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The Complete Art Of Fullmetal Alchemist Book Review

“The Complete Art Of Fullmetal Alchemist” is a must for fans of FMA.

In honor of artist Hiromu Arakawa’s work, a new book that collects the work she has done in the world of the immensely popular “Fullmetal Alchemist” has been published. The coffee table sized book (which contains material dated chronologically from 2001 to 2010) displays color art pieces over a whopping 288 pages. Sometimes it’s a full page spread, sometime it’s a half page spread, sometimes it’s a two-page spread, and sometimes there are multiple smaller images on a page. So, what types of imagery are on display? Let’s just say there’s a lot. Expect to see Shonen Gangam color manga apart, graphic novel covers, posters, phone cards, post cards, calendar art, novel and novelization covers, drama CD covers, tarot card art, as well as magazine, DVD, and video game pieces. Naturally, all of your favorite characters are prominently featured in these images such as Edward Elric (and his metal arm), Alphonse Elric, Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, King Bradley and Alex Louis Armstrong. Each art piece is accompanied by text of where the art is from. The book concludes with a breakdown of the 9 step art creation process, interviews with Hiromu Arakawa, art supplies used in her work and a new 2017 illustration.

If you have a deep love of the “Fullmetal Alchemist” manga or anime series or simply love gazing at works of manga art, you’re bound to adore this thick hardcover book. As mentioned above, there’s 288 pages of stunning FMA art work to pour over and there’s such a variety of images to look at in terms of character poses and scenarios in which the characters find themselves. Not only do the Elric brothers play with cats and eat sno cones, but there are also Holiday themed pieces along with graphics in which the characters are pictured in various outfits. Of course, plenty of other characters are front and center (sometimes even in Chibi style). One of my personal favorite pieces is Alex posing for a statue being made of himself.

One thing that I found a bit frustrating here was the lack of character identifications. Obviously the FMA faithful will know everyone featured here, but casual fans or mere art enthusiasts may not have a clue. It’s also a little bit of a bummer that there wasn’t more written text, commentary on art pieces, or what have you. Yes, there are a couple of interviews in the end, but text is minimal within these pages.

November 25, 2018 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Fullmetal Alchemist, Hiromu Arakawa, The Complete Art Of Fullmetal Alchemist Book Review, Viz Media