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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Tuesday, 28 March 2006 00:00 |
 Volume Two of Full Metal Alchemist takes us back to Ed's qualification as a State Alchemist - the first milestone on his journey to find a way to reinstate their bodies, but also the first milestone in a difficult lesson that he has to learn, as Ed discovers that being a State Alchemist - a "dog of the military", as Lt Col Mustang cheerily describes it - isn't his pass to being able to do what he pleases, and there are unpleasant tasks he's going to have to handle...
5 - The Man with the Mechanical Arm
Lt Col Mustang sets up a small test for Ed & Al on the train they're travelling on, but the plan goes awry when the train is hijacked. It's the usual routine - they're demanding that one of their members is released from prison. Ed takes steps to fight back, but the rest of the passengers aren't too keen on the idea. When it becomes clear that Edward & Alphonse alone aren't going to be able to turn the tables on the hijackers, it's up to Mustang's people on the train to help out...
6 - The Alchemy Exam
Time for Ed & Al to take their exam. In the run-up to the test, they stay with a Mr Tucker, who's an alchemist of some note himself, and has been tasked with giving them some guidance before the exam. Al has a problem in that his unique form won't allow him to complete the tests, but Ed has a chance. Can he make it through and achieve his goal of becoming a State Alchemist?
7 - Night of the Chimera's Cry
Ed's passed the State Alchemist exam, but somehow there wasn't the pomp and ceremony he was expecting - instead, Mustang simply throws him his alchemists' insignia and sends him home. While Ed's celebrating getting his certification, Tucker's on the edge of losing his - his annual research assessment is due, and if it's a poor as last year's his prospects won't be good. Tucker's fame comes from a Chimera he managed to create a few years earlier - the first ever that was able to speak, if only to say "I want to die". The creation of that Chimera coincided with his wife's disappearance, and now that he's under pressure to repeat the feat, Tucker opts to use someone else close to him - his daughter...
8 - The Philosopher's Stone
Ed's in a pretty foul mood, and being assigned to go through Tucker's research isn't helping any. With no interest in following his orders and being determined to track down whoever was responsible for killing Nina, he hands back his State Alchemist insignia and begins his own investigation. He's convinced Nina's death is linked to a series of killings in Central, but how? Meanwhile, Winry's arrived in Central to congratulate Ed on passing the certification exam - but no sooner has she arrived than she runs into the killer...
My somewhat grizzly sense of humour appreciated one particular scene in episode 8, where Ed's battling an assailant without his automail arm. Ed? 'E's 'armless... That little flash of humour masks the much more serious tone of that episode's closing scenes, though, which see Ed having to learn that life is dangerous, and that being an alchemist doesn't necessarily protect him from harm. That's sort of a running theme of these episodes, were events frequently run outside of Ed's control and he finds himself continually having to respond to things he'd rather hadn't happened.
For an emotional downer, episode 7 takes the prize, with a particularly heartbreaking ending first as Ed realises what Tucker's experiments have been about, followed by a particularly gruesome scene where our mysterious stranger puts Tucker's latest chimera out of its misery. Add in the selection of scenes chosen for that episode's ED sequence, and it's almost enough to move a guy to tears.
There are some lighter moments, fortunately - the first two episodes on the disc play the action and comedy card respectively, and lull you into a false sense of "this is fun" security before things really hit the fan for the final two episodes.
Much as I was sceptical about Full Metal Alchemist, it's beginning to grow on me. It's displaying an ability to toy with the viewers' emotions in a way that I've always appreciated - the best series are the ones that make you care - while also showing that no character is sacred. Both those approaches have led to scenes that have left me genuinely surprised, and that doesn't happen all that often. It's still early days, but this series is showing real promise and is definitely worth checking out.
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