Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 11 - Sareki no Daichi Zenhen (The land of sand - Part 1)

After hearing that there is research on Kenja no Ishi at Zenotime, Ed and Al proceed to this town which is famous for its gold but realises that it has lost its lustre due to the mining of the available gold reserves. Just then, they hear cries for help as a little girl, Elisa is trapped under a cart and Ed manages to remove it using alchemy. As such, Elisa's father, Remark is very grateful for his help and brings the brothers back to his place for food.

At Elisa's place, a man by the name of Belsio comes to look for Elisa and brings her some lemons from his orchard. However, Remark seems very unhappy at the sight of Belsio and chases him away which makes the brothers puzzled over this behaviour. The locals then talk about Mugear, the local landlord who is conducting research on Kenja no Ishi to restore the town to its former prosperous state. When the locals ask the brothers about their names, they tell them truthfully but are thrown out because the locals think that they are imposters since the "Elric brothers" are already conducting research at Mugear's place. This makes Ed very interested to find out who has the audacity to use his name.

Ed and Al infiltrate into Mugear's mansion and comes into contact with the imposters, Russell and Fletcher Tringun. Russell tells them to leave the town and stop obstructing them which Ed refuses to. In the scuffle, Ed gets punched by Russell on the face and the brothers have to run away hurriedly. After this incident, Fletcher tries to convince Russell to give up the experiment but he would not hear of it.

In the meantime, Mugear and Lust are standing beside the red water stream and discussing what to do with the real Elric brothers who have come to Zenotime. Mugear promises that he will deal with them and asks Lust to give me more time to create Kenja no Ishi from the red water.

Belsio meets Ed and Al and brings them to his home for the night. The next day, Ed is out trying to find out more on the Tringun brothers and Kenja no Ishi while Belsio asks Al to get medicine for Elisa and Ed's wound at the pharmacy. However, word spreads around in town that the real Elric brothers barged into Mugear's residence and Al is thrown out of the pharmacy. Fletcher comes to Al and offers to buy the medicine for him.

Fletcher reveals to Al that his brother is bent on conducting the research which their father was halfway through even though the vapour from the red water is harmful to the human body. That is why Al notices that a lot of the locals were coughing including Elisa. However, Fletcher is unable to stop Russell at all. Al remarks that Ed is the exact opposite from Russell as he hates their father for getting too obsessed with alchemy and left their mother to suffer.

Ed and Al decide to enter the Mugear mansion again, this time via underground where they see the red water stream. Fletcher gets them to leave in the nick of time since Ed has fainted due to the vapour. Just then, Russell appears and threatens to spray the red water on Ed which Fletcher ends up getting hurt since he wants to save Ed. Fletcher tells Russell to give up the experiment so that they would not harm other people again. At this time, warning sirens sound in the mansion...

I'm not too sure whether Kenja no Ishi exists in the first place or it has to be created from some minerals though. However, it seems that the crystalised version of the red water does help in the alchemy rituals since Russell does not need to draw a formation to use alchemy. And it seems like there is more than meets the eye with regards to the Tringun brothers' father conducting research on this dangerous substance. Well, we'll get more answers in the second part of this story. By the way, Belsio does not seem like a simple man too. There must be something about him which makes him isolated from the rest of the locals.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 10 - Kaitou Siren (Strange Thief Siren)

After failing to find Kenja no Ishi, Ed and Al embark on the journey back to Centora. However, Ed is not too enthusiastic about going back to meet Mustang as he is sure that the latter will pass sarcastic remarks on this unsuccessful trip again. Thus, he makes Al alight with him at the tourist town of Aqurora so that they can go sight-seeing before going back to Centora.

At night, there is a female thief by the name of Siren who manages to escape from the police again by using alchemy...

Ed and Al are walking along the streets when a carriage passes by thus dirtying Ed's clothes. He uses alchemy to restore them back to the original state. This attracts the attention of the local police inspector who brings Ed and Al back for questioning since Siren uses alchemy. The inspector is sceptical about Ed's identity as a national alchemist but releases him after 3 hours of questioning. Just then, Ed complains of a stomach ache and Al brings him to the local hospital.

At the hospital, Ed is diagnosed to be down with food poisoning and needs a jab. However, he is scared of having a jab and tries to run away when Al forces him to stay. A pretty nurse, Clara comes to administer the injection and her smile leaves a strong impression on Al who thinks that Clara resembles his mother who is very gentle and kind to people. However, Ed does not think so and tells Al not to get obsessed with Clara.

The police inspector comes back to look for Ed and is very respectful towards him since he got confirmation from Mustang on Ed's identity. He asks for Ed's help to nab Siren. Although Ed isn't too enthusiastic at first, he decides to help after he hears that Siren uses alchemy to steal.

At night, Ed meets Siren and tries to stop her from making her escape. He sees that she has a alchemy formation drawn on her chest which is allowing her to conduct alchemy rituals. However, Siren manages to give him the slip which makes Ed very irritated.

The next day, Ed happens to bump into Clara at the hospital and realises that she is Siren. She explains that she is stealing to prevent the hospital from being torn down and Ed decides to turn a blind eye towards what she is doing. However, after being deceived by Siren/Clara for 3 times, Ed decides that Clara is just stealing for her personal gains and decides not to let her off. However, Ed and Al hear only praises for Siren from the locals as the town is slowly sinking into the sea, most of the locals are slowly moving away. However, with Siren's appearance, it has gathered interest from tourists over the country to make the town a popular tourism spot. Ed and Al are not sure whether Siren is that evil after all but Ed insists on catching Siren because she is a criminal after all.

Siren is finally caught and turned over to the police. Before she is taken away, Siren tells Ed that he can go to the Zerotime City to find out more on Kenja no Ishi.

This episode is kind of funny especially when Ed and Al discover that they have been deceived by Siren for a couple of times. I don't mind humour since the atmosphere for the past few episodes were rather heavy. However, I miss seeing Scar and hearing Okiayu-san's voice...

Gankutsuou Ep 3 - 5 gatsu 22 nichi, Arashi (May 22nd, Thunderstorms)

Albert returns to Paris after his trip in Luna and joins his fiancee, Eugenie and his friends for a drive. Franz brings his fiancee, Valentine and three other friends, Renaud, Dobrel and Bauchean also join them. During the drive, Albert gets into an argument with Eugenie as usual while Franz and Valentine seem to be quite distant. When they reach the borders, they happen to meet Maximillian who seems very attracted to Valentine. After the picnic, they head towards the tower and take a look at the two worlds separated by the border. Eugenie remarks that she feels as if they have been shut in from the rest of the world which is not as prosperous as Paris.

Albert return to his house to wait for the Count who is supposed to meet him today. The ladies return home due to the downpour while the guys sit in the living room waiting for the Count. Albert's friends have doubts on the Count's real identity and character which Albert strongly objects to and tries to defend the Count.

Meanwhile, the Count has arrived in Paris and is in his carriage while on the way to Albert's house. He tells his servant that his revenge will begin from today.

The Count finally arrives at Albert's house and meets his friends who are sceptical about the Count's real identity. Bauchean tries to take photos of the Count but he declines. During dinner, Albert is shocked to find Beppo working as a maid in his house but keeps quiet instead.

After leaving Albert's house, Bauchean says that something is not quite right with the Count since he secretly taped the conversation but the Count's voice is not recorded. In addition, photos taken of the Count simply showed a fuzzy image which makes Franz rather worried.

Albert goes to look for Beppo who tells him that she left the bandits and is now working in his house as a maid. She says that it was by coincidence that she came here to work and tells Albert that she will not reveal what happened between them in Luna.

Meanwhile, the Count's attention is taken up by a potrait of Albert's mother which Albert says that his father hates this painting thus it was put in his room. He also takes the Count around to show him other paintings.

The time finally comes for Albert to introduce the Count to his parents...

It seems like the Count is definitely not human. He wasn't hurt during the scuffle with the bandits when saving Albert and now, he can't be caught on film and his voice cannot be recorded. Is he really a vampire as speculated by Albert's friends? Anyway, it seems like he does know Albert's mother so his purpose in getting to know him is to take revenge on Albert's parents? What did they do to him?

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 09 - Gun no Inu no Gin tokei (The silver watch of the army's dog)

Ed realises how vulnerable he is and makes up his mind to be the army's "dog" i.e. lackey in order to build up his strength for the sake of achieving his aim. Before Winry returns to their hometown, Ed and Al bring her around shopping but Winry can sense that Ed has something on his mind. Nevertheless, she does not probe further and buys some mechanical oil for him, saying that he should do some maintenance for his metal limbs since she's not by his side.

When Winry prepares to leave Centora for home, she asks Ed and Al to come back if they can. However, Ed says that since they had burned their house to show their determination to achieve their aim, they do not have a hometown anymore. Winry is sad to hear this but still waves them goodbye with a smile.

Mustang gives Ed his first mission as a national alchemist to investigate the situation at the eastern mining town of Uswell. Ed tells Al that he doesn't have to come with him since this is his job but Al reminds Ed that they are brothers and should be together. At the same time, Mustang's superior hints that he may be promoted soon but this is a demotion in effect since he would be stationed in the eastern region which is full of problems.

Ed and Al notice something strange with Uswell as the mining workers seem to be quite lethargic and there is a lack of activity which is usually associated with mining towns. The brothers are brought to a hotel run by Halling, one of the mining workers but he demands that they pay a big sum of money to stay for the night. As such, Ed decides to make use of alchemy to restore things for the workers and stay in the hotel. However, when the workers hear that he is from the millitary, they throw him out because they are very against the army. Since Al has not mentioned his relationship with Ed, the workers treat him kindly and even give him food to eat.

Al brings the food secretly to Ed and is upset about the treatment towards Ed. He says that he wants to be a national alchemist with Ed but the latter says that he doesn't have to endure such treatment with him.

At the same time, Yoki, the local in-charge from the army comes to Halling's place and demands that they pay up the taxes. However, the workers refuse to do so since Halling reduces their salaries and increases the taxes at the same time. Yoki gets angry and commands his maid, Lyra to teach them a lesson where Ed comes to the rescue. Ed announces his identity as a national alchemist which makes Yoki suck up to him immediately.

Ed finds out about Yoki's treatment towards the workers and the latter even has the cheek to bribe Ed. He pretends to accept Yoki's money. In the meantime, Lyra goes to destroy Halling's hotel under Yoki's orders which makes Ed come to a decision.

Ed uses the money Yoki gave him to turn coal into gold bars. He tricks Yoki into selling the rights to manage the mines and gives the deed to Halling. When Yoki realises that he has been cheated, Lyra tries to fight against Ed which she loses badly. After this incident, Ed builds up his fame as the national alchemist who thinks for the people.

It is 3 years later when Ed is 15 and Al is 14 as they head towards their goal of finding Kenja no Ishi...

This episode is much brighter than the past few which were very serious and emotional. Ed is a very observant guy who knows what is going on and turns the situation around easily. It's very funny to see him tricking Yoki and jumping on people who tease him about his height. I think the next episode continues from they left Rioru in Ep 2 which means that they are continuing their quest for Kenja no Ishi. More action is coming up as they prepare to face new enemies...

Suzuka Ep 06: Kokuhaku (Confession)

As tomorrow is the school founding anniversary, Asahina does not need to go for training. Yamato wants to ask her out for a date but is troubled over how to do it naturally. Just then, a newspaper promoter comes to his doorstep and offers to give him 2 tickets to the amusement park if he subscribes to the delivery service. As such, Yamato has a legitimate excuse to ask Asahina out on the next day and gets very excited at the possible scenarios to ask her out naturally.

However, Yamato cannot find a chance to talk to Asahina and even has his tickets torn by the cat. As such, he is feeling upset when Asahina tells him that the newspaper promoter gave her two tickets to the amusement park for free even though she did not subscribe to the service. Yamato offers to go with Asahina as a joke but she agrees to it unexpectedly.

The next day, things start off on a bad note when it rains heavily thus Asahina gets irritated at having to spend the day on indoor attractions. She grumbles at Yamato who is constantly in a daze and says that she is going home after they are done with the current ride. This makes Yamato rather unhappy but her sudden change in attitude about continuing to spend the day at the amusement park lifts Yamato's spirits.

After the rain has stopped, Yamato and Asahina go to watch the procession and fireworks where during all this while, they have been holding hands. Yamato suddenly confesses to Asahina about his feelings which make her stunned. However, she lets go of Yamato's hand and apologises for not being able to reciprocate his feelings. Yamato tries to pretend nothing is wrong as they walk home silently.

Yamato goes home to find Hattori in his room and he tells the latter about his day at the amusement park. Hattori realises what has happened even before Yamato talks about his confession and leaves behind a pack of tissues for him. After Hattori leaves, Yamato cries his heart out after being rejected by Asahina...

Somehow, I think Asahina has been leading Yamato on with her everchanging attitude. One moment, she seems so kind to him and the other, she makes Yamato quite frustrated. Why would you want to hold a guy's hand for so long if you don't feel anything for him? I don't think she is doing it deliberately but this subconscious action is making a fool out of Yamato who has eyes for her only. Now, if Honoka makes the first move, will jealousy finally make Asahina budge and take notice of her feelings? In addition, who is that guy in the photo Asahina seems to like so much? That could be the reason why Asahina is not willing to accept Yamato.

Yakitate Japan Ep 41

Azuma, Suwabara and Kawachi are saved after Pierro manages to swim underwater and gets help. They are surprised to see the King of Monaco before them and find out that the troubles they have gotten into are all the doing of the committee chief of the Monaco Cup. The King promises that there will not be anymore of such happenings in future and says that he will take over the running of the content from the semi-finals onwards. As such, the semi-finals are set to take place one week later where the contestants have to make sports bread for the F1 drivers.

Azuma mentions that he has made such a bread before, Japan No.51 which he says it's flawless. However, Kuroyanagi and Sophie reminds them that it is better not to underestimate their competitors especially the French team consisting of the Kaiser brothers. Upon hearing that the King will be giving free ingredients for the contestants, Azuma and the rest head for the palace to get what they want.

At the same time, the Monaco police come to Sophie to ask about her father Kirisaki Yuichi, the owner of St Pierre as they find that he had contact with the committee chief of the Monaco Cup. Sophie recalls with anger about how her father left her and Meister behind at a young age and even ate bread in front of the hungry siblings. As such, she would not be surprised if he's really behind what's been happening to the Japanese team.

At the palace, Azuma, Suwabara and Kawachi meet the King who decides to ask them one question before granting them to get whatever ingredients they need. They are stumped when the King asks them if they have a bread which looks delicious, who would they give it to first? Azuma answers almost immediately that he will eat it first because looking delicious is not a guarantee that it will taste as good. Thus, he will eat it first to confirm the taste before giving to others. The King is very pleased with this answer and grants them access to the ingredients.

When the trio return to the hotel and relate this to Sophie and Kuroyanagi, she is shocked to hear this question as this was what Kirisaki had asked her and Meister when he ate bread before them. The secret police also reveal that Kirisaki is an old acquaintance of the King so he would have the chance to stop the Japanese team from winning. This does not deter the trio and fires their determination to grab the title despite the obstacles in their way...

No contests in this episode but we'll get to see them against the French team in the next episode. Now that we are at the semi-finals of the Monaco Cup, are we nearing the end of this anime? I've been following this for close to a year so if it's ending, it will be kind of sad even though I wouldn't say this is one of my top favourites but it's enough to keep me entertained.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 08 - Kenja no Ishi (The Stone of the Wise)

The anguish of being unable to save Nina makes Ed very upset and helpless. Mustang tells Ed that he should leave this case to the investigation department which Hughes belongs to and reminds him that there will be more occurrences of similar heart-wrenching situations in future if he wishes to pursue his original aim of regaining his and Al's bodies by making use of the powers given to a national alchemist. Ed cannot come to terms with this matter and gets frustrated with himself.

One day, Mustang gets Havoc to inform Ed to consolidate and analyse Tucker's research data but Ed is unwilling to do so. Havoc tells Ed that Tucker had been executed quietly by the millitary which Ed sees it as a deliberate attempt to cover up the matter. Al tries to persuade Ed to get over the matter and concentrate on what he has to do but Ed refuses to do so and runs away from Tucker's place.

Ed goes to Mustang and asks him to take back the order of analyzing Tucker's research data so that he can concentrate on finding Nina's killer. However, Mustang reminds Ed that the duty of a national alchemist is not to find the murderer but to obey the orders given to him by the millitary. Ed does not wish to accept this order and gives Mustang his silver pocket watch back to show his determination.

While wandering around the streets, Ed happens to meet Scar who asks whether he is a national alchemist. However, Ed remarks that he has just stopped being one which Scar says that it is good for him.

Al goes to Riza Hawkeye to ask about Kenja no Ishi which she says that she isn't clear about. However, she tells Al that the national library may have such information but it is only open to national alchemists. At the same time, King Bradley joins in their conversation and tells Al that Kenja no Ishi may not even exist and that it is unknown whether it does have the powers as rumoured.

Ed goes to find Hughes who provides him with information on the serial murder cases so as to see if there's any clue to solving Nina's case. In the meantime, Winry arrives at Centora to give Ed and Al a surprise by paying them a visit and she heads to the millitary headquarters to look for them.

At the canteen, a lady who delivers supplies to the millitary kitchen hears about Ed being the youngest national alchemist and looks on with interest as Ed goes out to meet a visitor who is actually Winry. At the same time, Winry gets interested in the delivery lady's vehicle and the latter offers to let her take a look inside...

Ed comes out to find his visitor nowhere in sight and sees a screw left behind by Winry and tyre marks from a vehicle. He comes to the conclusion that Winry is in trouble and decides to search for her.

Winry is abducted by the lady who turns out to be a man by the name of Barry and he's the real culprit of the serial murders. Ed gets tied up by Barry and his arm being removed so as to prevent him from performing any alchemy rituals. Just before Ed gets killed by Barry, Hughes arrives with Al and his men to save them. This episode makes Ed realise how vulnerable he is and he would have to make himself stronger in order to achieve his aim.

Ed goes back to Mustang to get his silver pocket watch back and says that he will obey Mustang's orders. However, he asks for the permission to search for Kenja no Ishi in his free time which Mustang agrees to. Mustang also informs him that King Bradley has conferred upon Ed the title of "Fullmetal Alchemist".

That day, Ed and Al bring Winry out where Scar is watching from afar. He sees that Ed has become a national alchemist again and walks away quietly...

I wonder if Scar will become Ed's friend or foe in future. I doubt that he is evil but it seems that he has something against the millitary or the national alchemists and feels that his purpose of living is to eliminate the evil brought upon by alchemy.

Mustang, being the person who invited Ed to come to Centora takes on the role of a mentor and disciplinary master for Ed. He keeps Ed on the correct track i.e. to do what is expected of him and yet teaches him about the vulnerability of being under the millitary. Although he may seem quite childish at times to bicker with people like Hughes, he seems to be a very deep character with an unknown past. And Hughes is adding a lot of humour in the anime with his love for his daughter and bragging to everyone how cute she is.

Now that Winry has come to join Ed and Al, this might mean lighter moments every now and then especially if Ed is teased about his relationship with her. ^__^

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 07 - Kimera ga Naku Yoru (The Night when Kimera cried)

Ed becomes a national alchemist at the age of 12 which makes him the youngest to date. Mustang passes him the silver pocket watch which bears testimony to his status while also means that he is a member of the millitary at the same time.

Mustang's subordinate, Jean Havoc drives Ed back to the Tucker residence and Ed grumbles about Mustang as an unfeeling fellow who only knows how to aim for promotions. Havoc defends Mustang by saying that if he's really like that, his subordinates would not obey him at all. He also mentions that Mustang is busy with a case of serial murders where the victims were women. Ed doesn't understand why Mustang has to poke his nose into this matter and Havoc explains that since the murders happened on millitary territory, it doesn't reflect nicely on Mustang to have the cases unresolved.

Tucker holds a celebration party for Ed and he is reminded by Havoc about the upcoming annual test for alchemists. Tucker is very stressed over this as he has yet to create a succesful kimera (hybrid of human and animal) for the test. If he fails the test, his status as an alchemist would be taken away and he would have to go without the financial assistance from the government.

Ed is writing a letter to Winry about him being an alchemist when Nina comes into their room. Al teases Ed about Winry being his girlfriend which Ed is quick to deny. Upon seeing Ed writing a letter, Nina decides to draw a picture of her family to send to her mother who has returned to her hometown as she is angry with Tucker. Later, Tucker says that Nina's mother is unhappy with him being poor and brings Nina back to her room. However, Ed notices something fishy when he sees Nina's picture burned and comes to the conclusion that this is Tucker's doing.

Ed goes to the national library to find more information about Tucker and his experiments on Kimera but is told that he needs approval from the millitary top brass in order to access the information. On the way out, Ed sees a man, Scar who wants to enter the library but is stopped by the guard. Ed tries to stop Scar and accidentally tears off the sleeve of his shirt thus revealing some tattoos on his right arm. Scar gets frightened and runs away quickly.

Ed goes to look for Hughes and asks about Tucker's wife. According to Hughes, he heard that Tucker's wife died before he and Nina came to Centora so Ed is puzzled to hear conflicting stories about Tucker's background. In addition, the millitary comes to Tucker's house and makes Ed and Al move away as Tucker's experiments are supposed to be top secret.

Tucker is pressurised by the millitary that he has to come up with something for the upcomimg test and comes to a decision after hugging Nina...

Ed and Al return to Tucker's house quietly and finds that he has successfully created a new kimera which can talk and understand human speech. Ed realises that Tucker had sacrificed his own daughter, Nina and his dog, Alexander to come up with Kimera and questions his conscience. However, Tucker thinks that he did nothing wrong since he does not want to live in poverty again and be stripped of the title of national alchemist. Ed wants to restore the kimera back to its original form but Tucker claims that his alchemy is so successful that it would not be possible to do so. Ed gets so angry that he beats up Tucker. Just then, the millitary come to Tucker's place to bring him and the kimera back. Ed is furious about the millitary planning to destroy the evidence and keep the matter under wraps and creates an accident which results in the kimera running away.

At the same time, Scar is hiding at a street corner and lamenting why his elder brother tattooed the alchemy formations on his arm. Just then, the kimera appears in front of Scar which he realises immediately what this animal is made up of. In order to stop its suffering, Scar decides to restore the kimera back to its original form which ultimately means that it is destroyed.

Ed and Al finally find the kimera's remains at the street corner and are upset that they are unable to do anything to save Nina and Alexander...

Although the thought of hearing Okiayu-san's voice is great, I never guessed that this is such a sad episode which made me cry in the end. The excitement of hearing him was very much overshadowed by the sad ending.

I can never comprehend how Tucker can sacrifice his own wife and daughter for the sake of creating a kimera. And it was so painful to see Ed feeling helpless because he knows that with his current powers, he's still unable to restore the kimera back to its original form. In the end, he could have done the same thing as Scar i.e. relieving the kimera of its pain by destroying it.

Will future episodes be as sad and painful to watch as this? I never thought that I would shed tears when watching this anime although some of the previous episodes did make me feel upset. This anime is one of the few which has managed to tug at my heartstrings recently and I'm sure it will get even better.

Gankutsuou Ep 2 - Tsuki ni Asahi ga noboru made (Before the sun shines upon the moon)

Just as Albert is getting intimate with Beppo, a girl who makes the first move on him while on the streets, he is surprised to see her holding a gun and a group of gangsters moving towards him.

At the same time, Franz is at the party but his thoughts are on Albert who is wandering on the streets. He hears from the people at the party that there is a gang headed by a guy called Luigi Vampa which abducts people on the streets and robs or kills them. Since the local police are unable to do anything to Luigi's gang, they do as they wish in Luna which makes Franz start to worry.

Franz returns to the hotel where he is stopped by the convict who was saved by Albert when he chose his name from the three cards. That convict tells Franz to prepare 50 million ducats before dawn or Albert would be killed. Franz tries very hard to get the money but it is in the middle of the night and he can find nobody to lend him the money. Finally, he remembers the Count and goes to him for help.

During the journey to save Albert, Franz reveals to the Count that he and Albert met during his father's funeral when Albert came to talk to him. As such, they have been good friends since then but the Count seems to have doubts on the strength of their friendship.

At the same time, it is nearing dawn and Luigi's gang prepares to kill Albert. Beppo tries to intervene and is beaten by the gang. Just then, the Count's men barge in to overcome the gang members. The Count goes to find Luigi alone and reveals that he's Gankutsuou (king of the cavern). When Luigi attacks the Count, he is unhurt which scares Luigi so much that he is easily subdued.

After the ordeal, Albert tries to make light of the matter which Franz gets angry and slaps him since he was running around for his sake.

During a meal with the Count, he reveals to Albert and Franz that he plans to move to Paris and asks for their help to introduce him to the noble society there. Albert agrees to it enthusiastically and they make a date to meet 3 months later on 22 May. With that, Albert and Franz leave Luna to return to Paris.

The Count keeps looking at a wedding picture of a couple and talks about revenge. What has it got to do with Albert since the Count seems to be very interested in him? And he's definitely not human judging from the fact that he was not hurt when Luigi flung a knife at him. And when the Count appears in Paris, this seems to spell trouble from the trailer of the next episode.

The OP and ED are all in English and differ in styles. The OP is a ballad while the ED is a fast techno-style number. I prefer the OP though.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 06 - Kokka Renkin Jutsushi Shikaku Shiken (National Alchemist Exam)

In order to prepare for the national alchemist exam, Mustang brings Ed and Al to Shou Tucker who is well-known for creating a hybrid animal, Kimera who can speak and understand human speech. Tucker lives with his 4-year-old daughter, Nina and his dog Alexander but he does not talk about where his wife is. In addition, when Ed and Al ask to see Kimera, Tucker says that Kimera had died a few months after it was created and does not elaborate further. Mustang tells Tucker that he will tell him more about the Elric brothers in future.

During dinner, Nina sees that Al is not eating and passes him the bread which Al pops into his armour even though he cannot eat and doesn't feel the hunger. Upon seeing this, Ed feels rather upset.

Ed and Al study alchemy in Tucker's place and play with Nina whenever they can. One day, Hughes comes to look for them and reminds Ed that today is his birthday. As such, he is here to bring the brothers and Nina to his place for a celebration. They meet Hughes' wife, Gracia who is pregnant and they have a feast together. Suddenly, Gracia collapses in pain and says that she's about to give birth. Due to the fact that there's a snowstorm, Hughes runs out to get a doctor and asks the kids to look after Gracia.

The Elric brothers and Nina have no idea what to do and can only follow Gracia's directions to prepare towels and a tub of hot water. However, Hughes does not return for a long time and the water gets cold. Ed gets uptight and puts his hands together in frustration before touching the cold water which heats up immediately. Both Ed and Al are quite shocked as Ed did not even draw an alchemy diagram and yet he can make the water boil just by using his hands.

After getting the doctor, Gracia finally gives birth to a baby girl. That night, Ed and Al lay on their beds as Al remarks that he should have been soft and cuddly like Hughes' daughter when he was born but now he's in a hard and cold armour. This makes Ed even more determined to be a national alchemist so as to get Al's body back.

The national alchemist exam consists of three stages i.e. the written exam, the interview and physical alchemy test. Both Ed and Al pass the written exam but Mustang tells Al to give up taking the exam because he will definitely be probed about his armour. If Ed and Al wish to conceal their past, Al must not take part in the interview. Ed persuades Al to give up and says that it is enough for him to be a national alchemist in order to regain Al's body which Al agrees to reluctantly. When asked at the interview why he wants to be a national alchemist, Ed thinks of Al and says that he made a promise to his family member to do so.

At the final stage where the candidates have to show their alchemy abilities in front of the millitary personnel, Ed manages to impress them as he does not need to draw the alchemy diagram and saves someone from being injured. As such, Ed becomes a national alchemist at the age of 12.

Two parts are especially memorable to me in this episode.

The first being Ed and Al's regrets when seeing Hughes' baby daughter that they no longer have their original bodies given by their mother, Tricia. It's rather sad to see them behaving like this and when Al said that all he wants to do when he gets his body would be to hug Ed tightly, it speaks volumes of how much the brothers love each other.

The second being the part when Ed and Al were told by Mustang that Al has to give up the exam. Since Al is now being contained in the armour, he doesn't have a physical form to speak of and would definitely be questioned by the examiners. To spare him from that rejection and pain of having to recount his past, Mustang has no choice but to ask him to give up or they can never cover up their past and the failed human alchemy ritual they performed. No wonder Al did not become a national alchemist. This had been bothering me since I started watching this so I know what's going on now.

The next episode should talk more about how Ed and Al are living after getting the title of national alchemist. And Scar has appeared! Okiayu-san! I certainly hope that he can talk more in this anime. ^__^

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 05 - Shisou! Automeru (Run! Autometal)

In order to be a national alchemist, Ed and Al prepare to take a train to Centora so as to meet Roy Mustang. While on the phone with Mustang at a station, Ed is told to take the earlier train instead of the one he is scheduled to board. Although Ed cannot understand why Mustang insisted on him doing so, he obeys this order and rushes to board the train with Al.

On the same train, there are military personnel because General Haguro is on board with his family. One of them, Maes Hughes is chatting on the wireless phone with Mustang telling him all about his wife and yet-to-be born child which makes the latter really irritated and hangs up the call.

Just then, some members of the Eastern Liberation Group take over the train and hold everyone hostage so as to make Mustang release their leader from prison. The ringleader among them, Bald insists on Mustang bringing their leader to the Centora station or he would kill the General and other passengers. Ed and Al are requested by the millitary to assist in stopping them which they gladly agree to do so. After some hair-raising encounters, Bald and his members are overpowered and held captive.

When they reach Centora, Mustang comes to meet Ed and Al and take over those captives. Suddenly, Bald breaks free and attacks Mustang but he uses his fire alchemy skills to stop Bald.

Ed asks Mustang if he had known about the attack beforehand thus decided to make use of him and Al to save the General. Mustang does not deny this and says that this is a good opportunity for Ed which he should be thanking Mustang for. That is because kids cannot take part in the national alchemist test and with this achievement, Mustang can arrange for Ed to take part in the test. Although Ed is angry at Mustang for making use of him and Al, he sees Mustang's point and declares that he will definitely pass the test.

Some new characters are being introduced here e.g. Hughes who is so funny and seems like an interesting combination with Mustang. I bet these two will be the source of more comical relief.

As for Mustang making use of Ed in this incident, I bet there will be more to come since Pinako already warned Ed that he might be forced to do things he doesn't want. As such, there will always be a high chance that Ed is being manipulated to do certain things in future since he is going to be a national alchemist. Just like what Al keeps emphasizing, you have to give up something in order to get something as in the laws of alchemy. Thus, for Ed to get the position of a national alchemist, there are things he may have to sacrifice in the end.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 04 - Ai no Rensei (Alchemy of Love)

In order to become a national alchemist, Ed and Al leave their hometown to look for Roy Mustang and pass by a village by the name of Rintaa where there's a famous alchemist by the name of Majhal. Ed remembers that a guy by the same name sent letters to his father so he and Al decides to pay Majhal a visit.

On the way to the village, the brothers meet a boy by the name of Clause who has led a group of boys to release fireworks in preparation for the village's festival. Clause and his gang get into a clash with Ed and Al when Majhal comes by and brings them back home.

Majhal marvels at Ed's ability to contact Al's soul in the metal armour and remarks that he is as good as his father. Ed asks Majhal about his letter to his father whereby they had discussed the alchemy of human body but Majhal claims that he is not able to do something like this and he had just discussed this with Ed's father to exchange pointers. Just at this point, an old lady by the name of Levy comes by to give Majhal some rose jam and she leaves hurriedly at the sight of Ed and Al.

While having dinner, Clause's father brings him to Majhal's place to apologise to Ed and Al. Clause is unable to take it lying down and runs away.

Ed and Al run after him and save him from falling into the river. Clause relates that his sister died in the forest and on her funeral, both he and his father saw the image of a woman by the name of Carlin who died 20 years ago. Clause asks Ed and Al to help him find that spirit but Ed refuses to do so since there are no spirits in the first place.

Clause gets his friends to lay a trap at the cemetery to capture Carlin but Ed and Al fall into the trap instead. However, Clause happens to see Carlin's image and runs towards her but Majhal appears at that time and induces a fire to burn Carlin. Ed hears a strange sound when Carlin is burnt and suspects that something is wrong.

Ed and Al search around for clues in Majhal's house and bump into Levy who try to stop them. However, Ed finds some figurines of Carlin and understands what is going on when Majhal returns. Majhal tells Ed and Al that Carlin used to be his lover but she died due to an accident. As doing a human alchemy was beyond him, he had to get women and use their spirits to get Carlin to return to life in a figurine. Just then, Clause who is actually a girl in disguise barges into Majhal's house and overhears everything thus she is captured by Majhal as the next sacrificial spirit to get Carlin back to life.

Ed and Al finally break free of the chain and Ed finds out that Levy is actually Carlin. She lost her memory due to the accident and was living elsewhere until she regained her memory and returned to look for Majhal. However, Majhal did not recognise her at all. Majhal refuses to believe that the Carlin he had loved turned into an old woman and tries to kill them when Ed turns the tables on him thus leading to Majhal being killed by the falling sword.

Ed and Al prepare to resume their journey when Clause comes to see them off in her female clothes. Al laments that although alchemy may be useful, it can be misused like in Majhal's case.

Well, from the next episode onwards, Ed and Al will finally get to meet Roy and begin their journey to be a national alchemist. I'm quite curious as to what kind of man is Ed and Al's father. Is he a national alchemist since Majhal remarked that Ed was like his father due to his ability to contain Al's soul in an armour?

Gankutsuou Ep 1 - Tabi no Owari ni Bokura wa Deau (We met at the end of the trip)

Started to watch this yesterday.

Well, I've been hearing a lot about this anime e.g. the fact that it's made by Gonzo, the graphics are fabulous. Personally, I find that the graphics and colours used seem to be rather imaginary, dreamy and unreal. I guess this has to do with the fact that this story is set in the future. One point I would like to make would be the colours of the clothes. Somehow, the designs do not seem to be stagnant and they kind of blended in with the surroundings as if the prints of the clothes are moving. In addition, the clothes seem to be in vibrant colours and there's no plain suit so far based on this first episode. It's the first time I've seen colours like this in an anime.

The story begins with 2 good friends, Albert Montcerf and Franz who are travelling together. They come to a town called Luna when their local carnival is being held.

At the opera, Albert and Franz see a mysterious man who calls himself the Count of Monte Cristo and has nicknames like the Gentleman and Vampire since his background is unknown to the nobles. The two receive a dinner invitation from the Count and are impressed with his mannerisms and wealth. Albert seems to be in awe of the Count which Franz does not feel the same way as he's wary about this mysterious man. However, Albert does not believe Franz and agrees to join the Count for lunch on the next day where the public execution of criminals is to take place.

The Count suggests that they play a game where Albert can save one of the criminals' lives by choosing the card which bears that person's name. Franz realises that the Count is up to no good but Albert refuses to leave the balcony. The Count makes use of Albert's mentality that he wants to search for his true self on this trip with Franz and wants Albert to make his choice to prove that he has a mind of his own. After much deliberation, Albert finally chooses a card and he ends up saving the worst criminal among the three - a serial killer.

After being much shaken after this incident, Albert quarrels with Franz and goes wandering on the streets. He meets a beautiful girl and brings her to a street corner before getting intimate with her. However, Albert is shocked when the girl suddenly uses a gun to point at him...

Based on the story so far, I think my interest can be sustained throughout the series since I like suspense stories. I'm interested to know what the Count is up to and why is he seeking revenge on Albert who seems to have nothing to do with him. This looks very promising.

Suzuka Ep 05: Koi wazurai (Love troubles)

After that hug in the rain, Yamato wants to know how Asahina feels about him but she keeps avoiding contact with him. This makes Yamato rather uneasy and he gets angry at Asahina when she agrees to go somewhere with a guy wearing spectacles. However, it turns out that this guy, Miyamoto used to be Asahina's senior in junior high and is asking for her help to get Yamato into the athletics team. Although Yamato is glad that there is nothing between Miyamoto and Asahina, he still rejects Miyamoto's offer as he did not think that the record he achieved during that shuttle run was real. It was most probably by luck that he could run that fast so he didn't think it was right to join the athletics team. Nevertheless, Miyamoto says that he will ask Yamato again since he's not likely to agree to it now.

That night, there is a thunderstorm which results in a blackout. Being afraid of the dark and the thunder, Asahina comes over to Yamato's room with an aromatherapy candle and they sit side by side in the dimly-lit room. They talk about their hometowns where Yamato brings up the day they hugged in the rain. Asahina tries to brush it off by saying that she held on to him because she was stunned by the car which drove past them and tells Yamato not to assume things.

Yamato is confused by Asahina's ever-changing attitude and wonders if she has any feelings for him. Hattori realises that Yamato is troubled over Asahina and gives him some advice.

After school, Yamato asks Hattori to go to a karaoke with him to vent his frustrations when the latter asks Honoka along. Yamato does not realise Honoka's obvious feelings for him and decides to go home as he feels that he's not enjoying himself at all. He wonders if he should confess his feelings to Asahina but he's scared that they cannot be friends if she rejects him. Suddenly, he hears Asahina calling out to him and she asks him to go shopping with her. As such, Yamato decides that it's better not to tell Asahina about his feelings first as he doesn't want to lose her.

Frankly speaking, if I am Yamato, I would also feel frustrated at Asahina's everchanging attitude. One moment, she's quite nice and the next, she seems to be avoiding Yamato like the plague. However, it seems like Asahina's feelings have somewhat changed after seeing Yamato run in the race so I guess she's not willing to come to terms with her feelings yet. On the other hand, we have Honoka who's obviously obsessed with Yamato but he only has eyes for Asahina.

The next episode's title is "Kokuhaku" (Confession) so does this mean that Yamato is going to make a move?

Yakitate Japan Ep 40

As usual, a highly entertaining yet ridiculous episode from Yakitate Japan. This is not a grouse as my meaning of ridiculous would be some of the events not being very logical but I won't call myself an idiot for continuing to watch this. Actually, I wonder what really makes me stay on to watch Yakitate as the story is not really exciting and quite repetitive i.e. make bread, win contest but the humour makes me relax for that 20 minutes or so thus I'm content to be silly and forget all logic. At the initial stages of watching this, I actually had the urge to eat bread after each episode.

What was left off from last week would be Pierro, Azuma, Kawachi and Suwabara being trapped at the deep valley. Pierro lies to the trio that he can swim 2-3km underwater to seek help provided they feed him with a bread made with fish. This is initially to get them fired up and stop worrying over their survival but Pierro does not know how to swim in the first place. As such, he is just making use of the time to make the bread for thinking of another way to get help.

However, things do not go his way as the guys manage to make the bread despite Pierro's constant "disturbances" like giving a mathematics question to test them. Unexpectedly, Azuma is a maths genius so Pierro's question means nothing to him.

Pierro realises that he cannot run away from his responsibility anymore and falls into the water to prepare to die. However, apparently after eating that bread, he suddenly knows how to swim and breathe like a fish as if he has gills. And this leads him to reach where Kuroyanagi and Sophie are so I guess it's obvious that the trio will be saved by the next episode. Besides, the King of Monaco will step in and remove that chief of the committee so there should be more fair play.

And the next round should be the semi-finals so we are nearing the end of the Monaco Cup arc. Does that mean I have to say goodbye to this series?!