{"id":2721,"date":"2013-08-09T08:00:57","date_gmt":"2013-08-09T15:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=2721"},"modified":"2013-11-22T16:43:43","modified_gmt":"2013-11-23T00:43:43","slug":"mark-watches-fullmetal-alchemist-brotherhood-episode-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2013\/08\/mark-watches-fullmetal-alchemist-brotherhood-episode-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’: Episode 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twelfth episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood<\/i>, Edward and Al reunite with their old alchemist teacher, only to discover that she’s been harboring a secret of her own. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch FMA:B<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Well, my own emotional stability couldn’t last whilst watching this show, could it?<\/p>\n

\n
That was sad.<\/li>\n
Really sad.<\/li>\n
Bone-crushingly sad.<\/li>\n
In a sense, I think that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood<\/i> deals with people either confronting or perpetuating the unfairness in the world. It’s not fair that Edward and Al’s father abandoned them (and is apparently still alive doing something???), nor is it fair that their mother died suddenly while they were still children. It’s not fair that Winry lost her own parents in the Ishval Civil War. It’s not fair that Izumi lost her child, either. On the other end of the spectrum, we’re learning just how horrific the Ishval Civil War was, and I’m sure it’s one of the primary reasons that Izumi was furious at the Elric brothers for becoming an alchemist for the State Military. I do suspect it’s also related to her beliefs about the precious nature of the circle of energy, too, though I’ll bring that back up later.<\/li>\n
“One is All, All is One” also confirms the identity of the VERY SERIOUS MAN I keep seeing in the opening credits: Hohenheim, who is the Elric brothers’ father. I’m fascinated by the idea that both father and<\/i> sons are pursuing information and knowledge about the Philosopher’s Stone, but what I don’t know yet is why<\/i> Hohenheim would abandon his sons to seek this information out. That seems\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, unbearably cruel, and I can’t imagine any sort of justification he could give that would make his sons feel better. Why the “lifelong” obsession with the Stone anyway?<\/li>\n
Well, now I understand that weird look Sig gave Izumi when Edward and Al were talking about the Rush Valley birth. Oh, my heart<\/i>, y’all.<\/li>\n
I loved the flashback that explained how Izumi crossed paths with the Elrics. She’s got such an intriguing characterization because she’s abrasive on the outside, and it’s something she wears proudly. But when we see her all those years ago, she’s offering her help to save an entire town from a flood<\/i>. When does she agree to help the Elrics? After she learns that they’re orphans. Just because she’s frank and violent doesn’t mean she is without empathy. Plus, I see a great deal of the violence in this show as played for laughs, such as when Izumi uses alchemy to make a literal fist out of the earth<\/i>. I look to the animation for cues on whether or not to view something as a comedic moment or a serious one.<\/li>\n
Her style of teaching is just as harsh as her attitude, though leaving kids<\/i> on an island for a month<\/i> seems unnecessarily ridiculous, personally. It’s for a purpose, though. She wants Edward and Al to appreciate the way nature and energy are interconnected on a grand, cosmic scale. I don’t know if the Japanese sub of this is as literal as the English dub is, but I felt that Edward’s monologue about what Izumi was trying to teach them was heavy handed and clumsy. It’s so<\/i> direct that it leaves nothing to the imagination. I liked the idea<\/i> of it, though, because Izumi was trying to impart the essence of alchemy onto these kids.<\/li>\n
And amidst this neat little bit of character\/world building, the writers drop a massive revelation: Izumi once said told Edward that he might understand transmutation without a transmutation circle if he ever encountered “the truth.”<\/li>\n
WHICH IS A VERY SPECIFIC PHRASE<\/li>\n
AND MUST BE A VERY SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO THE GATE<\/li>\n
WHICH MEANS<\/li>\n
ARE YOU<\/li>\n
ARE YOU SERIOUS<\/li>\n
oh my god this episode is serious<\/li>\n
oh my god my heart is shattering<\/i>.<\/li>\n
Izumi tried human transmutation on her stillborn child and LOST PARTS OF HER INTERNAL ORGANS IN THE PROCESS.<\/li>\n
I am so fucking done with this show.<\/li>\n
Ugh, I can’t even say that because there are 52 more episodes. 52!!! How are there still so many??? That terrifies me because that implies I haven’t even gotten started<\/i> at all. DAMN IT, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?<\/li>\n
Still, this episode ended on a somber note, one where Izumi held these children, these poor, damaged children, and told them that it was okay to hurt. It evoked that moment in “Miracle at Rush Valley” where Winry said that Ed and Al never allowed themselves to cry. It’s significant that Izumi, who has been consumed by anger and sadness, is the one to tell these brothers that it’s perfectly fine to let go sometimes.<\/li>\n
Ugh, this show<\/i>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The video commission for this episode is now archived in my store for just $0.99! You can purchase the entire show at once for only $49.99 for 64 videos!<\/a><\/p>\n
Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n
– I have redesigned MarkDoesStuff.com<\/a>! Check out this post explaining the new changes<\/a>, which includes the start of a permanent archive of all Mark Watches videos<\/a>!
\n– The Mark Does Stuff Summer Tour is happening soon! Check out the posted dates, suggest new ones, help bring me to YOUR TOWN<\/a>.
\n– I have been nominated for a Hugo in the Fan Writer category! If you’d like more information or to direct friends\/family to vote for me, I have a very informational post about what I do that you can pass along and link folks to<\/a>!
\n-\u00c2\u00a0 Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows<\/i><\/b>\u00c2\u00a0is now published and available for purchase!<\/b><\/a>\u00c2\u00a0It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s available in ebook AND physical book format, and you can also get a discount for buying the ENTIRE SET of digital books: $25 for 7 BOOKS!!!<\/b>
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0<\/b>Video commissions are open, and you can commission a Mark Reads\/Watches video for just $25!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the twelfth episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Edward and Al reunite with their old alchemist teacher, only to discover that she’s been harboring a secret of her own. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch FMA:B.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[554],"tags":[430,555],"class_list":["post-2721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fullmetal-alchemist-brotherhood","tag-emotional-devastation-at-the-last-second","tag-mark-watches-fmab"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2721"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2721\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}