What is the most irritating ending?

[Dango]

Clannad is not meant for cynicism.

You don't have to be cynical to know that removing the tragic element from a tragedy will ruin it. A happy ending is not universally a good thing, sad endings are not universally good things. Clannad is one of those things that needed to end sadly. The way it did end just neutralized all the emotional weight it was building up so nicely and made me feel sort of silly for crying for 6 hours.

It irritates me that the most emotionally powerful narrative I've ever experienced needs an Astrix over it saying "If you don't watch the last episode"

I don't understand how the last episode ruined it for you. The series is meant to be happy, it's supposed to be about the value and love between friends and family, and the last episode is perfect for that. Clannad itself is a gaelic word for family. If you feel silly for having the protagonist be happy at the end of the series, you're missing the point. Happiness is an emotion, too, and just as powerful an emotion if it's as well-deserved as Tomoya's.

 

[Nudu]

It was all a dream.

Which was why I have mixed feelings about Source Code. On one hand, it had a good ending. If it ended on a "It's all a dream"-note, it would suck. But on the other hand it sort of broke the cardinal rule of fictional physics, which is that while you can break the laws of nature, you can't change already established rules.

 

[floppylobster]

The ending of No Country For Old Men. Seriously... what the hell? Maybe it made more sense in the book? I just don't know.

No, not really. The movie really follows the book to a T if my memory serves correct. I thought I was missing a few chapters when I finished.

Good to know they didn't just botch the movie ending, I guess. Hahaha.

It's about death. As you get closer to it you'll probably appreciate this ending more. Watch it again in 40 years time, you'll probably see it completely differently.

I'm well aware of what it's about and all the symbolism and whatnot, but that doesn't make it less irritating for someone who wanted a satisfying ending to the plot.

Not talking symbolism or whatnot. I'll say again, watch it again in 40 years time, (it is, after all, called "No Country For Old Men"). But I'll doubt you'll be any closer to a 'satisfying ending'. And in realising that you might find the ending fits perfectly.

 

[Whoatemysupper]

Psychonauts 2. Oh wait, that's what made the first one suck.

 

[Mikeyfell]

I don't understand how the last episode ruined it for you. The series is meant to be happy, it's supposed to be about the value and love between friends and family, and the last episode is perfect for that. Clannad itself is a gaelic word for family. If you feel silly for having the protagonist be happy at the end of the series, you're missing the point. Happiness is an emotion, too, and just as powerful an emotion if it's as well-deserved as Tomoya's.

If Clannad was supposed to be happy I'm sorry to say that it couldn't have missed the mark harder.

I hate to bring up Romeo and Juliet again but some things are good because they're tragic. Some things are good because they're happy too. I'm not saying happiness isn't a valid emotion, lots of great stories have happy endings. I don't think Cinderella would have been better if the prince never found her glass slipper and she was forced to work for her ungrateful step sisters for the rest of her life. I also don't think Clannad ending happily was the problem either.

Spoiler

Clannad was not intended to be happy. I can tell because of the two most obvious points from season one and those were that 1) They make such a big deal about how often Nagisa gets sick. 2) It was no secrete that Tomoya and Nagisa were going to fall in love. That's a neon flashing sign foreshadowing her death. The constant knowledge that a character that the audience is getting more and more attached to is living on borrowed time does not make for a feel good series. Some of the funniest and most endearing supporting characters I can think of being so prominent in the first season only serves to increase the emotional strain when they all go their separate ways during After Story. After Nagisa gets pregnant Senae even warns Tomoya that Nagisa won't survive the pregnancy. Those are all ingredients of a tragedy. The fact that it was so obviously telegraphed but still so powerful just means that it's a really really good tragedy.

It was still about the value of love and family. They drill that point home very well in the last episode during the flash back thing. Even knowing the outcome Tomoya wouldn't undo his time with Nagisa.

Silly is the wrong word, I shouldn't have used it but I couldn't come up with a better one. It wasn't that I didn't like that he got to be happy at the end it's that I was crying at stuff that didn't happen. After 5 years of living in a pool of stagnant misery the closest thing he has to parents force a kid that destroyed his life on him then just leaves them alone to work through the emotional chasm between them. Even though he knows they're doing it to him for his own good he doesn't want it because he thought falling in love with Nagisa was doing him good, and look how that turned out. He finally does let his guard down just in time to get hurt again. Then click... Ha Ha tricked you none of that even happened.

Tomoya does deserve to be happy, every thing he did was motivated by selflessness. The guy deserved to catch a break. Not everybody gets what they deserve.

There were a couple of perspective happy endings that would have made me feel all warm and fuzzy though. One would have been if the magical reality altering basket of light that the robot collected just kept Ushio alive. Maybe Kyou could have found them both in the snow and took them to the hospital. It would make sense because of all the times that Kyou nearly ran Tomoya over in season one. (It would have added a whole new layer of depth to the two OAV episodes after the end of After Story) Or after they died Tomoya and Ushio ended up in the illusion world. (The girl who was in the illusion world was Nagisa the whole time right?) That would have been good. As it stands just hitting "undo" on what in my opinion was the most emotionally powerful segment of any narrative ever just plain sucked.

Nothing could ruin Clannad for me. The end just forced me to rationalize it in a way that didn't ruin it for me.

 

[bullet_sandw1ch]

inFAMOUS 2. r.i.p

 

[Hunter15]

the ending to dead space came the fuck outta nowhere. i mean HOW COULD EVER PERDICT THAT i dont think even Yatzee and his powers of clairvoyance could see that coming

 

[bullet_sandw1ch]

inFAMOUS 2. r.i.p

 

[ChildishLegacy]

Any old Nintendo game where it just had a screen saying "THE END" and you couldn't do anything but turn the console off. D:

Edit: Friends, Scrubs and any sitcom/series that ended in pure happiness, I know American audiences like happy, upbeat stuff, but for gawds sake do something creative with the endings of such well received shows!