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scans_daily2010-06-12 09:20 pm
neuhallidae) wrote in scans_daily2010-06-12 09:20 pm
Death Week - Home At Last
One more Fullmetal post before the week ends, and no, it's still not that one. Instead, this is the moment from the final chapter where I gave up trying to hold it in and just burst into tears. Three and a half pages and one clip.
For those not in the know about Manga!Hohenheim, he had a much bigger stake in this whole story than he did in the first anime. Back when he was simply Slave #23 in the ancient kingdom of Xerxes, he made the mistake of befriending a tiny shadow homunculus kept inside a flask by his master. In return for that friendship, the homunculus taught #23 how to read and write, and gave him a name: Theophratus Bombastus Van Hohenheim. (Any occult history nerds in the audience? Because that is indeed the same name as used by Paracelsus, from whom Arakawa also got the town name of Reisenburg.) Hohenheim's master was an important figure in the court, and the "tiny friend in a flask" used that in order to promise the king of Xerxes immortality.
He lied, of course.
After the king followed the orders to construct a giant transmutation circle around the entire country (killing thousands in the process because the "points" had to be places of great bloodshed), the homunculus used it in order to turn all of the populace of Xerxes into a Philosopher's Stone to power himself.
All save one.
As "thanks" for his friendship, and for the pirating of his blood to create a body that looked almost identical to him, the homunculus later to become known as "Father" had "spared" Hohenheim by turning him into a living Philosopher's Stone as well before leaving to create a new country to absorb, Amestris.
Hohenheim spent the next centuries trying to learn what Father's plan was, only being distracted from his quest by meeting Trisha Elric. Despite now having a wife and a family, the necessity to stop Father once again became top priority when he realized he was a "monster" who would undoubtedly outlive his family. And so he left to continue his quest, abandoning his wife and children. Trisha died while still waiting for him, and many of you know the rest of that part of the story. One thing is, though, Hohenheim always regretted having to leave his family, as he considered them the one bright spot in his entire life. When he learned of Trisha's death and what their sons had done, he accepted the blame for having put them into that situation (and actively cried when he learned Trisha's last words were an apology that she couldn't keep her promise to wait until he came home).
While working on his plans to stop Father, Hohenheim did something unprecedented. He communicated with, and befriended every single soul trapped inside him, so that when the time came, they would fight against the homunculus that had stolen their lives from them. And it worked. But with each life gone, Hohenheim grew closer to his goal of mortality, and by the time Father was finally vanquished, the only life left inside him was his own. A very, very old one, at the end of its rope and full of regrets, but proud of his boys and what they've become. Knowing they'll be fine, and knowing that the country will be safe with Father gone, there's really only one thing left that he needs to do.
::sniffle:: I've got something in my heart.
suggested tags: creator: hiromu arakawa, medium: manga, title: fullmetal alchemist
For those not in the know about Manga!Hohenheim, he had a much bigger stake in this whole story than he did in the first anime. Back when he was simply Slave #23 in the ancient kingdom of Xerxes, he made the mistake of befriending a tiny shadow homunculus kept inside a flask by his master. In return for that friendship, the homunculus taught #23 how to read and write, and gave him a name: Theophratus Bombastus Van Hohenheim. (Any occult history nerds in the audience? Because that is indeed the same name as used by Paracelsus, from whom Arakawa also got the town name of Reisenburg.) Hohenheim's master was an important figure in the court, and the "tiny friend in a flask" used that in order to promise the king of Xerxes immortality.
He lied, of course.
After the king followed the orders to construct a giant transmutation circle around the entire country (killing thousands in the process because the "points" had to be places of great bloodshed), the homunculus used it in order to turn all of the populace of Xerxes into a Philosopher's Stone to power himself.
All save one.
As "thanks" for his friendship, and for the pirating of his blood to create a body that looked almost identical to him, the homunculus later to become known as "Father" had "spared" Hohenheim by turning him into a living Philosopher's Stone as well before leaving to create a new country to absorb, Amestris.
Hohenheim spent the next centuries trying to learn what Father's plan was, only being distracted from his quest by meeting Trisha Elric. Despite now having a wife and a family, the necessity to stop Father once again became top priority when he realized he was a "monster" who would undoubtedly outlive his family. And so he left to continue his quest, abandoning his wife and children. Trisha died while still waiting for him, and many of you know the rest of that part of the story. One thing is, though, Hohenheim always regretted having to leave his family, as he considered them the one bright spot in his entire life. When he learned of Trisha's death and what their sons had done, he accepted the blame for having put them into that situation (and actively cried when he learned Trisha's last words were an apology that she couldn't keep her promise to wait until he came home).
While working on his plans to stop Father, Hohenheim did something unprecedented. He communicated with, and befriended every single soul trapped inside him, so that when the time came, they would fight against the homunculus that had stolen their lives from them. And it worked. But with each life gone, Hohenheim grew closer to his goal of mortality, and by the time Father was finally vanquished, the only life left inside him was his own. A very, very old one, at the end of its rope and full of regrets, but proud of his boys and what they've become. Knowing they'll be fine, and knowing that the country will be safe with Father gone, there's really only one thing left that he needs to do.
::sniffle:: I've got something in my heart.
suggested tags: creator: hiromu arakawa, medium: manga, title: fullmetal alchemist
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Dammit, I need to get an "I'm feeling moved" icon of some sort...