The art of the "happy" ending

[Lego]

Now not every series, movie, manga, or OVA can have a "happy ending" per say. Some series just aren't made for it and some would seem really out of place with an "upbeat ending". Of course when one hears the words "happy ending", one automatically thinks back to Disney movies where "shit hits the fan during the movie but everything is all right in the end" type of deals. When I first got into anime two of the titles that I rented first on VHS were Macross Plus and X: The Movie. So as you can see right away I was hit with that realization that not everything is lollipops and sunshine.

Anime and anime fans pride themselves about liking and being a medium where standard conventions don't apply, you can get kicked in the guy multiple times per series and then get a fairly open ended ending after sitting through a whole series. That or a completely tragic ending that will haunt you for days. This is why I started to think about the "happy ending". It takes more skill, at least to me, to write a convincing ending where everyone might not be "happy", but one that settles everyone down and resolves your core issues in a non "kill em' all" manner.

For example something like Planetes ended in a way where while a happy ending between Tanabe and Hachi, with them getting married and Tanabe being pregnant, it didn't go for the full fledged "cheese ending" as Hachi still went on the mission he trained for but that little extra bit really went leaps and bounds to assure you that they'll be alright. The same can be said for a series like Kamichu, which might not count for some because it's pretty happy in its own right. I guess something like Onegai Teacher would fit better.

Nowadays everyone expects the "School Days" routine, every character to get the axe, or that big emotional twist or gut punch that seems to come with almost every series, or people who just enjoy seeing characters in despair. Of course it goes without saying that not every series can have one of these "endings" and I'm really not going to sit through something like Black Lagoon and expect the best. Does the type of ending for a series matter to you, or do you judge them series by series based on what happens in that series?

[Suwako Moriya]

The main thing I want from an ending is a conclusion is a conclusion that makes sense in the context of the story. I admit I tend to prefer happy endings over shows where by the time you're 1/3 through you can just assume the entire universe will blow up and there's no point to watching the rest.

Speaking of endings. I think one thing I've noticed is this. We're more willing to accept destructive powers over defensive powers. If a guy merely blinks and an entire planet blows up because of it, we accept without a second thought. Yet a guy uses a ton of energy just to "heal" one single character and we act like it's some pure evil plot device? Make of that what you will.

[The Great Bear]

The main thing I want from an ending is a conclusion that makes sense in the context of the story.

That's mainly what I want from any show. Sure, it's nice if the people you like are treated well by the end and not completely screwed over, but so long as the ending makes sense, I will be satisfied with it.

It does take something to come up with a plausible happy ending at times, though.

[Ty]

It matters a lot to me. One of my favorite things about anime is that it's not afraid to go for an unhappy ending in situations where it might be appropriate. Especially those bittersweet endings that are technically happy in a way but the tragic event leading up to it was so powerful it stays with you through to the ending.

I know I've seen a good "bad" ending in an anime because it will affect me emotionally to the point where my stomach feels unsettled and I can't be still. It'll be on my mind all day. For this reason I tend to like these endings more than "happy" endings just because the impact on me is stronger and the experience stays with me longer. I like to feel moved by what I watch.

There are exceptions though. Kanon has the best super mega happy ending I've ever seen. It was just so perfect in every way you can't help but have a huge smile.

[Gildor]

I am one of those that hates the depressing, "kill-em-all" endings. I don't mind dark stories, but I really don't like the depressing endings. Now, an ending doesn't have to be "sweet" happy, even just a upbeat ending which meshes with the plot and closes the most important plot points is OK. A fairly decent example of this is Speed Grapher. Lots of potential there for a really tragic ending that didn't come to pass.

I watch anime primarily for entertainment and seldom am I looking for any deeper meaning. I don't really like depressing endings in my entertainment. There is enough of that in real life.

[Lego]

You can add something like Rahxephon to that list. Thats the kind of "ah crap" ending that I instantly thought about while reading your post.

[Suwako Moriya]

It does take something to come up with a plausible happy ending at times, though.

The problem is sometimes series trap themselves. They figuratively have the characters backed into a corner by an all powerful devil so the only solution ends up either being they automatically lose or an all powerful god ends up helping them and defeating the devil for them. In short sometimes the Deus Ex Machina is the only way to deal with the Diablos Ex Machina as I like to call it. So perhaps the key is to not to create the Diablos so there's no need for the Deus.

[Lego]

Don't forget the often used "open ending". I love FMP as much as the next guy, and the novels help but if you weren't familiar with the novels you'd get annoyed at the open endings and I suspect thats why shows like Tenchi, FMP, or others throw in little bits to entice the viewer in the end.

[Suwako Moriya]

Sometimes it's hard to decide how open or conclusive an ending should be as sometimes you want to both leave viewers satisfied, but allow wiggle room for more of the story to be adapted.

Oh yeah speaking of endings. I just love the "We lost our memory" plot device used to negate any form of actual progress in the story. Both positive and negative developments get wiped away.

[The Great Bear]

It does take something to come up with a plausible happy ending at times, though. The problem is sometimes series trap themselves. They figuratively have the characters backed into a corner by an all powerful devil so the only solution ends up either being they automatically lose or an all powerful god ends up helping them and defeating the devil for them. In short sometimes the Deus Ex Machina is the only way to deal with the Diablos Ex Machina as I like to call it. So perhaps the key is to not to create the Diablos so there's no need for the Deus.

Yeah, that's definitely a sign of lazy writing.

But some shows manage to achieve a "happy ending" that's not saccharine. For example Princess Tutu .

[Lego]

AMG comes to mind easily. I don't mind things like Tenchi or AMG going on and on and on, but sometimes you just want that closure, that huge step forward.

[Ty]

Don't forget the often used "open ending".
There's a love/hate relationship there. If it's in a show that's really great and doesn't get old after multiple seasons then it works out well as long as they keep making new seasons. Prime example: Shana. On the other hand, when it just ends and doesn't get continued it certainly leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It's a shame that a single episode can drag down an entire series even if every other episode was good, just because of a badly done open ending.

[ryverstar]

All I ever ask is for the ending to acutally fit the setting of the series. My favorite endings have been more "mixed". I want to see what happens in the aftermath of the final conflict. The characters have both their smiles and their scars to varying degrees depending on the atmosphere of the series. Quickest examples of this I can come up with are Last Exile, either season of GitS, & FMA. If a darker show can end with one upbeat element that fits in the scheme of things, fine. The same goes for a lighter show that ends with some point of sadness. Just please let it fit with some respect to what has occured previously.

An open ending is fine so long as the story to date has some sort of ending for the chapter so far. Full Metal Panic:TSR ended the battle well enough, but the war is still ongoing (figurativly, if not literally speaking). The two endings that bother me are the ones that literally end with the final conflict itself (Blue Seed, Sorcerer Hunters) "okay roll the credits before the bodies get cold and the fires are put out" and the "hitting the reset button" to erase back to episode 1 or earlier.

[ryverstar]

Speaking of endings. I think one thing I've noticed is this. We're more willing to accept destructive powers over defensive powers. If a guy merely blinks and an entire planet blows up because of it, we accept without a second thought. Yet a guy uses a ton of energy just to "heal" one single character and we act like it's some pure evil plot device? Make of that what you will.

The problem is sometimes series trap themselves. They figuratively have the characters backed into a corner by an all powerful devil so the only solution ends up either being they automatically lose or an all powerful god ends up helping them and defeating the devil for them. In short sometimes the Deus Ex Machina is the only way to deal with the Diablos Ex Machina as I like to call it. So perhaps the key is to not to create the Diablos so there's no need for the Deus.

I wish to second both of these points . . .

[Lego]

All I ever ask is for the ending to acutally fit the setting of the series. My favorite endings have been more "mixed". I want to see what happens in the aftermath of the final conflict. The characters have both their smiles and their scars to varying degrees depending on the atmosphere of the series. Quickest examples of this I can come up with are Last Exile, either season of GitS, & FMA. If a darker show can end with one upbeat element that fits in the scheme of things, fine. The same goes for a lighter show that ends with some point of sadness. Just please let it fit with some respect to what has occured previously.

An open ending is fine so long as the story to date has some sort of ending for the chapter so far. Full Metal Panic:TSR ended the battle well enough, but the war is still ongoing (figurativly, if not literally speaking). The two endings that bother me are the ones that literally end with the final conflict itself (Blue Seed, Sorcerer Hunters) "okay roll the credits before the bodies get cold and the fires are put out" and the "hitting the reset button" to erase back to episode 1 or earlier.



My Hime pissed me off with that sort of "everything is ok now!" ending after a whole series, thats the first thing that came to mind. Last Exile was another weird one, maybe because I thought that Claus and Lavie would of made a good couple but they never really explored it outside of the "back from the wasteland" episode.

[GundamWingMan]

I don't get hung up over whether an anime ends "happily ever after", if it doesn't, I can live with that. What I absolutely can't stand is an ending that's either confusing, inclusive, unsatisfying or just plain bad, and I've seen more than my fair share of all four. I like my stories, print or visual to have a full and solid conclusion that makes sense to me, and anime sometimes doesn't provide us with that. But, as something of a hopeless romantic deep down, I'll admit I enjoy a happy ending.

[Garasharp K7]

I like happy endings. I want to see characters overcome obstacles and face some sort of brighter future. Even if they have to go through all kinds of hell, I'd hope to see some light at the end of the tunnel for them. A grim ending is fine too, as long as it fits the tone of the show. Some sort of foreshadowing helps as well.
Nothing worse than an upbeat show that ends on a dark note; or a fun series that ends well, only to come back with a depressing sequel.

[Ashyukun]

or a fun series that ends well, only to come back with a depressing sequel.

You mean like Gatekeepers?

Personally, I'm also generally happy with an ending if it fits the show and the characters well. Tutu's ending has to be one of my favorites as of late- it was just about perfect, and avoided most of the traps many shows fall into. I don't really mind open-ended 'endings' as long as there's the chance for there to be more of it. Relatively few of the shows I've watched lately have truly concluded, but in many cases there's at least the possibility they'll end.

Other fairly 'happy' endings that I was pretty satisfied with were those of Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star. Though both of those had their melancholy elements as well which I felt worked exceedingly well, as they (especially Azu's ending) really did a good job of capturing the bittersweet joy of finishing up High School.

One 'happy ending' that honestly pissed me off more than just about any other show's ending I can think of was (spoiler)
Mahoromatic's Ending. It probably falls under the 'reset' category, but it had me wanting to throw things at my TV. After all that happened, they pull a near ultimate Deus Ex Machina and seem to completely put aside all the serious/dramatic stuff that happened.

[The Great Bear]

One 'happy ending' that honestly pissed me off more than just about any other show's ending I can think of was (spoiler)
Mahoromatic's Ending. It probably falls under the 'reset' category, but it had me wanting to throw things at my TV. After all that happened, they pull a near ultimate Deus Ex Machina and seem to completely put aside all the serious/dramatic stuff that happened.

~na geanna is an abomination, and we shall not speak of it further.

[Splitter]

How to do a happy ending right: I think the best example of this is Full Moon wo Sagashite. Though very sad in premise and plot progression, something that was always aparrent in the series was how the three main characters were always willing to be there for each other no matter how hard it got. Though they were made to suffer for defying their fates, at the very last second they were rewarded in full.. Runner-up for Kanon.

How NOT to do a happy ending: Mai HiME was in a position that it could have been my top 10, however... Through an incredibly blatant deus ex machina, everyone who died comes back, all the feuds between the girls are forgiven, and then they have a picnic! A PICNIC! It was as bad as if the whole second half was just a dream!... and that's all I have to say about that.

[Garasharp K7]

or a fun series that ends well, only to come back with a depressing sequel.

You mean like Gatekeepers?

You read my mind, sir. :)

One 'happy ending' that honestly pissed me off more than just about any other show's ending I can think of was (spoiler)
Mahoromatic's Ending. It probably falls under the 'reset' category, but it had me wanting to throw things at my TV. After all that happened, they pull a near ultimate Deus Ex Machina and seem to completely put aside all the serious/dramatic stuff that happened.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Read the manga. The last volume clears things up much better than the tv series does.

Anyway, another type of ending I really like is the epilogue episode. You'd have a series that wraps up all the big climactic events in the penultimate ep, and the actual final episode shows what the characters are doing a few years down the road. It's a pretty nice way of finishing things up, and you get some closure with it. Godannar had a pretty good 'final' episode, and Jinki: Extend went with a similar approach as well.

[Lego]

It depends what they want to do with that "epilouge". It can be great or it can introduce more problems and drama with little time to fix it. I enjoyed Onegai Teacher's OVA, mainly because Kei and Mizuho had sex, then walk home together where she grabs his arm and blushes. That and it gives them a chance to show Mizuho's feelings for Kei not once but twice. Once at the beginning when her mom pops in then near the end where shes looking for Kei.

Otherwise you can get a jumbled mess where it raises more questions then it answers. Gankutsuou had a nice little "epilogue" scene at the end.

[Njr Scrawl]

Lets talk Gainax. :crazy: Nadia had a happy ending - almost predictable. But unsettling to me.

Gunbuster's ending is an anime icon of sorts, happy in a certain way, but only 1 aspect. Gunbuster 2 was more satisfactory.

Evangelion. :laugh: My Eva ending is the TV one. YMMV. I like re-watchability.


OK - romance.
Kimagure Orange Road's movies. Movie 1 was IMO not really happy for anyone. Too much guilt & anger left over - me & the characters. Movie 2 was as close to a "happy" conclusion as possible.

Maison Ikkoku's ending was better for seeing the movie as the movie really underlined, in a deeper way, how much Kyoko loved Yuusaku through a large part of the TV series - something not always shown in the cartoonier TV story.

Rumbling Hearts anime original ending was.. the best choice. But an alternate version where Takayuki resumes dating Haruka when she leaves hospital is being told in the OVA releases, 2 episodes so far. The ending for all 3 main characters will be different, but still very poignant IMO.

I guess my favourite Gundam UC ending is MS08th, as both Shiro & Aina escape, though he is crippled, & they start a new life & family together hidden from the world.

Generally unhappy & tragic endings, make me want to ditch a show after I've seen it once. Anime for me is liking its characters. If they come to grief & end up badly, the show is finished with.

[james_039]

Nowadays everyone expects the "School Days" routine, every character to get the axe, or that big emotional twist or gut punch that seems to come with almost every series, or people who just enjoy seeing characters in despair.

Maybe it's that I tend to prefer gentler or cuter anime series, but most of the shows I've watched recently didn't get the Nice Boat* but, often times I see endings that force you to draw your own conclusions without firmly clarifying if certain character died or not.. they make it vague, but when things go well, it's usually quite satisfying too.

*It really WAS quite a nice boat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nice_boat
(If you haven't seen school days, this page contains spoilers)

[Lego]

Tsukihime had one that way with Shiki and Arc having sex together, which was nice because he hugged her in her room from behind before, but she ended up disappearing in the end and Shiki rejected his friend who died in the game anyway.



Maybe it's that I tend to prefer gentler or cuter anime series, but most of the shows I've watched recently didn't get the Nice Boat* but, often times I see endings that force you to draw your own conclusions without firmly clarifying if certain character died or not.. they make it vague, but when things go well, it's usually quite satisfying too.

*It really WAS quite a nice boat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nice_boat
(If you haven't seen school days, this page contains spoilers)

That reminds me of a certain person in Last Exile heh. Still I touched on it but I guess my mind likes closure when it comes to things like this. R.O.D TV was another one that had a big ol' open ending aside from one or two characters(come on, I wanted Anita and Junior to hook up...) but still it depends on the show. For instance I keep going back to FMP as my view is tainted since I've read the novels, but after something like FMP TSR, even with its open ending you get the feeling that Sosuke and Kaname really love each other, from him going crazy when he was transfered from her to Kaname grabbing his sleeve at the end while they're on the train. Not to mention the famous haircut scene. So an open ending can work if you get a feel of the characters. Still something like AMG is where you want that "just sleep together/kiss already!" moment.

[GuilewasNK]

I tend to prefer an upbeat ending, not necessarily happy. For example, the ending in Strawberry Eggs started off depressing, but the final moments weren't as much of a downer as it could have been.

That's being said, the ending to Samurai Champloo is the way I prefer it if at all possible. It leaves you wanting more, but in a good way.

[Ty]

One 'happy ending' that honestly pissed me off more than just about any other show's ending I can think of was (spoiler)
Mahoromatic's Ending. It probably falls under the 'reset' category, but it had me wanting to throw things at my TV. After all that happened, they pull a near ultimate Deus Ex Machina and seem to completely put aside all the serious/dramatic stuff that happened.
I'll second that one. That ending left me feeling weird. Not angry, just totally beside myself. It was certainly on my mind for a while, so as far as impact I guess it worked in a manner of speaking. Hideaki Anno seems to have a thing for wanting his viewers to feel the same kind of head trips he apparently does.

[Ty]

It depends what they want to do with that "epilouge". It can be great or it can introduce more problems and drama with little time to fix it. I enjoyed Onegai Teacher's OVA, mainly because Kei and Mizuho had sex, then walk home together where she grabs his arm and blushes. That and it gives them a chance to show Mizuho's feelings for Kei not once but twice. Once at the beginning when her mom pops in then near the end where shes looking for Kei.
No ending to Onegai Teacher ever could have satisfied me regardless of what it was because Kei and Ichigo belong together more than any two people from any other anime perhaps and the chances for that were exactly zero.

[Lego]

I'm a big Kei and Mizuho fan, especially when they get "lovey dovey", so it was great for me. You can have an anime with a large cast like Vandread and still come out with a decent ending.

[meganly_chan]

All I want is a satisfying ending that isn't confusing, rushed and/or or has too many loose ends. I don't want to be plagued with questions for days or weeks afterward. If they have to, "5/10 years later" add-ons are fine - we get to see how everybody is doing, etc. So if the ending itself didn't say much, this can make it better.

I would prefer happy endings, though. I don't know, I watch anime to cheer myself up (mostly), and if it's really depressing or just stupid, it doesn't help. Of course, some endings can be happy and still somehow be depressing. Ex: Slayers TRY. I cried/was mopey for a week. I think it was more of a "That's it. It's over. No new episodes to watch" issue, though.

[Talyn]

*points to RahXephon* now that's my idea of a "happy" ending....

I like all kinds of endings as long as they are drawing an actual conclusion appropriately (this can include crazy cliffhangers, even if no sequel comes to fruition to resolve said cliffhanger)... ie. Berserk, Generator Gawl, Trigun, Gunslinger Girl, etc...

only endings that bother me, are the ones so wide open that over a dozen arcs aren't resolved but one single solitary one that doesn't really outright resolve anything, in any form. ie Trinity Blood, Shakugan no Shana II, etc...

[GundamWingMan]

Because of my insane backlog, I only just watched the final volume of Le Chevalier D'Eon last night, and while it was a big time death-a-palooza with just about everyone (including, sadly, poor Anna) but D'Eon getting offed, at least it had a conclusive ending I could understand and live with. Far from sunny since the French Revolution wasn't exactly a party, but a firm ending that made sense to me. Got the finale of Peach Girl on tap for tonight. Hopefully that ending be just as satisfying, even happy. Heh!

[Lego]

Peach Girl just might rival Kimikiss in the "ah crap, ah crap" place of my mind. At least I cared and got a happy ending to Kimikiss, by the end of Peach Girl I hoped they all got hit by a bus :grin: