Episode Guide - episode 9
Episode title: Be Thou For the People
Episode title (Japanese): 軍の狗「いぬ」の銀時計
- Gun no Inu no Gindokei, "The Silver Watch of the Dog of the Military"
Number of times Ed looks horrified: none - it seems Ed got all out his
angst crying in the previous episode.
Number of times Ed flips out because someone calls him 'short': 1
Synopsis
After two episodes in the military, Ed finally gets ordered to go somewhere and do something, and finds out that not everyone shares same respect for a State Alchemist. This episode ends the flashback episodes that started with episode 3, and leaves off where the first episode began - explaining exactly how the brothers ended up trudging through the desert anyway.
Trivia
Inu?
My Japanese isn't great, so
I don't know why the kanji "狗" is used to stand for "inu" (meaning Dog)
in the Japanese title instead of the more common "犬". But, it is.
(This picture doesn't appear in the episode, I just liked that scene.)
Be Thou For the People
The English title to this episode, which you may be more familiar with, is taken from the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically Exodus 18:19-20. "Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do."
The meaning of the title is, as Edward mentions in episode, that an alchemist's duty is to work for the good of the people, rather than use alchemy for personal gain. I think it's a better title than the Japanese title.
Spoilers
This is the episode where:
- Edward visits the coal mine
- Edward gets kicked out of the inn for being a State Alchemist
- Yoki first appears
- Edward gets sucked up to by Yoki
- Edward transmutes coal and gold coins into gold
- Edward tricks Yoki out of his coal mine
Slip-ups
None.
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