slice Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I personally don't like tragic endings in anime/manga. It just depresses me too much. It also seems like people think that an anime CAN'T have a happy ending and still be great. So I want to know what you think. How do you like endings and why? Okay I'll tell you my opinion first. I don't think an ending should be too tragic or too happy happy. I like a mix. Maybe one of the not main characters dies, maybe the main character gets injured really bad. I just hate to see any characters that I am really attached to go. I also think that tragic endings are fairly predictable. Tragic endings just seem to happen more often, and I don't think it is necessarily true to life. Everything doesn't always blow up in your face. Well anyway, I guess that is just what I think. What about you? :bawl: Me no like tragic endings:bawl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagger Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by slice [/i] [B]I personally don't like tragic endings in anime/manga. It just depresses me too much. It also seems like people think that an anime CAN'T have a happy ending and still be great. So I want to know what you think. How do you like endings and why?[/b][/quote] Boogiepop Phantom is among my all-time favorite anime. It's a very dark series, one which focuses on murder, inhuman abilities (external disorder) and various psychological issues (internal disorder). Yet despite this, it has a satisfying and fairly happy ending. The natural order of the world is ultimately restored. So while BP is [i]not[/i] by any means a perky show, it doesn't quite qualify as a tragedy.... Well, I could easily argue this both ways, but I think that for now I'll stick with the interpretation presented above. ^_^; In any event, Boogiepop is one critically acclaimed series that also happens to have a happy ending. So is RahXephon (someone tell me if I ought to spoiler-tag that....). Gravitation--which I personally feel deserves a place alongside the best romantic-comedy anime--definitely concludes on a cheerful note, and I suspect that Fruits Basket will as well. All four of these shows, except perhaps for Gravitation, are generally considered to be extremely good examples of their genres. [quote][b]Okay I'll tell you my opinion first. I don't think an ending should be too tragic or too happy happy. I like a mix. Maybe one of the not main characters dies, maybe the main character gets injured really bad. I just hate to see any characters that I am really attached to go. I also think that tragic endings are fairly predictable. Tragic endings just seem to happen more often, and I don't think it is necessarily true to life. Everything doesn't always blow up in your face. Well anyway, I guess that is just what I think. What about you? :bawl: Me no like tragic endings:bawl: [/B][/QUOTE] It would help if you explained which shows you were thinking about when you wrote this. Not to sound overly fatalistic, but happy endings are rather scarce in real life. ~Dagger~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RioLaskand Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I think that something needs to have closure, and while happy endings are the endings that we would prefer, because it is nice to see things work out for the protagonist, because things don't always work out in real life, more tragic endings, if they are done realistically, can be truly well done. End of Eva, well, I guess that in truth that was the only way that you could do it, because in all series, you can never truly prevent something from happening, because if that thought is set on the mind of something happening, it will never be fulfilled until it happens. In truth, if Neon Genesis Evangelion did not end the way it did, then people would probably be asking, "Well what if the other thing really happened?" and would still ***** and moan at Anno. I prefer endings that lead you into something else, while closing everything else that has happened, and if they mindfuck you in the process so I guess I am neutral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted January 17, 2004 Author Share Posted January 17, 2004 "It would help if you explained which shows you were thinking about when you wrote this. Not to sound overly fatalistic, but happy endings are rather scarce in real life. " (Eh, Haven't figured out quotes yet) Well what really started me on this was I was reading some other forums the other day (not Otaku) and they were talking about endings for some anime. (can't remeber) There were some people who were saying that they would actually prefer a very tragic ending where everyone died.(why??) I just thought I'd see what some of you thought. I guess I just get to attached to people in animes, when I think about some of them dead I get really depressed. That's just the way I am though. Oh, I'm sorry I didn't clarify one thing. :D When I said tragic endings aren't always true to life, I meant the same for happy endings too. Most of the time things just end up blah, halfway between. (for me at least) I'm just the kind of person that would like to believe that everything will end up okay in the end. But I think this is a good topic for discussion? :/ Is it? (edit) Ooopppps I wanted to say this. I'm normally really pessimistic, and I don't know, sometimes I just like something optimistic. It just makes me feel better. You know what would be weird though? A totally optimistic anime that ends in a really pessimistic way. (ie the series is basically to the theme "Life will always be okay!! Nothing can bring me down" and the last episode was to the theme "Life sucks". (/edit) Meh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkadyz Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 [color=silver][font=times new roman][b]Well...I hate to admit it but I do enjoy a good tragic ending... Maybe its because anime unlike hollywood has the balls to kill off main characters and such at the end of movies and TV series w/o it being a fake out. Heh its kinda interesting that Rio mentioned eva because that was what I was thinking of...Although eva didnt really have a traditional "tragic ending" (Although the whole world got wiped clean...Whether thats bad or not is up to you :p ) I guess CB is ofcourse the greatest example of tragic endings...I mean first the woman spike loves and we've heard so much about in the series bites it in one of the most heartwrenching and depressingly and then spike follows soon after in the end. If it had ended with anything but spikes death I dont think it would have been such a phenominal and emotional ending... I guess in the end it depends on the series...Some like comedies or romances you want to see end happy. [/color][/font][/b] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megumi momo Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Personally I like endings that suit the anime. Endings that are sappy tend to infuritae me while endings that are sad tend to rather make me sad. I like an ending to make you think or imply that the story does not end here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanariya Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 [size=1][color=chocolate]I agree with Megumi momo. If an anime has cheerful characters and doesn't have much sadness in it, sure I'll like a happy ending for it. Such as Angelic Layer; I'd like it to have a happy ending for the cheerful mood of the series. But with something like InuYasha, I want SOMEBODY to die. Somebody from the love thing, that's for sure. So overall, it depends on the mood of the anime to wish for a happy or sad ending.[/size][/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted January 17, 2004 Author Share Posted January 17, 2004 Yeah. An ending should fit an anime. I'm not into tragic endings, but I just hate it when people die in animes. I mean I'm the kind of person who saw the end of Cowboy Bebop and decided (in my mind) "Spike isn't dead, he just collapsed from bloodloss!" (even though I know he is dead) I couldn't stand it if InuYasha or Kagome died at the end of InuYasha. I'm not really that attached to Kouga, Sesshomaru, or Kikyou though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eleanor Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 [size=1] Sometimes I think animes overdo it with the tragic ending thing, where everyone dies horribly and then the end of the world comes. Yay! What I like to see is an ending that is realistic enough, but still sad. [i]If an anime has cheerful characters and doesn't have much sadness in it, sure I'll like a happy ending for it. Such as Angelic Layer; I'd like it to have a happy ending for the cheerful mood of the series.[/i] Exactly what happens with me. ^_^. It wouldn't make sense if someone were to watch Angelic Layer and then in the end find out that everyone has a scarred life and most of are about to die of depression or something. [/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duorocks17 Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 In my experience of watching anime and reading manga....the ending most of the time just leaves you hanging. I mean, it never fully gets resolved. I mean, most series, boy meets girl..girl falls for boy...both agree it would be nice to be together....but for some reason or another they have to go their seperate ways... Sometimes i just wish that they would show the characters being together, like you want them to be. I don't mind tragic endings, as long as it suits the anime. I like an ending that makes me feel for the characters. If i end up crying..i don't care....it just means that they did a good job portraying the characters and i could get into the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElrickOtaku Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 I personally like the 'middle way' endings. Not too tragic, but not sappy either. Too tragic, like Cowboy Bebop, is terrible for me as it was just too bitter and abrupt. Yet too sappy, like Tenchi Universe just seems boring. My favorite ending is from Martian Successor Nadesico (the series, not the movie). Rather than spoiling the end by specifically describing it, I shall just describe the style. It's a fairly upbeat ending with some important plot developments, yet there is the lingering tragedy of death, so its not too sappy or too tragic. It is not too definate, as there are lingering questions left unanswered, making a sequal likely. Of course this may all change as on 16th February the Nadesico movie, the Prince of Darkness, is released on DVD in the UK. Perhaps this will have a tragic or sappy ending that will ruin it for me. Yet whatever has happened with the movie, the series end will always be perfect for me. Oh yeah, and ANYTHING has got to be better than the series ending for Neon Genesis Evangelion. That stupid, confusing ending with the 'Congratulations' finale was not 'middle way', it was just wierd and disconcerting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdude255 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I kinda don't like tragic endings, but it does cut down on all the "after-the-series" fanfics. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artemis Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I need to have closure when I'm caught up in a story. I like things to end on a hopeful note, but I don't mind too much if major characters die. My main complaint against anime is that almost all of it ends unresolved. I think that's the difference between Eastern and Western cultures. Eastern philosophy in general is very different. It's interesting to study and gives you a broader view of the world, but I prefer Western philosophy. (It's all about Aristotle...lol) I voted "happy" but I think I'm somewhere between that and the exactly middle. The ending should fit the story (not too out of place), but, regardless, there should be an element of hope. Even in Shakespeare's tragedies when virtually everyone dies, order is restored at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzLady22 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Hmmmmmm... I can't say tragic endings are my favorite, but they're the ones that have a real impact. I'll remember the ending of Cowboy Bebop ([spoiler] with both Spike and Julia dying in a Romeo and Juliet-esque way... VERY powerful ending to the series [/spoiler]) a lot better than the ending of, say, Fruits Basket, ([spoiler] where Kyo gains acceptance from the girl he loves, and Akito is a little less evil and bitter, and everyone is in a good mood ^_^ It's cute, actually! [/spoiler]). I love both endings and series, but the former sticks out a lot more. On the other hand, there are tragic events that strike you in a different way. I recently watching most of Fushigi Yuugi, and when [spoiler] Nuriko, my favorite character, was killed, [/spoiler] I cried harder than I ever have in an anime, and I haven't been able to watch the rest of the series yet. Knowing that [spoiler] there's about 20 episodes left without him [/spoiler] is a little more than I can take. :bawl: But it was realistic, and it actually hurt to watch, so I guess that's an achievement on the part of the writers. Plus I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking about it. Personally, I'm happiest with endings that give you closure, yet leave things more or less up in the air. Things aren't alright yet, but they eventually will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Rugh Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I prefer tragic endings because then it seems like the story actually ended. If, in the last episode of a series, everyone goes skipping off merrily, then the story essentially could keep going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest keyblade master Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 To be honest i really dont care. If I had to pick i would pick a mix because that is how life is its full of good endings and also bad endings. I really only hate two types of endings in an anime series the oes that end and you really dont know how it turned out you just know its good or bad.Im sorry but i dont know how to say it clearer if you dont know what im yalking about. The second type of ending I hate is when a series ends in like a middle of a battle and makes you wait until the next season.I only seen one anime that did that though i forget what it was called it used to be on in i think 1998 but o well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 There is no such thing as a "happy ending". I know it sounds really pessimistic, but let me explain. Here are a couple of examples... Happy ending: The end of Robotech's Macross saga had you watching Rick and Lisa looking towards the future. It leaves you with a "what happened to them!" feeling at the end of the series. Did they live happily ever after? Did they get killed? It leaves you longing to know what happened to them. I say this is a happy ending since they finally get together and have a future to look forward too. Sad ending: Spike in Cowboy Bebop. When the star fades out during that pan up at the end, you get the answer. It leaves you with that "no! that can't be the end!" feeling. I don't think I really need to explain why this is sad. When you look at these two examples, you can see that both are not happy. If an anime has you loving the characters, whether they live or die, you are going to miss them and want to see more about them. It leaves you longing for more!! Happy ending, tragic ending, if the anime stays true to itself, the ending will just leave you wanting more. edit: I like an ending that stays true to the anime. But if I had to choose, I would have to say that I like a sad ending. If the ending makes me cry I know the anime was good because I really loved the characters. Sorry, I forgot to add that when I originally posted! My bad. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChibiHorsewoman Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 [color=darkviolet]With the amount of anime I've seen, I've only seen the ending of SailorMoon, which was fairly decent.(which means I have to watch it again.) EternalSailorMoon/Neo-Queen Serenity/ or whoever finally defeated chaos, healed Sailor Galaxia and then found out why Mamoru hadn't been writing to her. They also [i]finally[/i] got to lead a normal life and all the senshi came back to life. All in all it was a very touching ending. I need to goout and buy the ending of Ayashi no Ceres and Fushigi Yugi, something tells me it's not as pretty as SailorMoon. Another good ending is in spirited away-but I won't spoil it. So I guess you could say I like a happy ending without all teh fatalies of real life. But I like to knwo what finally happens in the end. Mars confused me as did Rayearth. Open endings are endings I can do with out. Thank you![/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest keyblade master Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 After thinking about it I would have to say the opposite of the anime. If the anime was a sort of comedic anime then I would say happy ending. If the anime was really deep I would say sad ending but if it was sad I would say happy. If the anime was mixed in happiness, sadness, and comedy I would also say sad ending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naru Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 I don't like tragic/sad endings....I always cry T-T seriously though. I do. It never fails. I cried for like 2 hours when I watched the end of Fruits Basket. My sister was like "Jessie.....what are you crying about..." and I'm like "::sniffle:: what AREN'T you crying about?? You so Heartless!!!!!" yup. thats me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Asuka Posted March 4, 2004 Share Posted March 4, 2004 [color=hotpink][size=1]I'm a romantic sap, so I always prefer the happier endings. My favorite ending was that of Chobits. It wasn't anything unexpected, but it was just so sweet and innocent, not at all what you would have expected when first starting the series and learning of Hideki's perverted antics. I also loved the ending to Fushigi Yugi, even though they followed up with the OVA series. Now don't get me wrong, just because it doesn't have a happy ending doesn't mean that I don't like it: take Evangelion for example. I wouldn't exactly call that happy, but I would say that the series is an absolute classic. ^_^[/color][/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retribution Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Uhh well, I kinda like somewhere in between. It seems more realistic to me that way. I DEFINETLY like closure to a series as well. Gundam Wing... man, it left you hanging after Endless Waltz with [spoiler]Heero collapsing in Relena's arms and [COLOR=Black]the gundams going into the sun..[/COLOR],[/spoiler] I was like WHAT HAPPENS NEXT??? Man... I'd like to know what happened... I read an above post somewhere, I CANT BELIEVE THAT [spoiler][COLOR=Black]RICKS NOT GONNA GO WITH MINMEI!!!![/COLOR] AHHHHHHH!!! THAT OLD SOURPUSS! She looks ugly and is a stuck up. OOHHHHHHH[/spoiler] Well... let me take a breather. [COLOR=Navy]I edited your post for spoiler tags, Altron. To create them yourself, simply type [*spoiler]text[/spoiler], but without the asterisk. There's nothing more frustrating than accidentally learning how a series ends, so please spare other members from having to experience that. Thanks! ^_^ ~Dagger~[/COLOR] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now