Fullmetal Alchemist - Episode 31 Review

Episode 31, "Sin"

You have to admit, as ridiculous as this is, it's equally awesome.Do I read this from left to right?

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Roy and his crew prepare to leave Central for the refugee camp Scar was sighted at. At the camp, Rick and Leo look for Scar, who is in the outcast's house. The oucast comes in and recognizes his tattoo. In the Southern HQ, the face off is broken when Izumi attempts to escape, but the child is taken from her. Armstrong blocks her path. The lizard man reveals his boss' interest in the brothers, but they drive him off, along with Kimbley. Envy reveals himself to the child and gives him lesser stones to feed on. The child begins to remember things. The brothers encounter Armstrong who faked injury. Izumi is reuinted with the child again and they escape the building. Going back to the meat shop, Winry reveals to Ed and Al what Sig wouldn't. On Yock Island, Izumi takes the child where she transmuted her dead child. When it came back wrong, she sacrificed the entire thing to the Gate. In the present, she attempts to kill the mystery child. Ed and Al arrive to the child choking Izumi and attack, but Izumi tells them off. The child is revealed to indeed by a homunculi, born from a failed transmutation. Greed arrives on the island, but Envy is already there. Before they can engage in a real fight, Juliet Douglas, Sloth, arrives as well. Greed and his group retreat. The boy, Wrath, explains he was trapped in the Gate and took posession of Edward's arm and leg when he sacrificed them years later after Izumi sacrificed her son. However, angry that the homunculus has his brother's limbs, Alphonse attacks him.

ULTIMATE BRO FIST!DO IT!

Comments:

The confrontation at South HQ explodes with an exchange of alchemy between Izumi and Alex, where Izumi is heard as saying, "I'm used to more beautiful muscles". I like that bit. But actually, aside from that, there's really not much of a fight between the two. On the one hand, it's a little disappointing they didn't go into a big alchemy bout between Izumi, Alex, and Kimbley using their different alchemy. On the other, it's probably for the best, since the plot takes precedence, and the point of this particular episode is the kid coming to the side of the other homunculi.

Woah, Bido and Kimbley sure gave up their goal pretty quickly. They didn't even really try to get to the kid. Of course, I can't blame Bido, since he was just getting pounded by Ed and Al, but Kimbley just sort of half-assed it and left when Bido did (leading to Archer's offer to him). Kimbley was probably doing that on purpose because he's looking for better opportunity.

Envy takes the child away long enough to influence him, feeding him the lesser stones to make him remember where he came from. The pupils in his eyes change when he eats them, and he recalls his origin. The answers were all there, Izumi's attachment to him, his having Ed's arm and leg, his ability to use alchemy, the ouroborus tattoo on his foot. And the kid obviously went back to Izumi later to confirm his memories. And, feeling angry that he was abandoned, he's Wrath.

This is the episode we learn, through Wrath (who Envy likely told), that a homunculi is born out of a failed attempt to ressurect a person. I think a lot of people seem to get the impression that there is a right way to bring people back to life because they use the term "a failed human transmutation". They're all failed (er, except in the final episode, which is arguably different).

But with Wrath it's a little different than the others, because he was sacrificed whole and was trapped in the Gate with the Gate Children (those little black baby things). And when Ed sacrificed his arm and leg, he must've got ahold of them and eventually pushed himself out. In fact, Wrath is mostly human. That's probably the real reason he can use alchemy.

Speaking of homunculi, there's more of my favorite character, Greed, in this episode. He makes his way to Yock Island to retrieve Wrath (how'd he know he was there?) and has a brief exchange with Envy. I wonder who would have won a fight with just the two of them. When Sloth appeared, it was all over, though. Greed is bold, but not stupid.

The episode ends with Alphonse proving he has some balls by charging Wrath. But one wonders what he was thinking. Was it just that he wants to retrieve his brother's limbs, or was it also frustration over losing the chance for getting both of their bodies back at the same time? Or even that it might now be impossible for his brother to get them back? It's almost like he feels guilty over his brother's lost limbs and has to right that wrong.

Of course, it could also be that Wrath is a little douchebag and he wants to pound his face in.

Oh yeah, this looks like a good idea.No more Mr. Nice Armor.

Overall Score:

4 out of 5

 


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