After burning their own home down and dealing with the abomination they created, Edward and his brother enlist themselves in the military to atone for their sins and learn more about the many secrets of alchemy; potentially learning how to recover their original bodies in the process. While serving in the military, the brothers begin to realize how the wonders of alchemy can be abused for nefarious purposes. Immortal life can be gained by sacrificing hundreds of innocents souls, wars can be staged and foreign nations can be annihilated under false charges, human experimentation aided by alchemy can lead to unnatural mutations, the world of alchemy is more dark and dangerous than either of them could've bargained for.

Still loving Winry, her grandmother, and Lt. Roy Mustang. The author has a nice balance of male and female characters. I liked getting to know more about Lt. Col. Hawkeye. I think the target of her "secret" is obvious? Fullmetal Alchemist takes place in the fictional country of Amestris which is heavily based on the Industrial Revolution. Amestris is a unitary state under the rule of a parliamentary republic, run by state alchemists that serve the king utilizing the mystifying arts of alchemy. Alchemy is the power to alter the physical world utilizing its natural elements, performing magic and miracles in the form of science. Alchemy follows the law of equivalent exchange, you must sacrifice something that is of equal value to what you create. You must sacrifice a life to create a life, you must extinguish one flame to ignite another, you have to sacrifice one home to build another, etc... Wait is the religious man from the first volume still alive? Oh, it’s not the religious man. It’s Envy. There were two parts where the cleverness of the characters also really comes into play. The first bit of cleverness is where Hawkeye passes on a message to Mustang in a code that is particularly ingenious. I was totally willing to go for it because it was obvious the two have been working together for a long time and it is possible they worked out something in advance. The other bit of cleverness comes when the child princess May Chang makes some intuitive leaps about Scar's brother's notes that I almost thought was a bit unbelievable. Then again she is royalty, is obviously very clever and mature for her age to have traveled to another country alone across a desert, and also seems to be able to match wits with Alphonse and you know the Elric brothers are too clever for their own good already.A pair of brothers who were so desperate to feel their mother's warmth again that they dared do the unthinkable. One of them lost a leg to stand on and all but lost his only remaining family. The other was deprived of ever feeling the warmth of human contract.

In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical ""auto-mail"" limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother's bodies...the legendary Philosopher's Stone. Characters (5/5): I love all the characters in this series and loved getting to learn more about Ed and Al’s dad in this book. Story (5/5): At this point the story is pretty darn complicated so I won't rehash it all. This volume sees some interesting twists and revelations. We finally get to see a confrontation between Hohenheim and the Father. We also get to see more of Mustang. Major General Armstrong and her brother have an awesome fight scene against Sloth that I really enjoyed.

Edward was easier to like after reading of his early years. Now we understand what fuels his anger and intensity. I liked the author's reminders that Edward is just 11 years old. Writing/Drawing Style (5/5): This whole series is beautifully drawn and amazingly written. This is definitely one of the highest quality manga series I have ever read. Mais bon, je ne suis qu'au 4e tome sur 27. Et comme je sais que l'anime a été volontairement conçu pour différer de l'intrigue et la fin du manga, je suis hyper curieuse de découvrir tout ce qui m'attend. Father: I’ve given you a body that will never decay. In exchange for the souls of all the people of this country.” The theme of the circle of life and death throughout the books was wonderful. Loved the fun artwork and humor in "Extras".

The villains are an interesting parody of the seven deadly sins. Each of them represent the darkness and regrets of each of the main characters and they can only be conquered by coming to terms with their own flaws and sins. The characters having to overcome their personal demons to take on the greater demons trying to overthrow the world from the shadows made the struggles of every single person in the story feel personal. Every character, no matter how minor had their moments to shine. Everyone had a vital role to play and the camaraderie between friend and foe alike never felt cheesy of forced. Bon, le fait d'avoir vu la première adaptation récemment m'embrouille un peu et je ne peux pas m'empêcher de comparer.We are getting so close to the conclusion: things are getting intense, lives are a stake, there are fights going on left and right and it’s soooo awesome! Je regrette juste que tout s'enchaîne aussi vite. Et que du coup tout le contexte historique, politique et social dans lequel le récit et l'intrigue s'inscrivent ne soit toujours pas développés plus que ça. On reste encore trop sur l'action et la réaction des personnages. Or ce serait bien de mettre un peu de lumière sur le cadre et le fonctionnement de cet univers (outre celui de l'alchimie qui est un peu développé). Setting (5/5): I continue to really love this world driven by alchemy and power. Excellent world-building in this whole series. We get some serious history on the fall of the city of Cselkcess and some very awesome implications for what that means for the history of alchemy as a whole. I love how all these pieces are falling into place and it shows that Arakawa has been planning a lot of the story from the beginning and it is totally awesome to see it all come into play bit by bit as this story unfolds. I also really like the use of Jewish mythology, and Kabbalah, as symbols and metaphors to help explain the roots of various parts of alchemy. It ends up working out really well and giving real depth and meaning to the "science" behind the world built here. It brings joy in sorrow, victory in battle, light to darkness, life to the dead. That is the power of the blood-red jewel which men honor with the name "The Philosopher's Stone."