Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Episode 23

The previous episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood might have brought about a brief respite in the Elric brother's battle against Scar as Winry became involved in the fray, but as of this episode it proves correct that a brief respite was indeed all that they could "enjoy", as we soon return to that particular piece of action come the start of this latest instalment.

Of course, it isn't only Ed and Al fighting hard at this juncture, with Ling Yao and the injured Lan Fan still doing their best against the Homumculus duo of Gluttony and Bradley, with the latter taking drastic measures to save them both from certain doom; a measure which turns the tide to a sufficient extend to allow Ling Yao in particular to take the fight to the Homunculus for once, capturing Gluttony in the process.


Come the end of that period of rip-roaring action, it's left to the Elric brothers to see off a still-upset Winry, who at least finally begins to understand both her purpose and her own feelings come the end of the episode, while Roy Mustang and Risa Hawkeye continue their own efforts away from prying military eyes as it starts to become clear just how deep the rabbit hole they have uncovered goes....

It has to be said that I really can't fault this episode all things considered - The action sequences we got to enjoy here were arguably some of the best yet from this new series of Fullmetal Alchemist, proving to be truly a joy to watch before being offset with a brief dose of the humour typical of this series and some more emotionally-driven content as the wheels were set in motion for the next episode and beyond. If anyone has been holding out on watching this series based upon those early episodes which so closely mirrored the original anime, then now really is the time to return to Brotherhood - It simply couldn't be much more different that the franchise's first animated effort at this juncture, and that shift towards the manga's storylines is now helping to deliver some truly compelling anime week in, week out almost without fail.