Fullmetal Edition Vol 13 by Hiromu Arakawa

Volume 13 starts off giving us insight into how Scar ended up running away with a (seemingly) unconscious Winry from the end of volume 12. Ed and Al hatched a plan to get Scar, Dr. Marcoh, and everyone else back to Fort Briggs safely without drawing the attention of Kimbley. A heavy snow storm covers the groups’ tracks and they slowly make their way back while the two Elric brothers try to steal Kimbley off their tracks. Then, Central Command pulls Major General Armstrong away, removing the fierce ally in the Fort that should be protecting the fleeing group. Alphonse trudges through the snow storm to warn them, but he falls victim to an odd sensation - the sense that his physical body is pulling his soul out of the armor. Later, we delve into Van Hohenheim’s backstory, and how he’s tangled up with the Father of the Homunculi.

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At this point in the series, we have passed where I remember what's happening.  Every time I re-read, I tend to get as far as the brothers getting to Fort Briggs, and can't remember anything consequential after that.  So, the background into Hohenheim and Father is new all over again, and it's heartbreaking and amazing all over again.  Each volume gets progressively darker as it grapples with these concepts of good and evil, natural and unnatural.  With Major General Armstrong, we get another layer to add to the story of what's been happening with Colonel Mustang and the Central Command.  Arakawa continues to build complexity through the plot-points happening across the country, as well as plenty of flashbacks to illuminate how the past has influenced present-day Amestris.

Sara’s Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7, vol 8, vol 9, vol 10, vol 11, vol 12

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: May 11, 2021​
ISBN: 9781421599960 (Paperback)

​​Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Action Adventure, ​VIZ Media