Customer Reviews

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 4

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After barely surviving their encounters with the guards of Laboratory #5 and the arrival of Lust and Envy, Ed has to be put into the hospital to recover. While he gets in contact with Winry to ask her to come fix him up, Al has something on his mind. Ever since his encounter with the armor-bound former serial killer Barry the Chopper, he has begun to question whether he really IS Alphonse Elric, or whether he is merely the memory of Al, artificially created and place in the suit of armor by his brother. At the risk of his own safety Lt. Col. Hughes begins to investigate a dark web of deceit and lies perpetrated that could involve all levels of the military order.

This was probably one of the best manga volumes of any series I have read. Not only does it contain humor and action it also questions what humans really are composed of. Is a memory of someone just as valid as the real thing? There are also some very poignant scenes in here. Hiromu Arakawa is not afraid to take her characters to very dark places and she is not afraid to kill them off either. The art is great and her storytelling is excellent. Her humor can be a little ill-placed at times but that's a minor complaint. Classic series.

Hiromu Arakawa, Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 4 (ViZ, 2005)

Something happened between Fullmetal Alchemist 3 and this volume. I'm not sure what, but whatever it is, I like it a great deal. There's a real story arc! There's continuity! Dare I say it? Fullmetal Alchemist is actually starting to live up to its sky-high reputation with Volume 4. Ed and Al head back to their hometown of Resembool so Ed can get fixed up after that last battle, and we get to know Winry and her grandmother a good deal more. Ed realizes that, while he's a state alchemist, he has a lot more maturity and experience to gain, so the boys decide to head back and see their old teacher. Winry, finding out they're going past Rush Valley, decides to tag along. All this means there's really not much going on in this volume actionwise, but Arakawa handles it better than any volume so far in the series. Finally, I see why this series gets so much attention. *** ½

The original manga that sparked the two anime series, video games, and more is right here on Amazon.com. You will get lost in the story once more, and really for the first time, in the manga. The entire 20+ volume series is worth every penny, and is traditionally kept in Japanese format [right to left]. You cannot go wrong with this manga series, it's the best. Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 4

After the horrific events in volume 3 the Elric brothers spend most of volume 4 recovering from their wounds whether physical, mental or emotional. Laboratory 5 is destroyed and in its aftermath Ed is hospitalized with serious wounds and Al is left reeling from the words of doubt planted by Barry the Chopper. Winry also makes another appearance to fix Ed's auto-mail arm with the missing bolt. Both brothers have time to reflect on their actions both past and present and in some cases are given a bit of a wake call about them.

More things come to a head as the players put together what pieces of the puzzle they have so far, only to be stymied by orders from higher up to cease the investigation and to not tell anyone about what they had found.

Meanwhile Ed, Al and Winry have some more lessons to learn about friendship, faith, brotherhood and trust. Winry is constantly frustrated at how little the brothers tell her. At the same time the lines of communication have shut down between the brothers and this results in misunderstandings and in some things coming out that will surprise you and help you understand the boys even more.

In the end the investigation sparked by the boys' misadventures and the military's own bloody history leads one character into knowledge that ultimately costs him more than he bargained for. The scenes following were definite tear jerkers and were very well drawn and laid out to that effect.

I enjoyed reading about the brothers' and Winry's growth throughout this volume. Also getting to see the interplay between the three and Winry's violent tempers played against the military personnel teasing Ed about her being his girlfriend were a lot of fun to read about. And, of course, the ending did have me in tears, it does every time I read it. One of my favorite chapters in the Fullmetal Alchemist saga.

While I am not a fan of manga in general, FMA is an execpation. While I have only read the first 2 tankobon, Vol. 4 looks interestinq. I like FMA beause the cartaers are semi-realistic and there is humor at the aprotate times. The panels are drawn stylishly. FMA is intellagent while still keeping the entertanment value up.

Despite the fact that I`ve already seen the anime.
This Volume keeps me entertained throughout the story.
The basic and simple humor and the way people react doesn`t change in this fourth volume of FMA.

The book arrived very quickly and was in good condition, but it had a small dent in the front cover.