The Law of Equivalent Exchange! Lets Read Fullmetal Alchemist!

Chapter 6: The Hand of Destruction  ^{Alt Title}

Today’s chapter begins as a younger (and infinitely more adoreable) Edward Elric comes running to his mother, who is in the garden picking tomatoes. Mrs Elric has long brown hair ending in a ponytail, and is wearing an apron. Young Edward shows his mother a small wooden horse that he had made during alchemy, as Edward proudly exclaims to his mother. She pats Edward on the head saying that he is a wonderful boy, and that he could always make nice things. “But....” she says, as the background becomes black (I do not like where this is going), “Why did you make mother turn out like this....” as blood starts dripping from her  ^*

. A tomato and the horse falls to the ground as Edward wakes up in a sweating, panting mess from his dream. He clutches his metal leg in pain, apparently having moved it in a bad way.

We cut to the Eastern Headquarters where Ed and Al are waiting at Mustang’s office (At least I think it’s Mustang’s office). Ed is looking uncertain about going in before he turns around to leave. However, Hawkeye comes out of the room and asks Edward what she wanted to see him about. Edward asks what will happen to Nina and Tucker. Hawkeye has a blank look at first before saying that initially, Tucker was supposed to have his license revoked, be taken into custody and interrogated, but as she explains, it’s a moot point now, seeing as that both he and Nina are now dead, murdered to be precise, much to the sheer horror of the Elrics. She says that they would have figured it out sooner or later (That is something to remember in a later moment in Volume 9). Ed asks who did it, but Hawkeye says that she doesn’t know, and is currently on her way to the crime scene. Ed asks to come with her but Hawkeye refuses, as “You wouldn't want to see them like this”  ^*

At the Tucker residence, a disgruntled officer with glasses and a Goatee is complaining being asked to escort Tucker downtown for trial, and asks Mustang if he should tag and bag the corpses, or if Mustang should. Said officer is accompanied by another officer, a HUGE, bald person, with a single curly lock of hair and a mustache. The glasses guy complains that Central never said that they would be collecting body bags, before a disrguntled Mustang says “YES, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes  ^*

I am aware that it is an oversight on our part. Would you just examine him already?” Hughes guesses it being, in his words “Divine Retribution” as he looks at the bloody corpses and says “Jackpot” (Cringing in the process for obvious reasons). Mustang asks if the sentries were taken out the same way to which Hughes says yes, having their organs violently imploded (Then how come blood spurts were coming out of their bodies?). Hughes turns to the huge guy, whom he identifies as Major Armstrong, as he says that there is no mistake, it is his signature, as we see a shot of the killer.

Meanwhile, we cut to Lior (Remember that? First two chapters?),  ^*

which has seen better days, as the entire city has broken out in riots with mass destruction and carnage everywhere. Observing this spectacle are our old friends Lust and Gluttony from the second chapter. Lust is calling humanity stupid as she watches, as out from the shadows, in steps.....Cornello?! But he.....Through the head.....Guess he was a Highlander or something. He mocks the rioters for basically accomplishing their plan unknowingly, and Lust greets him. She apologies to him for having to trouble him in this manner, but Cornello waves it off and says that he will have to go back to the city he is posted to (?). Lust says that while “The Fullmetal Brat” caused some interference with the plan, everything is moving ahead of schedule (So I guess Ed and Al DIDN’T cause this! We go into more detail on that point later in Volume 5 and Further in Volume 17 [!]). They talk some more about how humans are stupid, cycle of hatred, yadda yadda, they talk about how many will die before Gluttony asks if he can eat the corpses  ^*

^{Gluttony has been only parroting Lust’s words so far and I can’t be bothered to recount them, but it actually does give a subtle depth to Gluttony and Lust’s relationship which will become important later on}

, to which Lust says “No you can not”. That’s......Disturbingly cute....Then, Lust suddenly adresses Cornello as “Envy” and asks him how long he’s planning to keep up his disguise. Yes, turns out Cornello is still dead, as Envy complains about Lust being a spoilsport, before saying that he didn’t like being Cornello in the first place. Envy is, as you can tell, a Shapeshifter, as he tuns into his true form, a small, muscular, yet very effeminate person with long strands of black hair, clothing only covering his top and a loincloth for his lower body. He has that node pattern on his back, and he has his Ouroboros tattoo on his right leg (Which seems like a kinda random place). He introduces this form with “The Young and Devilishly cute is more my style!”

I.....Am honestly having a hard time deciding whether Envy is a boy or girl.... Actually, in the Manga, it’s really more of an “It”. First Anime he is male due to a very silly plot twist that is almost never mentioned again. YES I WENT THERE.

Lust mocks Envy about how he can’t alter his “Vile personality of his” (Which ticks off Envy) as they are disracted by a cry of horror coming from Cornello’s assistant from way back. He is horrified at Envy revealing himself asking “What in the lord’s name are you?!”. Lust asks the other two for ideas, and Gluttony asks if he can eat him. See I guess this is why it’s a bad idea to be reckless with Shapeshifting. It is fortunate for the Homonculi that they have a human disposal bin. And by human disposal bin, I mean Gluttony  ^*

. So while Gluttony is having his lunch, Lust and Envy start talking about Sho Tucker. Lust does not give a shit that he was murdered because she knew he was useless, but what concerns Envy is that he was murdered by “That guy”. He also brings up that both Mustang and Edward were in the area. Lust states that even though Edward almost ruined their plans in Lior, they need him alive as “He’ll make a wonderful sacrafice”. Ohhh....Foreshadowing....

So Gluttony is done with his meal (After Lust tells him to wipe the human gunk off his mouth) as Envy states that while he does not know who “That Guy” is, he might hinder their plans, so Lust decides to do something about it. She then asks Envy what the guy’s name is as it is said in a transition back to the Tucker murder scene to be “Scar”. Armstrong explains that it’s just an Alias that the military gave to him, as there are few details about him whether it be identity, motives or methods. The only thing they know for sure is his prominent Scar on his forehead. Hughes explains that he has murdered five state alchemists in Central alone and ten outside (DAMN). Mustang says he has heard the rumors, but Hughes says that they are not rumors, as “Old Man Gran” was found dead in the same way five days ago. THIS gets Mustang’s attention, identifying him as “General Gran, THE Iron Blood Alchemist, a close combat specialist”. Wow. If only we could have seen his epic struggle. Oh well!  ^*

.

Hughes says it’s proof that Scar is out there, and advises Mustang to increase his escort and to keep his “excursions” (Fun time with Women) down to a minimum, as Scar must be after the big names, and Mustang is the most prolific State Alchemist in the area. Suddenly Mustang gets into a panic, as he orders for the Elrics to be found. Hawkeye explains that they went to see her and took a stroll, as Mustang curses the bad luck of it all, yelling to the soldiers to find the Elrics. At the city clock, Ed and Al are sitting there, still thinking about the Tucker incident. Ed says to Al that his head is all cluttered up, as he spent all of last night thinking about what Alchemy meant to him (Well that and presumably being locked in the fetal position after dreaming his mother bleeding from her face). He an Al recite a teaching given to them about Alchemy, how it makes the world go round and ties into the cycle of life and death. Ed says that their Sensei used to drill that into their heads, and that he thought he understood it all, before their Human Transmutation attempt went horribly wrong. Ed states that he hasn’t learnt a thing. He follows on by saying that he thought that a walking in the rain would wash their troubles away (That’s metaphorical rain, not physical rain), but it’s beating down and making everything worse (Which is why I think drowning your sorrows in rain is stupid. I find wind better for that job). Al laments that he can’t even feel rain, or anything in his state. al says that he still wants to get their bodies back, even if it means going against the laws of nature (He is going to be eating those words next volume).

Suddenly, one of Mustangs men, who I call Greg Dyne, “Gunner” Dyne as his friends call him, calls out to Edward Elric. Loud enough so anyone can hear it. Especially the State Alchemist murderer known as Scar who is right next to Greg, and realizes that he is talking about Edward Elric, the Sparkly Vampire Man Fullmetal Alchemist. Greg tells Edward that the Colonal sent him, and he needs to return to HQ, as there is a serial killer on the loose who is right behind him. Scar calls out to Edward, naming him as The Fullmetal Alchemist, to Ed’s horror, as Greg shouts out that he is the serial killer. Greg tries to pull out his gun, as Edward yells at him to stop  ^*

, but is too late as Scar implodes Greg’s head. Ed completely freaks out, mentally panicking, basically having that voice in his head telling him “Oh Shit, OH SHIT!”  ^*

^{Literally. Except replace “shit” with damn”}

Ed really thinks that he is going to die, as the clock strikes twelve. However, Ed manages to yell to Al to run for it, as they run for their lives from Scar.

I now want to introduce a facet of this Liveblog. Anybody familiar with Linkara’s History of Power Rangers will know about what he calls “The Wasserman Factor”, how events can be made more exciting or emotional if you play the proper music. I love doing that with all kinds of media, and I want to do it here. So I will introduce tracks for various events during the series.

Music for Scar encounter and fight  ^Music

Ed is thinking that although he has done some things that would have ticked people off, not to the extent that they would want to kill him (That speaks so much about Ed’s travels)  ^*

. Al directs Ed into an alleyway, where Al draws up a transmutation circle and trasmutates a wall in Scar’s path. Al even says “Let’s see him get through that!”  ^*

^{They’re screwed}

Their celebration is short lived, as Scar blasts through the wall using his Alchemy powers with no effort at all. Ed and Al try to flee, but Scar uses his Alchemy to collapse part of the alley way into their path, trapping them.  ^*

^{Actually now I want to bring up what Alchemy effects look like in this series. It involves energy crackling around the target, and it constructs or destructs by what looks kinda like a form of digitalization, with small chips in quadrilateral form coming together and forming or breaking away from something. It gives alchemy a very unique look to it. The First Anime just had it happen with no effects other than blue light, but Brotherhood kept the manga effects.}

With no choice left, Ed and Al decide to fight, as Ed transmutates a curved Bowie Knife and Al prepares his fists as they charge at Scar. Scar calls it “A valiant effort”, but says that they are too slow, as he easily dodges the Elric’s attacks and disintegrates Al’s left side in the process (From between his arm and leg). Ed cries out for Al and tries to attack Scar with his knife, but is again too slow as Scar just grabs his arm and uses his Alchemy on it. However, Scar is shocked that it does nothing, as Ed rolls out of the way and takes off his jacket. Scar then realizes what’s going on, noting how his “Flesh Deconstruction” failed against both Ed and Al  ^*

. He says that he has little time to waste on “Freaks” like them (he has a reason for this insult as we will see in due time), as Ed transmutates the back of his arm into a blade edge. Al tells Ed to run for it, but Ed refuses since he does not want to leave Al behind. Scar notes that Ed performs Alchemy by clapping his hands, which creates a circle (Explained in further detail in Volume 6). Ed charges at him, which is probably the stupidest thing Ed could possibly do as 1-He knows he can deconstruct metal, 2-He is superior to him in speed and CQC and 3-His Automail blade edge is the worst weapon to use against something like Scar’s powers (I know Ed is worried about Al but come on). And so of course, Scar grabs Ed’s arm (Saying that the arm must be destroyed as he does it) and our chapter ends on a Cliffhanger as Ed’s arm explodes in an impressively detailed burst of wrecked metal, bolts, cylinders and wires.

HOW WILL THE ELRICS GET OUT OF THIS ONE?

IS THIS THE END FOR THEM?

WHAT IS THE PLAN OF THE MYSTERIOUS GROUP IN LIOR?



WHO IS SCAR?



AND WHEN THE HELL IS MADMAN GOING TO RELEASE VOLUME 24?

Tune in next time....

SAME FULLMETAL TIME!

SAME FULLMETAL CHANNEL!

edited 16th Oct '10 11:32:31 PM by Emperordaein

A corpse should be left well enough alone...

Actually this is really not a Missed Moment Of Awesome, as we actually do get to see this fight in Brotherhood. Plus Arakawa explains why she did this in one of the Mailbag specials

We also get to see him killed in the first anime, but it's started to go Off the Rails by this point and doesn't happen in quite the same way.

and realizes that he is talking about Edward Elric, the Sparkly Vampire Man

"Wha, vampire?! I think you'll want Zero and Ichiru over there, they might be more who you're lookin' for."

Al even says “Let’s see him get through that!”

Al, you poor sweet adorable idiot.

We also get to see him killed in the first anime, but it's started to go Off The Rails by this point and doesn't happen in quite the same way.

Yeah, but THAT Basque Gran is not the same person as the one in this series. Okay, he is the same guy, but their personalities and powers are very, VERY different.

"Wha, vampire?! I think you'll want Zero and Ichiru over there, they might be more who you're lookin' for."

Actually it was a running gag from the third chapter recap. I hoestly wanted to think of a random description for Edward's title, and "Sparkly Vampire Man" was the first thing I though of (For obvious reasons). Besides, with the time period, Scar would probably be most likely to find Dio Brando  ^*

Also, I would like some feedback on my writing, and what you think of my music choices, or the idea of the Music additions in the first place.

edited 6th Oct '10 5:03:00 AM by Emperordaein

A corpse should be left well enough alone...

Nya~n? Well, I guess it's a good idea...unfortunately, I'm not exactly the best person to ask.  ^*

edited 6th Oct '10 6:45:28 AM by PikaHikariKT

Chapter 7: After the Rain  ^{Alt Title}

BGM for scene  ^Music

Our chapter begins as the last one left off, with Ed’s arm exploding into a giant pile of scrap metal as he collapses to the ground. Al, seeing this, cries out for Ed. As the Mood Lightning crashes down, Scar says that he will give Ed a moment to make peace with his god, before Ed, like when he fought Cornello, says that he doesn’t do prayers. Ed says to Scar that while he is his target, what does it mean for Alphonse. Scar says that as long as he does not prove to be a hinderance, he will leave him alone. Ed than asks if he lets Scar kill him, that he will spare Al, to which Scar gives his word to.

Al starts screaming for Ed to get away, yet is unable to do anything because of his heavily damaged body (That has already had one of the legs fall off due to the joints on the side being trashed). Scar is about to kill Ed when, a gun gets fired into the air. Scar and Ed look to see that it’s Mustang along with the rest of his company. Mustang says that Ed is lucky, as he explains Scar’s status as a serial killer of state alchemists. He also states that it was Scar that killed Nina and Tucker. To which Ed turns around and gives him a look of fury. Scar goes on a speech about how alchemists warp god’s creation, and how he is the bearer of god’s wrath. Mustang simply calls him out on this, asking why “God’s Wrath” would be targeting State Alchemists alone. Scar simply threatens Mustang, so he decides to throw the gun to Hawkeye as he puts on his gloves, announcing his status as the Flame Alchemist. Some banter, and Scar and Mustang square off as Scar charges, beginning an epic battle betwee-

Oh wait, no. Hawkeye simply trips up Mustang, making him narrowly dodge Scar’s hand. Hawkeye turns her guns on Scar, but he simply dodges all the shots. When Mustang asks WHY Hawkeye tripped him, she respons that because of the rain, his Alchemy powers are useless. Havoc inadvertently rubs this in  ^*

. Scar is satisfyed that Mustang is powerless....Until a massive fist smashes into the space his head was previously occupying. It belongs.....You know what? I am just going to let the next quote speak for itself: “Ho---! You were actually able to avoid that....Most impressive! You who transgree upon king and country...Who so desires wanton massacre...I laugh at your face! Try taking me on for size!  ^*

^{The people watching this all have “Oh god he’s doing it AGAIN” expressions, except for Mustang, who is still being accosted by the cloud of inadequacy}

Dare you face the Strongarm Alchemist.....Alex Louis Armstrong?!”  ^*

^{He also reveals he has twin gauntlets with transmutation circles on them}

Well....That just made my day. Scar is not scared, but now pleased that he has another state alchemist to take down, thanks to “god’s will”. However, Armstrong fights back with “The formidable Armstrong Style Alchemy! Passed down from generation to generation!” as he punches a piece of rubble and transmutes it into a BALLISTA BOLT. Scar only just avoids it as Armstrong sends a spike wave at Scar, only managing to rip a hole in his jacket. Havoc complains about the fact that Armstrong is trashing the block, but Armstrong declares:

“WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?! To build, we must demolish! To create, we must destroy! Creation and Destruction are physically linked! WITHIN THESE TWO FORCES....LIE THE FOUNDATION OF THE UNIVERSE!!”, as he proceeds to do the most gloriously over the top shirt rip in fictional history, revealing his gigantic muscles  ^*

. This pure display of MANLINESS is lost on everyone else, as Havoc and Hawkeye are more embarrassed than anything else (Havoc asking why he took his shirt off) However, Armstrong states that a fellow Alchemist like Scar would see him as little a threat, much to the shock of Mustang (Who is out of his shame zone, as a caption notes). Ed says it doesn’t surprise him, as he explains that alchemy consists of three parts, Knowledge, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction, and that Scar must stop at the deconstruction step. Ed and Mustang are quick to point out Scar’s hypocrisy in killing alchemists. Scar realizes Armstrong’s strengths, and realizes that he must finish the fight quickly, as Armstrong’s attacks back him into a corner. However, Scar manages to see what he thinks is an opening and goes in for the kill...Only for Armstrong to pull back, much to Scar’s confusion. Scar quickly realizes why he did it, as he sees Hawkeye aiming her rifle at him.  ^*

^{And this is one thing I really like about FMA, that supporting characters watching actually do something, rather than just being commentators.}

He quickly dodges, but not at a heavy price as the bullet grazes his head, destroying his Cool Shades in the process!  ^*

^{And this sticks, because Scar never wears Shades ever again. Awww....}

Hawkeye states that Scar was just too fast as he gets up, revealing his red eyes to the group, to the shock of both Armstong and Mustang, as Mustang identifies Scar as an Ishbalan  ^*

. After a bit of stand off, Scar announces that he is outmatched. Mustang says that there is no escape, before Scar uses his powers to cave the street in, almost sending the soldiers into the giant hole he creates as Scar disappears down the hole, into the sewers. Mustang says to let him go, presumably not wanting to subject his men to a sewer level. Mustang apologies to Armstrong for wasting all his work, but Armstrong simply states that he was just trying to stay alive. Also, Hughes appears, and when Mustang asks where he was, he simply states that he was hiding, not wanting to be near a battle with superhuman combatants. Hughes gives out orders to the soldiers, as Ed cries out to Alphonse, who does not respond initially, before he......Punches Ed in the face and calls him an idiot. Al yells at Ed, saying that he told him to run away, and when Ed says that he couldn’t leave him, Al punches him again and says that that’s why he’s an idiot (This seems harsh, but it will make perfect sense when we see their sensei I guess a bit of Izumi must have rubbed off on Al)

When Ed says that Scar would have killed Al, he response that saying that he probably would have ignored him (Which is a fair point, seeing as “Obstacle” does not translate into “Helpless cripple” ) and that Ed shouldn’t have thrown his life away so easily. Al tells Ed that as long as he is alive, there is still a chance of them getting their bodies back, and that he may even discover how to save others like Nina, but instead he just decided to lay down and die. He also blames Ed for his arm detaching that very moment. However, they both cool down, and thank themselves for managing to survive. The other men on the scene are amazed about the truth of Al’s armor. Mustang and Armstrong talk a bit about Ed and Al’s bond, and note how quickly they resolved their conflict. However, Hughes points out the fact that both Mustang and Armstrong are now on Scar’s hit list. We then cut to an exposition about the Ishbalan conflict. Long story short, the Ishbalans were a deeply religious race based in eastern Amestris, that was based on a monotheistic religion under “Lord Ishbala”. They had a degree of conflict with Amestris due to religious differences, but one day, an Ishbalan child was shot by an Amestrian Officer, sparking off a massive war, as the eastern region rose up rebellion. After seven years of conflict, the Top Brass ordered the extermination (ie, GENOCIDE) of the country, as State Alchemists were deployed as living weapons. Mustang ends by saying that he was one such Alchemist and that he can understand why Scar would want revenge. Ed responds by saying that Scar has no justification with killing innocent people and is just in denial, using gods wrath as a justification for his actions  ^*

. Hughes reinforces his alchemy hypocrisy as he points out that people who give little regard for all else are terrifying. Long story short, all of Mustang’s men vow to take Scar down when they next see him. Hughes says that now with the boring stuff out of the way, he asks the Elrics what they plan to do next. Ed says that he wants to fix Al but he needs to get his arm fixed first. Armstrong volunteers (Shirtless, of course) to which Al immediately says “I’LL PASS”. Ed explains that only he knows about how Al’s soul is bound to the armor, so only he can do it. Hawkeye notes that Ed can’t do Alchemy with one arm (Even though he could just use transmutation circles, which he could do all the time in the First Anime, where he got really creative with them), to which Mustang and co (And Al) proceed to make fun of Ed for that (Saying it just makes him a foul mouthed midget, which I think is just stupid and dickish for multiple reasons). Our chapter end with Ed saying that he has to pay his mechanic a vist

NEXT TIME: Revelations are made as Ed meets a regretful Doctor.  ^*

A corpse should be left well enough alone...

>One thing that really bugged me was that they could only identify this from his eyes. Shouldn’t the white hair and tanned skin have given that factoid away?

It's not made a major point, but there are a number of non-white ethnic groups around in Amestris. (E.g. Jerso, Izumi, even Roy (who looks somewhat Xingese).) Amestris has assimilated many other nations over the centuries, so there's probably several groups with similar skin shades around. The hair is rather more suspicious, but I think they needed to see the eyes to be certain.

Chapter 8: The Path of Hope  ^{Alt Title}

Today’s chapter begins with panels of Mustang & Crew giving various excuses, ranging from Paperwork (Hughes), Inability to leave post (Mustang), Keeping an eye on the Colonal (Hawkeye, also noting that Mustang is a slacker), and “I don’t want to get head asploded by Scar if he shows up” (Havoc, Falman, Breeda and Furey). We then see Ed wondering how he got stuck......With Major Armstong, smushing him against the side of the train they are in, due to his size.

We have a flashback back to the military headquarters where we get a panel of Armstrong with a face of PURE MANLY SADNESS, with the rest of the room having a collected look of embarrassment and apathy. Armstrong gives Edward a crushing hug as he proceeds to give his (MANLY) heartfelt sadness at the story of the Elrics. Ed’s reaction is “Stay the hell away from me!”. Ed curses the Colonel for telling Armstrong the whole story, as Mustang responds “You don’t say ‘NO’ when you’re being grilled for answers by that obnoxious muscle man on steriods...”  ^*

. But Mustang has a point, for nobody refuses Major Alex Armstrong.

NOBODY.  ^*

So after wiping off his tears with a handkerchief  ^*

. Armstrong then declares that he will act as the Elric’s bodyguards until Ed’s arm is repaired. Ed refuses, saying that he doesn’t need a bodyguard, but Hawkeye explains that since Scar is still on the loose, Ed will need a bodyguard who can properly protect him, not to mention that he can’t haul Al around with only one arm. Ed asks if anybody else can escort him, to which everyones gives the same excuses from the beginning of the chapter. Armstrong says that it is settled, as he places his hand on Ed’s head, who is yelling that he didn’t agree to this. Armstrong responds by saying that “Little boys should listen to their elders”. Of course, Ed states that he is not a kid and asks Al for some assistance....But Al is in pure joy with stars in his eyes as he states that it’s the first time soembody has treated him as a kid  ^*

^{With an Unsound Effect of “Hooray for Childhood!”}

Mustang (With a look of pure evil bliss of course) finally gives Ed an ultimatum that if he does not go with Armstong, he will get Court Marshaled for insubordination. So they set off....As we see Al put in a crate. Armstrong is explaining that it’s much cheaper to have him declared as cargo  ^*

. And so we return to the beginning, with Ed and Armstrong about to depart. Suddenly, Hughes comes by the train window, coming in to see them off, and bearing a message from Mustang, said message being “The Additional Paperwork’s a pain in the rear so you are not to die while under my jurisdiction. Are we clear?”  ^*

^{Yet another thing that will be given a dark reprise later on}

Ed gives a message back: “Yeah! I copy that! And I sure as hell won’t die before you do, Damn Colonel Mouse-Skank!”.  ^*

^{Some of the Euphemisms in the Madman translation are WIERD}

Awww....They really do care about each other...

Hughes manages to laugh it off as “Kids complaining about the world”. He salutes them off (Ed quietly apologising for having to use his right hand) as the train departs. Armstrong asks about Ed’s Automail Mechanic, saying that this is the first time he has heard of one.  ^*

Ed responds that she is more like a mix between a surgeon, a prosthesis maker and an Automail engineer. He goes one by saying how she is a childhood friend and her skills aren’t half bad and whatnot. Armstrong then asks about the Elric’s hometown of Risembool. Ed says that it’s a quaint town with little to see there, as during the Eastern Civil War, it was kinda wrecked. He laments that if the military were actually doing their job, the place may have been something. Armstrong is a bit miffed about that, but Ed says that it’s a free country. He talks some more about how he and Al find Risembool home, before asking where Al is. Armstrong says that he has made suitable arrangements. And by “suitable arrangements”, he means “The Livestock Car”  ^*

^{In the panel, Al has an utterly hilarious expression of embarrassment}

. Armstrong explains that he thought Al might get lonely, and Ed takes this as well as you would expect. Their arguments manage to get the attention of everybody else on the train....Including Lust, reading a newspaper  ^*

^{Which says “British Haval Commander Murdered. Make of that what you will}

and wearing a fur coat. Oh dear.

As the train pulls into a stop, Armstrong is entertaining himself with a book, until a passerbye catches his attention, who is an old man with graying hair  ^*

. Armstrong calls out to him, while naming him as “Dr Tim Marcoh”. Dr Marcoh, upon hearing and seeing Armstrong, gains a look of pure horror on his face and then runs off. When Ed asks who he was, Armstrong responds by saying that he was one of Grand Central’s leading alchemic researchers, in their field of medical alchemy. THIS, of course gets Ed’s attention as he prepares to get off the train. And brings Al along with him (Who as Ed states reeks of sheep). Lust manages to smirk to herself out of sight...

At the town, Ed asks one of the townsfolk about where Marcoh went, but Armstrong shows him a ‘’Nigh perfect drawing of Marcoh’’. Which, as he explains to Ed is “THE ARTISTIC TALENT OF THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION”  ^*

. The people then recognize him as “Dr Marlowe” (Yeah. Real subtle pseudonym Marcoh). The townsfolk explain that the town could not benefit itself for medical services before Marcoh came to help them, and he never gives up on a patient. Some bearded farmer  ^*

^{With a thick southern accent. The Madman translation adds alot more accents}

says that when he healed what looked like an amputee job for him, and some women say that there is always a bright flash of light when he does his work.

The Elrics and Armstrong realize this is alchemy immediantely and pretty much guess that he took on a false name. But then start wondering why he took off. Armstrong says that on the day he took off, he also took some “Classified Documents” with him as well. they arrive at Marcoh’s house (With Al in tow, still in his box being carried effortlessly by Armstrong), who immediately greets them with a gunshot that Ed narrowly dodges  ^*

. Maroch is in a panicked frenzy, saying that he “Does not want to go back to that place” and Armstrong is unable to calm him down. Until he does so by THROWING AL AT HIM, BOX AND ALL. I love this moment, because as I said, Grievous Harm with a Body is always fun and hilarious for me.

After Marcoh presumably recovers from the several broken bones he must have suffered, he explains that it was his sheer guilt from his Alchemy being used in Ishbal that he ran away and moved to the town. When Armstrong asks what he was researching, Marcoh responds “The Philospher’s Stone”, and than he ran off with the documents, AND one of the stones. He proceeds to take out....A jar of red liquid. Which, judging from Ed and Al’s chibi reactions, is not quite what they were expecting...Marcoh then pours it out onto the table, and much to the collective shock, turns into a solid form (So would this technically be a Solidus state?). Marcoh lists off the names that were given to the Philosopher’s Stone  ^*

) and states that just as the stone can take many forms (Ed even touches the stone, making it wobble) it can also take many names. However, he also says that the stone he has now was made for research, and is a flawed copy that is inferior to the real thing, as it will eventually reach it’s limit. However, they managed to make their way onto the Ishbalian battlefield and caused mass devistation. Ed has a flashback to remind him of what Cornello must have had, before saying to himself that while it is not completed yet, it will only need a little more research before completion, before asking Marcoh to see the research papers.

Marcoh asks why Ed would want to do that, and asks Armstrong who Ed is, to which he replies “A State Alchemist”. Marcoh is horrified by this, that a child would become a State Alchemist, lamenting Ed signing away his life for “Privileges and Funding”. He explains that after Ishbal, many State Alchemists abandoned their titles due to the sheer guilt they suffered.  ^*

. Ed tells Marcoh that he knows full well that it’s stupid, but that he has something to accomplish and being s State Alchemist is the price he has to pay.

One Exposition later, Marcoh understands why their are going down their road, and is amazed that Soul Transmutation is possible, and says that Ed might just be able to perfect the stone. But regardless says no. When Ed angrily asks why, Marcoh just asks them to leave, saying that he won’t let them use it for something as trivial as restroing their bodies (Then why did you say that stuff about being able to perfect the stone....? Plus you are REALLY not helping your case). Ed asks him to reconsider but Marcoh states that it’s for their own good, saying that his working is akin to the devil, to understand it is to gaze into hell itself. Ed just reponds “‘Gaze’ upon hell?! HELL  ^*

, I WAS THERE!!”

Marcoh gives a horrified look before turning away, saying that his decision still stands and asks them to leave. As Marcoh sees them heading off through the window, his mind flashes to Ed’s spiel. At the station, Armstrong asks if he is having second thoughts, saying that even if he did not get the files, he could have just wrestled the stone from him (Err...Aren’t you supposed to be against that type of thing? You don’t want Ed to become Qui Gon Gin. Ed says that he really wanted to do that, but decided not to, as it would deprive the townsfolk of their source of healing. He just says that he will find another way. Ed asks Armstrong if he is going to report Marcoh to Grand Central, but he says that he has “Met a fine Doctor named Marlowe today”. To which Ed smiles at. As Ed laments being back to square one, Dr Marcoh suddenly comes onto the platform. He gives them an envelope of where he hid the files and says to seek them out if they will not regret knowing the truth They will. Finally he says “If anybody can find out the Truth within the Truth, I have faith that that person would be you”. He quickly turns away saying he said too much and departs, wishing Ed luck in finding his body. So I guess Ed will have to [[Persona4: REACH OUT TO THE TRUTH]] OF MY LIFE.

Ahem...

Marcoh heads back to his house and closes the door behind him....Only for Lust to have been sitting in the shadows the whole time, greeting him.

Music for scene  ^Music

Marcoh recoils in horror against the wall after Lust sates how she never through following Ed around would lead her to him. Lust says that she is not here to drag him back, as his former assistants are doing fine without him. Marcoh is horrified that they are still making Philosopher’s Stones, but Lust simply states that they we the ones who gave him the formula in the first place, and that him steeling the files was no hinderance to them whatsoever, even if they were exposed to the public. However, she states that Ed getting his hands on the to be a problem, and asks him where the files are (Well, okay, she says that she through he must have fled Central with the files but the intent is all the same). Marcoh says some stuff about how his paranoia was true, as he reaches for his gun, but Lust stabs him through the shoulder T-1000 style and says to him while twisting her claw “Call to John”  ^*

“Naughty Naughty!” *Squirms from the squickiness of the line*

Lust interrogates Marcoh some more while twisting her claw further, until Marcoh proudly says that Ed will find out the truth and will expose all of their dirty deeds. Lust says “Do you think I would ever let that happen?”. But then Marcoh laughs and mocks her some more...As we see that Marcoh has been using his blood to draw Lust’s name on the Death Note A Trasmutation Circle, which he activates, saying “IM’ SENDING YOU STRAIGHT BACK TO HELL!”. As he impales Lust with a massive Rock Spike.

Dr Tim Marcoh CMOA count: 1
Current: Managing to impale Lust while speared by her, during her monologue no less!

Well, she wasn’t around for long. Marcoh states that she got careless...But he cuts off near the end when he sees that Lust is still talking, and slices the Rock Spike off, saying that he was “So Cruel” as her wound regenerates. Huh. This kinda reinforces both the Wolverine and T-1000 thing. She says that Marcoh is a candidate for “Sacrafice” just like Ed is. Marcoh is still amazed by Lust’s regeneration, when that moment, a Diabolus ex Machina girl named Kiri comes in with flowers for Marcoh...As two of Lust’s Claws hit the sides next to her head. She threatens to decapitate Kiri unless Marcoh spills the beans...To which Marcoh has no choice but to comply.

On board the train, Ed sees the note in the letter, which says “National Central Library, First Branch”. Armstrong calls it “A tree hidden in a forest” as he says that there is a staggering number of books in the library, as the Elrics are hopeful for finding the documents. At Marcoh’s home, Lust remarks how he managed to cleverly hide them in the Library. Marcoh asks them who they are, and what they mean by “Sacrafice”. But Lust waves it off and says that he can live. But if he runs or tries anything funny, they will wipe the Town off the map. Oh come on. Do they really think that that would be possible? [[spoiler: It is]. We end on Lust saying that she will beat Edward to the files, thus ending Volume 2.

NEXT TIME: Volume 2 in Analysis

edited 17th Oct '10 2:57:50 AM by Emperordaein

A corpse should be left well enough alone...

Volume 2 In Analysis

As I said before, Volume 2 is what I consider to be the darkest volume in the series, if only for the sheer effect, drama and general atmosphere of both the Tucker and Scar incidents. This really sets a mood for the series in the early parts. While the manga does become much more idealistic (But in a good way), the First Anime goes straight into more of a cynical approach.

The Nina incident is one of the series’ greatest moments, as it’s one of the most memorable, nightmarish and saddest moments in one. We finally get an idea of what kinds of sins that Alchemy can create, and the kind of evil Alchemists are capable of. And this is not an incident that is glossed over. This stays with the Elrics throughout the entire series, even to the very end, haunting them throughout the series, showing us that it was a real turning point in their view of the world.

Shou Tucker is the most despised character in all of FMA because of this. Yet he is done well enough to have a seemingly sympathetic side at one point. We see the kind of stress and turmoil subtlety creeping up, his real fears of what may become of himself. But, really the is no sympathy. He was doing it all for himself, just to keep his position, you don’t get the idea that he was doing it “For Science”, it was just some BS he strung together on the spot just to give himself a justification and to make himself look the same as Ed. If he really was doing it “For Science” then he would have done it sooner. How very convenient that he should do that right before his inspection. Sorry Tucker, you ain’t fooling anybody. Regardless, some of his words to have a bit of an impact on Edward later on.

The First Anime TRIED to make him sympathetic, but it did not take. At all. Also he became like a Canine Version of Dr Smith from the awful, awful Lost In Space movie (Well, he did come off as genuinely creepy the first time he appeared. However, once he put on a trenchcoat, he became silly). It’s a long story which I may get into next time.

Nina Tucker can come off as a bit over done in terms of personality, but she is still a genuinely sweet character that you can’t help but love, a happy, playful girl who has a huge dog for her friend. It makes seeing both of them die truly heartwrenching. It sounds like a cheap shot, killing a girl and a dog for tradgedy, but it is done so well, that you can’t help but tear up.

Scar gave me feelings of hatred on first read. It was not mainly for killing Chimera Nina (I was cheering when he kaspoded Tucker), but going after Edward on a filmsy Revenge by Proxy, killing a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD who was never even involved in Ishbal. It’s most because I have a loathing for characters that make people suffer just for some pointless revenge that will accomplish nothing, and bring them nowhere (Take a guess who my most hated one is). Scar also fills a Shonen trope that is combined with Curb-Stomp Battle, that whenever a Shonen hero fights a major character for the first time, they get their ass handed to them, or at least in the opening stages of the battle. Examples include Naruto vs Kakashi, Ichigo vs Renji and Byakuga (Well, Byakuga mostly), Guts vs Griffith (I know it’s Seinen, but it fits the trope enough), the first round of Ash vs Brock, and so on. This ties into the darker theme of the Volume, seeing the Elrics get completely and effortlessly trashed for the first time, as Ed is inches away from being killed is quite horrifying to watch.

But back to Scar. My initial hatred did not last long, as throughout the story as we learn more about Scar, he manages to become a very grey character in terms of sympathy. I hate his misdeeds, but can see where he is coming from. He also winds up getting an amazing amount of character development, as he goes through a truly amazing personal arc where he learns the true nature of revenge, and what must be done to stop the cycle of hatred (UNLIKE A CERTAIN OTHER SERIES-Okay, okay I will stop talking about it...).

Major Armstrong is PURE AWESOME. Sure, he may have major shades of being comic relief character at first, but he has a true heart and charm to him. He has real respect for others and does want to help people (Even if his way of helping is something people would want to avoid...). He does not feel like unessisary humor and has some fantastic moments of emotion. And as we find out his backstory, a new level of understanding is made regarding his attitude towards others.

Well that wraps things up for Volume 2. It goes a bit heavy on exposition but really sets the stage.

Body Count: 3
Current: Nina, Alexander (It may seem a bit tasteless, but it does give a bit of charm seeing them go up to heaven smiling), and Tucker (Who is falling straight to hell where he belongs)

NEXT TIME: The Elrics have a reunion with a badass family and their badass dog.

A corpse should be left well enough alone...

So Chapter 9 should be out by next weekend. School is starting to get in the way, and I keep getting these annoying headaches.

A corpse should be left well enough alone...

The First Anime kept Tucker around for various evil experiments, but even though he was working on bringing back his daughter, they did make it clear he was irredeemable, at least in Ed's eyes.