Man, I got chills during the preview for next week's episode. It'll be a tearjerker, that's for sure... ;(

That Izumi cameo is awesome, I never noticed that in the manga!

Maybe they're just going to show a minute or so of the Ishbal flashback, because there was a lot of stuff going on in those manga chapters so later on they should do them properly. It's probably included just to emphasize Mustang and Hughes' relationship and make us all sadder.

Currently downloading Eclipse subs. I did watch the Punch subs online, they pretty much sucked but it was still better than nothing.

The subs sucked, but I still got what was going on, lol.

Anyway...GREAT episode! I almost cried when Winry was yelling at Al T___T.

They had the best manga moments of this! It was almost frame-per-frame Manga! I'm so happy!!

I thought this episode was amazing and the show keeps getting better.

I'm not sure I'm ready for what's to come next week, but I guess it had to happen sooner or later T___T

I wasn't really satisfied with the art and animation in this episode--they weren't as bad as they were in Episodes 3 or 7, but they were both pretty lazy. I know that they're saving their budget for when the real manga parts kick in, but couldn't they put some more effort in? Especially with the background crowds, and that Ishvalan kid. The way he was just staring and smiling at Scar was somewhat creepy.

The highlight of this episode for me was probably 11-year old Ed's angst. The toy robot was a nice detail too. And luckily, this wasn't drawn out like it was in the old anime...but it was kind of fast how they made up.

I'm beginning to think they have about ten pieces in the soundtrack. C'mon. Include some variations instead of seven billion different versions of different tracks.

Overall, a nice episode. Hopefully the next one will have a bigger emotional kick than Nina's. I think the phone booth in the preview might be an indication.

Edit: I'm not exactly happy with how they're ripping so many manga panels from the manga...it's an adaptation, it should get creative sometime with the angles.

Although they reuse tracks they seem to add in a new track every episode or so. In fact I don't remember hearing the music that was playing when Winry & Hughes were discussing Ed & Al. I thought it was a beautiful.

I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that. I jump for joy every time they include a manga panel just because I'm happy they're sticking so close to the manga. And they did include some other scenes, like Al with the little toy robot.

Yeah, but they do reuse the ones that they have too much. Like that music that played when Al was looking into the mirror.
I guess I'm just biased towards the old anime's OST.

Edit: @kkg22104, I am happy about the manga panels, but sometimes I feel like they're just using the panels for lack of a better option.

Well, aside from bad subs, the episode was awesome! I just looked at the chapters this episode is from, only about 2 days ago. And it was just about spot on! There were differences, but it's good that they do that.
The voice acting, as usual, was amazing! Rie-sama did awesomely with Al's yelling, and Romi-sama, during the flashback, almost made me cry!
I surprised that no one mentioned Sheska. She was mentioned and shown (for a second). No big importance, but it still made me laugh.XD
Next week, get the tissues ready! I got chills watching the previews!

BTW, does anyone know where I can watch Eclipse's subs streaming? Punch's subs were not good, and we won't know if Funi will start showing FMA:B anymore. Just PM me to let me know. THANKS!

I thought they did a great job with this ep... the emotional content is all there and yet they didn't drag it out like they did in the first anime and have Al run off to sulk in the rain for days (that just annoyed me and seemed really out of character).

No arguement that the animation quality took a steep down turn compared to some of the other episodes though. I didn't mind it that much, but it was pretty obvious... though I loved the over-done 'gushes' of blood from Ed's wounds every time they mentioned Winry as his girlfriend! lol Rather missed the scene with Armstrong crushing him, and being wrapped up like a mummy for Winry's arrival though Ah well... I think the scene with Barry the Chopper, Al and the broken mirror was both a good emotional moment (even if slightly cliched) and well animated for detail. And surprise, surprise, it even gave you a moment to breathe and reflect on his emotional anguish/confusion...... when 'rushed' is the most common phrase repeated about FMA:B. So it was nice to see that they are capabol of slowing the pace

I will say that this episode truly made me cry. Al and Ed's angsting and fighting, along with Winry nearly bawling her eyes out just hitting Al repeatedly with her wrench, just made me feel so sad. The music in this episode was gorgeous as well.

Elysia's birthday party: fricking adorable. That girl is so cute! I understand why Maes gushes over her.

And then the preview for the next episode! Oh noez, it's here! I tear up just thinking about it. Oh my goodness...

Ed's face at the beginning was straight from the manga. Hah.

Unsubtitled intro and Ed being called a steel alchemist? I definitely watched a dodgy translation. Someone else in the thread mentioned Eclipse subtitles...I think they're what I usually see.
Manga seems much better written, but it could be due to this translation, so yeah.

Hah at the hand bit, but what the hell was with Ed's weird moment afterwards? I'd like to think that was bad translation rather than what it actually seemed. O_o

Angry Winry sounds like Ed. She also gets to be freakin' evil.

Blood spurt = hilarious. Shame they missed the extra bit from the manga with him almost passing out and thinking he can see his mother on the other side.

First sign of Ed's love of milk in Brotherhood. Hah at Ed versus the milk later.
(Also Armstrong is a psychopath)

I've just noticed that some of the main art seems to look better. (might be the slightly different video type) But the backgrounds do not.

As Kiara pointed out, I liked the touch with Sig and Izumi in the background. I missed them in the anime, and didn't check until I spotted them in the manga.

Shame they missed the joke with Winry presuming Ed had been convicted. And the part with Ed having been crushed by Armstrong.

Hah. Hughes is an awesome psychopath. (kidnapping Winry ftw)

Aww at the Maes family.

Fullmetal Alchemist guy sounded apologetic again at first. I presumed the giggling was carried on from the scene or something. Was it him? What the hell?

Once again, Hughes is an awesome psychopath. (shooting children also for the win?)

I feel like they missed a bit of characterisation for Hughes' family and Winry, but it's not too bad. We got the gist.

Good for Winry beating Al and telling him off.

I enjoyed the scene with Ed and Al towards the end. It's easy to forget just how well written, touching and clever the bond and the characters are there.

I'm guessing the bit with Scar doesn't come up for a while longer in the manga.

Excited by the promise of Ishbal flashbacks next week. But people seem to be saying that the big bad is coming next week. D:

Anyway, enjoyed the episode. Largely plot though. Ed and Al bit was touching. Manga still seemed to do it better.

Now, I'm a huge fan of the first anime series, but while I would argue that a lot of the material from the manga was utilized better in that show, I must admit that this episode, and of course, the manga material it's adapting, handled the Alphonse memory situation better, more naturally, and with subtlety. The first series sort of dragged it out needlessly into a largely filler episode involving Scar, two Ishbalan kids, and the reveal of the Fuhrer's secretary being something other than human. While that wasn't a bad episode, this was a better fit for the story.

Romi Paku and Rie Kugumiya really acted their hearts out in this episode. It's possible that they've improved considerably from the first series, and I thought they were perfect in the roles then. I'm still adusting to Maria Ross' voice, which seems too soft and submissive. Winry's new VA is improving. The new Scar is putting my fears to rest so far.

I love that little bit with the child playing with a robot toy and what it represented. A great add-in. If only they hadn't used that awful Italian restaurant music in the rooftop scene. At least use the vocal version of that piece! Overall, a good episode, though.

Next week is that event. I doubt it'll be nearly as rough, but it'll still be sad.

now i haven't seen this yet - but i can guess what's coming here or in the next episode... oh Hughes....

as with the noted picture of izumi's appearance being kept as cameo, and as all who read the manga can open the books and read side by side with the show know - they've been doing a really excellent job keeping in line with the story, and even adding a few lines here and there to cement feelings and expressions meant to be conveyed by shading or otherwise smaller or larger text etc...

What really matters to me now is how they direct it, how they design it, how they show Hughes and Roy in these next 2 -- b/c (and not to spoil any plot points for later manga chapters) this really is a key aspect and influence on Roy's actions in the future and throughout the series - brotherhood was a great title for this proper second adaptation of the show, not only for Ed and Al but for Roy and Hughes and the military team behind them

I hope they do them and Ms. Arakawa's work justice

edit: (and I hope to g-d i can see the damn show - funimation still hasn't posted any notices on their streaming website....)

Oh, I was meaning to mention how good Al's voice actor was in this ep.

Though I like that music.

Hurray, another great episode! Two in a row now, and likely to be three ^^

- Pacing was again perfect. If they keep this up, I'll completely drop any mention of it and be completely satisfied. I'm very glad, like someone said, that they showed that they can do a slower and reflective episode well. Some manga jokes and little scenes were cut out, but the right ones were cut out to improve the overall flow of the episode. Another great job on the directing.

- I actually though the animation was very good this time around. Sure, the backgrounds weren't as detailed (lol @ the runes on the bulletin boards at the train station), but the character animation was excellent this time around, something that I felt has been lacking in some other episodes. Winry in particular looked very pretty, and we didn't have a single shot of a character looking weirdly drawn.

- I'm so glad they kept Hughes with his gun XD, as well as Ed's blood spurts

- That rooftop scene was probably my favorite scene out of the entire series so far, no joke. The whole moving forward and getting stronger together theme is what FMA is all about, and there's no better scene than that to convey it. I loved the music, the cinematography, and the nifty visual of the two brothers fist-bumping with their metal arms. Al's outburst, and Ed and Winry's reactions were also very well-done. It really broke my heart to see young Ed in pain too.

- NEED. NEXT. EPISODE. NOW. Or maybe not

- Man, I'm gonna miss Hughes. We probably won't have the same emotional impact when he goes as the first series did due to the shorter time we spent with him, but then again, the sense I always got from the manga was that of a life so full of potential cut tragically short. We saw in this episode how he's become something of a father figure to the Elrics (offering them shelter, visiting them, questioning to Roy why he made Ed a state alchemist, etc.) and Winry as well as a great ally, and the way he's suddenly offed is very shocking. The real tragedy I think is how his life was cut so short and just when his relationship to the characters was developing. In this series, the full emotional impact I think is going to be more subtle and take more time to develop. It's only going to be after his death that we'll really begin to feel for Hughes and what he meant to everyone.

Romi Paku really did an amazing job in this episode. She was awesome. And the music was good too...it was a little Harry Potter-esque at times lol but I liked it. And the show seems to be settling down in terms of pacing, which is nice. I really hope the good pacing keeps up next week, because I think it will be crucial for all that emotion that they don't rush through anything...(although I kind of do want to rush through it)

On a lighter note...the FMA guy was especially ridiculous this week . *facepalm*

Wow, this was another good episode!! First off, I'm glad the "Alchemy" intro is gone. And, I'm a sucker for brotherly love stuff, and this episode even got me teary a little. The art style was fine, IMO. All the characters did look like them, and they did very much look like how they looked in manga, and I liked how they look. Also, I understand they can't include every scenes from manga, and for the parts they did include, I think they did very good job. I loved the scene where Winry beats Al with wrench and talk some sense into him. Very emotional scene. ^^ And, I think Kugimiya-san did awesome job with Al's VAing in this chapter (again!!)!! I hope Funimation.com site will bring FMA Brotherhood episodes back on, because I can't wait to see this with official English sub!!

@Kirara - Thanks for posting the pic with the cameo appearance!! I would have missed the scene otherwise. ^^


So far, I'm with Radadinator on this one. I may get tired later, but for now, I like seeing the manga panels being animated. And, IMO, so far they are doing good job of animating those scenes, like the one with Winry talking to Ed in the hospital room while Al goes off and leaving Ed and Winry puzzled, in this episode. I think that manga panel came out very nice as the animated scene.

=============

Reminder:

For those who had seen the first series of FMA anime, and/or read FMA manga, you can probably guess what's coming next. HOWEVER, please remember that there are some who have not seen FMA-1, nor read managa. I know many of you would like to talk about future upcoming events. If you do, please USE PROPER SPOILERS for upcoming events, so that those who have no idea for the future storyine would not be spoiled. THANK YOU!!!

Just like everyone else, I really loved the way the emotions spurted out of the voice actors. Actually, before watching the episode, I thought that this episode in particular wouldn't hold the same emotional level compared to the first anime, but alas, I was mistaken. And it's all thanks to the GREAT combination of the art and the seiyuus!!!! I can finally sleep tonight in utter fulfillment!

And my, was I amazed. The art. It's superb compared to the others! And it was great! Finally watching the manga move in animation, even though they skipped some parts in the manga. But seriously, how many episodes will they be making for the Brotherhood? I'm asking since they seem to be moving rather quickly... or rather differently. I was hoping that they'd follow the course of the manga at least. Mostly since there are parts I'm really waiting for.

Either way, the ninth episode was great! I'm looking forward to the following episodes!

PROGRAM NOTE:

I would like to see this thread to be filled with discussions about THIS EPISODE, and not overrun by the talk of the possible content of upcoming episode, so... I ask anyone who would like to talk about the content of episode 10 to kindly head over to Future episode discussion thread ... please talk about the possible content of episode 10 on that thread.



----

@Hagaren_4ever - I moved your post on episode 10 to Future episode discussion thread.

Well, they seem to be slowing down since last weeks or so. Episodes aren't being exactly two chapters long anymore.
And they've found room to have some over-lengthy pauses in this one. (which totally could have been cut for more Ed or Highes tiem >_<)

Hopefully they'll start including everything, with a few extras once we really hit where the old anime has never been.
I'm less worried about what they'll miss and more worried about what they'll change though really...(the previous episodes' censorship springs to mind)

Weird how people's opinions on the art quality in this episode diverge =) I never notice art, normally, apart from the first episode where I remember thinking it amazing. However, I thought that this episode was quite unfortunate, with faces looking weird and that Ishbalan kid freezing in that frame for the entire conversation.

Now, the first part of this episode had the three things that always annoy me - Winry thinking that physical violence is an okay expression of her feelings (i.e. wrench-throwing); Maria slapping Ed because she thinks that she is in a position to tell him what to do and that slapping him will get the message across; and Al believing a deranged suit of armour who wants to kill him over his brother, Winry and Pinako.

That said, I loved the scene where Winry and Al are on the floor and she is hitting him repeatedly with a wrench.

Hughes generally brightened up this episode, and Elysia's party was great - I'm glad they kept the Winry/Elisia bonding. And the Al and Ed fighting and making up scene was great, too. Scar was all macho with his manly growls =)

The Fullmetal Alchemist eyecatch guy needs to just... stop.

Your two comments gave me a little laugh, but it is so true! Winry's wrench throwing is out of hand, but on the other hand the wrench slapping of Al was a good scene.

Ahh. the Fullmetal Alchemist guy! It brings back memories of going to a commercial break with Voltron, although the voice was Peter Cullen which made it better. The Robotech breaks were pretty bad too. Now you know where the name "Animeoldtimer" came from.

Winry's wrench rampages (don't try and say that too fast) seem no worse than Ed and Al beating the crap out of each other (like after Ed got his arm blown up). She's like another sibling to them, after all.

What's the problem with Maria slapping sense into Ed? That's a classic move.

And as for the whole thing with Al's identity crisis...It's not just like Barry lied to him and Al believed him. Barry simply suggested what could have plausibly happened, planted the seeds of doubt. And given what Ed had said, Al worrying about it being true is understandable really.
Besides, he did get a good kicking for it.

Animeoldtimer, heehee. The poor Fullmetal Alchemist guy has no idea how much dislike he's generated in the fandom. I'd hide, if I were him, and never admit to taking this job...



It's just that her wrench-throwing got old for me really, really quickly in FMA1 and I've never warmed to it since. This is my greatest beef with Winry, this reliance on violence to articulate her worry/sadness/anger. That said, it might very well be that FMA1 ruined her for me (and I watched the anime before I read the manga). She does seem to have a greater range of emotion than WRENCH, I THROW IT it the manga, so I'm slowly growing to sort of tolerate her.



Quite apart from the fact that hitting a child should never be a classic move, I just dislike her presumptuousness here. What does she know of the Elric brothers and their relationship with adults? Nothing. And she does, of course, have a good point about them needing to warn people and not only think of themselves, but she can't know how true her assumptions are.



Al getting a good kicking for it is the only thing that reconciles me with the situation =) It's just that it's such a huge betrayal of Ed, in my eyes. I mean, Al seriously believes in Ed being the kind of person who would want to create an artificial brother and then lie to him about it for years on end. Worse, Al clearly thinks that Winry and Granny Pinako are capable of lying to him, as well. It's as if he doesn't know these people - everything is eclipsed by his sudden wangst. In her Quick Episode Summaries for FMA1, Mikkeneko sums up the episode 24, in which the whole Al angst happens, this way:

Al: I'm having an existential crisis. These things are a lot more severe when you don't actually, y'know, exist.
Rick and Leo: Allow us to distract you with our oppressedness.
Al: You're Ishvarians, like Scar! Boy! Why didn't I think of Scar earlier? If there's a better person to go to for emotional validation and reassurance than a proven sociopath whose stated goal in life is to kill my brother, I can't imagine who!
Ed: You dumbass, don't you realize that it's always about MY angst?
Al: Oh right. Well, let's jump in front of danger for each other to make the fangirls happy, and call it a day.
Scar: Al, you're human. Because my arm also has the script programmed in, and it told me so.
Al: Oh, thank you! That's MUCH more convincing than the evidence of the people who have known me all my life!

And, while the manga (and therefore this episode) deals with this sequence in a way that makes a hell of a lot more sense, the general weirdness of Al's emotional vicissitudes remains, as for me.

LOVED this summery version of FMA1! I started laughing as I read it.



I mean, of course!!! Who else is he supposed to go to? Someone who will tell him the truth--like the person who clearly wants his brother dead. Because obviously Scar won't sugar-coat the truth and lie to him! The blinding hatred and rage wouldn't allow it. lol

In all: Definatley prefered ep 9 to the version of events in FMA1

I loved the episode, I thought it was great. They really went in deeper in this part of the story than the first series. To be honest a few tears drizzled down my face. I loved it, but I feel the art gets a little weird sometimes. Overall I rate this episode an 8. Spectacular.

Decent episode, but I just didn't get the same feeling that I got from reading the manga. Perhaps it was the music - I really don't care for this new soundtrack.

Kugimiya-san's voice acting was great, though. It brought that entire confrontation scene to life. And geez, call me a sentimentalist, but that flashback to Ed crying on his bed was great.

Next week...god, why did it have to come so fast? ='( If that episode doesn't at least make me teary, I shall be sorely disappointed in its quality. Dx

Snickers just one of the many reasons I am not fond of 1st Anime!Al's characterization

As for Maria slapping Ed well I see that she did it because Ed & Al put themselves in so much danger after Armstrong specifically ordered them not to go alone. I just see it as tough love on Maria's part.

Very true. That move was classic. Good for Maria being the one who was brave enough to give Ed what he deserved.




Anyways, I'm glad they got rid of the alchemy intro before the opening theme. If only they would get rid of the Fullmetal Alchemist guy now.

Poor guy... I'm his only fan XD?

Don't worry, you're not alone! I love the Fullmetal Alchemist guy too.

@Kirara, sure it's tough love. Just not expressed the way I think is necessarily okay, nor does it seem to be her place. *shrug* Anyway, I do like Maria. Just not in that particular instance.

And Krokgard, DarkSpartan4, I'm sure the Fullmetal Alchemist guy would be glad to know he's not alone =) He still brings more pain than hilarity to me, but I might get there too, someday...

First of all, I love the Fullmetal Alchemist guy. HE IS THE MAN. There has never been a time I haven't either laughed or gone WTF and in both cases, I have rewound to listen to the dude say it again and again LMAO

Anyway, as for the actual episode, I freaking ADORED it. Loved the manga panels because, y'know, it IS a manga adaption. Seeing them just makes me freak out because even though Brotherhood is FINALLY here, I've been waiting so long for a manga-based anime that I freak out every time like OMG IT'S ACTUALLY THE MANGA!!

The acting was amazing, the flasbacks were win...I loved the Winry/Al and Ed/Al scenes. (I admit I almost cried this episode, and if I'm already crying, I'm going to be screwed next week.)

Hughes is adorable. I'm going to cry to death next episode.

As for the Ishbal flashback, I'm sure it's just to show the scenes about Hughes commiting himself to Roy's goal. They'll save the Hawkeye scenes for her flashback, and the Knox scenes for his.

So yeah, I loved the episode XD Hughes with the gun FTW

Yeee! FMA guy's fans rule!

By the way, I'm re-watching this episode right now. When Winry shouts at the phone with Ed (you know, "stop use my auto-mail for hitting people"), does her voice become the voice of Ed?

Yeah, it was like that when I watched it too. I think maybe it's Ed's imagination, or it's just to emphasize how angry she is

How can anyone like the voiceover guy?! You people are broken! Broken, I tell you!

To be honest, my memories of the original anime and even the first two times I read the manga have seriously decayed. I don't remember too much wrench throwing. So I don't hold anything against it liek.

He's not a child, to be fair. (And Izumi spent ages beating the crap out of him when he was one anyway)
And her and Denny have spent a fair few days at least with the Elric brothers, so I think she has some knowledge, really.

If he believed that the foundation of his relationships and trust for all these people was false and fabricated...And the idea that after the years that were definitely spent with Ed, he could have been lied to the entire time...It still makes sense to me really.

But hah, you really don't care for the original anime, do you? XD
Again my poor memory means I can't even remember how they handled it, but that does sound considerably worse. Are these Mikkeneko summaries worth looking up?

Whoops, my disdain for FMA1 has been exposed I used to like it, though. It got me into FMA, but then there was the manga, and slowly FMA1 stopped making sense. And Mikkeneko's Quick Episode Summaries are really amusing, especially if you don't mind allusions to all kinds of crazy ships =)

To stay on topic: I think that, at 15 (or how old is Ed meant to be here?) he still qualifies as a child, especially if Maria gets on her high horse about him trusting "adults". And Al - yes, I do understand he is suddenly faced with the fact that he has to base his existence on faith, essentially. He has to believe he existed before this, because there is very little proof. However, it's just... how self-centered do you have to be to believe that someone sacrificed their arm, fabricated childhood photos, brainwashed neighbours - all for what? The dubious pleasure of devoting their life to getting you out of the armour? However, since this is one of the few times in the story when Al acts his age and messes everything up because of his teenage wangst, I shrug it off as Al's only serious misstep - he'd have been all too perfect otherwise =)

Did anyone else see Sig and Izumi at the train station?

I really liked this episode!!
But next episode... Why'd it have to come so fast!? D;

i saw the edit u did for my post - sry tombow, my bad

Winry's usual wench-throwing is annoying, but the one in that episode? Absolutely not. She hits in state of pure anger at Al, it is NOT done for comic relief. This is the only time she is really "serious" about using her wrench. It shows how much Al's words angered her, and how that anger is different from the one she enters in when Ed destroys his automails.

As for Maria, let's sum everything :

--- Armstrong was very clear toward the brothers : they were NOT to move, yet they went still.
--- They almost get killed. Both. THAT Maria can't allow, as an adult.
--- Ed was all "I can't stay here, I still have to go", as if he didn't learn anything

So yeah, that slap was absolutely deserved. He needed some sense to be put in that big head of his. And Maria, as the one charged with protecting him, was perfectly in a position to do it.



No, it's Ed imagining it, that's why Winry has his voice. I'm glad she didn't get angry in that episode, like she did in the manga. It shows how much she worries for the brothers. The Alex's hug of death removing was also a good thing in my opinion, because she reacted only to the wounds he received from Slicer. So much more impact.

@Sannom, Winry's wrench-throwing is indeed better than normal in this episode, I just happen to be hugely allergic to it in all forms.

And I'm not disputing that Maria has a point. I've said more on what I think about her actions in a few other posts, which you might not have read and I cannot be bothered to find and quote. Let it be said that you're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine, and leave it at that =) After all, we don't all have to agree.

I was going to comment about the episode, but really I think I need to remind people that the spam rules still apply on these threads.

I'm very glad you enjoy the episodes, but please write something more than "OMG that was so cool!!!!!" Most of you are, in fact discussions are getting quite in depth.

As for Winry's wrench throwing, if she hadn't done it at all she wouldn't be Winry. I think it was important in this episode but hopefully she won't be doing it too much more. Her manga character is far more developed than that.

I think she had Ed's voice because it was what Ed thought she would scream to him the moment he said he had busted the automail, that was why he was shocked to hear how she only said she would go. She didn't scream to him, it was just Ed's imagination

I see! I didn't catch that before, thanks!

I found this episode to be truly moving it that is it the first time that the unbreakable bond between these two brothers is put to the test. I know that is the previous series, this episode was often referred to as the "existential Al angst" episode, but I found that was certainly not the case for the new series. Al´s emotions in this episode were more of fear that gave way to sheer anger and desperation. One could view Al doubting his own existence as a huge slap in the face and a full-out betrayal of his elder brother. However, I believe that Al´s doubts come from sheer fear and the belief that the one thing that Ed was afraid to say was the fact that all of Al´s memories were created. The scene with the little boy and the robot did such a great job at symbolically showing how Al must have thought that he was nothing more than a robot himself with preprogrammed thoughts and memories. One of FMA´s more philosophical themes deals with what it truly means to be a human being. I believe that Al questioning his own existence and identity is key to demonstrating this theme as well as deepening the bond between the two brothers. In the previous episode, Ed is forced to ask himself whether or not his little brother is truly human after defeating the Slicer brothers. If he were to deny that the Slicer brothers were inhuman, then he would also deny the fact that Al was human. Needless to say, I could "feel" the guilt and pure sadness radiating from Ed in this episode after Al openly challenges him.


I really loved how strong Winry´s character was in this episode in that she acts as the glue that brings the brothers back together. It was also thoroughly enjoyable to see Hughes give Winry advice regarding how to handle men and their inability to say things through words. I thought that it was Winry who ultimately brought Al back to reality after telling Al the true thing that Ed was so terribly afraid to ask. The flashback scene to young Ed during his automail surgery was absolutely heart-breaking and showed just how much guilt and complete sadness Ed must have had stored inside of him. I believe that the flashback showed Ed´s undying love for his brother and his fear of losing his strong bond with Al.


The reconciliation between the two brothers was handled so well, and I found it to be a really moving scene. The desire of both the brothers to move on side-by-side really captures what I believe is going to become the predominant theme of the new series- that of movement and undying brotherhood. I think that this incident strengthened the relationship and bond between Ed and Al all the more and created a deep trust between them.


Side notes: The voice acting was superb in this episode. All the voice actors did such a great job of bringing their characters to life and getting the emotions across.

- Heh heh, I am so happy that they kept the milk scene.

-I loved how Ed hemorrhaged after Havoc asked if he was calling his girlfriend.

-The small glimpse of Scar´s arm made for some great foreshadowing.

- Hughes taking out his gun and threatening the little boys was freaking hilarious.

Please add FMA:B English dubbed episode 9 (on CN on Adult Swim) talk-back/discussions here.

I liked and disliked this episode. But maybe I appreciate the cinematic quality of the first anime.

Regardless, I think this episode was more provocative.

Summary

-Ross's slap more funny in the first anime
-Call to Winry was more hammed up in the first one
-Melancholy of Alphonse was more prevelant in this epi than the first anime; first anime felt dragged out.
-Milk fight...Funnier in the first one
-HUGHES!
-Poor Winry
-Poor Winry at the party
-Loved the talk he gave Winry. Seemed more collected.
-"WHOEVAH TOUCHES MAH DAUGHTER GETS A CAP IN THEIR A$$!"

Yada yada..

The scene with Ed, Al, and Winry was very emotional, more so than the first anime. I applaud Catlin's emotion except her first line when she smacked Al with the wrench (hated the delivery). When I watched her shed tears, it didn't sound sappy at all; it sounded fluid and I FELT her emotions with her.

My complaint about the end was how the issue between Ed and Al was resolved. It was like nothing happened. Overall, it wasn't a spectacular episode, but by no means was it terrible. 8/10

I always liked that scene added for this episode where the boy is playing with the toy robot, but wait, how do they know about robots in the FMA world?

Also, I always thought it was a little silly that Alphonse would believe he was fake. Aren't there photos of young Al on that board in the Rockbell home? What a doofus. I think that the manga and Brotherhood definitely handled it better than the first series, though.

Maybe it's a toy of a full body automail.

Gah, I can't believe I missed the cameo of Izumi for a -second- time...

I didn't. I was waiting and looking for it

@penguintruth Those could have been created by Edward too.