Liveblog: Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)
Jun. 20th, 2020 03:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quietmoonI wrote this while watching episodes 1 - 51 and the movie Conqueror of Shamballa, mostly binge-watching with breaks in between long sessions. I haven't watched FMA:B or read the manga, but I did watch this show long ago (not the whole movie though I think).
Overall, I really liked FMA! You can tell I was getting progressively disillusioned with the logical leaps in the plot, especially in the latter half, but once I'd finished I could appreciate the show as a whole and forgive my grievances with the actual story in favour of the thematic coherency, which was *chef's kiss* so good. I have a lot of thoughts about how those themes tie together, so I'll try finish up the meta post I'm writing on this soon! I feel like it probably should be read straight after this in order to get a proper idea of my thoughts on the show.
Anyway! As always, spoilers abound, and off we go~
Episode 1: I like how it starts in the middle of the action and leaves you to piece together the lore together yourself. I also like how the priest just has a random murder room in his temple. Alphonse was also my favourite character back when I watched this show for the first time (around 2008 I think) but rewatching now with a more concrete knowledge of my own inclination for gentle giants, heavy armour, and masks... It's almost a little embarrassing lmao. At least I know I've always been consistent. xD
Episode 2: The music is so good! The intro slaps.
Episode 3: Why is nobody monitoring these children!? I'm so stressed! Watching this as a teenager, I was like, yeah, checks out, adults are irrelevant, but now I'm acutely aware that they're ten. Also, the first words Ed says to Al in his new body being, "I'm sorry, Al," is very poignant. ;__;
Episode 4: Aw, I love Clause. I wonder what happened to the other spirit-bonded victims, though. I like that the flashback episodes are narrated by Al.
Episode 5: Ooh, Roy Mustang sure got a cool introduction. The first traits of him we see are that he's unorthodox, willing to use people, and (maybe?) more concerned with results than methods. I'm glad the little girl liked Al. TvT
Episode 6: ALPHONNNSSEEE ; A ; When he pretended to eat the bread, and his little pretend-munching!!!!! And then after the baby was born, the scene while they were both in bed and he pulled the blanket over his face and cried— I love him.
Episode 7: Poor poor Nina :( I wish they explained a bit more the mechanics of alchemy, but maybe that's coming later. I want to know why Edward can transmute without a circle, the range of it (it seems you have to be close but not touching?), and how chimeras work, amongst other things.
Episode 8: Oh, yikes. Hate that they decided the serial killer had to be a "man dressed as a woman". Cool how they showed Ed to be a kid, though. His frightened face when he broke free, rather than looking triumphant, helps ground it as something horrifying that he's never seen, rather than him being okay with it for no reason other than he's the protagonist.
Episode 9: Not much to say on this one. I wanna know what Mustang is up to, though.
Episode 10: Alphonse is a romantic. ; w ; How cute~
Episode 11 & 12: This was a cool way to get the watcher to think about the dubious morality of Ed and Al's own quest to find the Philosopher's Stone. So far, we've just seen people who want to pursue it for anime-villain levels of selfishness only, but the Tringham brothers are a nice reflection of the Elrics. They're going about it out of a sense of duty, and grief at the loss of their own father. Also, I liked when Alphonse said to Fletcher, "You should stop him. If you don't, your brother could get seriously hurt. It has to come from you," because you know he's berated himself about failing to do the same for Edward back then. I also don't understand why Edward said not to the older brother offering to explain to him how to condense red water — surely that's really useful information to know? So that they can at least avoid leads like it in the future, or protect people if someone else tries it. They've completely been going off of other people's research this far, so I can't see him having a problem with that. The only reason I can think of is some contrived future plot point where they don't know it but need to figure it out, and it'll be this horrifying reveal. I really hope not, because would be frustrating. I guess the alternative would be that they're using this to show that going forward, Ed isn't happy to rely on other people's research regarding the Philosopher's Stone.
Episode 13: The music playing during the last scene with the scarred guy was awesome. I hope they explore more about Mustang's PTSD (? maybe just flashbacks?) soon, I want to know about the military's past. (Also, this is spoiler for later episodes, but I have vague memories that the Fuhrer is actually Envy in disguise at some point? But that can't be the case right now because Envy is being the minister back in Liore, right?)
Episode 14: There he is. Alex Louis Armstrong. A best boy. Also, I'm not convinced the country this is happening in isn't the bad guy. As far as we've heard, it is expansionist, seems to have a military government, has waged multiple wars — yikes. Well, there's also the overt references to Nazi Germany which... asdlkjfh yeah.
Episode 15: I wasn't too sure about the new OP but I think I like it. It doesn't go as hard as the first one, but it's fun enough, and I like the character intros in the middle. Also, Winry is so <3. But my favourite part was definitely Al getting angry at Ed. I had chills. It's the first time we've seen him angry, which gave it all the more impact.
Episode 16: Al has my entire heart. His voice acting is so cute *clenches fist*
Episode 17: Of the episodes so far, I think this one had the most heart. I especially loved all of the moments with Winry; her body language always speaks volumes.
Episode 18: Yay for Ishbal village! I love Armstrong so much. The way they're focusing more on Hughes... I'm so suspicious. I know what happens but not when, and I don't want it to arrive. *narrows eyes so the tears won't fall*
(a few days break)
Episode 19: I missed you, Alphonse. My precious 220cm steel boy. Also, IS THAT BARRY? THAT'S BARRY, RIGHT!? I recognise their voice!!
Episode 20: I love the Slicer's design. Barry can just stfu, though. Leave Al alone. I'm interested to see where this is taken though. Al mentioned earlier that he was struggling to remember what it felt like to have a human body, and while they were visiting their home town in episode 17 he spent a lot of time upset that he couldn't remember much of his childhood. When he asked Ed, "Did I have friends...?" my heart broken, and stupid Barry the Chopper accidentally stumbled right into that open nerve wound. >:(
Episode 21: alskjdfh Barry's voice acting is so good. "Aarrrryyeee~" And then the episode goes and makes me cry with "Brother, I'm going on ahead." HHHHH. The reappearance of Tucker was also creepy af, what the hell. Nevermind that he's upside down, but that horrible whisper-voice... *shudder*
Episode 22: Holy shit, that's the one. I've already mentioned how Al is my favourite, and the entire scene at the end where he finally voiced his doubts and fears about never having been real, never having existed. "What would you have me believe, with this hollow body?" held so much emotion, like you could absolutely see the pain in his eyes even though his face never moves, even though he can't express anything more. All of his emotion has to come through his eyes and his hands and his voice, and almost because it's so limited, it's all the more clear and impactful. Like how he has them open, looking desperately for answers, and then clenches them into fists as his eyes narrow and he says, "It's possible all of you are deceiving me together, isn't it?" ;__; All of the awful fears in his mind. And then at the end, the way he begged/screamed for Ed to stay back and keep away, MY HEART IS BROKEN HGHDHGHG AND LIKE you know he would have been crying — sobbing — if he could have, but he can't, ugh, it hurts.
Episode 23: The stupid eye medicine plot twist made me cry. I hope... that Al's doubts come up again. I can see them being comforted by the events of this episode, but I don't buy that they're completely assuaged or anything. I liked the line Scar said about how he could see the tears Al couldn't in his eyes. (But also, I'm baffled that Scar went with the other Ishbal; what happened to his 'kill all the State Alchemists' quest?)
Episode 24: The... Hmm. The flashback dream thing Scar had made me suddenly and acutely aware that the State Alchemists who took part in the Ishbal war are very much war criminals. I mean, not like this world has the Geneva Convention or the ECHR or anything, but I was reminded very suddenly of the Nuremburg Trials where mass-murderers on trial tried to excuse their actions by saying that it was 'just orders'. Granted, Nazi Germany was on a whole different level than the Ishbal massacre, and there's also the notable difference that the Alchemists were all soldiers taking orders rather than the leadership themselves implementing them (as in the trials). But Mustang's flashback also solidified that idea that they really just up and attempted genocide, huh.
Episode 25: Why... did he tell Juliet... any of that...? It was such a dumb move, why on earth... The funeral itself though was hard hitting. Such a tonal shift. And Armstrong (well, everyone) really got a few tears out of me, hhhh. And oh my god, him waving at the train station, AAAAAAA!! ;__; WHY
(a week's break)
Episode 26: The plot thickens re: Mustang :o
Episode 27: hhhhhh this had a lot of dark ideas behind it. Al hiding the truth about his body, and everyone in the town they trained in saying hello to the brothers and commenting on how they'd grown. I love Al so much.
Episode 28: Cute kids and I really enjoyed seeing them before the accident but yiiikes that was dark tbh. Stranding kids alone on a deserted island so the trials and tribulations they face force them to understand the insignificance of their own existences... The terrible teacher award goes to— lmao.
Episode 29: I don't... like the kid... And I'm not super here for the 'woman struggling with infertility blindly adopts suspicious child' trope lol. That might not be what's happening, but it's what I'm getting so far. Speaking of, my guess so far from the randomly constant blood coughing is (and the fact that she's seen the gate Ed so when he attempted human transmutation) she lost her kid, tried to bring it back to life, and the cost was her womb? KJHKLGHSDLKGH IDK
Episode 30: Okay, the real story was better. I still can't really stand the homunculus boy though (the idea that he tried to shuffle forward on a roof to clap his hands togetehr and ended up rolling to his doom is so... *sigh* you know that trope where children younger than the series' main characters end up being insufferable headaches-in-distress alskjdhlf)
Episode 31: The fact that his eyes only changed after he realised what he was feels pretty lazy. I gotta be honest, I do not like Izumi's character at all after all this. -_- Everything feels kind of rushed and convoluted. Also, what tf is Al gonna do by fighting Wrath? Rip off his arm and leg and just give them to Ed? It's already been established that transmuting your own body is impossible (I think, which is why Ed was freaked out when Wrath could). Ughhh I don't understandddd
Episode 32: Oooh Al had a cool moment at the end <3 This episode was better than the last few, I'm glad to say.
Episode 33: The writers enjoy throwing Al's head off at every opportunity now, don't they? Also, why on earth does Greed need Al and Ed to learn how to bond a soul to an object when in Lab 5 Tucker already did it to Barry and the Slicer brothers, and he's right there? How did the explosion guy know about Greed's top secret imprisoning skull? Do Al's handcuffs suddenly prevent him from performing alchemy or using his super strength? UGHH the last couple episodes have felt like characters are just doing things without having any reason to do them (or none explained to us).
Episode 34: They really gave up on trying to find Wrath immediately, huh. Greed's death was well done though. :') And obv we can't trust anyone called Dante lmao.
Episode 35: I actually really enjoyed this one. I liked seeing the peek into Lust's mind, and the way the narrative played with our thoughts so that we thought she was initially... like, considering human emotions, remembering her past life and maybe turning away from the evil goals of the homunculi. But as it goes on you learn that it's them who are responsible for the horror in the village in the first place, and the pauses she took before decisions we thought were kind and empathetic was actually her deciding to go on with their plan. And then at the end, when she was like, "You were my tiny blemish," OOF I LOVED IT. She's clever, and she feels emotion, and she makes the decisions she does alongside all that.
Episode 36: We know that Winry's parents weren't killed by Mustang because of the flashback Marcoh had, right? So it seems strange to focus on it. Maybe Mustang took the blame or something, I don't quite remember. I like Winry making her own decisions for her path instead of just following Al and Ed. Scar's decision to make a Philosopher's Stone seems... weird... Like, I could believe it if it was given more time than one thought of "I need something stronger than the military..." alksjdfh.
Episode 37: I love Armstrong so much.
Episode 38: aslkjdfh Winry really is in the thick of it now, huh. I wanna know how Sloth knew they were wire-tapping and where from; and I'm irritated because I know there's no way the other lady with the short hair would have any idea whatsoever that Winry was in danger.
Episode 39: A lot of switching scenes to right after all the interesting stuff happens in this second half of the show lol. The military Liore plot is very... confusing. I'm having trouble remembering why anyone is there at all — it feels kind of convoluted, or sudden. idk. Also this zombie looking Archer dude is struggling to make any impression on me; all I get from him is that he's the plot device the writers are using whenever they need something evil done (*coughs* so idw1 Shockw—)
Episode 40: I feel like Al hasn't done anything for ages. He just kind of suffers (being kidnapped, staying still while the Fuhrer sticks a sword down his neck alsdjkfsk). The final image was so good though, with Martel's blood leaking out of Alphonse's armour. Really creepy!
Episode 41: Holy shit, things got really dark. So Scar wants to sacrifice members of the military in order to make a Philosopher's Stone to have the power to prevent the military from carrying out more genocides like those at Ishbal and (soon to be) Liore. Alphonse is cleaning blood out of himself because the military's leader killed someone while they were hiding inside him. Scar tells Ed that it's his fault Liore suffered from the military at all. Rose was kidnapped, tortured to the point she cannot speak, and raped by the military, and now has a child she takes care of as a consequence of that. And Lyra is just constantly around; speaking of, Dante was revealed to the brothers to have made Greed, who they know was imprisoned for over a century, and they just didn't question any part of that!? What is HAPPENING. Also, why does everyone think Rose is some holy lady? How on Earth did Scar start up a religious cult in like the 5 days he's been in Liore!??
Episode 42: That required... so much plot gymnastics I can't even keep it straight in my head. Not a fan of Scar's 'I hated my brother, I loved his girlfriend, but all this time I wanted to tell him I loved him too' backstory at all. Al being unable to move or speak because his body has been transmuted into a bomb (nevermind that it doesn't make sense that Kimbly can make him into a bomb, since Al is pure steel or whatever, and Kimbly used the trace minerals in human bodies) is nonsense because he's literally had half his body blown off and been vibing til Ed puts him back together. Lust leaving at the end doesn't make sense either, with what we've been told so far, especially the internal monologue we specifically heard in which she told us her plan to use it asap. The huge number of deaths from innocent soldiers was not given it's due emotional weight. Just... oof.
Episode 43: I was way off about Winry's parents, omg. I didn't recognise him in the flashback at all alksdjfh. Also, I love the fact that the marker of homunculi are slutty clothes lmao. Also, Hohenheim raises every alarm bell. I'm narrowing my eyes so hard at that dude.
Episode 44: Finally. -.- I wish we'd arrived at this point 15 episodes earlier. Al flocking to his Dad's side is so sad to see. There's no way Hohenheim isn't going to let them down again. I just do not trust him at all.
Episode 45-46: Didn't have anything to say for 45, but regarding 46, I like what they're doing with Lust. It actually feels like it's been built up to.
Episode 47: Al is annoying me so much, when did he suddenly become so gullible? UGHHH. Loving Lust, though; she's selfish to the end, willing to kill the other homunculi to get what she wants, but you totally understand why she's doing it and to me she's become the most sympathetic of the lot. Wrath, on the other hand, confuses me so much; do they want him to be a child, or his age, or an all-knowing homunculus? His motives and emotions are never clear beyond 'hysterical 5 year old' and it's honestly irritating to watch.
Episode 48: I have no understanding of the time scale anymore. Last time we were with Mustang and Armstrong they were getting ready to tell the soldiers about going back to central to stage a coup; now they're in the middle of a bitter war(?) with trenches and sandbags and everything lmao??? Where did the trenches come from? Did the alchemists feel like making some for the other side too? *facepalm* Also, I kinda feel like I'm watching the second half of Game of Thrones again when the writers had no idea what to do with half the characters. Al has done almost nothing :(
Episode 49-51: I'm still not entirely... sure... what the gate is, or the whole splitting of the mind-body-soul thing that Dante uses the baby transmutation circle to pull off. I'm not sure what to make of the portal-to-Earth thing, either, or the back-and-forth of the brothers sacrificing themselves for the other, or Al's almost total absence from the finale apart from one self-sacrifice and some amnesia fluff. There was definitely stuff I liked, though. I kept thinking back to all the times people asked them to stop, or warn them that the path they walked was one of pain and without a happy ending as all of this panned out, so that when we reached the finale about the imperfect world, I felt it couldn't have fit better. I think the ending, but also the lead-up to it, probably wasn't the strongest story-wise, but was really well done regarding theme. I'll have more to say after I watch the movie sequel, which I've read is the actual ending. :)
(a few weeks later)
Conqueror of Shamballa: Yeah, this definitely feels like the actual ending. I like that they wrapped up Gluttony's and Wrath's stories, and the focus on the events in Germany rather than Amestris, since that where Ed was. The bittersweet ending of getting something you want at the price of something else really fits thematically. I liked this movie! And I'm really glad Al regained his memories, too. Making Hughes a Nazi had me a bit like,,, why... but I think it served to highlight that this world was definitely not just a mimic of the other, it was its own living breathing thing, and also to help root the events in what was going on at the time. Hmm. Yeah. Good movie. Suiting. I don't know if I can talk about it without talking about the show as a whole though; I'm going to get my thoughts in order and write up some meta. (Edit: Here is a link to the meta post!)
But that's Fullmetal Alchemist! FMA:B is next. >:)
Overall, I really liked FMA! You can tell I was getting progressively disillusioned with the logical leaps in the plot, especially in the latter half, but once I'd finished I could appreciate the show as a whole and forgive my grievances with the actual story in favour of the thematic coherency, which was *chef's kiss* so good. I have a lot of thoughts about how those themes tie together, so I'll try finish up the meta post I'm writing on this soon! I feel like it probably should be read straight after this in order to get a proper idea of my thoughts on the show.
Anyway! As always, spoilers abound, and off we go~
Episode 1: I like how it starts in the middle of the action and leaves you to piece together the lore together yourself. I also like how the priest just has a random murder room in his temple. Alphonse was also my favourite character back when I watched this show for the first time (around 2008 I think) but rewatching now with a more concrete knowledge of my own inclination for gentle giants, heavy armour, and masks... It's almost a little embarrassing lmao. At least I know I've always been consistent. xD
Episode 2: The music is so good! The intro slaps.
Episode 3: Why is nobody monitoring these children!? I'm so stressed! Watching this as a teenager, I was like, yeah, checks out, adults are irrelevant, but now I'm acutely aware that they're ten. Also, the first words Ed says to Al in his new body being, "I'm sorry, Al," is very poignant. ;__;
Episode 4: Aw, I love Clause. I wonder what happened to the other spirit-bonded victims, though. I like that the flashback episodes are narrated by Al.
Episode 5: Ooh, Roy Mustang sure got a cool introduction. The first traits of him we see are that he's unorthodox, willing to use people, and (maybe?) more concerned with results than methods. I'm glad the little girl liked Al. TvT
Episode 6: ALPHONNNSSEEE ; A ; When he pretended to eat the bread, and his little pretend-munching!!!!! And then after the baby was born, the scene while they were both in bed and he pulled the blanket over his face and cried— I love him.
Episode 7: Poor poor Nina :( I wish they explained a bit more the mechanics of alchemy, but maybe that's coming later. I want to know why Edward can transmute without a circle, the range of it (it seems you have to be close but not touching?), and how chimeras work, amongst other things.
Episode 8: Oh, yikes. Hate that they decided the serial killer had to be a "man dressed as a woman". Cool how they showed Ed to be a kid, though. His frightened face when he broke free, rather than looking triumphant, helps ground it as something horrifying that he's never seen, rather than him being okay with it for no reason other than he's the protagonist.
Episode 9: Not much to say on this one. I wanna know what Mustang is up to, though.
Episode 10: Alphonse is a romantic. ; w ; How cute~
Episode 11 & 12: This was a cool way to get the watcher to think about the dubious morality of Ed and Al's own quest to find the Philosopher's Stone. So far, we've just seen people who want to pursue it for anime-villain levels of selfishness only, but the Tringham brothers are a nice reflection of the Elrics. They're going about it out of a sense of duty, and grief at the loss of their own father. Also, I liked when Alphonse said to Fletcher, "You should stop him. If you don't, your brother could get seriously hurt. It has to come from you," because you know he's berated himself about failing to do the same for Edward back then. I also don't understand why Edward said not to the older brother offering to explain to him how to condense red water — surely that's really useful information to know? So that they can at least avoid leads like it in the future, or protect people if someone else tries it. They've completely been going off of other people's research this far, so I can't see him having a problem with that. The only reason I can think of is some contrived future plot point where they don't know it but need to figure it out, and it'll be this horrifying reveal. I really hope not, because would be frustrating. I guess the alternative would be that they're using this to show that going forward, Ed isn't happy to rely on other people's research regarding the Philosopher's Stone.
Episode 13: The music playing during the last scene with the scarred guy was awesome. I hope they explore more about Mustang's PTSD (? maybe just flashbacks?) soon, I want to know about the military's past. (Also, this is spoiler for later episodes, but I have vague memories that the Fuhrer is actually Envy in disguise at some point? But that can't be the case right now because Envy is being the minister back in Liore, right?)
Episode 14: There he is. Alex Louis Armstrong. A best boy. Also, I'm not convinced the country this is happening in isn't the bad guy. As far as we've heard, it is expansionist, seems to have a military government, has waged multiple wars — yikes. Well, there's also the overt references to Nazi Germany which... asdlkjfh yeah.
Episode 15: I wasn't too sure about the new OP but I think I like it. It doesn't go as hard as the first one, but it's fun enough, and I like the character intros in the middle. Also, Winry is so <3. But my favourite part was definitely Al getting angry at Ed. I had chills. It's the first time we've seen him angry, which gave it all the more impact.
Episode 16: Al has my entire heart. His voice acting is so cute *clenches fist*
Episode 17: Of the episodes so far, I think this one had the most heart. I especially loved all of the moments with Winry; her body language always speaks volumes.
Episode 18: Yay for Ishbal village! I love Armstrong so much. The way they're focusing more on Hughes... I'm so suspicious. I know what happens but not when, and I don't want it to arrive. *narrows eyes so the tears won't fall*
(a few days break)
Episode 19: I missed you, Alphonse. My precious 220cm steel boy. Also, IS THAT BARRY? THAT'S BARRY, RIGHT!? I recognise their voice!!
Episode 20: I love the Slicer's design. Barry can just stfu, though. Leave Al alone. I'm interested to see where this is taken though. Al mentioned earlier that he was struggling to remember what it felt like to have a human body, and while they were visiting their home town in episode 17 he spent a lot of time upset that he couldn't remember much of his childhood. When he asked Ed, "Did I have friends...?" my heart broken, and stupid Barry the Chopper accidentally stumbled right into that open nerve wound. >:(
Episode 21: alskjdfh Barry's voice acting is so good. "Aarrrryyeee~" And then the episode goes and makes me cry with "Brother, I'm going on ahead." HHHHH. The reappearance of Tucker was also creepy af, what the hell. Nevermind that he's upside down, but that horrible whisper-voice... *shudder*
Episode 22: Holy shit, that's the one. I've already mentioned how Al is my favourite, and the entire scene at the end where he finally voiced his doubts and fears about never having been real, never having existed. "What would you have me believe, with this hollow body?" held so much emotion, like you could absolutely see the pain in his eyes even though his face never moves, even though he can't express anything more. All of his emotion has to come through his eyes and his hands and his voice, and almost because it's so limited, it's all the more clear and impactful. Like how he has them open, looking desperately for answers, and then clenches them into fists as his eyes narrow and he says, "It's possible all of you are deceiving me together, isn't it?" ;__; All of the awful fears in his mind. And then at the end, the way he begged/screamed for Ed to stay back and keep away, MY HEART IS BROKEN HGHDHGHG AND LIKE you know he would have been crying — sobbing — if he could have, but he can't, ugh, it hurts.
Episode 23: The stupid eye medicine plot twist made me cry. I hope... that Al's doubts come up again. I can see them being comforted by the events of this episode, but I don't buy that they're completely assuaged or anything. I liked the line Scar said about how he could see the tears Al couldn't in his eyes. (But also, I'm baffled that Scar went with the other Ishbal; what happened to his 'kill all the State Alchemists' quest?)
Episode 24: The... Hmm. The flashback dream thing Scar had made me suddenly and acutely aware that the State Alchemists who took part in the Ishbal war are very much war criminals. I mean, not like this world has the Geneva Convention or the ECHR or anything, but I was reminded very suddenly of the Nuremburg Trials where mass-murderers on trial tried to excuse their actions by saying that it was 'just orders'. Granted, Nazi Germany was on a whole different level than the Ishbal massacre, and there's also the notable difference that the Alchemists were all soldiers taking orders rather than the leadership themselves implementing them (as in the trials). But Mustang's flashback also solidified that idea that they really just up and attempted genocide, huh.
Episode 25: Why... did he tell Juliet... any of that...? It was such a dumb move, why on earth... The funeral itself though was hard hitting. Such a tonal shift. And Armstrong (well, everyone) really got a few tears out of me, hhhh. And oh my god, him waving at the train station, AAAAAAA!! ;__; WHY
(a week's break)
Episode 26: The plot thickens re: Mustang :o
Episode 27: hhhhhh this had a lot of dark ideas behind it. Al hiding the truth about his body, and everyone in the town they trained in saying hello to the brothers and commenting on how they'd grown. I love Al so much.
Episode 28: Cute kids and I really enjoyed seeing them before the accident but yiiikes that was dark tbh. Stranding kids alone on a deserted island so the trials and tribulations they face force them to understand the insignificance of their own existences... The terrible teacher award goes to— lmao.
Episode 29: I don't... like the kid... And I'm not super here for the 'woman struggling with infertility blindly adopts suspicious child' trope lol. That might not be what's happening, but it's what I'm getting so far. Speaking of, my guess so far from the randomly constant blood coughing is (and the fact that she's seen the gate Ed so when he attempted human transmutation) she lost her kid, tried to bring it back to life, and the cost was her womb? KJHKLGHSDLKGH IDK
Episode 30: Okay, the real story was better. I still can't really stand the homunculus boy though (the idea that he tried to shuffle forward on a roof to clap his hands togetehr and ended up rolling to his doom is so... *sigh* you know that trope where children younger than the series' main characters end up being insufferable headaches-in-distress alskjdhlf)
Episode 31: The fact that his eyes only changed after he realised what he was feels pretty lazy. I gotta be honest, I do not like Izumi's character at all after all this. -_- Everything feels kind of rushed and convoluted. Also, what tf is Al gonna do by fighting Wrath? Rip off his arm and leg and just give them to Ed? It's already been established that transmuting your own body is impossible (I think, which is why Ed was freaked out when Wrath could). Ughhh I don't understandddd
Episode 32: Oooh Al had a cool moment at the end <3 This episode was better than the last few, I'm glad to say.
Episode 33: The writers enjoy throwing Al's head off at every opportunity now, don't they? Also, why on earth does Greed need Al and Ed to learn how to bond a soul to an object when in Lab 5 Tucker already did it to Barry and the Slicer brothers, and he's right there? How did the explosion guy know about Greed's top secret imprisoning skull? Do Al's handcuffs suddenly prevent him from performing alchemy or using his super strength? UGHH the last couple episodes have felt like characters are just doing things without having any reason to do them (or none explained to us).
Episode 34: They really gave up on trying to find Wrath immediately, huh. Greed's death was well done though. :') And obv we can't trust anyone called Dante lmao.
Episode 35: I actually really enjoyed this one. I liked seeing the peek into Lust's mind, and the way the narrative played with our thoughts so that we thought she was initially... like, considering human emotions, remembering her past life and maybe turning away from the evil goals of the homunculi. But as it goes on you learn that it's them who are responsible for the horror in the village in the first place, and the pauses she took before decisions we thought were kind and empathetic was actually her deciding to go on with their plan. And then at the end, when she was like, "You were my tiny blemish," OOF I LOVED IT. She's clever, and she feels emotion, and she makes the decisions she does alongside all that.
Episode 36: We know that Winry's parents weren't killed by Mustang because of the flashback Marcoh had, right? So it seems strange to focus on it. Maybe Mustang took the blame or something, I don't quite remember. I like Winry making her own decisions for her path instead of just following Al and Ed. Scar's decision to make a Philosopher's Stone seems... weird... Like, I could believe it if it was given more time than one thought of "I need something stronger than the military..." alksjdfh.
Episode 37: I love Armstrong so much.
Episode 38: aslkjdfh Winry really is in the thick of it now, huh. I wanna know how Sloth knew they were wire-tapping and where from; and I'm irritated because I know there's no way the other lady with the short hair would have any idea whatsoever that Winry was in danger.
Episode 39: A lot of switching scenes to right after all the interesting stuff happens in this second half of the show lol. The military Liore plot is very... confusing. I'm having trouble remembering why anyone is there at all — it feels kind of convoluted, or sudden. idk. Also this zombie looking Archer dude is struggling to make any impression on me; all I get from him is that he's the plot device the writers are using whenever they need something evil done (*coughs* so idw1 Shockw—)
Episode 40: I feel like Al hasn't done anything for ages. He just kind of suffers (being kidnapped, staying still while the Fuhrer sticks a sword down his neck alsdjkfsk). The final image was so good though, with Martel's blood leaking out of Alphonse's armour. Really creepy!
Episode 41: Holy shit, things got really dark. So Scar wants to sacrifice members of the military in order to make a Philosopher's Stone to have the power to prevent the military from carrying out more genocides like those at Ishbal and (soon to be) Liore. Alphonse is cleaning blood out of himself because the military's leader killed someone while they were hiding inside him. Scar tells Ed that it's his fault Liore suffered from the military at all. Rose was kidnapped, tortured to the point she cannot speak, and raped by the military, and now has a child she takes care of as a consequence of that. And Lyra is just constantly around; speaking of, Dante was revealed to the brothers to have made Greed, who they know was imprisoned for over a century, and they just didn't question any part of that!? What is HAPPENING. Also, why does everyone think Rose is some holy lady? How on Earth did Scar start up a religious cult in like the 5 days he's been in Liore!??
Episode 42: That required... so much plot gymnastics I can't even keep it straight in my head. Not a fan of Scar's 'I hated my brother, I loved his girlfriend, but all this time I wanted to tell him I loved him too' backstory at all. Al being unable to move or speak because his body has been transmuted into a bomb (nevermind that it doesn't make sense that Kimbly can make him into a bomb, since Al is pure steel or whatever, and Kimbly used the trace minerals in human bodies) is nonsense because he's literally had half his body blown off and been vibing til Ed puts him back together. Lust leaving at the end doesn't make sense either, with what we've been told so far, especially the internal monologue we specifically heard in which she told us her plan to use it asap. The huge number of deaths from innocent soldiers was not given it's due emotional weight. Just... oof.
Episode 43: I was way off about Winry's parents, omg. I didn't recognise him in the flashback at all alksdjfh. Also, I love the fact that the marker of homunculi are slutty clothes lmao. Also, Hohenheim raises every alarm bell. I'm narrowing my eyes so hard at that dude.
Episode 44: Finally. -.- I wish we'd arrived at this point 15 episodes earlier. Al flocking to his Dad's side is so sad to see. There's no way Hohenheim isn't going to let them down again. I just do not trust him at all.
Episode 45-46: Didn't have anything to say for 45, but regarding 46, I like what they're doing with Lust. It actually feels like it's been built up to.
Episode 47: Al is annoying me so much, when did he suddenly become so gullible? UGHHH. Loving Lust, though; she's selfish to the end, willing to kill the other homunculi to get what she wants, but you totally understand why she's doing it and to me she's become the most sympathetic of the lot. Wrath, on the other hand, confuses me so much; do they want him to be a child, or his age, or an all-knowing homunculus? His motives and emotions are never clear beyond 'hysterical 5 year old' and it's honestly irritating to watch.
Episode 48: I have no understanding of the time scale anymore. Last time we were with Mustang and Armstrong they were getting ready to tell the soldiers about going back to central to stage a coup; now they're in the middle of a bitter war(?) with trenches and sandbags and everything lmao??? Where did the trenches come from? Did the alchemists feel like making some for the other side too? *facepalm* Also, I kinda feel like I'm watching the second half of Game of Thrones again when the writers had no idea what to do with half the characters. Al has done almost nothing :(
Episode 49-51: I'm still not entirely... sure... what the gate is, or the whole splitting of the mind-body-soul thing that Dante uses the baby transmutation circle to pull off. I'm not sure what to make of the portal-to-Earth thing, either, or the back-and-forth of the brothers sacrificing themselves for the other, or Al's almost total absence from the finale apart from one self-sacrifice and some amnesia fluff. There was definitely stuff I liked, though. I kept thinking back to all the times people asked them to stop, or warn them that the path they walked was one of pain and without a happy ending as all of this panned out, so that when we reached the finale about the imperfect world, I felt it couldn't have fit better. I think the ending, but also the lead-up to it, probably wasn't the strongest story-wise, but was really well done regarding theme. I'll have more to say after I watch the movie sequel, which I've read is the actual ending. :)
(a few weeks later)
Conqueror of Shamballa: Yeah, this definitely feels like the actual ending. I like that they wrapped up Gluttony's and Wrath's stories, and the focus on the events in Germany rather than Amestris, since that where Ed was. The bittersweet ending of getting something you want at the price of something else really fits thematically. I liked this movie! And I'm really glad Al regained his memories, too. Making Hughes a Nazi had me a bit like,,, why... but I think it served to highlight that this world was definitely not just a mimic of the other, it was its own living breathing thing, and also to help root the events in what was going on at the time. Hmm. Yeah. Good movie. Suiting. I don't know if I can talk about it without talking about the show as a whole though; I'm going to get my thoughts in order and write up some meta. (Edit: Here is a link to the meta post!)
But that's Fullmetal Alchemist! FMA:B is next. >:)
