Fullmetal Alchemist: Vol. 1

Fullmetal Alchemist: Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ Media, LLC) ISBN: 978-1-59116-920-8

Plot Summary

Volume 1 introduces the Elrich brothers: Edward (the fullmetal alchemist) and Alphonse. In the world detailed in the Manga, alchemists are able to transform (transmute) materials to create useful objects.  Edward's title -- fullmetal -- refers to his metal arm and leg (though many characters believe that Alphonse is the fullmetal alchemist because he wears -- or more accurately has had his soul bonded to -- a suit of armor).  Edward lost his leg (and Alphonse lost his entire body) in an attempt to transmute materials in order to bring their mother back from the dead.  Edward then sacrificed his arm in order to bind his brother's soul to a suit of armor.  In volume 1, the brothers encounter Father Cornello -- an evangelist using a philosopher's stone to make it appear as though he is performing miracles.  The brothers expose him to his flock and hope to use his philosopher's stone to get their bodies back, but the stone crumbles during one of Cornello's transmutations.  After the brother's leave town, he appears to be eaten by a mysterious fat man with an ouroboros tattoo on his tongue who, along with a woman sporting the same tattoo on her clavicle, accosts Leto.  The narrative picks up again in a coal mining town led by a corrupt government official.  The brothers outwit him, winning the deed to the mines, which they give to the miners in return for room and board.  In the final adventure in the first installment, the brothers find themselves in the midst of a kidnapping aboard a train.  They use their wits, brute strength, and alchemy to overcome the kidnappers.  They also get help from Colonel Mustang (the flame alchemist).  The first volume sets up the major conflict via flashback (the brother seek their bodies throughout the manga) and sets up the mystery of the tattooed pair.

Critical Evaluation

The work is fast paced and rich.  Much of the emotional weight of the first volume comes in the form of flashbacks of an armless Edward screaming and calling out for his brother.  The first incident draws a wonderful parrallel between the boys' current challenge and their ongoing challenge.  Rose, a disciple of Cornello, has been following him due to his promise to bring her dead lover back to life.  The Elrichs, having already attempted the feat, bear the signs of the physical toll of such an endeavor, making the sense of loss palpable and tangible.  The art tends to be highly detailed and cinematic -- though backgrounds are often rendered blank.  This blankness though is appropriate as it doesn't detract attention from the action sequences, which are suspenseful and numerous.

Reader’s Annotation 

Edward Elrich lost an arm and a leg in an attempt to perform alchemy to bring his mother back from the dead.  His brother Alphonse paid the larger price of his whole body.  Edward -- sporting a metal arm and leg -- and Alphonse -- his soul bound to a suit of armor -- roam the world looking for a way to get their bodies back.

Information about the author 

From The Science Fiction Encyclopedia: 

Pen-name of Hiromi Arakawa (1973-    ), with a vowel shift allowing this female Manga creator to appear to casual Japanese viewers to be male, presumably of some occasional value in her habitual field of comics for boys. A high-school graduate who spent the first seven years of her adult life working on her parents' dairy farm, she moved to Tokyo in 1999 to become an art assistant to the manga artist Hiroyuki Etō. Her independent career, beginning with Stray Dog (graph 1999 Monthly Shōnen Gangan) and the truncated series Shanghai Yōmakikai ["Ghost Demons of Shanghai"] (graph 2000 Monthly Shōnen Gangan), was propelled to a new and internationally successful level with the Seiun Award-winning Hagane no Renkinjutsu-shi (graph August 2001-June 2010 Monthly Shōnen Gangan 27vols; trans as Fullmetal Alchemist 2005-2011 27vols). 

Arakawa's world is strongly rooted in the tropes of Science and Sorcery, beginning in a Parallel World where alchemy and conjuration take the place of science. Her fraternal Antiheroes are maimed apprentices, one seeking to replace lost limbs, the other an entire lost physical form after a disastrous summoning experiment. Their long quest, however, embroils them in the machinations of Secret Masters on their own world of Amestris, and takes a radical turn partway through the narrative, leading to an extended Slingshot Ending with the opening of a gateway to our own Earth, where they are harbingers of the Lost World and Power Source sought by Nazi occultists. Two {ANIME} spin-offs followed from 2003-2004 and more faithfully to the original in 2009-2010, along with a "light novel" series (2004-2010 chap) by Makoto Inoue. 

Arakawa's work has introduced many young Japanese to principles of alchemy and demonology, such that she was also used as the cover illustrator for the Japanese editions of The Demon's Lexicon (2009-2011) by Sarah Rees Brennan. [JonC] (Clute & Langford, 2011).

Genre

Manga

Curriculum Ties

For a work of graphic fiction, Fullmetal Alchemist is dense and literary.  It may be an ideal book for reluctant readers because of its mix of action and an elaborate storyline filled with deception and compassion.

Booktalking Ideas

1) The book is filled with action.  A reading from almost any section will likely spark a reader's interest.
2) You might begin with a question about how far the teens in the audience are willing to go for those they love -- following this with a discussion of the sacrifices of the Elric brothers might help give a sense of the work's tone.

Reading Level/Interest Age

8th grade and up.

Challenge Issues

Violence; negative attitudes towards religion.

I would openly greet any patron who presented a challenge to the work, giving them ample time to detail their complaint.  I would listen attentively.  To respond to these challenges I would have some reviews of the work on hand.   I would be prepared to explain that as a public institution libraries "cannot limit access on the basis of age or other characteristics" (ALA, 1999).  I would have copies of the library's collection policy on hand.  I would be prepared to politely discuss that parents can control what their children are exposed to by coming to the library with them and examining books they check out.  If the Teen Advisory Group had written reviews of the work I'd have them handy.  While it may be of little comfort to certain parents, I would also be prepared to discuss my staunch support of intellectual freedom and abhorrence of censorship.  As a last resort, I would be sure to keep copies or a reconsideration form on hand.

Why did you include this book in the titles you selected?

The book is a highly regarded work of manga and has been adapted into two highly successful anime series: Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

References

Clute, J., & Langford, D. (eds.). (2011). Arakawa Hiromu. The Science Fiction Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/arakawa_hiromu