Cressie Patterson answers “is this book a manga or not because it...”

Brea Grove asked this question about Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1:

is this book a manga or not because it looks like a manga and im not a big fan of those it said I would like it because I rate harry potter but if its a manga I don't want to read it?

Cressie Patterson Yes, Fullmetal Alchemist is a manga, which tells its story through drawn artwork and dialogue, but this one is relatively shorter than most popular sh…moreYes, Fullmetal Alchemist is a manga, which tells its story through drawn artwork and dialogue, but this one is relatively shorter than most popular shonen series. FMA finished up with 27 manga volumes. It was such a hugely popular series, it also spawned five novels as well, so you could read those if you didn't want to try your hand at manga. The first Fullmetal Alchemist novel is called "The Land of Sand". You can find them on Ebay.

It's kind of odd that you were prompted to read Fullmetal Alchemist if you like Harry Potter but don't have an interest in manga. Most likely because of the link that both series have to the Philosopher's Stone, but they don't really have that much else in common. Well, I'd say that Edward Elric, the main hero character in FMA is even more altruistic than Harry Potter, and both series have over-the-top villains that want to take over the world, but the FMA story is darker, in it's own way, than Harry Potter. Still, because of the common link between the two series, crossover fanfictions between Harry Potter & FMA are very popular on fanfic websites. Both series boast casts of incredibly colorful and likable characters, both have unforgettable storylines, and both series have spawned incredibly popular theme park attractions at Universal Studios Parks, HP currently, and FMA used to have one in Japan.

If you can't get into reading manga, you should try watching the FMA anime series. The first one, made in 2003, follows the author's story only halfway through the series, then the anime production crew made up their own ending to finish the series, seeing as the manga's creator was still in the middle of her story. The second series, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, made in 2009, follows the original manga storyline more faithfully until the end, although it does rush through the early details of the series, since they were already known to the fans from watching the first series.(less)

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Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1

by Hiromu Arakawa

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