Title: Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition Vol. 9
Author: Hiromu Arakawa
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 280
Genre: Shounen, Battle
Publication Date: May 12, 2020
The Story
Volume 9 of Fullmetal Alchemist Fullmetal Edition picks up with Gluttony on the verge of being captured by Mustang, Ed, Al, and Ling. Things are about to go their way but Envy shows up on orders by King Bradley to retrieve Gluttony. Of course, they’re not going to let them get away so a battle ensues. In the confusion, Mustang escapes since that was Gluttony’s original target. Ed, Al, and Ling stay behind to fight the two of them when Ed, Ling, and Envy all end up getting swallowed by Gluttony.
Gluttony calms down and Al asks him to bring him to “the Father.” Gluttony actually agrees and leads the way. Meanwhile, inside of Gluttony, Ed and Ling are trying to think of a way out when Envy appears and transforms into his true form, thus beginning another battle. The battle wages on until they all agree that they should simply work together in order to find a way out of Gluttony’s stomach. They devise a plan which works but by the time they do, Gluttony and Al have reached “the Father.”
Ed and Al are shocked to see who it is but even though their appearances are similar, it’s not who they believe it to be. Tensions rise and another battle is about to start but “the Father” restricts their ability to perform transmutation and ends up deciding to use Ling rather than discard him. What follows is something very few would have seen coming!
Of course, if you’ve seen the anime or read the original release of the manga, you know what happens with Ling; however, for first-time readers, I’m sure things have gotten interesting right about now! Still, this was an action-heavy volume but it wasn’t the only focus. Colonel Mustang’s investigation into King Bradley also got some time to shine here and there were also some pretty interesting developments on that front as well. Plus, we got a nice little chat between Envy and Dr. Marcoh which kind of, sort of reveals the plans all of the homunculi are aiming towards.
Great story progression in this volume but, shockingly, it was slightly on the light side when it came to character development, saving most of it for the cliffhanger ending to the volume.
Characters
It’s kind of hard to talk about the development without spoiling anything so apologies for being vague. Nevertheless, “the Father” was an interesting introduction and how his appearance is similar to another character in the series is also an interesting facet to him. One this is apparent, though… he truly is the creator of the homunculi and his ability to transmute without even having to make a circle, use his hands, or (pretty much) do anything shows just how powerful he truly is. Until now, we believed that King Bradley would have been the final boss of this adventure but with the introduction of “the Father” and Bradley’s interaction in this volume with someone named “Pride,” we can clearly see that there are others way above him.
Ling received the most attention at the end as well. I won’t say how or why but I will say is that this is quite interesting that this is what he wanted. I’m sure we’ll find out more behind his reasoning next volume.
Everyone else’s development was kind of put on hold even though each character that was featured played their supporting roles perfectly.
Final Thoughts
Another amazing edition of Fullmetal Alchemist! This series continues to prove why it is regarded as one of the best manga series of all-time! While the character development was kept to a minimum, what we received was highly impactful. The story advanced further here than any other previous volume, and there was a great balance between action and story advancement. This was one of the more thrilling volumes in the series thus far and it’s quite evident that through the events that transpired here, that things are heating up in a big way.
The events here provide some clarity as to what has been happening in the world of Fullmetal Alchemist but they do so in a way where it raises more questions in a good way. Can’t wait to see what happens in Vol. 10!
Follow me on Twitter @JJPiedraTOH
You can also check out other The Outerhaven reviews on your favorite social media networks:
Subscribe to us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theouterhaven
Subscribe to us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOuterHaven
Subscribe to us on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/theouterhavennet
This item was purchased for review.
