Fullmetal Alchemist Manga vs First TV Series – ROUND SEVEN
The Greed arc is where the manga and first animated series really begin to part company. I’ll review the last chapter of volume seven in the next round, because of its close connection with another chapter in adaption in the first anime series.
EVENTS:
Chapter 26: To Meet The Master
Episode 6, "Fire! Photon Beam!!"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Kouji finds himself in jail due to his overexhuberant actions in Mazinger. Inspector Ankokuji investigates the deceased Dr. Kabuto and looks for the Pilder, which went missing. Sayaka and the other members of the Robot Corps, meanwhile, meet Tsubasa Nishikiori, a mysterious woman who was able to instruct Kouji in firing the Mazinger’s Photon Beam, which destroyed Count Brocken’s bomber mecha. Ankokuji sends officers to look for the Pilder at Kurogane House, while Dr. Hell realizes who the woman is.
Episode 6, "Finally Reached the End! The Strange Exam of Kaio-sama"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Time passes, and little Gohan has grown acostumed in living in the wilderness, prompting Piccolo to start his formal battle training. Meanwhile, Goku reaches the end of Snake Way, and a small little planetoid with extremely high gravity, the home of the word pun-loving Kaio-sama. Requesting training from him, Goku’s first task is to adjust to the planet’s gravity by catching Kaio’s monkey friend, Bubbles.
Episode 6, "Road of Hope"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Edward and Alphonse head back to their hometown of Risembool, escorted by Alex Louis Armstrong. On their way, they meet Dr. Marcoh, a researcher into the military’s own efforts to create the Philosopher’s Stone, who gives Edward a hint as to where to find his research. In their hometown, Winry and Pinako work on a new automail arm for Ed and adjustments for his leg. They leave with the comfort of knowing they have a place to come back to.
Episode 5, "Assault! Count Brocken"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Dr. Kabuto and his bodyguard enter Mazinger’s cockpit. Dr. Kabuto instructs Kouji how to use various features of the Mazinger, which is used to destroy Garada K7 and Doublas M2. However, he soon passes away from injuries sustained in his escape from Ashura, prompting Kouji to go into a rage and nearly kill the half-man, half-woman. Kouji is calmed by Sayaka. Ashura escapes and sees the arrival of Count Brocken, commander of Dr. Hell’s air forces, who unleashes a Bomber Beast to destroy the town of Atami. Kouji is told by a mysterious woman to fire the Photon Beam.
Episode 5, "Wilderness Survival! The Moon Awakens Son Gohan"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Piccolo leaves Gohan in the wilderness to survive on his own for six months, much to the child’s distress. Kami contemplates on the change in Piccolo and his pending death. Goku continues down Snake Way, nearly falling off and discovering that below lies a whirlpool to Hell. Master Roshi informs Chi-Chi and Ox King of the current situation. Gohan transforms when he gets a glance of the full moon, but Piccolo destroys the moon and removes his tail to prevent it from happening again.
“I’m good at what I do. And what I do isn’t very nice.”
Yet it’s not particularly nasty, either, is it, Wolverine? Or is it James Howlett? Weapon X? Logan? Hugh? Whatever you call yourself, the terrible memories you spent the first two X-Men movies trying to uncover seem a little anticlimactic, and not a little underwhelming compared to your angst over them, especially if all we have to judge on is X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the latest in the Fox franchise of X-movies. Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t bore me. It just didn’t impress me.
Episode 5, "Rain of Sorrow"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: The mysterious man, Scar, who kills State Alchemists, targets Edward as he tries to recover from his grief over Nina. Ed and Al flee from the powerful man, and are assisted by Roy, Major Armstrong, Riza, and others, who discover that Scar is an Ishbalan, part of a race that was all but extinguished by the military years earlier. Scar escapes under fire. Ed, his automail arm destroyed, and Alphonse’s armor body damaged, have no choice but to return to Risembool for Winry’s help.
Episode 4, "Run in the Afterlife, Son Goku! The One Million Kilometer Snake Road"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: After Goku passes away, his body disappears from the mortal plane, so that Kami can convince King Yemma to let him train with Kaio-sama (I should just go with "King Kai", right?). Bulma takes the scouter from Raditz’s body to adjust to find Yamcha and the others. Piccolo takes Gohan off to train for the oncoming threat of the Saiyans while Goku is approved to train under Kaio. Piccolo demonstrates Gohan’s hidden power and Goku begins down Snake Road.
