I saw the anime first, then the manga. ^^ And I don't think the removal of Winry as a character was (at least consciously) because of a dislike for her character...I think it was a side effect of the way they chose to trim the plot for animation.
See, the manga is much more of an ensemble production. The military people are all pretty fleshed out, you have the Xingese characters and the entire Resembool crew, and there are a lot more characters in general. A major theme of the manga, in fact, is family and the way human beings create it around themselves, whether they're born to one or not.
The anime, on the other hand, chose a different thematic path. Instead of focusing on the wide web of human interconnectivity, they decided quite obviously to trim the cast and plot by prioritizing the Elrics' story more strongly and making it an Us Two Against The World story.
And to do that, all their strong connections outside the brother-bond had to go.
(The best simple example of how they made this change is the comparison of the two burning-Elric-home scenes. In the manga, they stand shoulder to shoulder with Pinako and Winry, who are aware of their decision and support them in their journey. In the anime, such support would soften the stark you're-all-I've-got theme they were gunning for, so the boys burn the house themselves and get out of Dodge, cutting their ties...and Pinako and Winry find the wreckage in shock the next day.)
So, yeah. Collateral damage in the pruning process included most of the military characters, most of the sideplots not directly pertaining to the boys, and the Resembool/Rush Valley crew...unfortunately including Winry.
So it's probably not specific anti-Winry sentiment. Doesn't mean I like it. :/
no subject
See, the manga is much more of an ensemble production. The military people are all pretty fleshed out, you have the Xingese characters and the entire Resembool crew, and there are a lot more characters in general. A major theme of the manga, in fact, is family and the way human beings create it around themselves, whether they're born to one or not.
The anime, on the other hand, chose a different thematic path. Instead of focusing on the wide web of human interconnectivity, they decided quite obviously to trim the cast and plot by prioritizing the Elrics' story more strongly and making it an Us Two Against The World story.
And to do that, all their strong connections outside the brother-bond had to go.
(The best simple example of how they made this change is the comparison of the two burning-Elric-home scenes. In the manga, they stand shoulder to shoulder with Pinako and Winry, who are aware of their decision and support them in their journey. In the anime, such support would soften the stark you're-all-I've-got theme they were gunning for, so the boys burn the house themselves and get out of Dodge, cutting their ties...and Pinako and Winry find the wreckage in shock the next day.)
So, yeah. Collateral damage in the pruning process included most of the military characters, most of the sideplots not directly pertaining to the boys, and the Resembool/Rush Valley crew...unfortunately including Winry.
So it's probably not specific anti-Winry sentiment. Doesn't mean I like it. :/