Fullmetal Alchemist author set to release new original manga series

Hiromu Arakawa, author of the hit anime/manga series Fullmetal Alchemist, is set to release a new manga in Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine.

Titled Yomi no Tsugai (The Hinge of the Underworld), the manga is set to debut in the December issue of the magazine.

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Fullmetal Alchemist author set to release new original manga series

Release date and general plot

The promotional image for Yumi no Tsugai's debut, released along with announcement of the series and its release date (Image via Square Enix)

The official release date for Yomi no Tsugai is December 10, 2021. This will be when the next Monthly Shonen Gangan issue releases. Fullmetal Alchemist was also published in Monthly Shonen Gangan, hopefully, the first of many similarities between the two series. Gangan teased the manga from Arakawa earlier in July.

Yomi no Tsugai, much like Fullmetal Alchemist, will seemingly deal heavily with supernatural themes and plot direction. The manga's primary protagonist will be Yuru, a boy from a remote mountain village who has a younger twin sister named Asa.

Asa is one day called down to serve at the local jail, located at the village’s heart. Asa’s duty, unfortunately, also confines her there full time. This leads Yuru to investigate and slowly unravel the secret being kept at the village jail.

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What to expect

It’s a great sign that Arakawa is choosing to center her new story around a pair of siblings. One of the most consistent and frequent compliments Fullmetal Alchemist gets is the emotional impact and strength of Ed and Al’s brotherly relationship. With any luck, fans will see more of Arakawa's brilliant writing during Yuru and Asa’s adventures in Yomi no Tsugai.

Arakawa also has shown her mastery over supernatural plot direction and build before. Fullmetal Alchemist went out of its way to establish the origins of characters, powers, and historical tragedies alike. One of the series’ most well-received episodes focuses entirely on Hohenheim's origins via a long-term flashback.

Another widely respected strength of Fullmetal Alchemist is the exceptionally developed side cast given the series’ short length. Yomi no Tsugai will presumably feature a similarly well developed side characters, considering how Arakawa excelled at it within Fullmetal Alchemist.

Although infrequent, Arakawa is also able to effectively show fans the horrific side of society in her works. Shao Tucker is a universally hated antagonist, and the way his and his daughter's story wraps up is truly heartbreaking. It would be great to see Arakawa touch fans in that way again with Yumi no Tsugai, as it led to one of FMA’s most memorable moments.

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Final thoughts

Hiromu Arakawa’s new manga Yumi no Tsugai (arriving December 12) will hopefully demonstrate the same literary prowess seen in Fullmetal Alchemist.

The story dealing with a pair of siblings and exploration of the supernatural as a barebones plot is already putting Arakawa in a position she’s previously succeeded from. While Fullmetal Alchemist isn’t perfect, it’s one of the best anime in general and a widely recommended starter anime.

If fans are fortunate and Arakawa on point, Yumi no Tsugai seems set up to provide just as enjoyable an experience.