I'm so glad there was the introduction of Ling and co! They're all so fun, and it's really amusing to see how capable Ling was at the beginning at pissing Ed off lmao. Additionally, the story/plot itself really ramps up... i.e. the framing of Maria Ross! If I didn't already know what was going to happen, that and what followed it really would've surprised me. 

Additionally, I also really continue to love how Arakawa conveys expressions/emotion - just a frame of a character can say so much with so little. Especially when it's a scene where the character really can't say anything, incase they're overheard.