| | |  | VIZ MEDIA | Home » » » Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1 | | | | | | | Description: | | Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audience T. Containing volumes 1,2 and 3 of Fullmetal Alchemist!In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical ""auto-mail"" limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother's bodies...the legendary Philosopher's Stone. Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world, somewhere between magic art, and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in these powers to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and leg...and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living iron. Now they are agents of the government, slaves of the military -alchemical complex, using their unique powers to obey their orders...even to kill. But their powers aren't unique. The world crawls with evil alchemists. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philsopher's Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are... | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Hiromu Arakawa | | Paperback:
| 576 pages | | Publisher:
| VIZ Media LLC | | Publication Date:
| June 07, 2011 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1421540185 | | Product Length:
| 7.3 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.3 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.8 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.0 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.3 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.95 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 1 reviews |
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The first three volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist in one omnibus editionAug 28, 2011
By Lesley Aeschliman
The first volume of the Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1 releases combines the first three volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist manga into one edition. Like the Bleach omnibus edition, the physical height of the volume is not drastically different from the regular manga editions, and a lower quality paper stock is also used.
Edward and Alphonse Elric are the main characters of the series, and they are brothers who practice alchemy. After the death of their mother, they tried to bring her back to life by using alchemy. In alchemy, there is a law of equal exchange; in the process of trying to bring their mother back, Alphonse Elric lost his body. His brother, Edward, attached Alphonse's soul to a suit of armor; but to do this, Edward had to sacrifice one his arms and one of his legs. Their friend, Winry Rockbell, and her grandmother create prosthetics for Edward that are known as "auto-mail." Edward is now known as the "Fullmetal Alchemist," and he has become the youngest State Alchemist in history. The series follows Edward and Alphonse as they search for the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary artifact that the brothers believe will allow them to recover their bodies.
Over the course of the three volumes included in this omnibus, Ed and Al find themselves in several adventures. By the end of the omnibus, there are even times when Ed finds himself doing some serious soul searching; this is especially true in the story about Shou Tucker, the "Sewing-Life Alchemist," and his daughter, Nina. In this volume, we also meet Scar, a man using alchemy to kill State Alchemists. The brothers also learn a very important secret concerning the Philosopher's Stone, which they are hoping to find in order to return to their original bodies. We also meet Winry Rockbell and Sheska, a bookworm with a photographic memory.
In Fullmetal Alchemist, Arakawa is able to find a good mixture of action and character development to tell a compelling story. One of my favorite sections in this omnibus is the Shou Tucker story; not only was I moved by the actual story, but I also appreciated how Arakawa handled the aftermath of the story with Ed. I also appreciate how Arakawa is able to incorporate comic relief in the series, and is able to make it feel natural in the story.
Arakawa uses the "busy" panel effects for the battle sequences, but the effects really don't come across as being "over the top." She also utilizes "sound effects" in a very effective manner. Even in regular scenes, Arakawa's art style is visually stunning. Her characters all have very expressive, even Al as a suit of armor. The combination of the art and the storytelling makes Fullmetal Alchemist a compelling read, and I can't wait until I can read more to find out what happens next.
I wrote this review after reading a copy of this manga volume that my husband and I purchased.
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