This is very likely the most emotional you’ll see me get, at least for a while. R.I.P Von Hohenheim, you were a good man. If you’d like to send me something, here is the Throne link I mentioned in the intro. throne.me/u/castsenpai/wishlist - It will automatically tweet gifts out on my Twitter, where you will see my reaction. Alternatively, I have enabled the “Thanks” button below my videos. That said, I will see you next week in the final episode. 💛❤️
It was just an amazing Journey. Knew you were going to finally, break. Bet most of us did. I watch this anime every once in a while. It is always a roller coast of emotion and action.
His gate was blank because, As the Truth said, The Dwarf In The Flask actually did not GAIN knowledge. He TOOK INFORMATION, but gained no knowledge, so nothing engrained upon his tablet...WOAH! Revelation! As many times as I've seen this anime...I'll have to share this on another forum. But, yes. that's why his gate is blank.
i also like the "you simply must have seen the answer with your own eyes" - you can kind of interpret this as referring to the homunculi, as they were parts of him, more than one of them, in the end, actually did gain knowledge and realise what they really wanted - greed, envy, arguably wrath...they were his own eyes, and they DID see the answer - but he chose to separate them from himself and thus lay no claim to any of it in the end, and notably, the one who realised it in the most meaningful way, greed, he literally destroyed in his last moments
have you noticed that 'truth' is also blind? the 'figure' doesn't have eyes, for Truth is blind. want me to go even deeper? FMAB is inspired by plato's theory of forms. The white room is called 'The realm of Ideals'' there is nothing here except thought and ideals, you could say it is where our thoughts and personality come from, there is nothing tangible here, no materialistic object for the entire thing is filled with infinite possibility, is is completely empty but that also means it has the potential to be everything. There are 2 forms within this world lower and greater forms. a lower form would be the blueprint of a chair for example ,the basic concept of it, 4 legs a plank to sit on and a plank to rest your back. it would be the 'idea' of a chair in its purest form. and every chair ever created in the physical world is a shadow or variation from this ideal/concept. Higher forms are concepts that don't reside within the physical world itself, but are only present in the realm of ideals. Examples of higher forms would be the idea of Personality, Love, Pride, Joy, our Thoughts. Things or Emotions we experience that don't have a physical body to represent themselves. now for FMAB when Ed and Al performed human transmutation they in a way unraveled themselves from human, to dna, to bacteria to its basic concept. but you can't play for 'god' when they transmuted themselves they came into the realm of ideals, the door behind him is the way through which he came here. his own portrayel of reality his own 'truth' The door is what links you to the physical world, it is your connection to 'all' it is the idea of 'You' everything you are and that makes you, well you. Thats why its the only thing there, its the only thing you can experience. The door opens and an eye appears, this eye is Ed's own 'Eye' (the third eye also comes to mind) its his existence looking at him, the concept of himself drags him into the door as he experiences his life/reality within seconds, all the information he has ever known. thats why the 'Truth entity' says 'i will show you, the truth' because what he shows him as punishment is his own reality/existence. When Ed comes back from the gate he thinks his theory of transmutation wasn't wrong, but that isn't what 'Truth' tried to teach him. Truth tried to show that as a human, there is only so much you can do, and instead of chasing after ideals or 'god you should focus on your own life and finite existence. for everything will one day return to the white room and return to 'nothing' Only after their journey does Ed realise that to seek solutions beyond their boundaries is useless. ' What do you mean ordinary human? i was an ordinary human from the start' He accepts the things that can't be changed, and with it he accepts Truth and his place in this world. Which is the lesson 'Truth' tried to teach him. now.. How is that for a mindfuck? ^^
Makes sense. Father claimed that he just wanted to understand the worlds knowledge. Thing is...he wanted to _gain knowledge_ but he didn't actually want to _learn_
_"I'm Greed The Avaricious, I WANT EVERYTHING"_ - _"I've had enough. Yeah, that's all I really need. They gave me everything I could want."_ Greed dying on moment his greed was finally satisfied, is somewhat sad version of "poetic justice". Also somewhat fitting that Greed would die, from losing his greed.
20:35 - Ed in episode 4: _"We know the truth... ...WE’RE ONLY HUMAN! We can’t even do anything to save one innocent little girl, so what good are we then?"_ Ed now: _"That's the only thing I've ever been, just a simple human that couldn't save a little girl, not even alchemy."_
Doing some more thinking about this episode today after posting, and wondering why Hohenheims death struck me so hard… and I know part of the reason. The sentiment he shared about how much he cursed his existence only to find out that in the end, he wanted to live more, is a depressingly real feeling to people who… meet tragic endings in real life. Putting that vaguely and lightly as possible. It makes me sad HH died alone too, considering how lonely and ostracized he must have felt throughout his life, making so many sacrifices, having an unbelievable amount of survivors guilt, and seeing everyone around him that he loves pass without him. Just sharing these extra thoughts. I know what those things are like, and how it can be so hollowing. Man deserved more love than he got.
The contrast of characters is wonderfull in this episode: > Father is the individual rejecting his human origin, wanting to become something he is not > Edward is the individual accepting his human condition, wanting to continue living as the only thing he has ever been: Just an ordinary human... who couldn't save a little girl... not even with alchemy.
Your obligatory Homunculus death recap: Lust died on her knees fighting a man protecting his loved ones Gluttony was consumed by his kin Envy could not live with the idea of his jealousy and killed himself Sloth died fighting hard Wrath died peacefully with a smile on his face Pride was humbled and reduced to a “mere human” Greed sacrificed himself for his friends
Which aligns with what Truth told him. Father could have seen the answer with his own eyes, his eyes being his Homonculi. Which he chose to separate himself from.
Such a weird way of putting some of these. The "on her knees" part conflicts with the rest of the point of her death. Also; -The kin that consumed gluttony was ironically starved for both power at the time, and for attention from his father for his entire existence. -Wrath was killed by a man who forsook his own rage and chose peace. -Greed died content wanting for nothing. -Always thought of it as Envy dying from pity, which would fit in well with the opposites motif.
you can add one more - Father was ultimately killed by his own Greed. in a way, we watched all of his "sins" perish in important order, down to Wrath at the end, his Pride being the only surviving emotion, & his Greed ultimately killing him.
My take on Truth based on the “I am All, and I am One, so, of course, that means I am You,” is Truth is the collective of all living things. That would make Ed’s relationship to Truth similar to a cell’s relationship to a complex multicellular organism. And Truth’s demeanor seems to always mirror that of the person talking to it. When Ed demanded knowledge, the Truth demanded payment. When Ed gave up his portal, the Truth gave up Al. In the end, to get the Truth to be humble, the person had to be humble themselves. Everything in the show was really poetic that way.
conflict there.. u cant have a "collective of all living things" yet under the same breath be an "individual" in that judgement.. if it was a collective it wouldnt dish out exactly back at u what u dished out on others.. collective would be full fo people who are assholes and nasty people and they would also have weight in the collective.. rather truth here seems to be ur "shadow/mirror" that judges u by the very standards u judge others... except truth ISNT actually YOU.. i think i like the idea of it being more akin to ur subconcious and ur "gut" which in no universe if it was concious would care or listen to ur actual concious.. aka ur concious and ur views/mindset is UR OWN TRUTH.. so there is no logic nor science.. as in this truth is not based nor defined how it is in science.. rather its UR OWN TRUTH.. and u will be held to ur own standard.. not religious butt think jesus when he stopped the people from stoning that women.. and said let he without sin cast the first stone.. well father in this case was sinful and casted all the stones.. so therefore when it was his time.. his own standard cast all the stones at him or rather subconciously... u know when ur being a hypocrite yet conciously we make shit lied .. make excuses and etc to justify it.. well the subciouness is FREE of the "ideologies" our "concious" brain has.. collective would 100% not allow this.. as it be a massive mixed bag of billions of concioness all IN SYNCH thus its be more fair... as they say "ur worst enemny is urself" and if u have to be judged by ur own STANDARDS with no room to make exceptions or excuse just cause its YOU.. ur probably gonna end up worse then another person u dont know judging u... also he didnt humble truth.. i dont get nor like that they went with the "U DID IT U BEAT ME" line... 😂 cause that implies "truth" was actively against ED rather then neutral... meaning "Truth" was a baist law/rule" butt then again based on the above.. it does make sense why "Truth" cares to win and lose.. cause "Truth" in a non science sense is utlimately made up and its what ever we want it to be.. aka the lies we tell our selves... the way i see it.. truth isnt caring or uncaring.. he is neutral and his feelings relect urs.. as in as in standard wise.. if u hate humans.. and ur human in denial... and harm humans.. ur TRUTH will hate YOU.. press the fact home ur HUMAN.. then HARM U AS A HUMAN the way u harmed humans.. thats exactly what happened to father... thats not a win for "Truth" or lose... so by that very logic ed cant WIN either.. its not a win or lose for "Truth" rather its YOU and YOU alone who passes or fails.. not win or lose.. there is no "beat me" ur literally like a judge.. and u simple look at the evidence which is based on ur own standard.. and the judge/truth simple declares if ur innocent or guilty or rather ur allowed thru or not.. imagine a JUDGE irl saying "YOU DID IT. U BEAT ME" to a person on trial that proves innocent xD
A detail you be interested in is that when the Truth is disapearing and it says "Goodbye Edward Elric" you can hear it's voice transition into Ed's. This is due to the Truth being a reflection of the one seeing it. It is obviously a detail that was added in the Anime (as tyou can't have voices in a Manga) but too me, it is one of the best inclusions.
A way to interpret Gluttony as a virtue could be Sustenance or self-preservation. I mean, food and anything edible is required to make the body grow and progress. It's more than just a step to being a fulfilled being: it's an outright necessity. But too much of it in excess can lead to an unhealthy and detrimental lifestyle, which CAN branch out and make other sins more present, like Sloth and Greed. Gluttony is, surprisingly enough, one of the biggest sins at play here and that's due to one simple thing: FATHER EATS A LOT. Father had always "consumed" what he wanted to obtain, consuming Greed, consuming Hohenheim (Ik that's a looser example considering he wasn't TRULY eaten but still), consuming the power of God, consuming an excess of souls to fuel his own Philosopher's Stone... Hell, he describes to Truth that he CRAVES knowledge and perfection, which is not a bad thing at all, but it again loops back around to a man wanting too much of something and then doing it in excess to his own detriment. Gaining sustenance can be interpreted as wanting to live more. But what happens when you want to live too much, i.e. "Be free" of your suffering, responsibilities, humanity, everything? They pay a steep price. And while it fuels arrogance, that arrogance, in the end, was fueled by a lustful, avaricious hunger. These reactions have been so insightful and I just wanted to give my two cents on this point. Maybe I'm reaching too far in some places but I'm sure we all do that all the time. I can't wait to see how the fan opinions clash for the inevitable tier list lol
Nah I think you are spot on. It’s not a reach at all. Gluttony to me is “consuming in excess of which surpasses needs”. All of that which he craves and consumes is definitely part of his gluttony.
Gluttony, sloth and lust are the most misinterpreted sins of all. Gluttony is too gain pleasure from gaining what you want it could be money, food, sex or everything else, as long as it is an obsession for something that you think you need it is gluttony. Lust is seeking pleasure, not necessarly sexual. And sloth is not doing what needs to be done. The divide between the seven sins is very thin, and usually one brings out the others. Some sins cannot even exists on their own, like lust and gluttony that are alwais together as someone that seeks pleasure is never satified and alwais wants more that he can possibly have. It is pretty neat that in FMA the 2 are almost inseparable. All of this has probably already been said but I wanted to add some of my own.
I also wondered if Gluttony could also be the reverse of comfort/contentment. I always saw his attachment to lust as something childish and pure. Like he's seeking out comfort. I don't think any human can't see what comfort food or drink can give, and also what it can do to bring comfort and contentment to your life, even if for a moment. I always felt like Gluttony was a character hungry from comfort and love and care. Maybe I'm reaching, but I do think it correlates.
@@alexmoult7725 That’s definitely the case: and that does come into play with the aforementioned connection to Lust. Gluttony’s become so engrained in his comfortable life that he basically depends on Lust, and still craves her even when she’s taken away. So much that it’s even part of his last words, where he calls for Lust before he’s finally eaten for good. I kinda like how each Homunculi isn’t necessarily TRULY representative of one sin or one virtue: it would be so easy to make a character a complete stereotype of the sin they embody, but they actually display multiple traits of their comrades, and even though I believe Gluttony to be on the lower end in terms of complexity and likability as a character, I can safely say he follows this sort of mindset just as well as the rest of his siblings. I may not like Gluttony all too much-though I can see that there’s thematic significance in his character and actions.
One of my favorite "tells" of Father's character is in this episode. It speaks to who he is. Father is so absurdly arrogant, so completely unable to learn, that when he is finally facing the judgement of the entity he has coveted and called "God," he has the audacity to ask it "who the hell do you think you are" the moment The Truth judges him with condemnation.
A perfect, bittersweet episode. There’s something about the way Truth yells “Go ahead! TAKE HIM HOME!” just makes me cheer. And something about Hohenheim’s final smile that makes me cry.
When Hohenheim passes away, i will always start crying when we see him smiling and the music playing. Always, And I have watched this series over 10 times XD
I can't remember if you've said whether or not you'll react to the bloopers when you're done, but I hope you will it's a nice relief to laugh while also reminiscing.
i liked that the truth smiled at ed, because he realized that he is just a merely a human, who got an enlightened, that he don't need alchemy to solve every problem.
My headcannon: Father wanted out of Flask to experience the world and Xerxes happened due to that. He got out of Flask, he could go anywhere and learn what he wanted in Flask...but he is in a body, still a flask, it can be broken and he would be gone. True that he had extra lives he could use to prolong it, but nothing prevented there to be chance for him to die (Fire Alchemy is kinda proof of that, something so powerful that it depletes Philosophers Stones out fast). So after he got his body, he most likely lived in fear until he started the plot, casted Sins out of himself and then as time passed, reabsorbed them to create and recreate his eyes and ears to above. All this while he hid underground, dark rooms and few times he went up it was also in windowless rooms.
Something you addressed a lot of reactions don’t is how happy Truth was and his smile all throughout his interaction with Ed once Ed offered his portal. Truth was just so happy someone finally understood, especially after just dealing with Father.
The thing is that Ed could only sacrifice his Portal of Truth and return, because his and Al's souls were so entangled. Otherwise he would have been stuck there.
The manga mentions it a bit more, it turns out that Father, the Dwarf in the Flask, is a piece of the gateway of truth itself, manifest into consciousness by human blood, in doing so he has a comprehensive knowledge of the world, but lacked context or emotional connection that would develop empathy, which is part of why he is what he is
I've seen this anime. Over 20 times from different reaction channels and the scene with Von. Hohenhiem always makes me tear up I knew it was coming and the tears came. This scene is so sad. The intro hits different for this ending scene
I've seen plenty of reactors title this episode and the next as "I cry for 30 minutes" so no one blames you for getting emotional. It always gets me, too.
These last episodes are so good!!! We're almost at the end of the journey. Btw I commented this before but aside from the bloopers which i know you've watched already, i suggest also watching the OVA's which consists of four additional episodes covering some of Roy's backstory in ishval, the Izumi in Briggs backstory, a cute Riza and Winry episode and an extra episode of Ed and Al searching for ways to get their bodies back. I would love to see you watch them
This has been quite the long journey, im really happy i've seen it through til here. This episode still makes me heckin' cry... Goes to show how much this anime meant to me and i bet many others agree! Thank you Cast! See you in the final episode!
The best part of greed’s death was that he stop being freed as he died he stopped wanting more and was satisfied. He stopped being greed both metaphorical and literally
Counting this reaction, I've watched this episode 10 times. And I have cried 10 times. Arakawa-sensei is a genius, Studio Bones was firing on all cylinders when they adapted her work, and I still think anime is trying to catch up to Fullmetal Alchemist 13 years later.
Amazing video as usual! Thank you! I've already watched and read FMA(brotherhood) several times now, but it still hits just like the first time. As for the last episode, don't forget to watch until the very last second of the ending song. This was a beautiful journey, thank you for sharing it with us.
I really adore this episode - it never fails to make me cry too. Of course, it contains the ultimate conclusion to the final conflict, but what I think is most special is the wonderful conclusions to so many of the characters' stories. Whether it's Father getting his deserved punishment (but showing that he never learnt his lesson), Greed's ultimate selfless act, or Hohenheim finally finding his desire to live, I think it really shows Arakawa's mastery of character work. But the character who I think really shows the most growth in this episode is Ed. It often gets overwhelmed by everything else going on, but his scenes are incredibly solid. He calls Hoho 'father' for the first time, but he also lets himself give into his emotion and cries. Given the strong facade he's been putting up for most of the story, it's really significant. And the scene where he sacrifices his alchemy is amazing too - basically spelling out FMA's mission statement about the power of humanity to lean on each other. What a change he's gone through from the young boy so determined to be self-sufficient... It's also worth noting that it's strongly implied in this episode that the Dwarf in the Flask was created from the tentacle hands behind the Gate, as he says "I don't want to go back". And another cute moment is the Truth's voice transitioning to be just Ed and Al's voices when it tells Ed to take Al home...
I prefer the sentence Edward says to Father when he's about to die in the Original source material: "Go back to where you came from, the dwarf in the flask, homunculus" because it mirrors how his own father calls the thing, it also acknowledges his father feelings towards that. By using the same words, it make it feels like Edward accepted his father a bit more there.
Somehow I have found, and watched, this entire reaction series only days before the final episode will be released on youtube and I cannot express how happy I am for the funny coincidences that happen in life. Amazing job Cast, can’t wait to see how it ends.
it gets me every time... he spent most of the series looking for a way to end his immortality. but in the end he didnt want to go, he got a human death. i argue that in some ways this is more Hohenheim's story than it is Ed and Al's
When you talked about Truth, I was reminded by a neat, and recent analysis about the "real" alchemical basis that the show derives inspiration from by Max Derrat. If you want to appreciate the show even more, I'd say you should check out his first video in what should be a series analyzing the show, which starts by focusing on the Truth and what it actually is according to the writings and philosophies of a historical alchemist.
I love comparing how Truth speaks to Ed now compared to how Truth was mocking and derisive in Episode 2. Ed overcomes self-loathing, realizes what his own worth is and what is really important to him, and becomes fully at peace with himself, finally hearing Truth speak to him in his own voice. 😢
Greed was proof that Father was not all bad because Greed was a part of Father. Long ago The Dwarf said he couldn’t understand why humans formed friendships and family bonds. Later during his reunion with Hohenheim, Hohenheim said he used to scoff and family and friendship, but look at children, family and friendship is what he really wanted all along, and the near emotionless Father actually had a reaction to that and got angry. And it was Greed who finally admitted it. Father misunderstood himself and took a bad path, and in the end, he paid for it. But, he is succeeded by his humbled Pride.
when truth said: "thats the right answer" is when it hit me and made sense, i remember being confused too but that one line made it all impact and well I'm not good explaining I'm sure you guys know what i mean...
I've watched this anime from start to finish probably 100 times now, through rewatches with my family and watching youtubers like you react to the series, but fuck, Hohenheim and Greed's deaths never get easier for me. I still cry just as much as the first time I saw their deaths.
Theres a neat tumblr post I sadly cant link here that goes over all the actual real life Alchemy symbolism in FMAB, and it talks about how Homunculus was born to be in a flask, which he saw as a prison. But even after being given a body, he started to see EVERYTHING as a prison. The world, the universe. Any vessel was just another prison to be broken from. He could never be fulfilled because he had the information of all, but had no wisdom to become one.
I always think it's really cool that the 1st time we see the truth genuinely excited it's because ed succeeded Of course it would want him to succeed because it is him until now everyone kept losing whenever they interacted with it because they kept confusing knowledge with understanding Because only from understanding can something new be created "Creation is all" It's why understanding is one of the fundamental principles of alchemy The truth was never against them It never helped them either it just simply was
I personally don't think Greed had much of anything to do with Ling's willingness to give up the stone. I think it was ALL Alphonse. I think it was purely knowing Al that made up Ling's mind.
Sloth is rest, gluttony is the drive for sustenance. I think it’s interesting all the sins died doing something antithetical of what they are. Because father removed his desires he was never able to learn how to overcome them and transcend his “sin”.
23:57 "And you... what?" I think what's implied there is that Hohenheim feels responsible for what happened. He feels like he is to blame for the Dwarf in the flask and all that he wrought. So... "And I... am to blame for all this."
So just a final ironic death recap. Lust-Killed by a man she couldn't impress Gluttony-Eaten alive Envy-Killed himself rather than facing his insecurities Wrath-Died at peace with a smile on his face Pride-Compromised his identity Sloth-Worked himself to death Greed-Sacrificed himself to save his friends And honestly as a bonus Father who wanted to be the perfect being, beaten by Edward with his bare hands never truly knowing himself. His gate as blank and empty as he was.
I have watched this series at least 5 times now, and finished the manga twice, and I still at least shed a tear at hohenheims final moments. It just hits you like a train. To feel happiness for someone but sadness too. When he says that he doesn't want to die... god it hurts.
All the Homunculus died in ironic ways. Lust - burned with passion Gluttony - was eaten Envy - sacrificed himself willingly accepting defeat Sloth - didn't wanna get back up Pride - died humbled Wrath - died at peace Greed - died satisfied At least I think 🤔
Do you know about the character Mobuta Mobuo? Appears in several episodes hidden, from the classic anime. The writer revealed this joke a few days ago.
Before starting the chapter I knew that Hohenheim's death was going to make you shed a couple of tears. There is so much to say about FMA, such a long journey, so many things that conclude, but after so much I think that only the beautiful and melancholic feelings of this last chapter remain. see you at the end.
Father did want freedom - just not as we typically use the word. He wanted to unshackle himself from reality and physics itself. Mortality, morality, society, everything. Freedom means separation. Complete control.
That kind of extreme version of "freedom" also means isolation and profound loneliness, and so his deepest, truest desires for connection and meaning are just ignored and left to fester. As Truth said, he surely must have seen what he truly wanted at some point, and yet he denied it and came up with some misguided alternative, born of wilful blindness.
His gate was blank to show the knowledge behind it. Every other gate we have seen had unique designs to it. Even Ed's evolved the more he passed through the gate, but father was going to a place where there is no knowledge and it would be stripped from him. A punishment fit for one who claimed he did everything for knowledge.
the reals MVPs of this fight 1) Van Hohenheim for returning every single soul to the amestrians in a plan that would work even if he died, he weakened father and put him on a timer, also was the greates defense against fathers attacks 2) greed making fathers body into soft carbon making it imposible for him to defend 3) Scar and the Ishavals for given Amestrians a way to fight back with the reverse transmutation circle 4) absolutely everyone that had the steel balls to pretty much see a god and went against it
A Calmed Lust, a Devoured Glutton, a Worn Sloth, a Cowardly Envy, a Peaceful Wrath, a Disgraced Pride & a Selfless Greed. These are the Ends of the Seven Deadly Sin.
a little detail few to none notice when edward beats truth is the voice of truth itself, listen with headphones closely, once ed responds correctly, when truth says "you beat me!! take it all!! good bye edward elric!!" you can notice ed's voice inside the turmoil of voices, he beated truth by accepting truth, and truth accepted him as part of itself back, what the dwarf in the flask wanted all along, unite with god, poetic, makes you wonder and search who else's voices united with truth too, listen to it yourself looking for this detail and you won't be able to not hear it
My question has always been what does Ed sacrificing his portal actually mean. The truth says he’ll never be able to perform alchemy again, but it seems the portal is more than that. The portal of truth seems to reflect the individual, seeing as different gates look different. Also truth says to Father that he will “ bestow upon him the despair you deserve” in Japanese it said”what gives you despair to not become arrogant is truth” truth is an entity that keeps mankind humble. To know that the individual is not the all. That was father’s mistake. He wanted to become the all. He was never satisfied. He wanted more and more. Greed is his greed. Greed tells us that this is what he father wants in the final fight saying “I want everything” it’s not as clear in English. in Japanese this is “zenbu”. When greed says he wants “zenbu” he means it as what Truth means. In Japanese truth is “Zenbu” or as it’s translated in English “ all” “I am all, and I am one” “arei wa zenbu, arei wa ichi” We know that souls exist in the truth as evidenced by Al. Is the truth actually some form of afterlife in this world? Where souls go to become part of the all. That would track. When Father fails and dies he’s pulled into the portal of truth and given despair to humble him. Remind him he is just part of the all, not the all. For Father who doesn’t want to be bound by the all he would suffer by being forced to be part of the all, but for normal people becoming part of the all would probably be a comfort. I imagine it like a sea of life flowing through all things, that flow is the power that alchemists are able to manipulate, aka “the dragons pulse” that alchehestry deals with. If you become part of the all your souls will be forever connected with your loved ones. But then does that mean by sacrificing his gate Edward actually removes himself from the all? His gate is his individual reflection of his place in the all. His loss of alchemy is just a symptom. He gets his brother back for the time they’re alive, but when eventually they pass on, they won’t be eternally bound together as part of the all, Al will return to the all connected with his mother his father their friends and everyone, but won’t. So… I know it’s supposed to be happy… but I dunno.. this is how I think about it. Ironically this is what Father’s goal was. To not be bound by the truth and it’s consequences.
I love Greed in this show, cause BOTH Versions of Greed, the original and the Ling version, are great in their own way. But what I really love, is Ling's last line to Greed as he gets his memory back. "You turned your back on something you 'wanted', you don't deserve to call yourself Greed". Cause indeed, it is something people very often forget or don't even think about. You can be Greedy about your Friends. Their Happiness. The joy you get with them. The Comfort and Safety. They can become your "Possessions" that you Greed for. And when people attack your friends, they are "Stealing" that which you Greed for. And that can motivate someone who is very Greedy to Protect them. Greed is NOT an evil emotion by Nature. It is out right Good. It's just that a single spotlight is brought upon the most easily viewed and shown form of Greed. The Greed of money and the downfall of it. But Greed shows up in many different forms, and can do great things.
Methinks you saw Greed's death the way the author intended, however, allow me to show another way of looking at it. Greed saw people as possessions, killing them was the same as stealing from him. Ed was Greed's "henchman" as you may recall. Greed sacrificed himself to keep Father from taking Ed from him. Greed may have also seen everyone else in the same light. They all followed Ed, Ed was Greed's property, therefore everyone was Greed's property by extension. In addition to that Father told Greed that "anything that you have ever desired, you can rest assured, I desired it first!" That sounds rather like Father wanted to take everything away from who again? Oh yeah... GREED. 😈
it's intriguing how ed is all about the answer father couldn't realise in front of truth, making them contrasting characters. and even more interesting that father born from the blood of a slave, so he wanted to be free (although)
Sacrifice of the truth portal can only work by Ed and Ed only since his wish to trade is his brother, a selfishless wish which they both can return by his brother's truth portal. Other's can only trade with the stone because they need the truth portal to return to reality.
Slight rant about some critiques I've seen before regarding Ed vs father Always bothered me when I'd see some people every now and then complain it was a generic shounen protagonist moment when ed slapped father around in their fist fight. Ed lost his share of fights in the show and got to grow as a person while Father was never a fighter, he spent his life sitting around plotting and scheming. When it came down to an unforseen fist fight out of no where it was pretty easy to knock around a guy who just relied on alchemy for everything and didn't really have any fighting experience. Normally you could argue he could've relied on said alchemy to stop the beating but after he starts to lose control of "God" he absorbed I think it's safe to say he's in a weakened state. That and getting his head rearranged in a confrontation that wasn't planned when everything that happened thus far was according to plan probably made it hard to think. Edit: unrelated to my previous point but when ed was trying to figure out how bring al back and cast said "sacrifice may chang" I did an irl spit take
The emotions the seven deadly sins represent are not inherently evil. To the contrary, they are all essential for the continued existence of humanity. Without envy you would have no motivation for self-improvement, without pride you would dismiss your skills and have no sense of self-value, without wrath the evils of the world would never be brought to justice, ect. ect. What makes them Sins is when they are indulged in without moderation and at the expense of others' wellbeing and happiness.
sacrifice Mei Chang? pause! XD And I think once his Portal is Gone, Ed will never be able to go through Hell or Heaven because that's the portal when people meet the Truth. that's just my thery
I am so excited for the final episode, this journey has been amazing to watch and I have been here since day 1! I would do anything to watch fmab for the first time again. but though I am happy it is ending, you have been my fav reactor to this specific series! great work :D
This is very likely the most emotional you’ll see me get, at least for a while. R.I.P Von Hohenheim, you were a good man.
If you’d like to send me something, here is the Throne link I mentioned in the intro. throne.me/u/castsenpai/wishlist - It will automatically tweet gifts out on my Twitter, where you will see my reaction. Alternatively, I have enabled the “Thanks” button below my videos.
That said, I will see you next week in the final episode. 💛❤️
Never heard of Throne before but seems like a great alternative for an expanded Amazon Wishlist!
It’s much safer for privacy reasons and very simple to use. 😁
@@CastSenpai seeing you emotional was so damn adorable
It was just an amazing Journey. Knew you were going to finally, break. Bet most of us did. I watch this anime every once in a while. It is always a roller coast of emotion and action.
When Father says "Who the hell do you think you are?" is the only time in the series where Truth stops smiling.
He didn't appreciate the gurren lagann copyright infringement
He stops smiling when Ed says he’ll give up his gate
His gate was blank because, As the Truth said, The Dwarf In The Flask actually did not GAIN knowledge. He TOOK INFORMATION, but gained no knowledge, so nothing engrained upon his tablet...WOAH! Revelation! As many times as I've seen this anime...I'll have to share this on another forum. But, yes. that's why his gate is blank.
i also like the "you simply must have seen the answer with your own eyes" - you can kind of interpret this as referring to the homunculi, as they were parts of him, more than one of them, in the end, actually did gain knowledge and realise what they really wanted - greed, envy, arguably wrath...they were his own eyes, and they DID see the answer - but he chose to separate them from himself and thus lay no claim to any of it in the end, and notably, the one who realised it in the most meaningful way, greed, he literally destroyed in his last moments
have you noticed that 'truth' is also blind? the 'figure' doesn't have eyes, for Truth is blind.
want me to go even deeper?
FMAB is inspired by plato's theory of forms.
The white room is called 'The realm of Ideals'' there is nothing here except thought and ideals, you could say it is where our thoughts and personality come from, there is nothing tangible here, no materialistic object for the entire thing is filled with infinite possibility, is is completely empty but that also means it has the potential to be everything.
There are 2 forms within this world lower and greater forms.
a lower form would be the blueprint of a chair for example ,the basic concept of it, 4 legs a plank to sit on and a plank to rest your back. it would be the 'idea' of a chair in its purest form.
and every chair ever created in the physical world is a shadow or variation from this ideal/concept.
Higher forms are concepts that don't reside within the physical world itself, but are only present in the realm of ideals.
Examples of higher forms would be the idea of Personality, Love, Pride, Joy, our Thoughts.
Things or Emotions we experience that don't have a physical body to represent themselves.
now for FMAB when Ed and Al performed human transmutation they in a way unraveled themselves from human, to dna, to bacteria to its basic concept.
but you can't play for 'god' when they transmuted themselves they came into the realm of ideals, the door behind him is the way through which he came here.
his own portrayel of reality his own 'truth'
The door is what links you to the physical world, it is your connection to 'all'
it is the idea of 'You' everything you are and that makes you, well you.
Thats why its the only thing there, its the only thing you can experience.
The door opens and an eye appears, this eye is Ed's own 'Eye' (the third eye also comes to mind)
its his existence looking at him, the concept of himself drags him into the door as he experiences his life/reality within seconds, all the information he has ever known.
thats why the 'Truth entity' says 'i will show you, the truth'
because what he shows him as punishment is his own reality/existence.
When Ed comes back from the gate he thinks his theory of transmutation wasn't wrong, but that isn't what 'Truth' tried to teach him.
Truth tried to show that as a human, there is only so much you can do, and instead of chasing after ideals or 'god you should focus on your own life and finite existence.
for everything will one day return to the white room and return to 'nothing'
Only after their journey does Ed realise that to seek solutions beyond their boundaries is useless.
' What do you mean ordinary human? i was an ordinary human from the start'
He accepts the things that can't be changed, and with it he accepts Truth and his place in this world.
Which is the lesson 'Truth' tried to teach him.
now..
How is that for a mindfuck? ^^
I watched fmab many years and I didn't get that scene. Thanks for the concise explanation.
Makes sense. Father claimed that he just wanted to understand the worlds knowledge. Thing is...he wanted to _gain knowledge_ but he didn't actually want to _learn_
_"I'm Greed The Avaricious, I WANT EVERYTHING"_ - _"I've had enough. Yeah, that's all I really need. They gave me everything I could want."_
Greed dying on moment his greed was finally satisfied, is somewhat sad version of "poetic justice".
Also somewhat fitting that Greed would die, from losing his greed.
"This is gonna be sad, I feel it."
You have, my friend, no idea how sad this is about to become in a second XD
20:35 -
Ed in episode 4: _"We know the truth... ...WE’RE ONLY HUMAN! We can’t even do anything to save one innocent little girl, so what good are we then?"_
Ed now: _"That's the only thing I've ever been, just a simple human that couldn't save a little girl, not even alchemy."_
Doing some more thinking about this episode today after posting, and wondering why Hohenheims death struck me so hard… and I know part of the reason.
The sentiment he shared about how much he cursed his existence only to find out that in the end, he wanted to live more, is a depressingly real feeling to people who… meet tragic endings in real life. Putting that vaguely and lightly as possible.
It makes me sad HH died alone too, considering how lonely and ostracized he must have felt throughout his life, making so many sacrifices, having an unbelievable amount of survivors guilt, and seeing everyone around him that he loves pass without him.
Just sharing these extra thoughts. I know what those things are like, and how it can be so hollowing. Man deserved more love than he got.
The contrast of characters is wonderfull in this episode:
> Father is the individual rejecting his human origin, wanting to become something he is not
> Edward is the individual accepting his human condition, wanting to continue living as the only thing he has ever been: Just an ordinary human... who couldn't save a little girl... not even with alchemy.
Your obligatory Homunculus death recap:
Lust died on her knees fighting a man protecting his loved ones
Gluttony was consumed by his kin
Envy could not live with the idea of his jealousy and killed himself
Sloth died fighting hard
Wrath died peacefully with a smile on his face
Pride was humbled and reduced to a “mere human”
Greed sacrificed himself for his friends
Which aligns with what Truth told him. Father could have seen the answer with his own eyes, his eyes being his Homonculi. Which he chose to separate himself from.
Such a weird way of putting some of these. The "on her knees" part conflicts with the rest of the point of her death. Also;
-The kin that consumed gluttony was ironically starved for both power at the time, and for attention from his father for his entire existence.
-Wrath was killed by a man who forsook his own rage and chose peace.
-Greed died content wanting for nothing.
-Always thought of it as Envy dying from pity, which would fit in well with the opposites motif.
you can add one more - Father was ultimately killed by his own Greed. in a way, we watched all of his "sins" perish in important order, down to Wrath at the end, his Pride being the only surviving emotion, & his Greed ultimately killing him.
*Feelsmetal Alchemist* 😭
My take on Truth based on the “I am All, and I am One, so, of course, that means I am You,” is Truth is the collective of all living things. That would make Ed’s relationship to Truth similar to a cell’s relationship to a complex multicellular organism. And Truth’s demeanor seems to always mirror that of the person talking to it. When Ed demanded knowledge, the Truth demanded payment. When Ed gave up his portal, the Truth gave up Al. In the end, to get the Truth to be humble, the person had to be humble themselves. Everything in the show was really poetic that way.
conflict there..
u cant have a "collective of all living things" yet under the same breath be an "individual" in that judgement..
if it was a collective it wouldnt dish out exactly back at u what u dished out on others..
collective would be full fo people who are assholes and nasty people and they would also have weight in the collective..
rather truth here seems to be ur "shadow/mirror" that judges u by the very standards u judge others...
except truth ISNT actually YOU..
i think i like the idea of it being more akin to ur subconcious and ur "gut" which in no universe if it was concious would care or listen to ur actual concious..
aka ur concious and ur views/mindset is UR OWN TRUTH.. so there is no logic nor science.. as in this truth is not based nor defined how it is in science..
rather its UR OWN TRUTH..
and u will be held to ur own standard..
not religious butt think jesus when he stopped the people from stoning that women.. and said let he without sin cast the first stone..
well father in this case was sinful and casted all the stones.. so therefore when it was his time.. his own standard cast all the stones at him
or rather subconciously... u know when ur being a hypocrite yet conciously we make shit lied .. make excuses and etc to justify it.. well the subciouness is FREE of the "ideologies" our "concious" brain has..
collective would 100% not allow this.. as it be a massive mixed bag of billions of concioness all IN SYNCH thus its be more fair...
as they say "ur worst enemny is urself" and if u have to be judged by ur own STANDARDS with no room to make exceptions or excuse just cause its YOU.. ur probably gonna end up worse then another person u dont know judging u...
also he didnt humble truth.. i dont get nor like that they went with the "U DID IT U BEAT ME" line... 😂
cause that implies "truth" was actively against ED rather then neutral... meaning "Truth" was a baist law/rule" butt then again based on the above.. it does make sense why "Truth" cares to win and lose.. cause "Truth" in a non science sense is utlimately made up and its what ever we want it to be.. aka the lies we tell our selves...
the way i see it.. truth isnt caring or uncaring.. he is neutral and his feelings relect urs.. as in as in standard wise..
if u hate humans.. and ur human in denial... and harm humans.. ur TRUTH will hate YOU.. press the fact home ur HUMAN.. then HARM U AS A HUMAN the way u harmed humans..
thats exactly what happened to father... thats not a win for "Truth" or lose...
so by that very logic ed cant WIN either.. its not a win or lose for "Truth"
rather its YOU and YOU alone who passes or fails.. not win or lose.. there is no "beat me"
ur literally like a judge.. and u simple look at the evidence which is based on ur own standard.. and the judge/truth simple declares if ur innocent or guilty or rather ur allowed thru or not..
imagine a JUDGE irl saying "YOU DID IT. U BEAT ME" to a person on trial that proves innocent xD
I freaking love the hopeful message in the background “he’s on his way” LMAAOOOOO
He lost his brother to alchemy so he gave his alchemy to get his brother back.
A poetical equal exchange.
A detail you be interested in is that when the Truth is disapearing and it says "Goodbye Edward Elric" you can hear it's voice transition into Ed's. This is due to the Truth being a reflection of the one seeing it. It is obviously a detail that was added in the Anime (as tyou can't have voices in a Manga) but too me, it is one of the best inclusions.
A way to interpret Gluttony as a virtue could be Sustenance or self-preservation. I mean, food and anything edible is required to make the body grow and progress. It's more than just a step to being a fulfilled being: it's an outright necessity. But too much of it in excess can lead to an unhealthy and detrimental lifestyle, which CAN branch out and make other sins more present, like Sloth and Greed.
Gluttony is, surprisingly enough, one of the biggest sins at play here and that's due to one simple thing: FATHER EATS A LOT. Father had always "consumed" what he wanted to obtain, consuming Greed, consuming Hohenheim (Ik that's a looser example considering he wasn't TRULY eaten but still), consuming the power of God, consuming an excess of souls to fuel his own Philosopher's Stone... Hell, he describes to Truth that he CRAVES knowledge and perfection, which is not a bad thing at all, but it again loops back around to a man wanting too much of something and then doing it in excess to his own detriment.
Gaining sustenance can be interpreted as wanting to live more. But what happens when you want to live too much, i.e. "Be free" of your suffering, responsibilities, humanity, everything? They pay a steep price. And while it fuels arrogance, that arrogance, in the end, was fueled by a lustful, avaricious hunger.
These reactions have been so insightful and I just wanted to give my two cents on this point. Maybe I'm reaching too far in some places but I'm sure we all do that all the time. I can't wait to see how the fan opinions clash for the inevitable tier list lol
Nah I think you are spot on. It’s not a reach at all. Gluttony to me is “consuming in excess of which surpasses needs”. All of that which he craves and consumes is definitely part of his gluttony.
Gluttony, sloth and lust are the most misinterpreted sins of all. Gluttony is too gain pleasure from gaining what you want it could be money, food, sex or everything else, as long as it is an obsession for something that you think you need it is gluttony. Lust is seeking pleasure, not necessarly sexual. And sloth is not doing what needs to be done. The divide between the seven sins is very thin, and usually one brings out the others. Some sins cannot even exists on their own, like lust and gluttony that are alwais together as someone that seeks pleasure is never satified and alwais wants more that he can possibly have. It is pretty neat that in FMA the 2 are almost inseparable. All of this has probably already been said but I wanted to add some of my own.
I also wondered if Gluttony could also be the reverse of comfort/contentment. I always saw his attachment to lust as something childish and pure. Like he's seeking out comfort. I don't think any human can't see what comfort food or drink can give, and also what it can do to bring comfort and contentment to your life, even if for a moment. I always felt like Gluttony was a character hungry from comfort and love and care.
Maybe I'm reaching, but I do think it correlates.
@@alexmoult7725 That’s definitely the case: and that does come into play with the aforementioned connection to Lust. Gluttony’s become so engrained in his comfortable life that he basically depends on Lust, and still craves her even when she’s taken away. So much that it’s even part of his last words, where he calls for Lust before he’s finally eaten for good.
I kinda like how each Homunculi isn’t necessarily TRULY representative of one sin or one virtue: it would be so easy to make a character a complete stereotype of the sin they embody, but they actually display multiple traits of their comrades, and even though I believe Gluttony to be on the lower end in terms of complexity and likability as a character, I can safely say he follows this sort of mindset just as well as the rest of his siblings. I may not like Gluttony all too much-though I can see that there’s thematic significance in his character and actions.
Loved ur reaction to Hohenheim offering up himself for Al. The “because I’m his father” is such a simple yet tearjerking answer
I also love how happy Truth sounds when Ed figured it out. Just wanted someone to truly understand the real value of life and human connections
One of my favorite "tells" of Father's character is in this episode. It speaks to who he is.
Father is so absurdly arrogant, so completely unable to learn, that when he is finally facing the judgement of the entity he has coveted and called "God," he has the audacity to ask it "who the hell do you think you are" the moment The Truth judges him with condemnation.
A perfect, bittersweet episode.
There’s something about the way Truth yells “Go ahead! TAKE HIM HOME!” just makes me cheer. And something about Hohenheim’s final smile that makes me cry.
"You say something that dumb again, Then I'll Knock You Out!"
Edwards crying made me cry too😭 17:25
When Hohenheim passes away, i will always start crying when we see him smiling and the music playing. Always, And I have watched this series over 10 times XD
I can't remember if you've said whether or not you'll react to the bloopers when you're done, but I hope you will it's a nice relief to laugh while also reminiscing.
I do! There will be 2 post-series videos, a blooper reaction, then a Q&A/ Character tier list.
@@CastSenpai Cool can't wait, love your reactions.
I believe that was the first time Ed's ever cried since the human transmutation incident too 😢
i liked that the truth smiled at ed, because he realized that he is just a merely a human, who got an enlightened, that he don't need alchemy to solve every problem.
My headcannon:
Father wanted out of Flask to experience the world and Xerxes happened due to that. He got out of Flask, he could go anywhere and learn what he wanted in Flask...but he is in a body, still a flask, it can be broken and he would be gone. True that he had extra lives he could use to prolong it, but nothing prevented there to be chance for him to die (Fire Alchemy is kinda proof of that, something so powerful that it depletes Philosophers Stones out fast).
So after he got his body, he most likely lived in fear until he started the plot, casted Sins out of himself and then as time passed, reabsorbed them to create and recreate his eyes and ears to above.
All this while he hid underground, dark rooms and few times he went up it was also in windowless rooms.
Something you addressed a lot of reactions don’t is how happy Truth was and his smile all throughout his interaction with Ed once Ed offered his portal. Truth was just so happy someone finally understood, especially after just dealing with Father.
The thing is that Ed could only sacrifice his Portal of Truth and return, because his and Al's souls were so entangled. Otherwise he would have been stuck there.
I just realized when greed said he never told a lie, he still stuck to his promise. He did fight together with him, but just from within Father.
The manga mentions it a bit more, it turns out that Father, the Dwarf in the Flask, is a piece of the gateway of truth itself, manifest into consciousness by human blood, in doing so he has a comprehensive knowledge of the world, but lacked context or emotional connection that would develop empathy, which is part of why he is what he is
That's what I toke it as also. With the shadow hands. So when he goes back into the gate. Does his consciousness go away.
I've seen this anime. Over 20 times from different reaction channels and the scene with Von. Hohenhiem always makes me tear up I knew it was coming and the tears came. This scene is so sad. The intro hits different for this ending scene
that ending when the opening theme starts playing brings me to tears every time.
I've seen plenty of reactors title this episode and the next as "I cry for 30 minutes" so no one blames you for getting emotional. It always gets me, too.
The next one was surprisingly not a sad emotional reaction, I just smiled through it
the last bit of this ep never failed to make me cry, oh mannnn
These last episodes are so good!!! We're almost at the end of the journey.
Btw I commented this before but aside from the bloopers which i know you've watched already, i suggest also watching the OVA's which consists of four additional episodes covering some of Roy's backstory in ishval, the Izumi in Briggs backstory, a cute Riza and Winry episode and an extra episode of Ed and Al searching for ways to get their bodies back. I would love to see you watch them
Always great for a villain to get served a big slice of their-own-words-back-to-haunt-them pie before their final comeuppance.
This has been quite the long journey, im really happy i've seen it through til here. This episode still makes me heckin' cry... Goes to show how much this anime meant to me and i bet many others agree!
Thank you Cast! See you in the final episode!
14:04
Greed = Ambition
Tristitia = Empathy
Acedia = Peace
Lust = Love
Pride = Confidence
Wrath = Passion
Envy = inspiration
Gluttony = Pleasure
Bonus: Vainglory = Standards
Tristitia and Acedia make up Sloth
Also it was really hard to find something for gluttony because it’s basically addiction :(
Melancholy = Optimism? 🤔
@@CastSenpai Tristitia to empathy is more like sadness to sympathy
Trans pride?
The best part of greed’s death was that he stop being freed as he died he stopped wanting more and was satisfied. He stopped being greed both metaphorical and literally
I've watched this show 20 times already and it doesn't stop me from crying again...
Counting this reaction, I've watched this episode 10 times. And I have cried 10 times. Arakawa-sensei is a genius, Studio Bones was firing on all cylinders when they adapted her work, and I still think anime is trying to catch up to Fullmetal Alchemist 13 years later.
“Gluttony… food 🤨” Lmao you’re hilarious
Amazing video as usual! Thank you! I've already watched and read FMA(brotherhood) several times now, but it still hits just like the first time. As for the last episode, don't forget to watch until the very last second of the ending song. This was a beautiful journey, thank you for sharing it with us.
I really adore this episode - it never fails to make me cry too. Of course, it contains the ultimate conclusion to the final conflict, but what I think is most special is the wonderful conclusions to so many of the characters' stories. Whether it's Father getting his deserved punishment (but showing that he never learnt his lesson), Greed's ultimate selfless act, or Hohenheim finally finding his desire to live, I think it really shows Arakawa's mastery of character work.
But the character who I think really shows the most growth in this episode is Ed. It often gets overwhelmed by everything else going on, but his scenes are incredibly solid. He calls Hoho 'father' for the first time, but he also lets himself give into his emotion and cries. Given the strong facade he's been putting up for most of the story, it's really significant. And the scene where he sacrifices his alchemy is amazing too - basically spelling out FMA's mission statement about the power of humanity to lean on each other. What a change he's gone through from the young boy so determined to be self-sufficient...
It's also worth noting that it's strongly implied in this episode that the Dwarf in the Flask was created from the tentacle hands behind the Gate, as he says "I don't want to go back". And another cute moment is the Truth's voice transitioning to be just Ed and Al's voices when it tells Ed to take Al home...
I prefer the sentence Edward says to Father when he's about to die in the Original source material: "Go back to where you came from, the dwarf in the flask, homunculus" because it mirrors how his own father calls the thing, it also acknowledges his father feelings towards that. By using the same words, it make it feels like Edward accepted his father a bit more there.
It was nice revisiting the series, even if through a screen. Thanks for the experience, man
Somehow I have found, and watched, this entire reaction series only days before the final episode will be released on youtube and I cannot express how happy I am for the funny coincidences that happen in life. Amazing job Cast, can’t wait to see how it ends.
Pretty cool how things work sometimes. Thanks for watching. :)
The montage of Hoenheim at the end was so much bro
it gets me every time... he spent most of the series looking for a way to end his immortality. but in the end he didnt want to go, he got a human death. i argue that in some ways this is more Hohenheim's story than it is Ed and Al's
Just as much his story. All the characters story, really.
When you talked about Truth, I was reminded by a neat, and recent analysis about the "real" alchemical basis that the show derives inspiration from by Max Derrat. If you want to appreciate the show even more, I'd say you should check out his first video in what should be a series analyzing the show, which starts by focusing on the Truth and what it actually is according to the writings and philosophies of a historical alchemist.
Greed turning God into a pencil is potentially the most insane thing that people never talk about
Yup he said he turned him into carbons weakest form, which I believe is graphite. Pencil lead!
I love comparing how Truth speaks to Ed now compared to how Truth was mocking and derisive in Episode 2. Ed overcomes self-loathing, realizes what his own worth is and what is really important to him, and becomes fully at peace with himself, finally hearing Truth speak to him in his own voice. 😢
Every Sunday morning I been tuned in ima miss when this series is over😭
Greed was proof that Father was not all bad because Greed was a part of Father. Long ago The Dwarf said he couldn’t understand why humans formed friendships and family bonds. Later during his reunion with Hohenheim, Hohenheim said he used to scoff and family and friendship, but look at children, family and friendship is what he really wanted all along, and the near emotionless Father actually had a reaction to that and got angry. And it was Greed who finally admitted it. Father misunderstood himself and took a bad path, and in the end, he paid for it. But, he is succeeded by his humbled Pride.
One of the most emotional episodes in anime imo. Too many great scenes.
when truth said: "thats the right answer" is when it hit me and made sense, i remember being confused too but that one line made it all impact and well I'm not good explaining I'm sure you guys know what i mean...
I've watched this anime from start to finish probably 100 times now, through rewatches with my family and watching youtubers like you react to the series, but fuck, Hohenheim and Greed's deaths never get easier for me. I still cry just as much as the first time I saw their deaths.
Theres a neat tumblr post I sadly cant link here that goes over all the actual real life Alchemy symbolism in FMAB, and it talks about how Homunculus was born to be in a flask, which he saw as a prison. But even after being given a body, he started to see EVERYTHING as a prison. The world, the universe. Any vessel was just another prison to be broken from. He could never be fulfilled because he had the information of all, but had no wisdom to become one.
I always think it's really cool that the 1st time we see the truth genuinely excited it's because ed succeeded
Of course it would want him to succeed because it is him until now everyone kept losing whenever they interacted with it because they kept confusing knowledge with understanding
Because only from understanding can something new be created "Creation is all"
It's why understanding is one of the fundamental principles of alchemy
The truth was never against them It never helped them either it just simply was
I cried a river the moment I watched this ending. There's no helping to that.
I personally don't think Greed had much of anything to do with Ling's willingness to give up the stone. I think it was ALL Alphonse. I think it was purely knowing Al that made up Ling's mind.
Sloth is rest, gluttony is the drive for sustenance. I think it’s interesting all the sins died doing something antithetical of what they are. Because father removed his desires he was never able to learn how to overcome them and transcend his “sin”.
23:57 "And you... what?" I think what's implied there is that Hohenheim feels responsible for what happened. He feels like he is to blame for the Dwarf in the flask and all that he wrought. So... "And I... am to blame for all this."
Hohenheim's death never failed to make me cry. I've watched this multiple times and always made me cry
So just a final ironic death recap.
Lust-Killed by a man she couldn't impress
Gluttony-Eaten alive
Envy-Killed himself rather than facing his insecurities
Wrath-Died at peace with a smile on his face
Pride-Compromised his identity
Sloth-Worked himself to death
Greed-Sacrificed himself to save his friends
And honestly as a bonus Father who wanted to be the perfect being, beaten by Edward with his bare hands never truly knowing himself. His gate as blank and empty as he was.
I have watched this series at least 5 times now, and finished the manga twice, and I still at least shed a tear at hohenheims final moments. It just hits you like a train. To feel happiness for someone but sadness too. When he says that he doesn't want to die... god it hurts.
All the Homunculus died in ironic ways.
Lust - burned with passion
Gluttony - was eaten
Envy - sacrificed himself willingly accepting defeat
Sloth - didn't wanna get back up
Pride - died humbled
Wrath - died at peace
Greed - died satisfied
At least I think 🤔
Do you know about the character Mobuta Mobuo? Appears in several episodes hidden, from the classic anime.
The writer revealed this joke a few days ago.
no matter how many times i watch hohenheims final scene, i cant help myself but cry every. time.
Before starting the chapter I knew that Hohenheim's death was going to make you shed a couple of tears. There is so much to say about FMA, such a long journey, so many things that conclude, but after so much I think that only the beautiful and melancholic feelings of this last chapter remain. see you at the end.
My eyes are swollen from crying in the last 5 episodes I watched you react to😭😭😭 it never gets easy watching beloved characters die
In case you are interested, fmab also has 3 or 4 ova
This ending always brings me to tears as well. It's bittersweet and beautiful.
The Truth can be cruel at times, but in the end its The reality
Father did want freedom - just not as we typically use the word. He wanted to unshackle himself from reality and physics itself. Mortality, morality, society, everything. Freedom means separation. Complete control.
Yet it was his humanistic emotions that led him to desire such freedom.
That kind of extreme version of "freedom" also means isolation and profound loneliness, and so his deepest, truest desires for connection and meaning are just ignored and left to fester. As Truth said, he surely must have seen what he truly wanted at some point, and yet he denied it and came up with some misguided alternative, born of wilful blindness.
His gate was blank to show the knowledge behind it. Every other gate we have seen had unique designs to it. Even Ed's evolved the more he passed through the gate, but father was going to a place where there is no knowledge and it would be stripped from him. A punishment fit for one who claimed he did everything for knowledge.
the reals MVPs of this fight
1) Van Hohenheim for returning every single soul to the amestrians in a plan that would work even if he died, he weakened father and put him on a timer, also was the greates defense against fathers attacks
2) greed making fathers body into soft carbon making it imposible for him to defend
3) Scar and the Ishavals for given Amestrians a way to fight back with the reverse transmutation circle
4) absolutely everyone that had the steel balls to pretty much see a god and went against it
A Calmed Lust, a Devoured Glutton, a Worn Sloth, a Cowardly Envy, a Peaceful Wrath, a Disgraced Pride & a Selfless Greed.
These are the Ends of the Seven Deadly Sin.
a little detail few to none notice when edward beats truth is the voice of truth itself, listen with headphones closely, once ed responds correctly, when truth says "you beat me!! take it all!! good bye edward elric!!" you can notice ed's voice inside the turmoil of voices, he beated truth by accepting truth, and truth accepted him as part of itself back, what the dwarf in the flask wanted all along, unite with god, poetic, makes you wonder and search who else's voices united with truth too, listen to it yourself looking for this detail and you won't be able to not hear it
My question has always been what does Ed sacrificing his portal actually mean.
The truth says he’ll never be able to perform alchemy again, but it seems the portal is more than that. The portal of truth seems to reflect the individual, seeing as different gates look different. Also truth says to Father that he will “ bestow upon him the despair you deserve” in Japanese it said”what gives you despair to not become arrogant is truth” truth is an entity that keeps mankind humble. To know that the individual is not the all. That was father’s mistake. He wanted to become the all. He was never satisfied. He wanted more and more. Greed is his greed. Greed tells us that this is what he father wants in the final fight saying “I want everything” it’s not as clear in English. in Japanese this is “zenbu”. When greed says he wants “zenbu” he means it as what Truth means. In Japanese truth is “Zenbu” or as it’s translated in English “ all” “I am all, and I am one” “arei wa zenbu, arei wa ichi”
We know that souls exist in the truth as evidenced by Al. Is the truth actually some form of afterlife in this world? Where souls go to become part of the all. That would track. When Father fails and dies he’s pulled into the portal of truth and given despair to humble him. Remind him he is just part of the all, not the all. For Father who doesn’t want to be bound by the all he would suffer by being forced to be part of the all, but for normal people becoming part of the all would probably be a comfort. I imagine it like a sea of life flowing through all things, that flow is the power that alchemists are able to manipulate, aka “the dragons pulse” that alchehestry deals with. If you become part of the all your souls will be forever connected with your loved ones. But then does that mean by sacrificing his gate Edward actually removes himself from the all?
His gate is his individual reflection of his place in the all. His loss of alchemy is just a symptom. He gets his brother back for the time they’re alive, but when eventually they pass on, they won’t be eternally bound together as part of the all, Al will return to the all connected with his mother his father their friends and everyone, but won’t. So… I know it’s supposed to be happy… but I dunno.. this is how I think about it. Ironically this is what Father’s goal was. To not be bound by the truth and it’s consequences.
I love Greed in this show, cause BOTH Versions of Greed, the original and the Ling version, are great in their own way. But what I really love, is Ling's last line to Greed as he gets his memory back. "You turned your back on something you 'wanted', you don't deserve to call yourself Greed". Cause indeed, it is something people very often forget or don't even think about. You can be Greedy about your Friends. Their Happiness. The joy you get with them. The Comfort and Safety. They can become your "Possessions" that you Greed for. And when people attack your friends, they are "Stealing" that which you Greed for. And that can motivate someone who is very Greedy to Protect them.
Greed is NOT an evil emotion by Nature. It is out right Good. It's just that a single spotlight is brought upon the most easily viewed and shown form of Greed. The Greed of money and the downfall of it. But Greed shows up in many different forms, and can do great things.
All this talk of desires, I'd love to see you react to The Sandman. So many concepts and ideas shown in such a unique way
FMAB is still the peak of anime
even when I know what happen every time, once that ending song starts, tear rolls my eye 😭
there aint many animes u can call a masterpiece, but fma is defenitiley one of those!
I'm here since day 1 of this FMAB journey. Can't believe we are almost in the end!
It’s wild! Thanks for coming on this journey!
Methinks you saw Greed's death the way the author intended, however, allow me to show another way of looking at it. Greed saw people as possessions, killing them was the same as stealing from him. Ed was Greed's "henchman" as you may recall. Greed sacrificed himself to keep Father from taking Ed from him. Greed may have also seen everyone else in the same light. They all followed Ed, Ed was Greed's property, therefore everyone was Greed's property by extension. In addition to that Father told Greed that "anything that you have ever desired, you can rest assured, I desired it first!" That sounds rather like Father wanted to take everything away from who again? Oh yeah...
GREED. 😈
I cried with you...
I don't know how many times I've watched this ep... and the last one... it doesn't matter, I know, for sure, I'll cry every time.
I deeply enjoy your analysis, it was well spoken thorough and I think pretty spot on, great reaction man
it's intriguing how ed is all about the answer father couldn't realise in front of truth, making them contrasting characters. and even more interesting that father born from the blood of a slave, so he wanted to be free (although)
Sacrifice of the truth portal can only work by Ed and Ed only since his wish to trade is his brother, a selfishless wish which they both can return by his brother's truth portal. Other's can only trade with the stone because they need the truth portal to return to reality.
Make sure u include the credits to the very last one. That’s an absolute must
Slight rant about some critiques I've seen before regarding Ed vs father
Always bothered me when I'd see some people every now and then complain it was a generic shounen protagonist moment when ed slapped father around in their fist fight. Ed lost his share of fights in the show and got to grow as a person while Father was never a fighter, he spent his life sitting around plotting and scheming. When it came down to an unforseen fist fight out of no where it was pretty easy to knock around a guy who just relied on alchemy for everything and didn't really have any fighting experience.
Normally you could argue he could've relied on said alchemy to stop the beating but after he starts to lose control of "God" he absorbed I think it's safe to say he's in a weakened state. That and getting his head rearranged in a confrontation that wasn't planned when everything that happened thus far was according to plan probably made it hard to think.
Edit: unrelated to my previous point but when ed was trying to figure out how bring al back and cast said "sacrifice may chang" I did an irl spit take
I always cry at greeds death, it’s just so many emotions I can’t handle it 😭🧎🏾♀️
The emotions the seven deadly sins represent are not inherently evil. To the contrary, they are all essential for the continued existence of humanity. Without envy you would have no motivation for self-improvement, without pride you would dismiss your skills and have no sense of self-value, without wrath the evils of the world would never be brought to justice, ect. ect. What makes them Sins is when they are indulged in without moderation and at the expense of others' wellbeing and happiness.
sacrifice Mei Chang? pause! XD And I think once his Portal is Gone, Ed will never be able to go through Hell or Heaven because that's the portal when people meet the Truth. that's just my thery
This is probably as close to perfect an ending can be. There's a reason this is rated #1
I am so excited for the final episode, this journey has been amazing to watch and I have been here since day 1! I would do anything to watch fmab for the first time again. but though I am happy it is ending, you have been my fav reactor to this specific series! great work :D
27:00 I cry EVERY time.
On Ed door is Tree of life (Kabbalah) I think.