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Hiromu Arakawa’s fantasy-adventure Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) remains one of the best-loved manga/anime properties of the first decade of the 21st century. The manga has sold more than 80 million books in 25 languages worldwide; it’s been adapted into two animated TV series, OAVs, two animated theatrical features (all animated by Bones), a live-action theatrical feature, juvenile novels and video games. It was also the subject of two touring exhibits of original artwork.
Fullmetal Alchemist offers interesting, complex characters who face not only physical obstacles, but moral challenges. Child prodigies Edward and Alphonse Elric violated the greatest taboo of alchemy by attempting to bring their mother back from the dead — and paid a terrible price for their sin. Edward lost his left leg; Al would have died if Ed hadn’t sacrificed his right arm to bond his brother’s soul to an empty suit of armor with a magical seal drawn in his own blood. The complex robotic prostheses Ed wears earned him the title of the Fullmetal Alchemist.
Ed is brilliant, hot-tempered — and consumed by guilt over what happened to his brother. The gentle Al seldom complains, but he can neither taste nor touch anything in his armor: When they walk in the rain, he doesn’t feel the drops. It’s a lonely existence for an adolescent. Determined to restore their bodies, Ed focuses all his energy on learning the secret spells that could undo their curse.
‘The ethical complexities the characters face and the interesting secondary characters, including several empowered women, helped to break down the barriers between boys’ and girls’ entertainment.’
In Arakawa’s world, alchemical reactions are based on the principle of Equivalent Exchange: Everything taken must be matched by a sacrifice of equal value, much like the way chemical equations must balance. As they wander through cities and towns that look like early 20th century Europe, Ed learns that the Philosopher’s Stone isn’t bound by the laws of Equivalent Exchange. It could restore their bodies. But, like Tolkien’s One Ring, the power of the Philosopher’s Stone is inherently evil: Human lives must be sacrificed to create one.
Which American animated character has had to face a comparable moral dilemma? Or experience the frustration of a prodigy who can use his talent to help everyone but the person he wants most to help — his brother? The ethical complexities the characters face and the interesting secondary characters, including several empowered women, helped to break down the barriers between boys’ and girls’ entertainment. Everyone loved Fullmetal Alchemist.
This lavish volume celebrates the 20th anniversary of the manga’s initial publication in the magazine Shonen Monthly Gangan. It includes comments from Arakawa — who caricatures herself as a black-and-white cow, since she grew up in the dairy lands of Hokkaido. There are also comments from directors and actors who worked on the various adaptations of Fullmetal Alchemist. Of special interest to serious fans are the reproductions of the souvenir booklets and special manga Arakawa created to go with the releases of games and films.
A mini-manga drawn as a giveaway with tickets to the live-action feature reveals the backstory of the creepy Shou Tucker, the Sewing-Life Alchemist, whom the Elric brothers later encounter. Other special stories present short adventures for popular secondary characters: the Elrics’ superior, Col. Roy Mustang (the Flame Alchemist); Izumi-Sensei, the brother’s formidable teacher; mechanical wizard Winry Rockbell, who maintains and improves Ed’s prostheses; and the chilling Master Judo, who may have succeeded in human transformation. In addition to the serious stories, there are numerous cartoon strips Arakawa uses to poke good-natured fun at the characters and herself. Some of this material has been reprinted in earlier anthologies, but it’s nice to have it all together.
Fullmetal Alchemist: 20th Anniversary Book by Hiromu Arakawa and Square Enix (VIZ Media, 240 pages, $25 hardcover) would make an excellent gift choice for any anime fan on Christmas or Hannukah lists.
