*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: In the town of Lior, the Elric brothers learn of a preist named Cornello who can perform "miracles". Investigating, they discover that the man is a fraud, using what seems to be a Philosopher's Stone to bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange. Confronting him, they also expose his deception to the townspeople. Edward defeats Cornello, who goes into hiding, only to be killed by two mysterious figures.
Comments:
Well, I didn't know that the first two chapters of Fullmetal Alchemist could be fit into one single episode so well. Covering most of the major points, without belaboring them with needless expository dialogue (which, because they already explained alchemy, is unnecessary for this episode), and having Ed and Al meet Rose at the church instead of at the little food stand, they did everything in a suitable fashion and at a reasonable pace.
The only problem is, because it's a single episode, and because it wasn't first, it does seem a little bit like just another side adventure of the Elric brothers. All in all, that's what it was to begin with, but since it was first in the manga and previous series, the reveals of automail, a soul attached to an armor, and much of the emotional core of the story were so much more palpable there. Here, it still served the general themes of the tale, but it didn't have that same impact it used to. Still, that's likely because I've already seen all this before. I noticed that they changed the voice actress for Rose. Previously it was Houko Kuwashima, known for her role as Sango from Inu Yasha. Now it's Satsuki Yukino... who is Kagome in Inu Yasha. So they just switched Sango for Kagome. All right. It still suited her. It took a while getting used to the fact that the town wasn't in the desert, though, and Rose wasn't tan. I have a feeling that Bones did that in the first series and connecting them with Ishbal to show how easy it is for a government to take advantage of people for just looking different than they did.
There was a strange bit in here where Cornello's rebound transformed him into some giant monster. CORNELLO SMASH! I'm not sure what to make of it. I guess it helped make Cornello a more physical threat, but at the same time he was also really pathetic, so I think it was probably better for him to just stay very petty and lame. Another thing is Rose with a gun, but this part I liked, because it showed just how deep her devotion to bringing back her loved one was. A decent twist. Next up is the Tucker incident! Wait, I guess that means they're skipping Youswell and the train hijacking, so there go our introductions to General Hakuro and Yoki. Well, not like I really care about either character, but they're bound to show up, regardless.Just not Lyra. I wonder if I'll miss her.
Overall Score: 3 out of 5
