First Impressions / Fullmetal Alchemist

「凄絶なる反撃」 (Seizetsu Naru Hangeki)
“The Violent Counterattack”

It was no holds barred with everyone unleashing everything they had to whittle away Father’s remaining souls and make him reach the breaking point, but they had to first survive a huge blast that took out a huge chunk of Central headquarters. After getting distracted by the emergence of a ton of Xerxes souls, Hohenheim ends up protecting Ed and Izumi with a desperation save, but holy crap Al manages to do the same for May somehow. Like father like son I guess, but I’m still dumbfounded by how Al managed to not get completely obliterated in the process. That must have been some serious last minute armor reinforcement alchemy. Following that, the action came hard and heavy as Mustang finally got back into the fray with Hawkeye as his new eyes. I have no idea how he’s able to judge distances and angles without his vision, but he does just that and saves both Ed and Izumi. It’s a god damn shame that Mustang had to lose his aim of all things, because his extremely destructive ability is ideal for chipping away at homunculus immortality from safe distances. Clearly this desperate way with everyone getting involved is much more suspenseful though, as Greed getting into the mix and Ed going for a surprise attack with his already busted up arm proves to be just enough to crack Father’s shell.

As insanely intense as the combined effort of Briggs’ soldiers and everyone else who could still fight was, I was hanging on Al’s words when he asked May to help him save Ed shortly afterward. I knew exactly what he was thinking too after seeing Ed pinned up against a concrete slab and Father creeping towards him, but actually watching Al use his soul to transmute Ed’s right arm back still had me on the edge of my seat. Despite May’s teary reluctance in setting up the alkahestry circles so that he could do so from a distance, I didn’t feel sad about Al’s sacrifice one bit. Seeing him in front of the Gate and returning to his body with a look of determination made me revel at the sight of Ed’s Truth being forced to return the right arm. The setup with Ed losing his automail and being unable to perform transmutations happened so quickly and seamlessly that Al’s subsequent sacrifice to restore his ability to do so was more awesome than anything else. I say that because it gives new meaning to the fact that Ed gave up an arm to affix Al’s soul to the armor and how anyone who’s seen the Truth can use circle-less clap transmutations. In other words, everything was situated in a way from the very beginning to allow Al to shine in this crucial moment and boy did he ever.

Now that Father’s lost the God within him and getting whatever remaining souls in him eaten up by Ed’s relentless onslaught, it looks like the final battle is over for the most part. The real problem now is whether Ed will be able get Al back in some form and what he’ll have to give up to do so this time around. The easy solution would be to use up some of Hohenheim’s souls, but I get the feeling he’s pretty much spent all of them after using the vast majority to form the nation-wide transmutation circle and the rest in this fight against Father. Greed’s philosopher stone could be an option too, but it looks like Ed’s going to head to the gate himself and handle it personally. I guess it would be rather meaningless if they resorted to using the souls of other human begins after all this time. In any case, two episodes to go!

 

Preview

122 Comments

  3. And that brings us to the end of Chapter 107. Two episodes for 108, which will be …interesting. Though the preview gives me ideas about where the split will be.

    I am very interested at your suggestions of how Ed can get Al back; keep them in mind next week.

    Masked Anon
    Reply

  4. I have a general question:
    How often do you guys refresh the main page in anticipation of the FMA post on Saturday nights/Sunday mornings?

    The reason I ask is because some of you guys comment ridiculously fast even in the early hours (for me anyway). I mean, <3 you faithfuls but damn, you guys are pretty hardcore.

    divine
    Reply

      3. Yup, Aussie lol
        This time I was lucky, I randomly came on after taking a break from studying and Episode 62 just popped up, thus spammed touch typing and hit comment. Surprised I was first xD

        Rei
        Reply

    5. Well it’s around 13:50 here and i’ve been refreshing the RC since 11:30 with about 15min intervals 😀 It became a habit over these 60 episodes 😀 Thanks for hard work.

      And i must say, i’ve been waiting for this episode for weeks, but didnt think they’ll even show Ed’s getting his arm back. Considering there are 2 moar episodes left and next week’s episode preview, i wonder what they’ll show in the last episode.

      raklaron
      Reply

    6. Divine you always manage to get the post up within an hour to two hours after the episode has finished airing. Those living in Australia has its perks as we just have to wait a bit and enjoy our Sunday night reading your fantastic fma posts before hitting the sack or watching the raws.

      Cherubium
      Reply

    10. You seem to be forgetting some of us live in Asia, even in Japan itself. 🙂

      I’m only one hour behind Japan, though I’m not THAT crazy to refresh the RC page just for FMA updates, lol.

      Kinny Riddle
      Reply

  15. Wow, the action in this episode is amazing.

    It’s weird how in the end nobody was helping Edward at all when plenty of them looked like they could have easily aided him without Al having to sacrifice. It’s almost like they were going, “Eh, let’s see how this plays out.”

    penguintruth
    Reply

    3. I think it’s cuz everyone was simply overwhelmed by the attack.

      Remember, manga to anime can be pretty difficult. While this scene may have taken only a few panels to portray, the anime spent several minutes.

      Then again, this was a good dramatic move in the story since FMAB has been simply action, action and more action.

      Eamon
      Reply

  20. This episode contains one of my all time big “holy crap” moments. I am looking forward to seeing what it looks like animated. Though to be honest I assumed that would have been the cliffhanger and where this actually stopped.

    My guess for the final two episodes is we’ll get a longer epilogue. Probably next week will deal with the immediate aftermath part of the final chapter and the rest of this final battle, and the finale will tackle the portion of the chapter set further into the future. That seems like the logical way to break it up, anyway.

    Sol Fury
    Reply

  21. Is anybody from North America,Virginia stand up. Its hard to be first in my time zone son. When FMA B-Hood is over we get to re-watch it on Adult Swim. Got to say it sounds good in english and looks good too.

    infinite
    Reply

  22. “but I’m still dumbfounded by how Al managed to not get completely obliterated in the process”

    Didn’t Al still have the Philosopher’s stone? I guess he used that to regenerate his armor.

    Lucy
    Reply

    2. may I dare to reply that the speed of the episode is too fast for Divine to ss Hohenheim more than once?
      …
      Show Spoiler ▼

      …still, WOW. Can’t wait for me to watch it in another half a day or so…

      info600
      Reply

  24. I was a little disappointed because I imagined this looking better animated. But your way of summing it all up was brilliantly done. Really enjoyed your review of this one. 😀

    Blaineo
    Reply

  26. Having only two episodes left means I have to resort to some speedsubs to join in the “fanwank” on the epicness early on. XD (Eclipse Subs can wait afterwards for archiving)

    Saying “Holy Shit” a hundred times over is probably pointless as that’s been done to the death, so I’ll just say I’ve never seen an anime that had the ability to drop my jaw for so long. (Maybe the second Rebuild of Evangelion movie) Easily the “Most Epic Final Anime Boss Fight” of the decade, if not ever.

    LOL at Mustang saying “Hey, this clapping of hands is pretty convenient.” I’ve got a feeling he’ll be enjoying this once he gets used to his blindness and relies on his hearing more. Though he’ll still be significantly nerfed without Hawkeye as his eyes when he needs to get serious.

    More salutes to Arakawa for planning Al to exchange himself for Ed’s arm all along. This is how hot-blooded action shounen mangas should be, not the mindless extended fights and dull training and levelling ups the Jump action mangas now offer.

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

      1. Disappointment on what?

        If it’s FMA, then please don’t spoil it any further than your “d” word already has for my anticipation, thank you.

        If it’s shounen mangas (Jump in particular), it has been long since I had any hope for them. Which is why FMA’s ending will be lamented.

        Kinny Riddle
        Reply

    1. Well, Eclipse is hard to define, because they can be quite fast with their releases (though the Chinese speedsub I got came within 2 hours from airing), yet their quality is hardly subpar as most speedsubs are. Erm, I think I’ll have Mentar fill you in on that instead. lol

      Kinny Riddle
      Reply

    2. meh, I’ve seen more subbing drama than I want to know (as well as subs that took days minimum to come out),seeing a fansub that finishes subs within 2 days is good enough for me

      info600
      Reply

    3. It’s now Tuesday night and still no subs on the Eclipse tracker. This is the longest release delay in as long as I’ve been downloading from them. Does any1 know why? Was there some problem with the raws this week? I’m dying here, Mentar, your killing me. If anyone who posts here is on the eclipse IRC, I’d sure appreciate a heads up.

      hms-one
      Reply

  31. Is there any confirmation that it’s two SEPARATE episodes? and not just an hour long ending special? I can’t see any way that they’d be able to split up the last chapter, feels like it should just be one long episode…

    Labyrinth
    Reply

      1. I see what you are saying, but I feel like a whole episode dedicated to only epilogue stuff is not as captivating as achieving a high on a resolution in the first part of the episode and then presenting the epilogue for the calm down in the second part of the episode.

        Labyrinth
        Reply

  32. While granted this was a pretty bad ass episode, I am curious. Did anyone think that “Father” just simply standing still and having his “soul shield” getting drained kinda weak? I would think that it would have been more of a tough fight if he was more mobile and putting a better use to the remaining souls he has left on trying to kill/drain soul everyone in that area.

    Another thing im curious about is that watchin the preview, Ed manages to get to the Gate of Truth, now anyone care to speculate for fun on how he manages to do that? =D

    Can’t wait for the final two episodes! Whoo!

    Liberta
    Reply

    1. Struggling to keep “God” inside you while 5-7 alchemists are randomly attacking, plus even your own Homunculus, there’s little more you can do than just stand still and block as long as you can.

      Father tries to get more energy every chance he gets, but he can’t hardly move due to all the attacking.

      You’ll see how Ed gets to the Gate.

      Cornwiggle
      Reply

  33. Spoilers for what happens in the next 2 episodes and why Ed is at the gate of truth
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Suppa Tenko
    Reply

  34. I still find it amazingly awesome that one of the biggest end-of-the-series spoilers was in a previous opening, but we never noticed it because it wouldn’t have made any sense at the time.
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Now, after having finished the manga, it just makes it all the more awesome.

    Nyasu
    Reply

  35. Come on Bleach and Naruto! Can you get to this level where there’s plenty of action, story, character development for more than one person, and not having it focused on a few central characters in epic proportions without being too drawn out or Dragon Ball-like? 😀

    Anjiro
    Reply

      1. Even worse than Inuyasha? Worse than Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle? Because there have been some real craptacular anime adaptations, and while Naruto and Bleach have some hefty faults as adaptations, there’s plenty that are far, far worse.

        Anonymooo
        Reply

    2. Its becuase it has new episodes coming out every week. Its hard to create a coheasive story when you have one chapter and one 30 minute episode being released every week. FMA only worked out because the manga had a lot more time to get ahead of everything.

      LeftArrow
      Reply

      1. I’m sorry but I find that excuse ridiculous.

        Bleach and Naruto could do the same and allow the manga to get ahead it enough so that it’s story can be cohesive enough. Has it done that? A few times actually. But is the story still as engaging – no. That says a lot when all three has had problems with putting out an episode versus producing a chapter. It’s not a problem with release dates it’s the problem with the story and how it’s being told.

        What I’m trying to say is – if the story isn’t engaging enough or even interesting or gets me excited the least, it doesn’t matter to me how much it produces in terms of episodes/chapters per week/month. Quality over quantity.

        When has a Bleach episode left you on your seat anticipating the next episode? When have you been scared/worried for a character?

        Anjiro
        Reply

  36. I’m really impressed/surprised how quickly they’re animating this xD;

    I bet the people at the studio are cursing up a hell of a storm xDD
    “I MISSED MY NIECE’S WEDDING BECAUSE OF YOU FMA”

    AznCoffee
    Reply

  37. This is a SPOILER-FREE summary. Any reference to the end of FMA is so vague and generalized that it could apply to any series. So, here we go!

    First of all, I don’t think that the ending is a copout. If you look at synonyms for copout, you get words like excuse, evasion, avoid, and so on. I don’t think that Arakawa-sensei does that with this series. She has the characters tackle several dangling plot-points head on.

    What makes a good ending for me is that the ending is the result of individual character choices and circumstances. That is to say that the ending is logical given the context of the series. As with any fictional work, we are willing to suspend a certain level of disbelief. Yet, we still expect the characters to act in a realistic believable fashion. Arakawa-sensei gave us a world of complex, believable characters that usually act with clear motivations. The events that take place in the ending are in line with the rules of what can be and what cannot be done in this series. Ed, Mustang, Lin Yao, and Hohenheim all make choices that are in line with such rules. Anything else would be a copout.

    Take, for example, the DC comic universe with Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman, etc. Batman is just a normal human with no super powers save for his quick thinking and uncanny observational skills that could rival Sherlock Holmes! If Batman found himself in a pinch and suddenly developed super-human strength, super speed, x-ray vision, or whatever for no apparent reason, then THAT would be a copout and would cheapen Batman’s character.

    Getting back to Fullmetal Alchemist, the ending may not be flamboyant, but it is logical. Another thing is that not all characters in FMA get off scott-free. There are consequences to their choices. You can’t please everyone. Some will like the ending, some won’t. Still, I think that the characters make choices that are in keeping with their desires and goals instead of forcing their hand and having them act out of character. I couldn’t ask for a better ending than that.

    End Transmission…

    ShayShay
    Reply

    1. Everybody loves tragedy, which I think is kinda retarded. In all the important things in your life, you want to see things go well. You want your grades at school or your review at work to turn out well, you want to see your credit request get approved, you even want to see your friend’s jerk girlfriend turn out to be a pretty nice person.

      So color me fucking surprised when I see everybody whining when there’s a happy ending about how “cliche” it is. End of Evangelion is about as un-cliche as endings go (while being totally awesome) and everybody hated that too, so I think people just hate endings in general when it comes to this fandom.

      Anonymooo
      Reply

      3. Honest mistake or not, you’ve inadvertently spoiled myself and lot of others, hence why I asked that people refrain from typing spoiler tags all together and keep the discussion about the actual episode…

        Also, the proper way to use spoiler tags is noted right above the comment box.

        divine
        Reply

      5. No worries, I expected to be spoiled to a degree anyway. I’m just more concerned about the people who really don’t want to be spoiled.

        Anyway, I’m testing out a new comment preview plug-in to prevent this from happening in the future. I had to custom-tailor it for RC’s theme and am giving it a bit of a trial run right now.

        divine
        Reply

      6. It is not a cop out. Show Spoiler ▼

        John
        Reply

  40. More awesome epicness from Brotherhood … only 2 episodes left, holy shizzle. Ed’s final assault on Father was awesome, especially the giant spear through the head, but I don’t see a lot more happening in the fight against Father … the alchemists finally overwhelmed him and made him vomit the Truth back up, apparently just in time for Al to rejoin with his body … on the wrong side of the gate. I hope we don’t wind up with Ed swapping himself for Al again like they did in the first series. But I don’t see a “happy ending” with the main character dying, so I’m sure Ed comes back (albeit maybe missing one or two more pieces of himself).

    I’m really looking forward to the final two episodes … looks like a whole lot is gonna be explained and all the loose ends tied up. I’m impressed the fight with Father lasted all the way to the final issue of the manga, apparently. Now we’ll get to see Ed finish him and maybe he’ll use what’s left of Homunculus’ soul to open the gate 😉

    Guardian
    Reply

  42. Wonder if anyone noticed the irony? For an episode aired on Father’s Day, we see Father getting his ass whacked by one of his sons (Greed) and the family of his “spiritual father” (Hohenheim and sons).

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  43. WOW OVERPOWER Ed could take on character from naruto

    fma ending is kinda sad cus it was a pure epicness episode every week
    I wonder if there will be a new anime with this much epicness

    Secsuey
    Reply

  44. Holly s***, that was pretty intense. I don’t think I’ve been this pumped for something, since the early episodes of Bleach. (That’s right i went there.) Kidding a side, i’m hoping this series will go out with a bang and not like a weak fizzle like the first adaptation did.

    In any case, these last two episodes are looking to be the ‘real’ conclusion that we’ve all been waiting all this time for.

    Snicket
    Reply

  49. greed is alive! although i like the part in manga where greed instead of strenghtening father’s body, turned it weak charcoal.

    I also prefer Ed kick father’s ass with his barehand than with alchemy in the anime.

    b0g3l
    Reply

    1. I have a feeling we’re gonna see that NEXT episode.

      Father’s pretty much done for, so that leaves just one real villain left:

      That MONSTER in the Gate that stole their bodies in the first place. I don’t care if that “thing” is God, if it is, it is one hell of an EVIL God and deserves to be destroyed. Don’t disappoint me, Ed.

      Tavor TAR-21
      Reply

  52. wow .. i just watched this episode.. it was AWESOME.. every minute of it.. very well done,

    The “Al returning his soul for Ed’s Arm” that was PERFECT

    looking forward for the next chapters

    neko
    Reply

  53. It’s Wednesday night and I finally just downloaded a TMD-Raze sub of the show. I just couldn’t keep waiting for Eclipse.(tho I will still download theirs if/when it comes out) I must admit that tmd seems to be doing better than when I first saw their gawd awful subs of early episodes.

    The episode was EPIC! I cheered out loud when that Briggs soldier shot Father in the head. The action was non-stop and animated amazingly. I’m on pins and needles for the end of this. Eclipse, please don’t fail me now, you’ve done great work so far.

    hms-one
    Reply

  54. I realize this is is the wrong forum for this, but I don’t really use IRC at all, and Mentar has posted here b4.(ep 46 tsunami map) It is thursday night and still no Eclipse FMA:b. Their tracker is working fine and they realeased Kaicho wa Maid-sama 12 today, so where is fma 62? The raw seems fine, based on the tmd 720 encode. Did one of their translators get sick, or have a baby or something? Did they get a C&D letter? It would be pretty silly of them to drop this just 3 episodes from the end. I don’t think that’s what is happening, but I’m in the dark here. If any1 knows what’s going on , please let me know. helamsirrine@gmail.com

    hms-one
    Reply

    1. I agree with you hms-one, its already thursday night and nothing yet. I don’t understand why Eclipse haven’t released yet FMA 62 and I’m dying because the episode seems to be really good!

      FMA-rules
      Reply

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