Fullmetal Alchemist: Episode 43

Have I mentioned enough times how much I love this series? Twists and turns are always around the corner. It reveals answers yet it purposely cloaks truths. Argh, my head is about to explode yet I’m still craving for more. *sigh* Only nine episodes left before we see the conclusion of the series. Unless the producers opt to leave the finale open-ended and let the upcoming movie tie up the loose ends.

The preview for this episode pretty much gave away the long-awaited appearance of Hohenheim, the Elrics’ father. Although he made his presence felt, he remains mysterious as ever. His unsual sense of time seems to hint centuries of living. Hmmm..if he is not a homunculus, who could he be? His connection with these creatures are a given but I refuse to accept him as an ally of the sins. However, strong evidence suggest otherwise.

Meanwhile, the Fuhrer ordered Mustang to capture the Elric brothers for questioning regarding Scar, Lior, and hundreds of missing men. Mustang and his team immediately tracked down Ed and Al on their way to Rizenbul. The inevitable confrontation follows but not as Ed expected.

Even with the comedic antics of Winry and Sheeska (I really don’t know how to spell her name), sadness and regret seem to envelop the episode. Mustang’s angry outburst surprised me the most. He usually keeps his distance but reprimanding Ed and Al for running away suggested a deeper concern for these two. Ahhh…where’s the next episode?

BTW, I’ve been thinking about Layla’s alliance for a while. A lot of people may have noticed this already but could it be possible that a soul-switcheroo with Dante occurred? Discarding the old body for a new one, right? Layla’s confrontation with Greed showed her suspiciously vast knowledge about homunculus. If this is the case, living for more than a century is possible, right? However, for a soul-swapping to occur, a perfected human transmutation was used. Speculations give me a headache.