Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2451
Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park
Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:51 am
Since it is impossible to discuss this topic without having spoilers I will only tag big plot points instead of the entire thread. I find the idea of resolving the main series' conflict an episode early fascinating, especially since one of my old script writing teachers would have said this is a really bad idea. There was even a time when I would have agreed with him.
After watching Gankutsuou I can't imagine the series without it's last episode. Hearing the opening song played on the piano at the end was extremely moving spoiler[and the general life goes on] feel works for me. I also like the character portraits at the very end.
The Chrono Crusade last episode was simply amazing. Much like the Gankutsuou ending I love how the characters have aged. I also love how both endings tease the audience into guessing what is happening as the events of the last few years unfold. Although the final conflict in the second to last episode was decent, the most memorable part of the series spoiler[occurs when Chrono and Rossette die.]
The Excel and Please Teacher last episodes were rather silly. I suppose the point for both of these last episodes was to do all the things that they couldn't do in the series.
The Gundam 08th and Peacemaker last episodes didn't do anything for me. I thought that they were anticlimactic and prefer the second to last episodes ending.
The last episode iof Argentosoma is interesting since it is a side story, I would think that this would be the "safest" way to do an extra episode. There isn't anything that really gives us an extra insight to this episode by watching the series first, and the episode could almost be inserted into the series. I've not seen the bonus episode of Elfen Lied which is a similar case if I understand.
I suppose I'm just surprised at how many series conclude the major conflict an episode before the last since it is a practice generally frowned upon in traditional tv writing. Of course this is expected to found in movies and OVA series like FMA, Eva, and Bebop, but that is a bit more common in the US as well. The only non-anime title that I can think about that does this is Babylon 5. Which "bonus" episodes work and don't for you and why? Should these epilogues exist, or are they anticlimactic?
I don't actually like epilogue episodes all that much, but not because they're kind of anticlimactic. I don't have a problem with things being anticlimactic if it's justifiably better that way, but they've always felt too out of place to me. The tone is generally very different, and they've always felt tacked on.
A) Do we absolutely have to know what happens to the characters two years later? I like a little breathing room in my endings. Of course it's nice to have most plot threads wrapped up, but adding 22 minutes of epilogue doesn't always do that. You get all these episodes worth of show that follow some sort of storyline, and then when everything ends, a whole extra episode of all of the characters in different life situations? But only one episode? It almost feels like watching a series, and then watching the first episode of the second season and no more.
B) I like epilogues more when they're short and at the end of the last episode, if they absolutely need one.
As far as Gankutsuou goes... spoiler[I felt conflicted with this one. On one hand, this was a series that I thought kind of required an epilogue episode, but on the other hand, it really killed the punch of episode 23. Couldn't they just have added a short epilogue onto the end of that episode? It seemed like while what the epilogue told needed to be said, it didn't need an entire episode to say it. But I still loved the series, so whatever.]
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