OP Sequence

OP: 「Period」 by ケミストリー (CHEMISTRY)
Watch the OP!: Mirror 1, Mirror 2, Streaming ▼

Summary:

With Scar having taken hostage of Winry, Ed stops Kimblee from using his alchemy long enough for the two to escape. This entire plan goes back to earlier when Ed and company still had Scar restrained. Winry had actually wrapped up Scar’s injured arm, but she refused to forgive him, and Ed had felt even less kind. Scar had then learned about Miles’ goal to change people’s perceptions of the Ishval people, and Scar was glad that there was someone like him. Fortunately for Scar, Marcoh and May Chang had come and told Miles about their need of him to decipher the research documents. Miles had decided on hiding everyone at Briggs, and Scar had agreed to cooperate. There had also been the matter of Kimblee’s two Chimera soldiers, and Al had convinced them that they wanted to live and return to their original bodies. As for Winry, in order to keep Kimblee from being suspicious, she had come up with the idea of having Scar kidnap her. Ed and Al had opposed this, but Winry told them not to take everything upon just themselves, and they had no choice but to go along with it. Winry had also given Ed her earrings to hold onto until they met back up.

The plan had thus been put into place, and Marcoh’s group had made their way through the tunnels. While they’re walking, Marcoh and Winry talking about her parents reminds Scar of what the elder and his own brother had said about severing the chain of hatred. When they make a brief stop, May Chang brings up her conflicted feelings about the Philosopher’s Stone given what the materials for it are. Marcoh, however, thinks that the research documents could give her an answer. Unbeknownst to them, a complication is emerging. Miles learns that Olivier has been called to Central and has been replaced by one of King Bradley’s men. The only way to let Marcoh’s group know is to send someone after them, but the blizzard makes it impossible for a regular person. Fortunately, Al is unaffected by the cold, so he goes alone on foot. Shortly after he sets out though, he sees a vision of his body in front of the Gate beckoning to him. The vision ends almost as quickly as it begins, and Al realizes that his body is pulling at his soul. He gets a hold of himself though and continues to move forward. Meanwhile, under Central, Father puts four pieces in place representing Al, Ed, Hohenheim, and Izumi, and he needs one more.

ED Sequence

ED: 「瞬間センチメンタル」 (Shunkan Sentimental) by SCANDAL
Watch the ED!: Mirror 1, Mirror 2, Streaming ▼

The opening song isn’t quite what I expected. I really liked the way it starts, and it’s got a good chorus, but I thought that a CHEMISTRY song would be more hip-hop/R&Bish overall. It’s still growing on me regardless. The ED, on the other hand, is very much the kind of song I expected from SCANDAL. It’s catchy and faster paced than the previous ending songs, and I guess it’s comes off more like another OP than an ED. At this point, however, I think I still prefer the previous EDs, particularly LET IT OUT and Tsunaida Te, for their overall themes. As for the attached animations, I had fun watching all the action in both the OP and ED, and there appear to be plenty of spoilers. They actually made Selim look evil too. I also found it interesting though that the new ED animation ended with Hohenheim in the same sequence as his sons, which implies to me that he’ll be playing a much more central role soon.

Preview

As expected, they backtracked this week to explain how the group came to decide to split up and let Scar “kidnap” Winry. Both Winry and Al had some strong moments – it was nice to see Winry standing up for herself in particular – though I was a bit surprised that those two Chimera soldiers came around like that. I mean, I understand that Al’s speech made a big impact on them, but it still feels really weird that things with them have advanced so quickly, to the point where they’ve joined the good guys now and are even shown in the ED sequence.

In any case, the episode wasn’t terribly exciting for the most part. That is, until the end when Al saw his body beckoning to him. What a time for him to be having a crisis. It’s a very interesting development, and I wonder if this means he’ll be seeing more and more visions like this as time passes. It also looks like Father’s plan is pretty close to fruition, and I wonder who the last Alchemist he needs is – probably someone who’s done a human transmutation. Maybe we’ll learn more next week since preview and the title of next episode make it seem like it will be about the Homunculus side.

83 Comments

  1. First to comment! Wewt!
    And first to complain, WEWT! 8D
    Opening looks shity from here. Winry and Mai can fail it up in the ED’s, but all about them in my OPENINGS?! Outrageous.

    Homuncurus!
  2. wow, did both the OP and the ED spoiled…as if that’s the last set

    at least the sequences themselves are better than the music (might be the fact that i can’t stomach those fast music)

    info600
  3. Haha, disregard my first post, I know not what I say.
    OP blew me away. Even though half the stuff in it never actually haaaaappeens.. but, whatevz. Music.. meh, not so much. I have to get used to it for a bit before I really like it.

    Homuncurus!
  4. “I understand that Al’s speech made a big impact on them, but it still feels really weird for those two chimera to have had such a big change of heart so quickly, to the point where they’ve joined the good guys now and are even shown in the ED sequence.”

    Although they were with the bad guys (Central) at the beginning, they are not evil you know. They’re just normal soldiers who fell victim to the military’s experiments and were turned into monsters. As of now, they’re just following orders to capture Scar, and as you can see from their fight with Ed, they’re simple-minded and a little stupid. They’re the type to change their heart easily, imho!

    tanukichan
  5. the scandal song sounds like their bleach OP (Shoujo S, was it?) at the beginning ‘_’
    the op was great though. I’m not a big fan of the OP and ED songs of fma:b, but I start liking that op song. Ahh and the Graphics were great too. The ED is not really my taste. I was like “ugh” when I read that Scandal will do the ED.
    Show Spoiler ▼

    ama-ri
  6. and it’s not like they had much of a choice here. They might got killed by Kimblee for failing their mission, on the other hand, if they join Ed’s side they are promised a chance to return to normal.

    tanukichan
  7. That is, until the end when Ed saw his body beckoning to him. What a time for him to be having a crisis (he’s walking through a blizzard).

    ^should be Al’s right? I miss my upbeat OPs.. I’m really liking Kimblee so far 😀

    klaynne14
  8. OMNI, don’t hold your breath figuring out who the fifth sacrifice will be, the manga readers only found out recently. Comes off as bit of a cop-out, really.

    I like the OP song, but the animation sequence isn’t as good as the previous ones. The same with the ED. There were some good bits, but I’m tired of the stills and a character just walking during it (Winry this time). Still better than the last ED, though.

    I guess I’m not well-informed, because I wasn’t expecting a new OP or ED this week. They were the highlight of an otherwise “meh” episode.

    I always like the way scenes at the Doors of Truth are handled, though. Poor Al! You need to get that body and get some food in him! Maybe a haircut, a bath, cut those nails…

    penguintruth
  9. Well, to me the opening AND ending I’m loving right now,the animation looks so good for them, not only that, but some spoilers has been shown,(and for some reason, for the opening song, it reminds me of HxH) don’t ask me why.The first opening for fmab will still be #1 for me though.

    MixtureA
  10. This has to be the best FMA Opening song ever created(alongside the sequence). No crappy rapping or hiphoping or other non-creative bs, just pure epic awesomeness.

    Almost makes up for crappy previous OP -_-

    UnknownVoice
  11. OMG! Totally LOVED the OP :). It was not the crappy music they did for Gundam Seed Destiny. But I wonder if they will ever touch up the story for Mustang and Hawkeye?

    Yay for an ED similar feel to the “Ineraseable Sin” from Season 1. especially ep 7.

    Flappy
  12. OMNI, don’t hold your breath figuring out who the fifth sacrifice will be, the manga readers only found out recently. Comes off as bit of a cop-out, really.

    It could only be one of two characters. I was never suspecting a big surprise when it was said quite clearly who those two candidates were. Even the fans who are only watching Brotherhood should know who these candidates are if they are paying attention.

    Kim
  13. just saw a raw of the new op… wow, that is by far the best we’ve seen yet. starts off slowly but those action sequences… im pretty much speechless. also im really glad they’ve given pride his sarcastic/smug look back. i was a little worried he was still looking too cute when he reveals himself to hawkeye but the new op nails his “come and have a go if you think your hard enough” attitude.

    song itself is pretty decent, its been on youtube for a few weeks now so im used to it. far better than the last one at least!

    ps ran-fan and fu = epic win!

    fathomlessblue
  14. On another note I really like both the new OP & ED. I am especially pleased that there is so much Winry and Mei in them to annoy the people who dislike these two awesome girls. Love the Riza scene in the ending too.

    But my favorite part about the OP is when it starts out as just Ed & Al but suddenly they are surrounded by more and more people. This is probably a perfect representation of what the series is about. Too bad so many fans don’t get it and complain when other characters besides Ed & Al (or their favorites) have the spotlight.

    Kim
  15. OMG, the new OP. O_o Pride looks insanely badass, shredding the landscape with his weird shadow-tentacle things. Can’t wait for that fight. 😀 Haven’t seen as many evil shota running around as evil lolis, guess Pride’s upping the odds. I hope we get to see more Greedling (who appears oddly absent in the new OP, unless he’s attacking Envy with his ninjas there). I look forward to seeing Ran Fan’s automail arm and what’s up with Al’s emaciated body. This is gonna be a great new season, now if only Eclipse would hurry up with their fansubs!

    Guardian
  16. I really got to say, the OPs of this anime are excellent. The one thing that I was surprised seeing in it, that I even forgot about, was the Reverse Transmutation Circle. (Chekov’s Circle, anyone?)

    The Ed…well…It’s alright. Not a fan of the music, but that animation was good. “Let it Out” is still the best ed.

    ...
  17. @espada
    heres a link to a raw of the new op
    http://www.torrentzap.com/torrent/902538/%5BLeopard-Raws%5D+FULLMETAL+ALCHEMIST+2009+-+OP4+%28D-TBS+x264+AAC+1280×720%29.mp4

    @guardian
    greedling is in the new op in a brief scene with wrath. you cant see him very clearly though.

    v. mild spoiler/ish alert

    like homoncurus! mentions theres scenes in the new op that do not actually happen in the manga, or at least not with the characters shown. im not sure if this is just artistic liberties taken for the op. or if bones is going to alter/add new scenes. i’ve just read chapter 103 of the manga and its still not anywhere near finishing (damn good though) so maybe bones will attempt to extend certain parts.

    if this is the case im not sure how i feel about it. on one hand unnecessary filler would bog down the story, on the other the part with kimblee at briggs (as shown in the op) felt rushed in the manga and could do with being padded out a bit, plus ran-fan is owed giving envy an ass-kicking, as their fight (around the time roy killed lust) was cut from the anime. guess we’ll see

    Fathomlessblue
  18. “The preview and the title of next episode makes it seem like we’ll be learning more about the Homunculus side next week.”

    Finally we are here! Prepare yourself for some shocking revelations!

    Steelman
  19. Hey, how long is the anime going to be? Is this the last op? (I don’t really think so…but is it?
    There are already in chapter 74 in the manga…!!! that was fast!!!
    I wonder if they’ll put any fillers(hope not…)and one other thing…are they going to stick faithfully to the manga or are they going to mess up things in the end…?

    andrea
  20. andrea: i really hope they do not do fillars when we are getting to the start of great battles. i was hoping they might go on hiatus for a bit once they reach the end of volume 20 in the manga, thats a good place to stop.

    Loved the OP with Pride, cant wait to see him kick ass with his shadows

    TakashiD
  21. There goes Penguintruth again, bitching about anything and everything.

    The fifth sacrifice is not a cop-out, tard. Why do you even read FMA? Go stick with your Naruto garbage.

    Cornwiggle
  22. Yes!, this is what I’ve been waiting for and now a little more to get to the amazing climax of this awsome story. Also, sorry for bother but could you please upload the opening because is amazing, thanks.

    haseo0408
  23. Thanks for the stills 😀

    Keep spoilers hidden everyone. Some people on here aren’t reading the Manga. I mean, we only found out two chapters ago who the 5th human sacrifice is. So ease up.

    Anyways, i CANNOT wait for episode 40! Oh my heck 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
    Anyone know where i can find a preview..today? Ha, i don’t wanna wait till later tonight or tomorrow 🙂

    (scar ftw)

    Deet
  24. @Cornwiggle

    And there you are again, without an argument to the contrary, just a reaction.

    Don’t worry. Maybe somebody will come along and actually DEBATE what I said, and then you can pretend that was what you were thinking the whole time.

    I think *you* need to stick to Naruto, because it seems more your speed.

    penguintruth
  25. Sorry, I don’t watch garbage like Naruto. You admitted you even watch Bleach, which is just about as bad. Hahaha. By the way, I like how you think you’re debating, when all you’re doing is “NO U”

    So, keep trying, retard. I’m laughing my ass off.

    Cornwiggle
  26. @Cornwiggle

    I believe a “NO U” is when you react to an opinion you dislike with a gut reaction, rather than an argument to the contrary. It sounds a lot like what you’re doing.

    You also seem to be fond of bringing other manga/shows up instead of sticking to the subject of Fullmetal Alchemist. Maybe you ought to wait for reviews of those to appear and leave the FMA discussion to the rest of us.

    penguintruth
  27. Corwiggle aside, even as somebody who isn’t a big Winry fan, I “aww”‘d when Edward put his head to hers in this episode. If that was MY reaction, I bet EdxWinry folks were crazy over it.

    penguintruth
  28. It’s just amazing how everytime you post, it’s only everything you hate. Each and every episode. Nothing is good enough for you. Hell, apparently even the manga isn’t good enough for you, so why are you even watching FMA? Or are you just that much of a dork Otaku that you watch everything because of a lack of something better to do?

    Cornwiggle
  29. @penguintruth

    why do you feel the fifth sacrifice is a cop out? they’ve dedicated quite a bit of time and focus towards him, he’d be the most logical target. choosing anyone else would have been a cop out. the only other two possibilities in my mind Show Spoiler ▼

    RickyMack
  30. The animation in OP and ED is nice (weeee, we get 1 sec Al’s body (or, as I prefer, human!Al, ’cause he looks more alive then the Body)), but I don’t like the songs, yet.

    Lots of nice things in this ep, like Al convincing the chimearas (spell?), everyone misses there home and family, Winry and Scar, Ed and Winry and earrings, Yoki get some screentime, and Al’s body calling for him. But if Al’s soul now got reppelled by the armour, would it magically transfer to his real body? I’m gessing no, cause then everybody wouldn’t be so afraid.

    Lilly
  31. Regarding candidate #5:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Both songs have become quite addictive to me. >< Both sequences have incredible animation, tho I have to say Selim v Ed is animated much better in the OP. In the ED the shadow-things look kinda hokey.

    Guardian
  32. @RickyMack

    The actually choice wasn’t a cop-out, because of course they hinted at it enough, but I felt the process of making him a sacrifice was stupid, and the homunculi were put in a position where if they had done something earlier, they wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths.

    penguintruth
  33. Labyrinth, that’s the thing though, we still don’t know WHAT Father’s plan completely is. So we don’t really know why he needs five capable alchemists. I’m sure Arakawa will have a good reason for it. She always does.

    Cornwiggle
  34. I love the OP, if you look closely its chock full of spoilers ^^.
    Like the scene with Wrath slashing and kicking Greedling away, and Greedling swinging forward with an epic headbutt.
    And the scene with those two ninjas (ranfan + old guy), fighting envy in dino form and slashing him to bits.

    Kinda gives away some of the future developments among the homunculi.

    5 sacrifices + Manga spoilers
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Asamoya
  35. @omni just thought id point out a quick typo you said “Ed” instead of “Al” even though I figure everyone knew what you meant, just thought you might want to fix it.

    “That is, until the end when Ed saw his body beckoning to him. What a time for him to be having a crisis.”

    awesome episode love the scenes in the new OP and ED

    rofl
  36. @Asamoya: The Lanfan and Fu vs. Envy fight in the opening never happens in the manga.

    I really like the new opening and ending, in particular the Pride and Kimblee parts in the opening (especially the Pride parts) and the homunculi parts in the ending. This is almost certainly my favourite FMA opening (I have liked all of FMA B’s) and most likely my favourite FMA ending (either this or FMA B’s first one). I’m pleased, as I didn’t really like FMA B’s second and third endings, so its nice to have one which I’ll actually enjoy to watch.

    Also, this ending seems extremely appropriate for the cliffhanger endings the upcoming episodes will most likely have. I really think a calm ending would destroy the mood. The opening is also very appropriate for this part of the FMA story.

    Winry was quite amazing in this episode.

    Sim
    1. Same, especially regarding the last 2 EDs. I still don’t like that a solid few seconds of this ED is dedicated to Winry walking while all the other main characters had to share a screen. This show and really the manga too are rather insistent about championing Winry… I liked her in the episode itself, but it comes at the cost of being irritated by Ed and Al’s overprotectiveness, which feels like a backslide after their impressive decision to finally just let her in on everything that’s going on.

      StankyKong
  37. If you pause the opening on the bit where the philosopher’s stone appears, just before Pride shatters it, you’ll see a really creepy silhoutte appears behind the philosopher’s stone. You can see it’s Pride (his real self, not his shadow), but the face looks monstorus (it looks like a ghoulish grinning face). It happens really fast, so you may have to pause it a few times before catching it.

    I thought it was quite a cool touch (unlike what you find if you try pausing the first FMA B opening in a similar manner, when Lust, Gluttony and Envy first appear and you see them come out of each others mouths in quite a disturbing manner. Ugh).

    Sim
  38. Hey, from the OP, looks like Ran Fan’s gonna get her automail arm after all. I would have expected the Chemistry OP to contain some hip-hop as was their style, but the tune for this OP turned out quite well.

    For the previous two ED, while I loved “Let It All Out”, I personally found “Tsunaide Te” to be quite boring, so it’s good to have an upbeat ED again.

    Father doesn’t seem decided on Izumi being a pillar yet, must be concerned about her constant coughing which might mean her departing before he could even use her. The final pillar candidate, surely it has to be Mustang, when even Lust herself has mentioned him as a potential candidate.

    (Oh and Omni, a typo on your part, it’s Al whose body is beckoning to him, not Ed)

    Kinny Riddle
  39. @ahelo

    I believe that it’s not because they don’t know spoil tags, they really wanted to spoil us. Oh well, if I remember correctly, even Lust said that Roy Mustang was a possible sacrifice.

    On the otherhand, I’m thinking of an alternate sacrifice. I remember Riza Hawkeye for having wierd tatoos in a form of a transmutation circle on her back.

    kabayongtao

Leave a Reply to treble89 Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *