I hope it lasts at least another 10 volumes

I might be the odd one out but I hope it doesn’t go much past 20 volumes. I love the series to death but I love it because I can tell Arakawa knows exactly where the story is going. The characterization, pace of the plot, etc is absolutely perfect. I would hate for that to change because Arakawa is forced to write more because the series has become popular. And I would probably hate Square Enix if they force her to continue the story past where she wants to (which manga companies have done to mangaka in the past, Akira Toriyama example.) Trust me there is too much of a good thing and I have seen it happen with way too many series. Inuyasha for example started out excellent but Takahashi has just let it drag out that many people have lost interest (although it has gotten exciting again). There are just way too many scenes in Inuyasha which I felt didn’t need to be there to move the story forward. With Hagaren on the other hand, I feel every scene, every line has relevance to the plot and I would hate for the story to lose this just because people want it to go on longer.

Arakawa has said many times that she knows how the story is going to end. There might be plot points here and there that she is adding in the middle to get us to this point but overall she has the story completely planned out. And trust me the reason why you love the series is because of this. If the story was to be longer than Arakawa originally planned then she would have to think of new ways to continue the plot and that would almost certainly ruin the flow of the story.

That makes 2 odd ones then

Beware, for "having the ending thought up" and "having the whole plot thought up" the same thing they be not, my young padawan

I mean, Gosho Aoyama also says he knows perfectly how Detective Conan is going to end... and what can I say about DC's length... U

And, IIRC, what Arakawa said, precisely, is that she had both the beginning and the end thought up but then she'd make up the story as it would move forward.
So far it has been as you say, and I also hope it keeps on like this, but, unless I'm missing sth, we don't have any other guarantee that it'll be always like this. But, again, given how it's been so far, I have (much) faith.

I realize I sort of contradicted myself by saying she doesn’t know everything that is happening in the middle but she basically has the whole plot planned out but what I meant was she knows where the plot is leading it is the little details she needs to fill in. Perfect example is the Lust battle, she had that all planned out at least since she introduced Havoc as a character who smokes since him having a lighter would be integral to the battle with Lust. And although she hasn’t specifically said it one can argue that she planned for what happened to Ling in chapter 54 as soon as she introduced Ling (this was pointed out by others)

[spoiler]we have Ling appearing in the chapter directly after Greed died and both Greed and Ling talking about immortality. Awesome foreshadowing I’d say[/spoiler]

So true Arakawa can change her mind but somehow I doubt it. She even requested that the anime have a different ending than the manga.

But yeah you are right we never know what is going to happen this is all in Arakawa’s head after all but like you I have complete faith in her. As proof of my love for this series there is nothing I essentially want to happen in the story I am just enjoying watching the whole thing unfold.

I guessed you'd put these examples. I was about to bring up the Havoc's lighter one myself, but it required writing much and I be lazy.

What I mean is, precisely, that these 2 examples, don't prove that the rest will be the same. They make that conclusion logical and much probable, but not definite.

Whatever, I know what you mean and you know what I mean, I'm just arguing for the sake of it and thus I'll stop.

And awesome foreshadowing it was indeed

Oh dear, here I can say nothing but:
w0rd} ( u_u) *nods*

Personally, I don't care how many volumes there are as long as the ending and everything up to it are well done and not rushed.

My wallet cares though T_T

LOL okay this is not an argument but just a supplemental thought that I forgot to add. I don’t think Arakawa has every detail/moment in the story planned but I do think she has a little more than the ending planned. Most likely when she writes the story she plans out a few chapters at once (this is just a guess). Although details can change here and there if she thinks of something more interesting (such as Barry was supposed to die the same time as Number 48 not stay on for more chapters). But I still think she plans a lot of stuff ahead of time. In fact we already know some things that were planned. We knew the Ishval arc was coming because Arakawa told us so. We also know the story is moving north soon, that we are going to meet another one of Armstrong sister’s and wherever Hohenheim is heading is essential to the plot (this is all from Arakawa’s own words). So that being said she must have a little more than just the ending planned but I guess it would be boring for her if she had everything planned.

summer collette: I agree, I would love it if it would be the number of 10 volumes more, that's all xDDD

there should be around 20 volumess of FMA but i'll misss it when it ends but i won't mind at least if the ending is good without and rushing and .........ohhh i'll miss FMA anyways if everty single letter was perfect i would miss all the characters....Ling ED AL and everyopne.....sniff

The ending of the Manga places me between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, I want to know how it all fits together, how it ends, who lives, who dies. On the other, once it ends, it's over. No more FMA. What then?

I can only hope it's not going to end the way the anime did. I can only hope it...

I'm in the same boat. I want to piece every little detail together and find out the fate of all the characters, but once it ends then it is all over. (Why do I keep on think Ed is going to die?) I suppose that I could read it all over again in Japanese or start the series in Spanish now that it has finally be liscenced.

Shiggy: The way that the manga is going...I really don't think that it will have the same ending as the anime series.

Arakawa has already said : that
the
anime and the manga
where going to be different

Yeah I know there are currently 61 chapters. You could download the anime though, it's shorter, 51 episodes. But personally I prefer the fma manga to the anime.

But its better to buy the series if you want to go the anime route.

I find myself agreeing with Nepharski- it should end when it ends, and not a moment before or after that. If Arakawa wants to end it at chapter 70, so be it. At 120, so be it again. However, I just want the story to get to wherever it needs to be to end, and it doesn't feel like we'll be able to do that in only another 20 chapters. I feel a finale coming, but I would give it 25 or 30 chapters. Also, as Neph said, it'll be sad when it's finally over. Luckily, it's a monthly release so we have around two more years of it, which feels like plenty of time to prepare for manga deprivation.

Oh,it's depressing just thinking about it...

My personal belief is that we are halfway through it.

It is not a rare thing for series to have a half-way climax (I'm specifically thinking about Monster, but I know there're more), and Arakawa said that she planned it to be 20+ or sth, right?

Well, then, my opinion is that what we just went through was such half-way climax, closed up and separated from the second half thru' the Ishval FB. Plus, this appears in what will be volume 15... so, if it was indeed half the way, it would end in 30. Round number

So, if this makes it july 2001 - july 2006... I think we have Hagane no... all the way till 2011.

Or not.
Who knows, just enjoy the trip

yes, the end should come when it ends.


I think that it's wrong to make something longer only because the fans want or to sell more.

I've had that feeling too sometimes, for some strange reason.

I agree

heh it isn't close to the length of manga like detective conan i think. ****bump*****

It's not long compared to how many chapters of Naruto there are ( there are over 300 -.- and STILL going)

Ok a world without new FMA... is a very scary one...


OT:

QUOTE (Satsuka @ Oct 10 2005, 08:50 PM)

QUOTE (nakagos bunny @ Oct 10 2005, 05:39 PM)

Personally, I hope it doesn't run too long. I don't like a story that goes on and on and on, like a soap opera (unless it IS a soap opera. ).

Look at Inuyasha, still going on........she wants around 500 chapters.......that's just too much. Eventually it just becomes tedious and repetitve. I like a story to have a good length, but eventually enough is enough.

I think no more than 18 or 20 volumes would be good, like Fushigi Yuugi or Angel Sanctuary.

I used to read the InuYasha manga,but I stopped reading it because it kept going on. Luckily FMA isn't like that.

I have never really gotten into Inuyasha... but oh well I might pick the manga up and read it one day

If there's one thing I will never understand, it's how new people ever manage to find and uproot such old threads.

What's so funny is that we are up to chapter 63, and FMA is still going strong... making this thread moot..

And then it's completely off-topic.

Merging other "How long FMA manga would be?" posts here...

I agree, I should end when it end without the rush and all thing fitting perfectly. Actually, that's why I love when you re-read it you see all the little hits and foreshadowing.

We even see Izumi and Sig at the train station being Ed in central! Before, he evens goes to see her.

However, it is nice to have an idea of how long it will be just to see know when it will be over.
Like everybody else, I'll enjoy the ride until then!

Right now, I'm just kinda like.... get to the end already.
I don't know, I feel like somehow they're stalling.
I mean, I thought it was close to the end, like, 10 chapters ago.
I don't want this to be another Naruto or Bleach or Dragon Ball... or any other never ending manga.
I hate to say it, but I want a final battle already.

I am personally thinking we are going to get between 110-115 chapters. I see twelve to seventeen chapters a good amount to wrap up the story. But of course, I'm not Arakawa, and it should end when it ends as long as its done well and the way she wants.

Although I admit I am kinda at the point where I want the main battles to occur and then the end comes with the stuff that ties everything together. Even though I have only read it for about a year compared to a lot of you who have read it for, like, 3-5 years, LOL. That's mostly because I too feel that Arakawa is stalling for the last 5 chapters.

I am not sure how people think Arakawa is stalling with the only villains left at this point being Father, Bradley, Pride, and I guess Truth (if you count him.) It hardly feels like she is stalling to me. And of course we have to deal with Al getting his body back.

Everyone is in Central or heading towards there so it is obvious to me that we are already in the final battle. All these fights we are seeing are pretty much the final battles of the series. It's pretty clear that the story is heading towards its conclusion. Now I don't know how many more chapters are left but I wouldn't want to see the story rushed just so we can get to an end. I am sure Arakawa knows what she is doing.

Anyways Bleach is 365 chapters, Naruto is 455 chapters, FMA is 97 chapters. Even taken into account that FMA is a monthly series I hardly see how these series can be compared. FMA is quite average when it comes to the length of shounen series.

I bets 108chapters or anything close to that, I don't think it will be less and if it is not by much, because it seems that there is still a lot left to be explained and tied up, whatever the climax will be is still to come and that will probably take a lot of chapters, the build up to the climax i think should be a few more chapters, the conclusion and everything else, yeah 108 at least i think

^On another forum I belong to, some people were predicting that the manga will end at 108 chapters because apparently the number 108 has some significance in Buddhism, but I don't know how religious Arakawa is Anyway, I'm personally hoping for 110+ since there's a lot of stuff to wrap up with each character's conflict.

omg lol really? XD well 8 is my favourite number (born on the 8th) and other lucky/favoured numbers are 64 and 108, so i placed my guess at 108, maybe the Budism thing is because Buddah was born on April 8th (<--MY BIRTHDAY TOO! XD lol)

Anyway ye I agree, I'd like over 110 chapters just because FMA is too awesome to end, and I'm sure Arakawa won't leave things unexplained, such as scars name and Roy's heritidge im hoping to be explained, how father was created in the flask aswell as loads of other things, aswell as the climax and resoloution. I think 108 would be the right length for everything to be tied up, but we'll see, Arakawa may have some massive twist planned that may suddenly lengthen the plot or something.

I still think people are expecting too much... Scar's name will certainly come on the table somehow, even if Arakawa doesn't reveal it. I'm not quite sure about how Homonculus came to life. And I'm adamant that Roy's origins will not be explored since they bring nothing to the plot, Roy doesn't care and Madame Christmas was good enough of a mother to raise Roy like he is now, so no need to know more

Well.... I guess 'good' things like Naruto or FMA shouldn't be rushed so I'm fine (just as long as it doesn't get an over run like one piece)

I guess it'll last for 120 chapters... Hopefully...

I remember reading somewhere that Arakawa was trying to end FMA soon, so she actually couldn't draw some scenes and stuff that she had wanted to.... so it will probably end soon.

where. the way brotherhood is going. I'm wondering if the manga nad anime ending are going to have the edning at the same time.

I'm thinking at least 105 chapters because she has to begin the Father v.s. Hoenheim showdown and kill off Pride, Wrath, sum up Ling's story, Ed and Al's story, Roy's story and somehow link them all together. She can't do that by chapter 100. No way.

At this rate the anime studios will be ready to animate the last episodes before Arakawa is even finished.

They're virtually halfway through all the existing manga material already...by episodes 23. If the current pace continues they'll definitely be ready to animate the parts of the story that are happening now by maybe the end of this year or the start of next year (remember animation studios are working on episodes months before they air on TV, with a bunch of teams working on different episodes at once. It's the only way to get episodes out at a weekly schedule).

I think the only way the anime can go on a weekly basis and still follow the manga to the end is if Arakawa ends the story by chapter 104. Otherwise they'll have to either make up their own ending or do a "temporary" ending and finish the series with a movie, like last time around...except this time canon.

im thinking they might make a movie to finish it off, but I'm thinkin the manga will finish very soon, lulz i hope its not next month! XD im still sticking with my last guess of 108 at the moment i certainly dont think it will be any more than that

<The following 13 posts were removed from "chapter 101 content discussion thread" as off-topic discussion postings, and moved here. ~ Board staff>

Do you guys really think FMA is nearing its end? Brotherhood seems to be catching up to the manga awfully fast, so I was curious if the manga had much farther to go.

Can't believe it's already December... Looking forward to this chap. I only started reading the manga last week, so I had so much to work through. It feels weird having to wait now.

That's how I felt when I first started reading. Read through all the released chapters in a couple of long sittings (it was around chapter 65ish). Felt weird having to wait each month. But now looking back, it seems like time has passed so fast (Has it really been 25 months?)

Actually Christmas is fairly important in Japan, not like anything special here... more like extremely commercialised! I was there about 2 years ago this time of year and every store was playing extremely bad Christmas Carols from the 70s (American) and selling Christmas items like santas, lollies and gift cards.

But no, I disagree too I don't think they'd change the structure just because it's Christmas, it'd be too unprofessional.

I give it at the most 15 more chapters.... maybe not even that much.

15 chapters is a -lot-. Given that it looks like the five sacrifices just may have been assembled, I give it 5 chapters tops.

And of course these are monthly chapters, which are much longer than those for a weekly manga...

I think a bit longer. I mean we still have to wrap up the (innevitable) battles with Wrath and Pride, not to mention Mustang's coup. Then we'll have to see Roy open the gate, see the sacrifices assembled before Father with the (EPIC) battle that comes next. Then Arakawa is going to have to put in some sort of resolution be it happy, sad or bittersweet like the anime. I'd say 5-10 chapters max.

Less than that. The anime is up to episode 34 which is about issue 66. That's about 2 issues an episode which means the anime is burning through 8 issues a month. That means it will catch up to the manga in 5 months. Short of the anime going on break for a couple of weeks, it seems rather unlikely it goes past 106, maybe 107.

I'm betting it goes to 106, I want to say 105 but the more I think about it... I don't think there's time for that. Next issue sets up the final fight, has something happen with Greed, and probably results in Wrath's death. The issue after deals with Pride, and concludes the attack on central, then a two chapter final battle followed by a chapter going over the aftermath.

I also give it 5-8 chapters, and that may be pushing it. A LOT happens in every chapter.

I wish that they would end the series at chapter 99/100/101, wait a few months, then release a movie that is the remaining few chapters. Thought it would be cool to see the final battles in super-high quality, so that's where that ridiculous idea came from. XD

But seriously, I don't think BONES is gonna screw up too badly. I think Arakawa kinda let them know that they need to slow down, and along with the fact that she has told some of the staff the ending, she probably gave them an estimate for what chapter it'll end on.

I think we'll get seven more chapters. That way, the manga would have exactly 108 chapters. It would have some signifigance (see the Wikipedia article), especially in Japan. Also, solar eclipses happen because the distance between the Sun and the Earth is as many times the Sun's diameter as the distance between the Moon and the Earth is the Moon's diameter, and it happens to be approximately 108 times, in both cases. And there is a significant solar eclipse in the manga finale.

(Also, 2²*3³= 108, and the whole plot sort of began with a slave called 23...)