Volume 8 of Fullmetal Alchemist is the first firm step on the road that leads the manga away from the plot developments of the first anime series. It introduces characters and a new way of doing alchemy that weren't shown in the first series but are shown in Brotherhood. First and foremost there is the kingdom of Xing which is looking for the secret of immortality. Competing half siblings, Prince Ling Yao and Princess May Chan come across the border on separate quests to find a gift that will make their clan immortal and therefore the strongest of all the Xing clans. Meanwhile, Ed after all his doubts about his past, regains his memories. With them comes the certainty that he and Al must continue to look for a way to undo their mistakes. There's also an added urgency that he might be a ticking time bomb. How long, he wonders, can a soul stay separate from a body before both begin to rot? This volume includes a map of Amestris and the surrounding countries. Amestris like Baum's Oz is placed in the center of things, with four countries, one in each of the cardinal directions and a desert or wasteland area separating of them from Amestris. Central, the capital, sits in the middle just like the Emerald City. Just as the Wizard was a false leader, so of course is Bradley, except he won't leave in a balloon if he's asked nicely.

3.5 of 5 stars