The long running and hugely successful manga Fullmetal Alchemist
has been confirmed as ending in the upcoming July issue of Shonen
Gangan, prompting fans to wonder what future awaits both Gangan and
the latest manga in its absence.
Both anime and manga were previously said to be sharing a
simultaneous ending, so depending on its character this probably
marks the end of the franchise.
The real problem with the story’s conclusion is that Fullmetal
Alchemist was the third best selling manga of 2009, behind One
Piece and Nana and just ahead of Naruto, with the recent volumes
selling in the region of 1,250,000 copies each.
With the industry lately having trouble generating new hits, the
loss of what was probably the most original of the big selling
titles of recent years could be a major blow the publisher and
industry will not quickly recover from.