This series is the very deinition of perfect manga. The story develops really nicely with interesting and loveable characters, intriguing plot, and unexpected surprises.

The characters are mostly round and believable. You can totally understand the reason why the characters (major and minor) do such actions; the characters' background is so compelling. The story also brings you to tears, excitement, and even pondering. There are so much stuff here that makes you stop and think for a second.

This Manga is a Godsend

The comedy, the tragedy, the philosophy and last but not least, the ending. All of it was done mastefully and I have rarely seen a better paced manga, there are other for sure (Kingdom, Midori Days) but they are few in number.

I'm not saying this piece of work is completely perfect, there are some bumps here and there, but the characters' actions and the humanity of their actions (which is basically what the manga is all about) remains so pure and realistic, it shines with a brightness that burns.

This a top level story in my books, one that I recommend to everyone.

This is a once in a lifetime find for you, you will never come across anything of this level in shounen mangas. You might think that this is an overstatement, but then my good sir I ask you to take a serious look at our current POPULAR/ ON-DEMAND shounens: Naruto, Bleach, One piece, Fairy Tail, HSDK etc..
Yes some of these are better than the others, however they lack what I'd like to call a "healthy-flow". Some of them drag for a lifetime without even reaching halfway, others run out of ideas, some of them get old etc.
This is not what happens in this manga, it's not hopelessly long that it needed 1000+ chapters to uncover a story, it's not cheesy, it doesn't abuse ecchi etc. This manga is something the author poured his soul into - how can I tell? When I finished reading the story ( it was about 1 hour over midnight), I went to take a long walk to think about things. Hell I think I even matured a bit after reading it, that is not something I usually come across - thus I treasure this feeling.

I'll be the first one to admit that it's not flawless, it does have certain cheese-factor elements, but they do not overwhelm the true goal of the story. I can go on and talk about each arc, however that would probably be a heck of an essay to write, thus I decided to write eleven statements that explain the hidden themes of this manga:

1) People believe in lies due to desire of fear
2) Harm can result from good intentions
3) Passion rules reason
4) There is magic in sincere forgiveness, in the forgiveness you give, but more so in the forgiveness you receive
5) Mind actions over words
6) Only allow reason to rule you
7) Life is in the future
8) Deserve Victory
9) Contradictions don't exist
10) Ignoring truth is betraying yourself
11) Seek truth THROUGH yourself

Each of these lines can be linked to the Journey we undertake as we read this masterpiece. 10/10 from me. I would even go as far as call it a classic within the Manga Genre. Overstatement? Show me one shounen that questions the morale of being a human the way this author pulled it off.

... Last updated on February 26th, 2014, 9:18am

Or did a fan decide to draw a picture book for his favorite novel?

Because this story reads like a book -- with pictures -- and a VERY good book at that. I've read enough manga to say that development is a weak point in this media for storytelling. FMA, however, has both plot progression and character development.

Additionally, this manga is absolutely hilarious -- really well-placed comedy! But there's tragedy as well. FMA has everything I could wish for in a good story.

Arakawa-sensei is a master storyteller. I suggest reading her other works as well.

I would say FMA feels like a very complete series.
However, I personally didn't find any of the main characters, plot, or premise very gripping so it's taken me various attempts over the past 6 or so years to finally complete it, and I've dropped it many times.

Overall, though, the series is a very satisfying read and I would certainly recommend it.

awavingflag's comment is rated as the most useful. I agree with it. It's hella long, and I don't wish to repeat his points, but I just cannot bring myself to see why others seem to think it's the BEST. MANGA. EVER. I don't. The mangaka adds far too much drama. It was terribly difficult for me to read the story around chapter 38 because I felt that every time the characters seemed to be getting somewhere, it'd be boom! PLOT TWIST.

In hindsight, after rereading the series and finishing the series, it was a lot better. Some of the plot twists were pointless, some weren't. I don't normally read manga of this genre (really popular shounen like Bleach, One Piece, Naruto, etc.), so perhaps I'm just not comparing it with the right things. This is 27 volumes long. Majority of what I read is 1-4 volumes long.

... Last updated on November 10th, 2013, 1:13pm

I have always, always been a shoujo girl, but there's something about this manga/anime that drew me in. One reason was that I used to watch it all the time when I was little, mostly because I had a little girly crush on Ed (let's face it... the Elric brothers are pretty awesome.), but back then I had no idea what it was actually about. Now that I had actually decided to try it out again I was hooked. Long sleepless nights, and schooless days. And they were all worth it. It has so much heartfelt emotion and the plot is spotless. I could rewatch/read it over and over again.

Well, i can't add anything after these many comments. Considering we all human are just creatures who have many flaw, this is just one of the "flawless" manga exists out there... God, thank you so much that you bestow the mangaka this story into his head... for an "equal trade" of course, hehehe...

... Last updated on September 9th, 2013, 2:51am

Even after falling in love with the anime, the manga still managed to surprise me. So much more in-depth, better character development, better story, better [insert your desire here].
edit: I did not know about the new FMA Brotherhood anime that suppose to be identical to the manga.

Category Ratings:

• Plot: 10 - In-depth with no plot holes (that I can remember), complex yet easy to follow and is different from anime.
• Characters: 10 - Every character feels alive. They all have their personalities with realistic attitudes and many have back stories to justify the way they act.
• Ending: 10 - Absolutely perfect, and I hate most endings.
• Target Genres: 10 - The action, adventure, drama are spot on, enough comedy to justify the genre but is not a main focus
• Lasting impression: 10 - I will never forget this series

My rating system:

• < 7 - I must have been bored to keep reading this
• 7.0 - Just good enough to keep my attention
• 7.5 - Lacking in some areas
• 8.0 - Well rounded but nothing special
• 8.5 - Recommended for most
• 9.0 - Highly recommended
• 9.5 - Must read by all
• 10 - Stop reading this comment and start reading the series now

... Last updated on July 12th, 2013, 10:49pm

I feel like this manga was the center of my world while going on its journey and now that is has ended I have nothing to do. It was incredible and never failed to move me to tears. So dark, it literally will haunt you on many levels. Really, how can ANYONE BREATHING rate this below a 9; people need to read it with their eyes open if it's rated lower.
When it was sad it was devastating
When it was funny it was hilarious
When it was deep it was breath taking
When it was painful it was deadly.
Really, that basically sums up FMA
Honestly, now that I have seen this perfection (watched the anime dub 2009) I can say that it is my favourite anime of all time and close up there tied for first for my favourite manga ever.
If these brothers don't move you to tears, you may want to look into getting some help.

... Last updated on May 25th, 2013, 7:59pm