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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Sunday, 15 April 2007 17:00 |
 I've been getting steadily more impressed with Full Metal Alchemist as it's gone on. This volume boosts it into one of the best anime series I've watched, in something like 7 years of watching - and I've watched a lot in that time. Throw away your preconceptions about who's good and who's evil, as the series kicks into high gear...
41 - Holy Mother
Scar tells Ed a few home truths about what's happened in Liore - how the military swarmed in and killed hundreds, and how it was Ed's defeat of the city's priest Leto that created the opportunity for the military to do that. It's in return for incidents like this, and the Ishbalan massacre, that Scar's so keen to create a Philosopher's Stone and serve on the military some of the treatment they've been dishing out on others - and now Ed has to decide what he's going to do about that. His main aim now is to prevent any further bloodshed, but events seem destined to stop him from doing that. Thanks to Martel's final words, meanwhile, Al now knows that the Fuhrer himself is a homunculus, while Wrath pays a visit to Liore looking for the remaining parts of "his" body...
42 - His Name is Unknown
Kimbly's dying act is to begin the transmutation that will turn Al into a living bomb - while Scar would like to be able to help him, his own skills are limited to destruction, but he soon realises that the process of creating his Philosopher's Stone may also be able to save Al. Edward has his own problems, though, as he tries to deal with Wrath and 'Juliet'. Meanwhile, Mustang - having learnt of what the military were up to in the 5th Laboratory - tries to put a stop to Archer and his plans, while the military begins its assault on Liore. Just what Scar's been waiting for...
43 - The Stray Dog
Winry and Sheska arrive in Resembool, but it would seem they've been followed - a tall stranger has been with them since Central, and follows them all the way to Winry's home. Turns out he's not as suspicious as Winry had at first thought, but his arrival is still a surprise - it's Ed & Al's father, and he's having trouble finding his home. No surprise as Ed had burnt it down before leaving to become a State Alchemist. Back in Liore, Mustang's trying to pick up the pieces, but with Ed and Al confirmed as having been in the city before the transmutation, and Ed's known contact with Scar, the Fuhrer orders Mustang to pursue and capture the brothers - and to deal with them appropriately if they resist. Fortunately for the brothers, not everyone believes they're capable of treason or sedition, but while tracking them down is easy enough, they're not inclined to co-operate...
44 - Hohenheim of Light
Lyra and Rose arrive in Central, where Lyra has contacts that she hopes will ensure their safety. Or at least, that's what she's been telling Rose - but it soon becomes clear that Lyra's motivations and aims are very different from what she's been leading people to believe. Back in Resembool, Ed and Al fill Mustang in on what they've discovered about the Fuhrer and Secretary Douglas - although Ed still doesn't entirely trust him. Ed's return to Resembool also reunites him with his father, and while it's not what you could call a happy reunion, he does have some information about the homunculi that may be useful - although he's surprisingly reticent about doing anything about them...
The boys' father seems to know exactly what's going on, but he's also equally happy to just sit on the sidelines and let it happen. It's only because his sons are up to their neck in events that he gets involved, and even then it's not in a way that would have much of an impact beyond keeping the boys safe. There are also a few rather blunt hints that he's not exactly your normal human being (the first being his suggestion to Al of how he could regain a human body for himself), and he's not the only one of his kind on the loose - there's one identified by the end of the disc, and seeing how this series is developing I wouldn't bet against there being more.
The boys also get their Philosopher's Stone here - but not quite how they expected to, and now they have it they're not entirely sure what to do with it. To be so close to the end of their journey - they started off simply seeking the Stone, after all - and not be able to complete it because of everything else that's going on around them must be a real killer for them, and with Edward so set against taking anyone's help now that he no longer really knows who he can trust, times are just getting harder for them.
Once again, it's the homunculi who are in control - or at least, the person who is controlling them, which came as a complete surprise to me. Lust, Envy, Pride, Gluttony and co provide such a good range of Bad Guys - and with a motivation (to become human) that you can just about sympathise with - that they're almost the highlight of the show. While their methods are undoubtedly evil, they're also not without a human touch (Lust particularly, especially when it comes to Scar), and that makes them so much more than cookie-cutter villains. As for the other villains of the piece, it seems that it's the ones you thought were the good guys that you really have to look out for. This really isn't a series where you can take anyone's allegiance for granted.
Except perhaps for Mustang, who proves his loyalty to his men at least - and that includes Edward. Mustang's been one of those characters where you were never quite sure what side of the line he fell on, especially after learning he was responsible for the deaths of Winry's parents (explained here), but he always seems to come through in the end. He's not entirely believing of Alphonse's insistence that the Fuhrer is a homunculi, but he's willing to at least look into the matter. He may not like the results of that little investigation...
There's more that goes on here, but I don't want to spoil the whole disc. Let's just say it was one of those discs where you can watch from beginning to end and not even notice the time passing, and personally I can't wait to see more. A must-see series.
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