THE FINAL CHAPTER (MEGA MEGA MEGA HUGE SPOILERS)
OH GOD.
So, chapter 108, AKA the final chapter, of Full Metal Alchemist came out today.
The last time I posted, I wasn't exactly sure what had happened in the chapter, since all I had seen were the spoiler pages. But now I have read the chapter, and I have A LOT to say about it.
In a word: it is PERFECT. I could not have written a better, more wonderful, sweet/funny/touching/exciting ending myself. Seriously. It is the most satisfying conclusion to anything I have ever read ever. Here is the lowdown.
-so, Ed curb stomps Father. He seriously kicks his ass. When Father goes to the gate, he meets...God, who reprimands him. And it is awesome.
-Greed leaves Ling, but he does it in a very strangely sweet way. He tells Ling all this stuff about the importance of friendship (no doubt some thoughts left over from his friendship epiphany in chapter 107) and sacrifices himself to help Ed kill Father and to keep Ling alive.
-Ed gets Al's body back. Ed gets his arm back in chapter 107 as a result of Al sacrificing himself. So, Ed has defeated Father, but he doesn't have Al, who went to join his body in the gate in chapter 107. He can't think of what to do to get him back, because he and Al swore that they wouldn't use the Philosopher's Stone to get their bodies back. To Ed's horror, Hohenheim steps up and says that he is willing to sacrifice himself to save Al, because Ed and Al are the most important things in his life. Ed starts crying and calls him "father" for the first time (well, he actually says "you shitty, pathetic excuse for a father", but Hohenheim thinks he was calling him "father" anyway). Then Ed has an idea. He transmutes himself using the human transmutation circle and goes to the gate. "Truth" greets him, and asks what he is going to sacrifice to get Al back. Ed says he will sacrifice what he has learned about alchemy - all of the things he learned when he saw "Truth" for the first time. "Truth" smiles and says that Ed has comprehended what no one else before him could. "Truth" then lets Ed and Al go, and they leave the gate.
-After Ed and Al return from the gate, Ling tells them that he and Ranfan are going back to Xing. They have a Philosopher's Stone and Ling is confident that he is going to become the next emperor. Ling decides to merge the Yao clan with the other clans (including Mei's, the Chang clan). The three of them return to Xing, although Mei is crying because she's being separated form Al XD
-Since Bradley is dead, Graman takes over as Fuhrer. Mustang is still blind - or, he is until Marcoh offers him a Philosopher's Stone. The Stone comes with one condition - Mustang must use his position of power to return the Ishbalans to their native land. Mustang agrees and becomes Brigadier General Mustang. He stays true to his word and betters the relationship between Amestris and Ishbal, but also uses his position of power to create a better relationship between Xing and Amestris.
-Scar's past as a serial killer is erased by the military, who hire him to help the Ishabalans get back to their native country. Miles (from Briggs) joins him.
-Hohenheim dies while smiling happily at Trisha's grave and thinking about Ed and Al.
-Ed and Al return to Resembool, where Winry greets them with tears in her eyes. Ed can't do alchemy anymore, so he is forced to do manual labor to fix up the Rockbell's house (which was damaged when Father did his thing in chapter 104). He is starting to appreciate the slowness of manual labor, since it allows him to appreciate things (like the view from the top of the Rockbell's house) that he might have never noticed otherwise.
-Mrs. Bradley is raising Selim, who has reverted to a baby-like state, despite the fact that she knows he is a homunculus.
-Ed and Al decide to go on separate journeys to right the wrongs caused by alchemy (it seems they are both still deeply affected by Nina's death). Al decides to journey to the East to be with Mei (!) and study Xingese alchemy. Ed decides to journey to the West.
-And then...MY FAVORITE THING EVER HAPPENED. Winry sees Ed off on his journey, and while they're at the train station, she lectures him about taking care of his automail ('cause his leg is still automail), and tells him that he has to make an appointment with her if he needs to get it fixed. The word "appointment" makes Ed remember something he wanted to do...he gets really nervous, then (in an incredibly dorkish way) asks her to marry him.
Ed: it's an equivalent exchange. I'll give you half of my life, so you give me half of yours!
Winry: Stupid. Never mind half, I'll give you all of it.
Then they embrace and he leaves. The station master starts talking to Winry, asking why Ed and Al feel the need to leave so often. Winry says she likes them just the way they are, and admits that a guy who never wanted to go anywhere would be boring.
-And then...MY OTHER FAVORITE THING EVER HAPPENED. The last page of the manga is a pile of photographs, obviously taken in the near future. One is of Ling, who is clearly the emperor, sitting on his throne with Ranfan by his side. Another is Black Hayate with a litter of puppies. One shows Mustang, with Riza by his side as always. Another shows Trisha's grave side-by-side with Hohenheim's. And then...there's a picture of Ed, Winry, Al and Mei. Ed and Winry are at the front, holding their two babies, and Al and Mei are in the back. Ed clearly has a wedding ring on his finger. But the best thing about the picture is...Ed and Winry and their kids are in the EXACT same pose that Trisha and Hohenheim are in their family photo (except Ed's not crying - he's smiling like an idiot).
And thus, the saga concludes. I was seriously crying as I read it. It's just too perfect! I think it's so strangely fitting that it's ending right when I'm about to finish high school...it ends with Ed and Al going on journeys, and I'm about to go on one, too :)
The Ed/Winry proposal scene is literally the sweetest thing I have ever seen. They've been my OTP for a LONG time. Ed's proposal is so perfect. It's so...Ed-like. Winry lampshades it by saying "what is it with alchemists and equivalent exchange"? And when he hugs her....*SQUEE!* I can't do it justice just by talking about it. You have to see the pictures.
I was actually really surprised that AlMei happened...I thought it was cute, but no one else seemed to...I'm glad it happened, though! They're really sweet.
The only thing that disappointed me about this chapter was the lack of RoyRiza. But I'm not really even disappointed, because they aren't an affectionate pair. Besides, their relationship was cemented with the "don't go where I can't follow" speech a while back.
AND THE BABIES. EEK! So cute! And the wedding ring! And the pose! AGH. IT"S JUST TOO CUTE.
I was kind of surprised by how everyone lived...glad, but surprised!
*sigh*...I'm glad it has such a perfect ending, but I'm going to miss FMA. It's been my favorite for...well, forever. I mean, I was into FMA before anyone in America even knew what it was. And that was...six years ago? It's very close to my heart. Everyone I know who likes FMA likes it because of me.
It kind of amuses me that the anime's (first anime) ending is so depressing. No babies in that one! (I can't get over the babies. They're too adorable.) After having read the manga, I realize that...I don't really like the first anime. I mean, it has a special place in my heart 'cause it's what introduced me to the FMA world, but...I don't really like it. The manga is far superior, if you ask me.
Thank you, Hiromu Arakawa, for six years of laughs, gasps, screams, smiles, "awws", and squees. You are one of my heroes.