Fullmetal Edition vol 9 by Hiromu Arakawa

We're getting to the point in this series where things are getting really good, and my reviews are going to have to be REALLY vague to not give away major plot points!

The group captured Gluttony at the end of volume 8, but as soon as Gluttony heard Roy Mustang was there, he went on a rampage and tried to devour everyone.  Mustang, Hawkeye, Lan Fan, and Doctor Knox barely escape the devastating attacks, while Ling and the Elrics are determined to get answers out of Gluttony.  Envy shows up to "gather" Gluttony, and instead becomes part of the fray! Through this action, Edward learns a LOT about the homunculi and their evil plan.  While back at military headquarters, Mustang puts his trust in the wrong person, and gets deeper entangled by the enemy. Alphonse gets Gluttony to agree to revealing a big detail about the homunculi. 

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I feel I say this a lot about this series, but this volume really does change the entire series once again. This is probably the biggest reveal of bad-guy plans we've gotten thus far.  Ed also gets to show how extremely clever he is, and continues to prove why he is the youngest State Alchemist in history.  This volume also heavily features Ling, and we get quite a bit more depth to his character. This this point, he's just been the prince who eats half the room-service list of food, or faints in the street somewhere from hunger.  This volume also employs a lot more of heavy, dark lines and tons of black ink, all matching the general theme of darkness that runs through this volume. Arakawa is great at the cliff hangers, so here we have another one that will leave readers shocked.  

​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

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 9781421599908 (Hardcover)

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