Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 15

In volume 15 we get one big, huge, volume long flashback. But, don’t worry, every moment is worth it. We hear about what the war in Ishbala was like for Mustang and his men and we get to see Hughes again! We also get some Mustang/Hawkeye back story. The scenes depicting the war were brutally realistic and heart breaking. The gravity of the war and it’s affect on both sides and in every rank was dealt with in a very serious and realistic manner. The parallels between this war and World War II were very obviously drawn, even down to the mass extermination and human experimentation. War is hard and cold and makes monsters out of us all.

The Ishbalan side of the story is also covered with more back story on Scar and his family and also show more on what really happened with Winry's parents. Seeing how all of these characters were influenced by what happened during the Ishbalan Campaign that we have heard so much about and seeing how it made them into the characters we know them as today was sobering. They all lost something in that war: friends, loved ones, their home, their country, their integrity, ideals, but most importantly their innocence, and their naivety.

I think what affected me the most, more than the powerfully drawn art, the sober and serious storylines or the real life parallels to modern day warfare was the author's note at the beginning of this volume. If you normally skip those I recommend that this time you don't. show less

I loved this volume because it was a flashback that worked. So many authors and producers fumble flashbacks, but this one wasn't jarring at all. In fact, it was a fascinating window into some of the characters, and answered a lot of questions.

Travel back in time to learn about the brutality of the Ishbalan war, and how well-known characters like Mustang, Hawkeye, Hughes, and Armstrong met, interacted, and learned to cope with the horrors they faced on the front. I learned so much more about these people and their motives, it was well worth a departure from the series' timeline.

This volume was just unbelievable. So brutal. The war, the violence, the god that never shows up to save its faithful followers, the despair, and the pain of the alchemists as they were being used as weapons to murder innocent people. Unbelievable but depressingly realistic at times. One of the most intense volumes so far.

A full-volume flashback to the Ishbalan civil war with all of its war crimes and genocide. The events herein have been pretty explicitly hinted at in previous volumes, but I suppose it's nice to have it all spelled out for us. I appreciate the extra time with Riza Hawkeye, even if the core cast is totally neglected. But it all seems to be setting up a new, one-dimensional bad guy alchemist when we already have plenty of bad guys running around. I'm looking forward to a return to the regular continuity next time.

(Running character count: 28)

This is one of the best manga I have ever read . It transgresses the boundary of fiction and high fantasy and steps into the real world and packs a punch there. It does not falter in an unfamiliar territory , in fact it is as amazing as any non fantasy book in this genre, in fact almost better in some areas.

Herein, we see the horror of the Ishvalan war. Just how terrifying living weapons of war--taught that the Isvalans are the 'other' and deserve to die--can be. Man this chapter hits hard.

It's interesting to see the research [a:Hiromu Arakawa|4698899|Hiromu Arakawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1350676202p2/4698899.jpg] did for this book.



Chapter 58: The Footsteps of Ruin

For one: Al is so young to react that way to love.



For two, definite [b:Elantris|68427|Elantris (Elantris, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1475740953l/68427._SY75_.jpg|2908871] vibes... I'm curious tosee if I'm right about that.



Also, Mustang and Hawkeye's relationship makes so much more sense now.

Chapter show more 59: The Immoral Alchemist

Man so much background on the war. War sucks. War where one side has all the crazy weapons/magic... Man.

Also:



Sad meta is sad.

Chapter 60: In the Absence of God



Oh my.

Chapter 61: The Hero of Ishval

:( oh Hughes. Oh Mustang.



But hey, now we know why Scar can do what he can do (and only what he can do). I wonder if his brother somehow survived all that. show less

Enjoyable volume, but a lot of flashback and so parts of it were confusing to me. There were characters in this one that I forgot from their minor appearances in earlier volumes, and new characters that I don't recognize at all (which I personally find confusing in a flashback). It was good to see Hughes again, though.