Series of The Week: Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

It’s time to get your weeb on ya’ll.This series of the week is an amazing manga by the incredible Hiromu Arakawa. It’s one of the best selling mangas in history and there’s absolutely no question as to why. It’s just amazing in every way and not just the manga, the anime as well. But today, we’re focusing on the manga 🙂

Let’s Talk Alchemy

Alchemists in this world have the ability to transmute anything they desire. But of course there are rules and one of the greatest is the Law of Equivalent Exchange. You get what you give so of course, OF COURSE things go awry.

Thus we are introduced to the Elric brothers.

Synopsis

Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg…and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel. Now Edward is an agent of the government, a slave of the military-alchemical complex, using his unique powers to obey orders…even to kill. Except his powers aren’t unique. The world has been ravaged by the abuse of alchemy. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philosopher’s Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are.

Okay, so I know most people have seen the anime which is amazing in its own right but the manga is even better. It’s so great that they decided to remake the anime to stay as close to the manga source material . Thus we have the anime Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

These graphic novels are stunning. The plot is tight and cohesive, funny and smart. Not only do we get the cool power of alchemy but also a visit from The Seven Deadly Sins!!

The characters are all so amazing and I love, love, LOVE how many strong women and girls there are in this series. Hiromu Arakawa does not play around when it comes to that. If I had to choose favorites (and it so so hard) mine would have to be:

• Izumi Curtis
• Olivier Mira Armstrong
• Lust

BAD. ASSES. Ugh, I love them. The male characters are awesome as well don’t get me wrong but it’s so nice to read a shonen manga with amazing unapologetic kickass women.

I can’t sing my praises enough about this manga/anime/EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. It’s funny, gorgeous, heartbreaking, and action filled. It is in my top favorites for manga and anime and that is due to the original plot, explosive characters, and tight amazing writing. You go on this journey with these brothers and truly want them to succeed at anything and everything. A must for any fan of anime and manga.