Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Episode 23 – 26

Now that I feel a little less like dying, it’s time to wrap up the last few episodes of Hagaren. This post is going to be long enough as it is so I’m probably going to gloss over a lot of the smaller details. Second, I’m probably not going to go into a lot of detail about my thoughts on them. Not entirely sure anyone cares but those are the caveats for this week’s super-jumbo-sized Hagaren babblechat.

~Warning, Spoilers Ahead~
Girl on the Battlefield (戦場の少女) – Lin escapes with LanFan over his shoulder and Bradley heads out with Gluttony to track them down. After leaving Winry in the care of the Lieutenant, Ed goes after Scar where Al is already fighting and Mustang sends Hawkeye out to be of assistance however she can.

Inside the Belly (腹の中) – Marcoh is being held captive by the Homunculi and Envy tells him if he doesn’t help out they’ll kill everyone in the little village he’s from. After a brief battle, Ed, Lin and Envy are devoured by Gluttony while Al watches helplessly.

The Door of Darkness (闇の扉) – Wading through the lake of blood, Ed finds Lin and they try to figure out where they are. They assume they’re in Gluttony’s stomach from the fire and rubble around them but have no idea how to get out.

Reunion (再会) – Inside Gluttony, the battle between Envy’s true form, Ed and Lin has begun. Ed is just about to strike a blow when a face appears from the mass and begs him to kill it, along with hundreds more. He flashes back to Nina and Alexander, giving Envy time to strike and swallow Ed whole.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Episode 22

~Warning, Spoilers Ahead~

Distant Backs (遠くの背中) Begins with Ling going to LanFan’s aid and sparring with Bradley, who sees through his strategy immediately. They end up in an abandoned building where LanFan throws down a flash bomb that blinds Bradley’s “good” eye, but Ling is unable to escape because his “Ultimate Eye” was protected by the patch.

Winry visits the graveyard with Gracia and Elysia and wonders if she was seeing Hughes as her father. On her way back to the hotel she hears that the Elrics are fighting with Scar and hurries over. Ed and Al, having not yet gotten the signal from Ling, are continuing to fight on their own without backup. Al tries to buy them some time by talking to Scar and Ed confronts him about killing the Rockbells, unaware that Winry is right behind them. Despondent, she picks up a nearby gun and points it at Scar.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Episode 21

~Warning, Spoilers Ahead~

Foolish Advance (愚者の前進) starts off with Mustang lecturing Hawkeye about not giving up with Havoc snipes in the next bed. He wonders why the other Homunculi didn’t come to kill him, and below the city Bradley tells Envy that it was on orders from Father.
Ed and Al visit Mustang and Havoc at the hospital, taking along some maps so they can put together their findings. It is at that point that they realize that there’s something suspicious about Bradley and Mustang warns Ed to be wary of the military.

After a week off, I was glad to pick up where we left off after Mustang killed Lust. There were so many things going on this week within the different groups that the episode was over before I realized it. I really enjoy episodes like this because they give you just enough of the conversation to get you interested, then shift to another group before letting you hear too much – very similar to the multilayered feel of the manga.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Episode 20

~Warning, Spoilers Ahead~

Father Before the Grave (墓前の父) gives us our first real introduction to Hohenheim, and his first question to Ed is about whether he performed human transmutation. His next is “why did you burn my house down?” When Ed tries to tell him that it was a symbol of his and Al’s determination, Hohenheim interrupts him with the ugly truth – they actually did it so they wouldn’t be reminded of what they’d done. Angry, Ed storms off to the Rockbells’ house, followed by Hohenheim. Later that night he’s drinking with Pinako and asks whether what the boys transmuted was really Trisha, knowing that Ed is listening behind the door.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Episode 19

~Warning, Spoilers Ahead~

Death of the Undying (死なざる者の死) picked up where episode 18 left off, with shots fired by Hawkeye at the “visitor” and Mustang racing to the scene to help his subordinates before it’s too late and chase after Barry the Chopper’s body, meeting up with Al along the way. They follow the body to Research Lab Three, discussing the existence and problem of the Homunculi along the way. Mustang is a little skeptical at first, but Hawkeye assures him that it’s true. At the lab, Mustang wants to withdraw but Barry rushes in to follow his body, which turns out to be the perfect excuse for the troops to go in after him.