Episode 16

Aired 20050616. That Which is Lost. Same as original title.

Here's the episode guide and detailed recap at TV.com. (What? "Recap is pending. Sorry for the delay." ??? But the whole series finished airing a few months ago! Why...)

The part Marcoh drops Ed a note feels like it's being added later. It might work better if it's included in the last episode. Hmm... but last time's focus was on the brothers. And there was already enough mystery going on with the Fuhrer's secretary...

So... this is the first sign that there might be something between Hawkeye and Mustang. The anime deleted Hawkeye from Mustang's first encounter with Ed. Otherwise her conversation with Winry would be the first hint. The manga... seems to be 50 times more complicated, though... with the tattoos on Hawkeye's back and stuff. Can't figure it out yet at this point.

Oh~ I'm so tired of having to say it again. Al's voice actor is just horrible!! His scream is... not a scream at all! Someone please, please give him an acting lesson!

Mustang sounds a lot nastier in the dub when mocking Ed about their first meeting. Plus, if he killed Winry's parents, how the heck could he act like that? It was in the Rockbell's home that he first met Ed!

Haha... funniest moments in this episode. (Personal pick.) They got it very close to the manga. The tempo is perfect! Except... Al's acting ruins it again. And he's didn't say "thank you" in the sub either!

As usual, FMA doesn't sugar coat violance. But it's done just right so that it doesn't feel like they're promoting it either.

Dub: Thanks Hughes.
Sub: Arigato sa. (Thanks.)
Wow... we seldom get to see lip-sync in anime and here's one. Also another rare moment of (somehow borderline) dub surpassing sub. They managed to match up the mouth shape with dialogue, but I don't think it's appropriate for Ed to call Hughes by his name.

But this sequence is also very strange in terms of camera work. Usually the camera would focus on Ed's face, wouldn't it? Instead, it's only Ed's mouth, and then while he continues to speak, the camera goes onto Hughes. Perhaps, just perhaps, this is to sync up the viewer with Ed's POV.

Dub: Now give me back my sister!
Original: That's enough, isn't it?
How they put the literal words into the paper boy's mouth is an insult of viewing experience. The viewers are supposed to be given a chance to figure out what Scar is doing.

Huh? I though Ed's pants is leather? How can it tear like that???

And! The biggest hole of this episode: a kid wearing Al! And riding a bicycle? Al is supposed to be the size of Armstrong! Well, the idea itself is interesting, but couldn't they at least leave out pieces of the armour so it would fit without changing the overall size?

The still of Ed talking to the old man is too long! Yeah, the director probably wants us to chew on "dreams that come true aren't dreams". But it's just way too long. Seems like he's challenging the norm too, with the above lip-sync shot and many others. I might be missing the point, though. According to Yoo, this episode is about Ed's distrust against the army since he learned what happened in Ishbal from Marcoh. Then he's given time in the long still shot to re-valuate his goal and motivation. At the end he regains some trust. It's shown in the form of apologizing to Armstrong.

Al's emotion is wrong in the last scene. He shouldn't be so pissed. And... what? He calls granny Pinako by her name??? Sigh... OK maybe it's western culture.

And then, when Armstrong picks up Al, why doesn't Al make any noise?

Anyway, following from last time, there's still "war" in the theme. They try to mix in some comedy to lighten up the atmosphere. But I think the contrast is still a bit too big for a perfect balance.

Japanese sites spying time: (^_^)
The review of episode 16 at Yoo's blog Fuuyuu.
The review of episode 16 (page 1 & page 2) by Saori Amano at Egaoni Aetara.