Creative Staff:
Writer/Artist: Hiromu Arakawa
Translated by: Akira Watanabe
Adapted by: Jake Forbes
What They Say
Ed and Al come face to face with the “father” of the homunculi, who just so happens to be a dead ringer for their own father, Van Hohenheim – a resemblance too uncanny for coincidence. And later, when the allure of immortality proves to be too much for Prince Lin of Xin, he lets Greed take over… literally!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Prince Lin and the Elric brothers come face to face with the “father” of the homunculi, a being whose powers of alchemy are so astounding he can transmute without lifting a finger. With his homunculi, he makes short work of subduing our heroes but chooses not to kill them. The Elric brothers are turned over instead to Wrath at the military’s headquarters for a most interesting reunion. As for Prince Lin, the head of the homunculi has a use for him as well—as the new host for the homunculi Greed!
Arakawa again skillfully blends action and revelations for another thrilling volume. There’s fierce fighting involving the homunculi, the Elric brothers, the Xing foreigners, and even Scar. Also, we’ve seen the death of a homunculus before, but now we get to witness the creation of one as Prince Lin’s desire to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone is granted in the most soul-rending way possible.
However, many questions remain regarding the homunculi and their mysterious head, and new ones arise regarding the very nature of alchemy and the connection with Van Hohenheim to the homunculi. There’s much going on to keep you riveted to the story, but the complexity of the plot is getting to the point where I’m going to have to go back to some of the earlier volumes to refresh my memory on certain details.
Extras consist of a story thus far summary and character lineup, 11 pages of post-manga extras including a short story about the Elric family, and ads for other Viz media products.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: August 30th, 2007
MSRP: $9.99
