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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Monday, 26 February 2007 00:00 |
 After a few months' break, thanks to FUNimation changing their UK distributor, Full Metal Alchemist finally returns. The brothers continue their quest for the legendary Philosopher's Stone, but Ed finds the moral ground becoming ever murkier along the way. If that's not enough, Winry finds out some uncomfortable truths while the military become ever shadier...
33 - Al, Captured
Some sneaky tactics on the behalf of his attackers leaves Al at their mercy, although the presence of Dante and Lyra mean they leave with just Al, leaving Ed behind to plan the inevitable rescue attempt - if he can just find out where his brother's been taken. The only clue is a box of matches from a bar called the Devil's Nest, left in Dante's garden and that Izumi takes as her lead. Al, meanwhile, is getting to know his captors - victims of the military's experiments in Lab 5 and freed by Greed, they now feel they owe him a debt of gratitude, but not all of them seem to agree with what Greed's trying to do...
34 - The Theory of Avarice
Archer orders everyone left in the Devil's Nest to be killed, giving Greed and his sidekicks another reason to make good their escape as quickly as possible - although with Armstrong standing in their way, that's no easy task. Ed & Izumi, meanwhile, escape from Archer's tender care and head off in pursuit of Al and Greed once more, but Lust and Gluttony are also on his trail and are determined to make sure Greed's plans go no further...
35 - Reunion of Fools
Al, Ed and Winry begin their journey towards Ishbal. On the way, they hear of Lujon, an alchemist who has stopped in a village along the way to try and cure an outbreak of fossilitis, a strange illness where people begin to change into stone or wood or some other inanimate object - and naturally enough, it's fatal. Lujon's efforts haven't been very succesfful - what he really needs, he feels, is the Philosopher's Stone. Or lessons from Lust, who has also found her way to the village and who has had previous dealings with Lujon.
36 - The Sinner Within
Having heard that the Ishbalans had once created a Philosopher's Stone, Ed tries to get some information out of the group who had once taken Scar in. As well as learning that Scar no longer seems welcome with them, he's given the name of a man who may be able to give him the information he needs. The town of Kishua is their next destination, but when they arrive there it's clear the military have got there before them...
Full Metal Alchemist just gets murkier as it goes along - there are a string of revelations over the course of these episodes that paint several characters in shades of grey, as people who you once thought were trustworthy are revealed to be maybe not quite so. Unsurprisingly, it's usually the military folk on the receiving end of that treatment, but not exclusively.
The military also don't come out of their current dealings with the Ishbalans with glowing references - a race apart from the "normal" in this country, they're now being transported to designated residential areas. Sounds much like the treatment of Jews during World War II to me, and another indication that perhaps Ed and Al may come to regret becoming dogs of the military - especially as the military's research into areas of alchemy that should really be off-limits seems set to continue.
One other major piece of information deals with the origins of the homunculi - the side-effects of unsuccessful attempts at human transmutation, and ever more determined to find a way to claim a normal life for themselves, whatever the cost - and for at least one of them here, that cost is their life. They have a weakness, however - not easy to exploit unless you know the origin of the homunculi in question, but any weakness would be welcome with this lot on your tail.
There's plenty here to keep the attention - over the four episodes on this disc, there are a series of impressive set-piece battles for the boys to win through, and a steady stream of revelations, most of which are genuinely surprising, although with the benefit of hindsight most of them could probably be predicted. By the end of the disc, you'll see a number of characters in a new light and be more than a little overwhelmed by just how much happens, but as the story unfolds it just gets easier and easier to get caught up in the adventures of the Elric brothers. Full Metal Alchemist has the feel now of a series that's in its final stages - and yet there are still 3 discs plus to go. I hope the series can keep up the current pace right to the end - it'll be truly essential viewing if it can. As things stand, it still comes highly recommended.
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