Notice that Ed is wearing a side ponytail in the first panel, something not in either anime, where he’s wearing his traditional braid. Though a minor detail, I really like it. First, though I’m not sure this is intentional, in the manga this scene happens immediately after Ed gets back from visiting Trisha’s grave. So wearing the same hairstyle as her is a nice touch.
Second, and more importantly, it gives Arakawa the ability to do the scene you see in the bottom three panels. In the story immediately before he heads to Resembool, he goes through losing Nina and meeting Scar in quick succession, which has taken both a mental and physical toll on him. Showing him braiding his hair is a physical manifestation of him getting back on his feet, pulling himself together, and showing he’s prepared to keep moving forward.
