Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 23

The longer this series goes on, the less I am interested in Edward and Alphonse Elric, and it's starting to seem that even the author feels the same way as side characters Olivier Mira Armstrong, Riza Hawkeye, and Izumi Curtis get all the good bits this time around. So many strong female characters! The body count is starting to rise, and I worry that all the best characters may be seen as expendable when the Elric doofuses would be easier to part with.

Everyone is in the thick of battle now and all of the characters are really showing what they are capable of under pressure. Alphonse has to face a difficult moral decision in his battle against Pride. Various others in this city either face off against the zombie army within or wage an information campaign without to get the people of Central city to understand they are under attack from their own government. But the main focus of this volume is the showdown between Mustang and Hughes’s murderer Envy.

I love how there is still character development happening even this late in the series. It is never too late to grow or change or have a new side of yourself be shown in impossible and highly charged circumstances. The choices that the show more characters are forced to make and the growing that results was not just emotionally charged and beautifully drawn but it was realistic as well.

Things are getting violent and almost gory here leading up to the end but I couldn't help noticing that amongst the gore and all of the fighting over and over again the faces of these characters remains the main focus, what they feel and experience and how this is changing them as they fight to save Amestris and their lives. This battle is not over yet. show less

IT CONTINUES!

We have giant battles, contemplations on the ethics of using evil for good means, a showdown with the Flame Alchemist and Envy, The Armstrongs doing strong things with their arms, and A HOUSEWIFE!

Man this story is amping up. At first I was wondering how they were possibly going to make it to 27 volumes with everything building up a few volumes ago, but now I don't know how it can possibly end in time.

I look forward to it.

Thoughts by chapter / potential spoilers:

Chapter 92: With Everyone's Strength



That's a fascinating question. On one hand a philosopher's stone is made from the death of many many unwilling souls. Using one is of course evil. But on the other hand, the cost has already been paid. So is it right to use it? show more Especially in defeat of the evil that gave rise to it?



The idea that the rock solid rules of alchemy might be more like... guidelines? Fascinating. And terrifying.

Chapter 93: Archenemy

Go Strongarm Alchemist! He needed that. And after all that, Sloth just keeps going.

This chapter was mostly big fight scenes, which get tiring to read...

Chapter 94: The Flames of Vengeance

Tiring to read and yet here's another one! This time a showdown between Mustang and Envy, with all manner of others around.



Yeah... it's pretty creepy. How much of that piping is actually Father? Or what is it?!



LEAP!

Chapter 95: Beyond the Inferno



I like the story of Mustang. I wasn't so sure about it a while ago, wondering if he might reach too high and go wrong (he still might), but I think he's dealing with it and moving forward. Woo!



LOUD NOISES! THOOM! GO STRONGARM ALCHEMIST!



That's awesome. She's A HOUSEWIFE... and AN ALCHEMIST! Her plotline ... isn't, there's very little actual detail to any of it. But I still think she's pretty awesome when she show's up, which I suppose is the point. show less

This is an enjoyable installment to the series, I liked that there was a little resolution to some subplots. There are lots of fight scenes (and I suspect there will be for the rest of the series, too, since we are coming up on the finale) so I didn't like this one as much as some of the more dialogue-heavy volumes. I still liked it, though!

Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 23 by Hiromu Arakawa continues the epic show down over the fate of Central City and the country of Amestris. It's mostly pages and pages of woosh bang and something I would normally skip if I hadn't already read the previous twenty-two volumes.

In and amongst the numerous pages of swirling dust clouds, smashing things, swinging swords and gunfire, there is the continued fight between Al and Pride and a family squabble between Olivier and her brother.

The other interesting side note is the way in which Mustang and his crew use the local radio station to control the flow of information. They try to stage a coop by putting Mrs. Bradley on air.

But these moments of character and plot development are buried under show more pages and pages of battle scenes. show less