Satisfying Endings[Obvious Possibility of Spoilers]

gagagaga

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Legion said:
I would say it is the other way around really.

At the end of the original series and first two movies nothing drastic has changed. Madoka has sacrificed herself to prevent the magical girls turning into witches and also managed to prevent Mami and Kyouko's deaths as well as defeating Walpurgis Night.

However the cycle of hope and despair remains. The Incubators are still manipulating girls into contracts to counter entropy and they still fight Shades until they die or fall into despair.

Compare this to Homura's ending.

The cycle is broken with no more magical girls and witches.
The Incubators are cowed by Homura.
Madoka is alive, normal and happy as are the others (only Sayaka remembers anything).

Homura's actions were selfish (as she ignored Madoka's wishes and decision by taking her power), but ultimately everybody is better off. I would say that is more conclusive than the original ending where they are still fighting.

The original series is about selfless love (Madoka's sacrifice). Rebellion is about selfish love (Homura taking control). That's why it turns out how it did.

That is not to say that I disliked the original ending, far from it. But Rebellion does also end satisfyingly as well in my opinion, despite how bittersweet it is.
Yeah, I'd say we had completely different interpretations of the endings, then.

The Incubators don't manipulate girls into contracts in Madoka's world - they tell them everything up front, because they're not focussed on turning them into witches. Sayaka dies in a heroic sacrifice, not broken after betraying all her values. The girls are still fighting (and as a side note - are free to make their own choices about their lives, not brainwashed into happiness), yeah, but the main conflict of the series has been resolved - Madoka isn't dead or a witch, and she'll meet Homura again one day.

I saw the ending of Rebellion

as implying that Homura's world is a happy lie just like her labyrinth and completely unsustainable - with weird structural problems (familiars running around? Floods of juice? Moon/Luminous hill cut in half?) and setting up Madoka, Sayaka and probably the Incubators pulling a second Rebellion on Homura sometime soon.

That is what I mean when I say it sets up conflicts right before the end and does nothing to resolve them. I don't find that satisfying or conclusive at all. Hopefully we get a sequel within a few years - we probably will, considering the ending was written the way it was specifically to allow for such a thing.
 

Uriel_Hayabusa

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Some people are mentioning a number of anime. It so happens that I'm a pretty big anime fan as well so I'll just say that I loved the ending to Haibane Renmei. That being said, it's also my favorite anime period so I may be a bit biased in that regard.
 

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Frezzato said:
...which seems all the more strange when I say that I also truly love the original Red Dawn from the 80's. Think of it this way:
No one today would make a movie in which the majority of its young, up-and-coming stars end up dead at the end.
Not only that, but the fact that apparently nobody cares what they did. The voiceover at the end mentions "I'm the only one who comes here", because apparently a monument to the homegrown resistance movement isn't noteworthy.
 

AdagioBoognish

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The ending of the cartoon "home movies" was one of my all time favorites. It was very bittersweet.

I also think outlaw star had an amazing ending as long as you don't watch the very last episode. Ive rewatched the series several times and without the last episode it basically becomes an epic story where all the hero's die while bringing down the villains.
 

spacemutant IV

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TheIceQueen said:
I also thought Supernatural had a great ending, if we're counting the Season 5 ending as the ending. So much closure, so much satisfaction, that my lover and I don't want to continue onto the next season because we feel as though the show should have perfectly well ended where it was meant to.
I don't follow Supernatural anymore, but I would have shot a ************ if it had ended with season 5.
 
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bug_of_war said:
The first Darkness game had a pretty satisfying ending. You get your revenge, you meet up with Jenny for one last feels sesh, all in all a nice way to end it.
I agree with this, and I also want to mention the endings of The Darkness 2, but not the silly Hell ending.
[spoiler/]
Personally, I thought the "Stay with Jenny" ending was superbly done. The simple fact is, the arguments for the player being insane are pretty compelling. Comics and canon and whatnot aside, which is more likely: You're a super power demon host who's the head of an extremely powerful crime family and you're fighting against a messy-faced man with a magic purple lantern who wants to steal the demon powers for himself in order to do terrible things,
OR
You're just another crazy person having hallucinations?

From any kind of rational perspective, hallucinations and crazy dreams are the only real possibility.

After picking Stay, the ending is handled perfectly as well. They easily could have thrown in some little wink where they show that the player made the wrong choice, but instead it's really beautiful. You simply dance with Jenny and you're happy. The music plays, the credits roll and the music just keeps on going. No demonic laugh, no tentacle popping out of you at the last minute, no red evil eyes appearing, just happiness and peace.

It also brings up the question: Even if it isn't real, is it really the wrong choice?

So for me, it was excellent.
[/spoiler]

[quote/]
Mass Effect 3 was quite satisfying for me personally
[/quote]
[sub/]thank you[/sub]

Frezzato said:
...which seems all the more strange when I say that I also truly love the original Red Dawn from the 80's. Think of it this way:
No one today would make a movie in which the majority of its young, up-and-coming stars end up dead at the end.
Seconding this hard.

I love the original Red Dawn and the ending is just perfect.

[spoiler/]One last great action scene, Bella letting them go, the awesomely patriotic voice over at the end and best of all, the didn't feel the need to screw around telling how everything went. No endless series of endings, not even a true answer on who won. Just that this war came to an end, as all wars do, then rolling the credits with that awesome music.[/spoiler]

OT:
I'm just going to be a big semi-contrarian bastard who makes people mad on purpose and say Mass Effect 3 with the Extended Cut.
Yes, you that read right.

[spoiler/]
Of course the non-EC ending sucked. I won't even try to argue that. But my issues with the vanilla ending weren't with the Catalyst or the 3 choices, it was that the choices were, at a certain point, [i/]literally[/i] just re-colors.
The EC still had the silliness of Mr. Starchild, but it gave pretty satisfying closure. In addition, it made the Control choice turn out pretty damn good when in the vanilla it seemed like the worst way to go.
Also it finally put that irritating Indoctrination theory to bed once and for all.
[/spoiler]
 

FPLOON

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Ed, Edd, n' Eddy
After so many episodes, several specials, and the movie, everyone realized just how much of an asshole Eddy's brother really is as well as finally respecting the Ed boys...

Should I still feel bad for Captain Melonhead, though? *thinks*
Powerpuff Girls
Mojo Jojo made Townsville a better place? Why not...
Warehouse 13
A "interesting" take on looking back at the best accomplishments of the entire team leading to a satisfying conclusion to yet another great Sci-fi (Syfy) series...

Endless wonder...

...I think some of my other choices were said already...
 

McKitten

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Code Geass: the ending was absolutely perfect. Heck it was necessary. If it had ended differently, it could have made Lelouch look like just another power-mad asshole, but the way it ended he actually proved that he really meant it when speechifying about fighting for a better world. Now, there were other endings that could have worked as well, but changing that would have massively changed the tone of the whole thing.

Not ranked in any particular order. (actually, alphabetically)
Equilibrium: Yep, pretty dam good ending for the story.
Heat: Ok, everything about that movie was awesome, how could the ending not be.
Infernal Affairs: May just be my favourite movie ending of all. Satisfying, and also so very appropriate to the whole story.
Watchmen: Pretty unusual since comic based movies don't usually have good endings imo. Probably because of the serial nature of the source.

Games:
Bastion
KotoR1
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow Hearts 2

I just realized that although i could name quite a few games with good endings, none quite reach the quality of the very best movie endings i can think of.
 

Sparky184

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I think that Steins;Gate had a great ending. I really liked how it ended on a happy note, considering what Okabe went through, heavily implying that
Makise kept her memories.
The OVA kind of ruined it by revealing
She didn't
but it's possible just to ignore that episode really, it didn't really add anything important to the story and felt pretty distant from the show as a whole. I'll also add I have yet to see the movie, so I don't know how that ending pans out.

The ending to Fullmetal Alchemist Brootherhood also wrapped everything up nicely I feel.

Another ending I liked was the ending to Madoka Magica, as it encapsulated the very sad and sombre tone of the show brilliantly. The Rebellion ending was also pretty good, but I prefer the show ending. The ending to rebellion was just kind of confusing to me until I looked around and asked some people.
 

Kotaro

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I thought the ending of "Fate/Zero" was pretty much perfect. I really like endings that are either sad or bittersweet, but make it a point to end on a hopeful note. "Fate/Zero" did that perfectly:
The only characters who don't end up worse off than they started are the villains, tons of people die, more end up broken, and even Kiritsugu, the series's protagonist, gives up on his original goal. But in the end, he was at least able to save one person, and that boy (Shirou) promised to fulfill the dream that Kiritsugu never could (and if you're familiar with "Fate/stay night," you know that in at least two out of three possible futures, he does).
"Madoka Magica" is another good example: a heroic sacrifice that makes things less awful for everyone else. I'm talking about the ending of the series here, not "Rebellion." I liked "Rebellion," but its ending is wholly unsatisfying compared to the original series.
 

Nouw

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Like many visual novels, Ever 17 makes you work for that true ending and at points it feels like, for lack of a less dramatic term, a struggle. An enjoyable struggle I should add, especially because it was a bit meta with the whole 'play again with a different route' shtick VN's have. With the challenge of reaching the true ending and the meta-aspect in mind, the ending to Ever 17 was incredibly satisfying. It ties the most important things up and dat final CG...sogood.jpg
 

Leemaster777

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Madame_Lawliet said:
Panty and Stocking with Gartderbelt.

No, seriously.

I don't get why everyone views the PSG ending as the "worst ending evaaaaar" because it was so obviously a parody of the very thing everyone was so upset about.
Essentially everything that relates to anything was completely resolved into a neat little package before the credits rolled... and then all of that work is instantly undone, we find out that Stocking was a demon the whole time, and the framing device for a hypothetical second season is immediately laid out, complete with a "to be continued in next season!" card at the very end.
And then there was no second season.

Every other fan on the face of the earth seems to think that Gainax was "trolling them" or whatever, but I really don't get that at all, this ending is EXACTLY how PSG should have ended, with an over-the-top, out of nowhere, and most importantly UNEXPECTED sequence that has no rhyme or reason and exists for the sole purpose subverting your expectations.
Gainax knew exactly what they were doing, they had NO intention of following this up, and frankly, how the hell would they? Brief, Garter, and presumably the sisters going on a scavenger hunt to collect 666 pieces of Panty so they can... stitch her back together? That is such a formulaic premise, and if there's one mission PSG sets out to do (other then deliver sex/body positive feminist subtext and symbolism in an intentionally unlikely context to deliver the message on multiple levels... which is something I REALLY need to start a thread on one of these days...) it's subvert and destroy formula.
You've seen this kind of sequel bating before, it's become a trope in and of itself, and by delivering the most ludicrous, plot destroying, slap in the face to everything you know they were parodying the very concept of the sequel bait ending, and the irony is that the people falling for it are the other half of the joke, they just don't realize it.

Panty and Stocking's completely unsatisfying ending is, in my opinion, the most satisfying way it could have ended, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Yeah PSG is pretty much my favorite anime, TV, pop culture... THING ever.
*begins slow clap*

And THAT is exactly how I feel about it, as well.

I've never understood why so many people found that ending as such a letdown, although I expect that Gainax had at least ALITTLE intentional trolling on their mind.

The final battle was far beyond anything I could have hoped for, and the actual ending itself, as you said, perfectly summed up the comedic sensibilities of the show.

Perhaps I'm biased, since one of my OTHER favorite animes is Excel Saga (if you couldn't guess from my avatar), and it's somewhere in the same ballpark.

Incidentally, I'd like to say that I've seen your avatar around, and I quite like it. Gotta love Scanty and her RUUUUULLLLLLLLLLZZZZ.
 

kyuzo3567

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To say something different that hasn't been mentioned in this thread already I'm gonna go with FFX. I thought the whole game ended nicely with a sad but fulfilling cutscene to finish the game off.

To be clear I've never seen FFX: Eternal Calm and as far as i'm concerned FFX-2 doesn't exist so I don't care about any of the endings that game had
 

Michael Tabbut

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Relish in Chaos said:
I think the ending to the Fullmetal Alchemist manga was pretty good. Brought a lot of closure to the characters and story that was sadly lost in its alternative anime version, which, in contrast, had an atrocious finale (I?m counting the movie as well).
If you are referring to the original anime and not Brotherhood, I'm inclined to agree.
OT: I thought ending for Shutter Island was really satisfying.
Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Teddy Daniels learns that his wife's killer, Andrew Laeddis, is actually him and comes to terms with himself. In the last scene it seems he's gone back into denial and is going to be lobotomized. He tells his therapist posing as his partner (played by Mark Ruffalo) something along the lines of "He who fights monsters." The quote implies that Leonardo DiCaprio's character is faking his denial and wants the lobotomy so he can never remember what hes done.
 

jademunky

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Video Games:
- Bioshock Infinite (I know not everyone will agree)
- Final Fantasy VI
- Thomas was Alone

Literature:
- The Outsider, by H.P. Lovecraft (seriously go read it right now)
- The Masque of Red Death, by Edgar Allen Poe
- Lord of the Rings
 

Nazulu

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Satisfying endings require good writing, and that's rare to come by. It also depends what satisfies you, because I was fine with the original FMA anime ending.

They killed off the worst threat that the whole story was built around and everyone we loved (besides Hughes) survived. The epic shit was done with, and that's why I don't like the movie that followed after. Mainly because it just felt out of place, it could not deliver the impact the anime built up to.

Does it have to be to a series? Because there a lot of films and games I could mention.
 

bartholen_v1legacy

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Chrono Trigger is the most saitsfying ending I can think of, probably for any piece of fiction I've encountered. It ends in such a wonderful yet bittersweet fashion, with all characters and plot threads coming together in the end. It's like a really good kids' fairytale, leaving me wanting for nothing.

Tears in me eyes!

...Until you get to the final additional ending. Yikes!

Kingdom of Heaven also had a satisfying ending. The amount of change the protagonist has gone through really hits you in the end.

Least satisfying... about to beat a dead horse, but Neon Genesis Evangelion is the first to come to mind. Yes, even End of Evangelion. Some Ghibli films are also sore offenders in this regard, with films like Howl's Moving Castle, Porco Rosso and Whisper of the Heart ending like they hit a brick wall at 150 mph.
 

Relish in Chaos

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Michael Tabbut said:
Relish in Chaos said:
I think the ending to the Fullmetal Alchemist manga was pretty good. Brought a lot of closure to the characters and story that was sadly lost in its alternative anime version, which, in contrast, had an atrocious finale (I?m counting the movie as well).
If you are referring to the original anime and not Brotherhood, I'm inclined to agree.
Yes, I am, since Brotherhood pretty much followed the manga.
 

TheRiddler

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I still maintain that Pixar's Ratatouille had the most satisfying ending ending I've seen. Other movies have probably had better endings, but none that feel as perfectly complete as that in Ratatouille. That ending is funny, it's heartwarming, it's clever. And it gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling you can only really get from a Pixar movie.

 

FPLOON

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Nazulu said:
Satisfying endings require good writing, and that's rare to come by. It also depends what satisfies you, because I was fine with the original FMA anime ending.

They killed off the worst threat that the whole story was built around and everyone we loved (besides Hughes) survived. The epic shit was done with, and that's why I don't like the movie that followed after. Mainly because it just felt out of place, it could not deliver the impact the anime built up to.
I think that's why the more I think about it, the more I like the original FMA's ending a bit more than the Brotherhood ending, especially if you forget about that movie follow-up to the original series...
It may not seem like everything didn't worked out in the end, especially with Ed in our world and Al in the brother's homeworld... But, as you said, the worse threat is gone and that, alone, makes everything else seem a lot better by comparison... However, in Brotherhood, the worse threat is not only gone, but literally everyone [still alive] gets their "perfect" ending/conclusion in the long run one way or another... To me, the original has that glimmer of light at the end of it's tunnel while Brotherhood never had that suppose darkness in said tunnel to begin with in comparison to the original...
It's almost why I suggest others to watch the original series before jumping straight into Brotherhood, but mostly because of Brotherhood's first 12 or so episodes...