Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Episode 44 Discussion/Poll

[DragoZERO]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

I just don't see how your idea is fair. That's all.

Which part don't you get?

[GDB]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

I just don't see how your idea is fair. That's all.

It should be about having a logical and satisfying conclusion, not about having a fair one. It wasn't fair in the first place for Al to lose his entire body while Ed only lost his leg, so why should the end result be fair?

[Arabesque]

So you think it is satisfying for one of them to get rewarded in the end even though both worked together to get there? Or should Ed suffer a little more so he could get back what he lost?

Also, Al got closer to the Truth than Ed because he paid his body, so in the end it does even out.

[GDB]

Originally Posted by Arabesque

So you think it is satisfying for one of them to get rewarded in the end even though both worked together to get there? Or should Ed suffer a little more so he could get back what he lost?

I think Ed doesn't need to get back what he lost. Why does he need to? Because he wants it? They're limbs. People live without them in the story and in real life. At least in FMA they have automail to replace them.

Also, Al got closer to the Truth than Ed because he paid his body, so in the end it does even out.

Which means, what exactly? Are his transmutations stronger? Does he somehow know more than Ed now?

There's been no noticeable difference between seeing "just enough" of the Truth and "way more than necessary" of the Truth, so it really doesn't even out at all.

[quigonkenny]

I've always been skeptical of this "Al got closer to the Truth because it took more from him" idea. Namely because it's clearly not true. Al doesn't know any more than Ed about alchemy, and wasn't even able to transmute without a circle until the death of the snake chimera chick.

And there are events later in the manga that suggest that any rules go right out the window whenever Truth is involved, that I will not get into for spoiler reasons.

[DragoZERO]

There is also one other thing - if it wasn't for Ed, Al wouldn't have done that. Granted they did it together and all, Ed was the oldest and he led Al. He holds more blame.

[HayashiTakara]

Winry Fan Service FTW?!

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

There is also one other thing - if it wasn't for Ed, Al wouldn't have done that. Granted they did it together and all, Ed was the oldest and he led Al. He holds more blame.

Ed knows that he is at fault for what happened, and as brothers he plans for both of them to get their bodies back, because Al wants Ed to return to normal just as much as Ed wants it.

& what i don't see fair is why you only want Al to return to normal, and not Ed. Just because Ed doesn't have any problems living with the body he has isn't the point. I just don't understand your reason. There's much more to this then Ed just wanting his limbs back, and i thought viewers of this series would know that best. It's a promise the two Brother's share, and it's a strong one, as been shown on many occasions.

[Vlyse]

It's unknown how much longer Al can survive in the armor as seen in episode 26 and 39. With his body failing and calling out to his soul causing Armor!Al to go unconscious frequently, it is infinitely more important that Al gets his body back than Ed getting his limbs back. Ed is revving at full-throttle as seen this episode. Al isn't.

Besides, Hohenheim couldn't restore Izumi's organs because her loss symbolizes her sin. Ed's limbs aren't any different. However it's been revealed through episode 20 and 26 that Al can in fact get his body back. I haven't seen any evidence that Ed will be able restore what he lost.

[K_Babyy]

Originally Posted by Vlyse

I haven't seen any evidence that Ed will be able restore what he lost.

Isn't there evidence in ep 26 where Truth asks Ed if he's there to get his limbs?
It also shows his limbs, they're just apart of Truth's body still like when he first took Ed's leg.

[DragoZERO]

Originally Posted by K_Babyy

Isn't there evidence in ep 26 where Truth asks Ed if he's there to get his limbs?
It also shows his limbs, they're just apart of Truth's body still like when he first took Ed's leg.

I took that as Truth just teasing and playing with him. Like "You want them? Well you can't have them!"

[Arabesque]

Originally Posted by GDB

I think Ed doesn't need to get back what he lost. Why does he need to? Because he wants it? They're limbs. People live without them in the story and in real life. At least in FMA they have automail to replace them.

I guess will have to disagree then. I just can't see how it can be satisfactory that Al would be the only one getting back his body when both of them worked together to fix their mistake.

Originally Posted by GDB

Which means, what exactly? Are his transmutations stronger? Does he somehow know more than Ed now?

There's been no noticeable difference between seeing "just enough" of the Truth and "way more than necessary" of the Truth, so it really doesn't even out at all.

Doesn't matter. Al managed to touch the Truth when he paid the fee for the gate. Just because the story ignored what knowledge he might have gained aside from human transmutation doesn't mean he didn't get a fair deal for giving his body.

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

I've always been skeptical of this "Al got closer to the Truth because it took more from him" idea. Namely because it's clearly not true. Al doesn't know any more than Ed about alchemy, and wasn't even able to transmute without a circle until the death of the snake chimera chick.

The show has been vague about the amount of knowledge anyone who has seen the Truth has compared to other alchemists. All what we know is that when Al remembered what happened, he didn't get anything new on human transmutation.

He did have the knowledge on how to use circle-less transmutation, it was the shock of the experience that made him forget it.

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

And there are events later in the manga that suggest that any rules go right out the window whenever Truth is involved, that I will not get into for spoiler reasons.

The law of Equivalent Exchange still applies. It is just that as the reader, we don’t know how much knowledge alchemist gains.

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

There is also one other thing - if it wasn't for Ed, Al wouldn't have done that. Granted they did it together and all, Ed was the oldest and he led Al. He holds more blame.

Just because Ed came up with the idea, doesn't mean Al couldn't protest. Both of them were studying rigorously dozens of books, have found a teacher and expressed no objection along the way. Both of them share the same amount of blame.

Originally Posted by Vlyse

Besides, Hohenheim couldn't restore Izumi's organs because her loss symbolizes her sin.

What Hohenheim said could mean that:

-He can't recreate the organs she lost because the original ones are with the Truth

-He won't risk paying the fee to get them back

Originally Posted by Vlyse

Ed's limbs aren't any different.

So what makes Al different from them then? The loss of his body signifies his sin as well.

Originally Posted by Vlyse

However it's been revealed through episode 20 and 26 that Al can in fact get his body back. I haven't seen any evidence that Ed will be able restore what he lost.

I mentioned it before, and K_Babyy pointed it out again about what the Truth said in episode 26.

[GaimeGuy]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

I took that as Truth just teasing and playing with him. Like "You want them? Well you can't have them!"

Well, he was teasing him. But Ed paid the toll with some of envy's souls to get back to the "real world," not to get his limbs back. So truth was saying "Oh, hi Ed, remember these? I know you want them back. What, you're not here to get them? Awww, sucks for you!"

[Guido]

I went through some unpleasant incident that left me with bitterness and quite upset, fortunately, watching Al interacting with his father in this episode made me to regain my cool, and here I am again with a happy face.

Spoiler:

The revisit to Lior enjoyed the most soothing scenes for this episode. I'm glad to see that Rose and the rest of the Lior folks are back to business, rebuilding their homes after all that crazy bloodshed and madness that Central put them through.

I can see that Hohenheim becomes a more dependable and reliable character by the minut, but more than that, Hohenheim is firmly added to the main cast.

Hohenheim sees through Alphonse determination after putting his son to test, and there's no reason for him to doubt that Ed lacks determination as well; their whole family is connected all together.

Al now knows and digests Hohenheim's past and his background related to Father.

And the more Central is featured onscreen, the more I grow disgust with those old, insane warhawks.

Spoiler:

That endless stock of weird dolls stored in their secret basements are nothing but the next stage of abominations, product of their unbound ambitions but perversed lusts for power.

The trick that those "things" in there have to work with would be by infusing human souls of the deceased nations they have crushed for the sake of Amestris growth, a.k.a. Father's fruit of his life.

Indeed, the promised day is coming...

The highlight of the episode turned out to be with Greed regaining back his lost memories.

Spoiler:

Memories are just not a bunch of data that can be erased or wiped clean when Father deems that anything below him is trash or insignificant to allow its existence.

Lin throw reason literally at Greed's spirit for killing a friend (Bido) connected through him by soul. Bido, indeed, contributed to make Greed's previous memories to start overflowing, even if it unintentionally at the cost of his own life.

So, we have old Greed back and badass than before, and he isn't feeling quite happy that Wrath, a.k.a. King Bradley, destroy his possessions.

[White Manju Bun]

FYI Epi 45 thread will be late as I forgot to make it before I went to work and I can't make it via my phone. Expect it later today.