Summary:

After getting beat up by Scar, Ed and Al have to go back to Resembool to get repairs, and so they set out by train with Armstrong accompanying them. At one of the stops during the journey, Armstrong recognizes a man at the station who he calls Dr. Marcoh, but Marcoh runs away upon seeing him. When Armstrong explains that Marcoh was someone who used to research applying alchemy to medical treatments, Ed decides that they should go after him in case he knows something about transmuting living things. In the nearby town, they find out that Marcoh has been helping the townsfolk with their medical problems under an alias. At Marcoh’s house, they are met by the doctor armed with a gun, so Armstrong has to calm him down, and Marcoh eventually explains that he left the military because he couldn’t continue doing research that had been used to kill during the civil war.

Marcoh’s research had been on the Philosopher’s Stone, and Ed and company are surprised to see that it’s in a liquid form instead of an actual stone. Marcoh notes however that this is imperfect and can become unusable, and it reminds Ed of what happened with Cornello. Ed knows that this can be perfected and wants to see the research materials, but Marcoh initially refuses because he sees this as evil research. He makes them leave, however he has a change of heart and delivers a note to Ed at the train station stating that the research materials are hidden at the National Central Library’s 1st Branch. When Marcoh then returns home, he is shocked to find Lust waiting for him. Unaware of this, Ed, Al, and Armstrong continue on to Resembool and arrive at the shop of Winry and her grandmother. Winry is happy to see them but is angry that the automail she created is in pieces.

Since Ed and Al want to head to Central as soon as possible, Winry and her grandmother promise to have the repairs done in three days. They thus start working, and with all of this free time, Ed decides to go visit his mother’s grave. While he’s gone, Armstrong talks to Winry’s grandmother about Ed and Al getting into trouble but being strong, and she tells him about how their father left when they were young and how Winry’s parents died during the Ishval conflict. She also reveals that Ed and Al burned down their old home when Ed became a state alchemist so that they couldn’t turn back. Winry eventually finishes rebuilding the arm, and Ed gets refitted. The first thing he does with his new limb is to use alchemy to repair Al’s armor, and they both then test out their bodies. That night, Ed falls asleep early, and Al thanks Winry and her grandmother for always being like their real family. Ed, Al, and Armstrong leave early the next morning, and Winry wakes up in time to say goodbye. Later that day though, she realizes that she had forgotten one of the screws.

Preview

There’s not much action this week or anything terribly exciting, but plenty of Marcoh and Winry along with some character development, and the plot continues to move forward at a good pace. There were two clear halves to this episode, and the first half even had its own cliffhanger with the appearance of Lust at Marcoh’s house after Ed and Armstrong leave, but no indication what happens to Marcoh afterward (I’m sure it’ll be shown next week or sometime eventually). The second half of this episode was very similar to episode 17 of the first series, though without any of the pocket-watch stuff that I remember liking. So overall, I’d say it was a solid episode, and maybe a bit better than that if you really like Winry. It’s hard to be really impressed by it though since we’re still in relatively familiar territory, and next week will be the visit to the Central library.

33 Comments

  1. Pretty run-of-the-mill. I liked the first series’ version, with the pocket watch stuff better, but I guess we’ll get that with the insanely terrible Rush Valley arc later on.

    I couldn’t care less about Winry, to tell the truth, so the episode didn’t do much for me.

    penguintruth
  2. @Ral
    Yes they did.

    They did not cut out anything really important (the only things to be cut out were dinner, lust dialogue and that short burn house flashback, which will be included in Izumi stuff)

    Unknown Voice
  3. @ Exhiliration

    Eclipse, and gg also sub it. Plenty of DDL’s out there.

    Haven’t read or watched the first half of the original series in a while; I do not remember Armstrong getting so emotional, unless I skipped over all that talking.

    Oz
  4. Does anyone know where I can find great Bleach episode pictures that are in large sizes? The reason why I want to find the pictures is because I want to draw some of the pictures! 🙂

    Anime Fan
  5. I was kind of surprised that they managed to fit both chapter 8 and 9 into one episode. Too bad they had to cut Lust’s meeting with Marco, but I guess it still works as an ”Oh shit!” moment.

    That cheesy English announcer in the eyecatches is starting to really bug me. It sounds like something from a fighting game.

    Crossword
  6. @Kabayongtao
    Just look for “Sex Warrior Isane” and you’ll understand what I mean. It’s up on tadanohito and fakku I believe.

    It’s basically about some guy who has an alien lifeform assimilated into his arm which makes women react as they usually do in hentai series’ XD.

    bearzerger
  7. LOL@anyone thinking this is better than the first series

    Winry fanservice amped up a bit, obviously – a little pathetic, but an appreciated olive branch to the otaku out there.

    The “I’m not short” jokes continue to be annoying!! XD XD Ed’s short XD. — We get it, a running gag is a running gag. Keep running with it!

    HOWEVER, I will say the animation quality continues to be nice. It’s hard to find good things to say yet, by the way, isn’t it? because so much of this has already been done near perfectly in the first series… besides that we are not in this “new ground” territory.

    Also the cheesy English announcer douche has BEEN annoying since day one. What’s he doing there? English is cool in Japan!!! *puts on shirt that says embarrassing english phrases*

    scherzo
  8. I have watched it now, and I must say some smexy shots of Edo…like without a shirt, and when he slept in his bed, his hair all curly….awww…

    I just love Major Armsrtong and his sparkles!

    yey! next is Ross and Sheska…and that guy…

    Lily
  9. winry in green bandanna is nostalgic the other way around……

    i am used in the red one.

    and Tim Marcoh overseeing the train departure? gotta be kidding…

    knight of one

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