First Impressions / Fullmetal Alchemist

Summary:

Still on Scar’s trail, Kimblee figures out that he headed north and follows him there. When Kimblee gets word that Scar and Marcoh are on a train, he boards it by having another train run alongside it, but instead of finding Marcoh, he finds Yoki there. Kimblee is then attacked by Scar, and the two recognize each other from their previous encounter years ago. Before Kimblee can really do anything, Scar impales him with a metal pipe, and this leaves Kimblee no choice but to use his alchemy to separate the two parts of the train, with Scar on the other part. Realizing that something happened, the train’s operators stop it and find the injured Kimblee, but he orders them to keep going. Unbeknownst to Kimblee, the real Marcoh is heading north on foot with May Chang. The two eventually reach the shack where Scar’s brother’s research is located, and they find it intact.

Ed and Al meanwhile have also arrived up north, and the snow reminds them of how it once snowed in Resembool when they were young. They get a ride up to the path that leads to the Briggs fortress, but once on foot, they get caught in a big snowstorm. In the middle of this, they are attacked by a large man with an automail arm. He turns out to be wearing a military uniform, but he doesn’t give Ed and Al a chance to explain who they are, forcing them to fight. Despite his alchemy not being effective, Ed is able to jam the man’s automail arm with Al’s armored head, however they are then surrounded by Briggs soldiers. Ed and Al had actually been fighting right near the Briggs wall, and Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong comes out to see what’s going on. Treating them as suspicious, she tears up the introductory letter from her little brother because she judges people with her own eyes, but she still allows the brothers inside the fortress.

Preview

This was a decent episode considering the fact that it had two battles and some story progression, but I was hoping for a bit more from the first part. Kimblee’s reaction to finding Yoki was amusing, however the battle between him and Scar wasn’t nearly as cool as it could have been given all the build-up to that point and given how Kimblee had a Philosopher’s Stone with him. In fact, I was half-expecting Kimblee to heal himself right there with the power of the Philosopher’s Stone and then continue fighting, but the battle instead just sort of ended. I assume Kimblee will be just fine, but a rematch seems far off now, so all things considered, I’m a little disappointed. On a different note, Marcoh didn’t look as disfigured as I imagined; he reminds me a little of Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars now.

As for Ed and Al, their battle with Buccaneer wasn’t bad, and I wonder why Ed’s alchemy didn’t work – there seems to be a lot of that lately. The way Armstrong’s sister Olivier (voiced by Soumi Youko) was then introduced wasn’t too surprising, and she seemed like a real hardass who would be a great ally to have if you can get on her good side. I imagine that’s what’s going to happen with the arrival/attack of Sloth next episode, and I’m curious to see more of her character and more of Sloth since he hasn’t really been active in the series so far.

39 Comments

  13. Well, it looks pretty good, but again stretched it like whoa. Now it’s not really about the pacing for me but more that it’s taking forever now to get to anything, since I know what’s coming.

    OLIVIER. 8D

    (The Sloth fight airs on my birthday! Yay!)

    blue
    Reply

  14. Omni: well the reason that fight with kimblee was short and disapointing after all that buildup is because in the manga NONE of that buildup was there. in the manga the first time we see kimblee chasing scar is the scene at north headquarters and then we immediatly go to that fight.

    I still think Olivier’ lips look weird, but other then that she is her usual badass self. and yay for crocidile arm man and the guy with shades! (i forget there names) cant wait to see Sloth next episode! you will find he is VERY different from the Sloth in Fullmetal season one.

    TakashiD
    Reply

  24. I think his alchemy didnt work because the materials in the guys automail wasn’t the same material in his. I think he was doing that destructive part of alchemy and since he didn’t know what the material is he couldn’t decompose it

    LeftArrow
    Reply

  25. @zero (w00t!!!! Sloth’s in it for the z’s!)

    lol, thats a perfect summary on sloth. cant wait to see him even if hes probably my least favorite homonculus (pride, wrath and envy all the way for me!)

    its a bit strange they are stretching the episodes lately considering the briggs arc is the longest (as i can recall) and possibly the most in need of trimming.

    pretty fine episode anyway. gotta disagree with omni regarding the scarXkimberly fight. i love that kimberly entered the fight unfit and unprepared for scar and even while planning on how to exploit the gaps in scars alchemy, gets impaled by a rail instead. talk about overthinking some risks while ignoring the simple ones!

    it also great to have olivier in it. the animation did seem a bit off from what i was expecting (probably the eyes arent angry/cold enough) but i’ll probably get used to that.

    fathomlessblue
    Reply

  31. lol I’m guessing Ed’s alchemy didn’t work on Buccaneer because his arm was made of aluminum or something, when Ed was targeting another type of metal.

    And the reason his automail was twitching was probably use to the metal used in his arm.

    lolol I thought the guy traveling with Scar was Marcoh too until he got unmasked. xD with that constant shaking and all…

    AznCoffee
    Reply

  32. I figured it was Yoki by how rough Scar was being with him, pushing him etc. Yoki is the whipping boy, after all.

    These subs are pissing me off. A full day and still nothing…ugh.

    Cornwiggle
    Reply

  34. Ah, so that’s what Sloth has been doing all this time.

    Though Olivier has not intentions of mutiny, but by just observing how disciplined her troops are and how tightly guarded her fortress is, the Homunculi probably rightly saw her as a threat that needs to be removed.

    But as security at Briggs is water tight, it does seem like the Homunculi has decided to be very patient and slowly have Sloth dig a tunnel in order to infiltrate Briggs, all the way from Central.

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  37. kinny riddle um that thory is dumb no offence back in episode 14 greed asked them where sloth was lust said he was still working and greed diched 100 years ago so this means that sloth had started digging 100 years ago so unless they saw a yet to be born person as a threat i dout that was thier plan

    clinton
    Reply

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