Hiromu Arakawa
Paperback | Pages: 192 pages Rating: 4.6 | 7277 Users | 186 Reviews
Details Containing Books Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 15 (Fullmetal Alchemist #15)
| Title | : | Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 15 (Fullmetal Alchemist #15) |
| Author | : | Hiromu Arakawa |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 192 pages |
| Published | : | December 18th 2007 by VIZ Media LLC (first published November 22nd 2006) |
| Categories | : | Sequential Art. Manga. Fantasy. Graphic Novels. Comics. Fiction |
Description In Pursuance Of Books Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 15 (Fullmetal Alchemist #15)
This volume in particular focuses on some of my favorite themes from the series, so let me talk about it in full here, though I'll likely reference parts that were not from this volume or are from the anime.The Amestrian military is full of favorite characters (certainly mine). Roy is dorky and a great leader; Riza is quiet and responsible; Maes is obnoxious and sweet; Alex is self-confident and innocent. They're lovely people that are very well-developed prior to this volume. The Ishvalan Civil War is referenced often but since the Elrics are too young to have fully understood what happened, we don't get a great explanation either. Until now.
In order to form a Crest of Blood in the East, the government declared war on the Ishvalan people as terrorists. Enough Ishvalans fought back that the citizens of Amestris began to believe what they were fed. So what started as a series of "skirmishes" became the Ishvalan War of Extermination.
The Ishvalans were peaceful people led by strong belief in a religion of non-aggression. Though Amestrians were lied to by their government, enough truth was left in to make it believable. Government-sanctioned genocide has happened in our own world and may happen again. The many-faceted reality of Fullmetal Alchemist can teach wariness of the media and of powerful organizations.
Fresh and eager for glory, new recruits--some who hadn't properly finished training--were sent out to the field to kill any and all Ishvalans in their own homeland. The genocide ended when the Crest was ready and the state alchemists were sent in.
Few of the Amestrian soldiers were doing their jobs gladly. Most of them were terrified and horrified and everything that rightfully comes with killing innocents. What's fascinating is why they continued to do it. Groupthink is a phenomenon that comes when individuals in a group don't want to act against the majority for fear of being ostracized or getting in trouble. When Alex had his mental breakdown early in the Extermination Campaign, he was quickly sent home to prevent disruption of the ranks. Whether consciously or not, he obeyed without making a scene because the overwhelming obedience around him prevented him from wanting to break through. Alex is not a bad man; he's a very kind-hearted, good man. Yet the influence of groupthink was so powerful he didn't stand against it.
Remember the Milgram experiment? Subjects were supposed to "teach" people who were in on it by giving them "electric shocks." Many of the subjects didn't want to do it the higher the voltage and the more distress the "learner" appeared to be in, but each time they seemed ready to rebel, the administrator encouraged them to keep going. A lot of the subjects managed to turn the "shock" to a near-lethal level because they shifted the responsibility of the act onto the administrator that let them continue.
The exact thinking applies to the Ishvalan war. Thousands of good, kind people murdered innocent people in the bloodiest ways because their superior officers--puppets of the Homunculi--were the ones giving the orders. After all, the soldiers were just the grunts, right? They were only doing what they were trained to do--obey. Maes Hughes came close to seeing through what was happening, but the shock that would come after made him shake it off and continue in purposeful blindness. He said in the OVA Yet Another Man's Battlefield that he would rather do his job without seeing than accept what was happening.
Now here's where Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye become even greater characters. They both expressed great distress at their own actions. Roy, I believe, mentions how he joined the military to make the country safer and better, but how is slaughtering an entire race safe or good? He came very close to rebelling, but Maes talked him through it and he continued to do his "job" as a soldier. But once the war was over, he and Riza fully acknowledged that, no matter the influence of their superiors or fellow soldiers, they were completely in control of themselves. They were given orders, but they acted of their own free will.
This acceptance affected their mental and physical health for years and possibly worse than it did the soldiers that followed orders without thinking. In the 2003 version of the show (admittedly very against canon), Roy was suicidal after the war. Both show signs of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
They took responsibility for the evil they committed, even years later. Once they were sent back to Amestris, Roy and Riza denied themselves happiness because it would interfere with making reparations for their actions. Anything that could be a distraction from reforming the government, keeping the public safe, and healing the wounds from the war was rejected (unhealthily, but that's another topic). Ultimately, they knew what they did, they knew there was no way to fix it, but they worked to prevent it from happening again and kept moving.
The series also doesn't shy away from the reality of collateral damage. From Alex weeping over the body of a murdered Ishvalan child to the old friend of Roy's and Maes' trying to kill them and being killed by Maes. The war robbed Scar of his sanity for almost a decade. It took Winry's parents from her permanently. Many Ishvalan characters are shown to have severe burn marks or other disfigurements. The survivors became displaced refugees.
This whole thing is only a subplot of the series, but it's full of some of the most important themes in any fiction. And it's all found in an action/adventure comic series for fifteen-year-old boys.
Identify Books Conducive To Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 15 (Fullmetal Alchemist #15)
| Original Title: | 鋼の錬金術師 15 |
| ISBN: | 1421513803 (ISBN13: 9781421513805) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Fullmetal Alchemist #15 |
Rating Containing Books Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 15 (Fullmetal Alchemist #15)
Ratings: 4.6 From 7277 Users | 186 ReviewsEvaluate Containing Books Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 15 (Fullmetal Alchemist #15)
Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 15 by Hiromu Arakawa draws on lengthy interviews with world war two vets to tell an issue long flashback about the Ishbalan war.The story is told through a conversation between Hawkeye and Ed as she cleans her weapon. She tells of how she came to be in the military, how she and the rest of Mustang's squad were brought together and the brutality expected of the State Alchemists against the Ishbalans.If I were teaching a history of modern warfare class, I would includeI loved this volume because it was a flashback that worked. So many authors and producers fumble flashbacks, but this one wasn't jarring at all. In fact, it was a fascinating window into some of the characters, and answered a lot of questions. Travel back in time to learn about the brutality of the Ishbalan war, and how well-known characters like Mustang, Hawkeye, Hughes, and Armstrong met, interacted, and learned to cope with the horrors they faced on the front. I learned so much more about
This in my opinion is one of the best volume in the series. It reveals the past stories of all the characters involved in Ishval civil war. How it changed young idealist soldiers view of war-field. The politics involved, the power struggle, the greed of fame, the lust for destruction - all the corruption of the Alchemists stripped bare. Fighting the demon within, self pity and anguish of blood stained hands, the weight of all the curse from the innocent victims, the goal to change the country
This volume mainly focused on Ishbalian genocide and horrors of war. Unlike the other volumes, It was heavy with words and drawings thrown into panels. Still it was good to read about where all had started. Gonna apreciate Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye.
Review found in Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 5
This is one of the most thought provoking and grim chapters.Since its publication it has been widely respected by Fullmetal Alchemist fans. This book is where characters are portrayed in less stellar light, good people who has to kill good people, and a fantastic villain origin to boot.It's evident Arakawa has taken care to write a realistic account as much as possible by interviewing ex war veterans. And hence, the manga carefully portrays on multiple issues, including on how flimsy a
So this one was dark af. I mean, i remember the war in ishbal on the anime, but reading it on the manga was somehow more brutal and sad.
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