Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood – 14

Hagane no Renkinjutsushi – Fullmetal Alchemist Ep. 14
鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST Episode 14
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood – 14

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14Colonel Mustang reports to King Bradley in Central City only to discover that the Fuhrer has gone to the Southern Territory for an inspection along with Major Armstrong and a group of soldiers. They arrive at Devil’s Nest and storm the place while inside, Izumi and Ed face Greed only to have him flee. Since Izumi is vomiting blood, they cannot pursue. As the soldiers kill every chimera they come upon, Bradley heads to the sewers where he encounters Greed as well as Al with Martel inside him, stunning them. Bradley attacks Greed and to Greed’s surprise, Bradley is able to inflict heavy damage on him.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14Elsewhere, Armstrong battles with Roa, who transforms to a more beast-like mode. He reveals that he is also a veteran of the Ishval fight but when Armstrong gives him a chance to surrender, soldiers open fire on Roa. Dolcetto (Dorochet) kills the soldiers and slicing a steam pipe, provides cover for their escape. However, they run into Bradley who slays them both. Bradley continues to school Greed and is revealed to also be a homunculus with the Ultimate Eye to counter Greed’s Ultimate Shield. Despite Greed’s ability to regenerate, he cannot overcome Bradley and is defeated.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14When Martel attempts to get out of Al, Al tries to keep her inside to protect her but Bradley kills her just the same after she uses Al’s body to attack Bradley. With her bloody death, Al has a memory of visiting the gate and the “truth.” When he comes to, he finds an injured Ed worrying over him. Bradley somewhat harshly questions the brothers about what they know and learning they know nothing, Bradley is satisfied and resumes his cheerful statesman appearance. Before leaving, Bradley pays a visit to Izumi, who’s resting in bed and even offers her a role as a State Alchemist should she want it.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14Outside, Ed is cleaning Al’s armor and talking with Armstrong. Upon mentioning Hughes and the Ouroboros tattoo, Armstrong urges them to be careful. After he leaves, Ed and Al discuss the situation, finding it odd that King Bradley would even trouble himself over such a trivial matter. Further, if Greed and the chimera were a big deal, why kill them instead of taking them prisoner for questioning. They decide to stick close to the military for now.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14Somewhere, King Bradley makes a report to an old man seated on a stone throne connected to a large number of cables and tubes. Bradley also has Greed chained to a pillar and pierced with many swords. Greed opens his eyes at Lust’s request he awaken and discovers that Gluttony and Envy are also there. Sloth is not there, being given a task elsewhere, and Bradley is revealed to be Wrath, whom Greed had not known. Greed is Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14amazed at Bradley’s appearance since Bradley has aged, something the homunculi do not do. Father questions Greed on his betrayal, which amuses Greed since Father should know, having created Greed. When given the option to repent and rejoin the cause, Greed refuses and is dropped into a molten vat. He is defiant the whole time and his essence is liquefied and flows into a vat from which Father fills a glass and drinks and offers a toast.

Bradley returns home to a wife and young son, named Selim.

Thoughts/Review:

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14Wow. Very interesting stuff here and certainly very different from the original anime. ^_^

I’ve read some of your concerns over how King Bradley would show up to rescue Ed and Al in this episode and I’m curious to read your thoughts on how the anime handled this.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14As to Bradley — wow. We’d seen a taste of his fighting abilities but his battle with Greed was impressive to say the least. So the fact that Bradley is “Wrath” means that he had the ability to own Greed so fiercely? I’m wondering why Greed was so unable to do anything but regenerate himself. The only explanation the anime seemed to give is that Bradley is a homunculus with the designation “Ultimate Eye.” But Greed is the “Ultimate Shield” and that wasn’t worth much.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14Also interesting is how Father apparently ordered all of the chimeras destroyed based on how Bradley had them all wiped out. I wonder why this is other than to remove Greed’s support base.

Speaking of Father — another “wow.” I didn’t expect to see some apparently frail old man kept alive by machinery. I had flashes of Bubblegum Crisis 2040 and the CEO of GENOM, Quincy Rosencreutz — he too was kept alive by machines.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14So, Father had the homunculi created with the seven deadly sins, expunged from himself. Now that he has taken Greed back into himself, what does that mean for Father? Why create the homunculus at all? What purpose do they serve other than possibly having an invincible army to rule the world but frankly, if that were Father’s purpose, it seems that it would have already come about.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14It seems strange that Greed is dead. I remember him being an active player in the first series after his initial encounter with Ed and Al. I suppose Father could make a new homunculus and call it Greed.

Sloth certainly is different in this anime. Wow. That was a secretary in the first series, right? Now, we show a man underground looking a bit like a larger version of Envy and in chains.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14It is strange seeing Bradley act the good father to his son Selim. I can’t remember much about Selim but I want to say he was in the first anime.

I just remembered this — how did Martel’s death trigger Al’s memories? The blood splattering on his seal?

So a lot of “wows” for me as we enter new territory when it comes to story. Of course there is still the Scar story, but I don’t know how much that was changed in the first anime.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 14

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8 Responses to “Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood – 14”

  1. O-chan says:

    Dude, you’re in for a LOT of ugly surprises down the road. Let’s just say that anyone who has been keeping up with the manga who read your review probably did a few spit takes regarding the stuff with Greed and another thing we JUST found out about in the latest volume of the American manga release.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Selim was in the first anime. His role in this series should be very different.

  3. Anonymous says:

    …Why the American release? If there’s new info not in the original Japanese, it’s most likely a change they made.

  4. Merc says:

    In the manga, Izumi talks to her doctor about amnesia, and he tells her that hypnosis or a strong shock can bring the memories back. Blood splattering all over the seal that’s keeping Al connected to the world probably counts as a strong shock.

  5. mastermack0 says:

    Okay, you said ALOT.

    Okay, Selim WAS in the first anime. Greed (the guy who just died) dies in the first anime too so he isn’t a huge player really (he dies differently). As for this episode, it was pretty kickass. There are more kickass moments coming though. Well, most of what you said WILL be brought up later, I just don’t want to spoil anything (but all your concerns will be addressed).
    But why did Wrath kill the chimeras? He is the fuhrer and he has to eradicate such things: there is no hidden meaning.

  6. Anonymous says:

    @Anonymous 2: O-chan’s not talking about a change, it’s just that not everyone reads the Japanese releases. Some people only follow the manga as it comes out in the US.

  7. CR says:

    Good questions and they should all be answered along the way as long as the anime follows the manga.

    As for Wrath crushing Greed, it was because he landed the first hit (surprise attack really) and from that point on, Greed no longer had any chance to finish regenerating (can’t harden and regenerate at the same time as Ed found out).

    When his two chimera henchmen intervened, that gave him enough time to fully regenerate but he still didn’t have enough time to fully harden (you can see the hardening moving up his arms the way it did when Greed fully hardened against Ed) when Wrath again attacked and stabbed him.

    Poor Greed, if he had been fully armored the fight might have gone differently.

  8. O-chan says:

    @Anonymous 1:
    Thank you! Actually I do “peak” at the Japanese release from time to time but this series and Berserk are the two mangas I actually prefer not to be spoiled or rush through future events. Stuff like One Piece, Naruto (despite the catch up), and Bleach I try to keep up with the Japanese release because I actually follow the plot on a weekly basis.

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