Blogging Brotherhood: Episode 31 & 32

Episode Thirty-One: The 520 Cens Promise

Mustang solidifies his promise with Ed to become the Fuhrer even as his team is scattered across the country. Meanwhile, the Homunculus retrieve Kimblee, a twisted and deranged alchemist willing to do what they ask of him with the possession of a small Philosopher's Stone.

The title of this episode is spelled weird. Based on what they say in the show, wouldn't it be "cents?" And is 520 cents a lot in this world? If it's the cost of a call from a payphone, I'd imagine it couldn't be too much, so why is Roy complaining about not getting it back? That's like complaining that someone isn't repaying you for the pocket change and lint ball they took from the dark recesses of your wallet. Who cares?

It does set up a nice little conversation between Edward and Mustang, though. I didn't realize that Ed was unaware of Mustang's goal to become Fuhrer until Hawkeye told him about it in the last episode. These are the minor details I have trouble remembering, even when they happen in quick succession of each other, ahaha. But it's obvious that the conversation goes from talking strictly about pocket change to meaning something much more...profound. Edward has some high expectations for Mustang, which I don't think are unreasonable. It's nice that he's got some people holding him accountable for his actions, even if one of them is a fifteen year-old spazz with an ego twice the size of his height measurement.

I liked the way they connected each of Mustang's team to a particular piece on the chess board. I don't know much of anything about playing chess, but it gives you a little bit of an insight into how Mustang thinks and what he wanted to do with his teammates.

It's also kind of cute that Hawkeye is his queen. Just saying. You don't have to read romantic connotations into that, but c'mon. Who doesn't (other than probably the two of them)?

They're using Dr. Knocs (thank god for credits because I would have spelled that totally wrong otherwise) in a larger way than I anticipated. I'm not sure if he's going to stick around for the duration of the show or end up playing an even bigger part in the story, but I do enjoy his character. He's kind of a creep, yeah, but he's also incapable of refusing to help people despite the fact that it inconveniences him (how many times has he complained about where he's supposed to sleep?). You can tell his reluctance and bitterness comes from his own shame and guilt as well. He's got a past involving Ishval that we haven't seen yet, and based on how everyone else is more or less screwed the hell up by their connection to that war, he appears to be in the same boat as well. That last scene where he pleads to god to allow him some time to just sit and enjoy himself with his family is heartbreaking.

I also think I was completely wrong about that photo from the previous episode and assuming that it was Selim. He looks a lot like Knocs' own son, but my brain took that similarity and ran with it. If his son is present here--and like, at least ten years older than Selim--there's no way they're the same person.

So they aren't going to use Winry as the one to give Lan Fan an automail arm. Her grandfather's reasoning makes a lot of sense, but it kind of stinks that we won't get to see Winry build automail for someone other than Edward. It would have been nice to see a possible friendship blossom between her and Lan Fan. They're around the same age, no?

Kimblee is a creep. I mean, so is everyone else that's on the side of the Homunculus, but there's something particularly insane and disturbing about him. His appearances stress me out. He also has the luxury of that stone, so god knows what's going to happen when he inevitably runs into Edward and Alphonse--or Scar, for that matter.

Speaking of Scar, he and his little band are becoming a bizarre conglomeration of people. Apparently he didn't kill Marcoh but made it look like he did so that he could use him for other purposes. I'm still not sure why he keeps May Chang around, but I'm hoping at some point she'll soften him up a bit. I also forgot that Scar's brother had given him his research notes back during the war. Now it looks like they've got a new direction to go in, and I'm assuming that's the place where the climax of this season will end up happening. Cool beans.

Episode Thirty-Two: The Fuhrer's Son

Mustang is able to find an ally with troops in an old friend and the Elric brothers meet one of their biggest fans: The Fuhrer's son, Selim.

Here's a fun thought: With the completion of this episode (and it's blog entry), I am officially half-way through Brotherhood! Whoo-hoo!

I can't believe I've made it this far. It basically means there's no turning back now, no matter how much I may want to at times.

Onto the episode!

Why does everyone think that Shao May is a cat? Cats have long tails. And pointy ears. And nimble legs. Shao May has none of those. It's a funny joke, I just think it's weird that no one is able to figure out that it's a tiny panda and not some mal-formed cat.

Then again, their pictures of her don't lend themselves to what could be considered an "accurate representation:"

That's the saddest excuse for a panda I've ever seen.

In a nice turn of events, it's revealed that Mustang does still have some allies--even if they're in the form of a slightly eccentric old man. He kind of falls into that category of "crazy old man who's smarter than everyone thinks," except in this case I don't believe Mustang ever saw him as crazy. At least, not until he showed up at Hughes' grave dressed as an old woman in case anyone got suspicious. This guy seems like someone who is generally trustworthy and dependable, and god knows Mustang needs that at this point, regardless of what he chooses to wear in public.

Actually, speaking of allies, Armstrong pops up again in this episode. I'm a little sad that he hasn't been as present and part of the story as he was in the original. From what I can tell, he's a fan favorite, and with good reason. He's a fun character and a great ally. For whatever reason, they've chosen to back-seat him for the time being. One thing he does do is direct the boys to another potential ally--with troops!--in the north, and my earlier suspicions that this "season" would end with something happening up there have been more or less solidified. I also know exactly who this individual is, not just based on the opening but because I've seen various spoilers long before I ever decided to watch the show. To be perfectly honest, I'm anxious about her introduction (I can't actually remember her name) because she comes across as one of those obnoxious and aggressive female characters that spend more time yelling than speaking like a human being. Those characters drive me crazy. I'm hoping she's not as aggravating as the clips I've seen lead me to believe.

Another, perhaps more important, aspect of this episode was the boys' opportunity to meet Selim and Bradley's wife. Selim is adorable--inside and out. He clearly adores his father and you'd think, just by looking at them that they were all a happy, normal family. His mother even has a "This is How We Met" story for her and Bradley. I wonder how much of Bradley's behavior is an act and how much is real. I could be totally over-analyzing, but there's something serial killer-ish about Bradley's demeanor. Serial killers are often known for being suave and charming initially as a way to lure in their victims and some have even sustained home lives including marriage and children outside of their criminal activity. Even though most of them lack empathy or the ability to love, they tend to adore and spoil their children because they see them as parts of themselves. So, it's still layered in narcissism, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a kid of a serial killer who didn't at least think their parent treated them well, even if they felt something was a little off about them.

Then again, in the original he straight-up killed Selim in cold blood, so who knows what's going to happen there. Selim isn't his biological son, either. It's a shame that the two of them seem to have no clue what their father/husband is really like or what he's capable of doing and has done. I feel like something is going to happen to them or, at the very least, there's more to this dynamic than there appears.

We've still got Kimblee hunting down Scar and his troupe. Scar has been jumping trains and doing his best to avoid Kimblee's men, but I'm sure that's only going to last so long.

I'm also finding that the opening and ending for these episodes are growing on me. I didn't think they would, but they both have somewhat catchy choruses and I think it's fun to watch May Chang and Shao May in the ending.

General Thoughts

I don't think I've ever taken this long to watch a show that I'm really into. It hasn't even been that long--a little more than two weeks--but it feels like a month has gone by. I'm actually more on schedule than I thought, since I estimated that it would take a month to watch the whole thing (and considering it took well over a year for the show to air on American networks that's a darn good deal) and being at the half-way point at about two weeks of watching it pretty good. I've enjoyed being able to digest the two or three episodes I sit down and watch each day, and I think it's helped me to not only keep track of what's going on, but also to appreciate the story and characters better.

Here's to the second half of FMA: Brotherhood being as fantastic as the first.