It’s been years since Fullmetal Alchemist fans could look forward to a new manga chapter, but that changed this month. Over in Japan, Hiromu Arakawa’s beloved series just got its first live-action feature, and the film went live with a special manga tie-in from the artist herself.
Now, fans are sharing details about the long-awaited comeback, and Fullmetal Alchemist fans will be happy that the Elric Brothers are back in action.
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Over on Tumblr, scans for Arakawa’s new chapter have been shared, and fans have started to translate the special release. The manga release, which is titled Fullmetal Alchemist: Beginning of a Long Journey, takes place before the series’ larger plot gets going. Edward has only just received his State Alchemist certification, and it highlights some fan-favorite characters along the way.
The manga starts off with a short note from Arakawa as the artist prefaces the manga one-shot. “This is a tory about Ed just after he got his State Alchemist certification,” the creator wrote. “I tried to write it as if to carry on the feeling from the movie.”
When the story gets moving, fans meet up with Edward as he calls home to tell Winry he passed. Characters like Armstrong and Grand are then introduced to Ed, and the by gawks over the burly, bald physiques. Hawkeye tells the alchemist it’s all a coincidence, and Ed gets touchy when his height is brought up as usual.
The manga doesn’t introduce any groundbreaking secrets, but it gives fans a look at Fullmetal Alchemist‘s quieter moments. Ed goes to celebrate his status as a State Alchemist with Mustang’s crew and the Ishval War is brought up peripherally. A time-skip then puts Ed and Alphonse on a train to Resembool to being their journey, but things get dark when Shou Tucker is shown. The alchemist is seen having his license rejected by the state, and when he greets his wife and daughter afterwards, Shou says he’ll become a State Alchemist for sure so long as he has the two of them.
Are you excited to see Fullmetal Alchemist return even if just for one chapter? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!
