you are not familiar with manga, this is a great introduction to the style and themes commonly used by Japanese authors.
It's impressive the art style of Hiromu Arakawa. She can balance very well the comical and dramatic moments of the narrative and blend them very well, they never seem to clash at all. The characters are fantastic, very well rounded and developed even the ones that don't get a lot of screen time. Its also nice to see the main themes of loss, grief, hope and humanity being developed as the narrative evolves. Because that is what all the great stories have in common, the ability to answer what it means to be human.
Also, I loved the special content added in the editions such as the short strips and the in memoriam. It's so funny, the author has a great sense of humor. I also enjoyed the thematic pages between some chapters.
Of course, I absolutely recommend this series. For everyone. If you are not familiar with manga, this is a great introduction to the style and themes commonly used by Japanese authors.