I don't even know what to say, rating speaks for itself.
It was one of my first mangas and the first one I completed by buying the whole series in my language. I always recommend it to every person I know, as well manga-lovers, as manga-beginners, and even people who don't really read manga. You want a good adventure? FMA. You want good characters who grow as story goes? FMA. You want an amazing created word? FMA. You want something family? FMA. Something about friendship? FMA. Good, subtle, snowburn romance? FMA. Wholesome ending? FMA.
For me, this manga in perfect in every and each way. One of the best mangas to start manga reading.

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

Everything about this manga was amazing. The plot was truly wondrous, with unique twists and turns. The characters weren't perfect, Ed was a greedy and evil person at times. Many of the characters were smart too, not the usual idiotic rash main characters. The drawings were excellent also, with a somewhat unique look to them. It also sticks to the main story line, never straying from it too much. If you don't like the beginning, keep reading because it gets more and more deeper into the story. It also isn't all sunshine and rainbows through the whole thing, people die, and it's not a very happy and non-tragic manga. I gotta say, overall, this was a flawless manga that I can not criticize in any way. I am a obsessed fan of this manga after reading.

... Last updated on January 1st, 2012, 1:43am

This work is a truly wonderful one, and I’m sure my comment won’t do it justice at all! I had trouble putting this manga down; I really got caught up with it! Both the plot and the character’s made it near impossible not to enjoy, everything was so well thought out and developed, I’d go so far as to call it a masterpiece!

Plot- The plot is so amazingly intricate, all the different plots and characters are woven together so well as to create a plot that is so unique and amazing and won’t disappoint! The plot has a wonderful pacing, taking you along the story at just the right speed and it does not drag at all, nor does it try to stretch thin but ends in a very satisfying ending that was nothing less but amazing. Just when you think you know what’s going on something new develops, something new takes place, something happens that throws everything back into mystery and the constant struggle of the main character’s that develops more and more into a harder tasks to accomplish.

Characters- Probably the aspect I enjoyed most of this manga! No character, and I mean NO CHARCTER, is ever forgotten. It’s amazing that each and every character somehow manages to reappear again, to play some role in the story, no character is filler! All characters are well developed with their own unique personality. The main cast is amazing, with wonderful relationships between each other that help the plot move forward in a very natural way. Both the characters and their relationships are very realistic, and it’s wonderful to see them develop more fully as the manga progresses. It’s hard to pick a favorite from the cast, and there’s certainly at least one character everyone will love. It’s hard to fully describe just how wonderful all these characters are!

Art- How do I describe the art? It’s wonderful and really fits the work, the art progresses along with the story and in the end is a wonderful style that captures emotions and actions well.

Other- Just read it, ok? It is a great story, with an excellent plot and awesome characters to carry it out and some wonderful moral themes that run throughout. It’s really worth the time it takes to read it, and considering the length of many other shounen works it won’t take that long to read at all! I really enjoyed the story and I really recommend it!

10/10 - Loved it!

... Last updated on October 2nd, 2011, 6:59am

Short review: Fullmetal Alchemist is little step up your average shounen action-adventure series, creating a unique world with memorable characters, lore, and legend. Following two young heroes, the story grows and our characters get entangled with creations and monsters beyond their imaginations. Not forgetting to pack the comedy (and a little bit of romance), the series mixes everything into a beautiful tale that will always be great to go back to.

Full review:

Warning: review contains spoilers

I’ll have to say that out of all the manga I’ve read, Fullmetal Alchemist is so far the only one where I feel like every event is really connected to the others. From the beginning where everything is set up, instead of a linear direction where you feel like you’re following one hero up and down a path, FMA gives me that feeling of sitting on large bird that flies up slowly and reveals the entire landscape. I can hardly find faults with the plot - it’s not too fast paced, and it knows when it needs to end. There is never a moment you will be bored, and it’s exciting to uncover the bigger picture along with the protagonists.

From the beginning where we have Ed and Al and the introduction of our basic concepts - The Philosopher’s Stone, transmutation, equivalent exchange - everything is weaved together in a way where things are not revealed too quickly for us to stomach, or too slowly that we would get bored. I think that what the manga has over both the 2003 and 2009 series is that here Arakawa tells the story how she likes - and that greatly gives us the pace we need. We get to feel every loss and every discovery with equal parts terror and wonder, making each reveal more and more interesting.

One more of the best things about the series is the scope. We may begin our journey with a fourteen and twelve year old boy, but by the end we are witnessing the story of an entire nation. And all of this is revealed so artfully, letting us know bit by bit about the homonculi, the nationwide transmutation circle, and Father. This is told to us not only through Ed and Al, but eventually with the help of the Mustang Unit, the Briggs team, and even people from another country, Xing.

Speaking of the characters, Arakawa did a great job of writing fleshed out ensemble characters. For such a large group, as a reader, I still ended up appreciating more than enough of my share of the cast. Maybe because Arakawa is a female author writing a shounen series but I felt the significance of most of the main characters in such a way that other mainstream shounen titles are unable to pull off. There is depth and growth in the love interests, the parent figures, and the villains. The lack of flat side characters makes Fullmetal Alchemist so refreshing. This is probably a personal preference as well but Arakawa writes some of shounen’s best female characters. She has stated that she grew up in a tough family and surrounded by strong women, and the influence shines in the characters such as Winry, Riza, Lan Fan, Izumi, Olivier, and Mei Chang.

An issue I have with some manga is when the art style gets so similar I can’t tell characters apart. That is not an issue with FMA. Most of the characters are memorable and distinct, and the art showing us Amestris is beautiful as well. One thing that stands out in FMA is the humor - it has the usual shounen formula of injecting comedy to lighten the tone, and FMA has some of my favorite chibi versions of the characters. The balance between jokes and serious topics is not too wishy-washy, you feel the seriousness and humor in the right times.

Overall, I’d recommend FMA in a heartbeat to anyone. It touches on heavy topics while keeping the perfect tone, has adorable comedy and art, lovable and relatable characters, and an exciting story that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire way. Not to mention the ending doesn’t feel as dissatisfying as a lot of the endings of other big name anime. FMA is smart, but it never lacks in heart. It’s not that lengthy, but you will be investing quite some time on it. No worries, though, as the principle of equivalent exchange states, you’ll be getting something in return. I promise you, what you’re going to be seeing is worth it.

Plot 10/10
Art 9/10
Characters 10/10
Overall 10/10

It's not gonna be the #1 manga for everyone.

Now, before FA-fanatics jump me, allow me to affirm that I hold this series dear to my heart. I adore Al and Ed, and the cast of secondary characters all possess dynamic, interesting tales. Arakawa did a phenomenal job with this manga, and though I never did cry while reading, Fullmetal Alchemist indeed hit my heart during certain chapters. It's truly a work that challenges you to see the darker side of humanity and government corruption, which is all the more impressive given that this series takes place in a highly fictionalized world. Definitely, definitely recommend it.

HOWEVER: if you do not typically read shounen action manga, the hype may seem overdone.

Such was the case in my situation.

It'd be a stretch to say that I was disappointed, but after finishing FA, I was not screaming and fangirling and stamping the manga with every stamp of approval that I own. I felt an emotional satisfaction, and I was very happy that I stepped out of my manga comfort zone to read this. I will concede that the work is very well written and engaging. But as someone who reads predominantly shoujo romance manga, I will ask that new-shounen action readers begin Fullmetal Alchemist with not TOO high an expectation. This manga could change your entire life-- it has for many fanatic readers. But remember that it is only a manga (and an anime... and a video game... but you get the point.) Don't expect it to be the epitome of the best of the best, and I think you'll enjoy these 27 volumes tremendously.

... Last updated on January 25th, 2015, 8:14pm

Everyone has already said it, yet I can't refrain myself from repeating it. This is one of the best mangas out there.

Fullmetal Alchemist was the first manga I ever read; I was around 13 at the time, found the scans in english and I didn't really understand everything about the plot, since english is not my native language. I eventually reached the final chapter that was released at the time, and as I was new to the whole manga stuff I never knew that it was being released periodically. I saw part of the first anime adaptation but I didn't like it, and when I knew about the periodic releases I had somehow lost interest, partly because of the first anime, partly because everyone was making a huge fuss about it.

More than seven years passed and now I read it again. And I couldn't believe how much I've missed. The story is solid, original and incredibly well-thought. But what really amazes me about this manga are the characters. I've never read ANYTHING that made love so much every little character in the story. Even the ones I hated, the ones I thought were dumb, I ended up loving each and everyone of them. There's not a single character that made me go "meh". All of them are memorable. Each of them are believable. And that's what makes this manga so special for me. A manga (or any kind of story, actually) can have a very simple plot, but it will become a masterpiece if the characters are incredible. Not only Edward is amazing. Alphonse is an incredible deuteragonist. Roy Mustang, Maes Hughes, Scar, every Homunculi, Kimblee (oh God, Kimblee), all of them (I could name more, like Hohenheim, but oh well, if I named every cool character in this manga I would never finish) are brilliant characters. And don't get me started with the women in this manga. I've never seen most awesome women. Even though Edward is clearly the protagonist, the other characters are so good that it's possible for them to be the protagonists of their own story. Not any author can achieve that. Hiromu Arakawa did it flawlessly.

And the story is, like I said, really solid and original. I have nothing to complain about it. It has amazing plot twists, nothing comes out of nowhere and it has a perfect ending with no loose ends, and so you'll be guaranteed to be satisfied. But I insist, the primary highlight of this manga are its characters.

So, good story + outstanding chacters = One of the best mangas (if not THE best) I have ever read. And definitely one of the best stories ever created.

... Last updated on December 11th, 2012, 7:51am

this is what other manga wish to be. a tight script with nary a loose panel, every single characters are important for the advancement of the plot, logical progression of events and a smooth continuinity. i had never read a long running manga that never digress in the execution, i can believe that sensei write down every single detail of the manga before even been accepted for serialization. the characters are individuals with distinguishable faces and personality. the messages are easy to absorb and the arguments are provided for both sides, something that lack in other manga. the ending is perfect, making me long for more but i also understand it is the best to end a great manga in a great way.

This is one of best shounen manga in existence.

A good mix between action and plot, with an original and convincing super-power system, with good characters and hilarious comedy. A masterpiece in fact, nothing brought into the story has a one-off part to play in it, or some kind of loose end. They're all covered and included.

Also - steampunk. Hell yeah.

Add to that one of the most satisfying endings I've come across in manga and truly good and original art, and this is simply great. I don't feel I could write a small essay explaining how good this is, I'm afraid that I won't do it justice. But it covers mature and deep themes with both insight and sensitivity. It's unique in its almost complete lack of flaws. Its pace makes it boring at no point.

If you haven't read this, I implore you. Give it a proper chance.

... Last updated on December 17th, 2012, 2:33am

Probably one of the only ones on my reading/completed list that accurately deserves the 10 I give it.

dannyboy95 has said all that was on my mind, but I just want to add that this has made its way to the top of my favorites.