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Fullmetal Alchemist: Under the Faraway Sky by Masumi Washington, Hiromu Arakawa, Makoto Inoue
percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mirocchi's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
weebitofreak's review against another edition
5.0
It was nice to read about some of the fears Edward has. One that have little to do with the stone of getting his and Als' body back. Much like some of the character in the story I too forget sometimes how young Ed and Al are.
As for Roy I understand not wanting to do paperwork but come on, I feel for Hawkeye lol.
As for Roy I understand not wanting to do paperwork but come on, I feel for Hawkeye lol.
mlfey's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Pretty average for a tie in novel. Characters didnt quite feel true but were close, plots were fluffy but not super filling, etc. Some of that came just from the prose—maybe it was an artifact of the translation but it just felt very…generic? Basic? Eh.
librarylizzie's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kristensk's review against another edition
4.0
This might be my favorite of these Fullmetal Alchemist novels. Or at least a close tie with "The Abducted Alchemist". Though, despite being a staunch fan of the Elric brothers, the part I liked best was the second story devoted to Mustang's failed attempt at a vacation. Roy's interactions with the boy, Tild, are interesting, and I loved how it all wrapped up.
gap_py's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
ezwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is split into two parts, the first being with Edward and Alphonse Elric and the second part focusing on Colonel Mustang, Major Hughes, and Major Armstrong. I loved both stories. Ed and Al's focused on the brothers being stuck in a village after Ed comes down with a bad cold and they run into a childhood friend apprenticed to a doctor there. It was fun to see the brothers interact with another friend from Risembol that wasn't Winry. And the story with Mustang, Hughes, and Armstrong was just as fun because while it had serious aspects to it, it was mostly a lighthearted moment with the men, getting to have fun with the village children and not just being members of the military (I know we get a lot of Hughes with his wife and daughter, which we still got, but this was great). The book does a really great job at pointing out how in the story of Fullmetal Alchemist, children are largely forced into adulthood or adult responsibilities while they are in fact still children, which is something that always stuck out to me in the original media. The only thing that stood out as weird to me is that one of the characters in part two was named Rose and there's a fairly prominent main character in the shows named Rose. I know in real life people have the same name, but not usually in media unless it's for a reason and it wasn't ever mentioned. Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Gun violence and Chronic illness
familiar_diversions's review against another edition
2.0
This book is divided into two stories, "Under the Faraway Sky" and "Roy's Holiday." I'll discuss them separately.
"Under the Faraway Sky"
Edward and Alphonse Elric have now been traveling on their own for a year. Edward ends up with a cold, forcing them to stop at a nearby town for a while. The local doctor is busy, so the person he sends to give Edward a checkup is his assistant, who turns out to be Edward's best childhood friend back at Resembool, Pitt. It's a shock - when they were growing up, Pitt was just as much of a troublemaker as Edward, but now he's mature and pursuing a career he's interested in and that clearly helps people. It makes Edward a little jealous.
These light novels are of course all filler, but this story felt particularly filler-like, with its introduction of Edward's childhood best friend, who was somehow inseparable from him and yet never previously mentioned in any incarnation of the series and who would never be mentioned again. It made it really hard to care any time they talked about their fun days back at Resembool.
I spent the whole story thinking that there would be a big revelation about Pitt's reason for apprenticing himself to a doctor in a town he hadn't previously had any connection to, something more than "his dad researched medicinal herbs so he was sort of continuing the family business." However, this was more about Pitt and Edward accepting the choices they'd made and not comparing themselves to people who'd chosen other paths. For Edward, it was also about realizing that he didn't have to completely leave his past behind - that it wouldn't hurt to occasionally stop by Resembool and see people like Winry, even if his automail didn't need repairing.
This story was just a big pile of "meh" for me, combined with slight annoyance at Pitt's very existence.
"Roy's Holiday"
Roy is given orders to temporarily change places with a commanding officer at a tiny post practically in the middle of nowhere. He grumbles about it, but in reality he views it like a vacation...until he actually gets there and realizes how undisciplined and badly trained his new subordinates are. Then his vacation morphs into a mountain of work, until Hughes and Armstrong make a detour to see him after a nearby investigation of theirs fails to pan out. Hughes and Armstrong drag Roy away, swearing that they have a great view to show him, which results in a semi-terrifying hike that forces them to stop at a village that wasn't on their map. Oddly enough, the village is populated only by children.
The table of contents called this "Roy's Holiday," while the title is listed just before the story as "Roy's Vacation." It's one of several examples that illustrate this story's need for better editing and attention to detail, which is a shame, considering that this was the better of the two stories in the volume.
It was fairly obvious what was going on with this little village, and the length of time it took Roy to figure it out made him look a bit stupid. Still, it was nice to see him try to help out with chores, and I was amused at how proud he was of the one task he was actually able to do well. Meanwhile, Hughes and Armstrong had no trouble at all fitting in and being useful.
Another so-so story, but at least better than the first one. This could have made a decent filler episode in the original anime series.
Extras:
One full-color illustration of Hughes, Armstrong, and Roy (the image of Hughes holding both a knife and pictures of his daughter makes my heart squeeze, ugh), a few black and white illustrations throughout, an afterword by Makoto Inoue (who apparently has a pet chipmunk), and an afterword by Hiromu Arakawa that includes a four-panel comic and a sketch of what appears to be Winry, Edward, and Alphonse as adults.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
"Under the Faraway Sky"
Edward and Alphonse Elric have now been traveling on their own for a year. Edward ends up with a cold, forcing them to stop at a nearby town for a while. The local doctor is busy, so the person he sends to give Edward a checkup is his assistant, who turns out to be Edward's best childhood friend back at Resembool, Pitt. It's a shock - when they were growing up, Pitt was just as much of a troublemaker as Edward, but now he's mature and pursuing a career he's interested in and that clearly helps people. It makes Edward a little jealous.
These light novels are of course all filler, but this story felt particularly filler-like, with its introduction of Edward's childhood best friend, who was somehow inseparable from him and yet never previously mentioned in any incarnation of the series and who would never be mentioned again. It made it really hard to care any time they talked about their fun days back at Resembool.
I spent the whole story thinking that there would be a big revelation about Pitt's reason for apprenticing himself to a doctor in a town he hadn't previously had any connection to, something more than "his dad researched medicinal herbs so he was sort of continuing the family business." However, this was more about Pitt and Edward accepting the choices they'd made and not comparing themselves to people who'd chosen other paths. For Edward, it was also about realizing that he didn't have to completely leave his past behind - that it wouldn't hurt to occasionally stop by Resembool and see people like Winry, even if his automail didn't need repairing.
This story was just a big pile of "meh" for me, combined with slight annoyance at Pitt's very existence.
"Roy's Holiday"
Roy is given orders to temporarily change places with a commanding officer at a tiny post practically in the middle of nowhere. He grumbles about it, but in reality he views it like a vacation...until he actually gets there and realizes how undisciplined and badly trained his new subordinates are. Then his vacation morphs into a mountain of work, until Hughes and Armstrong make a detour to see him after a nearby investigation of theirs fails to pan out. Hughes and Armstrong drag Roy away, swearing that they have a great view to show him, which results in a semi-terrifying hike that forces them to stop at a village that wasn't on their map. Oddly enough, the village is populated only by children.
The table of contents called this "Roy's Holiday," while the title is listed just before the story as "Roy's Vacation." It's one of several examples that illustrate this story's need for better editing and attention to detail, which is a shame, considering that this was the better of the two stories in the volume.
It was fairly obvious what was going on with this little village, and the length of time it took Roy to figure it out made him look a bit stupid. Still, it was nice to see him try to help out with chores, and I was amused at how proud he was of the one task he was actually able to do well. Meanwhile, Hughes and Armstrong had no trouble at all fitting in and being useful.
Another so-so story, but at least better than the first one. This could have made a decent filler episode in the original anime series.
Extras:
One full-color illustration of Hughes, Armstrong, and Roy (the image of Hughes holding both a knife and pictures of his daughter makes my heart squeeze, ugh), a few black and white illustrations throughout, an afterword by Makoto Inoue (who apparently has a pet chipmunk), and an afterword by Hiromu Arakawa that includes a four-panel comic and a sketch of what appears to be Winry, Edward, and Alphonse as adults.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
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