[Premium Access] Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Episode 63 The Other Side of the Gateway - Group Reaction

How did they come to the conclusion that the meaning was that Alchemy was bad or "blasphemous". lol that was totally not the point.

John Victor Oak

Such an amazing show,such a great reaction. Everyone trying not to cry at the end was just like my friend group when we binged watched it together. FMAB!

Noah Burke

I don't think it's so much that alchemy is bad as that it doesn't make you superior to other people. Father wants everything Greed wants, remember? Which means Father THOUGHT he wanted power, but what he really wanted was friends. He refused to admit that he needed anyone else, so he failed--first defeated by a bunch of people teaming up against his lone ass, and then punished by Truth. Ed realized that power was less important than love, so he succeeded--with the help of many others along the way.

Jen A. Blue

When you realize FMAB is Hohenheim’s story after all :)

"Well at least you died with a smile on your face"

Josh Martin

Damn, both those speechs with the Truth are so good, and they contrast themselves so well! We lost Greed, RIP the best homunculus!! and we Lost HohenHeim, my favorite character but his death was so perfect and a fitting way to end his story arc! He suffered for 400+ years but in the end was able to help his sons and save the country! FMAB is as much Hohenhiems story as it is the elric boys. I teared up again watching him die, don't think i'll ever make it thru this scene dry eyed haha.

Liam D

Just one thing that I want to point out: I think that in this show absolutely NOTHING has the value of a human soul. If the value of a soul was another soul, Ed or Al would have died and their mother would have come back when their circle rebounded and forced the missing components out of them. I think the message in the human transmutation is that every single soul is absolutely unique. You can't ever pay for a soul, because it's literally priceless.

Mordirit

Also, did you guys notice Ed say that he was "unable to save a little", meaning Nina Tucker from the beginning of the season.

Kevin

You'll notice that the truth never answers father when he asks "What's wrong with seeking perfection?" Or "What should I have done?", and even says that Father should have believed in himself. Father wasn't "wrong" for trying to seek perfection, but he went about it the wrong way and deluded himself. Instead of trying to understand himself, he looked at himself and saw what he perceived as flaws, and thought that by excising them, he could rid himself of imperfection, and become perfect. But I think the answer Truth wanted was for Father to realise that those "flaws" were all just a part of him that he had to accept and learn to understand and love. By refusing to do so, he deluded himself, and in his ultimate blasphemy, he tried to "become one with god", but he never realised that that was a completely pointless action: As truth says, they are already one. Father fixated on trying to fix himself, never realising that he was never broken. It's even represented by his completely empty door: He's learned nothing. Even his punishment is his own doing. Truth didn't punish him, and even states "You brought this on yourself." When confronted with the truth: that he and the universe are already part of each other, he refuses to believe it and finds one more flaw, one more sin in himself: Arrogance. Subconsciously, he believes that he deserves to be punished. The portal doesn't belong to the Truth, or to that place, it belongs to him, and it's what pulls him inside. I don't take credit for this.

Nathom T

Not just the first time, everytime 😭

Max

I wouldn’t say alchemy itself is meant to be seen as blasphemy or even wrong. Listening to the conversations Truth had with Father and Edward that what he disliked wasn’t them trying to obtain knowledge itself, but by messing with the natural order without paying the price. If you go back to the episode where Teacher is introduced a big part of their alchemy training was realizing the circle life stuff is vital to the world. Death while not pleasant is a necessary part of life. They cannot bring the dead back to life and there is no equivalent for a human soul besides another one. Ed and Al broke that taboo and had to pay the price by losing their bodies. Father essentially thrived by making others pay the price for him while he gave up anything. The major difference between them is that Ed and Al learned from their mistakes and grew. Al gave up his soul to get Ed’s arm back so they could defeat Father. Ed gave up alchemy to bring Al back because he realized it was the price he could pay to restore brother on his own without using anyone else. Truth was happy because Edward realized he was always just a man and didn’t value his alchemy above everything else or try to find a shortcut to get everything he wanted. Whereas Father never grew at all as Truth mentioned. Even after he got a body Father just set his sights on becoming god and ironically sat around in his underground bunker not doing much, which is similar to when he was just a speak who could only sit in a flask. Truth called him out on it because Father could have done so much more with his body and learned by interacting with people, but he chose not to. He chose to try to usurp god and use people to pay the price for all his gains. He stole knowledge and deprived himself from earning wisdom. Humans in this series did screw up a lot they each learned from it and tried to do better as a result. Father did every negative thing humanity did without every show any of the positives they had. Marketa is right in alchemy is just tool. Truth was only interested in if the people he saw grew from their losses and gains with alchemy.

Jjop017

The attention to detail like this is what makes me love this show more and more. I feel like I learn something new about it every time I revisit it. (been rewatching the last few parts on my own) - Suraj

The Normies

I noticed that! Such a cool embodiment of a god like figure! "Who am I? One name you might have for me is the world, or you might call me the universe, or perhaps God, or perhaps the Truth. I am All, and I am One. **So, of course, this also means that I am you.** I am the truth of your despair, the inescapable price of your boastfulness. - Suraj

The Normies

62-63 are some of the best anime episodes out there. Filled with satisfaction and feels.

olof

Marketa tried so hard, but the second that ED kicked in she broke. Heartbreaking in the most satisfying way.

Also notice that you can hear Eds voice in Truth when he is excited after Ed beat him

George Byrd

Notice that despite Father claiming he wanted to learn the world's knowledge, his portal of Truth is completely blank, whereas Ed and Al's have really ornate designs to them. It symbolizes that Father didn't truly learn anything during his existence.

Michael Tennick

Note that Ed's doorway is covered in learning and diagrams while Dwarf in the Flask's door is blank. Ed builds his own knowledge and power, Dwarf in the Flask just takes from others.

Kris

The last commercial break image of Ed is so well drawn. It's the face of a man with no arrogance, just offering something for something else in return. Instead of wanting to know everything like he's done the entire series, he gave that up and just to have faith in life.

Coco XLarge

I knew it no one is safe from the hoenheim death. It’s inevitable that you will cry once in this series

George Byrd

EFFING DOUBLE DROP!!! STUPID ONIONS!! 😭 and Navi confirming why she's a smoke show 😍

YES THE DOUBLE DROP!!! AND I STILL CRIED WHEN HOHENHEIM DIED WOO 50 TIMES AND COUNTING

Danny Hulliung

fucKING DOUBLE DROOOOOOPPPPP!!!!!<

Patrick Balot

Who else cried uncontrollably when they saw Hohenhime die for the first time . 😭😭😭

Siegmeyer

Dangit, I teared up. AGAIN. I blame Marketa and Navi xD

Justin Neason

Mood

Yorly Reyes

YAAAAAAAAASSS!!!!

Senbu Johns