Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1-3 (Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1)

What is there to say? Its Fullmetal Alchemist and its the first 3 volumes. If you are looking to get into manga this is a very good one and the anime is top tier. The page quality and feel is great and you wont find a better way to get this much for this price. Cant go wrong with FMA

I've always loved the anime even as a kid, and now that I've grown some strange, keen interest in filling up a bookshelf I've taken to trying to fill at least some of it with manga volumes to break up the monotony of technical non-fiction I tend to obsess over.There's not much I can generally say positively to the series that other people haven't already said. It's got serious themes but it's also fairly humorous and it balances out pretty well. The cast throughout the series are all fairly developed and a fair amount of them that you'd expect to be minor, side, or one-time-only characters get relevance at some point or come back when you might not expect it and just make the world of the manga more real and easy to get pulled into. The names of characters, places, and the overall setting of the world fits really well in the English translation, too, so readers new to manga can settle in and get absorbed in it quickly.Some of the scenes fell like they play out much better in the anime, but that might just be because I'd seen the anime and watched through the original and BrotherHood first before deciding to collect the manga. Some scenes just have that stronger potency when voiced and animated from my perspective. It's really fun to connect parts of an episode with the panels of the manga, though; the manga's basically the storyboard for the show, and when you're intimate with both, it's nice to make the connections with what's the same or different and sometimes can be absolutely /gleeful/ to see how well the tone transferred and stayed generally consistent between both mediums.I've seen some complaints within reviews about the quality of the paper with the 3 volume, but I'm not really sure about what they're getting at with it. The paper feels different and is a bit thinner than single volumes from what I can tell, but it's not like that's made it more brittle or anything or that the paper's so thin you can see through to the other side. The only way you'd be able to tell is if you held a page up to the light, really. So long as you take general care like you would with any sort of paperback it's easy to ignore and is practically unnoticeable.

This is just primarily for the books themselves because there are already plenty of reviews for the actual story. As it stands, these are good for the price and if you are into 3 in 1 tankobans, then you will feel right at home. Pages do feel a bit lighter compared to single volume and the complaints are valid. But unless you are ACTIVELY trying to break the pages, they are still as sturdy a normal book pages. I will also say that these books are not meant for travel, although this did not happen to me unless you have someplace to put them in a bag that is protected, outside damage is likely like scratches and even slight small cuts. Even so, still satisfied as I was able to get a deal on all 9 books under 90 Dollars.Do this, go for the hardcovers that are up to volume 5 at this point as of writing this review. Each of them only cover 2 as suppose to 3 but with the added effect of better and clearer scans that are better to stand the test of time, that is most likely a definitive version for those who enjoy this series. And as someone who has up to volume 4, even though there is gonna be at least a 2 to 3-year release window seeing that there will be about 18 total hardcovers, I say they are worth the investment.But that's what is great because between the individual Volumes, the box set and the 3 in 1, even if you don't wanna wait, you still have that option.

This is a series you are bound to get sucked into. With beautiful artwork, suspenseful plot, and an immersive world crafted by mangaka Hiromu Arakawa; Fullmetal Alchemist is definitely a thrilling story for avid teen and adult readers alike. The world of FMA is heavily inspired by pre-WW2 Europe and also includes a cultural mirroring of the divide between religion and science that took place during the "Age of Enlightenment". The practice of transforming matter or "alchemy" is the foundation of this series' plot/conflict. Hiromu Arakawa has created an interesting concept by incorporating so many themes that are opposite to one another. Religion and science. God and mankind. Theism and atheism. Philosophy and blind-faith. All of these ideas amalgamate into a unique journey that feels somewhat familiar but surprisingly distinctive due to its exceptional contruction and delivery. The protagonist Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse are both well-crafted characters and I found myself becoming attached to them rather quickly. I do not want to give out too much infomation about this series because it's more enjoyable to read without spoilers. I will conclude my lengthy review by recommending (again) getting this book for yourself (or as a gift for your son or daughter). You will not regret it. This series is another great example of why the Japanese manga market has been out-doing American comics.