Ask John: How Important are Endings in Determining a Series’ Quality?

Question:
How important are show endings to determining whether or not a show is “good”? And does a Japanese sense of a good ending not always mesh with an American sense? One case in point, Mahoromatic. Sweet, funny and with an absolutely devastating ending totally out of left field. Some hate the ending and claim it ruined the series. Others, myself included, were haunted by it.

Answer:
I think the value of a series ending depends heavily upon an individual viewer’s preferences, but typically weighs in at only a portion of the series’ total impact. There are countless anime films and series that have less than inspiring endings, yet the quality and effectiveness of the body of the show more than makes up for any shortcomings at the end. A few good examples include Mahoromatic, Evangelion, Berserk, Kareshi Kanojo no Jijoo, and Hellsing. In all of these cases, we have “good” series flawed by imperfect endings. But the quality of what’s led up to the ending makes more of an impression, and leaves more of a positive impression on the viewer than the isolated ending.

In the case of Mahoromatic, the ending seemed to be a betrayal of the characterizations established throughout the series, and the ending appeared abruptly with no foreshadowing or warning. As it stands, viewers may find the ending of the Mahoromatic anime easier to accept if it’s thought of as an epilogue that occurs after the climax, instead of the climactic ending itself. If we analyze the series that way, we’re left with a wonderful, humanistic show that derails with a horrifically inappropriate, tacked on ending that can be easily disregarded.

Evangelion, a second anime series produced by Gainax Studios, originally concluded with a controversial, philosophical ending that left many questions unanswered and even more fans unhappy. So then a second, alternate ending was produced that was more straightforward and obvious, but still not totally satisfactory for many Evangelion fans. But in this case, the abstract ending(s) may actually benefit the series by creating and sustaining fan debate and interest in the series. At the very least, Evangelion was unquestionably a revolutionary series that ended with an appropriately obscure, complex and confusing climax.

We may be seeing a trend now with Gainax’s “Kare Kano” (His & Her Circumstances), a show often criticized for ending several episodes before its final episode. So while the literal finale of Kare Kano may leave viewers unfulfilled, there’s no question that the first three-quarters of the series are entertaining enough to overshadow the disappointment created by the final episodes.

The same logic applies to the Hellsing TV series. The majority of the series, in spite of its under-developed plots and vague conclusion, is entertaining and fulfilling enough to outweigh our disappointment in the lacking conclusion.

In the case of Berserk, it’s clear from the very first episode of the series that the show’s ending is inevitable. We know that tragedy will strike and turn Gutts and Griffith into mortal enemies. The most common complaint about the ending is that it ends abruptly, without providing enough detail. However, in my opinion, the only technical flaw with the ending is that it occurs too quickly and fails to maintain the steady pace of the preceding episodes. The events of the climax of Berserk should come as no surprise, and ultimately the way Gutts escapes is irrelevant to the story the series has told. As viewers, we want to see more, and want to know more about Gutts’ adventures, but not seeing his escape from the God Hand really isn’t a fault of the animation. By not illustrating Gutt’s escape, the animation creates a sense that the story isn’t over yet, which is exactly the impression that the first episode of the series tries to convey. The ending of Berserk may be accused of not fulfilling audience expectations, but that alone doesn’t really constitute a flawed ending.

Ultimately it’s our reaction to the entire series that determines whether or not a show is good. We must consider screenplay, animation quality, music, pacing and direction in addition to just story development. We also have to recognize that anime should be critiqued on the basis of its own merits, not just on its effectiveness at matching audience expectations. And we do also need to keep in mind that anime is made to meet Japanese audience expectations, not those of American viewers; those expectations may not at all be equivalent.