I was going over the scene in ep.07 where Reigen is reflecting before telling Mob he has grown, and I finally noticed that Reigen has his clothes torn in his thoughts…exactly like they were torn by the sword when fighting Claw last season. Which was intially weird to me because Reigen’s words here are as negative as possible, despite that moment where he took the hit being one of his best towards Mob.
And then it hit me, Reigen probably doesn’t know he helped Mob. Reigen likely remembers his involvement as a failure.
The audience knows that it was Reigen telling Mob that he could run away that saved Mob, to the point of him becoming 100% grateful and accidently transferring his powers. But the audience knows because the narration told us so, Reigen was never told this.
For Reigen, that whole mess was one where he went to help some kids in danger, tried to put sense into the villains’ minds and it backfired into pissing them off. He failed so badly Mob was terrified and Reigen had to tell him to run away. And then unknowingly began using up Mob’s powers to little success, needing Shou to step in to save them in the very end.
Perhaps Reigen has come to the conclusion Mob gave him powers to protect him due to being slashed in the back. So as far as Reigen ever knew, he turned out to be another liability Mob had to protect, and nearly doomed them by taking Mob’s powers rather than have Mob deal with it all himself.
He was never aware of how much he saved Mob, and now he considers his involvement in that moment a failure where he held Mob back by being there.
if u have some spare time and u don’t mind, I would love to see Roy actually well dressed for once. Maybe a tuxedo? Who knows?
listen…. I’m actually reeeeally fond of his black coat… it’s just…… so…… good
Fullmetal alchemist 2003 EP25 : Words of Farewell [Hughes ' Funeral]
I’ve seen comments elsewhere complaining about Reigen yet again lying to Mob and regressing but I really didnt see this scene that way.
a) Reigen didn’t pull a “I am your master and my powers tell me they’re fine”. He said he thought they were safe and told Mob a legitimate reason to assume so. The only ‘lie’ would be his utter calm and certainty as he said it, since he isn’t sure. But he had to act like that so Mob could calm down in turn. But ultimately, he didn’t lie or trick Mob into it, he made no certain statement and gave him an explanation;
b) Despite the fact that he didnt lie, if his supposition turns out wrong, Mob is likely not going to react well anyway. Reigen knows this. He said to Dimple Mob might hate him forever, and that’s something Reigen is also risking. Considering the face he made after Mob passed out, his gamble wasn’t to make his own life easier by not dealing with angry Mob, but a gamble for Mob’s sake. And he knows what he’s risking for it.
i think the reason why tome’s arc in s3 eps 7&8 is so blindly gorgeous isn’t just because of the amazing animation, but also because tome desperately wanted to know that she wasn’t alone in the universe and she felt like she was running out of time. then she learns that’s she’s NOT alone in the universe, because she’s surrounded by people who love her and want to support her passions, and that there is always time for the things we love.
and then she actually discovers aliens and just fucking kicks it with them all night
from pages 122 - 123 of Fullmetal Alchemist Character Guide
T/L notes: [comments/additions]. I did not translate literally, as usual, but I tried my best to keep the essence/tone of the sentences.
Four men + α (with no girlfriend) will answer questions about Mustang! Let’s reveal the secrets of the Colonel!!
Q: With whom did he spend his 30th birthday?
HAVOC: Somebody finally asked! [lit. trans.: I’ve been waiting!]. He was so proud that he celebrated every year with everyone, but only for his 30th birthday, he was alone and lonely, and went home and drank all by himself. Colonel Mustang — the king of popularity — drinking alone!! He was busy with the transfer to Central, and that’s on top of the mess with Barry, right? Moreover, he was confined in a military hospital so he could not make an appointment for a date. Serves him right!
FALMAN: While he [Mustang] was in the hospital, a bunch of visitors arrived at the headquarters [looking for him]. There weren’t any for the second lieutenant, though.
HAVOC: SCREW YOU!!!
Q: Is it true that he is the type [of person] hated by dogs?
FUERY: Instead of saying hated, I feel that it is at the same level as being regarded with dislike. In his attempt to make the dog obey, the colonel approaches it bossily, which in turn, makes the dog wary of him. He tried to lure it with bait before, but it seems he failed. So even the colonel has his weak points…
Q: Is it true that he has a habit of sleeping with his mouth open? [it comes with the picture of Roy in the Archives Room with Szieska waking him up]
FALMAN: It’s true. While on duty, he is quite focused on showing that he is finishing his work that is why he is exhausted. I’ve also heard of a testimony that he was sleeping while hugging a pillow and was drooling with his mouth open in the nap room of the Eastern Headquarters. [this is based on Havoc’s report from Roy Mustang Observation Diary]
Q: How does he code his research notes?
BREDA: It seems that everything is [coded with] female names. Furthermore, his notes are written as a date diary. Well, in that case, he has to come up with women’s names one after the other.
Q: Did he really steal someone else’s girlfriend?
HAVOC: Some guys were jeering [at Mustang] when he fought Ed in the parade grounds in the past [in Flame vs. Fullmetal battle]. That would be unjustified resentment from a misunderstanding if the break-up line was “I have someone else I like.” Even so, I understand the desire to think that the girlfriend was stolen. Me too… *tears*
Q: Is it true that his drawing [skill] is bad?
FUERY: Rather than saying he is unskillful, [we can say] he is as good as an elementary school student. An alchemist is someone who can draw a perfect circle with his bare hands, but this is quite interesting. Edward seems to have the same level of drawing skill as the colonel.
Q: Is it true that his type of woman varies [i.e. he has a wide scope]?
EDWARD: He is on the same level as everyone else!! This is annoying~ You’re right. The Colonel smiles at any woman — no matter who she is — and he says the sweetest things to her that teeth could fall off. He’s a scary bastard. I think older women are no exception.
Q: Which part of a woman is the most attractive?
MUSTANG: Wow. I would say a woman is attractive no matter where you look at, I can’t decide. *laughs* But if I may dare say, it’s the “thigh.” [yes, I triple checked the translation, it’s not the leg, but thigh!!]. With that said, Havoc…
HAVOC: BOOBS~!!
I really like the questions from this Q&A (OMG, the first and last Qs killed me!!), but translating Edward’s answer was such a pain. His speech pattern is so informal, I got confused with the words several times!!
I was laughing my head off while translating because Team Mustang (especially Havoc) is epic <3 Falman’s replies are very polite. Fuery’s answers are kind and cute. Havoc’s bitterness and snarky comments are absolutely hilarious. Ed is being annoying and angsty, while Roy is smooth as silk as usual.
I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. There are still some interesting Q&A pages I’ve bookmarked from FMA Institute DX that I’d like to translate. I hope I find enough motivation to do them!! Until next time~
Every character in Mob Psycho is so lonely at the beginning of the series, but they all express it in different ways so they don’t realize they’re all dealing with the same problem!
Mob makes himself small and quiet and blends in and does his best to never make a scene and never ask for anything and never think about what he wants. Reigen makes himself big and loud boisterous and takes up as much space as possible–but it’s all show, it’s all slight-of-hand, it’s a magic trick so everyone looks where he wants them to and he doesn’t have to risk anyone seeing through him. Ritsu makes himself perfect and dutiful and studious and pours himself into the mold of A Good Son, A Good Student, A Good Brother, and thinks that if he buries himself deep enough no one can touch him. Teru makes himself sharp and brilliant and frightening and puts himself at the top of the pyramid and convinces himself that it’s a feature that no one can get close to him. Dimple does the same thing–makes himself into a god and a monster, someone who only sees humans as pawns. Never equals. Never friends.
Everyone has walled themselves off from genuine connection, convinced themselves that there’s an important reason they’re alone that isn’t just that they’re afraid, and the series is about all of those walls being torn down, bit by bit. There are a million ways to be lonely, but the solution to all of them, every time, is vulnerability and kindness.
every once in a while i remember my “???% only appears when mob sustains fatal injuries that otherwise would have killed him because it’s the only time his will supersedes his desire to repress it” theory/headcanon and make myself sad
This is not a fully formed thought but. Considering the ways in which one of the big tensions of Mob Psycho is "Do you see other people as people or do you see them as tools?" and how in World Domination it's revealed that despite building this huge organization Toichiro views everyone around him as literal power sources (and how the ground troops think he's doing everything for them and the Scars think 'Well *those* people are useless but he's doing it for *us*' and Shimazaki tells the Scars 'Well *you're* useless but the Super Five are *actually* important' and then manga Toichiro says that he only keeps the Super Five around as spare batteries), and conversely how in Divine Tree Dimple realizes that even though he's been using all these people as power sources it's not accomplishing what he wants because he's actually desperate for someone to see him as a person. And considering how Psycho Helmet is the purest and most terrifying incarnation of "people are only worth what power I can extract from them" because it was created from those predatory impulses and nothing else.
nora - she/her - yelling about other things in @extra-spicy-fire-noodles
215 posts