well, he did stipulate "why didnt you find some other solution to your alchemy" And considering he was able to be just as effective with the striker of a lighter, why he never had that as a fall back is baffling.
@@eddiewalter6003he couldn’t just use the striker of a lighter. In both instances he had a transmutation circle. When he incinerated lust with havoc he still had the circle on his hand, he just couldn’t generate a spark himself cause of the water, so he used regular alchemy and used the lighter to make the hydrogen explode. The second time he used the lighter, it’s stated clearly he carved a transmutation circle in his hand to be able to do it.
@sophiadebar382 and he's got transmutation circles on his gloves. The issue isn't the circle, the issue is the wet gloves render him completely inert, when there's plenty of ways to generate the spark without the gloves.
This just kinda shows Dannys lack of actually paying attention. Dude is here saying clap alchemy is a simple thing to learn and yet its been established and stated over 20 times its only when you see the Truth. Danny just does not pay attention.
Also like, Greed took out the soldiers in that long staircase/tunnel. Danny even cracked a joke about if he ever saw someone shrug off a shot from a bazooka (which Greed did), he'd just nope the fuck out, he wouldn't try to go for a shotgun x3
Eds absolute HORROR in seeing his arm again, the arm that this whole journey has been for, knowing that the only reason it is back is from the sacrifice from the only person keeping him going in life, the person he lost everything trying to save. It is just such good irony, absolutely tragic, I love it.
Kimblee is all about owning your point of view. He respects people who stick by their beliefs no matter the consequences, since this shows your devotion to those beliefs. Pride was willing to sacrifice his pride, which Kimblee found repugnant.
@@user-ut5nx6hm9dExactly. It’s why he said during the war “Don’t you dare forget the faces of the people you’ve hurt, because I promise, they won’t ever forget you.”
Kimblee's whole deal is that he is 100% honest and true to himself and only respects those who are as well. The guy is a pure nihilist in the worst sense but he does have his own sort of twisted principles and chief among them is to always be true to yourself and never deny who you are or what you've done. To quote the man himself, "The one thing worse than death is to avert your eyes from it." The second Pride chose to lower himself by fleeing into a human to avoid death instead of facing it head on Kimblee was immediately like "Welp, that's my cue."
You said that brilliantly! It's the reason why I like Kimblee, he's so loyal to his ideals that he'd rather help his enemies than allow his allies to be hypocrites. He is a madman, but his madness is set in stone, carved by his own hands.
I'm pretty sure Kimblee transcends nihilism and enters Absurdism. "Nothing matters, so I'm going to arbitrarily enforce my principles on situations" is essentially the same as "One must imagine Sisyphus happy"
Mustang's blindness is actually related to his vision for Amestris. When one comitts human transmutation an "equal price" is taken, but since there's no actual physical equivilant price for a human soul the thing taken is something important to the one who did the deed. Izumi lost her womb, I think, it could have also been her uterus, because she tried to resurrect her kid. Ed lost his leg and Al lost his body, which im not entirely sure how that relates; side note: Al's soul was only retrieved for the armor because Ed gave up his arm. Finally, Mustang lost his sight because it meant he'd no longer be capable of 'seeing' the future he imagined for Amestris.
Ed lost his leg because he thought he could be independent and “stand by himself” using alchemy to reverse Trisha’s death. His arm was probably taken as an attempt to help Alphonse back from the brink, that is “to reach out his arm to Al”. Finally, Al misses his mom and wishes to feel his mother’s warmth. With his body gone he no longer feels anything.
It's ironic for a show called Brotherhood, but the 2003 anime was way more frequent about making parallels between Edward and Alphonse's relationships, and that of other brothers (Scar bros, Slicer brothers, Tringhams). Also the nature of the Elric brothers' quest; in the early episodes there were a lot of minor antagonists claiming that they and Ed were not so different in what they had done/were doing/their ultimate goal, just like when Tucker claimed that they were the same. Whether you agreed with them or not, making such comparisons forces you to confront the humanity of your opponent, and the fact that you're both just doing what you think is right and neither of you are without sin.
Fun fact! Ed’s “get up you novice, I’ll show you how outclassed you really are” is a bookend/reference earlier in the series! It’s what he said to Cornello in episode 1
Such a small detail I love about the show that shows Mustang and Hawkeyes relationship if that Mustang has Hawkeye to be his eyes, meanwhile Hawkeye aims Mustang like a gun mirroring how he chooses not to be a tool for war but now a tool for the people he cares for. I especially love the fact that as soon as Mustang has his vision sacrificed and can use clap alchemy he immediately uses it to protect Hawkeye and others.
Exactly. I also just love how as soon as he loses his eyes he literally leans on Hawkeye to be his literal eyes and she just nods like it's to be expected? I mean it would be for them but I love the way they interact. He trusts her more than anybody and she knows that and is there for him. And he's there for her. Literally my favorite couple in this show. And I love ed and winry.
What i love is Mustang's blindness not only calls out his "vision to change his country" but also it calls back to Lust and her dying words- saying "I look forward to the day those eyes are filled with agony".
Kimblee hates hypocrisy. That’s like his whole thing. It’s the reason he genuinely has respect for Winry’s parents. They didn’t run from their job and stood their ground helping people til the very end. He saw Pride being a Hypocrite and said “Boy ain’t no way boy” and fucked his shit up. Edit: Ed saying “Get up you novice!” Is a throwback to when he fought the Priest in Leore. He said the exact same line. This one hits more when you realize that both times he said it, He was genuinely fighting someone who didn’t know anything about alchemy genuinely. It’s gonna be illustrated with father in the upcoming episodes but Ed wasn’t wrong when he called him a novice Edit again: People have already said it but Mustang’s vision being taken is a play on how he won’t be able to see the future he’s spent years trying to create for Amestris. Every one of their tolls is ironic just like every Sin’s death is ironic. Ed lost his leg because he wanted to stand in the face of what he knew was impossible and deny it, Al lost his entire body not only because he just went along with Ed’s plan knowing it was wrong (like he had no agency” but also because his main reason for doing it was because he wanted to feel his mother’s warmth again. They took away his ability to feel. Izumi tried bringing her child back to life and because of that she was punished to never be able to have children again (Tho she did end up with two very talented sons). Van’s was a long game when it came to his punishment but if you remember the one thing he ever mentioned wanting in life before everything happened to him was to have a family. Him being immortal made it almost impossible and he had to watch the people he loved grow and die. Father’s is super ironic because all he wanted was to be free but in his quest for “freedom” he isolated himself and never really left his container. With the Sins: Lust was killed by a man who in every Capacity was seen as a pervert and a ladies man. Sloth was killed by someone who’s ridiculously hard working, Gluttony was eaten, Pride was Humbled, Envy took his own life because he was called out on it, Wrath died peacefully. And Greed? Well lets just say that he’s actually the most selfless. I love this show and it’s themes so much.
Also for all that Mustang is *seen* as lustful, most of that is a smokescreen for his clandestine operations. Most of the ladies he talks to are 1) Riza or 2) Connected to Madame Christmas (aka his aunt's agents). Lust was killed over the deep personal connection Mustang had to both Havoc and Hues, possibly in the least sexy way possible. And Sloth died from overwork.
@@Treegonaexactly! Lust, was killed by a man who genuinely loved with everything he had. That’s why her death is ironic. He also kills her because he believes she’s responsible for the death of someone he deeply and truly cared about ( you could argue that Hughes companionship was the only reason Mustang didn’t die in the war) AND she was currently actively trying to kill the OTHER person he loved( Riza was the only reason he was alive after the war, they even had a suicide pact.) Lust, a character who feigned affection for malicious intent, was killed for love.
It is also at least implied that Sloth just gave up mid fight cause he found keep going to be too much of a bother. So he also died out of laziness to keep fightint.
@matheusm.santana6527 A bit late, but the ither irony is Sloth was killed by people who gave their all when fighting. Olivier, Alex, Izumi, and Sig would never back down from him without trying their hardest.
I feel like it's worth adding that the things lost by the Human Transmuters were given back to them because of their human connections in one way or another because that's literally the entire message of the story Izumi couldn't give birth anymore but found two children who became hers anyway, Al was given a temporary body by his brothers sacrifice and eventually got the real one back, Ed was able to stand again because of Winry's work, Mustang's sight was healed by an ally he personally had never met but who had a connection to him through this ragtag network of people fighting for their country, and Hoenheim got to have a family - even if he missed his wife's death and all but the early years of his sons lives, they're still his family and he dies hearing Ed call him as such. His boys and all the country will get to go on living after he has finally been laid to rest after all these years. It really does all line up so well to spit in the face of the antagonists assertions about what they believe to be the 'truth' of humanity and its GREAT and not enough people talk about it
Kimblee hates hypocrites. Pride, who was so proud of being a humunculous, was willing to throw that pride away to become part human to survive (by taking Ed's body). Kimblee couldn't stand that. In comparison, Ed accepted that injuries like the gut injury he got up north while fighting Kimblee are things he has to accept in order to follow through with his policy to never kill despite joining the military. Kimblee didn't agree with Ed's thinking, but he did respect it because Ed put his actions where his mouth was. Pride was never at risk of dying to Ed because Ed was never going to kill him and Kimblee understood that.
THE HAMMER OF GOD STRUCK BRADLEY DOWN. The eclipse shining at the last moment to blind him was so symbolic as the eclipse symbolised the entrance to god and Bradley mocked the ishvalans for saying god would strike him down instead of them doing it themselves
And whats even more poetic is its not like bradley was truck by lightning or something, he was momentarily blinded by an act of god, which gave an ishvallan the ability to strike bradley down himself, so at the end of the day it was them acting in accordance with their god that defeated him, not their god saving them without them doing anything themselves
@@5001FergiesWhich is also what Bradley said, if you want to strike me down use you own hands not Gods. Fmab is so good on a rewatch with all the forshadowing
Oh just as a recommendation, u need to watch the dub bloopers, they are hilarious and I think u would really enjoy them! Edit: side-note, clap alchemy is only possible for those who go through the portal. Roy only just went through the portal… probably less than thirty minutes ago. Other side-note, how Roys alchemy works, from my understanding, the transmutation circle on his gloves controls fire, but he has to create a spark first, hence the gloves and why he snaps. If his gloves are wet, it doesn’t matter if he can clap alchemy or not. He needs a spark or some type of flame to get his alchemy going.
Sloth vs Armstrong is one of my favourite battles in the entire series because it is a redemption for him as well. If you remember back in the war of Ishval, Armstrong expressed regret at not having done more to try and stop the war (it’s also why Olivier disrespected him so much, because he refused to fight). Sloth, as a sin, represents so many things - laziness, yes, but also wasted potential and inaction. By refusing to fight for what he believed in, Armstrong was slothful and it is clearly guilt he carries on to this day (remember, he tells Mustang that he cannot withdraw from the fight because of what he let slide in Ishval). It’s a theme I think is overlooked a lot, and maybe this is just my own interpretation of the conflict, but every aspect of this show is so rich in detail that I can’t imagine it’s a coincidence by any means
Also to give the nod to Sig Curtis (since he helped and that is important); there is a scene earlier on when Sig meets the brothers at the train station in Dublith to convince the brothers to talk to Izumi again. Sadly it is cut from the anime but during that scene in the manga he expresses how much he regrets not being there for Izumi after their child was lost, how he never realized how deep her despair was and if he had and had done something she might not have ever gone through with the Human Transmutation. So for him to Sloth kind of represents his greatest regret and it is fitting that he gives Armstrong the assist
I think I love this anime due just the immense amounts of tragic irony it contains, Envy and mustang, Ed and pride, Scar and Wrath, Greed's entire journey, The amount of people looking for the philosopher's stone for various reasons, Father and Hohenheim and there's so much more. Each character feels poignant and important, even those you expect to be background fillers like Maria Ross, Grumann, And even Sig (to a lesser extent) it's one of, if not the best written shows I've seen and it's quality you no longer expect from these types of shows. Nowadays I see shonen anime and roll my eyes because I expect it to be power-fantasy nonsense I'll watch half way through and give up because it's either shit or takes way too long to get to the point but shows like FMA and a few others honestly restore my faith in the genre.
I always assumed Ling had his eyes closed because he could sense people’s presence but Greed couldn’t do that so he had them open when he was in control.
22:29 Danny… you are 62 episodes in and you still don’t understand that they get clap alchemy from going through the portal of truth… the show has stated this like 20 times that you can only learn clap alchemy by going through the portal of truth
@@yousmellofhorseA specific drawn circle in theory should have a limited number of different uses. Like a circle to control fire shouldn't also work for creating walls. Armstrong's circles work mainly with ground/concrete, Kimblee's ones do explosions... Seeing the truth makes you become the "matrix" of the circle instead, theoretically allowing more freedom.
@@yousmellofhorse The circles on Mustang's gloves are even better than Kimblee's on that regard, because they do not even need clapping to be activated. Mustang just wears the gloves and then can control the mix of oxygen in the air whenever he wants. On the other hand, that circle *only* controls the air mix: to start the fire, the spark isn't provided by alchemy, but by physics: the glove is made of a special tissue which makes sparks when rubbed. Maybe the 2003 version was more clear about the special tissue detail.
Mustang can do instant clap alchemy because he went through the Door of Truth, which is why Azumi, Ed and Al can do the can do it. So he lost his sight but gained the ability to do quick shit.
The writing on this show is so incredible that I completely understand why it had held onto it's spot as number one anime for so long. Applause to the writer. Also: note for the clap alchemy. That is completely reserved for those who go through the portal. He couldn't use it before because he hadn't committed the sin.
The cool thing about releasing the souls is that their return to their bodies has been foreshadowed. Al randomly turning off and Barry the Chopper's body finding the plate with his soul bound to it were to show that the soul and body are always trying to find one another. 10/10
As somebody who also doesn't finish series because I don't want them to end. Rewatching or rereading isn't the same because you know how it ends. It doesn't give the same feeling
danny is like the funniest person also "who knew father's final form was daddy" 🤣 and danny calling on bradley for best man is pure gold not greed calling father "daddy" too
10:30 well...for Truth a disability isn't worse than another, and at least, truth did go easy on him because he was forced to do it, if he decided to do it by himself, he would've lost his eyes, not only his eyesight
I mean I feel like even his eyes would be pretty lenient. Mustang's transmutation was a countries worth of souls to materialize a godlike being. Al lost his whole damn self and his brother's leg for trying to transmute a bunch of chemistry supplies into his mommy, and he only got to keep his soul because his brother gave his arm to put it in a tin can. Truth was real nice about the fact Mustang was obviously not really the one doing anything super wrong there, or getting anything out of that.
@@Lanoira13 well...I don't think that for Truth, a part of a body, or even the entire body no matter the person, worth more than another. As for Mustang, an important part about how "kind" (as much as truth can be) Truth was, is that Mustang can recover his eyesight, even if it needs a philosopher stone. While we know that even Hohenheim, a walking philosopher stone couldn't give back the organs that truth took from Izumi
Since I don't think that you'll be watching the OVAs, I have something to say about Mustang and his blindness, but spoilers ahead: It is pretty much agreed upon in the fandom that Mustang got off easy with his blindness. In the first OVA, we meet a character that has performed human transmutation, who's also blind. But the guy literally had his eyes ripped out of his skull. So Truth let Mustang off "easy" (at least kinda) because it knew that he didn't do the transmutation willingly.
@@V1G4M1 I love them, too, especially the one with Mustang and Hughes during their military academy time. But sadly, most reaction youtuber don't really go beyond the bloopers for fma
Greeling did two things in the war so far. 1) blinded one of Bradley's eyes, contributing to weakening him (together with Buccaneer impaling him with a sword and a Briggs soldier hitting him in a shoulder with a rifle). And 2) protected the main gate to help Briggs soldiers (killing a good number of Amestrian militaries who had no idea they were fighting for the bad guys, in the process).
Still, it's hard to understand how Scar managed to keep up with Bradley. Okay, he survived mostly because Wrath was already injured and a bit of luck... But still, you can't just defend from a sword with your bare hands for many minutes, can you? (Yes, he's seen blocking a couple of attacks by exploding the opponent's swords or arms, but how did he manage to block or evade all the others? Maybe by creating some walls with his left arm, but still...)
Ed turned part of his life into a philosopher's stone back in the North when he got hurt after a fight with Kimblee (he had a metal pipe pierced through its body and used the tecnique to stop the bleading with the help of the chimeras). That's the same he did with Selim.
Kimblee stepped in with Pride because he lost his PRIDE as a homunculus. He said it himself. The moment he was starting to lose he tried to take over a human body. He lost his pride as a homunculus when he got scared of losing. So Kimblee stepped in and stopped it from happening
The reason Mustang never learned clap alchemy before is because you need to see the "truth" before you can do so. It's the reason that only Ed, Al, and Izumi were using it, Mustang only got the ability to use it after becoming blind
Never clicked a video faster, tbh. I'm really glad you liked this show (It's my second favorite of all anime, following One Piece). The bloopers for FMAB are hilarious and you will have such a fun time watching them, even if you don't post a reaction to it
The thing I love about Kimblee is that he genuinely only respects people who stick to their philosophical guns. Like he wasn't bullshitting about respecting the Rockbells; he would have absolutely killed them because it was his job and also he gets off on it, but at the same time he 100% respected that they had the balls to treat anyone and everyone they could despite being in the middle of a hellish warzone. Same goes with Edward in this case. Ed stood by his guns, refused to kill anyone throughout this entire show. That doesn't mean Kimblee would hold back against him or spare him if killing Edward was something he needed/wanted to do, but Ed's stubborn determination and philosophical consistency means that he stands head and shoulders above someone like Pride in Kimblee's estimation.
Actually, that Batman bit kinda did happen. In Batman the Animated Series there's an episode called "The Man who Killed Batman" that's about this mook who accidentally kills Batman who's trying to save him on a rainy day. It's a pretty funny episode from what I remember, would recommend.
the fact that danny hasn't clicked that the clap alchemy is only possible once you've seen the gate of truth despite being told like 3 times in the series is funny af. Also! it doesn't have to end, you can watch the 2004 series in its entirety. It diverges into a completely different story after maes hughes' death like...so vastly different its not even a joke to say its almost a different anime. Like Dante straight up doesn't exist in brotherhood
Not really, that would only make sense if he had willingly done it in pursuit of becoming Fuhrer. His Blindness is due to his vision for the future, but specifically a corruption of the exchange that is supposed to happen.
I honestly like this analysis so much more than the "hE wAnTeD tO sEe AmEsTrIs-" reading. Like... His vision doesn't actually impact him "seeing" the future of the country. It's not like his goal was for the country to VISUALLY change that much, he just wanted a change of leadership and direction and political power. He can still see that, and he can even still usher that in as the country's leader. He can have friends read him newspapers and reports, he can have someone read and write on his behalf at work, he can enjoy the changes he/they'll bring to the new government. His vision doesn't really impact him appreciating the fulfillment of his "vision". If anything, he won't have to visually see the horrific damage done to people during his coup as he had to with his past mistakes. But it makes sense for him to be blinded because he started a fight he had a snowball's chance in hell of winning, lead by his ambition and drive, not caring about the consequences. This especially tracks because, as Danny said, Mustang didn't CHOOSE to do the transmutation, it was forced upon him due to the fact he charged head first into a bad situation for his ideals and ambition. It doesn't make sense for him to make some punny sacrifice of something that matters to him, because he didn't WANT anything and didn't GET anything out of the forced transmutation. It makes sense for it to be a consequence of his haughtiness and bravery inflicted upon him, just like the transmutation was.
@@Lanoira13 I can understand your point, and to be honest, it's extremely well thought, but truth only takes metaphorically something from the alchemist, depending on what they value the most. And because it was Mustang's wish to see how Amestris will be changed once he'll be furher, truth took his ability to see as a metaphor. And yes, Mustang didn't chose, but the transmutation still wasn't equivalent, so truth had to make Mustang pay a toll in order to have an equivalent exchange. Besides, truth still went easy, taking only his eyesight and not his eyes (there's a canon story about an alchemist that lost his eyes) and when Mustang was in the other side of the door, unlike with the other, Truth didn't scolded him for being arrogant, because they knew Mustang didn't do it on purpose
Not sure if this is mentioned here already but, 18:33 Greed did contribute. Remember he took out Bradley's Ultimate Eye after Bradley was mortally wounded? Bradley might have seen through all of Scar's movements if he still had his Ultimate Eye and we might have a dead Scar instead.
The combination of the eclipse transmutation circle reveal + the song only playing as everyone gets their souls returned is like one of my favorite combos my emotions go all over the place 😭😭
Well part of it is credit to Ling who saved Fu from the initial attempt on his life so he had the chance to make that last attempt that gave Bucaneer his opening. But Greed at least helped Ling reverse Bradley the other army in defense of the gate after that. He also got Bradley's eye and pushed him off the building since the rest of them weren't in any shape to continue fighting him there.
I mean, regarding the moon's shadow and the alchemy circle created because of it, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a while, but it's not really "convenient", is it? Hasn't Hohenheim been researching and trying all this time to figure out a way to counter Father's plan? Father used the eclipse, why wouldn't Hohenheim be able to?
Well, Hohenheim had to make very accurate computations where he can put the alchemy points. aka, where the shadow of the moon would cast exactly on the ground to be able to use it. He mentioned in the anime that he did countless calculations for that alchemy. Because you cannot just guess where that particular shadow will cast or the "points" will be useless. So its actually not convenient at all (in a sense that its not easy to just use the moon shadow as a circle, not in a sense that if he can use that, i can use it too) Also, Father used the circle made by sloth as a circle, the civil wars as alchemy points, he only used the eclipse as like the most appropriate time to activate the circle, this is related to the start of the episode when ed and al was reading the book about sun and moon is the perfect being.
22:27 Mustang couldnt use clap alchemy before he lost his sight. He needed a transmutation circle to do it. The sacrifice of his eyes also gave him the same abilities as Edward, transmutation without a circle. He never would have gotten access to it intentionally.
Full Metal Alchemist and Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood are hands down some of the best anime series. I've so enjoyed watching you get to experience them for the first time!
Danny I mean this with my whole heart - watching you react to this series is one of the only things that has kept me powering through the last few months. Every time I finish watching a video my stomach hurts from laughing. I sometimes forget the feeling of smiling until I click on one of your videos. Thank you for being so amazing. Seriously can't wait to see which series you're going to tackle next!
you can *SEE* the moment Danny's eyes light up and he realises the 'here comes the sun' joke also surprised he had nothing to say when Greed called Father Daddy. best quote to use out of context "Definitely step on this baby". I was gonna mention the clap alchemy thing but I see others have beat me to it, Very funny how you go to check which arm Ed got back and you get it right but because you flipped the video it looks like you check and got it wrong anyways, also definitely watch the bloopers when you're done, it's a short funny thing that'll make great tiktok content if you cut around the spoilers
Ok, I just have one point, the claping transmutation is what only people who have opened a gate can use. So Mustang literally COULDN'T use it before. They explain that waaaay back when Ed and Al run into their teacher again for the first time and she sees him use it.😅. Its also why Al can use it, but didn't realize he could until later. Edit for clarity
love the reactions! super fun to watch someone go through this for the first time. Quick thing though, Mustang couldn't learn 'clap alchemy' because it's not something teachable. It's a benefit of having opened the gate and seen the Truth.
20:23 There's a Batman the Animated Series episode about exactly that. 😂 A random guy gets all the credit for killing Batman, but has a huge target on his back due to all the villains who wanted to do it themselves.
22:28 - Mustang is only using "clap alchemy" NOW because only those who have seen the truth (Ed, Izumi, etc.) can use it! He does probably know the basics of standard circle-drawing alchemy but he specialized: just as Armstrong put circles on his brass knuckles so he can punch rocks at people, Mustang drew the circles on his gloves so he can snap fire.
Agreed. Since alchemy circles take so long to draw they need to be already be drawn/carved into something else to have any reasonable use in combat (i.e., Mustang's gloves, Armstrong's brass knuckles, Kimblee's palms, etc.)
20:22 Danny, you’re describing an actual real episode of Batman the Animated Series. Wimpy dork kills him on a fluke and is suddenly the most well-known man in all of Gotham, by the other Rogues, that is. You can imagine how that would be a problem for him.
Remember when Ed walked past Ling's Greed in the hall or whatever and made a statement about how there are lots of kinds of greed. It's knowing how to stop when you have what you want, which is what both First-Greed and Ling understood and I think why Ling was so perfect to take it on. Both really cared about the people around them because their greed manifested in a deep desire for companionship. Neither Ling nor the first Greed wanted their companions anywhere near a *really bad* situation, because those people weren't shields, they were what they actually wanted. I always kinda felt like Greed in both forms was one of the more emotionally mature characters in the whole thing, and over time Ling, again this non-magic dude, eventually made the entity as a whole recognize that. There were a few moments where Greed/Ling opened one eye talk real-talk at Edward. It's not necessarily an atypical anime face for that kind of thing, but I like to think that because Ling canonically lives with his eyes closed and Greed with his eyes open, it was meant to be framed as a moment where they spoke to Ed in agreement.
Mustang couldn't use the clap alchemy before because that's knowledge you gain when you pay the price of transmutation. Izumi kind of explains it early on when Al and Ed go visit her for the first time. That's one of the reasons she realized they had done it. Remember they had to get Al to remember what happened in order to use the clap method.
Circumventing drawing a circle for transmutation by clapping is only possible after going through the portal (human transmutation). That's why Izumi knew Ed and Al screwed up after their fight, why Al could only do it after getting his memories back from the gate and why Mustang is only able to do it now.
It has been very well stabilished that you can learn clap-alchemy ONLY AND EXCLUSIVELY by going thru the gate and paying a price. So mustang can only do it now that he lost his vision as "payment".
Now that I think about it, Ling actually made more of an impact than Greed did during this final battle… if you count the fight with Pride and Gluttony the night before.
Just so you know, Danny (I don´t know if someone else has already explianed it) the clap thing when doing alchmist only happens when you made the human transmutation and pass through the Door. So, Mustang loss his sight and now he can do the clap thing
1:55 That is technically what Hohenhein looked like when he was younger too (shows why I'm surprised that Ed and Al don't have any half-siblings from over thousands of years ago)!
Honestly? _Very_ surprised Danny didn't joke on that "He's turned himself into a Philosopher's Stone, and he's forcing his way inside me?! " line from Pride. Can't have jokes handed up on a silver platter like that, it'd be too easy!
This is honestly the best reaction series I've ever seen to this show. I just LOVE how hype you get about silly little things and especially your admiration for King Bradley.
Clap alchemy is something that you learn when you’ve seen truth. Also, the problem with wet mustang isn’t that he can’t transmute (his circles are still fine), it’s that his gloves can’t produce the sparks to ignite the flammable pockets of air that he creates with alchemy.
You should try the 2003 show! Not anywhere near the manga's story, but it explores some other really interesting plots. You could see it as an AU and the movie that concludes it is pretty sick. Also, it includes a couple story segments that weren't in Brotherhood but were in the manga.
Apparently lots of people didn't like it because the ending wasn't as happily-ever-after or whatever, but personally I think the lore behind the Homunculi and other plot points make way more sense and the ending is pretty cool. I really hope he'll watch and react to it!
From the manga it was said that clap alchemy is only open to those who have given up something to the gate of truth. So Mutange can only do it after losing his eyes as he gave them to the gate of truth. Also for Al's armour, I don't think they can/try to add other things onto him as his soul is attached to that one suit. I know Ed used to fix it by transmuting the thicker armour into thinner armour to patch up any damage since it's still the original suit. There is one line where Ed says to Al "Your armours getting pretty thin we need to be careful" or something like that. So if you gave Al a new hand from new material his soul wouldn't be bound to it so it would just be a metal arm.
Small correction. You get clap alchemy once you see Truth. So Mustang couldn't do it till this final fight.
well, he did stipulate "why didnt you find some other solution to your alchemy"
And considering he was able to be just as effective with the striker of a lighter, why he never had that as a fall back is baffling.
@@eddiewalter6003he couldn’t just use the striker of a lighter. In both instances he had a transmutation circle. When he incinerated lust with havoc he still had the circle on his hand, he just couldn’t generate a spark himself cause of the water, so he used regular alchemy and used the lighter to make the hydrogen explode. The second time he used the lighter, it’s stated clearly he carved a transmutation circle in his hand to be able to do it.
@sophiadebar382 and he's got transmutation circles on his gloves. The issue isn't the circle, the issue is the wet gloves render him completely inert, when there's plenty of ways to generate the spark without the gloves.
Now that I think about it, does this mean that after the series ends, he still has his clap Alchemy? Cause the guys pretty much unstoppable then
This just kinda shows Dannys lack of actually paying attention. Dude is here saying clap alchemy is a simple thing to learn and yet its been established and stated over 20 times its only when you see the Truth. Danny just does not pay attention.
If you're wondering: Greed/Ling did actually help against Bradley. After Buccaneer stabbed him, they clawed out his ultimate eye.
*Greeling
@@boomgirlbucko*Greedling
Also like, Greed took out the soldiers in that long staircase/tunnel. Danny even cracked a joke about if he ever saw someone shrug off a shot from a bazooka (which Greed did), he'd just nope the fuck out, he wouldn't try to go for a shotgun x3
If you wanna be really technical, I'd say that it wasn't Greed who took out the eye, it was Ling. Same with the soldiers on the stairs.
Eds absolute HORROR in seeing his arm again, the arm that this whole journey has been for, knowing that the only reason it is back is from the sacrifice from the only person keeping him going in life, the person he lost everything trying to save. It is just such good irony, absolutely tragic, I love it.
I screamed so hard and loud first time I saw that.its such a heart breaking yet amazing moment
Kimlee: "You're allowed to be evil but you at least gotta be consistent."
You can be evil, but you gotta be honest
Kimblee is all about owning your point of view. He respects people who stick by their beliefs no matter the consequences, since this shows your devotion to those beliefs. Pride was willing to sacrifice his pride, which Kimblee found repugnant.
@@theodorebricker7492 in other words the man despises moral hypocrisy.
@@user-ut5nx6hm9dExactly. It’s why he said during the war “Don’t you dare forget the faces of the people you’ve hurt, because I promise, they won’t ever forget you.”
Motherfucker became a rules lawyer
Kimblee's whole deal is that he is 100% honest and true to himself and only respects those who are as well. The guy is a pure nihilist in the worst sense but he does have his own sort of twisted principles and chief among them is to always be true to yourself and never deny who you are or what you've done. To quote the man himself, "The one thing worse than death is to avert your eyes from it." The second Pride chose to lower himself by fleeing into a human to avoid death instead of facing it head on Kimblee was immediately like "Welp, that's my cue."
You said that brilliantly! It's the reason why I like Kimblee, he's so loyal to his ideals that he'd rather help his enemies than allow his allies to be hypocrites. He is a madman, but his madness is set in stone, carved by his own hands.
And this is also why he respects Ed so much. He may have completely different ideas than Ed but he respects how dedicated to his ideas Edward is.
It’s also why he respected Winry’s parents even though he was going to kill them. They stuck to their principles as doctors to the very end.
Eloquently and accurately put
I'm pretty sure Kimblee transcends nihilism and enters Absurdism.
"Nothing matters, so I'm going to arbitrarily enforce my principles on situations" is essentially the same as "One must imagine Sisyphus happy"
Mustang's blindness is actually related to his vision for Amestris. When one comitts human transmutation an "equal price" is taken, but since there's no actual physical equivilant price for a human soul the thing taken is something important to the one who did the deed. Izumi lost her womb, I think, it could have also been her uterus, because she tried to resurrect her kid. Ed lost his leg and Al lost his body, which im not entirely sure how that relates; side note: Al's soul was only retrieved for the armor because Ed gave up his arm. Finally, Mustang lost his sight because it meant he'd no longer be capable of 'seeing' the future he imagined for Amestris.
Ed lost his leg because he thought he could be independent and “stand by himself” using alchemy to reverse Trisha’s death. His arm was probably taken as an attempt to help Alphonse back from the brink, that is “to reach out his arm to Al”. Finally, Al misses his mom and wishes to feel his mother’s warmth. With his body gone he no longer feels anything.
@@iantaakalla8180 Thanks for the clarification. Those certainly do make sense.
jsyk the womb and the uterus are the same thing
FYI, the 'womb' is just an archaic term for uterus. I guess technically wombs are pregnant uteri?
@@skryypt Ah....well then. Imma just head out. We now know who we shouldn't call when the situation calls for knowledge of female anatomy.
When u realize Ed seeing his arm return after Al sacrificed himself, is just like how Scar woke up to seeing his dead brothers arm on his body 💔
Oh gosh, I never made that connection before!
Hey, hey, Tae, *What The Fuck, Dude?*
It's ironic for a show called Brotherhood, but the 2003 anime was way more frequent about making parallels between Edward and Alphonse's relationships, and that of other brothers (Scar bros, Slicer brothers, Tringhams). Also the nature of the Elric brothers' quest; in the early episodes there were a lot of minor antagonists claiming that they and Ed were not so different in what they had done/were doing/their ultimate goal, just like when Tucker claimed that they were the same.
Whether you agreed with them or not, making such comparisons forces you to confront the humanity of your opponent, and the fact that you're both just doing what you think is right and neither of you are without sin.
Just seeing that now after all these years! ToT
I once again ask you to remember: DO NOT SKIP THE FINAL OUTRO AND DO PAY ATTENTION TO THE PICTURES!
Danny bro PLEASE LISTEN. DONT SKIP THE DAMN ENDING OR YOU’LL MISS SOME PRETTY IMPORTANT SHIT
Let’s look at the door
@@swordsmanthegamernine7973 what?
@@swordsmanthegamernine7973I got that reference!
Petition for Danny to watch the bloopers after finishing
I'll sign it!
All in favor say aye.
AYE
AYE
Yes yes yes
Fun fact! Ed’s “get up you novice, I’ll show you how outclassed you really are” is a bookend/reference earlier in the series! It’s what he said to Cornello in episode 1
Episode 3, to be exact. But the manga actually started with Leore.
I freaking love that line 🎉
Such a small detail I love about the show that shows Mustang and Hawkeyes relationship if that Mustang has Hawkeye to be his eyes, meanwhile Hawkeye aims Mustang like a gun mirroring how he chooses not to be a tool for war but now a tool for the people he cares for. I especially love the fact that as soon as Mustang has his vision sacrificed and can use clap alchemy he immediately uses it to protect Hawkeye and others.
Exactly. I also just love how as soon as he loses his eyes he literally leans on Hawkeye to be his literal eyes and she just nods like it's to be expected? I mean it would be for them but I love the way they interact. He trusts her more than anybody and she knows that and is there for him. And he's there for her. Literally my favorite couple in this show. And I love ed and winry.
What i love is Mustang's blindness not only calls out his "vision to change his country" but also it calls back to Lust and her dying words- saying "I look forward to the day those eyes are filled with agony".
Kimblee hates hypocrisy. That’s like his whole thing. It’s the reason he genuinely has respect for Winry’s parents. They didn’t run from their job and stood their ground helping people til the very end. He saw Pride being a Hypocrite and said “Boy ain’t no way boy” and fucked his shit up.
Edit: Ed saying “Get up you novice!” Is a throwback to when he fought the Priest in Leore. He said the exact same line. This one hits more when you realize that both times he said it, He was genuinely fighting someone who didn’t know anything about alchemy genuinely. It’s gonna be illustrated with father in the upcoming episodes but Ed wasn’t wrong when he called him a novice
Edit again: People have already said it but Mustang’s vision being taken is a play on how he won’t be able to see the future he’s spent years trying to create for Amestris. Every one of their tolls is ironic just like every Sin’s death is ironic. Ed lost his leg because he wanted to stand in the face of what he knew was impossible and deny it, Al lost his entire body not only because he just went along with Ed’s plan knowing it was wrong (like he had no agency” but also because his main reason for doing it was because he wanted to feel his mother’s warmth again. They took away his ability to feel. Izumi tried bringing her child back to life and because of that she was punished to never be able to have children again (Tho she did end up with two very talented sons). Van’s was a long game when it came to his punishment but if you remember the one thing he ever mentioned wanting in life before everything happened to him was to have a family. Him being immortal made it almost impossible and he had to watch the people he loved grow and die. Father’s is super ironic because all he wanted was to be free but in his quest for “freedom” he isolated himself and never really left his container.
With the Sins: Lust was killed by a man who in every Capacity was seen as a pervert and a ladies man. Sloth was killed by someone who’s ridiculously hard working, Gluttony was eaten, Pride was Humbled, Envy took his own life because he was called out on it, Wrath died peacefully. And Greed? Well lets just say that he’s actually the most selfless. I love this show and it’s themes so much.
Also for all that Mustang is *seen* as lustful, most of that is a smokescreen for his clandestine operations. Most of the ladies he talks to are 1) Riza or 2) Connected to Madame Christmas (aka his aunt's agents). Lust was killed over the deep personal connection Mustang had to both Havoc and Hues, possibly in the least sexy way possible.
And Sloth died from overwork.
@@Treegonaexactly! Lust, was killed by a man who genuinely loved with everything he had. That’s why her death is ironic. He also kills her because he believes she’s responsible for the death of someone he deeply and truly cared about ( you could argue that Hughes companionship was the only reason Mustang didn’t die in the war) AND she was currently actively trying to kill the OTHER person he loved( Riza was the only reason he was alive after the war, they even had a suicide pact.) Lust, a character who feigned affection for malicious intent, was killed for love.
It is also at least implied that Sloth just gave up mid fight cause he found keep going to be too much of a bother. So he also died out of laziness to keep fightint.
@matheusm.santana6527 A bit late, but the ither irony is Sloth was killed by people who gave their all when fighting. Olivier, Alex, Izumi, and Sig would never back down from him without trying their hardest.
I feel like it's worth adding that the things lost by the Human Transmuters were given back to them because of their human connections in one way or another because that's literally the entire message of the story
Izumi couldn't give birth anymore but found two children who became hers anyway, Al was given a temporary body by his brothers sacrifice and eventually got the real one back, Ed was able to stand again because of Winry's work, Mustang's sight was healed by an ally he personally had never met but who had a connection to him through this ragtag network of people fighting for their country, and Hoenheim got to have a family - even if he missed his wife's death and all but the early years of his sons lives, they're still his family and he dies hearing Ed call him as such. His boys and all the country will get to go on living after he has finally been laid to rest after all these years.
It really does all line up so well to spit in the face of the antagonists assertions about what they believe to be the 'truth' of humanity and its GREAT and not enough people talk about it
Kimblee hates hypocrites. Pride, who was so proud of being a humunculous, was willing to throw that pride away to become part human to survive (by taking Ed's body). Kimblee couldn't stand that. In comparison, Ed accepted that injuries like the gut injury he got up north while fighting Kimblee are things he has to accept in order to follow through with his policy to never kill despite joining the military. Kimblee didn't agree with Ed's thinking, but he did respect it because Ed put his actions where his mouth was. Pride was never at risk of dying to Ed because Ed was never going to kill him and Kimblee understood that.
THE HAMMER OF GOD STRUCK BRADLEY DOWN. The eclipse shining at the last moment to blind him was so symbolic as the eclipse symbolised the entrance to god and Bradley mocked the ishvalans for saying god would strike him down instead of them doing it themselves
Plus there's some indication in other FMA media that Ishavala is a sun god
And whats even more poetic is its not like bradley was truck by lightning or something, he was momentarily blinded by an act of god, which gave an ishvallan the ability to strike bradley down himself, so at the end of the day it was them acting in accordance with their god that defeated him, not their god saving them without them doing anything themselves
@@5001FergiesWhich is also what Bradley said, if you want to strike me down use you own hands not Gods. Fmab is so good on a rewatch with all the forshadowing
Oh just as a recommendation, u need to watch the dub bloopers, they are hilarious and I think u would really enjoy them!
Edit: side-note, clap alchemy is only possible for those who go through the portal. Roy only just went through the portal… probably less than thirty minutes ago. Other side-note, how Roys alchemy works, from my understanding, the transmutation circle on his gloves controls fire, but he has to create a spark first, hence the gloves and why he snaps. If his gloves are wet, it doesn’t matter if he can clap alchemy or not. He needs a spark or some type of flame to get his alchemy going.
Your face Explode!!!
Granny made soup for dinner
FUCK YEAH!!!!
IM TRYING TO SAVE YOUR LIFE ASSHOLE!!
Let's all look at the door
"Who knew fathers final form would be daddy" Is a CRAZY line, i love it
Edit: why is his name actually daddy?!
They knew what they were doing making him that hot and it shows.
Sloth vs Armstrong is one of my favourite battles in the entire series because it is a redemption for him as well. If you remember back in the war of Ishval, Armstrong expressed regret at not having done more to try and stop the war (it’s also why Olivier disrespected him so much, because he refused to fight). Sloth, as a sin, represents so many things - laziness, yes, but also wasted potential and inaction. By refusing to fight for what he believed in, Armstrong was slothful and it is clearly guilt he carries on to this day (remember, he tells Mustang that he cannot withdraw from the fight because of what he let slide in Ishval). It’s a theme I think is overlooked a lot, and maybe this is just my own interpretation of the conflict, but every aspect of this show is so rich in detail that I can’t imagine it’s a coincidence by any means
Yes Armstrong is such an amazing character because if this
Ooh I'm not sure if I've ever seen that interpretation but I really like it!
Also to give the nod to Sig Curtis (since he helped and that is important); there is a scene earlier on when Sig meets the brothers at the train station in Dublith to convince the brothers to talk to Izumi again. Sadly it is cut from the anime but during that scene in the manga he expresses how much he regrets not being there for Izumi after their child was lost, how he never realized how deep her despair was and if he had and had done something she might not have ever gone through with the Human Transmutation. So for him to Sloth kind of represents his greatest regret and it is fitting that he gives Armstrong the assist
I think I love this anime due just the immense amounts of tragic irony it contains, Envy and mustang, Ed and pride, Scar and Wrath, Greed's entire journey, The amount of people looking for the philosopher's stone for various reasons, Father and Hohenheim and there's so much more. Each character feels poignant and important, even those you expect to be background fillers like Maria Ross, Grumann, And even Sig (to a lesser extent) it's one of, if not the best written shows I've seen and it's quality you no longer expect from these types of shows. Nowadays I see shonen anime and roll my eyes because I expect it to be power-fantasy nonsense I'll watch half way through and give up because it's either shit or takes way too long to get to the point but shows like FMA and a few others honestly restore my faith in the genre.
I always assumed Ling had his eyes closed because he could sense people’s presence but Greed couldn’t do that so he had them open when he was in control.
22:29
Danny… you are 62 episodes in and you still don’t understand that they get clap alchemy from going through the portal of truth… the show has stated this like 20 times that you can only learn clap alchemy by going through the portal of truth
I think he was referring to the fact that everyone else claps when they use alchemy circles that were drawn.
@@yousmellofhorseA specific drawn circle in theory should have a limited number of different uses. Like a circle to control fire shouldn't also work for creating walls. Armstrong's circles work mainly with ground/concrete, Kimblee's ones do explosions...
Seeing the truth makes you become the "matrix" of the circle instead, theoretically allowing more freedom.
@@yousmellofhorse The circles on Mustang's gloves are even better than Kimblee's on that regard, because they do not even need clapping to be activated. Mustang just wears the gloves and then can control the mix of oxygen in the air whenever he wants.
On the other hand, that circle *only* controls the air mix: to start the fire, the spark isn't provided by alchemy, but by physics: the glove is made of a special tissue which makes sparks when rubbed. Maybe the 2003 version was more clear about the special tissue detail.
Danny "Don't let a dude crawl inside of you..."
Me: "Like Alphonse?"
Danny: "What are you, Alphonse?"
Mustang can do instant clap alchemy because he went through the Door of Truth, which is why Azumi, Ed and Al can do the can do it. So he lost his sight but gained the ability to do quick shit.
The writing on this show is so incredible that I completely understand why it had held onto it's spot as number one anime for so long. Applause to the writer.
Also: note for the clap alchemy. That is completely reserved for those who go through the portal. He couldn't use it before because he hadn't committed the sin.
The cool thing about releasing the souls is that their return to their bodies has been foreshadowed. Al randomly turning off and Barry the Chopper's body finding the plate with his soul bound to it were to show that the soul and body are always trying to find one another. 10/10
THE END IS NIGH. Brotherhood is such an amazing journey 😭
danny, you can always just rewatch the show lol, it CAN never end
or read the manga!
lol agreed. There are so many tiny details to catch throughout the series as well!
There's also the 2003 version, which is entirely worth watching on its own.
he wouldnt but i wish he would post reactions to that i love the 2003 version so much @@haku8135
As somebody who also doesn't finish series because I don't want them to end. Rewatching or rereading isn't the same because you know how it ends. It doesn't give the same feeling
Watching Al sacrifice himself in order to give Ed a fighting chance will forever be in my top 5 anime moments
I love how it shows that Al has so much faith that Ed WILL win and WILL find a way to get him back.
Samee
danny is like the funniest person
also "who knew father's final form was daddy" 🤣 and danny calling on bradley for best man is pure gold
not greed calling father "daddy" too
10:30 well...for Truth a disability isn't worse than another, and at least, truth did go easy on him because he was forced to do it, if he decided to do it by himself, he would've lost his eyes, not only his eyesight
I mean I feel like even his eyes would be pretty lenient. Mustang's transmutation was a countries worth of souls to materialize a godlike being. Al lost his whole damn self and his brother's leg for trying to transmute a bunch of chemistry supplies into his mommy, and he only got to keep his soul because his brother gave his arm to put it in a tin can. Truth was real nice about the fact Mustang was obviously not really the one doing anything super wrong there, or getting anything out of that.
@@Lanoira13 well...I don't think that for Truth, a part of a body, or even the entire body no matter the person, worth more than another. As for Mustang, an important part about how "kind" (as much as truth can be) Truth was, is that Mustang can recover his eyesight, even if it needs a philosopher stone. While we know that even Hohenheim, a walking philosopher stone couldn't give back the organs that truth took from Izumi
Since I don't think that you'll be watching the OVAs, I have something to say about Mustang and his blindness, but spoilers ahead:
It is pretty much agreed upon in the fandom that Mustang got off easy with his blindness. In the first OVA, we meet a character that has performed human transmutation, who's also blind. But the guy literally had his eyes ripped out of his skull. So Truth let Mustang off "easy" (at least kinda) because it knew that he didn't do the transmutation willingly.
I do hope he‘ll watch the OVAs, they‘re really interesting
@@V1G4M1 I love them, too, especially the one with Mustang and Hughes during their military academy time. But sadly, most reaction youtuber don't really go beyond the bloopers for fma
@@miram8105 Bloopers are great though
@@jakubgodyn7413 Of course they are, never said anything different
Greeling did two things in the war so far. 1) blinded one of Bradley's eyes, contributing to weakening him (together with Buccaneer impaling him with a sword and a Briggs soldier hitting him in a shoulder with a rifle). And 2) protected the main gate to help Briggs soldiers (killing a good number of Amestrian militaries who had no idea they were fighting for the bad guys, in the process).
Still, it's hard to understand how Scar managed to keep up with Bradley. Okay, he survived mostly because Wrath was already injured and a bit of luck... But still, you can't just defend from a sword with your bare hands for many minutes, can you? (Yes, he's seen blocking a couple of attacks by exploding the opponent's swords or arms, but how did he manage to block or evade all the others? Maybe by creating some walls with his left arm, but still...)
Ed turned part of his life into a philosopher's stone back in the North when he got hurt after a fight with Kimblee (he had a metal pipe pierced through its body and used the tecnique to stop the bleading with the help of the chimeras). That's the same he did with Selim.
22:25 I love that Danny made it through the entire series without realizing only people who have seen the truth can do the clap alchemy.
Kimblee stepped in with Pride because he lost his PRIDE as a homunculus. He said it himself. The moment he was starting to lose he tried to take over a human body. He lost his pride as a homunculus when he got scared of losing. So Kimblee stepped in and stopped it from happening
The reason Mustang never learned clap alchemy before is because you need to see the "truth" before you can do so. It's the reason that only Ed, Al, and Izumi were using it, Mustang only got the ability to use it after becoming blind
Never clicked a video faster, tbh. I'm really glad you liked this show (It's my second favorite of all anime, following One Piece).
The bloopers for FMAB are hilarious and you will have such a fun time watching them, even if you don't post a reaction to it
Your face Explode!!!
The thing I love about Kimblee is that he genuinely only respects people who stick to their philosophical guns. Like he wasn't bullshitting about respecting the Rockbells; he would have absolutely killed them because it was his job and also he gets off on it, but at the same time he 100% respected that they had the balls to treat anyone and everyone they could despite being in the middle of a hellish warzone.
Same goes with Edward in this case. Ed stood by his guns, refused to kill anyone throughout this entire show. That doesn't mean Kimblee would hold back against him or spare him if killing Edward was something he needed/wanted to do, but Ed's stubborn determination and philosophical consistency means that he stands head and shoulders above someone like Pride in Kimblee's estimation.
Actually, that Batman bit kinda did happen. In Batman the Animated Series there's an episode called "The Man who Killed Batman" that's about this mook who accidentally kills Batman who's trying to save him on a rainy day. It's a pretty funny episode from what I remember, would recommend.
Remember, you can ONLY use the clapping after you go through the portal. It's part of the exchange.
the fact that danny hasn't clicked that the clap alchemy is only possible once you've seen the gate of truth despite being told like 3 times in the series is funny af.
Also! it doesn't have to end, you can watch the 2004 series in its entirety. It diverges into a completely different story after maes hughes' death like...so vastly different its not even a joke to say its almost a different anime. Like Dante straight up doesn't exist in brotherhood
10:19 he lost his eyesight because he was blinded by his ambition and his desire to be leader
Not really, it was more because he wanted to see the future of Amestris
Not really, that would only make sense if he had willingly done it in pursuit of becoming Fuhrer.
His Blindness is due to his vision for the future, but specifically a corruption of the exchange that is supposed to happen.
He wanted to SEE Amestris because a great country.
I honestly like this analysis so much more than the "hE wAnTeD tO sEe AmEsTrIs-" reading. Like... His vision doesn't actually impact him "seeing" the future of the country. It's not like his goal was for the country to VISUALLY change that much, he just wanted a change of leadership and direction and political power. He can still see that, and he can even still usher that in as the country's leader. He can have friends read him newspapers and reports, he can have someone read and write on his behalf at work, he can enjoy the changes he/they'll bring to the new government. His vision doesn't really impact him appreciating the fulfillment of his "vision". If anything, he won't have to visually see the horrific damage done to people during his coup as he had to with his past mistakes.
But it makes sense for him to be blinded because he started a fight he had a snowball's chance in hell of winning, lead by his ambition and drive, not caring about the consequences.
This especially tracks because, as Danny said, Mustang didn't CHOOSE to do the transmutation, it was forced upon him due to the fact he charged head first into a bad situation for his ideals and ambition. It doesn't make sense for him to make some punny sacrifice of something that matters to him, because he didn't WANT anything and didn't GET anything out of the forced transmutation. It makes sense for it to be a consequence of his haughtiness and bravery inflicted upon him, just like the transmutation was.
@@Lanoira13 I can understand your point, and to be honest, it's extremely well thought, but truth only takes metaphorically something from the alchemist, depending on what they value the most. And because it was Mustang's wish to see how Amestris will be changed once he'll be furher, truth took his ability to see as a metaphor.
And yes, Mustang didn't chose, but the transmutation still wasn't equivalent, so truth had to make Mustang pay a toll in order to have an equivalent exchange. Besides, truth still went easy, taking only his eyesight and not his eyes (there's a canon story about an alchemist that lost his eyes) and when Mustang was in the other side of the door, unlike with the other, Truth didn't scolded him for being arrogant, because they knew Mustang didn't do it on purpose
Not sure if this is mentioned here already but,
18:33 Greed did contribute. Remember he took out Bradley's Ultimate Eye after Bradley was mortally wounded? Bradley might have seen through all of Scar's movements if he still had his Ultimate Eye and we might have a dead Scar instead.
You NEED to watch the bloopers once you finish the show. It's hilarious.
Let’s look at the door
hoenheim: ah yes, my anti-God transmutation circle, I haven't drawn that since the Heian Era
The combination of the eclipse transmutation circle reveal + the song only playing as everyone gets their souls returned is like one of my favorite combos my emotions go all over the place 😭😭
Well part of it is credit to Ling who saved Fu from the initial attempt on his life so he had the chance to make that last attempt that gave Bucaneer his opening. But Greed at least helped Ling reverse Bradley the other army in defense of the gate after that.
He also got Bradley's eye and pushed him off the building since the rest of them weren't in any shape to continue fighting him there.
You can only do clapping alchemy when you've gone through the gate so Mustang couldn't before now.
I mean, regarding the moon's shadow and the alchemy circle created because of it, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a while, but it's not really "convenient", is it? Hasn't Hohenheim been researching and trying all this time to figure out a way to counter Father's plan? Father used the eclipse, why wouldn't Hohenheim be able to?
Well, Hohenheim had to make very accurate computations where he can put the alchemy points. aka, where the shadow of the moon would cast exactly on the ground to be able to use it. He mentioned in the anime that he did countless calculations for that alchemy. Because you cannot just guess where that particular shadow will cast or the "points" will be useless. So its actually not convenient at all (in a sense that its not easy to just use the moon shadow as a circle, not in a sense that if he can use that, i can use it too)
Also, Father used the circle made by sloth as a circle, the civil wars as alchemy points, he only used the eclipse as like the most appropriate time to activate the circle, this is related to the start of the episode when ed and al was reading the book about sun and moon is the perfect being.
Yup. Hohenheim left his wife and kids to execute the countermeasure he spent years researching in his office
22:27 Mustang couldnt use clap alchemy before he lost his sight. He needed a transmutation circle to do it. The sacrifice of his eyes also gave him the same abilities as Edward, transmutation without a circle. He never would have gotten access to it intentionally.
Danny getting hyped over kimleys ghost hat got me rolling
Full Metal Alchemist and Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood are hands down some of the best anime series. I've so enjoyed watching you get to experience them for the first time!
Fathers final form being daddy and greed also calling him that is pure comedy!
Not gonna lie missed your reaction to the "Foolish boy" line from Ed that always gets me so hyped and emotional at the same time
Danny I mean this with my whole heart - watching you react to this series is one of the only things that has kept me powering through the last few months. Every time I finish watching a video my stomach hurts from laughing. I sometimes forget the feeling of smiling until I click on one of your videos. Thank you for being so amazing. Seriously can't wait to see which series you're going to tackle next!
If you want more fullmetal alchemist you can watch the bloopers 👀
"Clap Alchemy" is unlocked when one opens the door of truth.
you can *SEE* the moment Danny's eyes light up and he realises the 'here comes the sun' joke also surprised he had nothing to say when Greed called Father Daddy. best quote to use out of context "Definitely step on this baby". I was gonna mention the clap alchemy thing but I see others have beat me to it, Very funny how you go to check which arm Ed got back and you get it right but because you flipped the video it looks like you check and got it wrong anyways, also definitely watch the bloopers when you're done, it's a short funny thing that'll make great tiktok content if you cut around the spoilers
Ok, I just have one point, the claping transmutation is what only people who have opened a gate can use. So Mustang literally COULDN'T use it before. They explain that waaaay back when Ed and Al run into their teacher again for the first time and she sees him use it.😅. Its also why Al can use it, but didn't realize he could until later.
Edit for clarity
Lust to Mustang "I look forward to the day when those eyes will be wide with agony. It's coming. It's coming..."
love the reactions! super fun to watch someone go through this for the first time.
Quick thing though, Mustang couldn't learn 'clap alchemy' because it's not something teachable. It's a benefit of having opened the gate and seen the Truth.
Dannny needs to watch the bloopers for this show they are literally comedy gold 😂
Also greed managed to take Bradley’s oraborus eye out
Mustang can now do clapping transmutations because he did human transmutation and lived.
Mustang and Hawkeye taking their last stand together will forever be my favourite thing about the final fight
"Father's final form is Daddy!?" lmfao you crack me up
20:23 There's a Batman the Animated Series episode about exactly that. 😂 A random guy gets all the credit for killing Batman, but has a huge target on his back due to all the villains who wanted to do it themselves.
22:28 - Mustang is only using "clap alchemy" NOW because only those who have seen the truth (Ed, Izumi, etc.) can use it! He does probably know the basics of standard circle-drawing alchemy but he specialized: just as Armstrong put circles on his brass knuckles so he can punch rocks at people, Mustang drew the circles on his gloves so he can snap fire.
Agreed. Since alchemy circles take so long to draw they need to be already be drawn/carved into something else to have any reasonable use in combat (i.e., Mustang's gloves, Armstrong's brass knuckles, Kimblee's palms, etc.)
I mean after the series ends, there's still the bloopers, the Ova's and the Koma theatre shorts.
Brotherhood was a wild ride
Really hope they can actually come up with such cool show again in near future.
20:22 Danny, you’re describing an actual real episode of Batman the Animated Series. Wimpy dork kills him on a fluke and is suddenly the most well-known man in all of Gotham, by the other Rogues, that is. You can imagine how that would be a problem for him.
Ghost Kimblee's hat keeps the themes air tight in the show.
Remember when Ed walked past Ling's Greed in the hall or whatever and made a statement about how there are lots of kinds of greed. It's knowing how to stop when you have what you want, which is what both First-Greed and Ling understood and I think why Ling was so perfect to take it on. Both really cared about the people around them because their greed manifested in a deep desire for companionship. Neither Ling nor the first Greed wanted their companions anywhere near a *really bad* situation, because those people weren't shields, they were what they actually wanted. I always kinda felt like Greed in both forms was one of the more emotionally mature characters in the whole thing, and over time Ling, again this non-magic dude, eventually made the entity as a whole recognize that.
There were a few moments where Greed/Ling opened one eye talk real-talk at Edward. It's not necessarily an atypical anime face for that kind of thing, but I like to think that because Ling canonically lives with his eyes closed and Greed with his eyes open, it was meant to be framed as a moment where they spoke to Ed in agreement.
3 of the same man at different stages of his life was a perfect joke. That shit was universal
Danny will finally be a real anime TH-camr
Lol. 😂😂😂 Had me dead with the Sun’s Johnson joke
There's also bloopers if you want to watch more, also 2003, but it takes a different direction
Mustang couldn't use the clap alchemy before because that's knowledge you gain when you pay the price of transmutation. Izumi kind of explains it early on when Al and Ed go visit her for the first time. That's one of the reasons she realized they had done it. Remember they had to get Al to remember what happened in order to use the clap method.
Danny should check out the bloopers
I can't believe it's over I loved this series and I've been here since the start I'm both sad and happy
We still have two episodes left.
@@snowassassin2177 I know but that's just one more episode
Circumventing drawing a circle for transmutation by clapping is only possible after going through the portal (human transmutation). That's why Izumi knew Ed and Al screwed up after their fight, why Al could only do it after getting his memories back from the gate and why Mustang is only able to do it now.
1:51 damn this takes me back to Danny's "these animators need to chill" videos
It has been very well stabilished that you can learn clap-alchemy ONLY AND EXCLUSIVELY by going thru the gate and paying a price.
So mustang can only do it now that he lost his vision as "payment".
Everyone hyping up Ed makes me want the "FUCK HIM UP" to be canon 😂😂
“The Etsy witches would lose their minds!” Fucking SLAYED me
Now that I think about it, Ling actually made more of an impact than Greed did during this final battle… if you count the fight with Pride and Gluttony the night before.
Just so you know, Danny (I don´t know if someone else has already explianed it) the clap thing when doing alchmist only happens when you made the human transmutation and pass through the Door. So, Mustang loss his sight and now he can do the clap thing
only those who have seen Truth can use clap alchemy thats why you only see the elrics and Izumi using it before Mustang is sacrificed
"Who knew Father's final form would be Daddy?" I'm in tears
Father and pride were always My favorite so these Episodes mean The world to me
I'm so glad you've enjoyed the journey and taken us along for the ride. Been a joy seeing you fall in love with the characters.
“Definitely kill this baby… RIGHT!??”- Danny Motta 2024
1:55 That is technically what Hohenhein looked like when he was younger too (shows why I'm surprised that Ed and Al don't have any half-siblings from over thousands of years ago)!
man you really have to watch the bloopers when youre done
You definitely need to see OVAs after finishing Brotherhood, especially about Izumi
Honestly? _Very_ surprised Danny didn't joke on that "He's turned himself into a Philosopher's Stone, and he's forcing his way inside me?! " line from Pride. Can't have jokes handed up on a silver platter like that, it'd be too easy!
This is honestly the best reaction series I've ever seen to this show. I just LOVE how hype you get about silly little things and especially your admiration for King Bradley.
The reactions in this series from Danny is hilarious
Clap alchemy is something that you learn when you’ve seen truth.
Also, the problem with wet mustang isn’t that he can’t transmute (his circles are still fine), it’s that his gloves can’t produce the sparks to ignite the flammable pockets of air that he creates with alchemy.
You should try the 2003 show! Not anywhere near the manga's story, but it explores some other really interesting plots. You could see it as an AU and the movie that concludes it is pretty sick. Also, it includes a couple story segments that weren't in Brotherhood but were in the manga.
Apparently lots of people didn't like it because the ending wasn't as happily-ever-after or whatever, but personally I think the lore behind the Homunculi and other plot points make way more sense and the ending is pretty cool. I really hope he'll watch and react to it!
From the manga it was said that clap alchemy is only open to those who have given up something to the gate of truth.
So Mutange can only do it after losing his eyes as he gave them to the gate of truth.
Also for Al's armour, I don't think they can/try to add other things onto him as his soul is attached to that one suit. I know Ed used to fix it by transmuting the thicker armour into thinner armour to patch up any damage since it's still the original suit.
There is one line where Ed says to Al "Your armours getting pretty thin we need to be careful" or something like that. So if you gave Al a new hand from new material his soul wouldn't be bound to it so it would just be a metal arm.