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Demon Alchemist - Fullmetal Alchemist

Discussion in 'Other Fandoms Review Board' started by Ched, Jul 29, 2021.

4/5, 5 votes
  1. Ched

    Ched Da Trek Moderator DLP Supporter ⭐⭐

    Joined:
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    Messages:
    8,379
    Location:
    The South
    Jul 29, 2021 #1
    Title: Demon Alchemist (Series)
    Author: metisket
    Rating: T
    Genre: AU - Action/Adventure
    Status: Abandoned (?)
    Pairings: N/A
    Summary: “Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re doin’ your best. It’s just your best isn’t quite good enough, Colonel. So while you’re doing whatever the hell it is you do, I’ll be here cleaning up after you.”
    Link: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

    I'm rating this at 4/5. It's not the best FMA fic I've read, but it might be my favorite. I can't decide. Granted this fandom is dryer than whatever desert Xerxes existed in, so that doesn't say much.

    Total word count is ~90k for all four parts. I think the author would have finished things up with a Part 5 as we got fairly far into canon events.

    The premise here is that Al dies when they fuck up resurrecting their mother. Instead of becoming a State Alchemist Ed goes for something more like "feral vigilante alchemist" and spends his time killing people he deems evil. The public loves him for this, because he actually only kills people that no one objects to.

    Otherwise follows canon events, but there's not really any rehash here. I can't remember a single scene from canon being recreated. It reminds me a little of Mira Mirth's On the way to Greatness in that sense - yeah, it is retelling canon, but it's only telling the bits that are different enough to be interesting to read.

    It's inconsistent in parts and there are aspects I wish were given more screen time, so I can't rate it at 5/5, but if you like FMA then I do recommend giving this one a go.

    On a side note, there's a sort of 'almost rec' FMA thread here if you're desperate.
     
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2021
  2. Eimim

    Eimim First Year

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Finland
    Jul 29, 2021 #2
    I remember reading this years ago and enjoying it.

    Oddly, it seems to be a very forgettable fic. I didn't remember this series at all until I read your summary, and it's even written by an author I enjoy a lot. Not sure I can rate it 4/5, but 3/5 for sure.
     
    Ched
  3. A Lizard By

    A Lizard By Any Other Name

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2014
    Messages:
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    Location:
    On a rock under the sun
    Aug 6, 2021 #3
    I liked this well enough. The writing is snappy and clever at times, and the characters are mostly on point (except Ed, obviously). It even made me laugh out loud a few times.

    I think the reasons it's forgettable are that it's told primarily from the perspective of Hughes and most of the interesting parts of canon are glossed over entirely. None of the characters or events are ever really explored in great depth, and were it not for my familiarity with the manga/anime, I'd have likely just been very confused.

    In the original Full Metal Alchemist, Ed and Al grow a lot as characters over the course of the series, and the author was always quick to have the mature, well-meaning characters of the cast admonish them for fits of naivety. Most of that is lost in this fic. Everyone who interacts with Ed save for Hawkeye (and Mustang at times) is too scared to say anything to him. This ends up with Ed acting like the emotionally unstable teenager he is, and precious few people to slap him on the wrist.

    I imagine one goal of the story was to portray a character who clearly needs help but is too willful (or powerful) to get it, but I felt sometimes the line between the author's condemnation of Ed and their admiration of him was a little blurry. By that I mean it felt like the author wanted me to see how much of a badass Ed was at times, and I never managed to see him as anything other than an edgy, tragic kid.

    I'm inclined to rate it lower for relying so heavily on the source material to invest readers in the characters, but... I'm not quite sure that makes a fic bad? Obviously someone unfamiliar with the canon story wouldn't get as much out of a fic like this, but it doesn't seem inherently wrong to write a fic for people who already feel an emotional connection with the story, either. Dunno, maybe someone will chime in with their thoughts on the matter.

    For now, I'll give the story a 4/5 for being literally the only fic in the FMA fandom I've ever finished.
     
    FridgeViking, Ched