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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Monday, 08 May 2006 00:00 |
 The latest volume of Full Metal Alchemist see Ed finally find the secret behind the Philosopher's Stone - although he also finds that creating one is something he'll never be able to bring himself to do. But before all that, there's some R&R time with Winry, a chance to pay his respects to his mother, and a brother to be repaired. It seems that life's never boring for a State Alchemist...
17 - House of the Waiting Family
Ed, Al and Armstrong arrive at the Rockbell home, where Winry's less than impressed at the mess Edward's made of her lovingly-made automail. With repairs to the boys expected to take about three days, there's time for them to catch some rest, and for Ed to visit his mother's grave. But being home has flagged a problem for Al - he can't remember his childhood friends, and is beginning to worry that his memories are beginning to fade. Ed seems to know something about that, but just can't bring himself to tell his brother. Soon, though, Ed's new arm & leg are ready, and it's time to move on once again...
18 - Marcoh's Notes
Next stop for Ed, Al and Armstrong is the Central Library First Branch, but they're not the only ones with that plan - both Lust and Scar have been to the Library ahead of Edward, and thanks to the fight that broke out between them, all that's left of the building is a pile of burnt-out rubble. With the library records having gone up in smoke with most of the books, the chances of Ed finding the books he needs are looking slim, so they turn to former library assistant and hardcore bookworm Sheska for help...
19 - Behind What is Behind the Truths
Edward's horrified by what he's discovered in Marcoh's research - just when the Philosopher's Stone seemed to be within their reach, the truth of what they'd need to do to create one (and the knowledge they'd never be able to do it themselves) leaves them back at square one, and Ed in a deep depression. Having heard so much about how Ed just doesn't give up, Lt Ross is more that a little surprised by his new defeatist attitude & delivers enough of a lectury that Ed's almost shamed into trying to look down other avenues. Figuring Marcoh must have tested his theory, Ed begins to look for places where he could have carried out experiments. One location jumps quickly from the map - the apparently-abandoned 5th Alchemy Laboratory, located next to a prison - so the brothers head to the lab to investigate, but Scar is on their trail, and the lab's inhabitant's don't particularly want visitors...
20 - Soul of the Guardian
The lab guardian used to be a mass murderer - known as The Slicer, he was "executed" two years previously - except he wasn't, quite. His body may be gone, but his soul has been bonded to his armour in the same way as Al's, and he's been given the taks of guarding the lab. That's enough to confirm to Edward that some of Marcoh's theories were being tested there, but if he wants any more information, he'll need to defeat The Slicer - which would be much easier if Winry hadn't missed a part or two from his automail arm...
The Rockbell interlude, while mostly being a fun little interlude in the story (check Winry's reaction to seeing Ed's official alchemist's watch) does introduce one serious piece that gets brought back into play later in the volume - Al's missing or fading memories, and whether or not he really counts as a person in his current form. For serious piece #2, there's the primary ingredient of the Philosopher's Stone, which throws a very large spanner into Ed's plan to revive his mother as it's a price he's not going to be prepared to pay - and as yet, there's no real plan B. With Lust & Scar both causing continuing problems (for each other, as well as Edward), there's plenty to be keeping track of here - there's certainly very little chance of anyone getting bored here.
Fortunately, it's not all serious. Anderson is one-man comic relief, with his seeming obsession for ripping off his shirt at the slightest opportunity, while Sheska adds an almost Yomiko Readman-feel to the story - she'd get on wonderfully with The Paper, I suspect. I'd like to see her become more than a one-trick character, though, so here's hoping for more of a role for her than human encyclopedia in future episodes.
So far, so good, but things get a little disappointing when the boys try to break into the 5th Laboratory. This sequence, stretched out over around an episode and a half, drags a little - too much time for not enough story - and also seems a little contrived. Ed has already decided Marcoh's method of creating a Stone isn't going to be for him, so what's there to find by checking the gory details of his research? There are soom good Indiana Jones-style moments here, though, so it's not all a loss.
There's quite a bit more thrown into these four episodes and I don't want to spoil it all, so let's stop there. Ed's learning process continues, both in learning about what it will take to achieve his goal of reviving his mother, and in learning just what lenghts the military will go to to gain that sort of power for themselves, and you do get the feeling that somewhere along the line he's going to have a difficult choice to make. Add in additional problems in the form of Al, Scar & the Ishbalan refugees; and Lust and her cronies, and there's a lot for a 15-year-old kid to deal with. It's all still hanging together really well, though, with lots of nods to previous events that tie everything into place and help to keep the attention. Well worth watching.
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