Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood third ending appreciation time.
Though unfortunately, I do have to confess that, like many other people it seems, when ranking Brotherhood's endings it is last on my list. The Winry focus is obviously appreciated here, but I just don't like the song as much as the other ones (still do like it though, which should tell you how highly I think of Brotherhood's endings). What I do want to compliment it on, even above all the other endings, is how to me it actually serves a narrative purpose. It's obviously predominantly focused on Winry, but what's interesting is that it plays during a part of the story where she's largely absent. Not perfectly, it's still on for a couple of episodes in Briggs after she comes back, but it's the case for most of the stretch it plays during, particularly for a while just after it starts. And to me that's kind of the point. Winry at this time in the story has left for Rush Valley, in a way "left" the main plot for a while, so during a part where she doesn't show up (beyond a brief phone call) it's a reminder that hey, she's still around, and she's not just sitting idly twiddling her thumbs: she's working hard in Rush Valley, making a name for herself, and living a fulfilling life. Maybe some think this is me reading too deep into this, but I really don't think it's at all unlikely that the general idea was intented (it does specifically show her working, not doing random general "cute girl" poses or something else), but whether it was or not this is something I felt even on my first, blind watch, so regardless it added to the story to me. Winry living her best life in Rush Valley isn't the story's main plot, so in the series proper that's not what's "on-screen", but Brotherhood was able to use the medium's unique aspect (having openings and endings) to add this complimentary element to the narrative without distracting from the main plot in any way, and I think that's neat.
