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Product Description ------------------- Weary of limb and sore of heart, the Elric brothers return to the village of the childhood after four long years. And despite much needed auto-mail care, this homecoming proves bittersweet as the boys sift through the ashes of their innocence. But as Ed refocuses on the future where a startling secret waits to be uncovered, Al begins to worry about his loss of the past… While memories fade, shocking information about the true nature of the Philosopher’s Stone is revealed. And the deeper Ed digs, the bloodier that truth becomes. How are the brothers to reconcile their desperate desire to reconstruct ruined bodies against this knowledge of the stone’s gruesome cost? Deep within the confines of a secret State laboratory, Ed’s morality will be put to the ultimate test, even as elsewhere Al is left to battle for his life and sanity both. And as rumors of corruption and conspiracy draw others into the investigation, those closest to the Elrics look to suffer the most. .com ---- The second half of the first season of the hit fantasy-adventure Fullmetal Alchemist offers some of the most emotionally intense moments in the series. Dr. Marcoh's research into the creation of a Philosopher's Stone leads Edward and Alphonse Elric to the secret Laboratory #5. In its dungeons, the brothers find that Shou Tucker has continued producing chimeras, helping to draw them to the Lab. But Tucker is just a pawn for the Homunculi, Lust, Envy, and Gluttony, who want the Philosopher's Stone--which they believe Ed can create. Edward is faced with the terrible choice of losing Al or committing multiple murders when the experiment is interrupted by , the avenging survivor of Ishbal. The Elric brothers' inner struggles eclipse the violent external battles: Al has be to doubt that he ever existed in human form; Ed fears that Al hates him for delving into the forbidden knowledge that destroyed his body. After escaping from the Lab, Ed and Al meet up with the one individual they fear: their brutal but loving instructor Izumi. Realizing that the Elrics committed the crime of attempting human transmutation, Izumi sends them back to the island where they began their apprenticeship. The filmmakers intercut the Brothers' present sojourn with flashbacks of their early training, suggesting the ongoing journey to mastery of the art of alchemy. The dramatic episodes are balanced against comedic moments with Winrey, Major Armstrong and Col. Hughes. The brothers share a rare, carefree moment in Resembool, sparring and roughhousing. Despite his mechanical limbs, Ed frolics unselfconsciously in a sleeveless shirt and shorts--something no American animated character could do. Many anime series lose momentum after their first season; Fullmetal Alchemist only gets better. (Rated TV PG: violence, grotesque imagery, use) --Charles Solomon