CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

<Mod Note> This thread is fine, but remember to use spoiler tags if you want to give examples, everyone! </Mod Note>


In this thread, we're to post the type of anime endings that you very much enjoy, and the type that you do not enjoy so much.

For me, I prefer anime that end with the hero and heroine getting together to 'live happily ever after', even though we know that's not going to be the actual case. But, we also know that any problems that come up they will be able to work through, because of all the stuff we've seen them acomplish so far. Good examples of this type ending would be [SPOILER]Rune Soldier Louie, Record of Lodoss War, and Love Hina.[/SPOILER]

There are a couple endings I don't like, though. First off, the opposite of the above, where at the end the hero and heroine go their separate ways to never see each other again, despite the fact that they are deeply in love with each other! Example of this would be [SPOILER]Escaflowne, great series, love the majority of it, can't stand the ending.[/SPOILER]

The other type I don't like is where after the series ends the group gets the experiences removed from their memory or something, get new memories that replace them, and never know what all it was that they did, like in [SPOILER]Yumeria.[/SPOILER] Also, a great series, can't stand the ending. If I were to save the world from impending doom, I would want to remember doing it!

There are a couple endings I don't like, though. First off, the opposite of the above, where at the end the hero and heroine go their separate ways to never see each other again, despite the fact that they are deeply in love with each other! Example of this would be

I disgree with that and that was the reason why like [spoiler]Escaflowne [/spoiler] Not all anime should be happy ever after and that the guy gets the girl.

[color="Red"]
[font="Book Antiqua"]Col. Roy Mustang[/font][/color]

[font="Palatino Linotype"] I really hate [SPOILER] DeathNote's ending[/SPOILER]

Everybody just up and died!

Even [SPOILER]Light-kun and L-kun[/SPOILER] were killeaded!

'Tis sad...[/font]

End of Evangelion had the best ending ever of all time.

I like any ending that brings together as many loose ends as necessary (ambiguity is fine, having elements just drop from the story is not) and brings the series as a whole to a resolution. That can be happy or tragic, depending on what is appropriate for that series. To cite examples, I thought Cowboy Bebop had a fitting ending whereas Samurai Champloo felt a bit forced.

Several things irritate me. I don't like any "comedy" that ends with a "Here we go again!" spirit. I also have a strong dislike for series that end poorly for stupid reasons. Romeo and Juliet, I'm looking at you.

On reflection, many of the anime series I watch have yet to end.

Death Note's ending is very controversial, but I thought it was pretty strong. It really hit the series' themes home and it's full of questions-- you read the series as almost absurdist and nihilist, but ironically, it could also be interpreted by some with a greater power of Fate in mind. I really love ambiguous endings like that because the series doesn't really end after that-- the images and questions remain the the mind for years.

[spoiler]On the surface, Light's demise seems to suggest that good triumphs over evil in the end, but after the disappearance of Kira, the crime rate increases again, which pushes the idea that morality is full of grays. The very fact that Near, a character symbolic of apathy and amorality, was able to triumph over Light, one representative of extremist moral philosophy. L can also been seen as an amoral character, but because he falsely claims to represent a justice he doesn't even believe, his death (and Soichiro's) both seem to imply that true justice may not exist in our world. It's not a very Christian ending, but it's so thought-provoking that I think it's excellent. At the same time, it's definitely open to interpretation, and I think there's an equally valid alternative interpretation-- some might believe the ending "has a moral" in that L, who had no regard for human life at all, could not defeat Kira, but Mello was willing to sacrifice his life and pride to aid Near's goal, which suggests that M and N really did represent a purer face of justice, and were thus able to defeat Light.[/spoiler]

The other ending I love is Monster's-- just when everything seems to be returning to normal, [spoiler]Johann asks Tenma which of the twins Johann's mother meant to abandon, but the whole question might or might not be Tenma's hallucination. Johann later escapes the hospital, just as he had years before.[/spoiler] It really just brings up huge questions that Urasawa agonizingly refuses to answer-- it turns out that one impossible decision was the cause of a great evil. Has the case finally ended for the better, or are the troubles only starting? The question from the very beginning-- is it right to have mercy on evil-- still hangs overhead. It's beautiful.

i agree w/ minakichan's opinion regarding Monster's ending. i also believe that Cowboy Bebop had a very climatic and very interesting ending.

I hate endings that just sort of hang there. And all to many times anime is this way, Fruits Basket, Trinity Blood, Trigun and Inuyasha are a few that come to mind...

I like shows that have an ending and a good one at that. Eureka 7 and Blood+ both have AMAZING endings... and those are the sort I look for.

I really disliked the way FMA ended....that's all I'm saying about that.

I liked the ending of Death Note, but I've heard that the manga does a better job with the ending.

Sheenar (post: 1200503) wrote:I really disliked the way FMA ended....that's all I'm saying about that.

Agreed. XD If you enjoyed the anime aside from the ending, though, I'd definitely recommend reading the manga. The entire second season of the anime deviates from the manga plot line, and though I haven't finished the manga, I can definitely say I'm enjoying its plot more so than the anime's. XD Check it out if you're interested!

As far as the thread topic is concerned, it varies with me. Generally speaking, I prefer endings that tie up all of the loose ends and leave me with a feeling of closure, though I don't mind it if there's room for another season. XD Examples of anime endings that I really enjoyed are Full Moon wo Sagashite, Haibane Renmei, Cowboy Bebop, Monster (it's the same as the manga's ending, though I've yet to watch the anime in full XD), and Baccano!

I'm probably forgetting some, but those are the first that come to mind. XD

I'm currently up to Ch. 80 in the FMA manga. I love it! Very rich story and you see more depth in many of the characters (like the Homunculi, for example.)

[spoiler]I really didn't like Gundam Seed's ending. They killed off so many characters so close to the end... Badguriel, Mu, Flay... I see why the had to put the ending into a movie, but seriously... Beautiful as it was, it just left a bad taste in my mouth.[/spoiler]

That's just my two cents, tho. I'm not dissing Gundam or anything. I'll leave everyone to their own opinions.

[spoiler]Inuyasha. I felt that after ALL those **** fillers, that the ending should have been well done. Instead, it ended like any other episode. Naraku didn't even die! >>;[/spoiler]
No offense to any fans of the series, but I just feel that way.

Probably two of the best endings I've ever seen are [spoiler] Digimon Season 2 and Slayers TRY. I felt that both said goodbye to the cast in a great way. I had a huge sense of closure after turning off the TV to both of them. [/spoiler]

There are several endings I have mixed feelings about, too...
[spoiler]namely, Yu-gi-oh, Death Note, and FMA.
YGO was really sad for me because I was so close to the series. I cried when the Pharaoh had to leave. But at the same time, it opens a window of opportunity. What happens after the 7 years are up? Is Yugi reunited with Yami? I also LOVED how they had all the major characters in there at the end.
Death Note has already been mentioned, and I won't go into any greater detail since I agree with the opinions posted before me. I was a little disappointed with the whole "There really is no heaven or hell" thing, though.
As for FMA, I STILL don't know how to feel about that one. I both love the ending and hate it at the same time. @_@[/spoiler]

I could go on, but you get the basic idea.

-Mist

Mist (post: 1200558) wrote:[spoiler]Inuyasha. I felt that after ALL those **** fillers, that the ending should have been well done. Instead, it ended like any other episode. Naraku didn't even die! >>]
No offense to any fans of the series, but I just feel that way.

Well, technically that series isn't over yet. The manga's still going strong, the anime just lost popularity so they stopped making it. That fact there is the bane of a lot of fans of the series.

The best kind of endings are the kind that are satisfying, especially when the guy gets the girl at the end or the characters save the world. You know. Good endings. My favorite anime ending is Haibane Renmei, because it doesn't feel like it's leaving anything out. Other ones I liked (though they had minor things I didn't like) were Wolf's Rain, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, and Rurouni Kenshin (if you stop at Episode 62, before the filler episodes start).

Most anime endings, however, seem to be really horrible. Either they leave a bunch of questions unanswered, or the goal is not reached, or there's just an overall feeling of disappointment. Often, the ending feels almost completely different from the rest of the anime, like someone else had designed or directed it. My least favorite anime ending ever is Full Metal Alchemist (though, ironically, that's my favorite series). Other ones I didn't like very much were Escaflowne, Samurai Champloo, Samurai 7, Scrapped Princess, and probably a bunch more.

The ending of [spoiler]Inuyasha[/spoiler] was okay given the fact that it was just the end of the anime and not the end of the manga. It still upsets me that it didn't continue, though...

I haven't seen many endings actually, but my favorite would have to be...
[spoiler]Cowboy Bebop, especially because of that song "Blue" at the end... those last 2 episodes were a couple of the best in the whole series.[/spoiler]

I heavily disliked the ending to Gankutsuou. It felt rushed, and the epilogue episode didn't add much at all.

Noein however had a very satisfying ending to me, with good guys winning, bad guys taken care of, with some tantalizing questions left if you were paying attention.

Boogiepop Phantom and Heat Guy J also have my votes for good endings.

The collective works of director Shinichirō Watanabe, I'm convinced, sport some of the best endings in the Anime genre; Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Detective Story and Kid Story from the Animatrix. Baccano! is another series that knew how to wrap up a good final episode. I am also strangely pleased by the ending of Ouran High School Host Club.

And I know a lot of people dislike the ending of Trigun, but I am not one of them.

Weak endings, Akagi. I enjoyed the show immensely, but the last arc dragged on a bit, and then the studio's choice of simply "Ending"...bad move. FullMetal Alchemist needed a serious rewrite, but we have the Manga for that. And a handful of other titles with mediocre endings I can't be bothered to remember.

Actually, could we expand this to Manga endings?

SirThinks2Much (post: 1200576) wrote:I heavily disliked the ending to Gankutsuou. It felt rushed, and the epilogue episode didn't add much at all.

:[ NOOOO~ I've been watching the series on and off for a while now (still getting to the end), it's too bad that the ending seemed rushed to you.

I agree with:
[spoiler]Cowboy Bebop and Digimon Adventure 02 ending splendidly.[/spoiler]

I like endings that tie up the series nicely and leave me, well, satisfied, I guess. Like the journey was enjoyable and the destination was worth the journey.

Sad endings are OK if they make sense and resolve the story in a good/appropriate way (Grave of the Fireflies – terribly sad ending, but somehow uplifting), but I will never fill my collection with sad endings and I never like misery for the sake of misery. I don’t watch entertainment to be depressed. When I want to be depressed, I turn on MSNBC to watch Keith Olbermann – I mean was he always like that? Even back in the good old ESPN days?

A good tragedy is a nice find, too. Not all stories with sad endings are tragedies, mind you, and not all tragedies have sad endings. [spoiler]A great example of a wonderful anime tragedy is Princess Tutu. Wonderful show, tragic heroine, fantastic ending.
Unlike Evangelion – I just really wanted them all dead.

Escaflowne, in my opinion, is the worst attempt at a tragedy I’ve ever seen. It’s like they went through 20 episodes telling an action laden romance and then decided to use the last six episodes to turn it into a tragedy. Poorly conceived and poorly executed.[/spoiler]Good tragedies are hard to find – most just figure it’s good tragedy if the hero and/or heroine die. It takes a lot more story telling than that and, sadly, most seem incapable of writing it. For that reason, I stick to comedies and slice of life pieces.

Even then, I want the ending to makes sense and reasonably wrap up the series.

Dramas require good endings for me. Since I tend to favor comedies, I am definitely harder on dramas. If you want to tell a serious story – fine – but finish the story then.[spoiler]Unlike Spiral, which was an interesting story with great characters, but it kept asking questions that it never bothered answering. You don’t have to resolve every single plot thread, but you should at least cover the major ones!

Ergo Proxy is a much better example, even though it resorts to “Deus ex machina” to resolve the plot. It seems to work well for this one.[/spoiler]

For comedies, the zanier and more ridiculous the comedy, the more leeway it gets with the ending. Deus ex machina makes for a sloppy ending in tragedy, but often works pretty well for comedy.

Slice of life type shows have it the “easiest” when it comes to series resolution. Many of them are just a “day in the life” type shows, so a solid resolution isn’t really necessary or even desired. We get to see the character(s) over come a complication, grow, and then move on. Of course, that may not be easy at all.

We would have to agree though that it all goes back to the subject of what a person's particuliar tastes are like when it comes to endings.Some people perfer to see an ending that ties everything together while others don't mind if the ending leaves loose ends here and there.I think though that overall
it depends on how much you liked the series as much as anything.If you
didn't like it that much then you aren't going to like the ending either,no matter how good it might be.

I really prefer any ending over no ending at all. For some reason the channel that shows anime in my country has a serious problem with showing the last few episodes of a series. They never showed the ends of Gundam SEED, Eureka Seven or .hack//Sign. SEED stopped just before the last episode, E7 stopped quite a while before the end (as far as I know), but luckily I was able to catch the end of Sign when they had rerun the whole series again. They also showed the last episode of Samurai 7 after the first two where on!

Otherwise, I don't mind sad endings if they're done well, but I prefer happy ones.

Fish and Chips (post: 1200579) wrote:Actually, could we expand this to Manga endings?

a valiant idea Fish and Chips. i second this request!

Go wild. I haven't finished any manga series yet, but I know I enjoy the same type of manga as I do anime, so I can assume I would enjoy the same type of manga endings as I do anime.

Manga then.

Recent readings of Rurouni Kenshin has a pretty satisfying conclusion. I'm usually not a fan of "After the end" ending, but Watsuki pulled it off with some saving grace. And I enjoyed 20th Century Boys' simple ending a bit more than the climax of 21st Century Boys. Would have left a couple threads hanging, but still a decent send off.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part II: Battle Tendency receives an honorable mention for featuring the single most epic defeat of all time.
[Spoiler]Kaaz/Cars essentially attaining godhood, the top of evolution, invincible and indestructible, only to end up trapped in space. "Becoming a life form between organic and mineral, he wandered for eternity into the endless void known as space. Unable to die even though he wished for it, Cars eventually stopped thinking."[/spoiler]
Bad endings, I'm not a fan of Death Note's conclusion, for reasons I've listed earlier.

In before "2,000th post."

Oh, and Miyazaki movies generally have extremely good endings, but then I think more anime movies have good endings than anime series.

In my opinion, the best tragic ending to an anime movie is: [spoiler]Jin-Roh: Wolf Brigade[/spoiler]

the_wolfs_howl (post: 1201173) wrote:Oh, and Miyazaki movies generally have extremely good endings, but then I think more anime movies have good endings than anime series.

And this is why "My Neighbor Totoro" was shown as a double feature after "Grave of the Fireflies"...rock on, Miyasaki-san!