Mikoto and Kuroko investigate Level Upper while Saten nurses a sick Uiharu.

Impressions:

It’s too bad, but seems like JC really messed this one up. For some reason they decided to keep the blackout that ties this with the start of Index and yet decided to cut out the scene with Touma….Either they are trying to make Railgun and Index alternate universes or there was a major screwup. Instead they tossed in some original character probably so Mikoto could have a fight and not look overmatched like she does against Touma. Anyways that’s a major disappointment and potential screw-up. Maybe they will add another family restaurant scene later followed by a blackout, but that’d be weird.

I feel for Saten. She got so excited about going to Academy City and finding out what cool power she had. Instead she gets hit with not having one and has to live around people who seem special to her. She seems alright for now, but it has to be hard. Uiharu is only level 1 so it’s probably easier to get along with her. A rough part of life for those in the city that are level 0.

Things are getting interesting with Level Upper coming into play. Really that’s something that would appeal to just about anyone. Those who are level 0 would especially be appealed by the possibility of gaining a power for themselves. Of course the fact people who apparently have been using it are falling into comas is a major issue. People could be using that quite a bit and it’s a danger to them since none have woken up yet. Makes you all the more worried about Saten since she would seem the type to be drawn in if only to taste her dream. But this event does tie in everything we’ve seen so far. Should be interesting to see what happens next here.

Things are getting interesting now. The preview also hinted at some difficulties ahead.

A mad bomber continues to terrorize the city and Mikoto encounters a familiar person.

Impressions:

Well it goes to show that even people who appear to be victims can be worse than the ones who bullied them. It’s not like I can’t understand being angry about being picked on. But instead of getting help for venting toward those who hurt him he instead directed his wrath to members of Judgment. It’s like bombing the police because you got robbed. Obviously a group like Judgment is there to help people but they can’t be everywhere, not even Kuroko. There are 2.3 million people living in that city. Even if you think of there being at least 177 Judgment branches that’s not nearly enough people to cover everyone at every moment. Just stumbling onto a crime in progress isn’t exactly common. It’s as much up to the victims as anyone to report what happens and get help for themselves. Besides you can’t spare any sympathy for that guy. He was getting his kicks from hurting people and even put an explosive into the arms of a little girl. There wasn’t any fear of her saying anything since he expected her and Uiharu to die in the blast. Being victimized is bad but all he became was a pathetic killer.

Touma timed his reappearance into the series pretty well. Just have to love the timing of popping in behind Mikoto when she was seeing how she might look in those pajamas. Her tastes just are never appreciated by those around her. I thought having him guide the little girl there was a good enough way to get Touma around and tie the situation from last episode together. He did a good job jumping in when Mikoto fumbled the coin. I guess blasting the bomb was her only hope, since really her powers aren’t really good for pure defence. The one thing I don’t get is Touma hiding his role in it. Sure it’s fine that he’s not seeking glory but he could have just stood there in front of where the blast was and would have gotten some credit. After all it puts Mikoto in the tough position of being thanked by everyone for saving them when she didn’t really do anything.

We are getting the position of those without power here. Saten is feeling down because Uiharu and Kuroko are busy with Judgment work that involves having some power and Mikoto is the Railgun. Being a level 0 in a city like this has to be tough. It’s not like she has bad motives, she just doesn’t want to feel left out. Mikoto is someone that worked her way up so she shows there is hope even if you are a low level. Everyone just has to work with what they have and keep trying I suppose.

Anyways episode ended without any more people getting hurt. You can imagine there were some losses with all those bombs going off and targeting Judgment members. Having special abilities and living in an advanced city isn’t all positive. A good episode that didn’t have a ton of flashy action, but still had some dangerous situations in it.

It is definitely hard to find the words here. Things ever since Kagakagari lost his burial doll and Christina have just continued to escalate. That continued with the recent events including the appearance of the Natsume Tomoharu from the first world. I’m really glad that I kept on following this series because it has proven to be a pretty amazing ride in the second season. I guess now that things have been set up they feel like giving the answers and just blowing us all away in the process.

Impressions:

I suppose a good place to start is with the Natsume from the first world. We already got a glimpse into what happened to him earlier in the series when Tomo had that flashback. Everything just went wrong with that experiment and sent his whole world toward annihilation. So he came back to accomplish his goal for the sake of Misao. Kanade even became his burial doll in order to make sure they succeeded. Yet absolutely nothing turned out the way it was planned. That plane crash completely threw everything off. Tomoharu from the Second World (Tomo2) died from the crash and Misao was badly hurt. So Misao was turned into a burial doll in order to save Tomo2’s life. I can only wonder how Tomo1 felt to have Misao thinking he was a demon and begging him to save Tomo2’s life. Everything was thrown off by Tooru. Yeah I was completely blindsided about her role in all of this. I can’t believe all this was done to go back to a third world and live happily with Tooru’s sister. I think Tomo1 was just too confident. He did have Hagane which was the best Asura Machina one could have but he should have been more careful. He stayed hidden for so long that he was careless and he and Kanade are gone. I really felt bad for the both of them and the other Misao. They lost so much and tried so hard only to fall before the very end of it. It’s just sad and definitely will make this one series I won’t forget.

But it wasn’t only Tomo1 who fell here. Shuri was also brutally stabbed by Tooru and then crushed by the Ice Phoenix. She fought with all she could for those she cared about and had to watch her sister who had become a burial doll be destroyed. Really I never would have expected a character like her to actually get killed. Shuri just seemed like the type that would find a way to keep going and then crush you with an explosive when you thought she was done for.

It’s hard to believe characters who were proven to be such powerhouses have just dropped easily. You was actually doing quite well until it was revealed the enemy was Tooru. That was just enough of a distraction to throw her off and it lead to her loss. Everyone who went down was just caught unaware or was just careless. In the end I suppose that’s good enough to win sometimes.

Sooner or later you expect Tomoharu will make a contract with Kanade and become an Asura Cryin. Really it’d be impressive if the main character managed avoiding the series name forever. Besides she really has pushed herself to the limit. If Tomoharu doesn’t make that contract then Kanade will die. Of course we know that power is not without consequences. Any feelings that Tomo has for Kanade will be lost over time as she uses her powers.

Anyways this situation has really gotten messy. Tomoharu has had to stand and watch people he cares about be lost. Not to mention as Tomo1 predicted he failed and now it’s up to his spare. Will just have to see the consequences of Hagane’s power going out of control. It seems they ended up in the Third World, but will have to wait and see. I’m not sure how everything is going to be resolved at this point.

Mustang visits Madam Christmas while Ed and Al resolve to recover their bodies.

Impressions:

Anyways was Scar really expecting anyone to buy the whole “disfigure to disguise” thing? I mean he’s a wanted man with a giant X on his forehead. Stealth is not exactly going to be their friend here. Not to mention they have a little girl with an even smaller panda. Would Marcoh seriously be expected to threaten their secrecy? Scar just did it because he was pissed off. Seems like the hell that is Marcoh’s life will continue on.

Well it seems Mustang is starting to get his second wind. He really took a heavy hit with losing so many of his subordinates in the latest string of events. Just about lost everything but the queen in that last round. But it appears he still has some moves to make although he has to be much more obscure or risk the safety of Riza. But appears Roy has many places he can turn to when in a pinch.

It was also a nice talk with Ed and Mustang. Ed certainly doesn’t want him or Riza to get killed. Though not sure how well the continuing to owe Mustang something will work out in the end. At least it sent the message about his feelings. They have certainly butted heads at times but that doesn’t mean they want each other to fall off a cliff. Hopefully they both get what they are after and survive this.

Definitely bad news for everyone that Kimbley is out there. That guy is completely out of his mind and not someone you want wandering the streets like that. He really would go and annihilate a town if he got the chance to. For now his target is Scar which conveniently allows for a showdown regarding the past.

We’re continuing to move along so the next episode should be pretty good.

Marcoh and Riza discuss Ishbal and the tragic truth of the past is revealed.

Impressions:

Wow this episode was pretty amazing and really threw some heavy things out there. I hadn’t even considered this part of Mustang’s plan. True that just getting the seat of power won’t change everything. If he doesn’t get power out of the military’s hands then things will never really change. Yet doing so could very well lead to his execution. No one in their right mind would do this kind of thing since it would be suicide. Yet Mustang cares so much about the country and doing the right thing. I can’t believe the incredible determination he and Riza have. For the sake of doing what they believe is right they will walk that road for the sake of those alive and those who’s lives they have taken. I really hope they find another way since they are two great characters in this series.

The past between Riza and Roy really do go far back. I was blown away that he was her father’s pupil and eventually they both joined the military. What was even more surprising was having her father’s research on her back. Well I suppose that’s a fairly safe place and she would never lose it. No wonder those two care about each other so much. They really go far back and have lost a lot together.

It was also nice to see Hughes again. A sad fate that he had to die like that. He was a good man who wanted the same future Mustang did. They were all damaged by that Ishbal event. Though suppose it proves some things never change in terms of how he was gushing over Gracia.

I guess Marcoh finally got what he wanted. He wanted to be punished for his crimes and Scar did so. He would rather die than be used again to do something horrific. It’s sad that he had to die like that alone in that cell. At least he managed to pass on what he knew and what had been done. I hope Scar does go wild on the homunculi a little bit. At the same time I hope he doesn’t survive to the end of the series. He’s just a creature of vengeance who has committed his own terrible acts. Scar won’t stop until he dies which means someone will have to take him out. I don’t know if it will be a homunculus or if that role will fall to Ed who may have to cross that line.

On a bit more light-hearted note it was nice to pull the love card on Ed like that. Poor guy was completely blown away and embarrassed by that one. Sadly unlike Winry it will probably take that guy some time to admit to himself what he really feels. Besides while Al doesn’t have his body he probably wouldn’t even consider it since he’d probably feel it was unfair. Anyways it seems that Al is getting a fan. He was really bragging about himself to May Chang who has moved on, haha.

So now the question becomes what will everyone do? Ed and Al still have their bodies to deal with, although I keep thinking Ed will be stuck like that. The whole homunculi situation is just overwhelming and then you have the hostages. In the end they just have to move one step at a time. Their bodies need to be reclaimed but also they need to gain the ability to fight back. So that means eastern alchemy is the key for them to have any chance at all.

Mikoto spends the day as a Judgment recruit and a dangerous esper is plotting behind the scenes.

Impressions:

While this as a pretty light hearted episode I still enjoyed watching it. Probably since it was almost entirely focused on Mikoto and showing why she is better suited to doing things on her own instead of joining Judgment. The rules and proper code of conduct just isn’t the kind of thing she is good with. If someone upsets her it’s a whole lot easier to just shock them. Since she isn’t part of the organization they don’t get a bad reputation of excessive force.

The bug thing was pretty hilarious even if they used it three separate times. The great biribiri was completely terrified by the bugs. Not that I can really blame her since especially finding one in that confined space would scare most people. Although since she can shock just about anything into oblivion there is less reason to be worried. Still knowing you can handle something and being able to shelve that natural fear are two different things. Safe to say Mikoto isn’t really suited for average work like giving directions. Again she has my sympathies since I have a terrible sense of direction. Those kindergarten kids are just evil. They know that you can’t do anything to them without looking like the bad guy so they can pull stupid stunts like that.

Anyways the episode got really good after the ED with that situation in the store. That poor guy did a good thing by defending the civilian even at the cost of his own safety. Guess when you join a group like Judgment it means you are accepting the risks that come with it. No clue what kind of ability he had, but in the end it’s tough to deal with a massive explosion at close range. Not sure if he’s dead or just severely injured, but this is definitely the first time the series has gotten this serious. You can bet the hunt will be on for that guy who did this. It went from small pranks to injuring or killing people. The line has been crossed here.

Anyways glad the series is starting to pick up. I think they have done a good job setting up the universe and the characters. Now it seems they are truly getting into the major story arc and that’s a really good thing.

Some might call it odd to make a post wishing yourself a happy birthday, but oh well! I really feel my birthday is a good point for reflection over what has happened the past year. Not to mention it lines up well with anime because my blogging here started in the fall season last year. Quite a bit has happened over the past year. But there is no doubt I’m glad to have helped blogging here since it’s only increased my interest in anime and wanting to express those thoughts better. So while I’m a year older want to say thank you to everyone who has read and commented to my posts.

So hopefully there will be many more birthdays celebrated on the site as the years go by. Not to worry though, I will be adding some actual anime related posts quite soon. As the character above are making clear it’s time to enjoy some cake.

Wrath explains the hostage situation to the Elric brothers and Ran Fan gets an update about Ling.

Impressions:

This episode can easily be described as aftermath. I mean they pretty much just dealt with what happened after such a major incident. As expected the main characters are in hell right now since they can’t really make any big moves. The homunculi have managed to take numerous hostages on them so any rash actions will mean their immediate deaths. Ed can’t even resign since Winry would be killed as the consequence. Mustang has Riza to worry about not to mention the rest of his men who are being split apart. Havoc on the other hand can’t go anywhere due to his situation and Armstrong will still be around so he still has limited allies. The main problem is Riza being so close to Wrath that he has to be extremely careful about what he does.

I was surprised but impressed with Armstrong in this one. I hadn’t considered that he had such suffering haunting him although he was part of the Ishbal extermination. You can’t blame the guy for just stepping away from the whole situation. Really he couldn’t fight against it and it has to be better than staying and taking part in a slaughter you don’t believe in. Still can understand his feelings and desire to not back away this time. People he cares about along with the people are in danger and he can hardly run away and hope for the best. Besides Mustang and the others will need all the help they can get and that guy is definitely help. Nice of Armstrong to take over for Riza so she could go to the bathroom. He was in there for a really long time and can imagine her not moving an inch until he came back out again.

Damn Wrath nearly had another body on his kill list. He just makes it a habit of stabbing Al doesn’t he? Good thing May Chang is small or she would have been killed as well. What an insane guy doing such things. While you knew it was probable it was still confirmed that May Chang is also royalty in Xing. I can’t believe the stupidity of her and Ran Fan, choosing to fight when their bodies are in such rough shape. That doctor is one frightening person though.

Think that Al will send Ran Fan over to Winry if only so she will have a little bit of protection. It was nice of Ed to make that call. It must have been a nice surprise for Winry to actually have him contact her for something that wasn’t him being in trouble. Of course it was about her being in danger, but I’m sure she appreciated it. Considering she recently figured out her feelings it meant even more for her. I’m really worried with her out there by herself although not being in Central is the best for now.

Ling proves that he really is still in there. Writing the message to Ran Fan and even taking over for an instant to yell at Wrath. He is without a doubt one amazing person. The fact that Ling is actually biding his time and waiting to take over just blows me away. I think Greed is impressed as well and doesn’t mind since he likes greed and wanting to take over that kind of body for his ambitions is one greedy thing to do.

I can understand Marcoh wanting to be killed so he wouldn’t cause any more deaths. The man has been haunted ever since for what he did. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind dying for just those sins, but also if they want him to commit even greater sins then he would obviously want death. Of course Scar probably doesn’t mind long as he gets his information. These events just get more complicated for him since he would never have considered so much being behind this.

For now it seems Ed has a path to follow. There is a chance to recover Al’s body and hopefully May Chang can teach him about Eastern Alchemy so he can still fight against that ‘father’ and the homunculi no matter what happens. These events have been amazing and it’s almost sad to compare this to the original series.

Ed, Ling, and Envy escape from Gluttony and land in the middle of enemy territory.

Impressions:

Well this situation was about as dramatic and unstable as I was expecting it to be. After all Ed and Ling did just pop out in the middle of the enemy stronghold. Though I suppose the start was a shock for everyone with that guy healing up Ed and Al. Plus his reaction really revealed his close connection to Hohenheim. At this point I suppose you could call him a twin or something like that. Either way they are both clearly not normal. From the reaction from Ling and May Chang he is pretty weird and there is something very strange about his body. Though I suppose that was obvious when he had a third eye that cried out a philosopher stone. Not to mention he’s the ‘father’ of beings that have been around for centuries. There are a lot of questions around that guy and Hohenheim. It makes sense the brothers would call themselves Elric since Ed doesn’t want anything to do with Hohenheim.

But things just got crazier as the episode went along. That guy somehow stopped Ed and Al from using alchemy. After that he turned Ling in to the new Greed. It seems he has the ability to control whether memories are transferred to the body or not. Makes sense since he recreated someone that he had destroyed earlier. On the positive Ling is still inside there somewhere. Although it would seem that only Ran Fan has any chance of getting through to him in there. I can understand him going so far and there wasn’t much of a choice anyways. I just hope that guy can be saved. The weird thing is I didn’t at all notice Ling standing with the homunculus in the new OP. Must have not been paying close enough attention.

Even Scar turned up on the scene and found out the truth about Ishbal. It kind of annoys me that he was any help to Ed and Al considering what he has done. Guess it’s a question of what he is going to do from this point on? Is he just going to keep working on killing the brothers and State Alchemists or focus on the homunculus? I guess he would go after those who started the whole thing first. Still I’m really hoping they don’t try and turn him into anything but another enemy. That Envy fired the first shot doesn’t change what he has done and continued to do since that horrible event.

It was a good thing that Scar and May Chang weren’t affected by whatever that guy did. I suppose it’s because May Chang uses eastern alchemy and Scar’s is unique as well. Whatever it was the guy did it was clearly focused on stopping the type that Ed and Al were using. Either way that guy is a major foe and is difficult to do anything against since he can just block and counter so easily.

Now I wonder what everyone will do next. Mustang has been completely blocked and against that power there isn’t much Ed or Al can do. They really could use some help here but I’m just not sure where it’s going to come from with another ally in Ling being lost. Not a great situation they are all in right now.

Kuroko and Uiharu have a fight which brings up a promise made in the past.

Impressions:

Well this was a fairly good episode. Really I didn’t end up having very strong feelings about it one way or the other. It was good for Uiharu and Kuroko character development and let us see just how they got to where they are now. It seems Kuroko was always the type that would jump into things and be reckless, whether it is about her affections toward Mikoto or dealing with crimes. It certainly didn’t go well for her in the past or in the present with her not taking consideration the fact there could be multiple criminals. Her usage of teleportation has gotten better but apparently she still makes the same mistakes. It was an unnecessary risk considering they were right outside Judgment and could have waited for some backup to arrive. Maybe that hit by the door she took will remind her to listen to Uiharu and not act so rashly. Well it is Kuroko so sadly can’t say there is much of a chance there.

Well on the positive this episode proved there might be guys in Judgment. Honestly I was wondering since pretty much every single member we’ve seen so far has been a girl. Though of course this is a series where nearly every character period has been a girl except for the villains which have been predominantly male. That first crook will really have to live in shame getting owned by a really small girl. Kuroko obviously has skills, but no one wants to get beaten by a kid. That one crook had a pretty good ability and was smart about how he acted. He didn’t make his presence known until his partner was down and could even escape if necessary. Of course he didn’t expect a certain railgun to come to the rescue.

The series continues to show off some interesting abilities. First we had the x-ray vision which found the gun in the first place and then the Equal Speed ability which while not that fast was pretty efficient. If you couldn’t destroy them they would keep moving and could probably penetrate just about anything. It would seriously be bad to get hit by that.

So it wasn’t a bad episode though didn’t have much Mikoto in it. At the very least it seems next episode will focus more on the present than the past.