The ending is the last memory a work leaves us. It must therefore be up to par. In anime, this has often happened, especially in shonen series with exceptional final battles. However, it can also happen that an ending is so bad that it ruins an entire series. This is what happened with these seven animes.
SPOILER ALERT
#1 Neon Genesis Evangelion
The ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion is highly controversial. Some love it, others absolutely hate it. The main criticism is that the last two episodes are highly symbolic and completely deviate from the classic anime tropes, or even from what was previously proposed in the work. Gainax's lack of depth and time is one of the reasons why the ending looks like this, but it's not the only one. Hideaki Anno is an artist with a very specific vision. Whether people like it or not, entering Shinji's psyche was a deliberate choice. However, fan anger was so strong that the animated film The End of Evangelion was produced by Gainax to change the ending. Even today, many people prefer to watch the feature film rather than episodes 25 and 26 of the anime. This is understandable, even if, in our opinion, it's a shame to miss out on such an object.
#2 Great Pretender
Available on Netflix, Great Pretender is a little gem from Wit Studio. The studio behind the One Piece remake has concocted a visually sublime work carried by a clever and well-crafted storyline... at least until the end. The problem is that during the last heist, the anime becomes a parody of itself with twists and resolutions that make neither head nor tail. The relationship between Laurent and Makoto, which was the strength of the series, collapses in its finale. Laurent becomes a caricatured version of the Professor from Money Heist, while Makoto falls back into a passive role. We won't mention Dorothy's fate so as not to annoy us even more, even though she appears in the film Great Pretender Razbliuto. The feature film remains more frustrating than anything else, and we hope that season 3 will right the ship.
#3 Death Note
Seeing Light win probably wouldn't have been a good ending, but seeing him lose like this wasn't either. The main problem is that the anime failed to move on from L. He's a charismatic character who has great chemistry with Light. The two were like Yin and Yang, so when one is gone, there's no balance. Death Note tried to compensate for this loss by introducing Near and Mello, but it backfired. L was so memorable that it was impossible to top. The worst part was Near, who discovered Kira's identity. Fans felt cheated because it was almost too easy for him. We would have much preferred the more complex and interesting Mello to be the one to settle the matter. It would have provided a more human and nuanced conclusion, unlike the cold one offered by Near.
#4 Claymore
Claymore is often cited as an alternative to Berserk, and it's not outrageous to say so, especially since their anime adaptations share one thing in common: they are both incomplete. In this case, Claymore did even worse: the anime created an original ending. Starting with episode 24, Claymore goes completely off the rails because of producers who wanted to quickly wrap up the story instead of waiting for the manga to get ahead. This results in a rushed conclusion with a fight between Clare and Priscilla. It's an unsatisfying ending that leaves us with a huge sense of emptiness. Although the manga ended in 2014, there's still no announcement of a remake or even a second season. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it happens one day, because the manga deserves it.
#5 Gangsta.
There are animes with bad endings, and others... that simply don't have one. Gangsta falls into this second category, as the series ended abruptly. There is, however, a context for this abrupt conclusion. In 2015, the Manglobe studio—which was behind Samurai Champloo—went bankrupt. Gangsta suffered the consequences by never having an ending. This could be an interesting subject of study, because we see over the course of the series that something is wrong, particularly with the animation, which becomes increasingly shaky. It's a real waste for such a promising universe. The saddest thing is that the manga is also unlikely to ever have an ending. Kohske, the mangaka, is ill, which means she can't draw her manga properly. As a result, Gangsta. is a cursed work that will probably never have an ending, whether in print or in anime.
#6 Yu Yu Hakusho
It's important to emphasize that Yu Yu Hakusho is a masterpiece. Now, regarding the ending, there's a lot to say. First of all, it should be noted that Togashi wanted to stop his manga after the fight against Sensui, but was forced by his editors to continue. This resulted in the Three Kings arc and an ending that was trashed by the mangaka himself so he wouldn't draw Yu Yu Hakusho anymore. The anime chose not to show what happens after the final tournament. It's a great move, but Studio Pierrot could have gone further. Even though the story of Yusuke's "father" is far-fetched, the anime did a good job of developing this relationship and delving deeper into the Makai universe. Unfortunately, the final tournament is rushed. "All that for that" we want to say when we see this end of such a cult series.
#7 Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail is the first shonen for many people. It must be recognized that it is not the best anime of the genre. While it has had its high points, it has also gone through terrible periods, and the final arc is one of them. With Tartaros, the anime only got stronger... until the Arbaless arc. From there, the anime only missed the right choices. Makarov survives, God Serena is ridiculed by Acnologia, who himself ends up being defeated too easily by Natsu... This ending really gives the impression that Hiro Mashima just wanted to move on, but if he's going to turn the page, he might as well do it properly
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