I think my philosophy is that unexpected endings require some amount of set up or foreshadowing, something that makes you go back through thw story and see all of the events in a completely different light under the context the ending gives
3 weeks ago | 55
The best endings and worst endings both are the ones that subvert expectations. I don't usually mind seeing it be tried unless they executed it really really poorly or you can tell they did it without understanding what makes the great ones work.
3 weeks ago | 12
An ending that makes sense. But - It can be unexpected and still make total sense for the characters - Madoka Magica: Rebellion comes to mind for this. Or an unexpected ending that makes total sense but recontextualises everything you just watched - The Usual Suspects as an example.
3 weeks ago | 8
The subversion of expectations is not a virtue in itself. Though it can be done well, so can the meeting of expectations thoroughly disappoint.
3 weeks ago | 5
execution and tone aside, i feel that the more stuff i see the less i get caught by surprise, so i prefer a more cohesive ending than a "gotcha" moment
3 weeks ago | 1
I’ve come to enjoy EDs that make no sense, but they’re gorgeous. Then, when you’ve finished the series, that ED is blatantly telling the rest of the story. This tickles my fancy.
3 weeks ago | 0
Honestly, I prefer an ending that is internally consistent with the world building. Whether it's an expected ending or not is less material than one that fits the story and its world. Compare the reveal at the end of Sixth Sense to GoT's king Bran. In the former, the bread crumbs are there to either figure it out yourself on first watch or get excited finding them on a rewatch. Whereas in the latter, it just happens. Sure, a kingsmoot is a way to pick a monarch, and sure Bran is the sole primary legitimate heir to one of the foremost houses of Westeros. However, Edmuire Tully would have been equally surprising and supported by the same nothing as Bran. Heck, Bronn upstarting his way to being king makes more sense because we've seen him use violence and negotiations to work his way up Westeros feudal society. That ending would also harken back to an earlier conversation in the series where he makes the observation that reason people are kings and lords is because their ancestors were great at killing other people.
3 weeks ago | 5
If it's unexpected in the moment but on a rewatch you can now see that it makes perfect sense eg. bc of a POV you didn't have before, that's really cool
3 weeks ago | 0
I prefer unexpected endings if done right, but that's the issue. Making a good unexpected ending
3 weeks ago | 1
It's a balance. To me, a good ending, a really good ending is one that twists and turns and finally reveals something that has been so subtly foreshadowed, but looking back at all the small details makes absolute, perfect sense. Take 'The Blacklist' for example (Spoilers for the ending of the show in "Read more"): In the end it's revealed that Raymond "Red" Reddington is in fact Katarina Rostova, and Elizabeth Keen's mother. Throughout the show we are given misleading or confusing pieces of information, though with the best examples of foreshadowing for this reveal being the simple lines from Raymond to Elizabeth: "I have never lied to you" and "I am not your father".
3 weeks ago | 1
one of my favourite anime of recent times is paswg, and the endings definitely follow the pattern of "you never saw this coming" imo
2 weeks ago | 0
I don’t have a preference, I just want the ending to be satisfactory and close the story well
3 weeks ago | 0
If the ending doesn't align with expectations, it still has to somehow fit in with the themes attempting to be communicated by the story. Sometimes randomness or an unexpected conclusion is part of the point, even if it doesn't satisfy the narrative fully.
3 weeks ago | 0
The two aren't mutually exclusive. Indeed, I'd argue that the unexpected endings that work are the ones that also make sense — even if only in hindsight.
2 weeks ago | 0
I prefer an ending that is 80% expected and may include a twist but not a twist that rewrites the entire story. I don’t want the protagonist to wake up and find that the whole story was a dream.
3 weeks ago | 0
Unexpected, but still sensible. For me, I at least want an ending to avoid the cliche. So much romance anime telegraph the "winner" way too clearly, that the tension of who will win is just fake. But then, sometimes they pivot to the unexpected choice, but it just doesn't make sense. Even if a bad ending might "ruin" the show, I'm usually more glad they took a swing and missed, as long as the journey to it was still worthwhile.
3 weeks ago (edited) | 1
Something Unexpected can Make Sense with Hindsight, so I'm torn on how to answer!
2 weeks ago | 0
I want an ending that carries the weight of all that has been done until that moment according to themes, character development, dynamics and everything else. Sometimes a big plot twist can do this. Shock for shock's sake is empty and forgettable.
3 weeks ago | 0
ProfessorViral
When you're watching a show, do you prefer an ending that sticks to the pattern and delivers what the show has led you to expect, or would you rather have something more wild?
I've been watching a bit of the lesser remembered Gainax anime, and they're usual one for an unexpected ending. To some degree I appriciate that it forces me to reconsider the mindset I'd gotten myself in throughout the series, often after a bit of effort I can try and reason out why it happened. However, it also often feels rushed, and will muddy the waters of a good thematic arc will last minute changes, which are often not reinforced by anything from earlier on
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 54