Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 1
- ISBN
- 9781591169208
- Publisher
- VIZ
- English release
- Pages
- 192
Fullmetal Alchemist 1 introduces the Elric brothers through a failed experiment and a visit to a town devoted to Father Cornello. Start here for the manga’s introduction to Edward and Alphonse. This is the first standard VIZ paperback; the first omnibus also contains it, and the complete box includes the same paperback. Our opening-scene analysis uses Yen Press's licensed digital preview of the manga, not a comparison of the English translations or a review of the whole volume.
Spoilers — why this volume matters. Tap to reveal.
The opening town scene gives alchemy a modest demonstration before asking it to carry a larger promise. Alphonse knocks over a radio; Edward draws a circle and repairs it. The repair is visible, while the townspeople's account of Cornello's power arrives as testimony. Edward's skepticism has a practical basis, but the scene refuses to make technical competence identical with good judgment. After the onlookers mistake Alphonse for the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward's anger at being called small makes another disturbance. His brother apologizes. The distinction matters more than a contest between science and belief. Edward can mend an object without controlling his response to other people, while the physically imposing Alphonse tries to keep the exchange civil. These opening pages distribute ability and restraint between the brothers. The same crowd that sees a repair still misidentifies the person who performed it. Evidence does not automatically produce understanding.
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