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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Monday, 24 April 2006 00:00 |
 I hope you've been paying attention to the last few volumes, as this latest release of Full Metal Alchemist leans pretty heavily on previous events, as the disparate characters that have been featured begin to show how they're connected to each other. There's also the little detail of Ed learning more about what it means to be a dog of the military, where following orders doesn't always involve doing the right thing...
13 - Fullmetal vs Flame
There seems to be a rash of stray animals around Mustang's base, as Alphonse picks up a stray kitten and one of the other officers adopts a dog. It's just a shame the dorm rules don't allow any pets. For Ed, the problem is having to give his report to Mustang when it's quite clear Mustang's been keeping up with his every move. The smile is soon wiped from Mustang's face, though, when the Fuhrer arrives to observe the workings of the Eastern region & carry out the alchemist battle assessments. With Ed having trouble getting Mustang to part with some information he needs, he has an idea: to arrange to have his battle assessment against Mustang, and hopefully teach him a lesson or two - but Mustang's not so easily beaten. Just when he's about to win, though, something causes Mustang to freeze...
14 - Destruction's Right Hand
The people of Liore are finding out the hard way that their minister Carnello is a fraud - after he'd incited the locals to turn against the military, they came down with lethal force, and the city is now almost in ruins. That's just what Lust and her henchmen are after, as they believe it'll help them in their quest to find a Philosopher's Stone. Away from all the action, Ed continues looking for the elusive Doctor Marcoh, but when he finally tracks him down, Marcoh's inclined to shoot first and ask questions later. Unfortunately for Ed, Grand has been tailing him and interrupts before he can get any real information out of Marcoh, while the alchemist killer Scar himself also appears...
15 - The Ishbal Massacre
Armstrong survives his battle with Scar, and is able to convery some useful information to Mustang - Scar is from Ishbal, a breakaway province where alchemy was considered a mortal sin. The rebellion in Ishbal lasted seven years, and was only put down when State Alchemists were used. Marcoh's research into the Philosopher's Stone had created a compound which could hugely magnify an alchemist's power - and when this was issued to the alchemists in Ishbal, the result was a compelete massacre. Now Scar's on a quest for righteous revenge, and Marcoh believes he's fully entitled to it...
16 - That Which is Lost
With both Ed and Al in need of a mechanic's touch, it's time to head for Winry's place - but not before Ed finds out that Scar was more than likely responsible for Nina's death. The trip home's not uneventful, either - poor Alphonse is carried as cargo, but when he's offloaded at the wrong station he ends up being stolen by one of the locals - and when Ed goes in search of him, he ends up having his automail leg stolen as well. Back in East, Marcoh has a run-in with a previous colleague - Lust, who's keen to find out exactly what he's told Ed about his research, while Scar's keeping an eye on Ed & Al's movements...
This volume starts off with what's almost a comedy episode - while there's some useful information imparted towards the end of the ep, the highlight is the "battle" between Ed and Mustang - and that's so over-the-top that you have to laugh. The pointer Mustang finally gives is to the location of the elusive Dr Marcoh, and that's where the fun really begins...
So Marcoh and Mustang fought - like many alchemists - during the Ishbar Rebellion, and that's something none of them are really proud of. Marcoh took it one step further and deserted - possibly because it was his own research that made the massacre that ended the rebellion possible. It's a lot for the guy to live with. What's doubly interesting is his connection to Lust and her lackeys, who reappear as the city of Liore makes an unexpected return to the story - like a lot of the earlier episodes in FMA, I'd assumed that was a standalone story, just used to introduce people, but there have been other examples of seemingly unimportant details from earlier episodes coming back into play. It's something FMA does well - it means you soon learn to play attention to the details, and increases the enjoyment of the show.
Add in religious crusader and massacre-survivor Scar, who's using a form of alchemy himself to brutally slay anyone who may have been involved in the Ishbar Rebellion, and there's a lot to keep track of here - but it never gets to be a chore, and there never seems to be too many people in play at once. Lust and her lackeys are still something of a mystery, but otherwise everyone seems to have their place in the story and it's all playing out quite well. There's no real right or wrong to the characterisations - everyone deals in shades of grey, with their own good deeds & bad deeds in their past, and reasons for doing what they're doing (again, Lust & co being the exceptions, but maybe just through lack of exposure).
Full Metal Alchemist seems to be greater than the sum of its parts - on paper, it shouldn't be this enjoyable, but it's certainly getting its hooks into me. Well worth checking out.
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