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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 40 Review

Episode 40, "The Scar"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Alphonse gets into the middle of the fight between Martel and Kimbley, barely managing to the Crimson Alchemist. Fuhrer King Bradley leaves Hakuro in charge as he goes to the East with Juliet Douglas. Edward engages Scar in combat in an alley, but gains the advantage, until Lust and Gluttony interrupt. However, Scar is able to hold Lust off with a locket and Gluttony takes her away. Then Rose and Lyra appear, and it’s revealed that Rose cannot speak. In a flashback, we see that Scar’s brother had a beautiful girlfriend who died of an illness. He threw himself into alchemy research in hopes of bringing her back to life. However, he was incapable of doing so and was cast out. Edward tells Scar that a failed human transmutation creates homunculi. The locket has a lock of hair from Scar’s brother’s lover in it. Scar explains that his brother was welcomed back when the conflict with the military started, but he was incapable of making a Philosopher’s Stone. Escaping from the military, the Ishbalans were confronted by Kimbley, who blew up a man and gave Scar his scar. Then he destroyed Scar’s arm. However, the little Stone he had was absorbed into Scar’s brother’s tattoo. When Scar regained consciousness, his brother had given him his arm. Scar’s brother dies soon after. Lyra reveals that Scar’s plan is to lure the military into the city and sacrifice them to make a Philosopher’s Stone while the citizens escape via tunnels. At the outpost base, Bradley arrives. Crawling around, Martel overhears Bradley giving Kimbley the order to kill Edward so that they have an excuse to charge into Lior. Martel threatens Bradley, but discovers that he is a homunculus. She runs to Alphonse for protection, but Bradley puts his sword in Al, killing her. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 39 Review

Episode 39, "Secret of Ishbal"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Winry and Sheska warn Maria Ross and Denny Brosh that there’s something going on within the military. Winry tells Sheska that they’re going to Risembool. On a train to the east, Roy discovers that Kimbley has been welcomed back into the military and is under Archer’s command. In the desert, Edward admits to Martel that he killed Greed. Martel, however, holds no grudge against him, but rather the other homunculi and Kimbley. The next day, the group arrives in the ruins of Ishbal. Martel explains that she was in the military before becoming a chimera and was part of a covert operation that stirred up the Ishbalan rebellion. But her team was then arrested, turned into chimeras and locked up. Ed and Al encounter Havoc and Breda and end up meeting with Mustang where the military are gathering. Roy brings Edward under his command. Edward realizes a new war is brewing. Ed and Al are told that Lior has been rebelling against military authority, that Scar is there, and he’s drawing a giant alchemy array around the city. Edward volunteers to run recon for Archer, inflitrating Lior. Edward leaves his alchemist watch with Armstrong at Archer’s request. The watch is brought to Tucker. Disguised and in Lior, Edward learns of the Holy Mother, a new spiritual leader, but recognizes her as Rose. Back at the outpost, Martel spots Kimbley and attacks him. While Ed goes to get a closer look at Rose, Scar finds him. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 38 Review

Episode 38, "With the River’s Flow"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Winry meets Sheska at Hughes’ grave. The Elric brothers arrive at a town by a river, hoping to procure a ride. They get into an argument about what step to take next, with Edward wanting to go after Scar, but Alphonse wanting to go take on the homunculi first. This leads to a fight, and Edward storms off. Walking around town, Alphonse encounters Martel, Greed’s last surviving chimera henchmen. Sheska reveals to Winry what she’s found in investigating the death of Hughes, about how Juliet Douglas can’t possibly be who she claims to be. Martel tells Al that she’s looking to get revenge on those responsible for Greed’s death. Edward, having trouble finding Al again, remembers that as children, when they fought Al would go by the river and he would retrieve him. Winry and Sheska find a way to listen in on a coversation between Juliet Douglas/Sloth and Envy, but she catches onto them somehow and goes after them. However, she hesitates when Winry recognizes her as the brothers’ mother and disappears as Maria Ross and Denny Brosh arrive to see what they’re up to. Ed finds Al by the river and they make up. On their way out of town, Martel offers them a ride on her motorcycle’s cart, which they accept. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 37 Review

Episode 37, "The Flame Alchemist, The Bachelor Lieutenant, & The Mystery of Warehouse 13"

 *****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Jean Havoc, instructed to keep a log of his superior’s behavior, gets the help of Falman, Breda, and Fuery in keeping tabs on Roy. However, in their investigation, Havoc is devestated to learn that the colonel is seeing a girl he likes. Mustang orders his subordinates to find Havoc a woman. Meanwhile, Frank Archer orders Sheska to put together records of the 5th Laboratory. She takes the assignment in hopes of finding out who killed Hughes. Major Armstrong suggests that Havoc date his shy younger sister, Catherine. Havoc arrives at the Armstrong family mansion to be introduced, but is nervous about Alex’s description of her as looking like him. She turns out to be very cute and demure, but admits she’d rather date somebody more like her brother. Shortly after, Mustang’s subordinates become frightened by ghost stories about a phantom military warehouse. Archer orders Sheska destroy all the materials she gathered. When Mustang joins his to investigate the warehouse matter, it turns out not to be what they expected. Archer and Armstrong are dispatched to the east, but Mustang manages to get himself and his team attached to the mission. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 36 Review

Episode 36, "The Sinner Within"

 *****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Ed and Al meet up with Ishbalans being transported by train by the military, including Rick, Leo, and Scar’s master. Ed and Al agree to take the kids with them in return for information on Scar’s whereabouts. Winry finds a tractor for the group to travel on and they escape from the military. Edward steels his resolve to kill if Scar gets in his way again. Going back to where the refugee settlement was, Ed and Al sneak into the outcast’s hut, but are confronted by Riza Hawkeye. She reveals that Mustang used his flame alchemy to surround the rebelling Ishbalans, causing them to settle down and that they’ve taken the outcast into custody, as well as several Ishbalans who attacked him. Ed and Al ask the outcast about Scar and his brother and the old man tells them that the Ishbalans used to use a skill called the Grand Art that was like alchemy, but ended up rejecting it and casting out those who used it. He says that making the Philosopher’s Stone would require several human sacrifices. Ed and Al are disappointed by this. Rick and Leo accidently reveal to Winry that her parents were killed by Roy Mustang. Winry reacts to this causing her to be restrained by soldiers. Edward suggests that Rick and Leo go to Risembool, but they decide to go to the camp with the other Ishblans. Edward lectures the two about discrimination. Winry decides to go to Central with Riza. Sloth introduces Wrath to Lust and Gluttony and tells them to find the Elrics. Arriving in Central, Winry discovers that Maes Hughes has died, finding it difficult to believe that he died trying to help the man who killed her parents. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 35 Review

Episode 35, "Reunion of the Fallen"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Greed’s death has Lust wondering about her own existence and she runs into a man from her past named Lujon who uses a lesser Stone to heal people. Ed and Al travel and run into a young woman being accosted by thugs. Ed saves her. Lujon is looking for a new Philosopher’s Stone to use to help his village. In a flashback, Lust and Gluttony come upon a village of people who were suffering from a mysterious illness that Lujon tries to use alchemy to cure. In the present, Ed and Al meet the young woman, Libia that was looking for Lujon. In a flashback, we see when the illness struck the village, Lujon tried his best to cure people of the sickness, but they would end up dying, regardless. Lust sees his frustration and offers to teach him advanced alchemy. In the present, Scar recovers a locket from the desert. Lust and Gluttony go with Lujon back to his village and Ed, Al, and Winry travel with Libia. A flashback shows that while studying alchemy with Lust, Lujon fell in love with her. Talking with Envy, it’s revealed that the whole thing was a scheme to get people to make the Philosopher’s Stone. Lujon left Libia at the alter to be with Lust, but she disappeared after helping him cure the illness. In the present, Lust once again seemingly helps him cure the illness, but kills him. Soon after, everyone else in the village dies, too, including a heartbroken Libia, who arrives too late. Lust felt Lujon was the biggest mistake she made and yet after killing him, still wonders about herself. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 34 Review

Episode 34, "Theory of Avarice"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Ed, Izumi, and Sig are detained by the military as Archer welcomes Kimbley and Tucker (who had been with Greed’s group) back into the fold. The military mercilessly slaughters Greed’s men as they try to escape. Armstrong arrives and takes on one of his number who reveals he was also in the Ishbal war. Ed manages to slip away from the soldiers using alchemy. Greed and his remaining cohorts hide in a cabin, where they’re confronted by Lust and Gluttony. Al is cut loose (with Martel still in him) and Greed leaves as his men try to take on the other homunculi. Running through the woods, Greed comes upon Dante’s house and enter. Greed is welcomed by Lyra and shown Dante’s apparently bisected body. An alchemy array under him activates, causing him to spit up red stones, weakening him. Seeing the light of the alchemy, Ed enters the house and confronts Greed, who he assumes killed Dante. When Greed refuses to tell Ed where his brother is, they do battle again, with Greed in his full armored form. This time Edward realizes Greed’s shield is made of carbon and uses alchemy to get past it. In the heat of a charge, Ed stabs Greed in the chest with a blade formed on his arm and Greed is mortally wounded. Dying, Greed reveals that he already set Alphonse free, and tells Ed that the homunculi can be weakened by parts of the bodies of the people they were intended to come back as. Then he dissolves into a pile of red water. As the sun rises, Ed can hardly believe he’s killed. Martel seperates from Alphonse. Later, Ed, Al, and Winry leave Dublith. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 33 Review

Episode 33, "Al, Captured"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Greed’s gang subdues Alphonse and take him off. Edward searches around town for him while Izumi asks Dante about what happened. Dante shows Izumi a matchbook from The Devil’s Nest. In Greed’s lair, his henchmen reveal that the military turned them into chimeras. Greed introduces himself to Al and asks him about his body, wanting to obtain the secret to eternal life, but Al refuses to tell him and attacks him with alchemy. However, Greed is unharmed, and shows Alphonse that he can come back from seemingly fatal injuries. Suddenly, Izumi and Sig arrive, demanding Al be returned. Meanwhile, Edward runs into Major Armstrong who tells him that the military is also looking for Al and planning to raid the bar. Izumi beats up Greed’s henchmen, but is unable to take down Greed, who easily brushes off her attacks, tranforming parts of his body into hard armor. Edward arrives as the military closes in on Archer’s orders. Ed engages Greed in a fight, but makes little headway, Greed unveiling his fully armored form. The military storm in, with Kimbley betraying Greed. Greed is forced to retreat, taking Al with him. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 32 Review

Episode 32, "Dante of the Deep Forest"


 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Izumi protects Wrath, despite his own attacks against her, and he escapes. When Ed and Al give chase, they run into the Bradley-disguised Envy and Douglas/Sloth. They’re questioned about homunculi, but deny knowing anything, and walk off. Sloth is revealed to have Wrath within her liquid body. Scar confronts the outcast, who explains that his brother came to him. He says that peoples’ lives are in his tattoo. Roy and his group confronts the refugees. In the crowd, Lust kills Yoki in a way that provokes the crowd. Back in Dublith, Izumi ejects Edward and Alphonse from her home, telling them they are no longer fit to be her students. However, on the way to the train station, Sig informs them that now they’re equals, and they run back to seek her advice in how to return their bodies. Greed and his gang trek through a forest, and Greed takes off in a different direction. Izumi instructs the brothers to go find her alchemy teacher, Dante, to get medication for her. When they arrive, they’re welcomed by Lyra, who is now Dante’s pupil. Greed and his gang show up and prepare to capture Alphonse. read more

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Fullmetal Alchemist – Episode 31 Review

Episode 31, "Sin"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Roy and his crew prepare to leave Central for the refugee camp Scar was sighted at. At the camp, Rick and Leo look for Scar, who is in the outcast’s house. The oucast comes in and recognizes his tattoo. In the Southern HQ, the face off is broken when Izumi attempts to escape, but the child is taken from her. Armstrong blocks her path. The lizard man reveals his boss’ interest in the brothers, but they drive him off, along with Kimbley. Envy reveals himself to the child and gives him lesser stones to feed on. The child begins to remember things. The brothers encounter Armstrong who faked injury. Izumi is reuinted with the child again and they escape the building. Going back to the meat shop, Winry reveals to Ed and Al what Sig wouldn’t. On Yock Island, Izumi takes the child where she transmuted her dead child. When it came back wrong, she sacrificed the entire thing to the Gate. In the present, she attempts to kill the mystery child. Ed and Al arrive to the child choking Izumi and attack, but Izumi tells them off. The child is revealed to indeed by a homunculi, born from a failed transmutation. Greed arrives on the island, but Envy is already there. Before they can engage in a real fight, Juliet Douglas, Sloth, arrives as well. Greed and his group retreat. The boy, Wrath, explains he was trapped in the Gate and took posession of Edward’s arm and leg when he sacrificed them years later after Izumi sacrificed her son. However, angry that the homunculus has his brother’s limbs, Alphonse attacks him. read more

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