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Anime with ultimately satisfying endings


ittaku

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I'm trying to collate a list of anime series with those sort of ultimately satisfying endings that make you happy to have watched a series right through to the end, and the ending is complete enough that you know that a sequel isn't necessary to feel fulfilled. I'm only interested in shows with HAPPY endings, not kinda positive sombre ones, and no unresolved freaking harems. I want the sort of endings that make you feel a little depressed that the show is over but happy with the conclusion. The shows themselves don't even need to be awesome, but to have a very good ending which makes it better overall. More marks if they brought tears (of joy) to your eyes. Now I realise that people's opinions on what constitutes a satisfying ending will be vastly different from person to person and that's okay, but if you wish to debate the reasons something may not be ultimately satisfying, please put it in spoiler tags. Successful romance is a big plus but not essential. I don't remotely claim to have watched all anime ever so one of my main reasons for doing this is to find other shows to watch - since my bias is towards romances there's likely a lot of action shows I'm missing here.

Here's a list off the top of my head. I'll add more as I remember, and I might add other people's to this top post if we start getting some consensus. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have!

Here's a link to my completed anime that I can remember. My list is incomplete since I didn't start it when I first started watching anime 20 years ago...:

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/MyAnime/?user=Ittaku&categ=3

 

The first on the list is not listed alphabetically because it's my reference for the greatest anime ever on all levels so gets a special mention. The rest is alphabetical.

  • Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
  • Absolute Duo
  • Aharen-san wa Hakarenai
  • AmagamiSS
  • Amagi Brilliant Park
  • Angelic Layer
  • Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm
  • A place further than the universe.
  • Assassination Classroom
  • Bakuman
  • Beyond the Boundary
  • Bottom-tier Tomozaki-kun
  • Brave Witches
  • Brighter than the dawning blue
  • Cardcaptor Sakura
  • Castle Town Dandelion
  • A Certain Scientific Railgun
  • Chivalry of a Failed Knight
  • Chobits
  • Chuunibyou demo koi ga shitai
  • Crest of the Stars + Banner of the Stars
  • Cross Ange
  • Cross Game
  • Darling in the FranXX
  • Deca-Dence
  • Doctor Stone
  • (The) Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
  • Emma - A Victorian Romance
  • Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte
  • Eureka 7
  • Full Metal Panic + TSR
  • GATE
  • Girls und Panzer
  • Golden Time
  • Gosick
  • Gymnastics Samurai
  • Haikyuu 1, 2, 3, 4
  • Hanasaku Iroha
  • Hanayamata
  • Heavy Object
  • High School DXD
  • Hinomaro Sumo
  • Hi Score Girl
  • Horimiya
  • Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon 1, 2, and 3
  • Itazura na Kiss
  • Just Because
  • Kaguya Sama: Love is War
  • Kaichou wa maid sama
  • Kaleido Star
  • Kamisama Kiss + OVAs
  • Kanon2006
  • Karin
  • Kimi ni Todoke
  • Kobato
  • Kokoro Connect
  • K-On
  • Lagrange: The Flower of Rinne
  • Last Exile
  • Little Witch Academia (TV)
  • Lovely Complex
  • A Lull in the Sea
  • Maison Ikkoku
  • Maria the Virgin Witch
  • Matoi the Sacred Slayer
  • The Misfit of Demon King Academy
  • My Bride is a Mermaid
  • My-Hime
  • My Love Story
  • My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
  • New Game!
  • Nodame Cantabile
  • Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
  • O Maidens in Your Savage Season
  • Our love has always been 10 centimeters apart.
  • Planetes
  • Please Teacher
  • Princess Tutu
  • Puella Magi Madoka Magica
  • Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
  • Real Girl AKA 3D Kanojo
  • Record of Grancrest War
  • Recovery of an MMO Junkie (TV)
  • Re:CREATORS
  • Release the Spyce
  • Relife + OVAs.
  • Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World S1+S2
  • The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent
  • Sakura quest
  • Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
  • Say I Love You
  • Shakugan no Shana
  • Shirobako
  • Snow White with Red Hair
  • Sound! Euphonium.
  • Star Blazers 2199 (TV)
  • Steins;Gate
  • Strike Witches 1, 2, and 3
  • ToraDora
  • Touch
  • Tsuki ga Kirei
  • Twin Star Exorcists
  • Ultra Maniac
  • Uma Musume Pretty Derby S1+S2
  • Ushio & Tora
  • Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid
  • Wagnaria!! (aka Working!!)
  • Welcome to the Ballroom
  • Welcome to the NHK
  • Wolf Girl and Black Prince
  •  (The) World Is Still Beautiful
  • WWW.WAGNARIA!!
  • Ya Boy Kongming!
  • Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
  • Zero no Tsukaima
  • Zombieland Saga

Recommended by others (either I haven't seen them or they recommended them but I wouldn't include them in my list):

  • Angel Beats
  • Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai.
  • Charlotte
  • Clannad
  • Code Geass
  • Death Note
  • Engaged to the Unidentified
  • F/SN Unlimited Blade Works
  • Garo: Carved Seal of Flames (GARO: The Animation)
  • Grisaia no Kajitsu
  • Guilty crown
  • Gunbuster/Diebuster
  • Gundam Build Fighters
  • Kara no Kyoukai
  • Haibane Renmei
  • Higurashi
  • Katanagatari
  • Little Busters
  • Mari Mite
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
  • Parasyte
  • Turn A Gundam
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3 minutes ago, Arcadeotic said:

I think that Guilty Crown has one of those

it's a tad sad yes, but still satisfying nontheless

 

Another one is Sakurasou Pet na Kanojo

Sakurasou yes, I'll add that. Guilty crown... I stopped watching since it didn't gel with me.

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1 minute ago, ヤミハナ said:

Angel Beats!

-The ending isn't, but the epilogue is.

Clannad

-Well, of course.

Code Geass

  Reveal hidden contents

-The ending isn't a happy ending indeed, but it satisfies me quite enough.

 

Taste issues with those first two I'm afraid.

 

Angel beats no way for me... I didn't consider that ending happy.

 

Clannad I disliked and dropped.  But I guess it has a happy ending so I'll add to bottom list.

Spoiler

Yes I know it's an unusual thing for someone to say about Clannad but I lost it after the episode of weeding. I had the misfortune of subbing the after story only after never finishing the first season and thought why the fuck would anyone enjoy that after story.

 

Code Geass I've never watched but you said it wasn't happy.

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Satisfying endings is a fairly subjective topic, but in my opinion I'd say:

- Gurren Lagann

- Code Geass

- Gunbuster/Diebuster

- Gundam Build Fighters

- Turn A Gundam

- Katanagatari (Wouldn't say it's so much a happy ending as it is an insanely satisfying one)

I clearly like mecha a little.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Loodee said:

This is like exactly what I need, thanks for the recommendations.

plus points for this for sure, any specific recommendations?

This is a tricky request because some of the best romantic endings are unexpected romances in the many that I've listed there in shows that weren't obviously romances in the beginning so revealing that would be a spoiler. Having said that, as a minor spoiler, most of my recommended list in the first post are romances which is often the reason I've enjoyed their endings.

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Wait, wait, wait. I just saw Madoka is on your list. That show is one of my very favorites (somewhere around #3 overall?), particularly because the ending is so complete, but I'm surprised it's enough of a happy ending to merit your list. Amazing ending, yes, but... for me, at least, it's incredibly bittersweet.

At any rate, I looked through stuff and found one more worth adding: Welcome to the NHK. Great show, although a little bit dark at times, with a very satisfying happy ending.

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40 minutes ago, Deep Blue said:

Monster and parasyte. both of them follow every single manga volume to perfection I would even say that it's better to watch the anime rather than reading the manga. The endings are pretty darn good imo

Eeeeeh, I agree with parasyte....... but Monster could go either way. I could see why some would find it unsatisfying. 

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20 minutes ago, Deep Blue said:

Monster had a great ending imo, everyone moved on with their lives, there was that little thing with... well I can't use spoilers so I cant say anything lol >_> but monster should be included again this is my personal opinion.

 

I certainly agree that it was a good anime, but for someone to invest time to watch a 50+ episode anime..... I can certainly see why someone would be pissed with the "Inceptionesque" ending.

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15 hours ago, Nashetania said:

School Days :makina: 

I assume you are basing this recommendation on the ending. I haven't watched this series but everything I read about it says it was a gruesome thing to watch through and then has a totally off-the-wall ending. Reviews like this don't make it sound very appealing to watch: http://www.nihonreview.com/anime/school-days-3/ Since I was asking specifically about satisfying endings I guess this fits the criteria (assuming it felt like it was worth the effort to watch to the end to get the ending). Ratings on it seem to be wildly variable, looking like a binomial distribution of people thinking it's either shit or awesome.

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I'm in the anti-School Days club. Latter episodes are WTF. My records say I watched it on 2009, years prior to getting into VN world, and without knowledge about the work and its VN origins. But the conclusion of the story kinda disturbed me. Other people love it though.

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