It’s hard to believe that as of this month, it’s been 20 years since the original Fullmetal Alchemist manga from author Hiromu Arakawa began its serialization in the Square Enix magazine Monthly Shonen Gangan. If you want to be specific (as Square Enix wants you to be), it began its run on July 12th, 2001. The reason they want you to remember that date, in particular, is because that’s the date of a special 20th anniversary live stream event which will be held on YouTube.
According to a report posted by Comic Natalie, the live stream will be a celebration of the series and will feature the two main voice actors, Romi Park (Edward) and Rie Kigumiya (Alphonse) talking about some of their favorite memories of the series. This is in addition to brand new information regarding a special new Fullmetal Alchemist project that is in the works. The event will take place on YouTube on Monday, July 12th, at 8 p.m. Japan Standard Time.
Once upon a time, Fullmetal Alchemist was a household name and is still considered by many to be one of the best anime franchises of all time. Over the last 20 years, Fullmetal Alchemist has remained a powerhouse by winning multiple awards around the world and selling over 80 million copies, making it one of the best-selling series in the industry’s history. And that’s not even including the highly successful anime adaptations, spinoff manga, a live-action movie, and tons of merchandise!
Just in case you somehow forgot all about Fullmetal Alchemist, let’s take a trip way back. In this series, the setting is an alternate world where things like mechanical limbs and alchemy are not only present but actually rather common. Two young brothers named Edward and Alphonse study alchemy as children and learn everything they can about it all the way until the day their mother dies.
Deciding to break a sacred taboo, Edward and Alphonse attempt to use alchemy to bring their mother back to life but something goes horribly wrong and in the process, Edward loses multiple parts of his body and Alphonse loses his entire body save for his soul, which his brother was able to affix to a suit of armor.
Joining the military, the brothers become state alchemists and investigate cases that might provide them with information about the legendary Philosopher’s Stone which they believe can help restore their bodies back to normal.
Source: Comic Natalie
