Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 7

Hiromu Arakawa, Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 7 (ViZ, 2004) While the boys are visiting their old teacher, Edward suddenly remembers he's about to miss his state exam, and runs off to take it. Alphonse, meanwhile, continues struggling to remember his childhood; his quest coincides with that of a number of others who don't have quite as much concern for his well-being as he does... FMA seems to have plateaued, quality-wise, but it's still much better here than it was in the first few books. If you started on it and gave up, persevere; once you hit book four, you'll find out it's worth it. *** ½

Edward Elric has been so busy reliving the old days with Al and his teacher Izumi, that he totally forgot about his yearly State Alchemist Assessment. If he doesn't pass, he'll lose his license! When he goes to South HQ he is really surprised to find the supreme commander, the Fuhrer himself, who rubber stamps his test. When Ed gets back, he's not going to be happy, because in his absence, Al has been kidnapped by the Chimerae minions of Greed, a Homunculus who, like his name, wants everything, including immortality. Greed thinks that he can gain eternal life if he can learn how Al's soul was grafted onto an empty suit of armor. If he can't get it from it Al, then he'll use him as a hostage to exchange for Ed's knowledge. Fullmetal Alchemist is just plain classic and great! The special treat is that with Volume 7 of the manga it begins to take the story on a different path than the anime series as the Fuhrer steps into the spotlight for the first time and shows his true power, which is pretty awe-inspiring in its deadliness. It's ironic that Greed seems to be the only likeable Homunculus. Ironic because he seems the most human. Maybe because the emotion of greed is so common to all of us. I love the anime but I was happily surprised for the manga to diverge from the anime (actually, it's the other way around, the manga came out first). So it's possible to enjoy two versions of the same basic story. This is classic stuff. I would also recommend the anime version, along with the anime Scrapped Princess. You might also like the manga Chrono Crusade.

I'm NOT a huge fan of the anime but I can honestly say that the book is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! The title features some gorgeous artwork and the title has done a good job of slowly building the characters who are both major and minor. While the show often had some overly dramatic and whiny dialogue..the books really have allowed the ages of both boys be treated much more realistically while also allowing the situation to gradually become more dire as we realize that the conspiracy that the show jumped to seems to be much more expansive and subtle here. This volume also features some awesome new characters (the modified soldiers) and some nice battle scenes (wait till you see the fuhrer) that would put some of the more action manga and american comics to shame. This is a great series and book--please check it out.