Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Episode 25 ENGLISH DUB Review

Episode 25, "The Door of Darkness"

Kung-Fu Panda II: Xingese Boogaloo

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Edward and Ling wander around the inside of Gluttony, looking for an exit. After hearing her story, Scar helps Mei look for Xaio Mei. Envy appears before Ed and Ling, explaining that they are inside a fake version of the Gate/Doors of Truth, and there is no way to escape. Envy reveals that he was the one who started the Ishbal war by disguising himself as a soldier and shooting a child, prompting Edward's rage. After being hit, Envy transforms into a giant monster, his true form. Back at Central HQ, Bradley explains that he could never have a weakness that Roy could exploit, and has Roy's subordinates reassigned, with Riza under him directly. Alphonse convinces Gluttony to take him to his creator, who, to his surprise, is in Central City.

Comments:

I will give Vic Mignogna credit. He absolutely nailed Edward's "telepathy" bit. I laughed heartily. If only he gave as much effort into the rest of the performance. Is he a decent voice actor who recieves shitty direction or a shitty voice actor the director's trying to get the most out of?

I'm actually really loving Monica Rial's May now. It's starting to really come into its own, rather than just being "Ai Satoume in FMA". And Scar's new voice has finally, after tens of episodes with him in it, kicked in. It no longer sounds like some distant whisper. That's the way he should have always sounded in this dub.

It's too bad Wendy Powell's Envy is so painfully bad. I realize Envy is a little douchebag, so sounding like one is no stretch, but he just doesn't have that same sadistic glee in his voice that the Japanese voice gives him. Here it's more like scratchy bemusement. Maybe I'm just spoiled by Minami Takayama.

The script is pretty good, and the scripts have all been rather good lately. Funimation doesn't try to insert their own jokes, as far as I can tell. That's what bothered me about the dub of the first show.

Like I said during my first review of this episode, back when it was for the Japanese version, did they really need to show the child being shot? Well, I guess they didn't hang on it for too long, so it was all right, but the manga didn't need to show it and it doesn't really add much to this episode, except, "Yeah, we went there." Wasn't one of the complaints some folks had of the first series that it was trying too hard to be edgy and brutal? This isn't Now and Then, Here and There.

I guess somebody like me who takes pleasure in seeing the AD Police being shot up in Bubblegum Crisis in gory fashion has no right to complain, right? Tell me if it seems like I'm just nitpicking about this.

What loses points for this episode of the dub is Ed and Envy's back-and-forth. It's like a contest over whose voice sucks worse. Most of the other voices were good, though, especially Roy's. Willingham might be the best Roy Mustang of them all by now.

Overall ENGLISH DUB Score: 3.5 out of 5


 

 

 


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