The End

Since it's almost the end of the year (yay), i though i'd talk about my favorite part of any story. the ending!

A story can be mediocre, but if it has a great ending, there is a very good possibility that it can redeem itself. at least, in my mind. there are several types of endings that come to mind. note that they are not all necessarily good.

Happy ending - Typically how romance stories end. Nobody dies, nobody gets hurt (well, maybe except the bitchy ex-girlfriend, but she's so one-dimensional that nobody cares about her anyway). Your typical kiss-in-the-sunset fade-to-black. Initially, this type of ending might give you the warm fuzzies, but once the high wears off, you'll discover your skeptical cynical side. The Japanese drama Hana Yori Dango ended both seasons with a shadowy kiss. It should come as no surprise that they're planning to make a third (a movie), after the two leads have just gotten engaged by the end of the second season. What's next, Makino and Domiyouji deal with marital woes? Who does the taxes? Obviously, their lovely kiss didn't resolve anything. Just room for more money. At least I get to see the lovely Rui again. If I even plan to watch it.

Tragic ending - My favorite! But of course, it has to be pulled off with a good balance of plausibility and drama. Take Romeo and Juliet for example: it's the classic tragedy in literature.

Me: pffft!

Sure, it's a tragedy. It's the tragic story of two idiotic children who fall in love and wreck havoc in Verona. The whole tragedy could have been avoided. It doesn't help that I absolutely abhor Romeo, who moaned about his unreciprocated love for Rosaline and then proclaimed his undying love to Juliet that very night. Rather than getting all teary-eyed over his death, I was pounding my fists, thinking, "YES! GOODBYE!" I felt more sorry for Juliet than anyone - it wasn't her fault she was heaven-matched with a melodramatic Romeo. In today's world, he would totally be one of those emo boys saying "If life is so fair, why do roses have thorns?"

I think the trick is, if it manages to trigger catharsis, then it's probably a good ending.

Cliffhanger ending - The most famous of this category would be the Sopranos final, which I have not watched (unfortunately or fortunately). These bug the hell out of everyone, but they really are effective endings when done correctly. These are more common outside of American stories - Americans have been hand-fed "happily ever after" since they were children. Sometimes, I prefer these endings instead of having everything wrapped up. You really start thinking about the story even after you finish the movie or the book.

Plot-twist ending - So the story's moving along idyllically like the It's a Small World ride at DIsneyland. You can pretty much spot the ending in the distance, where the ride finally ends. Then BAM! The exit slams shut and some crazy vortex sucks your happy little boat off to another direction.

These really pack a punch, but again, if the twist tries too hard, the entire thing falls flat. If I'm watching a movie on the life story of an incredibly unlucky homeless man, and all of a sudden, the multi-millionaire reveals he's the homeless man's long lost half brother and they all live happily ever after, I am not going to be impressed. And I might be a sucker for a tragic ending, but if a romantic comedy suddenly ends with the two leads being run over by a garbage truck... well, you see what I mean.

Now I will talk about a particular series' ending.

PARADISE KISS by Ai Yazawa

Ai Yazawa is the mangaka for Nana, so naturally, I decided to pick up Paradise Kiss. Nana hasn't ended yet, so I can't really make a judgement on the series yet, but Paradise Kiss was an easy five volume series.

Initially, I was not particularly fond of the series for a few reasons. One, the male lead, George, pissed me off royally. He was arrogant and didn't seem to care about the female lead, Yukari, at all. Heartless would be an appropriate word. Two, Yukari, on the other hand, also seemed rather bitchy and self-absorbed. When she ran away from home, I nearly put down the book because I couldn't stand her childishness. Miwako's immaturity and Arashi's jealousy didn't appeal to me either. The only character I was really rooting for was Hiro, who looked like he was doomed to suffer unreciprocated loves for the rest of his life.

But, of course, the ending completely redeemed the series for me.

Based on Yukari and George's personalities, it was plainly obvious that those two would not work out together at all. They were both too stubborn - they clashed rather than complimented each other. I've read stories on fictionpress featuring these type of pairs - unfortunately, those writers make the mistake of forcing the two together. it completely undermines the story's credibility.

What I liked so much about Paradise Kiss's ending was its realistic quality. George and Yukari parted ways on bittersweet terms. Both knew their lives were at crossroads, but it was still a sad parting. The scene where Yukari finds the clothes George made for her was sorrowful but beautifully done.

The story ends with Yukari engaged to Hiro, who I always thought was a better match for Yukari. She talks about how their honeymoon will be in New York, and they received two tickets to a Broadway musical in which the costumes were designed by George. The last line is probably one of my favorite lines of all time:

"Apparently it's a comedy... but I'll probably cry."