Synopsis
Ed and Al's childhood teacher, Izumi, ships the boys back to her hometown for a frightening interrogation.
Full Synopsis
Edward notices Sig right behind Alphonse. Frozen and shocked, Ed realizes what is happening and tries to escape through the window, only to get knocked to the floor. Sig's wife Izumi, their teacher, has arrived, having heard of their exploits, and she has trouble recognizing Al before knocking him down as well.
Back at Eastern Command, Lt. General Grumman confirms that Colonel Mustang's transfer to Central Command has been confirmed. After beating Grumman in a chess game, Mustang requests to have his subordinates transferred with him.
On the train to Dublith, Winry is surprised by Izumi's violent behavior, and the Elrics reveal she has been to Resembool before. In the past, prior to their first meeting, the Elric brothers were studying alchemy on their own and were reading through their dad's books to learn about human transmutation. One day, when a heavy rainstorm was causing trouble, Ed and Al attempted to help Resembool's workers in keeping most of the water from overloading and making it worse for their village. However, their alchemy attempt failed, before the Curtis couple arrived. Izumi succeeded in blocking the extra water with a better version of the technique they tried to use without a transmutation circle, which saved the town before Izumi coughed up blood and passed out.
The next day, as the Resembool residents thanked her for the help while she was in bed, the Elric brothers asked for her to become their alchemy teacher. After putting up with their behavior and asking why they wished to learn alchemy, Izumi agreed once Pinako revealed to her that the two were orphans. Izumi gave a condition for them to have a thirty-day trial to see if they had what it takes to deserve her training. Izumi took them to Dublith, though they quickly angered her by asking if she was a State Alchemist. Back in the present, Winry finally remembers her just as Ed and Al break loose, only to get cut off and recaptured.
At Eastern Command, Mustang spreads the word to Lt. Hawkeye, Havoc (much to his disappointment for having found a girlfriend), Breda, Fuery, and Hughes' former subordinate Falman (at his request) that they'll be transferred to Central with him.
The Elrics, the Curtis' and Winry arrive in Dublith, and see a little girl whose cat is going to give birth to kittens. Sig's assistant Mason greets them, though he insults Ed about his height. While eating dinner, the Elrics mention their adventures, including helping in the birth of Elicia, but Mason changes the subject when Winry asks why the Curtis' have no children. Deciding to have the Elrics go outside to show their alchemy skills, Al goes first and is able to perform an impressive transmutation. Before Ed can go, a group of children arrive so Izumi can fix their train with alchemy, but she fixes it without alchemy to prove that alchemy should not be used for everything. The same girl from earlier arrives and needs their help: her cat Chiko is in trouble.
The group scares away the dog that chased Chiko up a building and learn that Chiko has given birth, but she is in bad shape. Ed uses alchemy to stop one of the kittens from falling off, something Izumi notices and Chiko dies from her wounds. The group make a grave and bury her. Izumi explains to the girl that alchemy is not all powerful and nothing can bring Chiko back. When Ed asks about using human transmutation, Izumi recalls that question before and reminds the Elrics of the answer she said back during their training. Izumi then reveals she could tell that Al's hollow armor and Ed's automail limbs along with the ability to transmute without a circle are all the result of human transmutation, asking if they have seen it, which Ed confirms. Once Ed confesses about transmuting their mom, Izumi beats the Elrics senseless before gently embracing the brothers and allowing them to grieve.
Episode Notes
- This episode is adapted from content in Chapter 20: The Terror of the Teacher, Chapter 21: The Brothers' Secret and Chapter 25: Master and Apprentice.
- The idea for Chiko's role in the episode was approved due to the staff wanting to practice cat anatomy.
- There is a rather significant difference in this version of Ed and Al's reunion with Izumi and their declaration of how they chose to perform human transmutation despite her direct forbidding given during their apprenticeship. In both the manga and the 2009 anime version, although Izumi attacks Ed and Al, she stops soon after she declares that she already knew their bodies had been affected by some tragic accident (recognizing that there is no body inside Al's armor, and that Ed's left leg and right arm are automail). However, in this version, she beats Ed until he collapses, covered with bruises and cuts. It is only after he pulls himself up to his knees, expecting the beating to continue, that she surprises both brothers by embracing them gently and allowing them to finally grieve. While the manga/Brotherhood version still began this harshly, she embraces them much sooner and comforts them, but her attack in this version lasts much longer, and is seemingly merciless.
- In series director Seiji Mizushima's words, the purpose of displaying Izumi beating the brothers before apologizing was to portray "a great paradox [...] in order to properly display Izumi's "weakness."
See Also
| Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 Anime episodes | |
|---|---|
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | |