by Hiromu Arakawa, 221 pagesEverything comes together in this final volume. Fates are decided, sacrifices are made, and promises are kept and broken. Full of surprises till the last, this series about the bonds of family and friendship ends on a quiet note that makes good on the hope that has carried its protagonists this far and will sustain them into the future.
*sigh*
I don't want to say good bye! Instead, I'd like a volume-long epilogue so I can see how everyone's doing and what they're accomplishing and how they're growing. Or a whole second series. Yeah, that'd be ok, too. I wish! :) Arakawa does a surprisingly good job of working a decent denouement into this one, but there are so many characters I care about as much as I do the main brotherly duo that I want more than just a line or two and a candid photo of them in their new circumstances. Still, with so much information to hold together for 27 volumes over 9 years, I'm impressed she succeeded so well and can't fault her for not catering to my every selfish-reader whim. I guess I'll just have to be content with being able to come along for the wonderful ride it has been and hope that her newest series--about life at an agricultural college in Hokkaido (which is extra funny because the author always draws herself as a Holstein in the FMA extras)--gets picked up in English so I can see another side of her creative output.
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