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Full Metal Alchemist 24March 25, 2004Title: Affixing Memories In Central City, Scar's enclave is attacked by a group of mercenaries.
Meanwhile, Edward finally asks Alphonse the "one true question" . . .
and subsequently, they bid goodbye to Scar.
The End. * * * RATING: C Just as Sugar noted in her review, the whole "Rizenbul-question" seems anti-climatic. Most questions in anime are fairly dramatic (i.e. "Did you kill my father?") and, frankly, Edward's posit ("Do you hate me?") seems sub-par in comparison. Also, quite honestly, Alphonse's response to Edward's question is highly suspicious. Personally, *anyone* would get enraged if they were transmuted into a suit of armor, and, to top it off, Alphonse is fully into adolescence (he's 15), which implies that he's uniquely sensitive to the societal exclusion caused by his inhuman body. After all, Edward can blend into society quite easily (both as a civilian, and as Winry's quasi-boyfriend), but Alphonse is always seen as "the weird guy wearing lots of armor" (Nina, small girl on hijacked train, etc.). Alphonse's societal exclusion becomes even more apparent if he takes off his head and reveals himself as a body-less suit (see reaction from Lior City's Clay, No. 66). Granted, people usually like Alphonse after they get to know him, but nevertheless, it's got to be tough to face this stigma every single day. From an introspective point of view, perhaps Alphonse is in denial. Sooner or later, Alphonse is going to realize how much his metal body prevents his social acculturation, and will proceed to go off the edge. Instead of confronting his insecurities head-on, Alphonse seems to be putting a 'happy-face facade' for Winry and Edward, which are the only two people who accept him while knowing the truth about his body. To tell the truth, the last episode was extremely intriguing, because it started to address Alphonse's point of view, but instead of realistically exploring this topic, the producers wrapped up everything in one single episode. If that's not a cop-out, I don't know what is. * * * disagree? read 18 comments! * * * Related Reviews
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