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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 26 Review

Episode 26, "Her Reason"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: In the aftermath of Maes Hughes’ death, Roy views a bill for Ed and Al’s needs. Suddenly a woman and a giant man burst in and demand to know where they are. The Elric brothers and Winry arrive at Rush Valley, a city teeming with automail business. When Ed uses alchemy to win an arm-wrestling contest, Winry is offended and storms off. She meets a girl named Paninya with automail limbs who wants to prove that the automail her engineer gave her is excellent. Winry comes up with a plan. The next day, Paninya steals Edward’s pocket watch. He gives chase and ends up having to save her. At their lodging for the night, Edward tells Winry that he appreciates her automail, but would prefer to have his own limbs back. Suddenly, the giant man appears and Edward facefaults. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 25 Review

Episode 25, "Words of Farewell"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Maes Hughes requests to meet with Doctor Marcoh, supposedly in the Fuhrer’s custody, about matters concerning the Fifth Laboratory. The Fuhrer tells his secretary, Juliet Douglas, to take care of it. The Elrics claim to be abandoning their research into the Philosopher’s Stone and are headed to meet with their alchemy teacher in Dublith. However, Hughes and Armstrong see through their ruse. The brothers, along with Winry, leave Central on the train, but they admit to Winry that they’re not going to Dublith, fearing their teacher. They plan instead to catch up with Scar and the Ishbalans to see if there’s another way to make the Philosopher’s Stone. Meanwhile, at an Ishbalan camp, Scar’s master appears, concerned about his actions. Hughes works into the night doing research on the Ishbal war and the Philosopher’s Stone, discovering something suddenly involving the Fuhrer’s secretary, who calls with the news that Marcoh has arrived in Central. Hughes meets with Juliet Douglas and reveals that he knows about an inconsistency in personell records involving her. Suddenly Lust appears and attacks him, and he runs off, encountering Maria Ross. Hughes calls Roy in a phone booth, but Roy has already left for Central out of concern for the Elric brothers. Frustrated, Hughes hangs up the phone, but confronts Ross, who he knows is an imposter. "Maria Ross" reveals herself to be Envy, the shape-shifting homunculi, who changes into Gracia Hughes, catching him off guard. A shot rings out. At the funeral for Hughes, Roy cries. Meanwhile, Edward spots what appears to be Hughes, waving at him as the train passes a station, but shrugs it off. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 23 Review

Episode 23, "Fullmetal Heart"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Edward awakes in a hospital and is chided by Maria Ross for his reckless behavior. He calls Winry who offers to come and fix his automail (not letting on that she screwed up before). Hughes continues to keep the latest situation a secret from Roy. Alphonse keeps the words of Barry the Chopper in his head, fearing he is fake. Winry is taken to Hughes’ daughter’s birthday party, where Sheska is also in attendence. With his automail fixed, Edward fixes Alphonse’s armor body, but Alphonse is convinced that he isn’t real and runs off in anger. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 22 Review

Episode 22, "Created Human"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Hughes sets up a detachment of soldiers to retrieve the Elrics from Laboratory 5. Alphonse and Scar face off with Lust and Gluttony, and Scar falls into a hole. In the room with the red water, Edward figures a way to use alchemy arrays to make a Philosopher’s Stone out of the ingredients. Fuhrer King Bradley decides to join the detachment of soldiers to go to Laboratory 5, much to Hughes’ surprise. In a room above the main red water room, a Basque Gran-disguised Envy looks over hidden prisoners brought in to be live ingredients. One of the prisoners, Kimbley, uses alchemy to turn one of the others into a human bomb, escaping, and causing the other prisoners to fall down where Edward can see them. Envy appears and Edward is unable to fight him because his automail arm’s missing piece. Envy kicks him around. Lust and Gluttony appear with a disabled and damaged Alphonse. Tucker explains that they’re homunculi, artificial humans, and reveals that he plans to use the Philosopher’s Stone to bring Nina back. The homunculi insist Edward make the Philosopher’s Stone to make them human, and threaten to destroy Al’s bood seal. Reluctantly, Edward prepares to do what they wish, but hesitates at the last moment. Scar interrupts, telling Ed to escape with his brother. However, when Edward walks into a puddle of red water, his alchemy skills go out of control, which causes the homunculi to flee. The detachment arrives and Maria Ross calms Edward down. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 21 Review

Episode 21, "The Red Glow"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: As Alphonse reels from Barry’s suggestion that he may be fake, Scar arrives on the scene. Barry makes his escape, triggering an explosion that causes a man, Greed, to awaken deep within the lab. Greed breaks out prisoners kept in the lab, telling them to follow him. Inside, Edward continues to refuse to finish off the Slicer brothers, but the younger one destroys its blood seal. Meanwhile, in the nearby prison, convicts are rounded up to be taken to Laboratory 5, including Zolf J. Kimbley, the Crimson Alchemist. Lust and Gluttony discover that Greed has escaped. Edward and the older Slicer brother wander through the hall of the lab, encountering several chimera, as well as Shou Tucker, still alive and turned into a chimera. Edward is appalled. Alphonse and Scar walk through the lab, Scar recalling how his brother tried to create the Philosopher’s Stone in Ishbal. Lust and Gluttony appear and Scar identifies them as homunculi, artificial people. Edward discovers that Shou has been trying to remake Nina with chimera parts. Tucker takes him to a room full of vats of the red water, encouraging him to make a Philosopher’s Stone. He reluctantly agrees. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 20 Review

Episode 20, "Soul of the Guardian"


*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Both of the guardians end up being like Alphonse, armors with souls attached via alchemy, and formerly condemned prisoners. They both do battle with their opponents. While Alphonse has little trouble with his opponent, who identifies himself as Barry the Chopper, Edward struggles against his. He eventually beheads the warrior, but his victory is short lived, because there in another soul in the body of the armor. The other one attacks and Ed is forced to use deconstruction to disable him. Unsuccessful in a physical fight with Alphonse, Barry uses psychological tactics, suggesting Alphonse is a fake, his memories all false ones his brother created. Alphonse reels from this, as Edward refuses to finish his enemies, since he considers his brother human, and thus them. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 19 Review

Episode 19, "The Truth Behind Truths"



*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Devestated by the secret of the Philosopher’s Stone, Edward and Alphonse hole themselves up in a room. Maria Ross urges them not to give up. Looking at a map of Central, they determine that Philosopher Stone research must have been done in Laboratory 5, which was supposedly shut down, which is next to a prison. The brothers are told to stay put while it’s investigated, but they sneak out during the night to investigate on their own. Scar finds the notes and decodes them with his arm (wtf). Edward makes his way into the lab while Alphonse stays outside. After avoiding various traps, Edward finds a chamber where he is confronted by an armored guard. Another guard attacks Al outside. Meanwhile, Winry realizes she forgot to put a screw in when she repaired Ed’s automail. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 18 Review

Episode 18, "Marcoh’s Notes"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: The mysterious people in black, Lust and Gluttony, fight Scar in the Central First Branch library and cause it to burn down. When Ed and Al arrive, and are given new escorts (Maria Ross and Denny Brosh), they discover the library has been destroyed, dashing their hopes of finding Marcoh’s hidden research notes. They consult with a woman named Sheska, who formally worked there, who they discover has the ability to remember everything she reads, and makes a copy of Marcoh’s notes. However, the notes are all coded and the brothers have difficulty decoding. Eventually they do, and are horrified by the secret behind the Philosopher’s Stone: it’s made from human lives. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 17 Review

Episode 17, "House of the Waiting Family"


*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: The Elric brothers arrive at the Rockbell home in Risembool, where Ed recieves a wrench to the head from Winry for his troubles. Winry wants to take apart Ed’s State Alchemist watch, but he won’t allow it. While Ed’s new automail is being constructed, he goes to visit his mother’s grave with Den. Alphonse has trouble remembering a childhood friend, but Winry explains that it’s only natural. When Edward’s new automail is finished, he repairs Alphonse’s damage and they spar, which Armstrong takes part in. Winry takes the opportunity to investigate Edward’s watch and finds a message, "Don’t Forget 3.Oct.10" inside. She tearfully returns to watch to him. Later, Armstrong makes the boys realize that, despite having burned down their own house, they do have a home to return to. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 16 Review

Episode 16, "That Which Is Lost"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Armstrong plays bodyguard for the Elric brothers on their way back to Risembool, where they’re going to get Ed’s arm fixed. On the way there, a packaged Alphonse gets dropped off and Ed gets off to look for him. Meanwhile, Lust and Gluttony appear where Marcoh is staying and he’s unable to hold them off. A boy finds Al and, thinking he’s just a suit of armor, plans to use him in a fight, but Al tries to convince him not to. While looking for Al, Ed gets knocked out by a girl who wants to give his automail leg to her father. Edward talks to the man, who lost his leg in the Ishbal war and doesn’t want an automail replacement. He argues that he would rather be as-is, as a reminder of that conflict, something Ed doesn’t understand. Ed and Al reunite and Armstrong arrives to get them to the next train before it leaves. read more

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