Jonathan Hartley reviewed Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist, #1)
I really wanted to like it, but just couldn't
2 stars
I had high hopes, and it was pressed into my hands by an acquaintance, in exchange for me forcing "Watchmen" on them, so expectations were high. But I just couldn't get along with it at all.
On a frame-by-frame level, I'm unused to the Manga style of dialog and presentation (eg overblown reaction shots when a character is outraged, etc), which presumably is all heavily dependant on conventions of Japanese language and culture. To me it just seems, at times, puzzlingly opaque and juvenile. No doubt the fault is mine.
At a higher level, I was failing to pick up on any interesting themes or symbolic content. It's just a ripping yarn about some boys in a world of magic. Which has its place! It wouldn't surprise me if a reader with relevant experience tells me I'm missing important things here. But, lacking that insight, this one wasn't …
I had high hopes, and it was pressed into my hands by an acquaintance, in exchange for me forcing "Watchmen" on them, so expectations were high. But I just couldn't get along with it at all.
On a frame-by-frame level, I'm unused to the Manga style of dialog and presentation (eg overblown reaction shots when a character is outraged, etc), which presumably is all heavily dependant on conventions of Japanese language and culture. To me it just seems, at times, puzzlingly opaque and juvenile. No doubt the fault is mine.
At a higher level, I was failing to pick up on any interesting themes or symbolic content. It's just a ripping yarn about some boys in a world of magic. Which has its place! It wouldn't surprise me if a reader with relevant experience tells me I'm missing important things here. But, lacking that insight, this one wasn't for me.
On of less than ten books I've failed to finish in my lifetime.