Fullmetal Alchemist Profiles

I have a comment on the editorial review as it should be fixed. The editorial review is a summary of the manga, not this particular book. This book is not even a volume in the series. Also, the "evil alchemists" are not alchemist. They are humunculi named after the Seven Deadly Sins. I don't think they're called "The Seven Deadly Sins," either.

This is a profile book for the manga, NOT the anime. There is a profile book for the anime, and it is due to be released in November. Fullmetal Alchemist Profiles is one hundred eighty-four pages long. The first seventy pages are profiles of the main characters, a summary of the first twenty-eight chapters of the manga (Chapter 28 is "A Fool's Courage", the third chapter in the seventh volume), and a summary of the first three Fullmetal Alchemist novels. I found the first seventy pages virtually useless. How many people out there read Fullmetal Alchemist, and are big enough fans to spend their money on a profile book, but don't know who Ed is and can't remember what happened in volume two? Probably not many. The only useful part in this section is a one page column pointing out unexpected people in mob scenes; for example, when Winry is leaving the train station to visit Ed and Al in Central in volume four, the Curtis couple is in the background looking at a train schedule. The next thirty pages are more interesting. They are a series of sections about Fullmetal Alchemist's world: different styles of alchemy, major locations, who's connected to who, how the military is structured, how automail works, recent inventions, and even what food people eat in Ameris. To make it more entertaining, each section is narrated by a different character. Most of the information is just repeated from the manga, but some is totally new. The rest of the book is pure fun: an interview with Hiromu Arakawa-sensei, a behind the scenes look at the manga's creation, letters from fans, a series of character contests (which character: appears the most, needs an anger management course the most, is the biggest crybaby), a personality analysis test where you can determine which character you most resemble, a cult quiz with questions ranging from "Common Sense" to "Extreme Cult", and a history of alchemy in Europe. There are also four relay, or "round-robin", manga, where Arakawa-sensei and her assistants take turns creating a panel in the four-panel manga with hilarious results; five previously unreleased four-panel gag manga; and a short story called "The Blind Alchemist" which is worth reading. If you want an encyclopedia on everything Fullmetal related, perhaps you should look elsewhere. There's some new information, but there's definitely more repeated information than anything else. If you're looking for a good laugh and a little bit of information, this is probably the book for you.

This is a profile book for the world of FMA. It includes profiles of the characters, geography, a summary of events up to chapter 28, an overview of the FMA novels, and introductions/explanations on alchemy, the military, and hommucli (I guessed on spelling since they are referred to as the seven deadly sins in the book). For a new fan to the manga (Sorry not much on the anime. It fact the anime is just beginning at the original printing of the book.) or an FMA otaku this may be enough for you. Remember the anime and the manga differ widely in some events (such as who killed Winery's parents). Also in the book are funny details such as finding things hidden in the manga. Did you know that there is a mysterious man that appear repeatedly, or that mount fuji appears on a map, or any other of the details given by the author. There are also sketches, four panel round-robin manga and interviews with the author and staff. Lastly, there is a bouns manga the Blind Alchemist at the end of the book. It is worth reading, but is available online or just read it in the store if you want. There is also a "cult" quiz on FMA, but there was a mistake in the book. Q10 is mislabeled and there is no answer to Q11. It's not hard to figure out the right answer (or at least for me)especially since the answers are hidden within the pages of the book. Read carefully. I loved the extras and the interviews. Some of them were just so funny. I also loved the footnotes telling the reader what Star Wars was and who is Sean Connery! I know that it is originally published in Japan, but to read it in English and in the United States makes it funny. Or it was late at night and everything was funny - I'm not sure. Anyway, its a fun book to have, but I wouldn't put it on my must have list.