Depressing Endings

[DuctTapeJedi]

So, I just watched the final episode of Gurren Lagann, and holy crap, the feels.

Spoiler: Sokka can sum it up for me

I won't bother with the ending, because people most likely already know, or they haven't seen it yet, and don't want it spoiled.

For discussion, what's the most depressing end to a series, movie, book, etc. that you've ever experienced?

Spoiler: Closing Thoughts

"Don't believe in yourself, believe in the you that believes in the me that believes in the you that believes in the me that believes in the you..."
-Kamina

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I had to watch My Own Private Idaho for film school last night.

Spoiler: It had a pretty depressing ending because

Mike never finds his mother or has a meaningful relationship with Scott and ends up just continuing to drop wherever he is due to his condition. Also in the very last scene rednecks steal his shoes and tote bag instead of helping him.

The film reeked of art and no story though so I guess I shouldn't be surprised it ended in an unsatisfying way.

 

[MrSir231]

The ending to Full Metal Alchemist(the 2003 series). More specifically the movie ending.

Spoiler

Basically Ed and Al will never see their friends or be able to live in their original world again. Instead they get stuck in our world, which is infinitely less awesome.

 

[Parasondox]

Stephen King's The Mist (2007 movie). That ending didn't just leave me feeling depressed but just shocked and empty inside. Apparently the director, Frank Darabont, put that ending in the movie even though it weren't in the book. I know it's still a Stephen King story but seriously that's dark. I won't spoil it but those who know what I am talking about will understand or watch it now on Netflix.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Spoiler: Leaving Las Vegas

The lead female character was knocked out and raped (sure she's a hooker but still) and got a called with the main character who is very close to his goal at drinking himself to death. The two slept and the next morning he's dead. Granted the film itself was just depressing seeing how it was about that main guy spirial himself into death by drinking.

 

[York_Beckett]

The Deer Hunter was so devoid of happiness, it left me in a mood of gloom for the rest of the day.
Not only that; a few days after I saw it, I found out one of my best friends had commited suicide. That made it even worse for me.

Despite all this, I thought the movie was fantastic.

There are others; A Simple Plan ended on a very heavy and tragic note, and Jacob's Ladder (my favourite film) had the feeling of despair, horror and anxiety all the way through, especially at the (somewhat bittersweet) end.

There is something rather odd about tragic endings in film. I can't say I "enjoy" depressing endings, but it can certainly leave an impact on the viewer. It depends on the film experience, I guess.
(Don't get me wrong; I like films with happy endings as well.)

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Inb4 Neon Genesis Evangelion (the movie ending).

If I gave a crap about any of the characters in that series, I might still be chronically depressed about the horrors they go through in End of Evangelion. That movie is carraiiizy in just about any way you can imagine.

Berserk 3: Descent. You know what I mean if you know the story. It's possibly one of the most crushing things that has happened to any character in fiction.

Pan's Labyrinth is a grim and depressing movie overall, and the ending doesn't really let up much.

I'm also inclined to include We Need to Talk About Kevin here, since that movie is also very grim and disturbing, but the ending shows a teeny weeny speck of hope glimmering at the end of the tunnel, so I don't know if it really qualifies here.

 

[The Wykydtron]

I suppose Attack on Titan? Not to spoil but the best thing the Survey Corps could claim after the long second half of the anime was that they almost did something useful at the cost of losing yet more people and trashing another city. Par for the course in a way, this is the AoT-verse. George RR Martin would tell AoT to calm the fuck down on character deaths.

Also Angel Beats. It was depressing but in a good way and even the massive plothole that opens up in the last few minutes doesn't put a downer on the sweet side of the bittersweet.

I don't watch much depressing stuff anymore, I watch nothing but slice of life comedy romance anime after all.

Funny thing is I don't automatically get depressed whenever some important character dies at the end for shock value. Especially when they go out how they would have wanted/chose to die

ME3 spoilers here for those living under rocks

Spoiler

Didn't tear up or even feel remotely sad at Mordin's death. Yeah it did have to be you, you awesome alien guy you.

 

[Auron225]

The ending to Full Metal Alchemist(the 2003 series). More specifically the movie ending.

Spoiler

Basically Ed and Al will never see their friends or be able to live in their original world again. Instead they get stuck in our world, which is infinitely less awesome.

I actually thought the movie end was happier than the series end;

Spoiler

Al may also be stuck in our sucky boring world too, but at least he and Ed are together again I'm happy enough to completely ignore that film & series anyway though given that Brotherhood is the true canon story from the manga. If you haven't seen it yet I cannot recommend it enough. It is better in every way you can think of.

I'm getting around to watching Grave of the Fireflies, too, cos apparently that made my stone-faced friend cry. Reckon it's worth a gander.

I'm not surprised it made your stone-faced friend cry; Grave of the Fireflies can make inanimate objects cry. Do not underestimate the feels of that one!

OT: The one that comes to mind at the moment is a book; Thirteen Reasons Why. It's basically about a girl who kills herself and leaves a box of casette tapes explaining her reasoning (13 reasons to be precise) as to why she killed herself. Each casette has a reason, and each is about a particular person. No one person is directly responsible but each person did something big to have a knock-on effect. She posts them to the first person before she kills herself and asks (in the tapes) that each person post them to the next one in order.

It is... really gruelling at times o.o I guess it's not so much the end - the whole damn thing is hard to swallow.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

I second the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime film?s ending. As if they couldn?t make the original anime any bleaker.

Grave of the Fireflies. Rarely do you get good endings out of films based on the events of WWII Japan. The only good part of that ending is that at least

Spoiler

the spirits of the brother and sister reunited.

Death Note. Forgetting everything that happened in the last chapter/episode, just imagine how Light?s mother and sister felt, regardless of whether or not they know what actually happened.

The Berserk anime (or just the Berserk manga in general). Two words:

Spoiler

DEMON RAPE.

Leaving Las Vegas. Just one long story about an alcoholic?s

Spoiler

destructive path to death. Oh, and a prostitute is violently raped by a bunch of college kids.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Brazil's ending is especially depressing since they do a bait-and-switch with a happy ending first.

 

[wooty]

Angel Beats' ending was quite sad, but with its charms right at the very end.
Code Geass also had an ending that was left on a bit of downer, but I suppose for the right reasons.


But then again I love depressing/sad endings, they are the ones I remember the best. Fate/Zero, Ga Rei Zero, Air, Clannad: After Story, Batman Returns, Battle Royale, Sherlock (S2) Bioshock Infinite, ect.

Even with Game of Thrones and the now infamous "red wedding". I was the only one of my mates (and family) who's eyes lit up and jumped with glee when what happened....happened. Just so bold and so brilliant.

 

[Setrus]

The end of season 1 in the Walking Dead game...there were tears, I tell you, good ones though. (though the ending is a mixture of hopeful and depressing, so not sure if it qualifies...but it's the ending that jumps out to me, that's for sure.)

 

[Yopaz]

I'll have to say the ending to Lufia II was the first depressive ending in any game I faced. Since then I have seen more depressive endings, but right now I am simply unable to think of any.

Myself; Yourself made me feel kinda depressed because every little thing leading up to the ending was depressive which made me feel depressed despite the kinda happy ending.

 

[Harpalyce]

It may not quite count because of how it continues after the credits, but I have to put up Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness here simply because of how it thoroughly blindsighted me and left me a broken sobbing mess of confusion because dear lord I did not expect PMD to go down that route:

Spoiler

It ends with your partner/best friend screaming your name and sobbing on the beach where they found you, after you have been dead for a year, while one of your guildmate friends fruitlessly tries to comfort them over what is obviously still a deeply painful loss. ROLL CREDITS.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Shadow Hearts

Christ, talk about a punch in the gut.
The game actually has two endings: the "bad" ending and the "good" ending (which is quite hard to get). But here's the thing: the good ending is fake. It's the bad ending the series continues with (see Shadow Hearts: Covenant).

Hell, even if you get the good ending, it still ends on a depressing note:


Cardinal Simon wanted to "reset" the world by letting the God From Beyond The Stars clean up the planet; make sure those of ill will would meet their maker. The reason he wanted to do this, was because he saw the pain and misery humans would wreck upon themselves, i.e. World War One. Was his mission the lesser of two evils? Probably not. But the game ends by saying that WW I will happen and the world will be plunged into darkness. In the end, did you really stop anything?

 

[Coakle]

Ocarina of Time:

Spoiler: Ending

When Navi leaves. This ending gets even more depressing when you start up Majora's Mask. It confirms that Link feels that he lost his best friend and is willing to leave his old life behind to be reunited.

Also Mido and King Ruto at the after party.

Soul Cartel:
I'm not cheating that much, since it's a completely self contained side story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Spoiler: The side story of Inea and her daughter Airen

Inea dies. This isn't a shock, since the story was a flashback. It's told from Airen's point of view. It first builds the most adorable mother-daughter relationship so the sense of loss is overwhelming when the mom dies. Very sad.

Spoiler: Picture two chapters worth of this before the hammer drops

Les Miserables: Yeah, the songs got me.

 

[nyankaty]

Seconding Grave of the Fireflies. That is my go-to movie when I need to just feel utterly horrible and lie in a pile of sorrow for a good long while.

And of course, Jurassic Bark in Futurama. Ouch.

Considering I have tons of sad movies and shows, I don't know why those are the only two that leap out at me at the moment.