@@jdogus1994 the circle is just a magical version of a chemical equation. If you know the equation you can draw the circle... you just gotta be a chemical PhD to do it from memory.
To be clear, alchemists can transmute anything, as long as they have the formula. Civilian alchemists are very successful repairmen. Most alchemists who use their alchemy in combat rely on one or two specific formulas that they have etched into their clothes or tattooed on their bodies, but not because they can only do those specific tranmutations, but because they don't have time to draw runes in a fight. Edward and Alphonse are special, because they don't need to draw circles at all. They can change anything at any time. They still have to have the knowledge, though. Which is why Ed is considered one of the smartest anime characters, because he is literally doing chemistry homework in every fight.
Still as smart as the two of them are it says a lot about the other like mustang when you realize that for all they know it only allows them to jump on stage so to speak. They are very good but they never reach overpowered levels so as to not out pace the other characters in the story.
i freaking love Mustang's whole gang. they might not be the most incredibly important crew in the story but they are super tight-knit and they care so deeply about each other, it's always nice to see them working together to solve any kind of problems they come across. Mustang truly struck gold with those soldiers
"Just how many people are inside you" is one of my favorite moments in this show, and it just gets better, the more you understand what's going on. Lust had a philosopher's stone at her core, and we know philosopher's stones are made from sacrificing live humans, but what that means exactly isn't something that gets explained until a while. Iirc
_Maybe spoiler, but I really don't think so:_ I was almost certain that when I read the manga that the philosopher's stone reveal immediately phrased it as "human souls" in that translation. But I could be totally off I suppose, it's been a while. Even so, I don't think it's really supposed to be a mystery at this point that the philosophers stone is made of souls. Any point they say it later it's as part of another statement and not it's own reveal. And any confusion about thinking Barry's BODY might have been used for the stone because of interacting with his soul are now cleared up. Though I suppose you may just be referring to the _other_ details. Did they already mention the idea of sensing peoples' presence? I mean, I guess whether they did or not that's sorta the only explanation for his question I suppose. But I feel like the explicitly defined detail about sensing "chi" or whatever is particular helpful for understanding that line if explained before hand, not that anyone will catch everything regardless. Idk. *DEFINITE SPOILER:* I suppose maybe the specification of "souls" _may_ not necessarily come in the anime until talking with Envy and discovering where those souls came from and just how freaking many there were, I keep refreshed on shows by watching reactions, but naturally that can still leave gaps. One of my favorite details here is how Ling pointedly doesn't sense the same thing from Bradley, since he only has a single soul. It's unfortunate how often that detail is forgotten or even missed after it's reveal since it explains a number of things including him aging and not regenerating. I've seen people go into the final battle thinking that Bradley can just heal. But part of what shows how badass he is is how he doesn't need to heal cause he doesn't get injured to begin with. Speaking of differences in the manga, I remember it being clearly established early on that a homunculus cannot have children or use alchemy (I thought maybe it was a list of three things, but one of those may simply have been "age" which is subverted by Bradley), yet it seems they never properly state in the anime that homunculi can't perform alchemy. On a total tangent, cultural differences have some interesting effects on things. Cause as far as I understand it it is very common in Japan that adoption is from a relative and is their first assumption before the idea of adopting from an orphanage or something. I should look into that further, but I at least know it's come up in a lot of anime I've seen where whenever someone is adopted it's cause their parents died and they were taken in by an aunt and uncle or like parent's second cousins or something. Anyway, it's interesting how with the reveal later Hawkeye is like "He's not related to you?" Cause it's not ever really established that they would expect him to be. Not that it really needed to be. I feel like sometimes "Don't treat your audience like they are dumb" goes too far to the other side, and I'm just here like "Go ahead and over explain everything multiple times. Make things very clear. Treat me like I'm dumb. You're right. I'm am dumb. Very dumb." And yet still Re:Zero is my favorite anime somehow, and they don't like making _anything_ clear.
I took it very different and a foreshadow to the connection of Ed and Al's bodies. Referring to him being short, and sleeping a lot to full Al's Body. So him getting taller...
Yeah I thought it was a little strange that commenters “corrected” her about why Winry noticed Ed’s shoulders, I think it can be multiple things. She definitely has a crush too, but I think the main reason she noticed was because of his newfound conviction/ weight lifted off his shoulders
Agree with all the above btw, it's a subtle and nuanced comment from Winry with multiple interpretations. Initial comment was just what jumped out at me
When the boys first encountered the xing crew Fu was chasing Al and said something like "strange, every living being emits a flow of chi, but this suit of armor isnt giving off any". Ling also stated that something feels off in the country.
It's a funny joke, but there is a reason the creator keeps bringing up "drinking milk." She grew up on a dairy farm. It's a nice touch weaved into the narrative.
She also loves cows, and her Avatar in her notes is a bespectacled cow… Additionally, she adores dogs; didn’t stop her from subjecting herself or us to, “Ed…ward,” though.
One of the best parts of FMAB is how clever the characters are, regardless if they're good or evil. Ed and Al know the Homunculi need them alive for something, so they deliberately put themselves in harm's way to get a reaction and further their own plans. And they're communicating with Mustang and Ling, so everyone is basically on the same page. 20:34 I always love these early scenes of Wrath fighting. They're brief, but the mask slips _just_ enough and you get a glimpse of what he's truly capable of. And you have some interesting theories. Just keeping watching to see how it all plays out.
Arakawa is the rare writer who can convincingly write super-genius intellect characters while not being a super-crazy genius herself; I’ve seen too many people who try and fail, generally by making everyone else stupider than the “high-level intellect” character they’re presenting… To be clear I’m not saying Arakawa isn’t a very intelligent person, just that she’s not an inherent super-genius but knows how to write them. A lot of which I attribute to her understanding of people (which she expanded by talking to and interviewing numerous different kinds of people to understand perspectives).
Greed was eliminated because he defected from the homunculi. He split from them to go do his own thing (like trying to find true immortality), so Wrath was sent to recover Greed and silence anyone who knew what Greed was or may have learned of other confidential information (this is why he had Greed's entire gang slaughtered). Greed was brought back to Father in an attempt to have Greed return to working for him, but when he refused Father had him melted down and returned Greed's essence into himself (when he drank the distilled philosopher's stone he got from melting Greed down). This was all to prevent information like what the homunculi are and what they are doing from being leaked (greed was not shy about sharing information about himself and was willing to trade info to get what he wanted).
I tear up a bit every time I hear the "And I can't feel mine." line. I can't help it. It's delivered so freaking well. Ps. It's not really important but I'm pretty sure it's "Jean"
19:45 - They can sense lifeforces, and since homunculi are made from philosopher's stones, which in turn are made from multiple human souls, homonculi feel like multiple people at once to them.
The whole crush thing is explained by her saying she doesn't like men who are shorter then her... then she noticed, Ed is standing a lot taller these days.
Yeah, it's an interesting mix. Because while he has gotten physically taller, I think at this point he is still shorter than her. But all this time, he has been crushed under the weight of his regrets, and so was carrying himself smaller as well. Now that he has found his resolve, he is carrying himself more confidently. So it's an interesting mix between his physical and mental state that gave her the new realization.
I love those end of episode frustration moments. Specifically, because the outro song seems to be addressing the viewer directly when it tells them "Let it all out, let it all out" and it's referring to whatever anger or frustration they're feeling from the cliffhanger.
Well, about the "shoulders", is both, well, the fact she notice the diference means she is "checking constantily" and yes, the weight lift make the diference
So Winery just talked about how "she doesn't like boys that are shorter than her", so that scene is her noticing that Ed has grown. It's also about how Ed is acting more mature, and so now she's seeing him differently.
Ed isn't limited to to working with metal, he is called Fullmetal because that is an expression that is used to mean a person with an obstinate disposition in Japan.
Remember that the Homunculi have a philosopher stone at their core. This is what powers their abilities and regeneration. The primary ingredient and power source of a Philosopher's Stone is many human lives. When Ling speaks of how they can detect gluttony, they are referring to the many souls within Gluttony's philosopher's stone, not his stomach. It's like Ling and Lan Fan are detecting the presence of many people all in a singular person, thus making the homunculi stand out to them. This ability of theirs was mentioned earlier by Fu when he couldn't detect the flow of chi in alphonse since he doesn't have a body. Their detection ability is a martial arts technique, based on detecting the flow of chi (also referred to as the dragon's pulse in FMA) around them and within other people. Studying the flow of chi is also how alkehestry works, and is how mei does transmutations. Also note that the regeneration given to the homunculi from their philosophers stone makes them not age (greed was 200 years old yet still looked fairly young), meanwhile King Bradely/Wrath is still affected by aging. Just something to keep in mind going forward.
your opinion about the shoulder thing became truth to me, its deeper and fits. because shes still attracted to him, but its also because hes more confident. love it.
I think the broad shoulders thing is meant to be a bit of column a and b. The weight is lifted, he is more confident and he is holding himself different... and Winry likes what she's seeing when that happens.
Full Metal is his codename most likely cus in his test he had nerves of steel when he attacked King Bradly. Ed said it was ironic probably due to his metal arm n leg. It has nothing to do with him doing alchemy with a specific element (to my knowledge, i can be wrong, but thats what ive observed)
I've also heard that it's a bit of a pun that didn't translate to English, where the title basically calls Ed "stubborn" and hard-headed 😂 which is true
Opening the show on the "Freezer" guy (a character not from the manga, it's the only episode arguable as maybe not being fully cannon) vs Roy's fire, sets a misconception for many about alchemy as some sort of elemental system like Avatar or Pokémon. Which is unfortunate cause it's really not like that at all. The basic principles of alchemy are universal and different alchemists specialize in different things. It's a science. Some are focused on medicine, others are focused on combat, others on who knows what, but Ed and Als proficiency in fixing things is established early on. In fact, if early FMAB were to be 1:1 with the manga (or if you watch the start of the 2003 show) the first instance of alchemy shown is them repairing a radio. It's also done by Al who also transmutes the bell into a speaker in that episode so it's also rather unfortunate that it seems so easy for many to forget Al is also an alchemist until he starts clap-transmuting. If anything I'd say Ed and Al are masters of the fundamentals of alchemy. Generalists without a specific area of expertise necessarily. Likely with a lot more in common with most non-state alchemists than with other state alchemists. Only much more adept at fighting, especially because of their ability to transmute so quickly. But Ed works with stone just as much as he does with metal.
Granted, you’re not wrong about Isaac… but that episode’s biggest sin is to suggest that the Elric’s only met the Hughes family very very recently. I’m not expecting what FMA 2003 did, that would not make sense, but in the manga I felt it was implied they were acquainted with him for a while. Or maybe that’s just me coping…
bradley walked away because lust was dead and a loose end was probably tied up. he's a military strategist, there would have been no cost to killing them but there'd be no gain in killing them either and it would be detrimental in eliminating one of the sacrifices(al). as for the "people inside" think back to lust showing what a homunculous core is and what the boys discovered it takes to make it.
The way the power works: Typically each Alchemist has a specialty, this is what they have studied and mastered from a Elemental Table scientific approach. Like with Roy, he knows all the ways to manipulate Fire because he thoroughly understands the elemental composition of Fire and all of it's uses! The symbols they use 'invoke' the manipulation of said element, so on Roys gloves, when he wants to use his alchemy, he comes into contact with the element (him snapping causes a spark), which triggers the symbol, and allows him to manipulate it. The limit, is the Alchemist's understanding of the element being modified. Also, As the show previously states, can't make things out of nothing, you'll notice that when Ed performs transmutations, the area's around the source are affected as well. The Elrics Alchemy is 'special' to say the least. The show explains that, but doesn't go into the nuances of how 'exactly' it works, though I believe it's heavily implied. I believe it's implied that Truth showed him 'all' of the alchemical make ups, which then allows him to no longer have a specialty, but now just knows the structure of everything, as everyone who has seen Truth likely knows.
My favourite FMA villain, and one of my Top 10 anime villains of all time… Don’t see that changing anytime soon, especially if I limit myself to one per franchise (otherwise I admit that “One Piece” has a legitimate claim to taking most of the spots; so many great antagonists there!)
In case you didn't notice, in Ep 5, Ed and Al's mother (it is Ed's dream, but also old memories of Ed) said to Ed "you are really your father's son" instead of "you are really my son", this alreadly implied their mother cared deeply about their father and missed him so much.
Didn't she say that when Ed & Al had just demonstrated high alchemy skills for their age? She's saying they have their father's talent as an alchemist. Saying "you're really my son" in response to their alchemy would make no sense because she's not an alchemist.
@@vadalia3860 Correct. And I think that line was in episode 2, I'm not sure if it's the same one in his nightmare. What that line really says is that it's the first mention of their father being an Alchemist. As far as indications of her caring about him, all we really have right now is the part about the message/promise.
@@vadalia3860 If you hate someone, seeing your kids having the same talent will be disgusting and won't response that way. Anyway, it is actually covered in more details in FMA 2003 ep3. [NOT SPOILER below] The alchemy is a reminder of her sweet memories with her husband who always making flowers to her through alchemy [By the way, it reminds me Frieren's master's favour magic]
@@crystalzonder First off, actually, you *should* respond positively to that even if you hate your ex... if you're a good parent. Young children conceptualize themselves as being extensions of both their parents so it's important not to talk badly about your kids' other parent no matter how you feel about them. Secondly, you act like "caring deeply" about someone or "hating" them are the only two options. There are tons of emotional options in between those two she could be feeling. Either way, "you are your mother's/father's son/daughter" is a common turn of phrase and Trisha using it here doesn't tell us anything about how she feels about their dad, you're simply factually mistaken (I assume out of lack of familiarity with that phrase)
@@vadalia3860 You write tons of thing just based on your personal assumption and hence no difference from mine. First of all, there is no direct indication for your "good parents" theory in this show, and if you read carefully, I said she "wont response that way", there are other positive expression to your kid to hide your hatred from your ex, but this is not the case here. Secondly, as you said there are tons of emotional options in between and mine is obviously one of the possibilities and you have no proof that I am wrong. You simply give a weak insult based on nothing. If I'm simply factually mistaken (I assume out of lack of familiarity with my phrase), you are simply factually mistaken as well. But fortunately, as I mentioned before, I have supporting from FMB 2003 ep3 that covers more details, it is actually quite frequently to see someone who try to ignore the fact in order to prove someone is wrong.
Marco researched and figured out how to make a philospher's stone on his own, but was not the first person to create one. The homunculi (who each have a stone) were created by father, and we know that at least some of the homunculi are pretty old given by how Greed is nearly 200 years old. The most immediate reason they allowed him to do this research is so that they could have philosopher's stones for the military to utilize without giving away the homunculi's involvement, but there are other reasons that are revealed later.
30:40 "living longer than a natural life and seeing other people die around you? That does not sound great" Yeah I can see someone in that situation thinking themself a monster.
honestly its hard for people to not want to spoil things with the way your brain works & the questions you ask....I've had to restrain myself from commenting at all on alot of FMAB & Farscape lately cus I would have said something to spoil it cus I appreciate you reacting to shows that don't get enough love & respect
Ling only mentions this in the manga, but while they were hanging out in Central, he tells Alphonse that he's not close with his father because he's never even spoken with him. And the implication is that even the emperor's own children are not permitted to approach him casually.
There's multiple forms of immortal throughout fiction. There's the "cannot be harmed" kind, the "no mortal life span" kind, the "infinite regeneration" kind, and the one that's some mix of the second with the first or third.
When they asked “How many people are inside you?"… Remember Lust had one philosopher stone in her, and it was her primary source of energy. And remember that philosopher stones are made from thousands of souls... Well, Gluttony is a homunculus like her, so....
If you think you love the show now just wait. No spoilers, but by the time the show is done it's gonna be a core memory. An yes, seeing your reaction to the cliffhangers they love to use is very funny.
7:00 My interpretation is that Bradley was listening to the exchange to see if Roy now knew too much and had to be killed instead of used as a 'human sacrifice'. Satisfied he didn't, he walked away.
Love the reactions! I have probably come back to rewatch this series at least once a year since it first came out. It is by far my all time favourite anime, and it still makes me cry at the same parts every single time. For clarification (no spoilers, I i promise), Ed and Al are not limited to the manipulation or creation of metal. If part of that confusion is his title as the "Fullmetal" Alchemist, that was mostly an ironic joke by the Fuhrer. Partly because of his metal limbs, and partly because he had balls of steel to take a swing at Bradley during his entrance exam. Alchemy, as a practice, is the understanding, deconstruction, and reconstruction of all matter, down to the molecular level. Half of it is basically learning real chemistry, and half of it is designing the transmutation circles that channel energy in specific ways to perform chemical changes magically. The combination of both take years of specialized study. Because of the time and energy required to master transmutation, the average alchemist, like scientists in our world, tend to specialize in specific fields of alchemic research. Ed and Al, having seen the Truth, were granted the ability to use their own bodies like other alchemists use transmutation circles. Like Izumi said in an earlier flashback, she presses her hands together and circulates alchemic energy within her own body, becoming a matrix (transmutation circle) herself, instead of having to draw one to invoke its power. This basically means as long as Ed, Al, or Izumi understand the composition of whatever theyre touching, they can proxy whatever transmutation circle they need to change it. Also, by passing through the portal, their heads were crammed full of alchemic knowledge, which I'm sure helps them make a lot of those transmutations on the fly. But even before that, Ed and Al were brilliant alchemists for their age. Aside from the taboo and horror of it all, Roy was shocked to learn two boys their age were talented enough to even attempt a human transmutation. Speaking of, a great example of what most alchemists do vs what Ed and Al do is with Roy Mustang's alchemy. Its never explained during the Brotherhood anime, but he's not actually controlling the flame itself. His alchemy is actually about analyzing the chemical makeup of the air around him, breaking it down, and then reconstructing it to create pockets of specific types and densities of gases. His gloves are lined with flint, so when he snaps his fingers, it creates a spark, and the flame follows a path of whatever flamable gas or gases he's created until it hits a dense pocket and explodes. Every time he snaps his fingers, he is fine-tuning the balance of the chemicals in the air in specific ways to account for the size, range, effect etc etc that he wants, while also ensuring it remains contained and controlled to his target. But for any other alchemist, just knowing what he's doing is one thing, but the amount of research, training, and experience you would need to be able to make those complex calculations and snap judgement calls in battle would be exhaustive, and then having to design a transmutation circle that allows you to consistantly affect all of those variables in a very specific way on top of it. It also explains how Mustang was able to turn the water from the pipes that Lust slashed into hydrogen gas during his fight with her. His alchemic research and transmutation circle are specialized in the creation of flammable gas compounds from the matter around him. Decoupling the hydrogen molecules from the oxygen molecules in H²O would have been child's play for him. But as smart and powerful as he is, he could never use that circle on his gloves to transmute a metal spear out of the earth like Ed can, even if he understands the basic science of it. Conversely, Ed can probably also understand the science of Roy's alchemy, and could probably do the same transmutations Roy does just by clapping his hands together, but even with a spark, Ed probably couldn't achieve the same results in the heat of battle without the years of experience Roy has built up, and could seriously hurt himself or his allies if he tried it on a whim. Think about what kind of experience and understanding of combustion you would need to be able to explode only Gluttony and send him flying out of the window of that tower in the last episode without the flames or explosion catching Hawkeye or Fuery as well, who were standing in the same confined room with him. While the majority of the alchemy we see Ed do is making metal constructs, I think thats mostly because 1) his automail arm is a convenient source of metal to make a durable weapon from quickly in the heat of battle. He doesnt even have to change what its made of, just tweak the shape of it. And 2) his teacher also uses weapons like spears. Its likely a weapon he has trained with from a young age and is comfortable wielding in a pinch.
It's my very long-winded attempt of just saying "most alchemists specialize in a single field, while Ed and Al are masters of generalized alchemy." I just love the series so much and it all gushes out whenever I'm given the opportunity 😅
Gluttony has a Philosopher's stone in him. Philosopher's stones are made by sacrificing people. Ling is detecting the people sacrificed for Gluttony's stone
a lil non essential context on one of the few truly large things to get cut from the manga: In the manga, Ling and Lan Fan tangled with Gluttony (and Envy) during Mustang's battle with Lust as well, keeping them occupied so they couldn't provide backup, and demonstrated there that they were a force to be reckoned with as the homunculi actually got stuck in a stalemate. (another important thing happened there but I'll save that for when its equivalent comes up in the anime). The main thing lost by removing that encounter is that it was the justification for why Bradley is fighting them himself here; he obviously normally wouldn't risk exposing his identity by being witnessed in association with a homunculus, but team Ling had already proven themselves a big enough threat to be worth the risk. It also provided some nice horrifying contrast because we already knew team Ling could hold Gluttony himself, even with help, at bay, albeit not overcome him outright. So seeing Wrath pose a real threat effectively demonstrated how far his skill level his above his siblings. TLDR Wrath is serious business
You gotta remember what you've learned from previous episodes. 1) Lust revealed that at the center of a homunculus is a philosopher's stone 2) A Philosopher's stone is made up of Human souls. the people from Xing sense the philosopher's stones within the homunculi.
As far as the "broad shoulders" comment goes, sure, it kind of means Winry is realizing her attraction for Ed. But I think it moreso has to do with the strength and determination he was exuding in that moment. He's resolved, and it effects his entire disposition and aura.
Remember this, when you’re frustrated about cliffhangers… it’s briefly frustrating but it means they’re not rushing through the good story arcs. It’s worth it to do it right. And of course you get to just watch it right away! As to whether or not I wondered whether Al’s body was okay or whatever, I don’t even remember. My daughter got me into the first show, then I Iooked at the manga, then I watched this show, and it seems like I consumed all of it entirely out of order. So you get little spoilers by the time you reach the part where you might have a specific question. I recommend your way instead, lol.
The shoulders thing, it could be both Winry realizing that Ed is turning into a “man” and that the weight of all the guilt has been lifted. It also doesn’t help that Winry is Ed’s automail mechanic, so she’d notice if his shoulders are getting broader, because that could mean another readjustment to balance out the metal arm with the biological one.
The people of Xing can sense people. Philosopher stones are made of a lot of people and is a homunculus core. They can easily spot a homunculus because of all the people inside the stone.
The soul thing with Al's armor wasnt stated to be specifically about conflict with another soul, it's just about a soul being artifically attached to a body that wasnt their true body 🤔 In regards to Ishval, they did say that prior to the child being shot, Ishval had been occupied by Amestris for some time, which had been building tension
The connection between AL and Ed, stunted growth, extra rest, etc. is all there with the right critical thinking. It really carries that idea that alchemy isn't magic theme of the entire show home. The writing is great cause it even manages your suspicions. Spoiler: Father's plans are all there. You just have to think about what the story makes most painful. Hughes figured it out. That's why he had to die.
When Ling said “just how many people are inside you?” He’s talking about how many souls Glutonny has in his philosophers stone. It was said earlier that Ling and his escorts are trained to trace what is called the “dragons pulse” which is just the energy of a person’s soul. So since Glutonny and other homunculi are powered by philosophers stones, which utilize souls, they have an unusual presence that is very noticeable, because they don’t feel like a person, they feel like an entire crowd condensed to one point.
@@MalachioftheForestFu mentioned earlier that they can sense peoples energy, we know that philosophers stones are made of many people, and we know that Homonculi have a philosophers stone as their core. It is pretty logical at this point to assume that what Ling is sensing is the mass of souls in one place when he says "how many people are inside you."
@@MalachioftheForest it is not at all. All of this information has been made available by the show. We learn about philosopher’s stones being made of human souls early on, we know the homonculi have stones courtesy of Lust, and it was discussed how Ling and his soldiers track the energy of a person’s soul, chi, or “dragon’s pulse” earlier on. Lan Fan even directly stated it this episode when she told Gluttony she could sense his presence and follow it.
Edward can make ANY transmutation. Alchemy is just "instant chemistry" powered by magic shenanigans, but in _their_ world it's _just_ chemistry, plain and simple. The circles are basically just chemical equations which they can then touch to "magically" force whatever chemical equation they wrote in the circle to happen instantaneously. Roy has a circle for Hydrogen, and he's got _that_ one memorized, so even without his premade gloves he can still carve it real quick. But if Roy wanted to make any _other_ kind of transmutation, like for example manipulating Gold, he can still just draw a "gold transmutation" circle, either by memorizing it beforehand, or by cracking open a chemistry book and looking up the correct "gold" circle matrix. Edward doesn't have to make the circle _ONLY_ because he was "enlightened" by seeing the Truth; he still technically _does_ write the equations, but only in his head. The "clapping" thing only lets him bypass needing to carve a physical circle, nothing more; the reason he can manipulate so many different elements is because he's basically a chemistry savant geek. If he _hadn't_ seen the Truth, he would _still_ be able to manipulate the same amount of elements, he would just have to carve out the appropriate circle each time, cuz he already has them memorized anyway. Same thing with Alphonse; before HE saw the Truth too, he had _also_ memorized the same amount of circles, he just had to carve them out every time, which is why he doesn't do alchemy as often; Ed can just clap and do it faster, so better to sit back and let him do it than bother writing out a circle every time.
As others said it's about their understanding of what they're transmuting and what it will become. Every alchemist gets their name from what they specialize in.
Just a point, never trust that you're going to see something from the opening credits in the show itself. They deliberately animate scenes that don't exist to keep you guessing. It's why I never get the people who say don't watch the openings. They never put information we don't have yet in there and they deliberately keep you guessing with everything else.
no spoiler: if human transmutation allows one to see the Truth and become a "candidate for sacrifice" then it suddenly makes sense why they wanted Tucker to do Chimera Experiments on his family despite having already perfected chimera... it was never about them, it was about trying to get him to see Truth and become a Candidate. so what other actions may have been driven by that same motivation, I wonder? 🤔 😉
Unfortunately, that little introduction to Xingese monarchy (ep 15) is all we will get. They said that the emperor has many wives (one from each clan) and many sons and daughters. He chooses who will be his successor, so the princes and princesses are against each other, while trying to find ways to get the favor of the emperor, to become the new emperor and bring wellness to their own clan. Ling and May decided to try searching for the legendary philosopher's stone in Amestris, hoping to please the emperor with its powers which may even grant immortality. Other means for immortality may fit too. That's all. How do they plan to get the place of the emperor if the current emperor becomes immortal? Who knows!!!
Ling and Lan Fan can sense the souls that make up the Philosopher's Stone that is the core of every Homunculus. Bradly is different, his stone is unique and they cant sense him.
There are generally 3 versions of immortality: First there is the idea that you continue to live, stay healthy and possibly stay young - that varies - as long as you have some certain thing. In Taoist beliefs, the gods stay young and healthy because they eat the heavenly peaches - now, technically, the gods don't die if they don't eat the peaches, but they keep getting older and frail and such until they are invalids that don't die, kind of scary idea. So I guess that wasn't the best example, but this concept of a food which keeps you living forever as long as you keep eating it is found in mythoses all over the world. Even the Bible has the fruit of eternal life in the Garden of Eden. Anyway, second kind, which is what they seem to be talking about here, you will never "die", but you can be "killed" - in other words, you will never grow old and die, likely also never get sick and die, though that varies with the tradition one is looking at, and quite often you heal at an amazing rate and therefore it is hard to kill you. However, you can be killed, either in battle of by accident. Actually, the Homunculi are a bit of a cross between the first two types, since they need the stone to live - like eating the peaches, etc - but as that is a part of them, it's rather like dying if your head is chopped off [like in Highlander] or if a stake is driven through the heart, like some versions of vampires. But mostly, I'd say they will not die unless someone kills them and they are very hard to kill. Third type are those who simply can't die ever - you can't kill them, no accident can end them, there is nothing that exists that can harm them. This is what most people seem to think of, yet in mythology it is the least common sort - most myths have some way to kill anything that lives - you just have to figure out how to kill them.
Ling and lan are able to sense the souls of the philosopher stone. He can feel the flow of the chi of the souls. Fuu mentioned something about feeling chi when fighting al in rush valley.
I was so excited for lilgal to get to ep 19, but now I'm once again so excited for the next few eps...loving your genuine reactions & investment, and can't wait for you to find out more!!
About a Father... you will see (can't wait to see you see:-) in this show things are always more deep and complicated, then they seemed in a first shallow glance!
The scenes in the intros only allude to actual events in the show, don't take them too literally. Absolutely loving your processing of the "Father" situation.
Thank you for your reaction. I listen to reactions to find out more what people think about a specific content so I really like your little longer intros. Though balance is of course a good thing. Have fun! :)
so the how many people are inside you thing is because a philosophers stone is the core of a humunculous and people are sacrificed to create a stone, dont think its spoilers since all the info has been given in the show at this point.
Immortal and Invulnerable are different things. Immortal means you don’t age and cannot die from natural causes. Invulnerable means you cannot be killed, but you age normally and will die from natural causes. Superman is invulnerable, but not immortal. He cannot be damaged (unless kryptonite is involved), but he does age and can get sick. The Homunculi are immortal, but not invulnerable. They can take damage, and taking enough damage will kill them. But they do not age or get sick, and they have a healing factor that can help them heal from damage, up to a certain point. (This isn’t spoilers, this is all stuff we have already seen in Lust’s death.)
Roy is a very interesting character. You haven't gotten all of his backstory just yet, so no spoilers from me. Just saying, he represents very well the dichotomy of human nature - which this show is so very good at illustrating.
All your speculation about Hoenheim... ahhh i cant wait for you to get further in this series. Theres a recap episode coming up thats just... so well done. AHHH I'll shut up, I dont want to spoil~
17:27 he can fix anything as long as he knows the composition of the item.
He's not a "specialist" in a specific element he's a generalist.
its more about the type of transmutation circle used then the knowledge of the item he's fixing
@@jdogus1994 It's both, if you don't know the composition of an item you don't know what components to add to your circle
@@jdogus1994 the circle is just a magical version of a chemical equation. If you know the equation you can draw the circle... you just gotta be a chemical PhD to do it from memory.
Ed and Al both saw The Truth”, so basically they can transmute anything without a circle.
“I’ve got your soul, brother.” Is an all time great line in the series
Despite being an adventure show, there are plenty of funny gags throughout.
It's one of my favorites in anime.
Winry always reminds me of the movie quote, “I’m in love with a dangerous woman.”
I guess it's easy to stuff a soul back into its original body.
To be clear, alchemists can transmute anything, as long as they have the formula. Civilian alchemists are very successful repairmen. Most alchemists who use their alchemy in combat rely on one or two specific formulas that they have etched into their clothes or tattooed on their bodies, but not because they can only do those specific tranmutations, but because they don't have time to draw runes in a fight. Edward and Alphonse are special, because they don't need to draw circles at all. They can change anything at any time. They still have to have the knowledge, though. Which is why Ed is considered one of the smartest anime characters, because he is literally doing chemistry homework in every fight.
Truly "all-chemist"
But Ed and Al genius makes senses. They have seen a part/some/many of that knowledge because of the truth.
Still as smart as the two of them are it says a lot about the other like mustang when you realize that for all they know it only allows them to jump on stage so to speak. They are very good but they never reach overpowered levels so as to not out pace the other characters in the story.
To add too this the reason Ed has the knowledge for all these transmutations is because he saw the truth.
alchemy is to chemistry what basic arithmetic is to mathematics as a whole
i love that every time Ling gets thrown out of a door/window he maintains perfect posture as he flies through the air
"Do they eat souls?"
No, Soul Eater is definitely a different anime.
I love when Armstrong came on the screen she goes "hey! 😊"
“SEE?! FATHER!! HA!!!” I laughed and laughed. Great emoting!
i freaking love Mustang's whole gang. they might not be the most incredibly important crew in the story but they are super tight-knit and they care so deeply about each other, it's always nice to see them working together to solve any kind of problems they come across.
Mustang truly struck gold with those soldiers
"Just how many people are inside you" is one of my favorite moments in this show, and it just gets better, the more you understand what's going on.
Lust had a philosopher's stone at her core, and we know philosopher's stones are made from sacrificing live humans, but what that means exactly isn't something that gets explained until a while. Iirc
_Maybe spoiler, but I really don't think so:_
I was almost certain that when I read the manga that the philosopher's stone reveal immediately phrased it as "human souls" in that translation. But I could be totally off I suppose, it's been a while. Even so, I don't think it's really supposed to be a mystery at this point that the philosophers stone is made of souls. Any point they say it later it's as part of another statement and not it's own reveal. And any confusion about thinking Barry's BODY might have been used for the stone because of interacting with his soul are now cleared up.
Though I suppose you may just be referring to the _other_ details.
Did they already mention the idea of sensing peoples' presence? I mean, I guess whether they did or not that's sorta the only explanation for his question I suppose. But I feel like the explicitly defined detail about sensing "chi" or whatever is particular helpful for understanding that line if explained before hand, not that anyone will catch everything regardless. Idk.
*DEFINITE SPOILER:*
I suppose maybe the specification of "souls" _may_ not necessarily come in the anime until talking with Envy and discovering where those souls came from and just how freaking many there were, I keep refreshed on shows by watching reactions, but naturally that can still leave gaps.
One of my favorite details here is how Ling pointedly doesn't sense the same thing from Bradley, since he only has a single soul.
It's unfortunate how often that detail is forgotten or even missed after it's reveal since it explains a number of things including him aging and not regenerating. I've seen people go into the final battle thinking that Bradley can just heal. But part of what shows how badass he is is how he doesn't need to heal cause he doesn't get injured to begin with.
Speaking of differences in the manga, I remember it being clearly established early on that a homunculus cannot have children or use alchemy (I thought maybe it was a list of three things, but one of those may simply have been "age" which is subverted by Bradley), yet it seems they never properly state in the anime that homunculi can't perform alchemy.
On a total tangent, cultural differences have some interesting effects on things. Cause as far as I understand it it is very common in Japan that adoption is from a relative and is their first assumption before the idea of adopting from an orphanage or something. I should look into that further, but I at least know it's come up in a lot of anime I've seen where whenever someone is adopted it's cause their parents died and they were taken in by an aunt and uncle or like parent's second cousins or something. Anyway, it's interesting how with the reveal later Hawkeye is like "He's not related to you?" Cause it's not ever really established that they would expect him to be. Not that it really needed to be.
I feel like sometimes "Don't treat your audience like they are dumb" goes too far to the other side, and I'm just here like "Go ahead and over explain everything multiple times. Make things very clear. Treat me like I'm dumb. You're right. I'm am dumb. Very dumb." And yet still Re:Zero is my favorite anime somehow, and they don't like making _anything_ clear.
Your scream at the Hohenheim/father tease made me laugh so much. Bringing the energy!
FLG: "Don't you freaking dare!"
FMAB: *dare*
FLG: "Oh myyy..."
FMAB is the greatest on cliffhangers, 90% of its episodes ends like this.
She is noticing her crush but his shoulders were broad because he found new conviction and strength. He was walking full of new found confidence.
And more upright too, she likes tall guys after all XD
I took it very different and a foreshadow to the connection of Ed and Al's bodies. Referring to him being short, and sleeping a lot to full Al's Body. So him getting taller...
@@NightmareOO9 Both
Yeah I thought it was a little strange that commenters “corrected” her about why Winry noticed Ed’s shoulders, I think it can be multiple things. She definitely has a crush too, but I think the main reason she noticed was because of his newfound conviction/ weight lifted off his shoulders
Agree with all the above btw, it's a subtle and nuanced comment from Winry with multiple interpretations. Initial comment was just what jumped out at me
When the boys first encountered the xing crew Fu was chasing Al and said something like "strange, every living being emits a flow of chi, but this suit of armor isnt giving off any". Ling also stated that something feels off in the country.
It's a funny joke, but there is a reason the creator keeps bringing up "drinking milk." She grew up on a dairy farm. It's a nice touch weaved into the narrative.
She also loves cows, and her Avatar in her notes is a bespectacled cow… Additionally, she adores dogs; didn’t stop her from subjecting herself or us to, “Ed…ward,” though.
18:17-Ah, you've got to love Alligator Ed. “You’re still useleeeeesss!”🤪
The comment about rain is great too.
One of the best parts of FMAB is how clever the characters are, regardless if they're good or evil. Ed and Al know the Homunculi need them alive for something, so they deliberately put themselves in harm's way to get a reaction and further their own plans. And they're communicating with Mustang and Ling, so everyone is basically on the same page. 20:34 I always love these early scenes of Wrath fighting. They're brief, but the mask slips _just_ enough and you get a glimpse of what he's truly capable of. And you have some interesting theories. Just keeping watching to see how it all plays out.
Arakawa is the rare writer who can convincingly write super-genius intellect characters while not being a super-crazy genius herself; I’ve seen too many people who try and fail, generally by making everyone else stupider than the “high-level intellect” character they’re presenting…
To be clear I’m not saying Arakawa isn’t a very intelligent person, just that she’s not an inherent super-genius but knows how to write them. A lot of which I attribute to her understanding of people (which she expanded by talking to and interviewing numerous different kinds of people to understand perspectives).
Greed was eliminated because he defected from the homunculi. He split from them to go do his own thing (like trying to find true immortality), so Wrath was sent to recover Greed and silence anyone who knew what Greed was or may have learned of other confidential information (this is why he had Greed's entire gang slaughtered). Greed was brought back to Father in an attempt to have Greed return to working for him, but when he refused Father had him melted down and returned Greed's essence into himself (when he drank the distilled philosopher's stone he got from melting Greed down). This was all to prevent information like what the homunculi are and what they are doing from being leaked (greed was not shy about sharing information about himself and was willing to trade info to get what he wanted).
when Gene said he was paralyzed due to getting stabbed by Lust, broke my heart to pieces especially when he confronts Mustang about it
I tear up a bit every time I hear the "And I can't feel mine." line. I can't help it. It's delivered so freaking well.
Ps. It's not really important but I'm pretty sure it's "Jean"
19:45 - They can sense lifeforces, and since homunculi are made from philosopher's stones, which in turn are made from multiple human souls, homonculi feel like multiple people at once to them.
The whole crush thing is explained by her saying she doesn't like men who are shorter then her... then she noticed, Ed is standing a lot taller these days.
Yeah, it's an interesting mix. Because while he has gotten physically taller, I think at this point he is still shorter than her.
But all this time, he has been crushed under the weight of his regrets, and so was carrying himself smaller as well. Now that he has found his resolve, he is carrying himself more confidently.
So it's an interesting mix between his physical and mental state that gave her the new realization.
cause alfonse is eating his nutrients from the spirit world
I love those end of episode frustration moments. Specifically, because the outro song seems to be addressing the viewer directly when it tells them "Let it all out, let it all out" and it's referring to whatever anger or frustration they're feeling from the cliffhanger.
Well, about the "shoulders", is both, well, the fact she notice the diference means she is "checking constantily" and yes, the weight lift make the diference
So Winery just talked about how "she doesn't like boys that are shorter than her", so that scene is her noticing that Ed has grown. It's also about how Ed is acting more mature, and so now she's seeing him differently.
Ed isn't limited to to working with metal, he is called Fullmetal because that is an expression that is used to mean a person with an obstinate disposition in Japan.
Remember that the Homunculi have a philosopher stone at their core. This is what powers their abilities and regeneration. The primary ingredient and power source of a Philosopher's Stone is many human lives. When Ling speaks of how they can detect gluttony, they are referring to the many souls within Gluttony's philosopher's stone, not his stomach.
It's like Ling and Lan Fan are detecting the presence of many people all in a singular person, thus making the homunculi stand out to them. This ability of theirs was mentioned earlier by Fu when he couldn't detect the flow of chi in alphonse since he doesn't have a body. Their detection ability is a martial arts technique, based on detecting the flow of chi (also referred to as the dragon's pulse in FMA) around them and within other people. Studying the flow of chi is also how alkehestry works, and is how mei does transmutations.
Also note that the regeneration given to the homunculi from their philosophers stone makes them not age (greed was 200 years old yet still looked fairly young), meanwhile King Bradely/Wrath is still affected by aging. Just something to keep in mind going forward.
your opinion about the shoulder thing became truth to me, its deeper and fits. because shes still attracted to him, but its also because hes more confident. love it.
I think the broad shoulders thing is meant to be a bit of column a and b. The weight is lifted, he is more confident and he is holding himself different... and Winry likes what she's seeing when that happens.
Full Metal is his codename most likely cus in his test he had nerves of steel when he attacked King Bradly.
Ed said it was ironic probably due to his metal arm n leg.
It has nothing to do with him doing alchemy with a specific element (to my knowledge, i can be wrong, but thats what ive observed)
Tbf metal is the thing he uses alchemy on the most (other than the ground itself maybe)
@@michaelmaguire4147 that is true, metal is what alot of alchemists do manipulate.
I've also heard that it's a bit of a pun that didn't translate to English, where the title basically calls Ed "stubborn" and hard-headed 😂 which is true
Opening the show on the "Freezer" guy (a character not from the manga, it's the only episode arguable as maybe not being fully cannon) vs Roy's fire, sets a misconception for many about alchemy as some sort of elemental system like Avatar or Pokémon.
Which is unfortunate cause it's really not like that at all. The basic principles of alchemy are universal and different alchemists specialize in different things. It's a science. Some are focused on medicine, others are focused on combat, others on who knows what, but Ed and Als proficiency in fixing things is established early on.
In fact, if early FMAB were to be 1:1 with the manga (or if you watch the start of the 2003 show) the first instance of alchemy shown is them repairing a radio. It's also done by Al who also transmutes the bell into a speaker in that episode so it's also rather unfortunate that it seems so easy for many to forget Al is also an alchemist until he starts clap-transmuting.
If anything I'd say Ed and Al are masters of the fundamentals of alchemy. Generalists without a specific area of expertise necessarily. Likely with a lot more in common with most non-state alchemists than with other state alchemists. Only much more adept at fighting, especially because of their ability to transmute so quickly. But Ed works with stone just as much as he does with metal.
Granted, you’re not wrong about Isaac… but that episode’s biggest sin is to suggest that the Elric’s only met the Hughes family very very recently.
I’m not expecting what FMA 2003 did, that would not make sense, but in the manga I felt it was implied they were acquainted with him for a while. Or maybe that’s just me coping…
bradley walked away because lust was dead and a loose end was probably tied up. he's a military strategist, there would have been no cost to killing them but there'd be no gain in killing them either and it would be detrimental in eliminating one of the sacrifices(al). as for the "people inside" think back to lust showing what a homunculous core is and what the boys discovered it takes to make it.
The way the power works: Typically each Alchemist has a specialty, this is what they have studied and mastered from a Elemental Table scientific approach. Like with Roy, he knows all the ways to manipulate Fire because he thoroughly understands the elemental composition of Fire and all of it's uses! The symbols they use 'invoke' the manipulation of said element, so on Roys gloves, when he wants to use his alchemy, he comes into contact with the element (him snapping causes a spark), which triggers the symbol, and allows him to manipulate it.
The limit, is the Alchemist's understanding of the element being modified. Also, As the show previously states, can't make things out of nothing, you'll notice that when Ed performs transmutations, the area's around the source are affected as well.
The Elrics Alchemy is 'special' to say the least. The show explains that, but doesn't go into the nuances of how 'exactly' it works, though I believe it's heavily implied. I believe it's implied that Truth showed him 'all' of the alchemical make ups, which then allows him to no longer have a specialty, but now just knows the structure of everything, as everyone who has seen Truth likely knows.
This show is so dang good. Bradley is one of my favorite characters ever. Every moment when we see him actually being Wrath is just epic.
My favourite FMA villain, and one of my Top 10 anime villains of all time… Don’t see that changing anytime soon, especially if I limit myself to one per franchise (otherwise I admit that “One Piece” has a legitimate claim to taking most of the spots; so many great antagonists there!)
The suitcase on the railroad tracks is a classic symbol of a journey commonly used in anime
In case you didn't notice, in Ep 5, Ed and Al's mother (it is Ed's dream, but also old memories of Ed) said to Ed "you are really your father's son" instead of "you are really my son", this alreadly implied their mother cared deeply about their father and missed him so much.
Didn't she say that when Ed & Al had just demonstrated high alchemy skills for their age? She's saying they have their father's talent as an alchemist. Saying "you're really my son" in response to their alchemy would make no sense because she's not an alchemist.
@@vadalia3860 Correct. And I think that line was in episode 2, I'm not sure if it's the same one in his nightmare. What that line really says is that it's the first mention of their father being an Alchemist.
As far as indications of her caring about him, all we really have right now is the part about the message/promise.
@@vadalia3860 If you hate someone, seeing your kids having the same talent will be disgusting and won't response that way. Anyway, it is actually covered in more details in FMA 2003 ep3. [NOT SPOILER below] The alchemy is a reminder of her sweet memories with her husband who always making flowers to her through alchemy [By the way, it reminds me Frieren's master's favour magic]
@@crystalzonder First off, actually, you *should* respond positively to that even if you hate your ex... if you're a good parent. Young children conceptualize themselves as being extensions of both their parents so it's important not to talk badly about your kids' other parent no matter how you feel about them. Secondly, you act like "caring deeply" about someone or "hating" them are the only two options. There are tons of emotional options in between those two she could be feeling. Either way, "you are your mother's/father's son/daughter" is a common turn of phrase and Trisha using it here doesn't tell us anything about how she feels about their dad, you're simply factually mistaken (I assume out of lack of familiarity with that phrase)
@@vadalia3860 You write tons of thing just based on your personal assumption and hence no difference from mine. First of all, there is no direct indication for your "good parents" theory in this show, and if you read carefully, I said she "wont response that way", there are other positive expression to your kid to hide your hatred from your ex, but this is not the case here. Secondly, as you said there are tons of emotional options in between and mine is obviously one of the possibilities and you have no proof that I am wrong. You simply give a weak insult based on nothing. If I'm simply factually mistaken (I assume out of lack of familiarity with my phrase), you are simply factually mistaken as well. But fortunately, as I mentioned before, I have supporting from FMB 2003 ep3 that covers more details, it is actually quite frequently to see someone who try to ignore the fact in order to prove someone is wrong.
Marco researched and figured out how to make a philospher's stone on his own, but was not the first person to create one. The homunculi (who each have a stone) were created by father, and we know that at least some of the homunculi are pretty old given by how Greed is nearly 200 years old. The most immediate reason they allowed him to do this research is so that they could have philosopher's stones for the military to utilize without giving away the homunculi's involvement, but there are other reasons that are revealed later.
13:02 the happiest "hey" I´ve ever heard
30:40 "living longer than a natural life and seeing other people die around you? That does not sound great" Yeah I can see someone in that situation thinking themself a monster.
bruh
That is deep. And I am aware of which monster you are talking about.
honestly its hard for people to not want to spoil things with the way your brain works & the questions you ask....I've had to restrain myself from commenting at all on alot of FMAB & Farscape lately cus I would have said something to spoil it cus I appreciate you reacting to shows that don't get enough love & respect
Ling only mentions this in the manga, but while they were hanging out in Central, he tells Alphonse that he's not close with his father because he's never even spoken with him. And the implication is that even the emperor's own children are not permitted to approach him casually.
Many of your current questions will be answered over the next several episodes.
"scar mai and that other guy" how could we forget about the man the myth the legend yoki!
There's multiple forms of immortal throughout fiction. There's the "cannot be harmed" kind, the "no mortal life span" kind, the "infinite regeneration" kind, and the one that's some mix of the second with the first or third.
Girl I'm so excited for these next episodes!!! It's banger after banger.
When they asked “How many people are inside you?"…
Remember Lust had one philosopher stone in her, and it was her primary source of energy. And remember that philosopher stones are made from thousands of souls...
Well, Gluttony is a homunculus like her, so....
If you think you love the show now just wait. No spoilers, but by the time the show is done it's gonna be a core memory. An yes, seeing your reaction to the cliffhangers they love to use is very funny.
7:00 My interpretation is that Bradley was listening to the exchange to see if Roy now knew too much and had to be killed instead of used as a 'human sacrifice'. Satisfied he didn't, he walked away.
Marco stated it was an "incomplete" or "imperfect" Philosopher's Stone, the result of his research.
FMAb makes the best cliffhangers
You will finish really fast if can't watching the next ep after a cliffhanger 😁
Love the reactions! I have probably come back to rewatch this series at least once a year since it first came out. It is by far my all time favourite anime, and it still makes me cry at the same parts every single time.
For clarification (no spoilers, I i promise), Ed and Al are not limited to the manipulation or creation of metal. If part of that confusion is his title as the "Fullmetal" Alchemist, that was mostly an ironic joke by the Fuhrer. Partly because of his metal limbs, and partly because he had balls of steel to take a swing at Bradley during his entrance exam.
Alchemy, as a practice, is the understanding, deconstruction, and reconstruction of all matter, down to the molecular level.
Half of it is basically learning real chemistry, and half of it is designing the transmutation circles that channel energy in specific ways to perform chemical changes magically. The combination of both take years of specialized study.
Because of the time and energy required to master transmutation, the average alchemist, like scientists in our world, tend to specialize in specific fields of alchemic research.
Ed and Al, having seen the Truth, were granted the ability to use their own bodies like other alchemists use transmutation circles. Like Izumi said in an earlier flashback, she presses her hands together and circulates alchemic energy within her own body, becoming a matrix (transmutation circle) herself, instead of having to draw one to invoke its power.
This basically means as long as Ed, Al, or Izumi understand the composition of whatever theyre touching, they can proxy whatever transmutation circle they need to change it. Also, by passing through the portal, their heads were crammed full of alchemic knowledge, which I'm sure helps them make a lot of those transmutations on the fly. But even before that, Ed and Al were brilliant alchemists for their age. Aside from the taboo and horror of it all, Roy was shocked to learn two boys their age were talented enough to even attempt a human transmutation.
Speaking of, a great example of what most alchemists do vs what Ed and Al do is with Roy Mustang's alchemy.
Its never explained during the Brotherhood anime, but he's not actually controlling the flame itself. His alchemy is actually about analyzing the chemical makeup of the air around him, breaking it down, and then reconstructing it to create pockets of specific types and densities of gases. His gloves are lined with flint, so when he snaps his fingers, it creates a spark, and the flame follows a path of whatever flamable gas or gases he's created until it hits a dense pocket and explodes.
Every time he snaps his fingers, he is fine-tuning the balance of the chemicals in the air in specific ways to account for the size, range, effect etc etc that he wants, while also ensuring it remains contained and controlled to his target. But for any other alchemist, just knowing what he's doing is one thing, but the amount of research, training, and experience you would need to be able to make those complex calculations and snap judgement calls in battle would be exhaustive, and then having to design a transmutation circle that allows you to consistantly affect all of those variables in a very specific way on top of it.
It also explains how Mustang was able to turn the water from the pipes that Lust slashed into hydrogen gas during his fight with her. His alchemic research and transmutation circle are specialized in the creation of flammable gas compounds from the matter around him. Decoupling the hydrogen molecules from the oxygen molecules in H²O would have been child's play for him.
But as smart and powerful as he is, he could never use that circle on his gloves to transmute a metal spear out of the earth like Ed can, even if he understands the basic science of it.
Conversely, Ed can probably also understand the science of Roy's alchemy, and could probably do the same transmutations Roy does just by clapping his hands together, but even with a spark, Ed probably couldn't achieve the same results in the heat of battle without the years of experience Roy has built up, and could seriously hurt himself or his allies if he tried it on a whim. Think about what kind of experience and understanding of combustion you would need to be able to explode only Gluttony and send him flying out of the window of that tower in the last episode without the flames or explosion catching Hawkeye or Fuery as well, who were standing in the same confined room with him.
While the majority of the alchemy we see Ed do is making metal constructs, I think thats mostly because 1) his automail arm is a convenient source of metal to make a durable weapon from quickly in the heat of battle. He doesnt even have to change what its made of, just tweak the shape of it. And 2) his teacher also uses weapons like spears. Its likely a weapon he has trained with from a young age and is comfortable wielding in a pinch.
It's my very long-winded attempt of just saying "most alchemists specialize in a single field, while Ed and Al are masters of generalized alchemy."
I just love the series so much and it all gushes out whenever I'm given the opportunity 😅
Gluttony has a Philosopher's stone in him. Philosopher's stones are made by sacrificing people. Ling is detecting the people sacrificed for Gluttony's stone
Always looking forward to your FMA reactions. It really brings back the feelings of watching the show for the first time again.
When one dies, his soul (one) returns to ALL, and hence completes the circle (life cycle).
a lil non essential context on one of the few truly large things to get cut from the manga:
In the manga, Ling and Lan Fan tangled with Gluttony (and Envy) during Mustang's battle with Lust as well, keeping them occupied so they couldn't provide backup, and demonstrated there that they were a force to be reckoned with as the homunculi actually got stuck in a stalemate. (another important thing happened there but I'll save that for when its equivalent comes up in the anime). The main thing lost by removing that encounter is that it was the justification for why Bradley is fighting them himself here; he obviously normally wouldn't risk exposing his identity by being witnessed in association with a homunculus, but team Ling had already proven themselves a big enough threat to be worth the risk.
It also provided some nice horrifying contrast because we already knew team Ling could hold Gluttony himself, even with help, at bay, albeit not overcome him outright. So seeing Wrath pose a real threat effectively demonstrated how far his skill level his above his siblings.
TLDR Wrath is serious business
The 20's are here, banger after banger.
Imagine when this first aired, people have to wait a whole week for the next episode
and we can just play the next eps immediately 😅
22:20 suddenly I heard "It’s Leviosa, Not Leviosaaa!"
You gotta remember what you've learned from previous episodes.
1) Lust revealed that at the center of a homunculus is a philosopher's stone
2) A Philosopher's stone is made up of Human souls.
the people from Xing sense the philosopher's stones within the homunculi.
As far as the "broad shoulders" comment goes, sure, it kind of means Winry is realizing her attraction for Ed. But I think it moreso has to do with the strength and determination he was exuding in that moment. He's resolved, and it effects his entire disposition and aura.
Remember this, when you’re frustrated about cliffhangers… it’s briefly frustrating but it means they’re not rushing through the good story arcs. It’s worth it to do it right. And of course you get to just watch it right away!
As to whether or not I wondered whether Al’s body was okay or whatever, I don’t even remember. My daughter got me into the first show, then I Iooked at the manga, then I watched this show, and it seems like I consumed all of it entirely out of order. So you get little spoilers by the time you reach the part where you might have a specific question. I recommend your way instead, lol.
lol that cliffhanger and that end song let it all out [am a let my frustration out eventually]
The shoulders thing, it could be both Winry realizing that Ed is turning into a “man” and that the weight of all the guilt has been lifted. It also doesn’t help that Winry is Ed’s automail mechanic, so she’d notice if his shoulders are getting broader, because that could mean another readjustment to balance out the metal arm with the biological one.
The people of Xing can sense people. Philosopher stones are made of a lot of people and is a homunculus core. They can easily spot a homunculus because of all the people inside the stone.
What Ling meant by how many people are inside gluttony, the homunculus core is a philosopher stone and those are made of human souls.
The soul thing with Al's armor wasnt stated to be specifically about conflict with another soul, it's just about a soul being artifically attached to a body that wasnt their true body 🤔
In regards to Ishval, they did say that prior to the child being shot, Ishval had been occupied by Amestris for some time, which had been building tension
The connection between AL and Ed, stunted growth, extra rest, etc. is all there with the right critical thinking. It really carries that idea that alchemy isn't magic theme of the entire show home. The writing is great cause it even manages your suspicions. Spoiler:
Father's plans are all there. You just have to think about what the story makes most painful. Hughes figured it out. That's why he had to die.
That end xDD let it out all 🎶 let it out aaall 🎵
When Ling said “just how many people are inside you?” He’s talking about how many souls Glutonny has in his philosophers stone. It was said earlier that Ling and his escorts are trained to trace what is called the “dragons pulse” which is just the energy of a person’s soul. So since Glutonny and other homunculi are powered by philosophers stones, which utilize souls, they have an unusual presence that is very noticeable, because they don’t feel like a person, they feel like an entire crowd condensed to one point.
This is spoiler territory.
@@MalachioftheForestFu mentioned earlier that they can sense peoples energy, we know that philosophers stones are made of many people, and we know that Homonculi have a philosophers stone as their core.
It is pretty logical at this point to assume that what Ling is sensing is the mass of souls in one place when he says "how many people are inside you."
@@JDP5127Spoilers.
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no we know philosiphers stone use human souls as an ingredient, not how many souls they use
@@MalachioftheForest it is not at all. All of this information has been made available by the show. We learn about philosopher’s stones being made of human souls early on, we know the homonculi have stones courtesy of Lust, and it was discussed how Ling and his soldiers track the energy of a person’s soul, chi, or “dragon’s pulse” earlier on. Lan Fan even directly stated it this episode when she told Gluttony she could sense his presence and follow it.
@@Syntex366 read my comment, she doesn’t know about the *many* part
Edward can make ANY transmutation. Alchemy is just "instant chemistry" powered by magic shenanigans, but in _their_ world it's _just_ chemistry, plain and simple. The circles are basically just chemical equations which they can then touch to "magically" force whatever chemical equation they wrote in the circle to happen instantaneously. Roy has a circle for Hydrogen, and he's got _that_ one memorized, so even without his premade gloves he can still carve it real quick. But if Roy wanted to make any _other_ kind of transmutation, like for example manipulating Gold, he can still just draw a "gold transmutation" circle, either by memorizing it beforehand, or by cracking open a chemistry book and looking up the correct "gold" circle matrix. Edward doesn't have to make the circle _ONLY_ because he was "enlightened" by seeing the Truth; he still technically _does_ write the equations, but only in his head. The "clapping" thing only lets him bypass needing to carve a physical circle, nothing more; the reason he can manipulate so many different elements is because he's basically a chemistry savant geek. If he _hadn't_ seen the Truth, he would _still_ be able to manipulate the same amount of elements, he would just have to carve out the appropriate circle each time, cuz he already has them memorized anyway. Same thing with Alphonse; before HE saw the Truth too, he had _also_ memorized the same amount of circles, he just had to carve them out every time, which is why he doesn't do alchemy as often; Ed can just clap and do it faster, so better to sit back and let him do it than bother writing out a circle every time.
As others said it's about their understanding of what they're transmuting and what it will become. Every alchemist gets their name from what they specialize in.
23:25 I believe they explained Marcoh's philosopher stone in the episode where they met him and talk about his backstory
Just a point, never trust that you're going to see something from the opening credits in the show itself. They deliberately animate scenes that don't exist to keep you guessing.
It's why I never get the people who say don't watch the openings. They never put information we don't have yet in there and they deliberately keep you guessing with everything else.
Episode ends in a cliffhanger.
FLG - 😧
Everyone watching - 🤣
no spoiler: if human transmutation allows one to see the Truth and become a "candidate for sacrifice" then it suddenly makes sense why they wanted Tucker to do Chimera Experiments on his family despite having already perfected chimera... it was never about them, it was about trying to get him to see Truth and become a Candidate.
so what other actions may have been driven by that same motivation, I wonder? 🤔 😉
There are more twists and turns coming. I love watching along with you.
Hoenheim is a complex character and i love him
17:15 Mustang is who the episode title is refering too.
Unfortunately, that little introduction to Xingese monarchy (ep 15) is all we will get.
They said that the emperor has many wives (one from each clan) and many sons and daughters. He chooses who will be his successor, so the princes and princesses are against each other, while trying to find ways to get the favor of the emperor, to become the new emperor and bring wellness to their own clan. Ling and May decided to try searching for the legendary philosopher's stone in Amestris, hoping to please the emperor with its powers which may even grant immortality. Other means for immortality may fit too. That's all.
How do they plan to get the place of the emperor if the current emperor becomes immortal? Who knows!!!
Lilgal DEFINITELY getting upset about FMAB cliffhanger counter: +1
It’s like +8 at this point
Ling and Lan Fan can sense the souls that make up the Philosopher's Stone that is the core of every Homunculus. Bradly is different, his stone is unique and they cant sense him.
"Would you let Havoc retire?"
Um, yes, generally I don't believe in forcing people to remain in jobs against their will.
Remember, bad guys are just heroes with a different agenda!
Regarding "you see all your friends die before you", watch the movie "The Green Mile".
Edward's callsign is Fullmetal as a joking testament to the "nerves of steel" Bradley observed during his examination.
The philosopher stone is made from human souls and a homunculus is made from a philosopher stone so they're full of human souls.
Your reaction to Armstrong coming on screen makes me smile so much I love it 😂😂 Thanks for your reactions!
There are generally 3 versions of immortality: First there is the idea that you continue to live, stay healthy and possibly stay young - that varies - as long as you have some certain thing. In Taoist beliefs, the gods stay young and healthy because they eat the heavenly peaches - now, technically, the gods don't die if they don't eat the peaches, but they keep getting older and frail and such until they are invalids that don't die, kind of scary idea. So I guess that wasn't the best example, but this concept of a food which keeps you living forever as long as you keep eating it is found in mythoses all over the world. Even the Bible has the fruit of eternal life in the Garden of Eden.
Anyway, second kind, which is what they seem to be talking about here, you will never "die", but you can be "killed" - in other words, you will never grow old and die, likely also never get sick and die, though that varies with the tradition one is looking at, and quite often you heal at an amazing rate and therefore it is hard to kill you. However, you can be killed, either in battle of by accident. Actually, the Homunculi are a bit of a cross between the first two types, since they need the stone to live - like eating the peaches, etc - but as that is a part of them, it's rather like dying if your head is chopped off [like in Highlander] or if a stake is driven through the heart, like some versions of vampires. But mostly, I'd say they will not die unless someone kills them and they are very hard to kill.
Third type are those who simply can't die ever - you can't kill them, no accident can end them, there is nothing that exists that can harm them. This is what most people seem to think of, yet in mythology it is the least common sort - most myths have some way to kill anything that lives - you just have to figure out how to kill them.
OMG I can't wait for you to learn the secret of father and his relationship hohenheim.
A show that knew how to use cliffhangers!
Ling and lan are able to sense the souls of the philosopher stone. He can feel the flow of the chi of the souls. Fuu mentioned something about feeling chi when fighting al in rush valley.
I was so excited for lilgal to get to ep 19, but now I'm once again so excited for the next few eps...loving your genuine reactions & investment, and can't wait for you to find out more!!
Philosopher stones are a collection of souls so them being able to sense multiple people in one body is them sensing the stone.
About a Father... you will see (can't wait to see you see:-) in this show things are always more deep and complicated, then they seemed in a first shallow glance!
FLG your mascara is *POPPIN'* today I love it
The scenes in the intros only allude to actual events in the show, don't take them too literally. Absolutely loving your processing of the "Father" situation.
Pretty much every episode from here on out will end somewhat like that lol. We're almost revving at full throttle.
May was on the side of my milk carton this morning
Thank you for your reaction. I listen to reactions to find out more what people think about a specific content so I really like your little longer intros. Though balance is of course a good thing. Have fun! :)
so the how many people are inside you thing is because a philosophers stone is the core of a humunculous and people are sacrificed to create a stone, dont think its spoilers since all the info has been given in the show at this point.
Immortal and Invulnerable are different things. Immortal means you don’t age and cannot die from natural causes. Invulnerable means you cannot be killed, but you age normally and will die from natural causes.
Superman is invulnerable, but not immortal. He cannot be damaged (unless kryptonite is involved), but he does age and can get sick.
The Homunculi are immortal, but not invulnerable. They can take damage, and taking enough damage will kill them. But they do not age or get sick, and they have a healing factor that can help them heal from damage, up to a certain point. (This isn’t spoilers, this is all stuff we have already seen in Lust’s death.)
Roy is a very interesting character. You haven't gotten all of his backstory just yet, so no spoilers from me. Just saying, he represents very well the dichotomy of human nature - which this show is so very good at illustrating.
All your speculation about Hoenheim... ahhh i cant wait for you to get further in this series. Theres a recap episode coming up thats just... so well done. AHHH I'll shut up, I dont want to spoil~