First Impressions / Fullmetal Alchemist

「失われた光」 (Ushinawareta Hikari)
“Lost Light”

Well that’s news to me. I didn’t know you can force someone to perform alchemy against their will and let them suffer the consequences of doing so. Just when I thought things were looking up with the arrival of May, Darius, Jerso, and Zampano, both Wrath and Pride show up to spoil the parade. While I’m relieved that May was able to save Riza’s life by stopping the bleeding with her Xing medical alchemy, it was so frustrating to see the King Bradley candidates prevent her from grabbing the philosopher stone and making use of it. As for Wrath himself, there’s been fair bit of talk about how he doesn’t possess any regenerative abilities, but this is the first time I recall the story actually suggesting that possibility by having Mustang being surprised about his wounds. That became a quick afterthought once he pinned down Roy by impaling both his hands though, followed by Pride absorbing the Gold-Toothed Doctor and obtaining his knowledge of human transmutations to force Roy into performing one. Like the title suggests and so many people have “kindly” spoiled already, Roy’s price for coming into contact with the gate of truth is his eyesight. Needless to say, the shock value of that was totally lost, but I did enjoy watching Scar go toe-to-toe with a wounded Wrath and hold his own really well bare-handed. That was pretty awesome to see and reminded me how cool it is to have Scar amongst the good guys, unlike in the anime original first adaptation.

Aside from that, the big thing I was looking forward to seeing this episode was the state of Al. Much like I suspected last time, he was held up at the gate and given the opportunity to reunite with his body; however, the big surprise is that he chooses not to because he feels it’s too frail to be of any help to the others in stopping Father. It was a pretty selfless move on his part to give up his lifelong goal and rush back through the gate leaving his body behind, but I get the unsettling feeling that this may mean he’ll never get it back at all. I’m all for the impact his decision made, but I’d really hate to see things end with Al stuck in that suit of armor forever. In any case, the immediate problem now is that with Al’s return to the normal world, all five sacrifices have gathered and the Promised Day total eclipse has already begun. The preview shows parts of Amestris already being swallowed up, which leaves me wondering if this is only the beginning or if Ed and the others have already been transmuted. I’d say it’s really suspenseful, but I really don’t see Ed and Al not making it through to the end alive, so that thought kind of takes away from it. Still, I’m expecting these last four episodes to be one hell of a ride.

 

Preview

95 Comments

  3. I thought it was incredibly stupid that you can force somebody to perform human transmutation against their will. If they could do that the entire time, why not just go out and get five random people and just do that? Yeah, it causes damage to Pride, but come on, he can take it for the team.

    Wrath really is an endurance champ, surviving all that damage only to keep coming back. So far, the fight with him and Scar already looks better than his fight with Greed. Bones did an excellent job with that.

    They also did a pretty good job with Alphonse in front of his body. Poor boy.

    penguintruth
    Reply

    2. It doesn’t ‘just’ do some damage to Pride. It drains him of all the souls he has. (He can’t regenerate anymore.) That’s quite a cost.

      I don’t think it’s not very stupid that it’s possible to force a transmutation, but I do think it made things to convenient for the Homunculi (and the writer).

      Starshade
      Reply

      2. Well, it WAS hinted ages ago in Hohenheim’s flashback. He wasn’t selected as a sacrifice because he had a stone, he was selected cause he saw the Truth, yet he didn’t perform alchemy himself.

        As for not doing that before and just locking the sacrifices in a dungeon, sure, it raises some eyebrows, but if they did that there would be no story. But they were pretty much prepared for the case of being one or two sacrifices short, which was shown by this ‘taking you for a ride’ Pride did on Roy. Father knew Hohenheim was one, Ed confirmed himself as one during his examination, and in those three years between the exam and the story Bradley obviously saw Al more than once and classified him as another candidate for his lack of body. Izumi was also an unconfirmed sacrifice, since it’s pretty obvious that after using clappy alchemy right before meeting the brothers would spread as a rumor at least. That only left one missing. Four out offive without your intervention sounds pretty good to me.

        Lagunamov
        Reply

    3. why would they need to force people to perform human transmutation, if they still had time? forcing Roy was a last resort, as Promised Day already came and they needed a fifth sacrifice. also, from what i remember from the manga, Pride was the only one who could do this because he absorbed an alchemist that possesed knowledge necessary to perform human transmutation, and doing it once leaves him with his body almost destroyed.

      bgi
      Reply

    5. Every good plan has a backup plan just in case; though, as it’s also stated, it takes skill to survive coming back; so it’s doubtful they could just force five people and have them survive, they would 1. Have to be skilled Alchemists 2. A Homunculus would have to be sacrificed

      It’s really not worth it to do that five times.

      Cornwiggle
      Reply

  7. Seriously, if Al doesn’t get his body back or worse, if he dies, I’d be pretty mad. He must survive, get his body and eat all the thisngs he writes down in his notebook.

    About Roy: I don’t think he was the one performing human transmutation. He was dragged into it the same way Hohenheim was centuries ago. The one doing it was Pride, using Mad Doctor’s or Kimblee’s skills.

    Stare contest between Bradley and Scar was not required I think

    Linnie
    Reply

  12. Damn it! Every time I’ve looked forward to yours or Omni’s reaction to certain things (Pride reveal, Roy’s toll) turns out someone spoilt it for you. You may as well just read the manga Divine before someone reads the last chapter and ruins it for you. ¬_¬

    I love the way they handled this episode. Wrath and scar was full of win.

    Blaineo
    Reply

    2. Omg, I KNOW! It’s so annoying!! I’ve been looking forward to seeing bloggers reactions on different scenes throughout the series, and ALL THE TIME someone shows up and spoils the fun. MEH!

      Acylia
      Reply

  16. Roy:I can’t see anything this is horrible!!
    Toph:Oh no what a nightmare…

    The stage is set, the actors are in place and I have my popcorn. Let the final chapter begin to this wonderful masterpiece. I wonder what other surprises will come from Father’s plan. It’ll be interesting to see how the Blind.. I am Flame Alchemist fights now. You know he won’t let this hold him back. You know its funny that in the original show he lost one eye, in this one he ends up losing both of them.

    abe
    Reply

    2. Lol, we’ll definitely need popcorn for the last chapter. i’ve heard that its ~150 pages or something. last chapter was already close to 70
      can’t wait for chapter, but kinda sad its ending. 108+ chapters full of epicness !!!

      KentaiYoshimi
      Reply

  18. In the OP at the very end they show Ed in bed sleeping and Winrie near or on the bed looking like she just got up. Does that mean Ed & Winrie sleep together or become a couple?

    Karmafan
    Reply

    1. It can be just a nice picture. It might be just Ed coming to Resembool, collapsing in bed and Winry checking in regular intervals whether or not he’s still alive… Nobody knows. Maybe you’re even right 😀

      Linnie
      Reply

  21. Bradley: thx for pwning my ass in 2004’s season. now it’s my turn.
    Mustang: no way old man. it was your son who brought your skull. get him instead.
    Bradley: i cant do that.
    Mustang: why?
    Bradley: they made selim so powerful in this season i cant kill him.
    Mustang: =.=

    SiegeX
    Reply

  22. Unfortunately some troll will almost certainly post spoilers in this thread too, despite (or because of) seeing how unwelcome they are. Some are just too stupid to bother reading the thread and think we’ll heap laurels on them if they spoil Wrath and Scar’s dance-dance revolution standoff, and I’m sure others just get a sick satisfaction out of ruining the surprise for everyone. Sorry you have to put up with this divine. :/

    Lots of talking this episode so I wasn’t able to get much out of it; so glad we’re getting to Scar v Wrath tho. Even with Mei joining the side of the sacrifices in fighting against Father, that fucked-up thing with a beer gut and too many eyes seems like it’ll be hard to beat. Especially considering the preview for next week …

    Guardian
    Reply

  23. I’d say the highlight of this episode has to be the way they animated Mustang holding onto Hawkeye.
    It was there in the manga, but just his body language and expressions pretty much told you all you need to know.
    Why don’t more shows at least try and tell a tale of complex relationships like this without flooding the viewer with text?

    someSyl
    Reply

    1. the fact that it’s just half a second long and still looks THIS awesome only goes to show how great the quality of the show is at the moment…

      I think they’re blowing enough money on each episode right now to finance a complete season of something like Naruto.

      someSyl
      Reply

  29. I’m sorry someone spoiled it for you. Really, that sucks.

    I’m a little worried that these last episodes will really rush the manga. It just seems like it would go against logic if they weren’t rushed. And it already felt like the scene with Alphonse was rushed, though I haven’t found anyone else who shares my opinion yet.

    Tri
    Reply

  32. I honestly wish they never set a fixed schedule for this anime, intending to finish it, when the MANGA’S NOT DONE YET.

    I’m going to pissed if they ruin the ending by speeding it up all of a sudden.

    Cornwiggle
    Reply

    1. Isn’t the final chapter going to be like 100 pages long? If that’s so, would the final episode be an extended special?
      But I remember people saying they rushed through the entire Ishval War arc in one episode..

      Eamon
      Reply

      1. No “maybe” about it, he DID deconstruct a sword this episode.

        Right after Mei and Zampano got the drop on the Fuhrer candidates pinning down Roy and Scar, the first thing Scar did upon breaking free was to disarm one of the guys by shattering the blade in half.

        Tavor TAR-21
        Reply

      1. And also remember that Bradley’s body is ageing and weakened. If he were at his primes, not even Greed would have stood a chance before him. He also states sometime that he did quite a lot of insane stuff with his body when he was young. (Including using five swords at once by holding one in each hand, putting one in each earhole and one in his assho…. no just kidding. From the writer herself. No, seriously.)

        Starshade
        Reply

  34. The ending for this series is looking to be far (far) better than the original anime. I can honestly say I really don’t know whats going to happen.

    Although if it turns out that the reaction is stopped because of something like goodness or beauty or even worse just will power I’ll quickly retract the words above.

    Tomer
    Reply

    1. I laughed hard at that goddess of beauty part.

      By the way, as I’ve read the following chapters, I can tell you that that’s not gonna happen. Sorry if you consider it a spoiler.

      Starshade
      Reply

    2. ROFL, this is bringing back memories of Final Fantasy XIII.

      Without going too deep into spoilers, I’ll just say that “WILLPOWER” murdered FFXIII’s ending for me.

      Tavor TAR-21
      Reply

    1. Truth is wearing Al’s body. More specifically Al’s Truth is wearing Al’s body. Just like Ed’s Truth was wearing Ed’s missing limbs when we saw him in episode 26. Everyone has a separate Truth (just like they have different doors) b/c Truth is just a shadow of the person who is seeing him. None of this has been actually stated in the manga but it’s more or less taken as fact among the fandom and might as well of been said because everything in the manga points to it being true.

      That’s how Al’s body is sentient.

      Tri
      Reply

      1. Oh? I didn’t know that part. I thought Al’s body’s line about despair was the Truth mocking Alphonse.

        Mmm, that ‘one’s own truth’ thing kinda reminds me of Silent Hill where each of them enter their own personal hell… and something like Memory of Alphonse Elric…. Ugh, shit.

        Starshade
        Reply

  38. WIth whats left in the manga and the final manga episode yet to come it feels like they could make 10 more anime episodes to tell the rest of the story. Only 4 left makes me fear its gonna be a jumbled mess of big moments on top of big moments and ruin the series.

    Karmafan
    Reply

  39. People keep complaining that the remaining episodes are gonna be rushed but fail to realize the remaining plot is nothing but action. Action sequences seem long in manga panels but when animated they go by fast by nature. The only way to make them seem longer is by intentionally dragging them and that’s the last thing I want to see in this anime at this point.

    damian
    Reply

  40. Hmmm…what should I do for a cryptic spoiler…hmmm…

    Hoenhiem, Ed, Al, Uzumi and now Mustang all traded something to reach the gate.

    …yeah, that’ll do. Might be misleading though.

    Vsin
    Reply

  41. at least both the previous anime series and brotherhood had mustang dealing with his eyesight..even though the first was only HALF-RIGHT…get it? HALF-RIGHT!!! zehahaha..O__O

    *sigh*
    im getting old…

    ichigoat
    Reply

    1. I guess it’s just random but also ironic. The toll for Mustang to use human transmutation is his eyesight. But Like Father said, Mustang can no longer look into the future (methaphorically that is).

      Thing is, I thought to myself, if you can force anyone to do human transmutation why did you need those alchemists in particlar. It could have been anyone. Bad storywriting? I guess it just made it easier for Arakawa to get to the grand finale of her story. =/

      Eamon
      Reply

      1. It’s not poor story-telling on Arakawa’s part. It was planned.

        They didn’t do this for the other 4 sacrifices, because it costs them as well. Did you not notice a chunck of Prides face FALLING OFF? It cost him alot to force Mustang through the gate. A lot.

        DEETERS
        Reply

      2. Also, in an earlier episode (or maybe just manga chapter) Pride and Envy were discussing whether they should just resort to using Kimbley as a sacrifice, but decided that he wouldn’t have survived the trip, apparently implying that alchemists require a certain degree of willpower in order to survive the trip through the gate (and even then, Al would have ‘died’ if it wasn’t for Ed).

        As far as why only Roy’s eyesight is taken, I like to think of it as the Truth stealing his optical nerves. Remember, Izumi only had parts of her insides stolen as well.

        Captain Guest
        Reply

  46. Man, screw you guys for making me think Riza was dead last week. When I saw the episode and she was still alive at the end, her very serious injury lost all weight.. definition of a spoiler. I wasn’t shocked by her injury because I was warned of her death by the boards. My own fault for reading these comment threads b4 seeing the dub, I guess. Finally downloading ep. 59 subs now. I’ll be leaving this blog alone until after the episode from now on, since the show is coming to an end. A plot spoiler is one thing, but i don’t think I could take having the end ruined for me.

    hms-one
    Reply

    2. hey well us manga readers thought she was dead for a whole month. the chapter ended with her throat getting sliced, yet that exact scene happens in the very middle of this episode.

      RickyMack
      Reply

  47. After watching the epi I think that the forced transmutation quite neatly kills 2 birds w/ one stone. The mustang dilemma, and the pride dilemma. How to get mustang in front of the gate, and how to weaken/defeat the now ludicrously overpowered Pride. When* the end of FMA lives up to the rest of this awesome story, I will declare this show to be a top 5 all time anime series.

    hms-one
    Reply

    1. We don’t know yet. We’ll probably find out next episode. Though Pride DID say he didn’t want to have to use their method of forcing Mustang, but there was no choice since the Homunculi were out of time. It seems to have had consequences on Pride.

      Vlyse
      Reply

    2. I can only think of one thing… (btw, nobody tell me if I’m right or not, please…)

      This all hinges on whether Pride was with Roy on the trip to the gate. If he was, then that means he had to have paid some kind of price for going through. If this is true, God in this series is an asshole, but at least it’s a consistent asshole: just as willing to smack the villains around as the heroes.

      Of course, if Pride WASN’T along for the ride through the gate, and just lowered himself into Father’s room the same way Mei did, then I have no idea what’s going on, lol.

      Tavor TAR-21
      Reply

      1. Pride did go through the Gate. If you look closely at the transmutation circle Mustang is coming out of in Father’s lair, it’s Pride’s shadows. And May blew up the ceiling to get inside, but there were no explosions from Pride, so he couldn’t have just “lowered himself like May did”. He fell through into Father’s lair right after Mustang did.

        Vlyse
        Reply

  49. I see a few of you are hanging on Ed’s words regarding Roy’s toll for seeing (heh) the gate. You’re right; it doesn’t seem fair, does it? If it was, then he wouldn’t be rendered useless by losing his eyesight.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    J Jay
    Reply

  52. The part where Scar and Wrath stare at eachother was super annoying to me and felt unnecessary at first, but then again it’s like, dude, Bradley is the guy who set the whole Ishbalan campain thing in motion, so there’s gotta be drama there. It could’ve been handled a lot better, though.

    dorcas
    Reply

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