in the beginning » fullmetal alchemist

Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, or Fullmetal Alchemist being its given English name used worldwide, is a manga series first published in the August 2001 issue of Monthly Shounen Gangan. Its creator, Arakawa Hiromu, was a beginner back then, having published only two short stories before. Fullmetal Alchemist remains her most famous work to date.

In 2004, Arakawa won an award in the Shogakukan Manga Awards (Shounen Section) for the series. It's still being published every month, in chapters of 40 pages approximately and then compiled into volumes (or tankoubons) of four chapters each (sometimes five).

The series enjoy quite the level of popularity both in and out of Japan, and has been published and translated in several countries around the world — including the US (Viz Media), Australia (Madman Entertainment), France (Kurokawa), Spain (Norma) and Italy (Panini Comics). As of 2008, Fullmetal Alchemist has managed to sell over 30 million volumes in its country of origin only. Each volume repeatedly ranks no. 1 in the top selling manga chart on the week of its release.

The manga follows the story of the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, in their quest to restore their original bodies. In a world where alchemy is a widely-known science, the brothers believed they could revive their dead mother with it. Unfortunately, not only is human transmutation useless, but it also exacts a heavy price from them. Edward loses his left leg and Alphonse his entire body. In a desperate attempt to bring his little brother back, Ed gives up his right arm to seal Al's soul to a suit of armor. The day after, Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye find them in that state.

Fullmetal Alchemist is an impossibly rich story which expands through time, space and also a huge cast of characters. It's a tale of hope and recovery, of standing up against what you believe is wrong and bettering oneself, of love in all the diverse forms it takes. Every single individual is relevant to the grand scheme of things somehow, and our subject, Riza Hawkeye, is no exception. In fact, you could say she's pretty damn crucial.