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Apr 5, 2010 7:03 PM

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Jan 2010
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The episode was great... very gory though. The opening was superb but i was expecting it to be more... upbeat but when you think of a title like Rain it should be known that it would be moody. The ending was all right. The animators seem to have gotten lazy though. Oh well there are plenty of worse ending... bachikko.

Cant wait to see what happens next week with Al and Kimblee...
.
Apr 5, 2010 7:18 PM

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3051
The immoral army is crazy ><


Apr 5, 2010 7:38 PM
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Feb 2010
227
Words can't describe how awesome this episode is! ^_^

Opening is awesome, too. It foreshadows many epic things to come. Can't wait. ^_^
Apr 5, 2010 7:53 PM

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GREAT episode. Loved the immortal army, loved Armstrong/Sloth, loved the Heinkel/Al moment at the end...

And I don;t know if I should "spoiler" this since it's in the next episode preview, but


Apr 5, 2010 8:02 PM

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New OP and ED aren't very good :(

And they will probably be the last we get before the show ends.

This episode was great though, lots of action!
Apr 5, 2010 8:18 PM

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170
Anyone else think the eyecatch guys sounded like a teenage girl in this one? It seriously made me laugh.
Al looks seriously scary in that last shot...
Apr 5, 2010 9:21 PM
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tsukikage said:
Anyone else think the eyecatch guys sounded like a teenage girl in this one? It seriously made me laugh.
Al looks seriously scary in that last shot...


Yeah, that was odd. I found it especially inappropriate given he said it like that over the image of the supposed-to-be-terrifying immortal army.
Apr 5, 2010 10:00 PM

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ChainsawAsh said:
tsukikage said:
Anyone else think the eyecatch guys sounded like a teenage girl in this one? It seriously made me laugh.
Al looks seriously scary in that last shot...


Yeah, that was odd. I found it especially inappropriate given he said it like that over the image of the supposed-to-be-terrifying immortal army.


It actually sounded a lot like Vic Mignogna to me.

Apr 5, 2010 11:25 PM
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Grammar Queen

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Not as much happened in this episode as I was expecting. Hope to see more progression next week :)
p r o f i l e đź‘€
Apr 5, 2010 11:59 PM

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Yet another boring episode with next to nothing happening.
Scratch that. May Chang fucks shit up like we all knew she was going to (but at least she was animated well).
Also, Olivier was totally useless against Sloth.

I remember about 20 episodes ago when Alphonse realized how powerless he was and he seemed really resolved to being useful. What happened? He hasn't done anything really. He sat there and let Pride tap morse code thinking "Oh, he's just a kid," when he's a freakin' Homonculus. Then he's easily swayed into doing one of the few things he said he wouldn't because he was so easily backed into a corner. I'm disgusted with how weak he is as a character. It's depressing. He had so much potential, but he's just sat in this series like a bump on a log, letting everyone progress as he stays stagnant. What's the point of his character beside being some point of motivation for Ed? Really? He's useless. At this point, he was more interesting in the first series, because they at least gave him a role 50 episodes in.
Apr 6, 2010 1:20 AM
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When Envy got his body back my eyes rolled so far back in my head that I couldn't see straight for hours.
Apr 6, 2010 2:02 AM

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Apr 2009
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Dolls are scary.
Apr 6, 2010 2:10 AM

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Feb 2010
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The Opening was alright..but the last Opening was awesome.
Did Mr. Heinkel became part of Alphonse's body? O.o I was a bit confessed at that part.
Apr 6, 2010 2:13 AM

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Timare said:
The Opening was alright..but the last Opening was awesome.
Did Mr. Heinkel became part of Alphonse's body? O.o I was a bit confessed at that part.

Nope Heinkel is still a diff person he just used the ground to transmute his legs back together.
Apr 6, 2010 2:20 AM
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Evilyn said:
FUCK YES. MY LOVE IS BACK.


Apr 6, 2010 2:28 AM

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^hahahaha how cruel of you XD
Apr 6, 2010 2:32 AM

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damn Al was awesome and badass at the and ....

cant wait to see his fight actually.
Apr 6, 2010 2:33 AM
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Lol... Alphonse = gundam woo!
Apr 6, 2010 3:07 AM

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This is officially my all time fav now :D
Stay Home and Wash Your Hands.
Protect Yourself. Protect Your Loved Ones.
Protect Your Community and Help Defeat
Coronavirus.
Apr 6, 2010 3:10 AM

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a retard or a hater would have even dared to give this episode 1/5...........damn .....epicnes......and aru was cool...awesome......
Apr 6, 2010 4:33 AM

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If you mute the music (my ears wanted to puke) the opening was quite fantastic. Don't care so much for the "spoilers" because it looked great ;D

As for the episode itself, damn there is so much many awesome scenes in one episode it's almost too much xD
The release of Pride, reincarnation of Envy and entrance of Sloth, the latter was probably the best though since it really caught me off guard and it was totally hilarious when you combined it with his indifferent reaction xD
Envy's rebirth, cool as it may be, really was quite disgusting with the melding of all those screaming bodies. Poor Mei who will have to live with that image for the rest of her life :/
Apr 6, 2010 5:04 AM

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noteDhero said:
Yet another boring episode with next to nothing happening.
Scratch that. May Chang fucks shit up like we all knew she was going to (but at least she was animated well).
Also, Olivier was totally useless against Sloth.


I'm just wondering, what exactly constitutes "something happening" for you? The plot is in total constant motion, and the shit is seriously starting to hit the fan these last two episodes.

Pride getting freed, the unleashing of the Homunculus army, and the revolution in Central isn't enough?

Apr 6, 2010 5:10 AM

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ArnoldK said:
noteDhero said:
Yet another boring episode with next to nothing happening.
Scratch that. May Chang fucks shit up like we all knew she was going to (but at least she was animated well).
Also, Olivier was totally useless against Sloth.


I'm just wondering, what exactly constitutes "something happening" for you? The plot is in total constant motion, and the shit is seriously starting to hit the fan these last two episodes.

Pride getting freed, the unleashing of the Homunculus army, and the revolution in Central isn't enough?


Don't mind him, his only goal in life is to create conflict. Come to think off it, this makes him sound like a supervillain... ^_^

"Thousands have lived without love, not one without water." -Wystan Hugh
Apr 6, 2010 5:31 AM

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I don't really like the new OP, but the ED was alright. The episode was nice, but the next one is going to be better if I remember correctly from the Manga.
Apr 6, 2010 6:03 AM
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OP/ED really sucked.

also, ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG.
Apr 6, 2010 7:15 AM

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Divine_Judgement said:
OP/ED really sucked.

also, ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG.



i found this post really funny......but in a good way.....
Apr 6, 2010 8:13 AM
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Damn good to see Envy again <3
noteDhero said:
Alphonse realized how powerless he was and he seemed really resolved to being useful. What happened? He hasn't done anything really. He sat there and let Pride tap morse code thinking "Oh, he's just a kid," when he's a freakin' Homonculus.
And this I agree.
Apr 6, 2010 8:41 AM

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I don't know why everyone is hating the new OP and END but I love them both xD!

good episode! Can't wait to see what happens with al!
Apr 6, 2010 9:13 AM

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ArnoldK said:


I'm just wondering, what exactly constitutes "something happening" for you? The plot is in total constant motion, and the shit is seriously starting to hit the fan these last two episodes.

Pride getting freed, the unleashing of the Homunculus army, and the revolution in Central isn't enough?


So I said nothing happened, said scratch that, and listed three things that happened aside from the immortal soldiers. What's so hard to understand? My point is that nothing really progressed in this episode. The army got turned on last episode. May Chang was clearly going to unwittingly release Envy the second she made the decision to turn around, and we knew that Pride was sending a message.

What happened in this episode was not the least bit exciting for me. Maybe it its the animation, because at least when May Chang was fighting the homoncubots, I was thinking "oh wow that's cool." But at every other point in the episode everything was so repetitive and dragged out. I didn't need to see Al dragging whats his name for so long having the same tired conversation that he and Ed have had with other characters too often. I don't want to see someone as smart as Olivier hide behind a pillar and think that's a good idea.

So yes, there was some progression in this episode, but most of it felt like it was at the expense of the intelligence of some of the main players who should know better (Olivier, Alphonse, May Chang), while forcibly stalling the people who were going somewhere (Mustang, Ed & Scar), and not showing people who I assume were doing something (Briggs soldiers, Hoenheim)j. Yeah, the cast is big, but once again, I feel like I'm watching an episode building towards something as opposed to really doing or saying anything. That, combined with the empty op and ed (which too many people are focusing on, but then they always have for FMA:B) just makes me increasingly more frustrated with the pacing, decisions to show certain things, and the validity in the existence of certain characters.
Apr 6, 2010 9:21 AM

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Relenus said:
Evilyn said:
FUCK YES. MY LOVE IS BACK.






Darklight0303 said:
^hahahaha how cruel of you XD


lol it is true xD
Apr 6, 2010 9:25 AM

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i dunno why but i find the new OP very nice and emotional and the song fits the mood, still i also expected something more epicXD
n I don't know why you people are complaining about it

and come on, its the last opening theme song for FMA:B with a lot spoilers (doesnt really bug me though) im not a manga reader but i know some (roy spoiler)

ED is okay...didnt expected much.. dont really like the song

the episode was awesome:D especially love the first part
anyways...it was a good episode..cant believe fma is going to endD:



Apr 6, 2010 9:32 AM

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noteDhero said:
ArnoldK said:


I'm just wondering, what exactly constitutes "something happening" for you? The plot is in total constant motion, and the shit is seriously starting to hit the fan these last two episodes.

Pride getting freed, the unleashing of the Homunculus army, and the revolution in Central isn't enough?


So I said nothing happened, said scratch that, and listed three things that happened aside from the immortal soldiers. What's so hard to understand? My point is that nothing really progressed in this episode. The army got turned on last episode. May Chang was clearly going to unwittingly release Envy the second she made the decision to turn around, and we knew that Pride was sending a message.

What happened in this episode was not the least bit exciting for me. Maybe it its the animation, because at least when May Chang was fighting the homoncubots, I was thinking "oh wow that's cool." But at every other point in the episode everything was so repetitive and dragged out. I didn't need to see Al dragging whats his name for so long having the same tired conversation that he and Ed have had with other characters too often. I don't want to see someone as smart as Olivier hide behind a pillar and think that's a good idea.

So yes, there was some progression in this episode, but most of it felt like it was at the expense of the intelligence of some of the main players who should know better (Olivier, Alphonse, May Chang), while forcibly stalling the people who were going somewhere (Mustang, Ed & Scar), and not showing people who I assume were doing something (Briggs soldiers, Hoenheim)j. Yeah, the cast is big, but once again, I feel like I'm watching an episode building towards something as opposed to really doing or saying anything. That, combined with the empty op and ed (which too many people are focusing on, but then they always have for FMA:B) just makes me increasingly more frustrated with the pacing, decisions to show certain things, and the validity in the existence of certain characters.

The plot is building up, yes, but it's a necessity as we reach the climax. However, yes, the pacing does feel slowed down to a point where it feels like they're not accomplishing much. I think I noted in my post some pages ago that there's there's so much going on everywhere and with different groups of people that we end up seeing a bit of everything but not a whole lot of anything. In other words, we get a few minutes with Ed's group, a few minutes with Al, a few minutes with Olivier, a few minutes with Mei, and barely anything with Mustang's group.

The alternative would be to focus on just a few things in one episode and a few other things in another episode, but then it might feel more disjointed than it already is. You can contrast this with what went on in the Bleach manga recently, when several weeks were dedicated to one fight before spending several more weeks on another, even though both fights were chronologically happening at the same time. It gets tiring after a while. So no matter what, it's a difficult task handling so much at once.

Maybe what FMA:B needs is a one-hour special or something xD
Apr 6, 2010 10:25 AM

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Loving the opening! I know openings are supposed to be all action-y and exciting, but I think this time, it fits the mood of the arc perfectly. I almost teared up :(

Oosran said:

Yea :( I felt like crying. Btw, I love your awesome way of concealing your spoiler :D!

noteDhero said:
I remember about 20 episodes ago when Alphonse realized how powerless he was and he seemed really resolved to being useful. What happened? He hasn't done anything really. He sat there and let Pride tap morse code thinking "Oh, he's just a kid," when he's a freakin' Homonculus. Then he's easily swayed into doing one of the few things he said he wouldn't because he was so easily backed into a corner. I'm disgusted with how weak he is as a character. It's depressing. He had so much potential, but he's just sat in this series like a bump on a log, letting everyone progress as he stays stagnant. What's the point of his character beside being some point of motivation for Ed? Really? He's useless. At this point, he was more interesting in the first series, because they at least gave him a role 50 episodes in.
Sometimes you just break my heart noteDhero :(. In terms of Alphonse's character development, sure there isn't much if you compare his to Ed's...but I still feel like there is character development. I think the decision he made this episode required a lot of strength and determination. He's not willing to give up, even if it's at the cost of doing something that he previously refused to do. Also, as Kimblee had pointed out, if he was as cowardly as you say - he could have easily ran away, but instead he chose to face Pride and Kimblee.

As for "nothing happening" and the feeling of how everything is dragging on or how it's anti-climatic. I truly don't mind it since the anime is seriously cutting too close for comfort to where the manga is. If they quicken the pace, they'll be forced to make fillers. Definitely not what I want. I doubt anyone would want that o__o;;
robbydesuApr 6, 2010 10:29 AM
Apr 6, 2010 12:05 PM

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@Aeterna
You're right. I just feel like had they mixed things up a little (like showing Olivier with Mustang in one episode, and Ed and Al in another) it wouldn't all feel so one-note like it has been. Last week was, "look at the people who are coming back while Mustang and Ed pwn everyone. This week was, "look at the other side gain ground while Al, May Chang, and Olivier are backed into corners." In neither episodes did I feel the depth or massiveness of the struggle. Maybe if I saw Olivier pressured by Sloth while Mustang pressed the army forward it would have felt better. That's just a thought though.

@robbydesu
I didn't call Alphonse cowardly...just weak. And a little stupid. I think if we're comparing Al to Winry, Ling, or any other character on his tier, his character development doesn't match up. This episode required some kind of resolve, but I wonder what he'll be saying after the necessity for him to use the Philosopher's Stone is over.

Let's think here (because maybe I'm missing something) after the battle that got Mustang hurt, Al resolved himself to being more useful. Shortly after he was able to remember the Truth, and could transmute without a circle. I thought this was the start of something grand. What has happened since then? He hears the whole story from Hoenheim, accepts it, and then gets on a train. A contrived timer of him loosing attachment to his armor is introduced so that Pride could easily manipulate him and fight Ed. Then because he was so easily manipulated he comes up with this plan to stick himself in the darkness with Pride, thinking that's enough...when he could have fought to at least subdue him (or get his helmet back). The rationality and forethought I thought Al had only applies to canceling out Ed's irrationality. Al is about as stupid as Ed is on his own, and that makes him quite useless when they have been separated for so long.
Apr 6, 2010 2:40 PM

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I guess that's one way to justify the use of a philosopher's stone. Pretty much like how Americans justify Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WW II. Still I'm glad Alphonse used it, I'm tired of always seeing the Elric brothers on the loosing side.

These OPs are getting badder and badder.
Apr 6, 2010 5:26 PM

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I feel like the OP is sad because the ending is near, I mean there are like what twelve eps left? It's almost done :(
The ED, well I never care much for them in Anime...i mean I think I've only like a select few.
And the winryxed part in the opening oh yes that made me do a fangurl squeal
Apr 6, 2010 6:34 PM
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noteDhero said:
@Aeterna
You're right. I just feel like had they mixed things up a little (like showing Olivier with Mustang in one episode, and Ed and Al in another) it wouldn't all feel so one-note like it has been. Last week was, "look at the people who are coming back while Mustang and Ed pwn everyone. This week was, "look at the other side gain ground while Al, May Chang, and Olivier are backed into corners." In neither episodes did I feel the depth or massiveness of the struggle. Maybe if I saw Olivier pressured by Sloth while Mustang pressed the army forward it would have felt better. That's just a thought though.

@robbydesu
I didn't call Alphonse cowardly...just weak. And a little stupid. I think if we're comparing Al to Winry, Ling, or any other character on his tier, his character development doesn't match up. This episode required some kind of resolve, but I wonder what he'll be saying after the necessity for him to use the Philosopher's Stone is over.

Let's think here (because maybe I'm missing something) after the battle that got Mustang hurt, Al resolved himself to being more useful. Shortly after he was able to remember the Truth, and could transmute without a circle. I thought this was the start of something grand. What has happened since then? He hears the whole story from Hoenheim, accepts it, and then gets on a train. A contrived timer of him loosing attachment to his armor is introduced so that Pride could easily manipulate him and fight Ed. Then because he was so easily manipulated he comes up with this plan to stick himself in the darkness with Pride, thinking that's enough...when he could have fought to at least subdue him (or get his helmet back). The rationality and forethought I thought Al had only applies to canceling out Ed's irrationality. Al is about as stupid as Ed is on his own, and that makes him quite useless when they have been separated for so long.


Hmm... you say that Al should have known that Pride was sending a morse code, but how was he supposed to know that? It caught me by surprise when I first saw that, though it was like a year ago when I was reading the manga. Maybe it's just me, but I think that's pretty unpredictable. XP

Anyway, I'm surprised that so many people don't like the new opening. I personally thought it was pretty awesome. Maybe more so than the previous opening. >_<;

The ending wasn't as good, though. I liked the previous ending better, but this one isn't all that bad. XP
Apr 6, 2010 6:44 PM

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Julio-sama said:
Hmm... you say that Al should have known that Pride was sending a morse code, but how was he supposed to know that?


No kid would be entertained by hitting a metal helmet with a stick for the whole night.
dxthegreatApr 6, 2010 6:48 PM



Apr 6, 2010 7:16 PM

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dxthegreat said:
Julio-sama said:
Hmm... you say that Al should have known that Pride was sending a morse code, but how was he supposed to know that?


No kid would be entertained by hitting a metal helmet with a stick for the whole night.


i disagree lol i know some little kids and they'd be happy doing that for awhile
Apr 6, 2010 7:37 PM

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suigetsu00 said:
dxthegreat said:
Julio-sama said:
Hmm... you say that Al should have known that Pride was sending a morse code, but how was he supposed to know that?


No kid would be entertained by hitting a metal helmet with a stick for the whole night.


i disagree lol i know some little kids and they'd be happy doing that for awhile

It might have been less obvious in the manga, but in the anime, the fact that:

1) Pride is a homunculus and cannot be trusted,
2) Pride is doing it with a serious face and with zero enthusiasm, in contrast to a playing child, and
3) There was a purposeful "rhythm" to it -- as in, there were short, quick taps as well as longer taps and pauses, which is what Morse code basically is (this point is where it might be more obvious in the anime...however, I have not read the manga so I can't say)

At first, I thought Pride was doing it to annoy Al, but as it kept going, I quickly realized what it was. I don't know why Al (or anyone else) didn't catch on sooner.

(And even so, if I were Al, I'd be flat out offended that Pride was using my head as a freaking drum and would take it back ASAP, anyway)

@noteDhero
It might be a good idea to focus on a few characters in one episode, and then another set of characters in another (e.g. Olivier and Mustang in one episode, Ed and Al in the next), but it would risk making it feel very disjointed (moreso than it already is). Probably, no matter what, there will be people complaining. It's an unpleasable fanbase xD
AeternaApr 6, 2010 7:43 PM
Apr 6, 2010 8:50 PM

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Aeterna said:
suigetsu00 said:
dxthegreat said:
Julio-sama said:
Hmm... you say that Al should have known that Pride was sending a morse code, but how was he supposed to know that?


No kid would be entertained by hitting a metal helmet with a stick for the whole night.


i disagree lol i know some little kids and they'd be happy doing that for awhile

It might have been less obvious in the manga, but in the anime, the fact that:

1) Pride is a homunculus and cannot be trusted,
2) Pride is doing it with a serious face and with zero enthusiasm, in contrast to a playing child, and
3) There was a purposeful "rhythm" to it -- as in, there were short, quick taps as well as longer taps and pauses, which is what Morse code basically is (this point is where it might be more obvious in the anime...however, I have not read the manga so I can't say)


Also, in the manga, Pride just seemed a little more convincing as a kid, at least to Al- there were a couple of moments where Al had to catch himself and remember that Selim is a Homunculus. This was definitely played a little more strongly in the manga.

As for your second point, you have to realize that they are in complete pitch black darkness and thus Al would not be able to see his face and thus read it one way or another...

Apr 6, 2010 10:35 PM

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Fai said:

No thats the house they burned down. Im pretty sure as we had the exact same house burning in OP 1 or 2 And Winry's/Pinako's house is smaller.


OH! Looks like you're right! Thanks a bunch~
Apr 7, 2010 1:09 AM

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I don't wanna read more since there are lots of anime-manga comparisons... so I will just say I loved this episode

Olivier vs Sloth = win
Apr 7, 2010 1:14 AM

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This anime wil jump to the top of the list like Gintama did if it ends well.

Mark my words.
Apr 7, 2010 5:58 AM

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ArnoldK said:
Aeterna said:
suigetsu00 said:
dxthegreat said:
Julio-sama said:
Hmm... you say that Al should have known that Pride was sending a morse code, but how was he supposed to know that?


No kid would be entertained by hitting a metal helmet with a stick for the whole night.


i disagree lol i know some little kids and they'd be happy doing that for awhile

It might have been less obvious in the manga, but in the anime, the fact that:

1) Pride is a homunculus and cannot be trusted,
2) Pride is doing it with a serious face and with zero enthusiasm, in contrast to a playing child, and
3) There was a purposeful "rhythm" to it -- as in, there were short, quick taps as well as longer taps and pauses, which is what Morse code basically is (this point is where it might be more obvious in the anime...however, I have not read the manga so I can't say)


Also, in the manga, Pride just seemed a little more convincing as a kid, at least to Al- there were a couple of moments where Al had to catch himself and remember that Selim is a Homunculus. This was definitely played a little more strongly in the manga.

As for your second point, you have to realize that they are in complete pitch black darkness and thus Al would not be able to see his face and thus read it one way or another...


@aeterna
i agree with that

@arnoldk
exactly right......in the manga we couldn't have had any idea what selim was doing. plus like you mentioned he acted more like a kid in the manga and al had to remind himself he is the enemy.
Apr 7, 2010 7:28 AM

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Haylias said:
This anime wil jump to the top of the list like Gintama did if it ends well.

Mark my words.

That's pretty obvious :D
- If you believe this place holds you, it is a prison.
If you do not wish to leave, it will become a fortress.


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Apr 7, 2010 7:40 AM

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If my ears didn't trick me, it was a morse code for SOS.
3 quick taps for S, and 3 slow ones for O

New OP is so-so, though RAIN's supposed to be ED rather than OP, IMO.
New ED is a letdown one. I just got the feeling 'sleepy' when watching.

Envy's back! in a HUMAN form. I love his crazy laughing.
Ahh and May Chang, I never like her, but this EP just made me admire her fighting skill, so fluent.

Too bad Olivier couldn't do much about Sloth, since I was looking forward to seeing her 1 on 1 fighting scene.

Oh Oh and I got a question here!!
Why didn't Al make a transmutation for his legs by using the metal from the rest of his armour?
He tried to drag Heinkel along the way without having legs. Wouldn't it be easier if he just transmute ones up and let the armour's surface get a bit thinner for an exchange? Why hesitate?
And did he just end up using some part ( or whole ) of the philosopher's stone for them. Or did he do just like what I suggested?

Hmmm... I think I need to rewatch it .
AidanKieranApr 7, 2010 7:44 AM
Apr 7, 2010 7:44 AM

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noteDhero said:
@robbydesu
I didn't call Alphonse cowardly...just weak. And a little stupid. I think if we're comparing Al to Winry, Ling, or any other character on his tier, his character development doesn't match up. This episode required some kind of resolve, but I wonder what he'll be saying after the necessity for him to use the Philosopher's Stone is over.

Let's think here (because maybe I'm missing something) after the battle that got Mustang hurt, Al resolved himself to being more useful. Shortly after he was able to remember the Truth, and could transmute without a circle. I thought this was the start of something grand. What has happened since then? He hears the whole story from Hoenheim, accepts it, and then gets on a train. A contrived timer of him loosing attachment to his armor is introduced so that Pride could easily manipulate him and fight Ed. Then because he was so easily manipulated he comes up with this plan to stick himself in the darkness with Pride, thinking that's enough...when he could have fought to at least subdue him (or get his helmet back). The rationality and forethought I thought Al had only applies to canceling out Ed's irrationality. Al is about as stupid as Ed is on his own, and that makes him quite useless when they have been separated for so long.
Hmm I guess I really don't understand what your definition of "weak" is...

I definitely agree that in comparison to other characters, Al's character development is minimal. But I don't quite understand your logic with the connection between Pride's manipulation of Al and Al's plan to be trapped in that dark secluded place with Pride. I thought it was clear to the viewers, and to some of the characters in the series that Ed and Al have always wanted to "fight" and solve their problems without hurting or killing anyone in the process. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, therefore he decided on a plan that will achieve that wish. This defines what he might think is considered as "helping others". In his perspective, as long as he can prevent someone from dying or getting hurt - then he is considered to be "useful". He's rash and naive (it's interesting, because Mustang displayed this sort mindset during the coup d'etat) but I don't think it's fair to say that he's stupid because it's not like he didn't put any thought behind his actions and it's not like there isn't any valid logic behind it either. And wait wait wait...I'm getting lost here, Ed is irrational? I need some clarification here XD

GlacialFroszeN said:
Oh Oh and I got a question here!!
Why didn't Al make a transmutation for his legs by using the metal from the rest of his armour?
He tried to drag Heinkel along the way without having legs. Wouldn't it be easier if he just transmute ones up and let the armour's surface get a bit thinner for an exchange? Why hesitate?
And did he just end up using some part ( or whole ) of the philosopher's stone for them. Or did he do just like what I suggested?

Hmmm... I think I need to rewatch it .

I think the reason is just as how you said, his armour will be thinner - which I think is a problem because it won't support the weight of the rest of his armour. The whole point of a philosopher stone is that it defies the law of equivalent exchange. So he most likely created his legs from nothing.
robbydesuApr 7, 2010 7:52 AM
Apr 7, 2010 10:06 AM

Offline
Nov 2008
793
robbydesu said:
GlacialFroszeN said:
Oh Oh and I got a question here!!
Why didn't Al make a transmutation for his legs by using the metal from the rest of his armour?
He tried to drag Heinkel along the way without having legs. Wouldn't it be easier if he just transmute ones up and let the armour's surface get a bit thinner for an exchange? Why hesitate?
And did he just end up using some part ( or whole ) of the philosopher's stone for them. Or did he do just like what I suggested?

Hmmm... I think I need to rewatch it .

I think the reason is just as how you said, his armour will be thinner - which I think is a problem because it won't support the weight of the rest of his armour. The whole point of a philosopher stone is that it defies the law of equivalent exchange. So he most likely created his legs from nothing.


and he risked destroying his blood seal cuz only ed knows how to transmute the armor without getting rid of it.
Apr 7, 2010 10:13 AM

Offline
Aug 2008
4367
robbydesu said:
Hmm I guess I really don't understand what your definition of "weak" is...

I definitely agree that in comparison to other characters, Al's character development is minimal. But I don't quite understand your logic with the connection between Pride's manipulation of Al and Al's plan to be trapped in that dark secluded place with Pride. I thought it was clear to the viewers, and to some of the characters in the series that Ed and Al have always wanted to "fight" and solve their problems without hurting or killing anyone in the process. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, therefore he decided on a plan that will achieve that wish. This defines what he might think is considered as "helping others". In his perspective, as long as he can prevent someone from dying or getting hurt - then he is considered to be "useful". He's rash and naive (it's interesting, because Mustang displayed this sort mindset during the coup d'etat) but I don't think it's fair to say that he's stupid because it's not like he didn't put any thought behind his actions and it's not like there isn't any valid logic behind it either. And wait wait wait...I'm getting lost here, Ed is irrational? I need some clarification here XD


My definition of a weak character is someone who is constantly succumbing to plot devices with little to no hesitation. Hoehenheim said it best: "You just accept all of it don't you?" In comparison to Ed, who likes to delude himself into thinking certain things, Al is easily able to accept what's going on around him. However, the downside is that (for me) it often feels like he is carried where the plot takes him, as opposed to being active and fighting himself. Maybe that's because of the circumstances with his body, but the only time he's actually doing something is because he doesn't need to eat, or he can't feel cold. And he's largely found doing menial work compared to (ability-wise) weaker characters. He had the same realization that Winry did not too long ago. But unlike Al, I felt like Winry wasn't going to allow herself to fall into the same mindset and role and make the same mistakes like she has been. That's not the case with Al, even though he ''leveled up." Al always feels like he has to atone for something, and lets those lame ideas get in the way of him thinking in such a way that he wouldn't have to atone. Pride stole his body to fight Ed. To atone for that he felt like he had to lock himself up with Pride. He didn't think, "Pride needs to be destroyed." Why? It's that kind of character weakness that I talk about. It's absurd to think that he could just sit in there for a day and everything would be fine.

And wrong word. I meant to use 'rash' instead of irrational as a descriptor of Ed.
noteDheroApr 7, 2010 10:16 AM
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