From a young age, the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, studied alchemy.
When their mother died of an epidemic, they committed the taboo of human transmutation to bring her back to life.
However, the transmutation failed, and as a “toll,” Ed lost his left leg, and Al lost his entire body. Still, Ed sacrificed his right arm to retrieve only Al’s soul.
Ed replaced his right arm and left leg with mechanical prosthetics, and Al lived with the armor as his new body.
To regain the bodies they lost as a “toll,” the two set off on a journey to find the “Philosopher’s Stone,” the universal ingredient in alchemy.
Character
荒川弘『鋼の錬金術師』BONES
荒川弘『鋼の錬金術師』BONES
Edward Elric The protagonist of this work. At the age of 12, he holds a national alchemist qualification, receiving substantial support for research from the country, and has the nickname “Steel” due to the characteristics of his mechanical armor. The fact that he can perform alchemy just by clasping his hands together without using a transmutation circle is also a factor in being considered a genius in alchemy.
Alphonse Elric The brother of Edward Elric. His soul is affixed to a suit of armor, making him a body that does not require food or sleep, does not experience physical fatigue, and lacks senses and the three basic desires other than sight and hearing. Al’s soul is attached to the armor through a blood seal written in his brother’s blood. If this blood seal is damaged, the soul will separate from the armor and disappear.
荒川弘『鋼の錬金術師』BONES
荒川弘『鋼の錬金術師』BONES
Winry Rockbell The heroine of this work. She is a young girl who is a mechanic for mechanical armor. She has known the Elric brothers since childhood. Her parents died in the Ishvalan civil war when she was 8 years old, and since then, she has been raised by her grandmother, Pinako. She became a mechanic for mechanical armor under the guidance of Pinako and supports the Elric brothers.
Roy Mustang A national alchemist working at the Eastern Command of the national military. His nickname is “Flame” and he holds the rank of Colonel. He usually pretends to be a womanizer and a careless person, but in his heart, he is an ambitious man aiming for the position of the Fuhrer. He possesses both cunning and a strong will to “change the country”. While he can sometimes be cold in his words and actions, he also has a compassionate side, as seen when he doesn’t hesitate to protect his comrades and subordinates when they are in danger.
The charm of this work
“Fullmetal Alchemist” is classified as a dark fantasy genre, but it also has many pop scenes.
It’s not just about sadness, but also about eating a lot, laughing, crying, and fighting with loved ones.
If people are alive, they are driven by various emotions and act. It’s because we have not only a physical body but also a heart that we are “human”.
Life exists because there is life. We live to protect the people we care about. What the grand dark fantasy conveys might be such simple things that we tend to forget in our daily lives.
