*splrz*


*Bleach 386 splrz*



*spoilers for 386*



WELL.

I must say, that when I was joking to myself about Tousen going down in seconds because his name had been revealed and he was revealing his Resurreccion, I didn't think that I would be RIGHT.


And yet, for once, I'm not that...disappointed. Actually, I'm rather pleased.

Maybe it's because Tousen was never a favorite character. Maybe it's because I just wanted it over with. But...somehow, the fact that this seems to be the most anticlimatic release form ever just seems, well, impressive.

I think Tite Kubo may actually have done a duel RIGHT.

...

...back to the start.

First, Tousen releases and shows his form. Which is creepy, but not exactly stellar. Espadaz iz better. But THEN, he really goes wacky--and says that he can see. The panel of that is one of the creepiest ones ever, and the concept was eerie and shocking. His ability to see everything...yeah.

Komamura has a flashback to Tousen's motivations, which pretty much wraps up the storyline completely. He, Hisagi, and Tousen are all fair game for the chopping block at that point. Except that Tousen is, well, uber-powerful. He's like Segunda Etapa Ulquiorra. Needless to say, he curb-stomps Komamura with ease.

You know, I can't deal with this present-tense, let's go back to perfect...


Basically, when Tousen had Komamura down, I was expecting the usual Kubo "to the rescue" moment. But this time, I Was practically pleading for it. Because something like Tousen going into Resurreccion would be an event that would draw the attention of everyone present, and someone had to get over there in two seconds and save that poor fox. Strangely, it was the last person I was expecting....

And Hisagi arrived in pretty much the ULTIMATE Crowning Moment of Awesome, with a complete line of domination, too. "Captain Tousen would have been able to see this." How ironic, Tony! That in his last seconds, Tousen went and grew a weakness. Ah, justice. He reached so high for that power, and it was what destroyed him. Such a classic story!

The way that he went out was impressive, too; sword to the head, and then it suddenly turns into a scythe. Something meant to take life.

Which he either did, or failed to do...I just realized, upon re-reading, that Tousen might just be reaching REALLY TICKED OFF mode. I doubt it, and he's probably dead, but you never can tell. The battle was short and swift, but the ending was satisfying, and rather natural. Not standard power-on-power.

The color panels were pretty cool, though.


So, yeah. Bleach continues to be happy.

Okay, so, over the past week I have posted over half as many journals as I published in the past month. All of them were nonsensical things like reviews of anime and manga, but I'm updating for a bit of real-life news now...

First off, I just want to say that I hate tuition. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Actually, I hate EVERYTHING dealing with money and payment, unless it's done in simple fast-food restaurant style. I love doctors and medicine, I really approve of them and hate frivolous malpractice suits and hatred for the medical field, but they need to be more open with their prices and such and not hide it behind curtains--things like actually asking if you have an insurance plan or requesting the visitation fee when you show them your card...things like that...but that pales utterly compared to tuition bills, which sometimes have figures that just don't add up. And when you're relying on your parents' assistance and you have to work up the nerve to go ask for more money before you can even sign up for classes...grrrrrrrrr....debt, debt, debt, I hate debt....*cries*

BUT!!!

On brighter news, I may have received a part-time job offer and may have two potential tutoring positions open to me in the near future! I'm going to need to study Latin more now, though, so that I can feel confident in teaching (yes, I just passed a class, but...I'm not that confident!!!), but if I can make some money...yeah. It would be nice. That is bright news. That is beneficial.

In other departments, I got two of my three PRAXIS scores back...the third was writing, so I'm not concerned that the score is not online yet, though if it's not up in a week I'm going to be worried about whether or not I properly filled out the info...HOWEVER...

Reading was a 185 (highest possible 190...), and math was a 188 (same cap). Both scores were a little above the averages...and yet, I'm not content. I don't know why. I almost hit the ceiling, and apparently, I still feel like I could have done better.

Of course, maybe that's why I apparently missed a few on the mathematics section (2 in the probability section? That's my favorite part! And one in geometry? That's my SECOND favorite part!), but by the looks of things, I got a 100% on my reading exam. Raw points earned, 19 and 21. Raw points available, 19 and 21. 40 questions, so it adds up...yet I scored LOWER on that one than I did on the mathematics one, where I apparently missed three questions!

...as mentioned above with the fast-food thing, why can't all test scores just follow the same basis as your elementary spelling tests?

But, yes. I feel happy about the results. Kind of. I still feel like I could have done better, though I don't think I COULD.

But I don't feel happy about money.

I need to write something. Seriously. But everything's been gummed up in here. I'm in a mild depression at the moment, actually. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

And the Steelers are NOT helping. *cries*

But, no time to mope anymore. I have an exam tomorrow. Two essays. And I must now read Orphee, by Cocteau. And Orpheus Descending by Tennessee Williams. And review Eurydice (Anouilh) and Amphitryon (Giraudoux). The last one is simple. The others aren't too bad. But...I have to be thorough.



ETA:

Um...

So, I actually got a phone call from a potential tutoring subject, and, well...I realized that I have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER where I am going to begin. Total BSOD. It's painful.

I should be focusing on Orpheus, but I'm having some trouble...and I should have known better than to Google "Tutoring for Dummies," because it's mainly "Tutoring is NOT for people who are doing poorly!", "There's no shame in being tutored!", "What's wrong with tutoring?"....not what I wanted.

HOW DO I DO THIS???

WHAT MAKE'S COCTEAU'S VERSION OF ORPHEUS DIFFERENT FROM WILLIAMS'S???

WHY AM I CAPSLOCKING????????

Okay, SO...if I had complaints before about Soul Eater moving at a too-slow, Bleach-esque pace, they're pretty much gone now...because, well...well...

I mean, just READ IT!!!

[link]



*SPOILERS AHEAD*

*SPOILERS*

*SPOILERS*



Okay, so it started off with a BIG discombobulation...after all the Crona tension, we suddenly cut to Noah-sama testing out some new device. And using Gopher as his, ah, guinea-pig. The results were...spectacular. And hilarious. Oh, Gopher, you're suddenly such a silly guy. "NOAH-SAMAAAAAAAAAA!!!" *BOOOOOM!!!* "*weepies*"

I'm cracking up just remembering that scene...

But then we returned to the SRS BZNS of Crona. Where we see that the Black Clown IS ACTUALLY A WEAPON. And that Crona now has THREE swords.

...which promptly turns into Black*Star delivering the biggest "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???" moment of the entire saga's history. I mean, just...just...just...

...and then, Crona's gender debate is ONCE AGAIN brought up...but one thing is confirmed, and that is that Crona apparently does NOT wear underwear. Goodness. The poor thing. Probably doesn't know how to deal with boxers, briefs, or panties.

But then things really go nuts. Because Crona delivers one of the most knife-to-the-heart lines ever:

"Who is Maka?"

...just...WHY, Medusa? WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT???

Black*Star chews Crona out in a complete CMOA, dispelling all fears that this might be a Worf Effect. He does so with amazing style...just...DOMINATING. And yelling out his rage and disappointment, and basically making the whole situation "WOO-HOO!!! GO, BLACK*STAR!!!" Kind of. I mean, yes, Crona's being beaten up, but the thing about Crona is that the black blood keeps you from feeling TOO sorry. You know that (s)he's going to be okay, despite it. These are the punches of LOVE.

But also in the range of weird feelings...despite all of the HATRED that Medusa earns from this whole brainwashing escapade, one still cannot help ROOTING FOR HER when...when...HE shows his face.

My reaction on Justin-Phooey's appearance? "Kill him, Medusa. KILL HIM. DESTROY HIM." And thus, another battle begins...and she actually looks a little uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, though, Black*Star is pulling out the ultimate techniques...Shadow Star 2 is AWESOME. And then, well...what should happen but MY BEST FRIEND COMING BACK?!?!?!?!

Eruka!!! Yaaaaaaay!!!

And Black*Star owns her, too. CATCHING THE BOMB. And then, as the Mizune sisters show up (in ANOTHER form!!!), Eruka states that she wants to go home. Oh, Eruka, if Crona wasn't taking all of the woobie points for her(him?)self, you'd have a bunch of them, too.

And the whole thing rounded off with Medusa being set for execution. Heh. Good LUCK with that, Justin-Pansyface. Not gonna happen. At all. Seriously. She deserves a more karmic, painful death than that.

SO...

All-in-all, Noah got to have some comedy, Medusa continued to be evil and set up for a villain showdown, and Black*Star proved the extent of his power. And Crona revealed what has happened to her...in a sense. Thus, we have kicked off a new Crona plotline. We have yet to see how the ultimate thread will be wrapped up, but I'm sure that it will come within the upcoming year.

Ya-HOOOOOOOOO!!!



...man, Black*Star has matured. I can't even picture him DELIVERING that line anymore!

Or maybe not...

Just finished watching the Ouran High School Host Club series. Or first season. Whatever the case, episode 26.

Somehow or other, I managed to miss a memo about our anime club changing time and location (I think we were supposed to meet earlier this week, since, well, it's finals time, and some people are gone already), so I had to watch the episodes myself online...not quite the same, but, still, it was very much enjoyable!

Oh, by the way...spoilers ahead.




The second-to-last episode was...REALLY unfunny. Monumentally so. I can't even recall a moment in it that was a genuine amusing piece. Because for the most part, well...even Renge's sudden appearance was grim! No mad cackle, no POWERFUL MOTOR, no spinning platform...just a deadpan appearance and explanation. Brrrrrrr.

That said, it was a great episode. I particularly loved the lightbulb shot with Eclair (hahaha...what a name...); I immediately knew what it meant and that it would come to play later on in the episode. When Eclair showed herself to be the forces of all evil incarnate.

The final episode went and decided to go as over-the-top as it could. Which was glorious. A horde of police against Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai. Thank goodness for Honey's reminder to pull punches, or someone might have gotten hurt.

Follow that up with the symbolic carriage ride (Chekhov's Gun!!!) to the rescue, coupled with the ending credits music (special music makes everything better), rounded off with Eclair's tears and actual character salvation....

And then the old men bantering at the end.

Oh, and somehow, Kyoya managed to make pulling out his cell phone a complete Crowing Moment of Awesome. This show does that.



Now, on to the full review. The complete show review.


Gotta say, I opened up with a lot of...doubt. First off, a very girly opening. Brrrr. Shojo! Shojoshojoshojo! And the first episode I saw was "The Twins Fight"--which is, trust me, a VERY unusual episode to start with, because you have no idea whatsoever as to who people are or what is going on. So when they start doing their twincest routine (rather often), you become very confused. Not to mention that you have no idea that Haruhi is a girl until about halfway through the episode. She does a good job with that. But, still, I caught on, and it was pretty much impossible to not find the sight of Honey-sempai flying through the air with his bunny rabbit amusing.

But by the time I watched the "second" episode--the one with the bratty little kid who wants to declare his feelings to his lolita classmate--I was pretty much up to speed. Of course, then they made things even worse for me by having Haruhi don a girl disguise and basically continue to mess around with my head. Though I liked the plotline for that episode, and found it sweet and amusing. But still girly.

The show progressed, though, and suddenly Honey-sempai was a martial arts master. And Haruhi was eating crab legs in a very Light-Yagami-esque manner. In an episode that worked with a feminist view and a logical argument...and then boiled down to a thunder-phobia with a hilarious not-what-it-looks-like scene. The look of delight on Haruhi's face as she realizes that she can't see or hear anything is still hilarious due to the coupled realization of its appearance. Hehehehehe. Poor Tamaki.

It was about then that I really started loving the show, though. The visuals really struck me--the classic stoic and unamused faces were rampant, and Haruhi has a particularly glorious one. -.- _ -.-

But it was somewhere around that time that I also realized the show's ability to play on one of my favorite...I guess one could call it...fetishes. And that is watching a master at work. I love that. Whether it's a captain of a ship giving orders out, a cook whipping up some masterpiece, an orator delivering a moving speech, a swordsmaster demonstrating perfect play...or a charming Host working his magic on the young ladies. Watching someone hit every ball thrown at them is wonderful. And Tamaki, dear me, TAMAKI. His Highness constantly nails his role, and it's glorious every time. Kyoya also has a knack for doing the same--business and figures strikes another note of delight for me. When I played Roller Coaster Tycoon all those years ago and my park had gotten up and running properly, I would just open the financial window and watch as the monthly profit increased. Monitor all the funds, keep an eye on costs and expenses, wait for the number to pass a certain point...Kyoya has turned this child's game into an art. And his evil is wonderful.

Of course, I didn't truly get an understanding for the powers of every character until Honey's Three Bitter Days. One of my favorite episodes. The opening skit is basically a stand-alone omake, with Usa-chan being dirty...and the wonderful English line, "IIIII'm stillll sleepeeeeeeeee...." and the atomic bunny. And then it is all crowned with the bunny suit. And Haruhi's freakout. It's not often that she freaks out, but that was one exception that I have rewatched multiple times. "Where did you GET that thing anyway? There's no way that that's going to work!" "We don't have a choice!" "Then why don't you wear it, sempai?" "It won't look as cute if it's on me!" "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" "Put on the bunny suit! A BUNNY, YOU SHALL BECOME!!!" More hilarious animation.

It's where many animes find their strong points; when they drop any "realistic" animation and just go into pure, all-out cartooniness. If one can call it that. They can show so many expressions and features...

But, anyway, Honey wakes up, and Mori solves the problem. And then goes on to be a stone-cold woobie for the rest of it. And Honey is a woobie, himself. And he bites Tamaki's hand in a Crowning Moment of Funny. And just...is Honey-sempai.

Around that time, we also meet Haruhi's dad. He is, surprisingly, a "tranny." And yet, he is still amazing and wonderful and one of my favorite characters in the show. Tamaki's mushroom-growing abilities flourished under his guidance. And the twins were ruthless in making things worse between him and their leader.

And then Haruhi's dad went and became even more awesome in the return of the Zuka Club...with his guidance and putting-down of Tamaki at every turn. Oh, Tamaki, you're such a wonderful butt-monkey. But that episode was hilarious--the return of the monkeys. YES, THE MONKEYS. EVERYTHING IS BETTER WITH MONKEYS. AND BANANA PEELS. BWAHAHAHAHAA. But the episode really lives on in my mind for one line. And that line: "Frederick-sama!" It's a moment of comedic glory coupled with a sucker-punch at a lot of damsel-in-distress situations (yes, sadly, I'm looking at YOU, Orihime-chan). If you took the drama out of their voices, it would just be dumb. Or wonderful. "Frederick-sama!" Haruhi and her sensible sensibility...

Which led to an entertaining, with a tragic stinger of an ending, episode with Haruhi in Wonderland. Still have to watch the dubbed version and re-watch it overall, but the ending was a real twist-and-kick. The romp up to that part was classic Wonderland hilarity, though. Complete with Haruhi's inexplicable knowledge of the twins' identities.

Somewhere along the line, there was also the newspaper episode. With Tamaki's puppy-dog eyes. Which is another one of the greatest scenes in the show. One that I can watch over and over and over again...

...

...

...

...mmmm?

...

...

...mmmm?

...

....

...mmmm?

....

...."Okay."
"Woof!"


Loved it.


But I mentioned Haruhi's inexplicable knowledge of who the twins are, and, well, that brings me to a discussion of them. They really had some of the best character arcs in the show. I actually found myself with a rather strong Hikaru/Haruhi preference; something about her recognizing him as an individual, and not just a twin, and him actually having an interest and such...I wouldn't have argued against it. Tamaki/Haruhi is incredibly cute and really an OTP, but Hikaru/Haruhi had its definite perks. Of course, the evil of Kaoru in setting up the date was magnificently diabolical. The date itself was a great episode, with lots of comedy but also a lot of drama--especially the stormy climax. "Hikaru, you IDIOT! Haruhi's scared of thunder!" And the dramatic revelation. I'd forgotten about that particular detail, but it really made the scene that much more impressive. It showed that the show doesn't just do "silly" well, it can pull off drama and tension at the same time. And that is always the mark of a great comedy. It has to be able to cut from humor to seriousness at a moment's notice. It's why I will always look down on the likes of Family Guy and South Park; there's no real drama to them. Ouran, though...even when it goes over-the-top, it can still be bittersweet.

Sometimes, the drama can be just plain silly. Nekozawa facing down a cat in the sunlight to protect his sister...dramatic, moving, but utterly RIDICULOUS. Not to mention, "SELF DEADLY BEAM!!!" Oh, that episode and all its wonderful out-of-nowhere humor: "...it's a reverse harem! This is a reverse harem! There's debauchery here! YAAAAAY!!! DEBAUCHERY!!!" And then the explanation of how they ran out of bedtime stories and had to read her shojo manga...aaaah...foolish caretakers. I really loved the dub of that episode. Caitlin Glass's reading of the one passage is hilarious. Deadpan, completely.

The dub is wonderful overall, actually. Vic Mignogna as Tamaki....he's pignogna, as usual. And hammy. Poor Mori-sempai, though, has the most underused role in the entire show. Travis Willingham...alas. He may love dogs, but he does not voice his enthusiasm in this show. Oh, well. That's why he's going to be Free in the Soul Eater dubs. YEEE-EE-EE-EE-EEEEEEE!!! *too excited, distracted*

I have yet to see him dub Mori in the episode with Chika, though. Mori did a lot in that one. It was another great episode--another flashback. Every one of the flashback episodes was worth watching, even if Haruhi wasn't in them and thus could not bring her deadpan attitude to the table....Tamaki made up for it with his mastery of all things human. And his unrelenting determination. They also brought about a wide range of supporting characters, from gossipy fighting pupils to cold fathers (aplenty!) to very, very, very evil babysitters. SHE BROKE THE BANK. AND THEN CURSED THE TWINS. The fiend.

Oh, the twins...they were a constant reminder of the tight-knit bonds of the group, and the symbolism of the pumpkin coach was played up wonderfully. Like the Halloween episode...with Beelzenef's finest hour, and the terror of Honey-sempai, and the classic antics that go with Halloween episodes. And Haruhi's complete obliviousness to the councilman's pleas. Oh, Haruhi...things go right over your head so often. Don't ever change.

Tamaki himself REALLY became interesting in the final few episodes. First was that dramatic revelation at the end of that one episode...where he never thought inward or of himself. And it was suddenly made clear that his fatherly feelings weren't some charade put up to hide his creepy affection for Haruhi; it was actually just plain confusion and idiocy. He had no idea that he was in love with that girl. "Isn't this what a father feels?" "...er, no."

Those episodes also saw the gloriousness of that one guy...Bossanova or whatever his name was. The mobster's son. Heh. And his discovery that Haruhi was a girl. After he'd been finding her cute. Him and his icy stare...and his cute item. Oh, those were good episodes. Him becoming a Host for a short time; Tamaki's depression and planetary disasters; and Haruhi's complete ignorance, and the way she DESTROYED the poor guy by relegating him to the friend zone.

A final episode with Kyoya flashing back to remember his meeting of Tamaki...frustration, a completely idiotic Frenchman, and flowery symbolism ran rampant throughout it. And then, it was on to the finale.

BUT BEFORE I WATCHED THE FINALE...

I watched the first few episodes.

Yes, we have gone all this time in this review without mentioning the first episode. Which was where the lightbulb symbolism first cropped up. A good pattern, and a clever episode...of course, I knew that Samus was a girl the whole time, but the setup still worked. And it actually gave it an interesting edge. And we got to meet the nasty woman. The predecessor to Eclair. And I also got to see a darker side of Tamaki--what he does when a guest overstays her welcome and violates the rules. Go team Ouran Hosts!

I loved the constant "Look! Look!" arrows pointing to the vase, too...no subtlety here. They set the gag up. Completely.

Then came the dance episode...the one that had an effect on a later episode that went over my head. All I knew from that kissing photo of Haruhi was that her dad had a wonderful overly-long charging gag. With the nonchalant twins behind him...another scene to rewatch.

The dance episode also had a cute plotline. With lots of Tamaki skill. And bananas.

Then was the physical exam--with Tamaki's greatest moment of fail ever. Perhaps. He's had a lot. But that was definitely one of the greatest; dressing up as Haruhi. Brilliance. Le sigh...idiot.

And then the would-be creepy, dramatic plotline that had the classic unusual resolution. That wasn't that odd, after all.

And then the episode with Renge...where I saw how she first came to be. And I was very stunned at her first appearance; playing video games of Kyoya (so I thought...) with a very noticeable lack of enthusiasm. And then she saw the picture. And, suddenly, there was Renge. Running out the door. And flying on a plane. From the house, apparently. And the over-the-top drama that made that episode stand out...yes.

But, anyway, on to the finale.

Again, it was a good closer. Symbolism, all sorts of tied knots...Haruhi's dad had some parts, Kyoya's dad was...horrifying, but turned out all right in the end...poor woobie Kyoya...and Tamaki's grandmother proved how evil she was. Poor Tamaki. And then came the girl with the...absolute bluest eyes EVER. Cold. And terrifying. The girl might give Azula goosebumps. Especially with her killer lenses. Um...what else was there about the finale?

Well, Haruhi never got her fancy tuna. Poor Haruhi.

It was very interesting when her debt was cleared. Because I had a strong impression that it wasn't what she wanted. I mean...the whole reason for her being in the club was suddenly void. And, well...then, she stayed voluntarily.

Another interesting thing about the finale, though, was that it showed a little more interest from Miss Fujioka for His Highness. Jealousy. She played it well. The whole plotline rang with echoes of the first episode...whoa. I just realized that Eclair even took Tamaki's phone and threw it into the water. How do you like that?

And in the end, Tamaki and Haruhi never kissed. Which I was kind of satisfied with. Kind of. I think a kiss might have been a little too sweet, but...hm. They pulled the whole thing off, anyway.

I dunno if I want a second season. Or if I'll read the manga. I need to finish watching the dubs first.

But, overall, it was a great show. You have to promise your manliness several favors before you can watch it (I think I need to go to the gym for a few days...), but it's funny, moving, and well-written. Spectacularly animated, too. And the opening and ending? VERRRRRRY catchy.

Final score: 9.5/10!!!

*spoilers ahead*

*Fullmetal spoilers*



As usual, the chapter delivers. So much...wonderfulness. I like how the plot can continue at the usual predictable rate of a shonen manga, and yet still throw in a few curveballs that one doesn't expect, despite how obvious they are in hindsight.

Of course, the start of the issue was something that you really don't see all that often in a manga: retconning. It actually changed the events of the previous one a bit; whether it was a change of mind on the author's part (something that she is perfectly entitled to do without complaint, she's earned it and her Author Forgiveness jar is full of points) or just dramatic license in the last issue, Bradley is staying up top. And the whole situation is basically explained, and very simple: if Mustang won't jump in the water and swim with all the other Gate-seeing kids, you have to pick him up and throw him in. Diabolical to the max.

And Bradley continues to radiate waves of awesomeness throughout the room as he steps forward and offers any one of his opponents the chance to kill him. And everyone knows that the cake is a lie, because it's actually got two swords hidden inside it that will kill them if they get too close. But Scar-san and the chimeras have other ideas and decide to take a third option: go downstairs and follow the gang. Which gives Scar a chance to do what he does best, and destroy another floor. Or rather, several floors. And then stay behind to face down Bradley himself. Somehow, I did not predict Scar and Bradley being the final fight of the king, despite the obvious match of the two. Whatever the case, it's gonna be good. Or bad. Or just ugly. They seem evenly matched enough, though. Sadly, Scar does not seem like he is going to be interested in allowing Bradley to have a redemptive arc. Alas, poor villain. He'll probably get some sort of "going out with a smile" routine, though.

Speaking of smiles, though, the Truth had a pretty big one as Mustang came to him. Poor Mustang didn't ASK to see the guy naked, he just...got pushed in. And now, well...he's blind. He's BLIND. The FLAME ALCHEMIST IS BLIND. Which will set the shipping section of the fandom off into wild fits of pity-love and cuddles without end. Because blindness tends to be sweet, as any number of Toph-whoever shippers have been eager to point out. Toph knows that it's not too bad being blind; the downside being that she can't read mangas, so she can't actually communicate with the guy, and she also might not understand Japanese, so she's going to have to wait for the Brotherhood dubs to come out in order to understand the situation, because I just can't see Katara being that good of a relaterizer...maybe Mai could do it, though. She probably loves manga. Though she might have quit reading FMA when a girl with her hairstyle, name, and knife-love entered the series, because it was just too creepy. And she couldn't get Momo to imitate her every move....

MOVING BACK TO THE REVIEW.

Mustang's blindness is srs bzns! We cannot let him enter the territory of blind jokes! As funny as Toph made them, it's still....phooey on you, Toph. Making blindness seem like such an easily surmountable obstacle. Let's go to a more handicapped character, like, say, Levar Burton....well, great, now I have Mustang in a visor. And he's actually pulling it off. And Riza is not impressed....

CURSE YOU, OPTIMISTIC SIDE!!!

ANYWAY.

Homunculus-fellow goes and lists off all of the protagonists' faults in a tooth-grinding speech that shows just how much the guy likes to play God. And meanwhile, poor Pride suddenly receives a slight augmentation of his woobie status by showing some damage received by his passage through the gate; did he see the Truth there? What did he lose if he did?

...

...

OH!!! *lightbulb*

He stabbed the old man and absorbed him like he did Gluttony and Kimbley! And got his alchemical abilities...is that what happened? Can he actually do that? Maybe that's not how it works...but is it? It seems kind of odd that he could do alchemy there...maybe it's natural, as he's part of a Philosopher's stone? The original Homunculus? Theories....

But the point is, he looks a bit damaged. Which is interesting. His Father does not seem to care, though; he's too busy doing an impression of Asura or Medusa, with his CRAZEE-EYES, YEH-HEH-HESSSSSSS....

Because Alphonse-sama finally showed up.

AFTER REJECTING THE RETURN TO HIS BODY BECAUSE IT WAS UNFIT FOR THE TIME. I don't know how many times he's going to be forced to admit that he has to put off obtaining his body for the greater good, but hopefully, that was the last time, because the POOR GUY HAS HAD ENOUGH HAPPEN TO HIM. T_T

I got so excited when I saw him returning to his body, and I was all, "Wow...wait...this is actually IT? THIS IS HAPPENING???" And then Alphonse pointed out the obvious, and I was like, "Durr, I'm an idiot, and I think I would have just chosen the option that would lead to Game Over...like when I killed Shadow....*cries in guilt*"

But Alphonse moved on to fight, and his body left us with a very ominous warning.


And Al went to join the party, and really kick off the climax. Next issue is gonna be BIG.


Besides Al having the chance to return to his body and rejecting it, though, the biggest surprise had to be Mei-chan and the others dropping in. They crashed the Big Bad's party, which is wonderful. Because now the big guy can REALLY say, "I would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those meddling kids!" And their panda. Or cat. Or whatever you would call it.

Riza and Mustang are probably set to have their little reunion in the next issue. "We've only been apart for...I don't even think it's been five minutes." "It feels like two months. Besides, we hugged." I don't know who would be saying what, but it's how it would go. Riza doesn't have a gun...she's just there for moral support. Or maybe she does have a gun, and that's how they will defeat Argus. Did you just shoot out Cthulhu? Nah, probably not. Chimeras, take her somewhere safe. Maybe Riza should just keep quiet, because Mustang won't worry about her if he can't see her....hah. Like she'll let a thing like that stop her.

Oh, my gosh, I think I just made a joke about a woman keeping quiet when she had her throat cut. I am a horrible, horrible, person, worthless asymmetrical garbage....

They could REALLY use Maka right now, though. She can explain how to take down multi-eyed archnemeses as the world ends. Because it's anyone's guess as to how they're going to fight this guy. He seems like he's a finger-flick away from ending everything. He HAS the five sacrifices, so...what's the next step? It can't be "send them all to the corners of the country and activate the circle," because that would be too difficult. I think. One can never tell.

He mocked Izumi. The fiend. And he mocked Mustang.

HE CAN'T SEE THE TINY MINISKIRTS ANYMORRRRRRRRE!!!

...or maybe this could work to his advantage. See, now he can make all the female officers wear tiny miniskirts and keep it from being seen as anything to be gained personally. He cannot be branded as a pervert, because he has no capability of benefiting from this! And thus, Fuery will continue to nosebleed and follow him forever. YES.

You see, Mustang? Blindness has its--

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I'm worthless, asymmetrical garbage...kill me now...make me leave this world that is too good for me...I'm not fit for it....*cries in apology for Mustang*

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR. GIVE THE GOOD GUYS A BREAK, WILL YA???

But I'm sure Mustang will find a way to work this blindness thing to his advantage. He always will. Maybe this will be the revenge of dogs--having a loyal canine guiding him around everywhere. Black Hayate--GUIDE DOG. IT IS HIS DESTINY.

Or else...his master plan...the diabolical mastermind. One should have seen this coming a long time ago. Black Hayate's masterful plan. Executed all the way back when he scared Riza after she discovered Pride...he scares her because he KNOWS Mustang is going to call. And thus, when he calls, she feels grateful to the colonel and whatever feelings she has redouble and become strong enough for love. Thus, he has set the wheels in motion, so that he will move on and work with her beneath the city, and ultimately go and lose his sight...and with his sight gone, he will have to turn to Black Hayate for guidance. Thus, as he leads the country, BLACK HAYATE WILL BE LEADING HIM. Such a Xanatos Gambit is worthy of only the greatest figures. The Chessmaster, indeed.

Cats ruled Egypt. Dogs will rule Amnestris.

But first, he waits for his alchemist minions to save the day. He is a patient pup. And he has faith in them. THEY WILL WIN.

THEY MUST WIN.

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I think I'm ready for the day.