Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Episode 11) – Miracle at Rush Valley

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Edward, Alphonse, and Winry arrive at Rush Valley the home of everything auto-mail. Winry is in heaven and can’t believe her eyes. Then, someone steals Edward’s State Alchemist watch and the hunt to retrieve it is on!

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Episode 11) – Miracle at Rush Valley

What happened?

Rush Valley is known as the holy land for auth-mail, which is why Winry forced Edward and Alphonse to take her there when she found out they were going nearby. It’s packed full of engineers and auto-mail fans. However, Edward isn’t too keen on everyone getting so excited about his arm and leg. In the commotion, someone takes Edward’s State Alchemist watch.

Funnily enough, everyone seems to have a good idea as to who took it and point them in the right direction. The girl responsible lives on a farm on the outskirts of town where the ores are strongest. After quite a bit of walking, they do find her, but it’s not going to be easy to catch her. She has a pair of auto-mail legs and they’ve got some surprises installed.

After meeting the engineer responsible, Dominic, Winry asks if she could become his apprentice. He instantly says no! However, they’re welcome to stay for a while. Edward and Alphonse find a pregnant woman, the wife of Dominic’s son and are amazed at the miracle of birth – the one thing that alchemy has yet to replicate.

Unfortunately, she goes into labour and a heavy rainstorm makes it impossible to take her to the doctor. Dominic rushes to fetch the doctor, but it would appear that there’s no time to wait. The baby is coming and it’s up to Winry to get things done!

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 11 Edward Alphonse and Winry in Rush Valley

What did you think?

After the last episode, this one was much more lighthearted and feature several fairly funny moments. However, the real purpose was to show us the day that Edward and Alphonse burned their family home to the ground. It showed us how much it impacted them and Winry. Edward continues to hold fast on his solemn approach to it, but Winry shows that she can’t let them be so stoic.

I also liked the idea of balance being shown with the birth of a baby immediately after Maes’ death. It plays into the alchemist rules that for one thing to be given another thing of equal value must be taken away. The rule of Equivalent Exchange. Of course, I’m not pointing out that there is any correlation between these two events, but merely that the story is reinforcing the idea of balance and it works beautifully.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 11 Edward and Winry don't forget 3 October 11

What have you learnt?

It’s interesting that Winry has taken herself off on a sidequest. No doubt, she’ll come back stronger and a far greater engineer which will aid Edward and Alphonse in their pursuit of the philosopher’s stone. It also takes her out of harm’s way which tells me that things are going to get rough for a while. It’s not that she can’t handle it, but she’s obviously not on the same level as Edward and Alphonse who are both alchemists.

Otherwise, I don’t think there was a lot to analyse with this episode as it was definitely a more lighthearted moment to ease the pain of the previous episode and it was a way to give Winry a task while allowing Edward and Alphonse to continue. I wonder how they will react when they hear about Maes’ passing. It’s not going to be much fun stirring that memory up again.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 11 The Baby is coming

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