I apologize for the lateness of my post, was quite busy in the past week, so I’m going to condense two posts into one.
Summary:
Following the fast-paced rhythm of the past few episodes, episode 23 begins right where 22 left off. With a well-placed jump out the window, Ling Yao manages to escape from King Bradley and Gluttony with Ran Fan on his shoulder. Knowing that she is slowing him down, Ran Fan does the unimaginable and cuts off her arm to throw off the chase. (noooooooooooooo!)
This is the not the arm I was looking for...
Meanwhile Ed and Al are off fighting Scar, but before they can finish him off Gluttony pops up. Amazingly Ling Yao has all the answers as he cuts down Gluttony and then gets Ed to create some metal wire to tie him up. Ever expanding to reheal, Gluttony ends up being trapped inside Ling Yao’s version of the Chinese finger trap… in a ball. As Ling escapes with the bound up Gluttony in Riza’s car, the Elric brothers go to finish off Scar. Before they can finish the job, the panda loli girl comes back to save the Scar with some cool Xing-style alchemy. She leaves a bit too fast though, and accidentally leaves her panda friend behind who ends up befriending Al. As Riza, Ling and Gluttony speed away, Ling convinces her to go pick up Ran Fan, and it is that which causes Riza to be discovered by King Bradley as he finally confirms that Mustang knows too much.
Wait a sec... this ISN'T Allison and Lilia?
After seeing Winry off at the train station, Ed and Al rendezvous with Roy’s crew at the safe house in order to try and interrogate Gluttony. Meanwhile Ran Fan is saved as the doctor dude from a few episodes back comes and saves her life even as she is down an arm. At the safe house Ling Yao reveals to everyone that ugly truth, that King Bradley is actually a Homonculus. As the episode ends, we see Gluttony breaking free of his bonds when he sees Mustang, Lust’s killer.
Episode 24 starts with a reminder that Dr. Marcoh is still alive, but a prisoner of the Homonculus. He is blackmailed into helping the Homonculus achieve their aims as long as his home village is spared. Back at the safe house, Gluttony shows his true form. No longer the lovable brainless and ever-hungry bad guy you just can’t help loving, Gluttony in fact has an evil eye with an evil all-powerful eating ability inside his abdomen. Wanting revenge for Lust, he chases after Mustang and company. Some quick thinking manages to allow our heroes to escape safely, but Ed, Al and Ling Yao volunteer to stay behind to defeat Gluttony once and for all.
Meanwhile back at King Bradley’s house, we’re introduced to yet another Homonculus: Pride who is seemingly a butterfly. We’re reminded yet again of Bradley’s human side as he relishes at the ‘fun’ of having up and comers like the Elric brothers try to oust his secret. As well we’re treated to a short story written by his son, showing how Bradley has managed to keep a loving family the entire time.
At the doctor’s house, Ran Fan is alive and well, but now fully depressed that she has no arm. (Don’t worry we still love you!). Meanwhile Mustang doesn’t linger as he decides that he must find allies if he is to defeat King Bradley and he sets out for headquarters.
Back in the forest, Ed, Al and Ling Yao meet up with Gluttony and Envy and learn unequivocally that Ed and Al cannot be eaten as they are valued sacrifices. As they split up, Ling Yao shows Envy who’s boss but before he can finish Envy, Gluttony ends up eating Al, Ling and Envy in one giant gulp.
That armour's going to get even thinner!
Back at headquarters, Mustang befriends Lieutenant General Raven in his attempt to find allies. As he lets up that he knows about King Bradley’s true identity, Raven escorts Roy to the main meeting of the highest echelons of the military. There Roy realizes the horrible truth — the entire establishment knows King Bradley’s true identity and is in fact supporting him behind the scenes.
Mustang realizes he forgot his laxatives in his other coat
As the episode ends, we see Ed waking up in a pool of blood in a strange world, the world inside Gluttony’s stomach.
Where's Asuka?
Reaction:
After a few plot episodes, the last few episodes have been pretty action packed. Just when I thought that all the mysteries had now been revealed, the series drops a huge bomb in our faces. It seems that entire military establishment is in on the secret of King Bradley. How will Mustang manage to stay alive now that they all know that he knows? Will Mustang now be captured and turned into a sacrifice? I’m waiting Riza to come in guns blazing and to save the day, but that’s pretty hard in a room full of the top alchemists in the country.
Meanwhile, one has to wonder what the real plan of the Homonculus really is. Dr. Marcoh hinted that they may be trying to create a giant philosopher’s stone using all the people of the country. If stones are powered by lives, and if the power of the stone is dependent on how many lives were sacrificed for it, sacrificing an entire country would surely create a massively powerful stone. But Evny did not let up their true intentions, only saying that Marcoh was on the right track. What is the actual plan?
In episode 24, we see Al ending up in Gluttony’s stomech. Does this mean that Al will be reunited with that priest from the first episode? How about all the other people Gluttony has eaten? It would be pretty cool if he manages to escape with an army of the previously thought to be dead, but I wouldn’t hold my hopes too high. Seeing the skeleton in the blood pool implies that everyone inside the stomech is long dead.
Just one note about episode 23. I’m not too thrilled about that loli panda girl coming back and I still have absolutely no idea what the point of having her in this story is. Unless she becomes Cal and quickly grows up into another Ran Fan, I’m not amused.
Finally, will we ever get to see Ran Fan under the bandages? Will she get another arm? Ran Fan, you must continue to kick ass!
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24 Comments
The whole time watching episode 24, all I could think was, “Why doesn’t Ran Fan just tie a tampon to that dog?”
Better yet… an exploding tampon…
Excuse me Kabitzin, but Ran Fan is a lady… she would never do such a thing! Shame on you for souring the pureness that is Ran Fan
EDIT: Dammit, appear Gravitar! Appear!
I think you have to post a new comment and wait a while for it to update.
Retro chic!
I love the first image, it is hilarious!
Yes! Kanye invades Sea Slugs!
I don’t know that the entire army is supporting King Bradley because he’s a homonculus. I took it more as everyone in the army supports Bradley because he’s King, and Mustang knows he’s screwed because no one will believe him. Can’t wait to see how he gets out of that jam.
Yes definitely, I love the depth this time around with Bradley and Mustangs plotting. It was as emphasized or important in the first series.
Actually you have a very good point. I guess it would be suicide for Mustang to just vaporize Bradley and let everyone watch him grow back eh?
King Bradley doesn’t care about black people.
Most likely yes…in pieces at least. Look at all the debris in there, its incredible that Ed made it in there in one piece. Hope he finds Al hand in that pool of blood…is that blood?
Well it smelled like blood!
It would be good if he found Al’s hand, don’t want him to keep thinning out
Kanye West is everywhere these days lol, and Gluttony would have no trouble eating him for lunch haha.
The priest and his follower were probably eaten in pieces, so they are most likely dead.
This was the point of the manga storyline that looked the worst for the good guys imo. Double cliffhangers!
That skeleton that you see in Gluttony’s stomach? he seems to be wearing the same robes as the priest was, so I think that’s what’s left of him.
Perhaps somewhere inside Gluttony’s belly, we’ll also find Epi’s gravatar. *hint hint* :P
!!!
OMG SPOILERS!!!
okokokok!
Huzzah! Great choice of gravatar, Epi. Talk about trap prototype.
Now who else should we next harass to get Gravatar? Wa~ha~ha.
Thanks! Yay Ranma-ko!
Wa haha!!
Poor Riza is going to be stuck outside for so long. Hopefully her favorite radio shows are not airing that night.
I also love how big a pissant Envy is. I missed him so much.
can’t believe Kanye is invading anime world…lol
Lmao @ Kayne. That would be such an epic moment to see in any Anime, when one of the villains have a moment like that, and Kayne just walks in outta nowhere. xD
lol
this is funny.
hahaha that Kanye thing was funny. Ran-Fan is just awesome. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I like almost every single character in FMA… Also, I’ll agree with Chi and say that I’m pretty sure the skeleton that they showed for a split second was the priest. Right when I saw it I thought, “Oh, there’s the priest.”
From here on out it’s all new story for me, as the anime finally passed the point in the manga where I stopped reading. I’m excited.