Fullmetal Alchemist (2006)

[鋼の錬金術師]

Volume 15

Author/Artist: Hiromu Arakawa
Publisher: Gangan Comics

Synopsis:
Lieutenant Hawkeye tells Ed about her experiences in the Ishval Civil War.

Story/Characters:
Between Ed with Lieutenant Hawkeye and Scar with Dr. Marcoh, we weave together a volume-long flashback to the Civil War. We get a note from Arakawa that she spoke with WWII veterans for some perspective on how to portray what the characters went through during the war. We've seen some glimpses up to this point, but now we see a more complete narrative. You see things from both the Ishval and Amestris sides. It's nice seeing the Rockbells in action and we get to see Hughes again, too. The psychopathic Major Kimblee, who we had only seen briefly several volumes back, is a significant player here, whose gleeful villainy is presented in contrast to the more conflicted characters we're familiar with. Basque Grand is really cool. I hope he shows up again in the future.

Art:
We get lots of bloody battlefield action that gives you a taste of the horrors of war without going quite full-bore, this being a shounen series and all. Kimblee at times almost looks like he stepped out of Hellsing when his psychopathy is on display. As mentioned before, Basque Grand is really, arguably more so on a visual level.

Other:
We get a four-page "Corral Diary", seven 4-koma, and a single-panel bonus that mocks the final scene of the volume.

Conclusion:
While I've considerably warmed up to the series compared to where I was at the start, but this is the volume that really feels like a must-have. The writing is quite strong and extra legwork Arakawa did to try to capture the verisimilitude of wartime experience is appreciated. There are lots of good revelations that are going to factor heavily into the next part of the story.

Rating:
Own It