Honey and Clover Ep 08

Hagu and Yamada invite the guys to Hanamoto's apartment for dinner where they come up with weird-looking dishes. Mayama and Takemoto express bewilderment at the girls who eat such food every day but Morita finishes up all the food without grumbling and seems to be enjoying himself. Meanwhile, Hanamoto is pining for Hagu in Mongolia like how Hagu is worrying for him. The school festival is approaching and they are troubling over what to produce. Mayama mocks them for this as he has already graduated and Morita even has the cheek to ask whether a 7th year student has to submit something for the festival. Actually, today is Takemoto's birthday but they have forgotten about this. Once they realise this, they come up with all sorts of things for the celebration e.g. Morita comes up with the Twister game and Mayama goes to buy slices of cake which ends up making a fool of Takemoto in the end.

Yamada pours some beer for Mayama but he declines as he is riding a scooter later. Morita points out the real reason why Mayama bought a scooter is to be a stalker i.e. to see Rika and Mayama gets embarrassed because Morita seems to see through his intentions every time. Yamada sends Mayama out and thinks to herself that it's hard for her to give up her feelings for Mayama. Unknown to her, Morita is looking at her deep in thought from the window upstairs.

Mayama goes to the park below Rika's apartment and starts to imagine what she is doing. He then realises that coming to the park everyday after work and looking at Rika's apartment seem to fit the description of being a stalker like what Morita said but he cannot stop himself from doing this.

Yamada receives a call from home where her family members are all down with flu and she has to return home to take care of them. As such, Hagu has to be left alone at home and Yamada is worried about her. She tells Hagu to get their neighbour's dog, Midori-chan to stay with her and reveals that Hagu misses Hanamoto so much that she cries in her sleep at times. This reminds Takemoto of his experience of his first night alone where Morita and gang came to give him a welcome party so that he wouldn't feel lonely.

As Takemoto is worried about Hagu, he goes to her apartment and chats with her till late at night. It seems that Hagu is craving for company and tries all that she can to make Takemoto stay with her. When Takemoto wants to go home, Hagu asks him to stay for the night and make a kitchen set for her. Takemoto sees Hagu sleeping soundly and feels that it was good for him to come and visit Hagu...

Both Yamada and Mayama are trapped in their feelings and they can't seem to give up deep down regardless of their strong appearances. Despite Mayama telling Rika that he will not see her for the time being, he can't help but go to look at her apartment. On the other hand, Yamada tries to pretend she can be friends with Mayama but she knows that forgetting him is impossible as this means going against her true feelings and yet she's scared of the possibility of forgetting him one day at the same time. Morita seems to be an onlooker in this matter and understands what is going on but it doesn't look like he's that wise when it comes to his own relationship. I have a hunch that Morita has some feelings for Hagu and something does happen between them in the next episode but it doesn't look good. Meanwhile, Takemoto is still totally unaware that his concern for Hagu actually stems from his feelings of love for her so when the importance of Morita to Hagu is revealed, he might finally realise something.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 23 - Hagane no Kokoro (The metallic heart)

Ed wakes up to find himself in the hospital after the ordeal at the 5th laboratory and is shocked to see Al's limbs being destroyed again. Ed promises to restore Al's body once he regains the mobility of his arm which Al responds nonchalantly. Brosh asks Ed what had happened in the 5th laboratory but Ross does not like his attitude of trying to gloss over things and slaps him for not relying on them and endangering himself. Ed apologises for his actions and says that he will not do this again.

Meanwhile, Winry has realised that she had left out a screw in Ed's metal arm and is more than willing to make a trip to Central so as to repair his arm. Winry is glad that Ed has not seen through her mistake.

Hughes comes to visit Ed and Al and gets Brosh and Ross to go out so as to speak to the brothers in private. Hughes says that the matter at the 5th laboratory has been attributed as Scar's doing for the time being but he does not believe that things are that simple. Ed reveals that the entire event was engineered by the Homcrest and he was being made use of by them to create Kenja no Ishi by using live convicts. He also provides drawings of the Homcrest members for Hughes who tells him to take care of himself and leave the rest to him.

Winry is brought to the millitary hospital by Armstrong and she is shocked to see him being injured. She blames herself for not installing the metal arm properly but once she realises that Ed has not found out about the missing screw, she tries to cover up her tracks and put the blame on Ed instead for doing dangerous things again.

Meanwhile, Mustang calls Hughes for an update of the situation at Central but the latter does not reveal the matter at the 5th laboratory as he thinks that it is still not time to let Mustang know about this.

Winry senses that the atmosphere between Ed and Al is tense and strange but they wouldn't tell her anything. She gets angry at this and runs out of the ward where she meets Hughes. He brings her to his place for his daughter, Elicia's birthday tomorrow and Winry remembers that it is also Ed's birthday.

At Elicia's birthday party, she comes to talk to Winry and they have a good time together. Hughes tells Winry that it is hard to expect guys to use words to express their feelings and she should wait for them patiently to speak up if they wish to. Hughes' wife, Glacier also gives Winry a birthday cake for Ed and she brings it to the hospital to celebrate Ed's birthday. When they talk about a past happening, Al is bothered by the fact that he does not remember it at all and tells Ed that he wishes to wait at the rooftop before the repairing of his arm is completed.

While repairing Ed's arm, he reveals to Winry that Al could be angry at him for not restoring his body when he had the chance but it would have to sacrifice innocent lives. However, Winry says that Al would not be happy to regain his body at the expense of others and thinks that he could be angry at Ed for having the thought of killing others for his sake. Meanwhile, Al is very troubled over Number 66's words that he was never a living human in the first place and is merely a creation by Ed.

Ed restores Al's body and says that he will try other ways to restore their bodies. Al expresses his doubt over Ed's words and says that the latter could have made up his memory so that's why there were lots of things he couldn't remember from the past. Ed is surprised about Al agonising over this matter and tries to explain himself but Al believes in the fact that he was made up from nowhere and thinks that everyone is lying to him. Ed tries to stop Al from leaving but Al jumps over the building and runs away before Ed could stop him...

To think that the ordeal at the 5th laboratory did not just result in physical injuries, it also created a rift between the Elric brothers. I think there is a misunderstanding between Ed and Al where Ed means something else but Al is very bothered about him not remembering fragments of the past. This would spell trouble since the brothers would be at their strongest only if they stay united as one. It's also rather sad to see Al trying to deny his past existence as a human and it would be extremely hurting for Ed since he was the one who put Al's soul into the metal armour. I just hope that they can patch up by the next episode.

Another thing which I do not understand would be Hughes trying to keep Mustang out of what has happened so far. And I don't know if Mustang is totally unaware of the situation at Central since a matter of such a magnitude would have spread to East City. Hughes must be thinking that it's better for Mustang not to get involved due to something more serious happening in the future.

Yakitate Japan Ep 44

Azuma had won the semi-final against the French team and they are facing the US team next. Although they think that the final will be a walkover, Kuroyanagi informs them of his findings when he had watched the US-China semi-final. The most skilful member of the US team is Shadow which makes Kawachi feel that this will be yet another tough fight. Kuroyanagi tells them not to think of relying on Azuma all the time since the final will be a 1-on-1 match where the first team to win two rounds walks away with the title.

At the same time, Kirisaki tells Shadow to be wary of Azuma in the final and all the latter does is to parrot whatever Kirisaki says and does...

The next day, Azuma and Shadow have to present their creations to the F1 racer for judging and Shadow ends up being picked as the better baker. Kuroyanagi is worried about Azuma being disappointed at losing for the first time and true enough, Azuma runs away to be alone and does not return even when it is late at night. The group decide to split up and search for Azuma.

Actually, Azuma is not discouraged by the loss at all and had just followed Shadow to thank him for the inspiration Azuma got from him when he saw how skilful Shadow was. However, he gets very fed up with Shadow who keeps imitating his way of speech and movements thus ends up coming back to the hotel late at night. As such, the group were unable to find him despite searching all night.

Pierro announces to the two teams that they will have to make three types of bread relating to the theme of clothes, food and housing. Under the theme of clothes, the participants have to make bread with an emphasis on the aesthetic factor. As for the theme of food, they would have to make bread suitable for daily consumption. Lastly, the theme of housing would have to emphasize the nostalgic taste of home. Due to this, the order for the competition is decided as Suwabara for the clothes segment, Kawachi for the food segment and Azuma will take part in the last segment of housing.

This episode has a parody on Initial D which is simply ridiculous yet funny. Anyway, that's not the main concern here. Now that we have 3 segments for the final, this anime would probably last another 4 episodes taking into conclusion the need to wrap up the story if it really does end in Sep. Otherwise, the anime would probably go on beyond the Monaco Cup arc which I surely do not mind.

Honey and Clover Ep 07

Yamada apologises to Mayama for causing him to be beaten up by her father as he misunderstood that Mayama bullied the drunk Yamada when he carried her home. Mayama remarks with sarcasm that he is feeling worse due to carrying Yamada on his back i.e. insunating that she's heavy as compared to being attacked by her father but he invites her to go with him to the gyuudon restaurant since Yamada said before that it was embarrassing to go there alone. Yamada is happy to see that Mayama is no longer looking sad when he talks to her but somehow, she feels sad that he may not share his inner thoughts with her anymore.

At the same time, Morita and Takemoto are in Hanamoto's office lazing around where the latter laments that he does not feel like an Year 3 student as Morita has been around all this while and that he still feels like a newbie in school. Morita deliberately finishes Takemoto's energy drink without his permission and Takemoto wonders if he's going to be fooled around by Morita for the rest of his student life. Suddenly, Morita gets Takemoto to see Hagu's painting of the giraffe they saw at the zoo and Morita remarks that Hagu is a fascinating girl. Just at this time, Morita receives a call on his handphone to go to work and he's very happy about earning money.

At night, Hanamoto tells Hagu that he has plans to go to Mongolia for 1 year with his ex-teacher who is writing a new book and asks her if she wants to go with him. However, Hagu says that she has friends with her and tells Hanamoto not to worry about her. When Hanamoto tells Rika about this, he says that he is feeling a bit sad that Hagu does not seem to rely on him so much as before. Rika consoles Hanamoto who starts to wonder whether it was right to bring Hagu to Tokyo and tells him to take care of himself.

Hanamoto remembers that Hagu used to be an introvert who was always scared of her grandmother who constantly scolded her. Regardless of the fact that she has talent, it struck Hanamoto that she was trapped in the same place and could not develop her talent fully. As such, when her grandmother passed away, Hanamoto asked Hagu to come to Tokyo to study in the university he teaches in so that she can make more friends and find what she wants to do in future.

Mayama comes to look for Rika and returns the keys to her apartment. He also gives her a bangle so that she will remember him. Mayama promises to return to her company one day and says that he will do so regardless of whether Rika will be waiting for his return. Rika thinks to herself that Mayama is such a silly boy who loves her too much and starts to cry...

Takemoto is on the way to Hanamoto's place for his farewell party when he sees Hagu at the riverside searching for a four-petal clover. Soon, they are joined by Yamada, Morita and Mayama. Yamada is going to stay with Hagu at Hanamoto's apartment until he returns to Japan. However, the five of them cannot find the clover which Hagu intends to give to Hanamoto as a safety amulet.

When they return to Hanamoto's place, Hagu cries for not being able to find the clover and Hanamoto assures her that it is fine. The group then settle down to dinner. Takemoto thinks to himself that as time goes by, things would change and they may go their separate ways one day. However, he values the memories they have accummulated so far and thinks that these will support him through whatever happens in future...

Now we find out what Hagu behaves so much like a kid even though she's already in her late teens or rather early twenties by now. She has been meek and protected since young. Besides that, her lack of contact with her peers makes it hard to make friends but thanks to Hanamoto's office being a focal meeting point, she has come to know Takemoto and the rest. I think I like it better when she lets her hair down rather than tying up in two buns which makes her look like a kid or doll.

It is only now that I realise that Yamada's voice actor is Takahashi Mikako who played Sakuno in Tenipuri. What a vast difference! Of course, Yamada is already in her twenties while Sakuno is just a junior high 1st year student so she can't use the same sweet squeaky voice for Yamada.

And it seems like Mayama has no intention to let go of Rika despite him not going to work in her company. He even gave her a bangle to make her remember him and I'm starting to think whether Rika does like Mayama but has to let him go as she doesn't want to rely on him too much in this relationship. On the other hand, things seem to be improving between Mayama and Yamada since they are able to face each other frankly without him running away from her feelings. However, it still remains to be seen if they will end up together in the end.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 22 - Tsukurarate Ningen (Artificially-made humans)

Armstrong, Brosh and Ross look for Hughes in order to get permission to enter the 5th laboratory. Just as this time, Mustang calls Hughes to talk crap and the latter hangs up on him. Armstrong suggests that it might be better to let Mustang know about the Elric brothers being at the 5th laboratory but Hughes says that it is not time to tell Mustang yet. Hughes gives them permission to enter the 5th laboratory by force but they would have to be prepared for any punishment that comes their way.

Meanwhile, Gluttony has pushed Scar into a hugh depression within the building and assumed that he is dead. Al realises that he has met Lust before and cannot believe that she is an artifically-made human known as Homcrest. Al is tricked by Lust and Gluttony seizes the chance to gnaw at his armour...

Tucker suggests to Ed that he can try to use the red water to form Kenja no Ishi but Ed is not willing to do so because of the use of human beings to create the red water. However, Number 48 reminds Ed that the people who had died for the red water cannot be resurrected so it's better not to let the red water go to waste.

At the same time, Hughes and his men prepare to enter the 5th laboratory by force and meet King Bradley along the way. The King then gives orders to enter the 5th laboratory to save the Elric brothers.

Tucker shows Ed to the room above the red water tanks so that he can combine the red water from both storeys to create Kenja no Ishi. Unknown to him, Grant is hiding behind the door and the tank on the second storey actually consists of living convicts instead of the red water. Kimbly (the red lotus national alchemist) remarks with a smile that what they are seeing is not what it seems when the convicts say that Grant doesn't look like a millitary personnel to them...

Ed decides to use 2 alchemy signs and the red water from both storeys to create Kenja no Ishi. Ed makes it clear that if he manages to get Kenja no Ishi, he will use it first to restore Al's body and they can do whatever they want with it later. Kimbly is explaining his way of alchemy to a convict who doubts his powers and this results in an explosion where the second storey's convicts fall to the first floor. Ed is surprised to know that Tucker has tricked him into using living humans for the alchemy ritual and hears Grant's voice behind him. However, Ed knows that Grant had already died at the hands of Scar and sees through Envy's impersonation of Grant.

Ed feels that his arm has been dislocated from his shoulder and is unable to retalliate against Envy. Lust stops Envy from hitting Ed and threatens to destroy Al's soul if Ed does not create Kenja no Ishi for them. In actual fact, the Homcrest tribe had lured Ed and Al into the 5th laboratory so as to make them do their bidding. Al is also surprised to hear from Tucker that he intends to use his memory to make Nina come back to life despite not having her soul and wonders he is created by Ed. Lust reveals that they cannot use alchemy and has to rely on Ed to create Kenja no Ishi. They are only interested in becoming real humans and say that the brothers have been manipulated by the Homcrest tribe. Ed finally understands the meaning behind Marcoh's words, "the genuine truth behind the truths" and prepares to conduct the ritual despite being unwilling to sacrifice living humans.

Scar sees what Ed is going to do and creates an explosion to break the red water tanks so that Ed can make use of the confusion to save Al. However, as Ed has made arrangements for the ritual, the moment he comes into contact with the red water, there is a strong chemical reaction which makes the Homcrest tribe know that they cannot stay here anymore. Meanwhile, Kimbly has escaped from jail and Greed is waiting for him together with his men.

Armstrong, Brosh and Ross enter the laboratory and see Ed being in great pain. Despite the danger, Ross goes over to hug Ed and the latter faints in fatigue. At the same time, Lust, Envy and Gluttony impersonate as the millitary and manage to sneak out at the help of Sloth who has all along been working as the King's secretary, Juliet. Armstrong then rescues the brothers from the laboratory and is greeted by cheers from the soldiers...

Suddenly, a number of new baddies pop up and now Ed has to deal with people like Greed and Kimbly in addition to the Homcrest trio. And it seems like his confidence will be seriously dented as he finds out he has been taken along for a ride by these people all along and he has to explain to Al on what he had meant to say when they were in their hometown. Winry is appearing again and I guess she has to repair Ed's arm again since it seems dislocated due to the missing screw. However, the good thing is that Scar seems to be less aggressive towards Ed now as he even helped them to find the time to escape. Who knows if Scar will turn out to be their ally in future?

Honey and Clover Ep 06

After the onsen trip, the group proceed to a zoo where they seem to be the only people around since it's not a public holiday or weekend. Yamada and Hagu ask Mayama for help in feeding the giraffe and he starts to talk crap about how pitiful the giraffee is because it has been brought to such a cold country alone. Yamada cannot stand his remarks and gives him a kick to make him shut up.

Hagu is looking intently at the giraffe and Takemoto realises that she is trying to remember its image for her drawing. He passes her a carrot to feed to the giraffe but Morita pops out of nowhere to gobble up the carrot. In order to pacify Hagu, Takemoto goes to buy another carrot, leaving Hagu alone with Morita who remains silent and looks at the giraffe. Hagu steals a peak at Morita and blushes when she thinks of how cool he looked when he used soy sauce for his drawings.

Yamada treats Mayama to some coffee to apologise for her kick and he tells her not to be so rash towards her future colleagues and superiors. Yamada says that she has not found a job yet and tries to ask him about his plans with Rika but Mayama evades the question and goes away.

Mayama comes to talk to Hanamoto who knows that Mayama has something to ask him. He asks Hanamoto whether he had lived with Rika after her husband died and the latter does not deny it. However, that was to stop Rika from committing suicide so there's nothing special between Hanamoto and her.

Hanamoto relates that he and Harada (Rika's husband) were very close friends since their university days and had lived together with Rika since Year 3. Mayama recollects that he had seen Rika's body which was covered with scars as a result of that accident which killed her husband and made her a cripple. That night, Rika was driving the car when they were going home after attending the opening party of a shop they had designed. Due to this, Hanamoto stayed with Rika so as to keep an eye on her. However, he found that it was too painful to be with her since being together would remind them of Harada. That is why Hanamoto got Mayama to work into Rika's company because Mayama's not the type to poke his nose into other people's affairs. Unexpectedly, Mayama fell in love with Rika. When asked how he felt towards Rika, Hanamoto says that both Harada and Rika are very important people to him and he doesn't know how to categorise their relationships since they are neither friends or lovers. Apparently, Hanamoto did ask Rika whether she would consider accepting Mayama's feelings but she says that she does not want to make use, rely and hurt him just because he loves her. Mayama is lost in thought about his feelings and Yamada looks on sadly. Morita looks at the two of them and seems to be thinking of something...

The submission dateline for the graduation project will be up in 4 days and Mayama and Morita are panicking over this. Yamada looks very relaxed as she has submitted her project. Morita pokes fun at her for not having found a job despite finishing the project and ends up being beaten by Yamada. In actual fact, Yamada will be staying in the university as a research student for another 2 years so there's no hurry to find a job.

Morita is working on his graduation project and his friend, Kaoru comes to ask him whether he loves money and he replies in the affirmative after some thought...

Mayama has finally finished his project and receives a job offer from Fujiwara Agency. Yamada hears about this and congratulates him. Just then, they hear that Morita has disappeared and his project which is a sculpture of himself has not been finished. When Morita returns, the bell signalling the submission dateline rings...

The graduation party for Mayama is held at Hanamoto's office and Hanamoto informs Mayama that Rika will be working with Mr Asai from ARTCRAFT for the time being so she will not be hiring anyone for the moment.

Hanamoto tells Mayama to carry the drunk Yamada home. On the way, Mayama asks Yamada why she loves him. Although Mayama feels that Yamada is a nice girl, he knows he has to reject her one day if she confesses her feelings for him. However, deep inside, he knows that he won't be able to take it if Yamada disappears in front of him. He feels quite upset whenever he sees Yamada because it's as if watching his own reflection in her where his feelings for Rika are not reciprocated. Nevertheless, he cannot seem to give up Rika and finds that he's really useless. Upon hearing this, Yamada starts to sob and keeps repeating that she likes Mayama who replies with a heartfelt "thank you".

I like this episode very much. Besides the scene where Mayama told Yamada about how he felt about Rika and Yamada, it seems that Hagu has some feelings for Morita from the way she is looking at him while they are at the zoo. In addition, Morita seems really disturbed when he sees Takemoto and Hagu together but it doesn't seem like he's making any move to show it.

Somehow, Harada gives me the impression that he's of the same type as Morita. As what Hanamoto says, Harada may appear to be frivolous on the surface, he can see through what people are thinking and this trait can be seen in Morita too. Morita can make you laugh when he says he loves money but when he is deep in thought or looking at Hagu, it makes me realise that he's not really as superficial or easy-to-understand as what it seems.

Talking about the scene of Mayama telling Yamada his feelings, I seem to sense that he regards Yamada as a special friend. Somehow, he's in turmoil about how he feels towards her. On one hand, he knows that he cannot love Yamada since he's in love with Rika but he's reluctant to let her go away at the same time. That explains why he's not very comfortable with Yamada when they are alone. He's scared that he has to reject her when she confesses her feelings for her and that could mark the end of their friendship. I wonder if things will change later on since Mayama will not work in Rika's company after his graduation.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 21 - Akai Kagayaki (The Red Shimmer)

Al is affected by Number 66's words about him not being in existence from the beginning. However, the taunting does not stop and they both see someone jumping over the wall into the 5th laboratory. Number 66 goes to attack that person who turns out to be Scar! He destroys Number 66's metal arm and the latter happens to see the drawings on his right arm. Scar questions Number 66 on what he knows about the drawings and while pretending to think about whether to tell Scar about this, Number 66 presses a button in the wall which causes an explosion. Al uses his body to block the impact of the falling debris and tries to stop Scar from heading into the laboratory to look for Number 66 but to no avail. As such, he has no choice but to follow Scar.

Meanwhile, the explosion results in Greed being freed from captive and he remarks that it's been 130 years since he tasted freedom. He goes to the prison and asks the convicts whether they wish to come with him to create havoc or stay as experiment subjects...

Ed and Number 48 are inside the laboratory and the latter informs Ed that there are lots of explosives around to destroy the evidence when required. The younger brother of Number 48 tells Ed to kill him but Ed refuses to do so since he regards their spirits as human beings. To the brothers, they will be executed even if they regain their past bodies so it makes no difference whether they remain in this stage or go back to being humans. The younger brother destroys his alchemy sign and the elder brother promises his brother that he will follow him once he directs Ed to the entrance of where to find Kenja no Ishi.

In the prison, the guards hear a series of explosions and one of the convicts, Kimberly remark how nice the explosions sound. It seems that Kimberly used to be a national alchemist too...

At the same time, Lust and Gluttony are waiting for Envy to come by and bring the elements for the Kenja no Ishi creation ritual when they discover a huge depression. Lust realises that they have to hurry now that Greed has been released...

Ed brings Number 48's head and walks along a corridor as directed. Suddenly, there are a number of kimeras coming after Ed and he is almost attacked if not for someone who stops them. Ed is shocked to find that Tucker is still alive and now takes on the form of a kimera himself after he was taken away by the millitary.

Al and Scar are searching for Ed and Al asks Scar to let Ed off but Scar refuses to do so. Al explains to Scar that they are after Kenja no Ishi just to regain their bodies and not to kill mercilessly. In actual fact, Scar's brother was obsessed with experimenting with alchemy during the Isbal war as he wanted to resurrect his dead lover. Even though Scar had tried to stop him, he lost his senses over this and was eventually killed in the war. At this moment, Lust and Gluttony appear before them and try to kill Al and Scar who identifies the two as those from the Homcrest tribe...

Tucker brings Ed to the experiment facilities and shows him that he has been trying to resurrect Nina with human alchemy but failed thus leading to his current state. Ed is in shock when he sees the huge tank containing the red water and Tucker tells him that the creation of Kenja no Ishi has not been successful so far due to the lack of a powerful alchemist. Ed says that he is no ordinary alchemist and makes his decision on something...

Some new characters and return of familiar faces. Suwabe Junichi-san's voice as Greed just reminds me of Atobe-sama so much but his appearance was kind of brief in this episode. And we have another mysterious alchemist called Kimberly who's in prison but no reason was given. The return of Tucker was a surprise though and I gasped when I saw him in that kimera form. He's still trying to resurrect Nina which either means that he's remorseful about what he did to her or he's just aiming to achieve his aim of doing human alchemy.

Scar keeps thinking of some woman by his brother's side whenever he sees Lust. As she's not human, could it be that she returned to life in another form but was actually acquainted with Scar and his brother in the past?

Honey and Clover Ep 05

Takemoto goes back to his hometown during the winter holidays and remembers how he had made up excuses not to go back for a long time. He goes to the hospital which his mother works in and finds that she is sick and currently resting at home under the care of his stepfather, Kazu-san.

On the way home, Takemoto sees some kites being flown and recalls his past. His father was a tall and skinny man who was sickly. He died when Takemoto was in primary school and told the young Takemoto to take good care of his mother. Ever since then, Takemoto worked very hard for his dream of buying a house to live with his mother. However, when he was in Year 2 of senior high school, his mother brought Kazu-san to see him and said that Takemoto would not have to worry about her anymore. This brought about a change in him as he seemed to have lost his goal overnight with Kazu-san's appearance and wasn't sure what to do in future. However, his interest in creating things made Takemoto decide to leave home and study in Tokyo.

While wandering around the streets, Takemoto is startled by Kazu-san who had come to look for him. Kazu-san brings him to the baseball centre and tries to liven up the atmosphere by playing with the batting machines. Takemoto does not really dislike Kazu-san but just feels uncomfortable being with him. Kazu-san gets the feeling that Takemoto is refusing to come home because of him and tells him to come home more often so that his mother will be happier. He says that he can never be a replacement for Takemoto or his dead father and tries to get his point across without sounding too forceful. Takemoto's mother is very happy to see him and content to hold his hand the whole night.

Takemoto goes home to find a note telling him to go to Hanamoto's place and he finds his friends there. He gets very happy when Hagu says "okaerinasai" to him.

Takemoto, Hagu, Yamada, Morita and Hanamoto go for an onsen trip together because Hanamoto had struck the lottery through the tickets given by Morita as a Christmas gift. As such, Hanamoto is treating everyone to go for the trip. Mayama is joining them later as he has to attend a job interview. Hanamoto realises that Yamada is in love with Mayama when she grumbles about Mayama's character. Yamada falls into a daze as she recalls how she found out about Mayama's feelings for Rika and laments how hard it is for her to stop loving Mayama despite him having eyes for someone else.

At the onsen ryokan, the students go wild with excitement and enjoy themselves very much. Morita accidentally damages one of the calligraphy pieces and uses soy sauce to draw some pictures as compensation. Hagu is stunned by Morita's talent while the rest of them continue to marvel at Morita's drawings. Mayama arrives at the ryokan and they do not understand why Mayama keeps going for interviews at big companies only. Morita points out that the low probability of Mayama making it will give him a perfect reason to stay in Rika's company. He asks Mayama to give up finding a job and form a company with him.

When Hanamoto's handphone rings, Mayama wonders if Rika is on the line and even checks his handphone to confirm his guess. However, he finds nothing and feels that he's thinking too much. Morita plays Mayama's handphone ringtone again to make fun of him and the latter ends up buying lots of desserts to stop Morita from talking about it.

Mayama and Hanamoto meet in the onsen bath and the latter tells him to decide for himself about his career instead of letting feelings rule his head. Mayama promises to take his suggestion seriously...

The first part about Takemoto's childhood is done in a nostalgic manner and I can identify with his feelings when he lost his aim in life due to his mother's remarriage. Maybe that's why he's still not sure what he wants to do with his life when he talked to Mayama in the first episode.

Morita is really cool when he was drawing at the onsen. When he's serious, there is this charm about him which is hard to ignore. Even though he may be playing the fool most of the time, who knows what he is really thinking about?

Mayama is really bent on staying with Rika and trust Morita to say it out bluntly in front of everyone. And Morita never fails to make me laugh when he keeps poking fun of Mayama with that ringtone.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 20 - Shuugousha no Tamashi (The Protector's Soul)

As what Ed expects, he finds that Number 48 is the same as Al where his spirit is contained inside the armour. Number 48 explains that this is his identification number on the list of convicts to be executed and he was supposed to be dead 2 years ago. Number 48's name was Slicer and he was caught for being a serial killer. Ed says that as long as he destroys Number 48's alchemy sign written in blood, he will not be of any threat but Number 48 is not scared of Ed's threats. Ed feels that something is not right with his arm and suddenly remembers Winry's words that the new metal limb is lighter than before thus will not be as powerful. As such, Ed has to find a way to defeat Number 48 as soon as possible or the situation would turn out to be not in his favour. However, he gets slashed by Number 48 on his left shoulder and is losing blood profusely.

In the meantime, Al is fighting with Number 66 who does not give up despite not being Al's match. Al does not have any intention to hurt Number 66 and discovers that they are the same. Number 66 reveals that he was Barry The Chopper and at that time, he was caught by the brothers and holds a grudge against them.

Armstrong, Ross and Brosh are conducting investigation work at the Central Library and Armstrong asks where the Elric brothers are. Ross informs him that the brothers have gone to the 5th laboratory and asks for help to go there and find them.

Meanwhile, Ed is having a tough fight with Number 48 and has to resort to trickery in order to remove the head from the metallic body so that Number 48 cannot attack him. However, it turns out that Slicer refers to 2 brothers and that the younger brother's soul is contained in the body of the armour. This results in Ed suffering from another slash by the younger brother. Just before Ed is about to be killed by Number 48, he suddenly remembers Scar and uses his way of alchemy by stopping at the second stage of destruction to overcome the younger brother. Number 48 refuses to tell them anything about the laboratory and asks him to destroy them but Ed does not agree to do so. This is because if he chooses to destroy them as things, he would be refusing to acknowledge Al's existence as a living human.

Number 66 refuses to give up his fight and says that Al is just a spirit residing in the armour and cannot be regarded as a living human. This shakens Al's belief in Ed and the fact that he does exist as a human being. In addition, he remembers that Ed had something to tell him when they were in Rizenburu but did not reveal this to him in the end. As such, Al starts to doubt whether he did exist in the first place and if the memories of his past were just his imagination...

That idiotic Number 66 is really a scum! Trust him to make Al lose faith in himself and Ed but I don't think Al will be deceived so easily. The brothers are bonded by a very strong relationship and if this trust between them is destroyed by malicious words by others, it would be really sad.

And in the next episode, Greed i.e. Suwabe Junichi-san finally appears! Wonder if he will get to speak to Scar though...

Honey and Clover Ep 04

Mayama has all along felt that older women would never sing for him. However, one night while working at Rika's place with other colleagues, Mayama woke up to hear Rika humming the song, Moon River which marked the beginning of his feelings for her. He remembers the words he spoke to Yamada about asking her to give up on him and quickly hides himself when he sees Yamada. Unknown to him, Yamada has already seen him and is secretly scolding him for avoiding her in such an obvious manner.

Suddenly, Mayama hears his handphone's ringtone and wonders why there isn't any incoming call. To his surprise, he finds Morita behind humming the tune and making fun of him. Later, Mayama does receive a call from Rika who has come to the school to look for Hanamoto and goes to help her return the chair she borrowed.

Hanamoto asks what she intends to do in future and she says that she will take a step at a time. He draws her attention to Mayama who is waiting for her downstairs but she does not say anything. Later, Hanamoto drives Rika out of the campus and she tells Mayama about an opportunity to know someone in the industry. Hanamoto asks Rika if it is fine to give Mayama up to a competitor but she says that it is better to give Mayama more choices and let him decide his future on his own rather than making him stay in her company.

Yamada is feeling down and Morita comes to make fun of her. In the end, he gets walloped by Yamada again.

Hagu is buying some snacks in the canteen when a male classmate asks her out. However, the female classmates remark that Hagu bears the expectations of many people and has no time to hang out with them. Upon hearing such words, Hagu gets rather agitated and works hard on her sculpture again. However, the wire snaps and she ends up scratching herself on the face. At this time, Morita comes to look for Hagu and finds her in a daze. Takemoto misunderstands that Morita has bullied Hagu again and brings her to the sick bay as she feels like vomitting.

Takemoto finds out from the medical teacher that Hagu has been under a lot of stress and constantly feels like vomitting under such situations. He realises how naive he was to admire Hagu for having talent without realising that it could also work against her when people do not want to befriend her or feel jealous about her talent. Hanamoto comes to bring Hagu home and thanks Takemoto for taking care of her. Unknown to them, Morita had overheard the conversation between Takemoto and the medical teacher.

December arrives and Takemoto feels very frustrated at the Christmas mood around him as he dislikes this season. Morita goes around inviting everyone to attend the Christmas party on the eve.

Takemoto and Hagu go around to buy food for the party and he does not feel too excited about the event. Hagu asks him why he doesn't seem too happy and Takemoto reveals that he used to spend Christmas alone as his mother was busy working at the hospital. Hagu tries to make Takemoto happier and he's touched by her concern.

Mayama goes to look for Rika and gives her a pack of coffee and snacks. He also mentions that he knows that she is going out with Hanamoto today and walks away without any impression.

The party begins and everyone starts to enjoy themselves. Morita makes fun of Mayama of being dumped. Mayama is also stunned at seeing Yamada but pretends that nothing is wrong. As most of the people are drunk, Mayama decides to leave the room and bumps into Hanamoto who reveals that he drove Rika to her husband's grave. Mayama reveals that he knows about Rika's husband but Hanamoto stops short of saying something to Mayama when Hagu appears.

Hanamoto sends Hagu and Yamada home while Mayama is in a daze and thinking about Rika. In actual fact, Morita is not drunk and gets Mayama to drink with him. They also remark that Takemoto is smiling in his sleep and must be having a good dream...

My liking for Morita is growing again. I guess the reason why he held the Christmas party is not just to gather everyone but also because he wants to get everyone to forget their troubles for the time being. He does think of everyone in a way which is not easily noticeable. For example, he's concerned about Hagu too but chooses to keep it under wraps, using his frivolous attitude to hide his true feelings.

It seems like Rika is aware of Mayama's feelings for her but she chooses to keep him at a distance. Is it because of the fact that she still misses her husband or she feels that she shouldn't be with Mayama given her age and crippled leg? Well, it also seems that Mayama thought something was going on between Rika and Hanamoto and it might be true after all. Hanamoto looks very concerned about Rika's affairs but I don't know whether he likes her after all.

Hagu seems rather pitiful when she's ostracised by others for being talented and different. Luckily, Takemoto is there for her and it seems that they are getting closer, though not in the romantic sense.

Takemoto may appear very happy most of the time but he has a rather unhappy childhood. And there will be more details on this in the next episode.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 19 - Shinjitsu no Oku no Oku (The truth behind the truths)

After finding out that one of the elements required to make Kenja no Ishi is a living human, Ed gets very discouraged and gives up trying to find it. Al tries to persuade Ed to read the research data to see if they have missed out anything but Ed throws a tantrum and refuses to do so. Ross decides to talk some sense into Ed and points out that Ed is just afraid of being disappointed at the end and chooses to escape from this possibility by giving up at this juncture. Ed finally makes up his mind to continue his quest for Kenja no Ishi much to the delight of Al.

According to Brosh's explanation, there are currently 4 national laboratories in use and Ed's attention is fixed on the 5th laboratory. He explains his reasoning as Kenja no Ishi requires live human beings, the prison next to the 5th laboratory would be the best source of this element. The person-in-charge of this laboratory was Grant who had been killed by Scar. Ed prepares to go to the 5th laboratory for a look but Ross stops him, saying that it is better for the adults to step in at this stage. Ed agrees to her suggestion but secretly goes out to the 5th laboratory with Al to investigate.

Ed and Al arrive at the 5th laboratory which is heavily protected with security features despite it not being in use. As they are not able to enter the building through the main door, Ed can only enter through the ventilation vent and Al has to wait outside.

Meanwhile, Scar enters the National Library to look for Ed and gets into a gunfight with the guards. Scar realises that Ed has found out about the 5th laboratory when Brosh and Ross enter the room. Scar has no choice but to leave the room immediately in order to prevent himself from being captured. Brosh and Ross also find out that the brothers had slipped out without their knowledge.

Wrath suggests to Lust that they should kill Ed in order but Lust says that Ed is of use to them and that it's better to keep him alive.

Ed discovers that there are lots of bobby traps in the building which suggests that someone is bent on stopping intruders into the laboratory. In the meantime, there are 2 people who are watching Ed and Al's moves and they prepare to kill the brothers.

Ed meets a guy in armour who calls himself Number 48 and is trying to kill Ed. Meanwhile, Number 66 attacks Al. In the meantime, Winry realises that she has forgotten to put in one screw into Ed's metal arm and Ed feels that something is wrong with his arm during the battle with Number 48. He also finds out that Number 48 is similar to Al where the spirit resides in the metal armour...

The fight continues in the next episode but I'm kind of worried for Ed's condition since Winry forgot to put in one screw for his arm and it's going to affect his powers. And this could mean that Winry might come to Central to repair his arm? Meanwhile, since Number 48 and 66 seem to be both spirits in metal armours, wouldn't it be difficult to defeat them since you can only destroy them through the alchemy symbol on the armour?

Honey and Clover Ep 03

Morita, Mayama and Takemoto are heading back to their apartments after going to the public bath when Takemoto receives a phonecall from Hagu who had returned to her hometown. Hagu asks him what souvenirs the trio want while Morita looks at Takemoto thoughtfully. Takemoto tells them that Hagu and Hanamoto will be bringing back soba as their souvenir and reminds them of the soba party at Hanamoto's place tomorrow night. Suddenly, Mayama receives a call and says that he is going somewhere. Morita reveals to Takemoto that the call was from a woman but he does not elaborate further.

The next morning, Takemoto finds Morita sleeping in Mayama's room where he had turned on the air-con, fan and played TV games all night just to make use of Mayama's electricity. Takemoto asks Morita if he will come for the soba party and the latter says that he will because he wants to see Hagu. Takemoto misunderstands that Morita is interested in Hagu so that he can take pictures of her again for the website. Just then, a man comes to Morita and tells him that there is a sudden assignment which would stretch to the day after tomorrow. On the way to work, Morita happens to see Hagu and Hanamoto walking along the street and his attention is fixed on Hagu...

Takemoto turns up at the party alone as Mayama has not returned home and Morita is nowhere to be found. To his surprise, he finds that this is a barbecue party instead of soba as mentioned previously. Hagu shows Takemoto her room and the clothes she has made for her dolls. Takemoto is very happy when he looks at Hagu obsessed with her dolls and offers to make a wardrobe for the dolls' clothes. However, he gets surprised when Hagu asks for a complicated design and wonders how he should go about doing it.

Takemoto sees Mayama coming to school with an older woman in a taxi and wonders about his relationship with that woman. Just as Takemoto is going to ask Mayama about this, Yamada runs out of nowhere and questions why Mayama is still involved with that woman. At this time, Morita returns to school and distracts Yamada which gives Mayama the chance to run away. Morita faints out of the fatigue and Takemoto brings him to the sick bay.

When Takemoto leaves the sick bay, he happens to see the woman whom was with Mayama just now and she goes to look for Hanamoto. Her name is Harada Rika and she walks with a crutch. Hanamoto asks about her condition and she says that she can cope with work with Mayama's help. Takemoto happens to bump into Hagu and has a snack with her but she runs off suddenly saying that she has a stomach ache.

Takemoto asks Hanamoto about Mayama's relationship with Rika and Hanamoto says that there is nothing special between them.

Yamada goes to look for Mayama and asks what he intends to do about Rika even though he likes her. Mayama then rebukes Yamada for chasing after him despite the fact that he will never love her and tells her to give up now. Yamada is stunned because she has never told Mayama about how she feels and yet he knows about it.

Yamada is working on her pottery creation and starts to cry when she thinks about her unrequited love for Mayama and his feelings for Rika. Morita offers her a drink so that she can replenish the water she has lost through crying. Yamada grumbles that Mayama also hides his true self in order to avoid being hurt or embarrassed. Morita then asks her why she likes him so much when she dislikes his character but Yamada says that it is an uncontrollable feeling...

The more I watch this anime, the more I like Morita. Initially, I did put Mayama as my No.1 character based on initial impressions but somehow, Morita has overtaken him as my No.1 character. He's funny and yet thinks more about things than what others can see on the surface. And he's more thoughtful than anyone can imagine like his buying of sandals for Hagu and giving a drink to Yamada but giving a not-so-romantic reason like you have to replenish the water you've lost. ^__^ What a sweet guy! I tend to think that he does feel something special for Hagu and he looked a bit sad when he saw Takemoto talking to Hagu on the phone.

My No.2 favourite character would be Yamada. No doubt she likes Mayama, she keeps pressing him to make a decision and buck up not because she wants to keep him for herself but because it pains her to see him agonising over his feelings for Rika. I think Yamada might be willing to give Mayama up if he can be with Rika and stay happy. That's how I see it at the moment but it is painful to see her being rejected in that way when Mayama made it clear that he would never fall for her. That's so harsh and frank but it's also the most direct and fastest way to convey your stand to the person who likes you. Mayama clearly doesn't want Yamada to continue wasting time on him.

I wonder why but Hagu seems to be the character who almost appears in the cartoon style all the time. It's better if they stop portraying her as a little kid. As for Takemoto, I think he's fine with me at the moment but I do think that he needs to realise what he is feeling for Hagu soon. Surely, he cannot be so lost throughout the anime?

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 18 - Marcoh Note (Marcoh's Notes)

In the Central Library's 1st branch, Lust and Glutton are looking for Marcoh's book where Scar also appears. Scar feels that Lust resembles a woman who used to be by his elder brother's side but ditches that association because it seems unlikely. Lust notices Scar's presence and tells him to stop targetting Ed as she hopes to use him to locate Kenja no Ishi. Scar refuses to do their bidding and gets into a fight with the two of them...

Ed, Al and Armstrong finally return to Central where they are greeted by Denny Brosh and Maria Ross. The duo explain that they are here to protect the brothers but Ed protests against this decision. Ross explains to Ed that Scar has been sighted in Central so Ed has no choice but to accept this order from the top. Armstrong and Al apologise for Ed's rude attitude to Ross and tells her to ignore his words.

However, bad news await Ed and Al as the 1st branch has been destroyed due to a fire last night and according to eyewitnesses, Scar had been spotted at the scene. Ed is very upset to see that his only clue to Kenja no Ishi is gone.

Meanwhile, Hughes is on the line with Mustang, boasting about his daughter again before he gets down to work matters. Hughes tells Mustang that Scar is indeed involved in the fire at the Central Library's 1st branch but there are signs of a fight and it is unlikely for him to have caused so much damage single-handedly. Besides that, there are rumours that Mustang might be transferred back to Central since Grant had died.

Ed and Al go to the Central Library's main branch to see if they can find any clues to Marcoh's book. As there are no records of the book, the staff suggests that they can look for Sheska, an ex-staff who was fired because she spent too much time reading books instead of working.

Ed, Al, Ross and Brosh are shocked to find Sheska's place flooded with books and she is even buried under a pile of them. Sheska says that she remembers that there is a book written by Marcoh and will be able to write a copy of the contents for them based on her memory. 3 days later, Sheska manages to come up with the book's contents but they are all cooking recipes. However, Ed says that this is exactly what he's looking for and decides to stay at the Central Library to decipher the contents with Al. Due to security concerns, Ross objects to Ed's decision to stay in the library but Ed refuses to listen to her and dares her to complain to the top brass.

Ed and Al know that Marcoh's book was written in a secret code so they would have to crack the code in order to know the exact contents. Hughes comes to visit Ed and Al who are trying hard to crack the code. Ross expresses her concern about security but Ed says that he will not give up until he finds out the truth. Hughes mentions that he is in a fix because criminal and case records have been destroyed. Ed brings Hughes to see Sheska so that she can help him with the re-writing of the information. In return, Ed will get extra protection under Hughes' orders.

That night, after the fierce battle with Lust and Glutton, Scar gets seriously injured and is saved by fellow Isbal tribesmen. He wakes up to find that there are quite a number of Isbal people around and says that he cannot stay on in the village.

In the meantime, Ed and Al finally crack the code and realise that a living human being is needed as one of the elements to create Kenja no Ishi...

Given the fact that a human being is needed to create Kenja no Ishi, it means that it's not possible for Ed and Al to create one on their own since they will never sacrifice someone to achieve their aim. Thus, the only way would be to search for an existing Kenja no Ishi or else it would be impossible to get their bodies back.

Scar mentioned that Lust resembles a woman who was always with his brother. I'm curious to find out what exactly happened in the past and why Scar said that Lust and Glutton are from the Homecrest tribe.

As usual, with Hughes and Mustang, you can never be bored. Those two are so funny when they talk nonsense but it's apparent that they are very good friends.

Next episode talks about the 5th Laboratory which is where unthinkable experiments were conducted. What could this mean? Killing of people to create Kenja no Ishi?

Honey and Clover Ep 02

Morita keeps coming up with funny ideas and chases after Hagu all day long for his new creations. Mayama and Takemoto feel sorry for Hagu and ask Hanamoto where she is. He replies that she's so scared of Morita these days and is coping herself up to work on her new creation.

Mayama and Takemoto express interest in Hagu's new creation and are shocked to find her making a sculpture. Hanamoto tells them about Hagu's potential and that she's been asked to make that sculpture for a new art gallery which is opening soon.

Takemoto tells Mayama that he feels quite lost when he sees Hagu's talents and that he doesn't know what he should do with his future. Mayama says that Takemoto is only a 2nd year student and still has some time to think about his future career path so he can take things easy for the time being. He also suggests that the tenants of the apartment block can have a barbecue party and they can invite Hagu to come along.

Takemoto and Mayama see Hagu making a scrapbook of the things she wants and Takemoto remarks that those are very expensive. Suddenly, a publisher's representative comes to look for the lecturer and exclaims when he sees Hagu. He informs the trio that he saw pictures of Hagu on the Net and they find out that this is Morita's doing. This makes Hagu very upset and she gets extremely frightened when Morita comes into the room. Hagu throws things at Morita before running away which Mayama remarks that Hagu's dislike for Morita is his own doing. Morita picks up Hagu's scrapbook from the floor and makes up his mind to do something.

Hagu happens to bump into Yamada along the corridor and resculpts her pottery work which is damaged as a result of that bump.

Takemoto asks Morita to take part in their barbecue party and the latter says that he will be out for his part-time job which will take about one week. Takemoto promises to wait for Morita to return before holding the party. Mayama bets with Takemoto that Morita will not return as promised but Takemoto has faith in Morita's promise.

Hagu goes to the pottery workshop to look for Yamada and since then, they become good friends...

After one week, Morita is still not back yet but Takemoto insists on waiting for Morita despite Mayama's objections. Meanwhile, Morita is walking along the streets in a tired state where he happens to see the pair of sandals in Hagu's scrapbook. Without hesitation, he buys the sandals immediately despite the high price tag and heads to the university with a smile.

Morita returns to school and offers his contribution for the barbecue party. Hagu is scared to see Morita again and hides behind the curtain. However, Morita is not taken aback by this reaction and gives the pair of sandals to Hagu which makes her elated. Meanwhile, Morita collapses out of exhaustion and Takemoto offers to carry him back to their dormitory. Mayama looks at the shoebox and realises that Morita spent a bomb on that pair of sandals.

Takemoto is happy to see Hagu looking very happy after receiving Morita's gift but feels a bit uneasy upon thinking of this. However, he does not think too much about this and continues his journey home...

Morita is really not what he seems to be on the surface. He may seem like a reckless guy but he remembers what Hagu wants and even buys the sandals for her without hesitation. I think he doesn't really mean anything special with this gift but it's more of a spur of the moment decision or he is trying to make up for he did to her. I tend to think that Morita doesn't consider a lot of things in his actions but he might be a deeper person that I think.

Mayama also seems to be hiding some things and he keeps thinking of a woman. Maybe the girl of his dreams will make an appearance from next episode onwards.

Hagu rarely speaks so a lot of her feelings are shown through her expressions rather than words. I won't say I like or dislike her at the moment since there could be more to her which is not displayed right now. Likewise for Yamada, there's not much mention of her other than the fact that she gets affected at the mention of Mayama and has become friends with Hagu now.

As for Takemoto, he is showing signs of his feelings for Hagu but it might take forever for him to realise it.

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) Ep 17 - Kazoku no Matsu Ie (The home to wait for family members)

Ed, Al and Armstrong come to Rizenburu, the Elric brothers' hometown so as to repair their bodies. Al remarks that it's been 4 years since they returned and Armstrong asks why they did not return to their hometown. Ed says that there's no point coming back since they have no family members waiting for them here.

Pinako and Winry are happy to see Ed and Al back but Winry grumbles at the way they are now and scolds them for doing dangerous things. As it will take about 3 days to make new limbs for Ed, they would have to stay in Rizenburu for the time being. Al remarks that things have not changed much in their hometown and marvel at the beauty of the countryside.

Ed can't wait to go back to Central to look for Marcoh's research data but he has to wait for his new limbs to be fixed. Al asks Ed to visit their mother's grave since he can't move around freely now.

Al seems to have forgotten some of his old friends and asks Winry about it. Somehow, Al feels that he can't remember fragments of his past and feels sad. Ed goes to pay respects to his mother and remembers the past when he resolved to bring her back to life.

Winry is very interested in Ed's pocket watch which is the trademark of national alchemists but Ed refuses to let her dismantle the watch. Meanwhile, Al is brooding in the room about some of the things he may have forgotten but Ed tries to console him that it's inevitable as they grow older.

The next day, Winry and Pinako prepare to attach the metal limbs to Ed's body and Armstrong remarks at Ed's ability to tolerate the pain. Winry reminds Ed not to be rash and take care of his life since metal limbs can be replaced but he can only die once.

Ed prepares to restore Al's body and shows Armstrong that there is a alchemy symbol in the armour written in Ed's blood. If Scar had destroyed more of Al's armour and hit that symbol, Al would never have survived. After restoring Al's body, the brothers prepare to have a sparring match to get used to their bodies again.

Winry happens to spot Ed's pocket watch and gets excited at the thought of dismantling it. However, when she sees the words, "Don't forget 3 Oct 10" being engraved inside, she is stunned...

While Ed is having a shower, Winry comes to him with a serious expression and apologises for looking at the pocket watch without his permission. Ed says that he has to use those words to keep reminding himself of his aim and to keep himself focused. Winry says that the brothers still have a home and she and Pinako will always be here to wait for them to come back.

Ed, Al and Armstrong return to the place which used to be where their house was situated. Al remembers that their mother always used a flickering light at the second floor of their house to guide them home when it was dark. When they return to the Rockbell residence, the brothers are touched to see Winry doing the same for them...

Winry and Pinako send Ed, Al and Armstrong off. After that, Winry reveals that Ed had engraved the date when they burned their house and left Rizenburu in his pocket watch...

This episode focuses more on emotional scenes like the brothers remembering their past and what happened. It's usually in such episodes where you get to see the softer side of Ed. It was particularly nostalgic when you see Ed walking around their hometown and visiting his mother's grave and how focused he is on achieving his goal to regain both his and Al's bodies. The interaction between him and Winry is both humourous and deep at the same time. They can quarrel all day long but Winry knows how Ed feels and supports him in whatever he's doing.

Before Ed and Al can get to the Central Library, Scar, Lust and Glutton are already there. Does that mean they won't be able to find out about what Marcoh wrote in his research data?