I'll me start with what I liked. The episode itself was very well made, with the animation being good and the music placement better than before (like
Endless Twilight pointed out, the transition to the ending was well done) I already saw that the staff were in full gear the moment that the final arc started, and this episode proved that again for the most part. Individual parts that I liked from the episode were the Sloth vs. Oliver, which was great to watch, and seeing Major Armstrong in action again also was also nice. Kimblee coming back to the fray was also good, & I found the eye catch with the Mannequin Soldiers mimicking
the three wise monkeys to be somewhat funny. May fighting against the Mannequin's was also very nicely choreographed and the best animated segment of the episode, along with Envy's revival (his ''YATTA'' was so cute, it's a crime ^_^) I still don't like the fact that May had to be an idiot for this to happen, but seeing him again was great so I guess it evens out.
Of course, the ones who really stole the episode were Heinkel and Al. When you see Al dragging his kitty Heinkel's bloodied body trying to run away while his own body was falling apart, I could see how desperate and extreme their situation had become, and The speech that Lion King gave to the young cub to convince him to use the philosopher stone, while I found it a bit controversial, especially since the reason he gave amounts to ''the ends justify the means''
(yes yes, Ed also used it to get out of Gluttony's stomach, and Al is using it for the sake of the world not himself, but still, after all of the negative stigma the stone and it's usage were given, it is hard not to frown at the brothers using it. or maybe that is the entire point) it was very heartfelt and really got the point across. And of course, the cliff-hanger was very badass, and it helped that they used it to transition to the ending (I say that it made it even better than the manga.) It also helps that his eye catch is also that awesome.
Now what I really had a problem with was the OP and ED. Both songs are good, but they are lacking in different areas.
I'm not sure what the visuals of the ending are meant to imply. It looked at the start to be a review about Hohenheim life, but then it shifts to things from his point of view, and then something else. It looked really choppy, like they just added pic's that are remotely related to each other and passed on as an ending. Compared to the first two endings, this one is very disappointing.
The opening on the other hand is very nicely put together. It is very mellow and sad, and the sequence of events is really intriguing. And I would have loved it had it been the ending. Seriously, we are at the end of the show here, shit is about to hit the fan from all directions, everyone is fighting, only the strong will survive, and every time the episode opens up will not be with a song to get everyone pumped up, but one that is mellow and sad. I mean really. Even Wrath was crying in there!
Also, why are the Brotherhood staff so against having Al do anything but be an empty suit in the opening? I don't like to compare the first series with the new one, but in that he at least done something cool in the openings.
But aside from that, I really liked the part where the homonculus were all shown in the sea of red souls and then we see the --- projected in the eye.
(I also found it a bit funny how they replaced Greed with Kimblee
)
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