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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Episode 23 Review

Episode 23, "The Girl on the Battlefield"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Ling, with Ranfan on his back, tries his best to evade Fuhrer King Bradley while Gluttony is sent after Scar. Ed leaves Winry to the MPs and goes off to help Alphonse. Gluttony arrives to eat Scar, beating him up. Bradley sees that Ranfan has cut her own arm off to throw him off. Ling arrives on the scene with Gluttony and Scar and with Ed’s help, binds him. Ling escapes from the scene with the help of Hawkeye, but insists on picking up his aide. Mei helps Scar escape, but loses track of her panda, Xaio Mei, who Alphonse picks up. Ed and Al see Winry off at the train station, Ed promising to make her cry tears of joy next time. Roy picks the brothers up and takes them to a house where Doctor Knox treats Ranfan. As they argue over what to do with Gluttony, the homunculus overhears Roy’s name, and enraged by Lust’s death, transforms and destroys part of the house. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Episode 22 Review

Episode 22, "The Distant Backside"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Wrath and Gluttony attack Ling and Ranfan. They attempt to get away thanks to a flash grenade, but Wrath reveals his homunculus eye. Meanwhile, Winry notices people talking about Ed and Al’s fight with Scar on her way back from visiting the grave of Maes Hughes, and runs off towards the scene. Edward brings up Scar’s murder of Winry’s parents just as she arrives, which prompts Winry to break down and point a gun at Scar. Scar flashes back to the war of Ishbal, when his brother was trying to learn Xingese alchemy to bring peace, while some other Ishbalans wanted to use it to counteract the State Alchemists. Scar’s family is attacked by Kimbley and most are killed. Scar’s brother sacrifices his arm for his brother. Scar awakes i a rage, killing the Amestrian doctors treating him, and, his brother’s research with him, vowing vengeance. Back in the present, Alphonse moves Scar away from the scene. Edward talks Winry down from her revenge and she holds onto him as she cries. read more

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Audio: English: Why I Disliked The Fullmetal Alchemist Dub (Article)


With the Audio:English series, PenguinTruth takes a critical look at the English
dubs which grace some of anime’s most defining series in North America.

"What do you mean?! I sound good in any language!"

I love Fullmetal Alchemist. It’s one of those rare shonen manga that has a decent complexity to it and maturity most other shonen titles lack, making it both exciting and thoughtful. I was a big fan of the first animated television series, my first exposure to that world. And of course, while I loved the original cast, I also had high expectations for the English version, even when I heard Funimation, a company with a somewhat mixed reputation for dubs was going to dub it. I was pretty excited that Cartoon Network was going to air it on the Adult Swim lineup, and tuned in with my hopes high. I was let down.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a complete wash. I immediately took to Aaron Dismuke’s Alphonse Elric, for instance. Though I also immediately noticed some strange directional and script oddities. At first I attributed the difference between this and the version I was used to as being the difference between fansub translations and professional translation into an English dub. Over time, however, these sort of things became more pronounced. What bothered me the most is characters speaking in one style in one scene and having almost entirely different voices in the next. There even seemed to be a bit of the old Funimation "add dialogue where there originally wasn’t any", which irritated me. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Episode 21 Review

Episode 21, "The Fool’s Progress"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Edward and Alphonse visit Roy in the hospital and exchange information. Havoc reveals to Roy that his legs are paralyzed from his injury from Lust. Roy sends Breda to find Doctor Marcoh, but he’s gone. Edward is warned that Scar is in town and makes a plan with the Xingese to capture a homunculi by luring out Scar. Making himself known around town, Ed attracts Scar’s attention. The homunculi, Wrath and Gluttony, come to get Scar, but they’re confronted by the Xingese. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Episode 20 Review

Episode 20, "Father in Front of the Grave"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Edward encounters his father, Hohenheim, at his mother’s grave, who chides him for burning down their house. That night, Hohenheim asks Pinako about the "thing" his sons transmuted, with Ed listening in secret. The next day, after Hohenheim leaves, Ed and Pinako dig up the "thing", and it turns out to not be his mother after all. This leads Ed to believe he can bring Al back from beyond the "doors". When Ed returns to Central, he informs Al of his findings. He also calls Izumi and asks about her own experience with human transmutation. As it turns out, the dead cannot be brought back, regardless of effort. Ed and Al then vow to continue working on a way to restore their bodies.
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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Episode 19 Review

Episode 19, "Death of the Undying"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Hawkeye and Fuery are unable to take out Gluttony, but recieve help from Col. Mustang, who blows him away with his flame alchemy, at least temporarily. Roy, Riza, Havoc, Alphonse, and Barry follow Barry’s body into Laboratory #3’s basement, where they split up into groups. Roy and Lt. Havoc encounter Lust, who stabs Havoc through the spine and injures Roy as well, leaving him for dead. Al and Hawkeye find Barry with his rotting body, but they are joined by Lust. Lust tears Barry apart and prepares to kill the other two, but Roy arrives, and using a makeshift alchemy circle drawn on his hand and Havoc’s lighter, he incinerates Lust repeatedly until she can no longer regenerate. Bradley spots the group, but walks away instead of engaging them. Meanwhile, back in Risembool, Edward arrives, and finds his father there. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Episode 18 Review

Episode 18, "The Arrogant Palm of a Puny Human"


*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Major Armstrong escorts Edward to Risembool, where they meet with Breda and head out of the country to the remains of the country of Xerxes. While at the Xerxes ruins, Edward is shocked to see Maria Ross, alive and well. It’s revealed that Roy set up a fake death for her and smuggled her out of the country using Barry, Ling, and Fu. Back at Central, Ling fills in Alphonse and Winry. Ed reaffirms his vow to get his and his brother’s bodies back, adding that he will protect who ever gets involved. Fu escorts Ross to Xing, where she will live until she can return to Amestris. Back at Central, Barry’s body attacks Falman, but Havoc and Barry (in the armor) lures it outside where Hawkeye shoots it in its hand. However, Gluttony arrives to take her out. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Episode 17 Review

Episode 17, "Cool-Headed Flames"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Taken into military custody for the death of Maes Hughes, Maria Ross is being railroaded for a murder she didn’t commit. Discovering her arrest from the newspaper, Edward and Alphonse to go to ask around. Barry the Chopper breaks into the prison to release Ross, and meets and releases Ling as well. During their escape, they run into Ed and Al, and Barry advises Ross to run. She complies, but encounters Roy Mustang, who burns her alive with his flames, leaving nothing but a charred corpse. Barry and Ling flee and Ed confronts Roy. Later, Riza Hawkeye takes vacation time, leaving Roy to his own devices. Barry brings Ling back to Falman, and they’re soon joined by Fu and Ranfan. Major Armstrong comes to where Ed is staying and damages his automail, then insists on taking him back to Risembool for repairs, but insisting Al stay in Central. Meanwhile, the homunculi plan to use Barry’s real body to go after him. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Episode 16 Review

Episode 16, "A Comrade-In-Arms’ Footsteps"

 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Edward, Alphonse, Winry, and their Xingese aquaintances arrive at Central, where Ling disappears and is picked up by the military for entering the country illegally. Winry goes to visit the Hughes household. Roy has a conversation with Armstrong about the brothers in relation to Hughes’ death. He ends up lying to them about it, but Maria Ross accidently causes Ed to realize it. Ed and Al go visit Gracia and tell her and Winry about Hughes helping them out. Gracia tells them to continue on their quest to regain their bodies. The homunculi discuss current events and decide to keep Roy busy with something. Ross is arrested for the murder of Hughes while Havoc goes on a date with "Solaris", who is actually Lust. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Episode 15 Review

(Took long enough for Eclipse to get their subs out.)

Episode 15, "A Messenger From The East"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Scar attacks and kills a State Alchemist called Joliot Comanche. When he returns to his hideout, he finds Yoki with a little girl, who introduces herself as May Chang, who travelled with her little panda Shao May from the country of Xing. May heals a wound for Scar using Eastern alchemy (Rentanjutsu) and insists on accompanying Scar, in hopes of meeting Edward Elric. Meanwhile, Ed and Al visit Winry in Rush Valley to get Ed’s arm repaired, and end up meeting a prince of Xing, Ling Yao, and his bodyguards. A battle ensues when Ling tries to force info out of the brothers, and Ed and Al eventually overcome their opponents. Ed discovers that Al can do alchemy without a circle now. Ed and Al intend to visit Central, and Ling intends to follow. Scar and Yoki journey, now with May as a passenger. read more

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