Touhou Game Club

I shed a tear as I read the last chapter of this manga. A manga that I've been following since I was in Primary School has just concluded with the most epic and satisfying finale. I'm sad to see one of my favourite series of all time finish, yet I'm happy to see such a great ending. I really want to procrastinate more, but I should press onwards with the review and leave that for discussion in the forums.

Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the most innovative manga I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The concept of Alchemy itself was a superb idea, and in its nine-year run, there has never been a single wasted pages from Arakawa-sensei. The plot was developed with utmost detail into what is arguably one of the deepest and most engaging storylines to ever grace itself to us Manga fans. There is practically no fillers chapters at all, unlike most other shounen manga to reach this calibre of popularity. Also, the entire storyline has been perfectly planned out and stayed linear for the entire nine-year run, a staggering feat when you compare it to other Mangas in the same genre. If you read this manga from start to finish, you will be amazed at the coherency of the chapters and the inter-relations. You won't think that this was drawn over nine years, more like one long movie shown from start to finish. The ending is also incredibly rewarding for those who follow it up to the end. I won't leave any spoilers here, but know that you won't be disappointed, regardless of how high your expectation is.

FMA, in its nine-year run, had plenty of time to develop a large family of colourful characters. Arakawa-sensei is downright masterful when it comes to her characters. From beginning to end, every character was tweaked to perfection and not a single person is wasted. Also, the reader will not have any trouble getting into their shows because they're all so believable and realistic. From Ed and Al's passionate desire to be reunited with their mother to Roy's tragic past in the Ishballian conflict, and how everything was simply a Chesspiece for the Father's master plan, everyone fits right into place. The plot itself is completely character-driven, and is dependent on all of the characters to make it flourish.

The philosophical deepness of this manga is simply mindblowing for a Shounen manga. Behind each fight is a meaning waiting to be explored. Nothing in this manga happens for show. FMA explores the very purpose of existence, consistently refers to "the purpose of fighting" and goes deep into human emotions. From start to finish, as the character discover the answers to their questions, the reader will also be brought into their World and learn with them, just because that every character is so humane and understandable. The homunculi, named after the seven deadly sins, are also testament to the deepness on FMA. Despite their incredible powers and might over humans, all of them show true sadness that are completely delivered to the reader with Arakawa-sensei's masterful storytelling.

As for the Artwork, it isn't anything mind-blowing, but it's clean and efficient. Arakawa-sensei doesn't waste any panels in her chapters and gets straight to-the-point. One page of FMA will easily deliver more content than 3 pages of Bleach, and since FMA is a plot-driven manga, there's no room for complaints here and doesn't do anything to diminish the enjoyment. It should be noted that, despite the simplistic artwork, Arakawa-sensei never failed to express human emotion with the utmost accuracy and precision. You can really feel the characters on the page.

The enjoyment of this Manga is off the charts. Throughout its run, there are few manga that can come close to competing with FMA in terms of my expectation and urgency to read the next chapter. Arakawa-sensei is quite simply one of the best raconteuses in the industry. From the pace of the narration, the structure of the panels, and the distribution of roles amongst the characters - everything becomes relavent when you simply read the manga in front of your eyes and let the story flow into your brain. The process is so natural yet so intense. For a person who just picked it up, he/she will have trouble putting it down until the final chapter is read. It is simply a seamless, perfect experience that most other manga artists can only dream to draw.

Despite the simple artwork, the engaging plot, deep characters and perfect enjoyment easily overshadows this to earn FMA a very solid 10/10. You've wasted enough time reading this review. If you haven't started reading FMA yet, you should start right away. Regardless of your gender and age, Fullmetal Alchemist is a manga that no one should leave this World without reading first.

Taken from my Blog: http://imperialx.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/fullmetal-alchemist-review/

Written by Sho Fumimura (aka Buronson) and drawn by Ryoichi Ikegami, Sanctuary is an engrossing epic that validates manga as a medium, it defines it; transcends it. In short it deserves the title of masterpiece.

Hojo and Asami seek to change Japan, to rock it to its very core. They share a dark past, and both have vowed to stick to the path they chose together, to keep rising up the ranks of society in order to make the changes needed to create a new Japan. One lives the life of a yakuza; the other the life of politics. What this manga follows is the path of these two extraordinary men as they machinate and manoeuvre their way up to the top of their respective fields, and it’s magnificent.

The story reads like a Takashi Miike or Takeshi Kitano film put on page. It’s a political thriller, a yakuza crime flick; it’s ambitious in every way. Its a rare breed, a mature manga. Mature for its depiction of adults making realistic choices amid difficult situations. Mature is relatable characteristics and personalities in a familiar-looking world. Mature doesn’t mean swords slicing limbs, it doesn’t mean aliens raping humans; it doesn’t mean super powers destroying puppies. Mature is dealing with topics and themes in a realistic manner, it means restraint, subtlety. Yes there is violence and nudity in this manga, but they are the result of adults with real motives, real conflicts; real human reactions to actions. Every single character in this story has a real consistent personality and reason for why they do the things they do.

The story twists and turns unpredictably as the two characters navigate their way through their respective worlds, continually coming across roadblocks and blindsides, whether it’s in the form of political scheming or yakuza thugs with attitude. Hojo and Asami continually have to figure out inspired solutions to ever-increasingly difficult problems, and their separate journeys are regularly mirrored with each other, and sometimes interweaved dramatically. Fumimura's saga is so full of depth its mind boggling. With dozens and dozens of storylines and hundreds of characters all plotting against each other, Sanctuary is addictive and compelling stuff that stays in your mind long after you've finished the last satisfying chapter.

The political issues at stake and focused on in this manga can also be of great interest to non-Japanese readers. Americans, for example, know all too well that unless you're a democrat or republican you have no chance at gaining power of the White House. More recently in the 21st century we've seen crusty old Japanese Prime Ministers resign one after another. The two main characters of Sanctuary seek to usurp the current system of Japan; that of politics being controlled by old men who oversee a system that will never allow anyone under 40 to gain any real power, and to even clean up the yakuza gangs constantly at war with each other, and their ambition is as great as everything else within these 105 chapters.

The quality of writing is at the level of novelist James Clavell in terms of handling a great number of characters and conflicts. The quality of the art is like a defiant middle finger at the state of mainstream manga plagued by cutesy crap and unending Super Deformed faces ruining every chapter. Women in this manga are actually drawn like women. Every set-up has a pay-off. Every chapter ends with you wanting more.

Sanctuary is a sanctuary from mainstream manga. If you want to be entertained from a work that never speaks down to you and demands you keep up with its pace while dealing with topics and themes that are relevant; then find this manga, read it, and spread the word. Turns out there’s a sanctuary out there for all of us. show less