Tragic or Happy Endings?

[merylsilverburg]

Do you prefer happier endings for anime series, tragic endings, or does it not matter to you? Personally, I like happier endings for animes, since my life isn't the greatest and when I see unhappy endings, it just makes me sad. However, the Japanese really have a thing towards tragic endings instead of happy ones. I was reading the Anime Nation "Ask John" where someone asked why there's so much tragic endings in animes and John said it was because tragic endings leaves more of an impact on one's mind than a happy ending. So, which do you prefer and do you guys agree that tragic endings leave more of an impact?

[BlackThornn]

I'm not that big a fan of tragedy.. So I'd say "happy".

Doesn't have to be overly saccharine "Everyone lived happily ever after" but it shouldn't be, say, like FFX or Kite.

And I don't necessarily agree that "tragic" endings leave more of an impact than happy ones. I rember Tenchi Muyo just as much as the aforementioned titles, and that ended "happily" (that's Tenchi Universe I'm talking about there..). It ultimately ends up depending on wether the ending is well done or not. If it leaves things just kind of like an open wound where everyone's just dead or alone and none of the loose ends are tied up, then it doesn't leave an impact. That goes likewise for if everyone's got a fresh prozac prescription but no loose ends are tied, as well..

All in all, that long winded paragraph can be condensed into one thought.. "Happy or sad, the ending leaves an impact depending solely on the quality".

[Carlito]

Doesn't really matters. As long as the series is good, it doesn't necessarily to be tragic and viceversa. Tragic ending is not an element which grants quality, so I don't think an happy ending can be so bad, if the rest of the series is good.

[Hylas]

Yep, I don't mind if the series is good. But I don't like when a tragic ending is put there without making any sense just to make the series look better and the same goes with happy ending. The ending, doesn't matter if tragic or not, has to be connected to the rest of the series, otherwise the result is ridiculous.

[Pu the Owl]

As others said, I don't mind it. Depends on the series. For comedy it's obvious I prefer happy endings, while for other series, depends on the plot. The ending has to be suitable for the series: if it is, both happy and tragic are welcome. If the series sucks, even the best idea for the ending will be ruined by the overall low quality of it.

[Ruby Moon]

Tragic for the only fact that usually I don't like watching many comedies. I prefer tragic series, so the ending has to be tragic :D jk

[BowevelJoe]

Tragic endings tend to leave more of an impact on you, but whatever the series is, if its a happy series, like Trigun per say, you want it to have a happy ending, something to leave you smiling, but if its something really serious, your not really expecting a happy ending, so basically just whatever fits :D

[Frozen]

I usually prefer happy endings than tragic or sad ones.

What John says there, I think he's right, however, as some have already said here, it does not really matter if the series has a tragic ending or not to leave an impact on you, if the series itself is impactating itself.

I have to admit that I like, sometimes, "sad" endings (sometimes it can be just sad, but not exactly "tragic" I think) (just like when one of the supporting characters dies, or something like that, but not when one of the main, or THE main dies, that usually sucks for me....)


To take as an example of a really, really sad ending (but not tragic) was the end of DBGT......... DBGT sucked big, big time, BUT, the end of that series meant the end of the whole DB saga, which was absolutely sad for me as for I loved that series so much, in some sense, I "grew up" at the mean time I watched it......... so it was real sad to "accept" that the series was ending, and besides, the so nostalgic way it was portrayed....... (but again, not tragic, I don't say what happens so not to spoil anyone who could be interested on watching it some time)

Anyways, the end was just way too sad, but I really, really liked it.