Mustang discovers the truth behind Hughes’s murder!
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Hiromu Arakawa
Translation: Akira Watanabe
Translation: Jake Forbes
What They Say
As the battle for Central City rages on, Alphonse faces off against Pride and Kimblee with the aid of a Philosopher’s Stone. Can he come up with a plan to take down these two dangerous foes? Meanwhile, Ed and his friends run into Envy below the city. When Roy Mustang learns the truth about Hughes’s murder, will he be consumed by hatred and do the unthinkable…?
The Review!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Promised Day continues with battles raging in Central Military Headquarters, at the slum outskirts, beneath the city streets, even over radio airwaves. As characters’ paths cross and diverge, Arakawa-sensei keeps you on your toes with unexpected developments, my favorite of which is Yoki doing something heroic for a change.
With Central troops staggering before Mustang’s and Armstrong’s combined forces and the mannequin soldiers proving not to be the trump card the top brass had hoped, it’s time for the remaining homunculi to pull out all the stops. By far the most dominant arc within this volume is the showdown between Envy and Mustang. There is no contest in terms of strength, but it’s a wild ride of twists and turns before the fight reaches its surprising conclusion. However, the other story arcs are by no means inferior. For once, we get to see Alex and Olivier fighting together instead of against one another, and even a few moments when Olivier gets startled by her opponent (yet another first). Plus we get an interesting philosophical debate between Al and the Red Lotus Alchemist amid a fierce clash.
Often, when the action splits into several directions, there tend to be stronger storylines and less interesting ones. That’s not the case here. Each of the characters is caught in something compelling. It’s a little overwhelming trying to keep track of everything, but Arawaka delivers such a great show, you don’t mind.
In summary:
The fight for Amestris rages on with battles on multiple fronts. Yet, it’s not all firepower and alchemy; Mustang and Al both must make critical moral choices in the face of attacks from their homunculus enemies. Arakawa-sensei continues to deliver a gripping storyline, and it’s anyone’s guess what the final conclusion will be.
Extras consist of a story thus far summary and character lineup, an eight-page bonus manga, five pages of other post-manga extras, and ads for other Viz products.
Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: July 20th, 2010
MSRP: $9.99
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In addition to writing reviews here, I’ve authored a number of short works, including several stories in Cricket magazine. I also have novel-length projects in the works. Find links to my works at my blog: sqeries.wordpress.com.