Herein, we see the horror of the Ishvalan war. Just how terrifying living weapons of war--taught that the Isvalans are the 'other' and deserve to die--can be. Man this chapter hits hard.

It's interesting to see the research [a:Hiromu Arakawa|4698899|Hiromu Arakawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1350676202p2/4698899.jpg] did for this book.



Chapter 58: The Footsteps of Ruin

For one: Al is so young to react that way to love.



For two, definite [b:Elantris|68427|Elantris (Elantris, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1475740953l/68427._SY75_.jpg|2908871] vibes... I'm curious tosee if I'm right about that.



Also, Mustang and Hawkeye's relationship makes so much more sense now.

Chapter 59: The Immoral Alchemist

Man so much background on the war. War sucks. War where one side has all the crazy weapons/magic... Man.

Also:



Sad meta is sad.

Chapter 60: In the Absence of God



Oh my.

Chapter 61: The Hero of Ishval

:( oh Hughes. Oh Mustang.



But hey, now we know why Scar can do what he can do (and only what he can do). I wonder if his brother somehow survived all that. ( )

This is one of the best manga I have ever read . It transgresses the boundary of fiction and high fantasy and steps into the real world and packs a punch there. It does not falter in an unfamiliar territory , in fact it is as amazing as any non fantasy book in this genre, in fact almost better in some areas. ( )

A full-volume flashback to the Ishbalan civil war with all of its war crimes and genocide. The events herein have been pretty explicitly hinted at in previous volumes, but I suppose it's nice to have it all spelled out for us. I appreciate the extra time with Riza Hawkeye, even if the core cast is totally neglected. But it all seems to be setting up a new, one-dimensional bad guy alchemist when we already have plenty of bad guys running around. I'm looking forward to a return to the regular continuity next time.

(Running character count: 28) ( )

Enjoyable volume, but a lot of flashback and so parts of it were confusing to me. There were characters in this one that I forgot from their minor appearances in earlier volumes, and new characters that I don't recognize at all (which I personally find confusing in a flashback). It was good to see Hughes again, though. ( )

I loved this volume because it was a flashback that worked. So many authors and producers fumble flashbacks, but this one wasn't jarring at all. In fact, it was a fascinating window into some of the characters, and answered a lot of questions.

Travel back in time to learn about the brutality of the Ishbalan war, and how well-known characters like Mustang, Hawkeye, Hughes, and Armstrong met, interacted, and learned to cope with the horrors they faced on the front. I learned so much more about these people and their motives, it was well worth a departure from the series' timeline. ( )