Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, widely known by its designated English name Fullmetal Alchemist, was first published in the August 2001 issue of monthly Shounen Gangan. Its creator is Arakawa Hiromu, who had only two short stories (three if you count Totsugeki Tonari no Enikkusu) published at the time, this one still remaining her most famous work to date.

In 2004, Arakawa-sensei won an award in the Shogakukan Manga Awards (Shounen Section) for Fullmetal Alchemist. The series is still being published every month, in chapters of 40 pages approximately and then compiled into tankoubons (volumes) of 4 chapters each, usually.

The basic premise follows the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, in their quest to restore their original bodies. Their mother died when they were 5 and 4 years old respectively, and so they tried to revive her using alchemy - even if human transmutation is considered taboo.

However, while atempting to bring their mother back from the dead, Edward lost his left leg and Alphonse his entire body, as equivalent trade for the transmutation. Still, they couldn't get their mother back and all Edward could do was to exchange his right arm in order to seal his brother's soul to a suit of armor.

Right then, a younger Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang and his right hand Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye find the boys, consumed by their misery and with little will to keep living. Roy offers them a way out, a purpose to keep on living and maybe even the possibility of getting back their bodies. And so Edward becomes a National Alchemist and along with his little brother start a journey to recover what they lost.

As the story progresses, though, events take a larger scale and the brothers, as well as Roy and his people, find themselves caught in a national (if not bigger) scheme, plotted by a mysterious figure called Father and seven homonculi (named after the seven capital sins) working under his leadership.

The story is one filled with drama, humor, suspense, horror and intrigue. But most of all, Fullmetal Alchemist is about people, relationships and the will to excel yourself and take a stand against what you believe is wrong.