#Ed is likeable on his own and if you disagree I hate to tell you you're just wrong

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

Izzy is only interesting because of his proximity to Ed. I'm just the only one brave enough to admit that fact.

[zetalial]

BH rewatch - episode 15

Hey, I was thinking I’d rewatch a bit of Brotherhood and I’d start from where it diverged from the first anime with episode 15 - Envoys from the East. No point in doing the earlier stuff, I’d end up comparing it with the 03 anime too much. I figured I’d posts my thoughts on each episode. (Yeah, I’ve seen it all before but only the once and it was a bit ago now.) Sorry, if I sound really critical, pointing out stuff I like is quick where I have to describe problems in detail to properly explain myself. Oh and there’s my biases.

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Envoys from the East. It’s the episode where Mei and Ling are introduced and gosh it’s really not the best. I guess it’s main strength is in the nicely animated fights. There’s a brief fight between Scar and a one-shot alchemist who he kills at the beginning and later a fight beween Ed and Al and Lan fan and Fuu.

Firstly, there’s quite a few plot contrivances. Mei just shows up being taken care of Yoki and notices Scar’s been hurt from a random fight and heals him with Alkahestry. Ling also just randomly stumbles on the Elric brothers - Al just finds him passed out in an alleyway and they decide to get a meal for him.

Isn’t Rush valley in the South, on the way to Dublith? Why would Ling be there when he came from the East and would want to head towards Central presumably. He mentions passing by the Xerxes ruins which is basically North-east. Finally, Barry the Chopper randomly stumbles into Riza and gets captured by her. (The capture takes place off-screen... It was implied that he let himself be captured - he really shouldn’t be afraid of bullets after all because he was attracted to her because she’s tough. The serial killer who killed his own wife...)

Whatever though! Aside from the randomness of their meeting, Mei’s really nice. She just attaches herself to Scar and Yoki, insisting on joining them as they head to Central. They’re such a strange trio.

Ling... manages to be the most unlikeable character ever. Why do people even like him? Ed and Al help him and he insists on eating massive amounts while making them pay for it. They tell him about Amestris and he tells them about Xing (which is nice as Xing sounds really interesting and worldbuilding is good.) Then he asks them if they know anything about the Philosopher’s stone which he says he wants for immortality. Great ambition there. When they’re not interesting in telling him anything he sics his ninja bodyguards on them! He doesn’t even know if they know anything! They’re literal strangers who have been nice to him at this point. While they’re getting into an intense fight with Lan Fan and Fuu, Ling nonchalantly continues eating, asking for some dessert. Lan Fan is an absurdly dutiful follower here and goes as far as using explosives to defeat Ed - though Ed defeats her (cleverly, exploiting her weaknesses and employing misdirection with his arm. Clearly foreshadows her own stunt later.)

Rush Valley’s a little wrecked from their fight and the townspeople are all furious and blame Ed (who’s looking rather beaten-up) and Al because Ling decides to disappear at this point, even though he started the whole fight.

When they finally get back to Winry’s place, Ling is there and for some reason Ed is just irritated by him but doesn’t view him as an enemy despite his terrible actions throughout the episode. Winry comes back and she’s furious that Ed’s broke his arm again and beats him up with a wrench - but it was all Ling and Lan Fan’s fault his arm’s broken! Ed did not initiate or escalate the fight at all and choosing not to tell some power-hungry foreigner about the stone was the right decision. Ed does not deserve any of the abuse he’s received throughout the episode. Ling gets away scot-free with everything. When Ed and Al and Winry decide to go to Central, Ling just invites himself along to join them and they apparently don’t get a say.

The last bit of the episode has Ling and Fuu talking and he’s questioning why Ling is putting up with Ed when he’s beneath him. WHAT? This has been Ling when he’s being respectable? Ling says that humbling himself is a small price to pay for the sake of his clansman. Appearances are unimportant. Gosh, then why did you want to appear super-obnoxious and useless? Ed and Al should hate him at this point and be entirely uninterested in helping him with his goals. I’m not going to feel sympathetic towards Ling just because he’s got a duty. 

....Okay I know most of this episode was supposed to be played for comedy but I cannot stand Brotherhood’s comedy, I forgot how bad and over the top it could be at its worst. (It’s a breather after Greed’s demise in the previous episode.) This is supposed to be Ling’s introduction, to establish his character and I can either conclude he’s a terrible person who I should hate or ignore pretty much everything because it wasn’t serious and he’s a funny guy. Because I don’t believe he had any likeable moments - the closest is when he delivers exposition about Xing. And Ed getting picked on when he’s trying to be nice and helpful is not funny!

Okay, it’s only episode 15 so I guess it can be lumped in with the beginning and Brotherhood’s beginning isn’t the best. I know the comedy gets way better later. And Ling... Ling couldn’t possibly get any worse. 

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Has this episode always been this bad? Whatever. Eh, feel free to disagree or point out anything I missed. I’ll be doing some more of these, I think. Can’t say if I’ll continue to the end of the series or not. 

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