Disclaimer: Spoilers Ahead!

It was 2003 and I was at some indie book store. I wasn't suppose to buy anything, my mother was looking for some magazine and she didn't want to leave me elsewhere. So on that fateful day, I saw the first volume of Hagane no Renkinjutsushi's tankōbon. I was young, so it wasn't the title that attracted my attention. It was the cover. So I asked my mother to buy it for me.

She browsed through, and decided it was too mature for me. After some faux crying, she paid the RM5.50, and hence began the wonderful journey of science, faith, and brotherhood.



It was at first a funny and cute pictorial. For the sake of continuation, my mother bought the new volumes the moment they hit the stand. She thought I understood what I was reading. I didn't contradict her.

Over the years, as I learned more in school and life in general, I went back to the first volume repeatedly. It started to make sense, the idea of what is really fair, and especially the major theme of science versus faith. It wasn't until early 2005 when I realized it was really good comic.

Things that stood out in the series are the faith between the brothers, and their strong will of truth seeking which often landed them in hot waters. The quality of the plot is superb, and well timed humor helped the story telling. Even the fillers were well done.

At the beginning my favorite character was, of course, Edward Elric. Then I became fond of Alex Louis Armstrong. After that, it was Roy Mustang. When the series ended, and after considering the series as a whole, I decided my real favorite is Riza Hawkeye. I admire the way she lives her life and I envy her "belongingness" with a man, even though by law they are not allowed to be together.

The main feeling I relate to this series would be jealousy. The camaraderie of siblings, the unspoken yet silently acknowledged love of couples, and many more. And the jealousy arose because I wasn't spending time pondering the quality of the story, well, apart from the time when I was too young to understand the story in one read.

This is one of three comic I absolutely adore, including Kurosu Gēmu, which I wrote about earlier. Whenever I have nothing of immediete interest to read, I would pick up the first volume and relive a life I wish was mine.

full metal alchemist. good manga.

Indeed. Who is your favorite character from the series, and why?

Winry. In the end, she's the only one who manage to break the equal trade rule.